The Eastern Conference has had a coaching shakeup heading into 2025. Where does Charlotte FC stand among all the turnover in the East?
By Ryan Donahue
As the 2025 season approaches and teams return for preseason camp, players prepare for their head coach's tactical adjustments as they work through training sessions. Seven of the 15 teams in the Eastern Conference will be learning under a head coach in their first preseason in charge.
Our team, ahead of the upcoming season, took a look at the clubs making those changes and how quickly they may be able to adapt.
Tata Martino → Javier Mascherano - Inter Miami
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When Inter Miami announced its decision to part ways with Tata Martino, fans of MLS were left scratching their heads at who the ownership would choose to appoint to replace him. Martino who famously led Atlanta United to its first MLS Cup Championship has been one of the most sought-after coaches in the league, and when Martino joined Inter Miami last year, it felt like the best appointment for the club to get the most out of its new superstars.
However, after failing to go the distance in the postseason, Martino parted ways with the club and shortly after, Javier Mascherano was named his successor. Mascherano joins as a former legend with the Argentine national team and FC Barcelona. Before joining Miami, Mascherano worked as the head coach for Argentina’s U-20 national team.
The obvious question with Mascherano’s appointment is how he will mesh with a roster of high-profile international Barcelona superstars including Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets.
The club’s managing owner Jorge Mas stated on Mascherano’s appointment that the club feels he will bring the right mixture of experience from both his playing career and his time with the under 20’s to manage the club’s superstar profile while also being able to bring through its budding prospects and develop them in MLS.
Co-owner David Beckham also recognized Mascherano’s appointment saying that he brings a relentless determination and has the knowledge, instincts, and understanding to back it up.
Mascherano had also played alongside Messi, Suarez, Busquets, and Alba during his playing career with Barcelona which could be a positive for helping get the big-name players bought in with his tactics and philosophy from the start.
A lot of money has been spent in Inter Miami over the past few seasons and with Messi entering the second full season with the club ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Mascherano will have to work efficiently to ensure positivity both inside the dressing room and among the fanbase remain strong if he hopes to find success.
Top of the Eastern Conference will continue to be the expectation for Miami fans again this year.
John Herdman - Toronto FC (Appointed August 2023) → Robin Fraser
After being appointed ahead of the 2024 season, John Herdman resigned from his role as head coach of Toronto FC after the season marking him as having spent only a year in charge. Toronto FC had a disappointing season that saw the club finish eleventh in the Eastern Conference picking up only 37 points across the campaign. While Herdman’s background as the Canadian Men’s National Team coach made him an obvious candidate to take Toronto forward, his side struggled to find wins both at home and on the road, inevitably leading to the change. Herdman was also in the middle of a scandal from his time with the Canadian Men’s National Team which also likely played a role in leaving.
On January 10, Robin Fraser was announced as the man to take Toronto FC forward. Fraser joins Toronto off the back of a successful stint with the Colorado Rapids from 2019 to 2023. During his time with the Rapids, Fraser led them to a 2021 season in which the club secured 61 points and finished first in the Western Conference for the first time in club history. He was also an assistant coach with Toronto before accepting the head coaching job in Colorado.
He is stepping into a difficult situation in Toronto which has a lot of money tied into Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi limiting their ability to make changes necessary to drastically alter the roster. Fraser may not be able to get Toronto pushed to far up the table in his inaugural season with the club.
Nick Cushing - New York City FC (Appointed June 2022) → Pascal Jansen
Nick Cushing was released from his role as head coach with New York City FC after joining the club as interim and then head coach in 2022. Cushing helped lead the NYCFC to the semi-finals in this year’s Audi MLS Cup Playoffs before getting eliminated by New York Red Bulls. Sporting Director David Lee acknowledged Cushing’s contributions to NYCFC but stated the club’s desire to move in a new direction ahead of 2025.
On January 6, the club announced that Pascal Jansen would take over as head coach for the first team heading into the 2025 season. Jansen, who was born in London, brings a wide array of European experience managing in both Hungary and the Netherlands including UEFA Champions and Europa League matches. Before joining NYCFC, Jansen was the manager of Ferencvárosi TC where he finished second across 16 league matches. Jansen also coached at AZ Alkmaar where he retained a 58% win percentage.
Executives at the club feel that Jansen is the right coach to take a crop of talented young players to the next level and feel that an experienced European profile would fit well with the club’s larger philosophy.
