MLS coaching carousel: Full list of coaching changes in 2023 | MLSSoccer.com

The 2023 MLS season has involved three head coach changes, all from Eastern Conference clubs.

This running tracker, sorted in chronological order, will be updated as warranted in the months ahead.

Inter Miami CF parted ways with head coach Phil Neville after Matchday 16. With nearly half of their 2023 MLS season completed, the Herons sat last (15th place) in the Eastern Conference table with a 5W-10L-0D record and scored just 14 goals during that stretch.

Javier Morales, a legendary MLS No. 10 during his Real Salt Lake days, took over Inter Miami on an interim basis after being an assistant on Neville’s staff and working with their academy teams. Morales called it “the opportunity of my life,” while chief soccer officer and sporting director Chris Henderson said “we’ll see how [the interview process] plays out” when asked about a coaching search.

Neville had originally joined Miami ahead of the 2021 campaign, their second-ever MLS season. The Englishman compiled a 36W-43L-11D record across all competitions, only reaching the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in 2022.

The second coaching change of the 2023 MLS season arrived hours after the first, as Chicago Fire FC parted ways with head coach Ezra Hendrickson after Matchday 11. The club was 14th in the Eastern Conference table (second from last) with 10 points from a 2W-3L-5D record.

Rather than installing an interim coach, Chicago gave the reins to club icon Frank Klopas (an assistant under Hendrickson) for the remainder of the 2023 season. Klopas was previously Chicago’s head coach from 2011-13, plus held a brief interim stint at the end of 2021. 

Hendrickson took over the Fire before the 2022 campaign and amassed a 13W-19L-14D record across all competitions, unable to steer a postseason return. Before joining the Fire, the former MLS defender developed a reputation as one of the league’s top assistant coaches during his time at Seattle Sounders FC, LA Galaxy and Columbus Crew.

The New York Red Bulls and head coach Gerhard Struber mutually parted ways on May 8. The change arrived with New York sitting last in the Eastern Conference table with a 1W-4L-6D record and seven goals scored (second-worst in MLS), hoping to keep alive their co-league-leading streak of 13 straight Audi MLS Cup Playoffs trips.

In the same announcement, the Red Bulls named Troy Lesesne as head coach through the end of the 2023 MLS season – skipping an interim role. Lesesne joined the club as an assistant coach in January 2022. The former USL Championship Coach of the Year previously served as head coach and technical director of New Mexico United.

Struber initially joined RBNY in late 2020 from English Championship side Barnsley, succeeding Chris Armas. The Austrian coach ultimately went 33W-31L-23D across all competitions.