Los Angeles FC announced Sunday that it has fired head coach Marc Dos Santos, less than a year after he took the top job. The move comes as the team struggles, having secured just two wins in its last 13 matches across all competitions. LAFC made the announcement in a three-paragraph statement, just hours after a 1-0 loss to FC Dallas on Saturday which left the team in sixth place in the Western Conference.
John Thorrington, LAFC's president of soccer operations, commented on the departure in the team's release. “Marc has given a great deal to this club over the years, and we are grateful for his commitment, care and contributions to LAFC,” Thorrington said. The club added that it would immediately begin looking for a new manager. There was no immediate word on who would coach the team for its next match on October 10, following the upcoming two-week FIFA international break.
Dos Santos, 49, stepped into the head coaching role earlier this year, becoming the third manager in LAFC's history. His connection to the Black & Gold dates back to their inaugural 2018 season, where he served as an assistant on Bob Bradley’s staff. After that initial stint, he left to manage the Vancouver Whitecaps, where he accumulated a 22-39-20 record over two and a half years, a period significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic which forced many games on the road.
He returned to LAFC in 2022 as an assistant under Steve Cherundolo, contributing to the team's Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup victories. When Cherundolo departed after last season, Dos Santos was promoted to the head coaching position just two weeks later.
During his time as head coach, Dos Santos acknowledged that a shift to a more defensive lineup had a negative impact on the team during the first half of the season. He often spoke about the unique pressures of coaching in Southern California. “It’s a privilege when you coach a team in Los Angeles,” he said, noting the high expectations. “Every sport here is pressure. Every team here is win, win. It’s a winning city and the culture of the city. So I understand that.” Dos Santos, who is fluent in four languages, was born in Montreal and split his childhood between Quebec and Portugal. With the exception of his tenure in Vancouver, he has a history of success, including being named NASL coach of the year with the Ottawa Fury in 2015 and guiding the San Francisco Deltas to an NASL title.
LAFC began Dos Santos’s tenure on a strong note, going unbeaten in its first 11 matches across all competitions, outscoring opponents 27-3, and reaching the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup before falling to Mexico’s Toluca. However, the team's performance in MLS play since then has seen a decline, with a record of 6-9-7. The recent loss to FC Dallas saw Dos Santos without six key players, including leading scorer Denis Bouanga and captain Son Heung-min, who were away with their national teams. He was popular among his players.
Just prior to his firing, Dos Santos had spoken about the upcoming international break as a time to regroup. “It’s a hard moment right now for us. And we have to face it,” he said, acknowledging the team’s difficulty in securing wins, with many draws and close games. “We need to have everybody together and start working on what this team can be. That’s the big objective during the break.” The club now faces that objective without him.