Five questions that will define Marc Dos Santos at LAFC

Marc Dos Santos isn’t walking into LAFC as a stranger.

He’s been in the building for years. He has been part of the technical group, involved in the conversations, and a key part of the day-to-day decision-making. He knows how Steve Cherundolo worked. He knows how John Thorrington operates. He knows how this club thinks.

(Dos Santos) is firmly “in.” That’s not a criticism by any means — it’s the reality. Every successful club runs on internal alignment. But it also creates a responsibility.

That familiarity is precisely why this appointment makes sense—and why it deserves thorough scrutiny.

Dos Santos has MLS experience. He’s paid his dues. He’s waited patiently. But he also comes with baggage, real questions, and a track record that isn’t spotless.

So if this is going to work, these are the five questions that actually matter.

1. What did you really learn from Vancouver — and how does it show now?

This part can’t be skipped.

Dos Santos was a head coach in Vancouver once before. The team improved in stretches under his leadership, but his tenure ultimately failed. He inherited a mess, tried to stabilize it, and couldn’t get it over the line. He was fired.

Context matters — but results matter too.

LAFC hired someone who’s already been through the full cycle of MLS head coaching. The key question is whether that experience made him sharper, more pragmatic, and more self-aware — or whether those same limitations resurface here, under brighter lights.

2. Why did losing yet another playoff match to the very same Vancouver Whitecaps not change the outcome of the decision?

This is the uncomfortable one.

The loss to Vancouver in the playoffs felt, to many, like an audition moment—high stakes. Familiar opponent. Pressure situation. Yet, LAFC lost — again in a critical spot, something Steve had been highly criticized for before deciding to step away.

And unsurprisingly, the decision to hand Dos Santos the job remained unchanged.

But it does raise a fair question: what, exactly, would have changed the outcome of this decision? If the results in those moments aren’t decisive, then clarity about expectations becomes even more critical moving forward.

3. Is this a merit-based appointment, a political one, or both?

LAFC is a tight organization. Relationships matter—trust matters.

Dos Santos is close with John Thorrington. He’s firmly “in.” That’s not a criticism by any means — it’s the reality. Every successful club runs on internal alignment.

But it also creates a responsibility. When decisions are made internally, the margin for error narrows. This can’t feel like a popularity promotion or a safe choice over someone more abrasive, like Ante Razov, or someone less connected, like Jim Curtin, who's been available since departing Philadelphia.

Dos Santos now has to prove that the trust placed in him is structural and beyond personal.

4. What actually changes from the Cherundolo era — and what doesn’t?

To quote John Thorrington after Bob Bradley left, this doesn't really feel like a rebuild, more like a "tweak", possibly a "twerk".

Cherundolo didn’t leave because the team collapsed. He went back to Germany for personal reasons. And left behind what was likely the most competitive roster in the team's history. Coming from a place where coaches get sacked after 3-game skids, that paradox is still mind-boggling to me.

Meanwhile, Son Heung-min is showing promise of captivating MLS in a way only Messi has. In Los Angeles, the club is highly functional. So you don’t just "blow this up". You tweak, and you twerk your way into a second MLS Cup.

Track Record Isn't Spotless

Marc's appointment will not change the fact that this coaching staff, including Marc Dos Santos, has lost a few painful finals (2 at home) and big games at crucial moments. Club Leon CCL final, Campeones Cup to Tigres, back-to-back losses to the Columbus Crew in MLS Cup and Leagues Cup… back-to-back playoff eliminations in the West. That’s the line Dos Santos has to cross. All while maintaining the strong record that earned Cherundolo one of the highest coaching winning percentages in MLS history.

And given how talented this team is, LAFC does not need a style overhaul. It’s about winning on the margins: in-game management decisions, substitutions, emotional control (which Cherundolo had a bit too much of), and late-game decisions that prevent collapses, like the one we saw against Inter Miami in the latest Concacaf Champions League elimination.

Can Dos Santos solve what Cherundolo couldn’t — or does this become version 2.0 of the same ceiling?

5. Is this a long-term bet — or a World Cup-year bridge?

This is a World Cup cycle year. Coaching availability will change after 2026, when Jesse Marsch, among others, could be available. Bigger names will surface in the market, and there will be plenty of suitors if the current staff is underperforming. LAFC will have options. But it will have been at the expense of another lost season for fans and prime time spent for some of the best players who have ever chosen to play professionally in the United States.

That reality doesn’t invalidate Dos Santos though. But it does shape the context. If this is a “natural internal pick” who stabilizes the club while keeping options open, that’s fine — as long as performance matches ambition.

One season of “almost,” followed by a quiet reset, helps no one.

Dos Santos deserves more than being a placeholder. He earned this opportunity. He waited for it. He worked for it. He knows this club better than almost anyone.

But knowledge brings accountability.

This can succeed. It can also unravel quickly if the same issues resurface under a different title. A swift Concachampions elimination early in the 2026 season would send shockwaves through the Club. Doubt will begin to form among fans and players whether they're heading for the same outcomes under Steve.