Ten matchdays into the season, there are clearly six teams behind the power curve, and their managers face pressure to turn things around fast
Through 10 matchdays in the MLS season, there are clear favorites to compete for Eastern and Western Conference titles, the MLS Supporter's Shield and even MLS Cup.
Then, there are the bottom-dwellers, the teams who have had rough starts to the campaign and are on the outside of the playoff picture. Some, of course, have only had minor hiccups and are still on course for strong 2024 campaigns. Some, though, are already nearing rock bottom, and as a result, their managers are now on the hot seat.
From Luchi Gonzalez and the San Jose Earthquakes in Southern California to the New England Revolution and Caleb Porter in Massachusetts, there are managers already with targets on their backs.
GOAL evaluates…
Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowGettyGary Smith | Nashville SC
Inter Miami has his number, that's for sure. The Herons knocked his side out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup and then thumped his side 3-1 in matchday 10, handing them their third loss in four weeks.
The Coyotes have only managed one win this season, and boast a record of 1-4-3 through eight matches. They sit 14th in the Eastern Conference and have yet to show they are capable of competing with the best in MLS.
The Boys in Gold have been uninspiring this campaign, with matchday six being their low point. A 5-0 pummeling by LAFC put them into the floor, and they have yet to get up.
Smith has taken the Coyotes to new heights since their expansion to MLS in 2020. However, things are looking downward in 2024, and change could now be on the horizon for a club on the outside looking in.
AdvertisementCaleb Porter | New England Revolution
The Revolution are the most disappointing team in MLS in 2024. Winger Thomas Chancalay was a breakout star in 2023 and former MLS MVP Carles Gil looked like his former self as they neared the end of the campaign. This all arrived during a front-office debacle involving ex-manager Bruce Arena.
Then came the biggest news of the offseason: securing former MLS Cup-winning manager Caleb Porter.
Fast forward to matchday 10 of the MLS season and things are disastrous. 1-1-6 through eight matches, the Revs are bottom of the Eastern Conference with four points and a minus-nine goal-differential.
In the CONCACAF Champions Cup, they were thumped 9-2 on aggregate over two legs by Club America. In MLS action, they've lost two games by three-goal margins and have been shut out in their last two.
The Revs have genuinely hit the floor. They cannot get worse. However, Porter's tactics, words and body language are uninspiring. He looks lost with what to do, and his team is letting him down at the same time.
(C)Getty ImagesBrian Schmetzer | Seattle Sounders
Perhaps the most shocking name on the list, Schmetzer and the Sounders are in a downward spiral in 2024 – and it doesn't look good.
The first-ever MLS coach to win the CONCACAF Champions League, a two-time MLS Cup winner and four-time Western Conference champion, Schmetzer is as good as you can get with MLS managers.
However, perhaps he's outrun his brilliant course in Seattle. Appointed in 2016, he's led Seattle for eight years, and now, we might be nearing a time where a departure is the best solution for both parties – and that's never, ever, a bad thing.
Sitting 12th in the Western Conference with a record of 1-3-4 (WDL), Seattle is in horrid form. Most recently falling to the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-0 while earning two red cards in the process, the Sounders are nearing rock bottom. Things can't get much worse, but the question is, can they get better?
Luchi Gonzalez | San Jose Earthquakes
The Earthquakes as an organization set themselves up for failure in 2024. They have an open Designated Player slot and have failed to fill it. They attempted a pursuit of MLS Legend and Mexican star Carlos Vela, and failed. They have played in nine MLS games this season, and have lost eight of them.
Gonzalez – a former USMNT assistant and ex-FC Dallas coach – has failed to find any spark in his side.
The Earthquakes have had their fair share of injuries this and are down to their third-string goalkeeper, but it's no excuse. Their lone result came against the Sounders on matchday five, a 3-2 victory, but that has been their only moment of success this season.
It's hard to say what they need to improve besides… everything. They cannot afford to continue in the form they're in, and as a result, Gonzalez needs to figure something out to start finding some results.
