How have foreign coaches fared throughout MLS history?

After years of being dogged by questions of whether they could succeed in North America, foreign managers are suddenly very much in vogue in MLS.

Foreign coaches without prior experience in MLS didn’t fare all that well in the league’s early years, struggling to adapt to its unique intricacies and often flaming out within a couple of years. That trend has reversed in recent seasons as MLS clubs have built out their front offices, allowing executives to handle the more confounding league rules and letting managers worry less about the salary cap and more about their tactics and their teams.

Several international coaches without previous MLS experience had solid 2017 seasons, with Argentine Tata Martino leading Atlanta to an excellent expansion campaign, and Frenchman Patrick Vieira taking NYCFC to the playoffs for a second straight year. While they’ve been solid, to date, only two coaches without American or Canadian citizenship have ever won MLS Cup: Peter Nowak with D.C. in 2004 and Gary Smith with Colorado in 2010.

On Thursday, the Montreal Impact added to the ranks of international head coaches who hadn’t before worked in MLS when they named ex-French national teamer and former Aston Villa and Lyon manager Remi Garde as their new head man. He’ll hope to continue the recent trend of foreign managers succeeding in the league in 2018.

Current list of international coaches in MLS

All-time list of international coaches in MLS history

Does not include interim head coaches