Former National Team Defender and MLS Manager to Lead the Olympic Cycle
U.S. Soccer has turned to a familiar face to lead its Olympic ambitions on home soil. Steve Cherundolo was announced Thursday as head coach of the U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team, which will compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The 47-year-old arrives with a resume that spans both playing and coaching success. A three-time World Cup veteran and National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee, Cherundolo made 87 appearances for the senior national team and spent 15 seasons at Hannover 96, where he made 423 appearances across all competitions.
His coaching path took him through the German youth ranks before he returned stateside in 2021 to lead the Las Vegas Lights, LAFC's USL affiliate. A year later, he took over at LAFC and immediately delivered, winning the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup double in his first season while setting a league record for most wins by a first-year head coach. He added a U.S. Open Cup title in 2024 before stepping down last November to move his family back to Germany.
Now he takes on a new challenge in familiar territory. "Representing the United States at the Olympic Games is one of the greatest honors in sports, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to lead this team," Cherundolo said in a statement, adding that the group's job is "to compete with courage, humility, and a clear identity."
Cherundolo's first order of business will be identification camps at U.S. Soccer's National Training Center in Fayetteville, Georgia, as he begins building a roster for the tournament in the U.S.
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