Caleb Porter’s struggles with the New England Revolution worsen, Phil Neville’s Portland Timbers complaints wearing thin: MLS managers on the hot seat after the first month

Porter has the hottest seat in MLS - there's no doubt about it - and he knows it, too.

The Revs are 14-27-6 (WLD) with the two-time MLS Cup winner at the helm throughout the regular season, dating back to the start of 2024. They have averaged roughly .9 points-per-game with him in charge, were eliminated from every Cup competition in 2024, and missed out on the postseason - bottoming out at 14th place in the Eastern Conference. Through the first four weeks of the 2025 campaign, they sit on one point, have scored zero goals, and are on a three-match winless streak - again sitting at 14th.

If Porter has anything to fall back on, it is that the job in New England was always going to be a project. After the conclusion of a poor 2024 season, they completely overhauled the roster. Sixteen players were let go, and Porter described it as the "end of a cycle," speaking to GOAL. The turnover has also involved the arrival of new faces - 15 of them, to be accurate. And with that much movement internally, it takes time to get things right. So that's where Porter can be afforded some patience. Yet, on the pitch isn't the only area where Porter has struggled. It has been a whirlwind 16 months.

Last May, reports emerged after Matchday 15 that team owner Jonathan Kraft bypassed a handshake from Porter after the match, and what followed, was an exchange between defender Nick Lima and Porter that included a heated argument in the locker room. Porter then snapped at a media member in the postgame press conference, who posted the exchange on X, for a seemingly fine question. In September, he was fined and suspended by Major League Soccer for violating the league's public criticism policy.

Most recently, after the conclusion of Matchday 4, Porter was asked by journalist Gustavo Lopes about his job security going forward. Porter answered honestly, saying "I don't think about that. I think about improving my team," but the Revolution organization proceeded to remove the question and Porter's answer from their postgame news conference video posted on their website.

This is not the start that was expected after last year's struggles.

Luckily for Porter and the Revolution, they have a bye on Matchday 5 - giving a chance to set some things right ahead of their return in a home match against the Red Bulls on March 29. Yet, all of that doesn't change the fact that their coach is nearing must-win territory. If the Revs cannot find a stretch of form soon, time will eventually run out on the manager.

"I've got to continue to find solutions to help these guys. We have good players. We can score goals. I have to do a better job of making sure these guys get more chances, and how I'm going to do that is to get the group to execute better and more consistently," Porter told media midweek, speaking on their form of late and the injuries they're dealing with.

Sporting are in a precarious position. They earned their first point of the season on Matchday 4 with a stunning three-goal comeback to draw 3-3 with Minnesota United - but it didn’t feel like a turning point. It felt more like a collapse from the Loons that Peter Vermes, being a veteran manager, simply took advantage of in the moment. That’s good coaching - but we haven’t seen enough of that from Vermes over the past year.

It’s not all his fault, though.

Sporting’s roster still isn’t MLS-caliber, but they’re attempting a rebuild - and for now, Vermes is the man leading it. They spent $9 million on three players, including former LA Galaxy star Dejan Joveljic, ahead of 2025 to push back into contention. Sporting Director Mike Burns told the Kansas City Star before the season that ownership remains "in complete support" of the rebuild and Vermes leading it.

“[Manager] Peter [Vermes] and I met with ownership towards the end of last season,” Burns said, “and we received complete support from them to start the process and rebuild. That included designated players.”

However, Sporting opened the year with five straight losses across all competitions. Their draw against Minnesota snapped a 10-match losing streak dating back to 2024 - not exactly promising. From what we've seen so far in 2025, there’s little positivity around the club. But ownership trusts Vermes to right the ship - even if fans and outside observers aren’t convinced.

Vermes is the only manager Sporting has known since his appointment in 2009 - the league's longest-tenured and one of its most successful coaches. But is it time to let him fix things, or will Sporting finally say enough is enough? The next few months will be telling.

Neville's been at the helm of the Timbers job since November, 2023 and there's been little improvement since he took over.

They ended the 2024 regular season winless in five matches, and it ultimately cost them a spot in the postseason, although they did compete in a Wildcard Match. During the offseason, star midfielder Evander requested a trade out of the club after a falling out with Neville and members of the front-office, and with his departure went the lone positive they had going for them.

Losing a player like the Brazilian, who had over 30 regular season goal contributions in 2024, is never easy. However, his departure cannot be used as an excuse - the Timbers were embarrassing in the Wildcard play-in match last year even with him on the roster, getting routed by the Vancouver Whitecaps 5-0 in their home stadium.

That was rock bottom for the club. So far, there hasn't been much improvement in 2025.

At the start of the campaign, they're 1-2-1, with their lone victory being an 89th-minute free kick that incidentally found the back of the net in flukey fashion on Matchday 2 against a rather poor Austin FC side. Outside of that result, it's been more of the same for Neville's team.

On Matchday 3, they conceded two penalty kicks inside the opening 18 minutes of the match, and goalkeeper James Pantemis saved them both, but they still went on to lose the game. Nothing is going to plan. There's inconsistency across the board, from their attack to their midfield to their defense, and it's Neville's job to bring it all together and play as a collective unit.

His roster doesn't boast exceptional talent, but there are fantastic cornerstone pieces he can build off of like Kamal Miller and Santiago Moreno. It's make-or-break territory for the Englishman, he needs to find a way to make this team play as a cohesive unit.

Poor roster decisions have left Ben Olsen, a talented manager, in a tough spot. Houston are 0-3-1 to start the season, with just one point from a 0-0 road draw against the Columbus Crew - a solid result. But they’ve lost all three home matches and have shown little sign of competing in their other games.

The club lost star midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla and standout defender Micael in the offseason, while also parting ways with former Mexico international Hector Herrera. They brought in U.S. international Jack McGlynn to replace Herrera but failed to adequately fill the other gaps heading into 2025.

Olsen has done well with limited resources since taking over in November 2022. He led Houston to the 2023 U.S. Open Cup title over Inter Miami and guided them to the Western Conference semifinals that same year. In 2024, he got them back into the playoffs before an opening-round exit. But now, things feel bleak.

Compared to much of the Western Conference, Houston’s front office has lacked ambition. Both in-state rivals, Austin FC and FC Dallas, made blockbuster offseason moves- FCD landed former MVP Lucho Acosta, while Austin signed U.S. international Brandon Vazquez. Aside from McGlynn, Houston hasn’t strengthened, and they’re falling behind.

Laurent Courtois, CF Montreal

The second-year head coach only has one point through four matches. Even with the league's youngest roster, there needs to be progress over the next few months.

Steve Cherundolo, LAFC

The Black and Gold manager has arguably the highest expectations of anyone in the Western Conference this year. LAFC claimed the regular season title in the West in 2024, but crashed out in the playoffs unexpectedly. They're on a two-match winless streak, and Olivier Giroud has yet to score a regular season goal in 13 appearances. Cherundolo must unlock the Frenchman.

Greg Vanney, LA Galaxy

This appears harsh following 2024's MLS Cup win, but with a 0-3-1 record (WLD) to start 2025, the reigning champions have been woeful, and Vanney raised expectations after his 2024 triumph. They need to reverse their poor form.