The expectations for NYCFC and Jansen will be that they make the playoffs again and likely push higher up the table due to the amount of talent on the roster.
Jim Curtin - Philadelphia Union (Appointed June 2014) → Bradley Carnell
One club with a major shakeup during this past season is the Philadelphia Union’s Jim Curtin departing the club. Curtin, who notably worked his way through the ranks of the Union has been in the role since 2014 making him one of the longest-tenured head coaches and a focal identity of the Union. The decision to release Curtin came on the back of a long run of disappointing results and feeling that the club had become misaligned with its core principles. Further, the upper executives at Philadelphia believed that despite the club’s reputation for youth development, Curtin at times placed too much reliance on experienced regulars.
On January 2, Bradley Carnell was appointed as the Union’s new coach for the 2025 season. Carnell is a South African native who led St. Louis CITY SC to the 2023 Western Conference championship. Sporting Director Ernst Tanner for the Union feels that Carnell will have the right qualities to realign the club with its identity. Carnell likes to play a high-press play style with structured defending. Carnell also comes with an appreciation for playing and bringing through youth players which is a core piece of what the Union board is looking for.
It is difficult to say how high or how quickly Philadelphia can get in the Eastern Conference, they are making a lot of changes but core key players are still in the mix.
Gonzalo Pineda - Atlanta United (Appointed August 2021) → Ronny Deila
Gonzalo Pineda was appointed as the man to restore the good fortunes of Atlanta United which were once established by Inter Miami’s now-former manager Tata Martino back to the club. Pineda, while finding some positive results throughout his tenure, was confirmed to part ways with the club in June of the regular season. Pineda’s termination came off the back of a long run of underwhelming results leading the club ownership to make a change. The club appointed interim coach Rob Valentino till the end of the season in which Atlanta moved from 13th to 9th in the Eastern Conference.
Ronny Deila was the final pick to join Atlanta with a proven track record for winning after securing six total trophies including four league titles and two domestic cups. Deila also comes with success in MLS winning the 2021 MLS Cup with NYCFC. Immediately before joining Atlanta United, Deila was coaching in the United Arab Emirates Pro League with Al-Wahda but also had stints with large European names including Club Brugge and Celtic FC where he picked up additional honors.
With the amount of money being spent on players and the level of the roster on paper, plus the momentum that was built during their playoff run in 2024, the expectations for Deila to find immediate success with Atlanta will be high.
B.J. Callaghan - Nashville SC (Appointed in July 2024)
Other Eastern Conference notable changes include Nashville SC who appointed interim US Men’s National Team coach B.J. Callaghan as head coach in mid-summer. Nashville SC, while most fans were excited by the appointment of Callaghan, was less impressed with the quality on the pitch as the side finished third from the bottom of the conference in regular season play. While results did not improve under Callaghan’s tenure, after a winter transfer window and a full preseason executives will be able to better assess whether the club is heading in the right direction.
Nashville SC is another club that is currently difficult to predict as they have talented players but the amount of formation and structural change that Callaghan’s style will bring could delay the team from finding immediate success in 2025.
Gregg Berhalter - Chicago Fire FC (Appointed in October 2024)
In October, Chicago Fire FC announced the appointment of former US Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter as the club's upcoming sporting director and head coach ahead of next season. Berhalter, who has been tasked with bringing a competitive culture to the club and building on the groundwork already established, comes with a big reputation after his time with the US Men’s National Team. Before his tenure with US Soccer, Berhalter worked as the head coach at the Columbus Crew SC. With the Crew, Berhalter implemented both an attractive and effective style of play that solidified Columbus as one of the top organizations in MLS.
Despite failing to get Columbus over the line, Berhalter led his side across five seasons with a winning record of 67-58-45 and four out of five playoff berths. Of those visits, Berhalters side made it to the Eastern Conference final twice and the MLS Cup runners-up in 2015. If Berhalter can replicate his success in Columbus, there could be a new powerhouse in the East to watch out for.
Final thoughts
While the head coach carousel is constantly moving, Charlotte FC fans should feel positive that after several early shake-ups in the head coach position, having Dean Smith back at the helm should continue to provide stability and a clear path forward as the 2025 season approaches.
There has also been an influx of talented coaches that have been added across the East so while Smith has provided stability through his first season, it will be important for him to show that the club can evolve and continue to progress in 2025 as there are many teams in the East with new coaches and high ambitions that will be gunning for Charlotte’s place in the table.
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