Shaking up the sidelines: New managerial faces are bringing fresh perspectives and results

By Ryan Donahue

Many of the new MLS coaches in the Eastern Conference are off to a good start. While the focus of this winter has been the record-breaking transfer window occurring, several teams have received a boost from hiring a new coach and instituting a new culture.

Two new cultures go head-to-head

Ahead of Charlotte FC's fixture against Toronto FC, here is an assessment of several of the conference’s newer managers and how they have helped their teams kick off 2024 with winning starts.

In Charlotte’s first two opening seasons, the team went 0-2 in league competition under Miguel Ramirez and Christian Lattanzio. Toronto FC also got off to a poor start in the 2023 season, eventually leading to Bob Bradley's sacking.

This season both clubs have English managers with Dean Smith joining Charlotte and John Herdman the former Canadian National Team head coach joining Toronto FC*. While the season is still only beginning and results will inevitably determine success both managers have gotten their teams off to positive starts each picking up a win and a draw.

While on the pitch, Charlotte has become a more stable defensive side in their early appearances the effect Dean Smith is having behind the scenes is not going unnoticed. In an article published by Tom Bogert from the Athletic, it was stated that within the club there is now a togetherness that did not exist in the first two years and that many have been impressed with how quickly Smith has been able to get buy-in from both players and staff around the club.

Charlotte’s General Manager Zoran Krneta described how the appointment of Smith represents the club's intent to move toward a one-club model and credited Smith for his open-minded approach to appointing assistant coaches from within MLS rather than a more traditional European model where managers bring their crew of six or seven coaches.

While a joyful spirit may not directly correlate to results on the pitch, maintaining a happy and positive dressing room where the players, coaches, staff, and club employees feel together in their mission to succeed can go a long way, and as long as the results follow Charlotte may have nailed down a top quality coach to lead the team moving forward.

In the past two seasons, Toronto FC has finished in 26th, 27th, and 29th place with a 19-56-27 record across three seasons despite having made marquee signings like Lorenzo Insigne. With the disappointment of previous seasons, Toronto needed a new direction. So far this season, Herdman has already helped Toronto match their road points total from 2023 signaling early improvement. 

With Toronto finishing very low in the table the past few seasons Herdman’s approach is to build a team where players are fighting to earn the trust of their supporters. Reestablishing that connection won't be easy. 

So far Herdman seems to be winning over the hearts and minds of the dressing room and has lifted the mood with his high energy and fun approach to training sessions. Insigne credited Herdman noting that the players are working hard to improve and were happy in preseason camp.

While Charlotte will come into Toronto as the table favorites for this matchup the fans should expect a great test for both of their sides to assess where they are so far in the season.

Three other EC clubs are off to good starts with their new coaches

In December 2023, the New York Red Bulls also decided to appoint a new head coach bringing in Sandro Schwarz. Schwarz joins the Red Bull program after coaching across several well-known European sides including FSV Mainz, Dynamo Moscow, and Hertha Berlin. 

The German coach has an impressive pedigree and the results for this Schwarz side have also performed well picking up a win and a draw against Houston and Nashville. Schwarz replaced interim head coach Troy Lesesne who filled in as the interim after the club parted ways with Gerhard Struber last May.

Since moving on from a stint with the Red Bulls last year, Lesesne has joined the head coaching shuffle agreeing to take on the role with DC United on a three-year deal through 2026. For years DC United has struggled to make an impact of any real significance having changed managers on a relatively frequent basis since Ben Olsen left the club in 2020. 

Lesesne who was not offered the head coach by the Red Bulls at the end of last season acknowledges that he has lots of work to be done but feels optimistic the club has all the resources for them to succeed and breakthrough into the playoffs this season. DC currently sits second in the east ahead of week 3 with four points however Lesesne’s side will be up against a strong test in Cincinnati at home.

CF Montréal added Laurent Courtois in January after leading the Columbus Crew’s NEXT Pro team to a league title in 2022 and working in the side Academy. Montréal’s chief sporting officer sees Courtois as the right person to implement the club’s sporting project built around young players in MLS. 

Montréal has had inconsistent playoff stents however the club believes Courtois will replicate success and help the club win both home and away. Montréal sit fourth in the east with a win and a draw in their first two games but if Courtois wants to solidify his standing in Montréal getting a result on Sunday away to Inter Miami would be a massive step forward.

With only two games of evidence to go off a lot remains to be seen with how these managers' seasons will shape up; but with so many clubs focused heavily on bringing in talent on the pitch, sometimes the right tweaks to make a side click are the changes made on the sidelines.

*Herdman was hired in August 2023 and formally started on October 1, 2023, according to MLSsoccer.com.