NYCFC's Nick Cushing, LAFC's Steve Cherundolo and the MLS managers on the hot seat

Cherundolo's seat started heating up after the Black and Gold fell to the Columbus Crew in the 2024 Leagues Cup final. Following that loss, LAFC struggled with a five-match skid in the regular season, unable to secure three points during that stretch. However, Wednesday evening provided a glimpse of what the former U.S. international can achieve as a coach, as LAFC clinched the 2024 US Open Cup.

Still, though, things haven't gone to plan this fall for Cherundolo. LAFC went from Western Conference title contenders to now hanging onto a home playoff game by a fingernail. If they fail to secure homefield advantage in the postseason, questions will definitely be asked as to how they collapsed over the final two months.

By no means is Cherundolo barely hanging onto his job, but his seat is definitely starting to warm up, and surely he's feeling pressure.

Cushing and NYCFC have had an up-and-down campaign that has led them to fighting for their playoff lives with just four matches left on their calendar.

They have not won a regular season match since July 3 against CF Montreal, and are winless in nine since. Six of those matches have ended in a draw, and it has now put the Pigeons into the seventh and final confirmed playoff spot in the Eastern Conference (spots eight and nine compete in a play-in match).
They recently held Lionel Messi and Inter Miami to an impressive 1-1 draw at home at Yankee stadium, but they can only earn so many draws before it has larger and more dire consequences.

If NYCFC don't find themselves advancing out of the first round of the playoffs, heads may start to turn and question as to why the Pigeons fell so flat over the second half of the season. And Cushing might have to answer legitimate questions for that decline.

Schwarz and the Red Bulls began the season brilliantly, contending for the top spot in the East from spring through early June. However, they have since won just two of their last 14 regular-season matches, accumulating nine draws during that stretch.

While their strong start provided some breathing room, the season is now winding down, and their position has become precarious. They cling to a mere three-point lead over seventh-place NYCFC, barely holding onto fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

If the Red Bulls fail to secure a home playoff game, it would be seen as a disappointing end to a season that began with such promise. Schwarz needs to find a way to get his attack firing and address the defensive vulnerabilities if they hope to make any impact in the postseason.

Questions are already being raised about how the team has faltered so dramatically in the second half of the campaign. Schwarz faces significant pressure to have a strong playoff push if he hopes to secure his position heading into 2025.

Porter's debut season in the Northeast has been nothing short of a spectacular disaster.

They earned just two wins in their first 13 games of the season, and as a result, it's set them so far back that the postseason is out of reach with four games to spare. They're dead-last in the Eastern Conference, with 28 points after 29 matches played. And they have the second-worst goal-differential in the league (-28) and have recorded just eight total wins this season.

In the summer transfer window, they even broke their club transfer record, spending $7.3 million on Luca Langoni to bolster their playoff push. The Argentine has two goals and one assist in six appearances since arriving, but the Revs have won just once during that span.

Porter, a two-time MLS Cup winner, had high expectations with the talent in the Foxborough-based side after joining them ahead of the 2024 campaign, but now, with the season coming to a wrap, he's fallen short of every expectation.

Even with his history of winning, it's hard to see the Revs giving him the reigns in 2025.

Things continue to go downhill for Austin over the past two seasons under Wolff.

Sitting seven points out of a potential playoff spot in the Western Conference and with just four matches left, it seems likely they will miss the postseason for the second consecutive year.

Currently in 11th place, Wolff finds himself under intense pressure as the MLS manager with the shortest leash. With the season nearing its end, it feels as though he’s hanging by a thread. However, in a league as unpredictable as MLS, anything can happen, and he needs to fight for his position as if his job depends on it.

Los Verde have managed only nine wins this season, and their -10 goal differential underscores their struggles. It’s difficult to envision the former U.S. international remaining in charge beyond the 2024 campaign if things don’t improve.