LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo announced today that he will step down from his position at the completion of the 2025 MLS season.
“It is an honor to be the head coach of LAFC,” Cherundolo said. “After much reflection and discussion with my family, we made the decision that at the end of this year we will return to Germany. I love Los Angeles and LAFC, but this move is in the best interest of my family, even as it will ultimately take us away from a team, city, organization and fan base that I am proud to represent. I am looking forward to continuing our work with the players, coaches and staff to make the 2025 season a success as we keep fighting to win trophies.”
Cherundolo, 46, has enjoyed unprecedented success with LAFC since he was hired in January 2022 as the second head coach in club history. Cherundolo became the only coach in MLS to win the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup in his first season as head coach when he did it in 2022. He led LAFC to the 2024 U.S. Open Cup championship and owns a sparkling 87-43-26 (W-L-T) record with LAFC in all competitions, guiding the club to three major trophies and an appearance in six total finals.
“Steve has been a tremendous leader for LAFC and has proven to be one of the top coaches in our league,” LAFC Co-President & General Manager John Thorrington said. “What he has achieved during his tenure speaks for itself, and we are extremely thankful to him for his continued dedication and hard work. We support his decision to focus on his family with this move at the end of the season. For the remainder of 2025, our goals have not changed. We remain committed to winning trophies this season. We believe we have the people to make that happen, and there will be no better way to close this chapter than with another trophy for LAFC.”
In his second season at the helm in 2023, Cherundolo led LAFC to the final of the Concacaf Champions League and MLS Cup – becoming the only MLS coach to reach both finals in the same calendar year – and just the third coach in MLS history to lead a team to the MLS Cup final in his first two seasons as head coach. Cherundolo led LAFC to the number one seed in the Western Conference in 2024 and became the seventh-fastest coach to reach 50 regular-season wins in MLS history when he did it in September 2024. Cherundolo’s 58 regular season wins since the start of 2022 is the most in MLS during that span.
“It has been a pleasure working with and building a strong relationship with Steve over these last few years and, I thank him for everything he has given to the club,” LAFC Lead Managing Owner Bennett Rosenthal said. “Steve has built upon the foundation of the Black & Gold standard, and we wish him success with us for the rest of this season and in his future endeavors. We appreciate and respect Steve’s desire to move with his family at the end of this season. On behalf of myself, Brandon Beck, Larry Berg and our other owners, I can assure you that Steve will always be a part of our LAFC family.”
The San Diego native owns a 58-31-21 record in the MLS regular season and is 8-3-1 in the MLS Cup Playoffs.