MLS managers on the hot seat: How long can Tata Martino stay in Atlanta? Is Raphaël Wicky's Sporting KC situation sustainable?

At what point does the process no longer need to be trusted? Martino, when he took the Atlanta job, said that his remit was to build over time. Playoffs were the goal this year. Atlanta could think about replicating the success of his first stint in the job, where he won MLS Cup, further down the line. Yet it's hard to see where this side has truly improved.

After 18 games, Atlanta have just 12 points and three wins. Their most recent MLS contest was a 3-2 defeat to the resurgent Philadelphia Union. Atlanta led 2-0 until the 73rd minute (albeit with 10 men). In most other situations, the smart money would be on the manager losing his job. Yet Atlanta have made a couple of moves in the market. Emmanuel Latte Lath has gone out on loan to Union Berlin. There is talk that they are in for Romelu Lukaku - who would certainly be a fine addition.

Clearly, the Atlanta hierarchy trusts in the manager who led them to an MLS Cup. But it's tough to see why.

Is this just what a regression to the mean looks like? Prior to their expansion season, no one really knew what San Diego FC would look like. They signed a big name in Chucky Lozano, and surrounded him with some smart signings from overseas. But then they appointed a head coach with no senior management experience. It was quite the risk. But then everyone shut up when San Diego started playing good football, won the Western Conference, and made it to the conference finals.

There were perhaps a couple of warning signs that it might not be all that smooth going forward. Their 41 goals conceded weren't great, while a high-profile fallout between Varas and Lozano suggested that things weren't perfect. Still, no one could have expected this. San Diego are 13th in the West. They have won five games all year, and are on track to win 10 - half of their total from 2025. Their ability to score goals hasn't gone, but the defense has been woeful at times. It all starts with Varas's insistence on playing possession football, and the slew of mistakes that have come with it. Their xG conceded is 25th in the league. They are dead last in clearances and 20th in tackles.

So what's the solution here? It might start at the top, with a new style and a new coach. Varas might survive this season, but bigger questions have to be asked in the future.

LA Galaxy's commitment to Vanney has never wavered. And fair enough. He won the MLS Cup in 2024 and has spent the best part of two years since trying to make it work without his best player, Riqui Puig. Still, the Galaxy have tried to give him weapons. They traded for Jacob Glesnes and tried to sign Casemiro. This last week has been impressive, marked by the acquisitions of both Lozano and Sergi Roberto. These are significant moves - even if they let Gabriel Pec go.

But it's hard to see why Vanney really deserves them. Sure, it was always going to be difficult with change around him, but this isn't really a bad roster. They should, at the very least, be in the playoff picture. Instead, they are 12th in the West, and haven't won an MLS game since May 16. The weird playoff system means that they are still just two points away from making the postseason, but this hasn't been a particularly impressive coaching job whatsoever.

Toronto have spent the last 18 months or so retooling. Gone are Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, two of the most disappointing DPs in MLS history. In are Josh Sargent, Walker Zimmerman and Djordie Mihailovic, three all-star-level talents. Here's a fun fact, though: Toronto haven't won an MLS game since APRIL.

Sure, they have drawn more games than anyone else in the league, but these guys are the epitome of low-end mediocrity. They are never truly woeful, but they are not the MLS power they really could be. Finger-pointing is a tricky thing and injuries have played a role. But one strange constant is Robin Fraser.

The manager's record reads: 9 wins, 22 draws and 23 losses. The great irony here is that if Toronto were going to sack him, they probably would have done so by now. They have been bad for a while, and the rebuild on the pitch suggests that a new manager is surely on the way in the dugout. So, there's not much scope for a turnaround here. Perhaps he keeps the gig for now, but it would be an immense shock if he's still in charge at the start of next season.

This hurts. Brian Schmetzer is an MLS constant. There are three things that are certain in life: death, taxes, and Schmetzer leading the Seattle Sounders to a playoff spot. As the team's raw quality has fluctuated, Schmetzer has been the constant, always setting things up well, and making the right decisions.

But this has been a truly woeful run. Seattle has now lost a franchise record seven games in a row, and a 3-0 road battering to Toluca in which the Mexican side tallied 40(!!) shots, it's clear that this side is broken. The injury list is long, to be fair, with Paul Arriola joining Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan on the treatment table. But Schmetzer is supposed to be the sort of guy who can coach his way out of these situations. Instead, we have a manager overseeing a generationally poor run.

He will keep this job. Sacking him would be an immense mistake and also entirely unfair. But the Sounders need to find form and fitness soon.

When David Lee took the General Manager job at Sporting KC, one thing was clear: this was going to be a project. Peter Vermes left the club in March 2025 after 16 years at the helm. Sporting KC were bad at that point, and then got worse, finishing bottom of the West. They won just one game after July.

And with Lee came a new beginning. The former NYCFC Sporting Director had a fine resume and plenty of patience to go with it. Sporting KC needed rebuilding from the ground up. One of his first moves was to hire Raphael Wicky, a former Chicago Fire and U.S. Youth National coach whose major successes had come in the Swiss League with BSC Young Boys. It was a confusing hire, but Lee has stuck to his guns. The result has been a dour season, with four wins and an eye-watering 46 goals conceded in 18 games. Wicky is an attacking coach, but Sporting's defense could turn out to be historically bad.

The great irony here is that Sporting have been aggressive in the transfer market. They reportedly pursued Mo Salah and spent big on Andre Luiz from Olympiacos. Whether Wicky is the man to oversee the continued rebuild, though, is up for debate.