Best American Soccer Coaches of All Time
By
Richard Janvrin
Contributor Updated: 01 October 2024
Richard Janvrin Contributor
Richard has been writing about sports since he was a teenager. Still, his first professional role came in 2015, covering all things NFL and fantasy football-related. From there, in December 2018, he started in the sports betting industry, covering sportsbook reviews before arriving to where he is today.
The Best American Soccer Coaches
At the best sportsbook for MLS betting, you can wager on the best coaches and what teams will win the championship. Like teams differing in skill and strengths and weaknesses, coaches around America also have different levels of competency. This could be because they’re new coaches or strong veteran presences.
All that being said, I’ll examine the best American soccer coaches of all time, starting at No. 7.
- 7. Dave Sarachan
- 6. Peter Vermes
- 5. Jason Kreis
- 4. Steve Sampson
- 3. Gregg Berhalter
- 2. Bob Bradley
- 1. Bruce Arena
7. Dave Sarachan
Kicking off my list of the best American soccer coaches is Sarachan.
Currently coaching for Maccabi Tel Aviv, Sarachan has had a storied coaching career that dates back to 1976 with the Rochester Yellowjackets.
In the MLS, he served as an assistant under Bruce Arena with D.C. United until 1999 before joining Arena again as an assistant on the national team from 1999 to 2002.
Following his stint with the national team, Sarachan secured his first head coaching job with the Chicago Fire. He was just the second coach in the team’s history after Bob Bradley left. In his first season as head coach for the Fire, he lead them to the MLS Supporters’ Shield. The team went 15-7-8 that season. They made it to the MLS Cup but lost to the San Jose Earthquakes.
Sarachan was eventually let go from the Fire after going 55-50-31 in the MLS and 75-57-33 across other matches. He also won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2003 and 2006. As far as American soccer managers go, Sarachan had a better run as an assistant, but he did have some success as the head guy.
After getting ousted there, Sarachan was again an assistant to Arena, who’s arguably the best coach of all time for soccer in the states, with the Los Angeles Galaxy. As an assistant with the Galaxy, he won the MLS Cup in 2011, 2012, and 2014.
6. Peter Vermes
Vermes has only had one coaching job, and it’s been with Sporting Kansas City since 2009. In his career with them, he’s 248-138-203 over 589 games. He led Sporting Kansas City to the MLS Cup in 2013 and won the U.S. Open Cup in 2012, 2015, and 2017.
In 2019, Vermes was named MLS Sporting Executive of the Year.
The MLS Cup win came in dramatic fashion, as they beat Real Salt Lake in a penalty shootout. With that win, he became the only player to ever win an MLS Cup with the same team as a player and coach. While not the best coach of all time in soccer, Vermes’s commitment to one club is admirable.
Vermes coached his 302nd game for Sporting Kansas City on August 4, 2018. With this, he became the all-time leader in games coached with one team in the league’s history, something no other American soccer managers have done.
5. Jason Kreis
Kreis began his coaching career immediately after retiring from playing. He was hired in 2007 as the head coach for Real Salt Lake, taking over for John Ellinger. At the time, he was the youngest head coach in the league, at 34 years old.
He helped lead Real Salt Lake to the playoffs in 2008 and 2009, the team’s first appearances. In 2009, they made it to the MLS Cup and won, making Kreis the youngest head coach to win it.
Kreis left Real Salt Lake after 2013 and became the head coach of New York City FC. He joined them four days after losing the MLS Cup to Sporting Kansas City.
Since New York City FC, he’s coached Orlando City, the United States men’s national under-23 team, and today, he’s an assistant for Inter Miami under Phil Neville.
4. Steve Sampson
Sampson had a humble beginning to his coaching career, starting at Awalt High School in 1978. He eventually made his way to the professional ranks as an assistant for the United States national team during the 1994 World Cup.
After this stint, he became the interim head coach during Copa America in 1995. In 1998, he led the national team to a second-place finish in the Gold Cup and an 8-6-2 record during the 1998 World Cup.
Sampson eventually became the head coach of the Galaxy after a stint as the head coach of the Costa Rican national team. He replaced Sigi Schmid. The team struggled after players Sampson brought to the team were absent during massive stretches due to commitments to the Costa Rican, United States, and Guatemalan national teams. Still, the team came together and won the U.S. Open and MLS Cup.
The MLS Cup came despite being the lowest seed, something no other successful American soccer coach can say.
He finished his coaching career with Cal Poly Tech, most recently coaching there in 2022.
3. Gregg Berhalter
Following a successful career as a player, Berhalter started coaching in 2011 as an assistant for the Galaxy.
After a season there, he was head coach with Hammarby (2011 to 2013) and Columbus Crew (2013 to 2018).
With Columbus, Berhalter led them to the playoffs in four of their five seasons, reaching the MLS Cup in 2015. They lost to the Portland Timbers.
In December 2018, he was hired to be the head coach of the United States national team. He was dismissed from the role in July 2024 after an early Copa America exit. Regardless of the early exit, he’s still among the greatest American soccer coaches of all time.
With the national team, he coached 74 games and went 44-13-17.
In addition to the MLS Cup appearance, Berhalter won twice the CONCACAF Nations League title and the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2021.
2. Bob Bradley
Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Bradley is the coach of Stabæk, a Norwegian football club.
His career began in 1981, and he joined the professional ranks as an assistant for the under-23 team in 1996. In 1996, he became a D.C. United assistant and was there for two seasons.
Bradley landed his first head coaching gig in the MLS with the Chicago Fire from 1997 to 2002 before leaving for the MetroStars, now known as the New York Red Bulls.
From 2005 to 2023, he was the head coach for squads like Chivas USA, the under-23 national team, the men’s national team, Egypt, Le Havre, Swansea City, Los Angeles FC, and Toronto FC.
In his career, Bradley won the 1998 MLS Cup, the U.S. Open Cup in 1998 and 2000 with the Fire, the Supporters’ Shield in 2019 with Los Angeles FC, and the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2007 with the national team. He has also won several awards, including MLS Coach of the Year (1998, 2006, 2019), and is enshrined in the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
1. Bruce Arena
Arena is easily the most decorated American soccer coach of all time. His coaching career began in 1973 as an assistant for Cornell. He coached solely with US-based teams until he resigned from coaching in 2023 with the New England Revolution.
In his career, he accumulated the following awards and accolades:
- With D.C. United: Two MLS Cups, the MLS Supporters’ Shield, three MLS Eastern Conference titles, the U.S. Open Cup, the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup, and the Interamerican Cup.
- With LA Galaxy: Three MLS Cups in four years, MLS Supporters’ Shield, and four MLS Western Conference titles.
- With Revolution: One MLS Supporters’ Shield.
- Four-time MLS Coach of the Year.
- With national team: Three CONCACAF Gold Cups.
Over his career with MLS and national teams, Arena coached 832 games and went 408-213-211. He’s easily atop the list of the best American soccer coaches ever.
