LAFC fires coach Marc Dos Santos late in his disappointing 1st season in charge

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles FC fired head coach Marc Dos Santos on Sunday night, late in his disappointing first season in charge.

General manager John Thorrington announced the dismissal. LAFC didn't immediately name a replacement for Dos Santos, who was Thorrington's hand-picked successor to MLS Cup-winning coach Steve Cherundolo just nine months ago .

“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 in a statement.

LAFC undeniably has underachieved this season under Dos Santos, Cherundolo's assistant for four seasons and the former head coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps. Despite a talented roster headlined by Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga, LAFC sits sixth in the Western Conference standings at 11-9-8 after winning just one of its past nine games across all competitions.

Dos Santos has incurred LAFC fans' ire for his static tactics and substitution plans, and his club has been booed at home by its normally supportive base. Thorrington finally saw enough after LAFC lost 1-0 at FC Dallas on Saturday, dropping the club to 1-4-5 in MLS matches since July.

Dos Santos was only the third head coach in the history of LAFC, which began play as an MLS expansion club in 2018.

Bob Bradley immediately built a contender at the arena now known as BMO Stadium during his four seasons in charge, and Cherundolo led the club to the 2022 MLS title and the 2024 U.S. Open Cup before he resigned last year after four successful seasons , ostensibly to move back to Germany. But Cherundolo then agreed in July to coach the U.S. under-23 team through the 2028 Olympics.

Dos Santos' tenure started inauspiciously when Thorrington hired a head coach from within the organization for the second straight time, disappointing fans who wanted to see new tactics after Son's ballyhooed arrival last year.

LAFC started Dos Santos' MLS tenure impressively with a 3-0 win over defending champion Inter Miami in front of 75,673 fans at the Coliseum. But LAFC has struggled to make headway in the conference race, and it was bounced from the CONCACAF Champions League in May.

LAFC's next match isn't until Oct. 10 against Vancouver. The club has six games left in the regular season.

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