There are 30 teams in MLS. Wow, Joe, thanks for that groundbreaking fact drop right off the top. Hold on, you didn’t let me finish. There are 30 teams in MLS and… 12 of them have brand-new coaches heading into the 2025 season. Yes, 12! That’s 40 percent!
Sure, some of those new coaches are familiar faces in new places. Still, there’s been no shortage of managerial turnover in the last few months. Ahead of Matchday 1 this weekend, let’s analyze the dozen coaches to learn more about their backgrounds, tactical approach and more.
Here’s what to expect from the new crop.
Ronny Deila
He’s back, folks.
Having already led a team to an MLS Cup title (New York City FC in 2021), Deila returns to MLS after coaching Standard Liege and Club Brugge in Belgium and taking a quick pit stop in the UAE.
The 49-year-old Norwegian doesn’t tend to reinvent tactical wheels. He spent a bunch of time playing in a fairly standard 4-2-3-1 with NYCFC and could very well end up using that same shape with Atlanta in 2025, though some variation of a back three could be on the table when needed.
Deila’s Atlanta team will value the ball – his NYCFC team finished fifth in MLS in possession during his lone full, non-COVID season at the club. Expect to see more effective and energetic pressing, too, than what was visible under Gonzalo Pineda.
Nico Estévez
After years of getting to know Josh Wolff’s style, Estévez's approach won’t look drastically different from the last couple of seasons under Wolff.
Estévez, like Wolff, is a former assistant under Gregg Berhalter and happy to play with the ball in a 4-3-3 shape. He’s not afraid to build out from the back and isn’t a stranger to short, controlled passes in midfield. However, the former FC Dallas manager won’t prioritize playing through pressure at all costs. Austin will play their fair share of direct passes over a defensive line and into their attackers.
Defensively, we’ll see some high pressing from Austin FC. A steady mid-block will likely be more of a go-to, judging by Estévez's Dallas teams.
Gregg Berhalter
Berhalter’s Columbus Crew teams of old took pains to build from the back with super detailed patterns, used the ball at nearly all costs, and did a lot of mid-block defending. By the end of his time with the US men’s national team, those buildup patterns were basically abandoned, direct passing was more en vogue, and pressing was on the menu.
So, which version of Berhalter will we see in Chicago?
“When I look at the Columbus team and the national team, I really think it’s in the middle of both of them,” Berhalter said at his introductory presser in Chicago.
Don’t be surprised to see lots of possession from the Fire, but don’t expect them to build like the Crew, either.
Eric Quill
Once the manager of FC Dallas’ MLS NEXT Pro team, Quill is back in Texas after a stint as an assistant for the Columbus Crew and as the head coach for New Mexico United in the USL Championship.
Notably, Quill isn’t the only former New Mexico manager serving as a head coach in MLS: D.C. United’s Troy Lesesne fits that bill, too. Quill, 46, will use a more patient approach than the hyper-aggressive and direct style Lesesne has adopted in the nation’s capital. His FC Dallas team won’t be afraid of the ball and should use the same 4-2-3-1 base formation that served as Quill’s go-to in the USL.
Much of FC Dallas’ game plan in 2025, though, will revolve around Lucho Acosta. The ball will spend a ton of time at his feet, and Dallas won’t spend much time pressing.
Javier Mascherano
Though he’s never coached at the club level, Mascherano is stepping into a big role as Inter Miami’s manager – and Tata Martino’s successor.
The former Argentine youth national team manager, who played with Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba at FC Barcelona, won’t make sweeping tactical changes. Miami will be a ball-oriented team without many detailed attacking rotations beyond the right-sided ones designed to flow around Messi. Defensively, Mascherano won’t put pressure on his star attackers to defend high up the field. Instead, Inter Miami will rely on a mid-block.
More than adjusting the tactics, Mascherano’s biggest task will be rotating the lineup and managing the locker room across various competitions in 2025.
Pascal Jansen
The replacement for Nick Cushing, Jansen came through the Netherlands’ managerial ranks. He coached AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie, taking over for current Liverpool manager Arne Slot, and led Hungarian powerhouse Ferencvaros before signing on with New York City FC.
Like most coaches hired by City Football Group, Jansen will use the ball and apply defensive pressure. A 4-2-3-1 looks to be the go-to shape, too.
