Steve Cherundolo extends his contract with LAFC

Los Angeles FC announced new deals for Steve Cherundolo and his entire coaching staff ahead of the 2024 Major League Soccer season. The club reported that they reached a multi-year agreement with the 44-year-old American coach, without disclosing the length of the extension or the terms written into the new arrangement. He will lead the team for the third consecutive year when next season begins in February.

The only change for the new campaign will be that of Enrique Durán, who led LAFC2 in 2023 and who will become the assistant coach for the first team. The rest of LAFC’s coaching staff remain on board, including assistants Ante Razov, Marc dos Santos and Oka Nikolov.

Cherundolo’s numbers

During his two years at the helm of LAFC, Steve Cherundolo has guided his team to 35 wins, 19 draws and suffered 14 losses. He is the only coach in the league to have won both the Supporters’ Shield and the MLS Cup - a feat he achieved in 2022. In the playoffs, his side has a record of six wins, one draw and one defeat - not including the 2023 MLS Cup final which they lost to the Columbus Crew earlier this month.

Cherundolo is delighted to be staying on, as he explained in a press release: “I am excited to continue our journey together after two emotional, invigorating and successful years. I am proud and grateful to share the sideline again with an incredible coaching staff. I would also like to thank John, his staff and the owners for their tireless work and support for our team. Together with our phenomenal fans, we remain hungry and prepared for more”.

The coach, who started his managerial career as as assistant at Hannover 96, has broken a number of records during his short time as a head coach. He is currently the third coach with the best winning percentage in league history and the one with the most victories in his first year in charge of an MLS team when he took over in 2022.