Most Attractive Open MLS Head Coaching Jobs, Ranked

With just over 100 days until the 2025 MLS season kicks off, four teams are looking for head coaches. Jim Curtin’s shock firing by the Philadelphia Union was the latest in a coaching carousel, with Austin FC, Chicago Fire FC, Nashville SC and San Jose Earthquakes already firing managers and hiring their replacements this season.

Here at GIVEMESPORT, we’re looking at which current teams are the most attractive for potential candidates. While ultimately subjective, these rankings are based on things like current rosters, infrastructure, willingness to spend, and more. Let’s dive in.

4 Philadelphia Union

• Majority owner: Jay Sugarman
• Designated Players: Dániel Gazdag (2025, option 2026), Mikael Uhre (2024, option 2025)
• U22 Players: Olewthu Makhanya (2025, options 2027)
• 2024 Supporters’ Shield standings: 23rd
• 2024 Playoff finish: Did not qualify

Philadelphia Union are the most recent club to fire their manager, making the surprise decision to part ways with Jim Curtin, at the time the second-longest tenured head coach in MLS.

Under Curtin and Chief Soccer Officer (CSO) Ernst Tanner, the Union have been one of MLS’s most consistent sides. They won the Supporters’ Shield in 2020, topped the Eastern Conference in 2020 and 2022, and were seconds away from an MLS Cup win in 2022, falling to Los Angeles FC in a heartbreaking penalty kick shootout. They’ve also built one of the truly elite academies in North America, developing current United States Soccer players like Brenden Aaronson, Mark McKenzie and Auston Trusty, as well as some of the most exciting young players currently in MLS like Jack McGlynn, Quinn Sullivan and Cavan Sullivan.

So why aren’t the Union at the top of this list? Simple: spending.

Their most expensive transfer fee to date was a reported $2.8 million for striker Mikael Uhre, a fee that pales in comparison to most of the other MLS Cup contenders. The Union had the fifth-lowest salary budget in MLS last season, and have consistently been among the lowest-spending teams in the league. While they have flexibility with their current roster to make significant improvements, flexibility that is attractive to potential head coaches at face value, the consistent bottom-tier roster spending from ownership means that whoever takes the job would be coaching with a fairly significant financial disadvantage. Jim Curtin made it work, but it’s hard to imagine many others getting similar levels of success.

On the flip side, the Union churn out academy products who can contribute real and valuable minutes at a rate that few MLS teams are doing. Players like Jack McGlynn and Quinn Sullivan have turned into high-level starters in this league, and Manchester City-bound Cavan Sullivan is one of the highest-rated prospects the country has ever seen. Getting the chance to work with elite young talents like this is an appealing prospect, even if it may not be enough to counterbalance the lack of spending.

3 FC Dallas

• Majority owner: Hunt Sports Group
• Designated Players: Jesús Ferreira (2025, option 2026), Petar Musa (2027, option 2028), Alan Velasco (2025, option 2026)
• U22 Players: Geovane de Jesus (2026, option 2027), Enes Sali (2027, option 2028)
• 2024 Supporters’ Shield standings: 21st
• 2024 Playoff finish: Did not qualify

FC Dallas are also in the coaching market after firing Nico Estévez in June (he’s since taken over at Austin FC). They bear a lot of similarities to Philadelphia; they’ve had one of the stronger academies in MLS, they haven’t been one of the bigger spenders, and they are due for a squad refresh. However, there are a few key differences.

For one, Dallas have maximized all of their Designated Player spots, and have largely hit on them. Croatia international Petar Musa was signed ahead of the 2024 season from Benfica Lisbon for a club-record $9.7 million (which could rise to $13 million). Alan Velasco, while injured for almost all of 2024, has loads of potential and is one of the more highly-touted young players in the league.

And Jesús Ferreria, while in the midst of a downswing in form, has proved himself to be a generally reliable striker with a moderately high ceiling. While their DP situation isn’t ultra flexible, they’re fairly proven and could be a selling point for a potential new manager.

The rest of their roster is incredibly flexible. 19 players will come to the end of their guaranteed contract at the end of the season, giving Dallas an incredible amount of flexibility for an incoming manager to overhaul the squad and re-shape the roster.

Add to the mix Dallas’s plans for a $182 million renovation to Toyota Stadium. The Hunts will begin construction on the venue in 2025, increasing capacity by 10 percent and upgrading the stadium into one of the top venues in the country.

For a market that has long been overlooked, it’s a huge and much-needed step forward. That level of investment should be intriguing for a new manager considering his options. Interim Peter Luccin has made a decent case to get the job full-time, but there should be plenty of other interested candidates.

2 St. Louis City

• Majority owner: Carolyn Kindle
• Designated Players: Roman Bürki (2025), Marcel Hartel (2028), João Klauss (2025, option 2026)
• U22 Players: Chris Durkin (2024, options 2026), Jake Girwood-Reich (2027, option 2028)
• 2024 Supporters’ Shield standings: 24th
• 2024 Playoff finish: Did not qualify

There’s a lot to like about St. Louis CITY SC. Their stadium and training center are among the very best in MLS, and they have already built one of the most bought-in fan-bases in MLS during their two seasons. After blowing expectations out of the water during their expansion season, winning the Western Conference, they took a major step backwards in 2024 and fired head coach Bradley Carnell.

The current roster isn’t elite by MLS standards, but there are a lot of intriguing pieces. Roman Burki is one of the very best goalkeepers in the league, and can be bought down from his Designated Player spot to open more flexibility. Summer signings Marcel Hartel and Cedric Teuchert hit the ground running in 2024, and look set to be even better in 2025 after a full preseason and more time to adapt. With an open U22 spot and potentially an open DP spot, there’s room to make some big swings.

St. Louis likely won’t challenge the Los Angeles teams for Western Conference dominance, but they’ve already had a lot of success finding under-the-radar players to come in and find success in MLS. With the right head coach, this could easily be a top-four team in the West.

1 Atlanta United

• Majority owner: Arthur Blank
• Designated Players: Alexey Miranchuk (2027, option 2028), Bartosz Slisz (2028)
• U22 Players: Franco Ibarra (2024, option 2025), Edwin Mosquera (2025, option 2026), Santiago Sosa (2024, option 2025)
• 2024 Supporters’ Shield standings: 19th
• 2024 Playoff finish: TBD

Look, there was never going to be any other option. Atlanta United are the best open head coaching job in MLS by a huge margin. There is so much to like about this project.

Arthur Blank is the most ambitious owner in Major League Soccer and has essentially limitless resources and willingness to spend on elite players. Mercedes-Benz Stadium is legitimately one of the best soccer stadiums and atmospheres in global soccer. Garth Lagerwey has proven to be one of MLS’s truly elite general managers.

Their roster has loads of quality, while also heading into the offseason with insane amounts of flexibility. Alexey Miranchuk is the only true Designated Player on the roster, and Bartosz Slisz can be bought down using allocation money. Of the three U22 Initiative players currently on the roster, Franco Ibarra and Santiago Sosa spent the year on loan, with one or both likely to have their options declined. This leaves Atlanta with the ability to go out and spend big money on players over the next year, a hugely attractive prospect for any manager interested.

The Five Stripes have also quietly built out one of the better academies in the league, with players like Ajani Forgune, Noah Cobb and Tyler Wolff all providing valuable minutes to the first team. Any manager would be thrilled to get this job. It’s a no-brainer.

Related

MLS Roster Decisions: Updated News and Analysis for All 29 Teams

Tom Bogert breaks down the roster decisions around MLS as they come in this offseason.