The 51-year-old’s résumé stacks up quite well to his peers in MLS, with only a handful of other managers having coached bigger European clubs than Jansen. His lack of professional playing experience is also intriguing – a knee injury ended his playing career at 17, adjusting his focus to coaching. Reaching this level as a manager without the benefits of playing at a high level speaks to Jansen’s quality.
Bradley Carnell
Philadelphia Union general manager Ernst Tanner wants his team to press. That’s part of why Jim Curtin was let go over the offseason. That’s also part of why Carnell has arrived to take his place.
“As we commit to getting back to our identity as a team… his approach emphasizes a high-press style of play,” Tanner said of Carnell.
The former St. Louis CITY manager helped turn the recent expansion team into one of the league’s most aggressive pressing outfits. There’s every reason to expect Carnell to help steward Tanners’ tactical vision for the Union and transform them into the highest-pressing team in the Eastern Conference, either out of a 4-2-2-2 or a 4-4-2 diamond.
Mikey Varas
“We want to avoid duels at all costs,” San Diego FC sporting director Tyler Heaps told Backheeled about the expansion team’s style of play. “So that's where you won't see us play long out of a goal kick because that's a 50/50 ball.”
“We'll be very brave and we want players that can play football,” Heaps added. “The athleticism and all that is still important to us because that is modern day, but we need players that have the capacity to be able to play in tight spaces, to be able to think and read the game.”
Varas, though untested as the manager of a professional club, has been given a clear tactical mandate by San Diego’s front office: dominate the ball. Given SDFC’s focus on youth, it’s no surprise to see plenty of youth development experience on the 42-year-old former USMNT interim’s résumé. He worked in the Sacramento Republic academy and at FC Dallas before leading the US men’s U-20 national team.
Bruce Arena
A five-time MLS Cup winner, the former D.C. United, New York Red Bulls, LA Galaxy and New England Revolution manager is back in MLS.
Arena won’t drill overly detailed possession principles into his San Jose team, nor will he demand constant high pressing. Instead, he’ll evaluate the roster, find the best spots for his players, put those players in those positions, and empower them to make only loosely scripted decisions while on the field. In that way, Arena sets a solid foundation and floor for his teams.
In terms of formation, Arena has spent tons of time in a 4-2-3-1, but we’ve also seen a 3-4-1-2 from the Quakes in preseason.
Olof Mellberg
Perhaps best known for playing for Aston Villa, Juventus and the Swedish national team more than coaching in Sweden and Denmark, Mellberg arrives as the second non-interim manager in St. Louis CITY history.
The 47-year-old outperformed expectations while leading Brommapojkarna in Sweden, helping them enjoy their first three consecutive years in the top flight for the first time in club history.
Tactically, it seems safe to expect a back three from Mellberg in St. Louis – a 3-4-3 seems the most likely, with some vertical passing and compact defending making regular appearances.
Robin Fraser
In Toronto, this time as a head coach, Fraser returns to Canada with a sizable rebuild on his hands thanks to a roster that’s in flux. The good news? The former Colorado Rapids manager knows the club, brings a wealth of experience, and has the tools to reestablish a strong cultural foundation for TFC.
Tactically, Fraser hasn’t been totally set on his principles as a head coach in MLS. His teams tend to hit more patient passes than searingly direct ones, but he doesn’t demand short passes and in-depth possession rotations. We won’t see wildly intense pressing, either. A fairly pragmatic approach seems like the safest bet for Fraser’s version of Toronto FC, at least until the squad begins to turn over.
Jesper Sørensen
A 51-year-old Danish manager, Sørensen arrives in Vancouver as the replacement for Vanni Sartini.
Sørensen had coached in his native Denmark for years, spending most of his time at the club level but also enjoying a period in charge of Denmark’s U-21 men’s national team. Most recently, he led Brondby in the Danish Superliga.
After taking charge of the Whitecaps, Sørensen hasn’t been shy about establishing the basics of his tactical approach.
“(Possession) is important,” Sørensen said. “When you have the ball, you can control the game. When you don’t have the ball, you can affect the game, but you cannot control what’s going to happen. In this league, there’s a guy called Messi. You cannot control him when he has the ball, but you can try to affect him. But if you have the ball, you can … better the outcome of what’s going to happen,” he added later.
The Whitecaps won’t shy away from the ball in 2025 and will likely use either a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 as their base shape.
