Last week LAFC manager Steve Cherundolo took the unusual step of announcing he would be stepping down from his post at the end of the 2025 MLS season.
While the news certainly puts the rest of the Black-and-Gold's current season in a different light, it also allows the club to get a head start on having a new manager in place when the club breaks camp in 2026. And given LAFC's recent track record of winning major trophies and investing considerable resources into its roster, it will arguably be the most lucrative opening in MLS.
Here's five people who should be on the short list to be Cherundolo's successor at LAFC.
Giorgio Chiellini
The legendary Italian defender played his final professional season with LAFC in 2023, helping act as another coach on the field during the minutes he played. He's experienced nearly every major stage imaginable as a player. And he had a role as a player development coach with LAFC in 2024.
It's unclear whether the Italian would be interested in the role. But early returns from X/Twitter suggest he would be an immediate fan favorite if he were hired.
Jim Curtin
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em?
Curtin was within a miracle Gareth Bale equalizer from helping the Philadelphia Union win their first MLS Cup in 2022. Two years later, he was out of the job following a troubling backslide, even while most of the fanbase supported Curtin and laid the blame at the feet of an ownership group they thought failed to invest enough resources into the roster.
To some surprise, Curtin hasn't taken another MLS coaching job yet, perhaps while he recharges his batteries and waits for an opportunity at a club that is ready to win now. If that's the case, it's hard to imagine a better landing spot than LAFC, even if it might be a weird cultural transition at first.