Lafc Manager Marc Dos Santos Embraces Expectations: 'a Privilege To Be Under Pressure' - Beritaja

When LAFC promoted Marc Dos Santos from adjunct coach to head 2 months ago, location were immoderate perks that came pinch the caller job. A raise, certainly. A amended spot connected the squad charter.

But not arsenic galore arsenic you mightiness think.

“The agency is simply a small spot bigger,” he said. “My parking abstraction is precisely the same.”

The biggest perk, however, could besides beryllium the much difficult. After 5 seasons moving nether Bob Bradley and Steve Cherundolo, Dos Santos is now the feline calling the shots. And if he misfires, it will beryllium clear who deserves the blame.

Dos Santos welcomes the scrutiny.

“I ne'er coach pinch the volition of what group deliberation aliases what group are going to say,” he said. “I’m focused connected the group and my job; the validation that is the about important for maine is from my owners, from the group successful the nine that judge successful me.

“I’m blessed pinch the unit of coaching LAFC, It’s a privilege to beryllium nether pressure. But astatine the aforesaid time, I want to commencement well.”

He’ll get that chance Tuesday, erstwhile LAFC faces Honduran nine Real España successful the first information of the CONCACAF Champions Cup successful San Pedro Sula. The MLS play will commencement 4 days later against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, the reigning convention champion, astatine the Coliseum.

Dos Santos, who speaks 4 languages, has already started putting his stamp connected the squad by tweaking LAFC’s playing style. Under Cherundolo, who spent his full playing profession successful Germany, the squad ran a German-influenced, high-press strategy that mixed fast-paced attacking pinch protect discipline, emphasizing speedy transitions and a compact protect organization.

But Cherundolo’s teams were besides contented to concede the shot arsenic overmuch arsenic they controlled it. Dos Santos, conversely, spent the preseason implementing an fierce possession-based attacking game.

“Marc had a batch to do pinch what we thought was really bully about LAFC. But he had immoderate ideas connected really to tweak things,” said wide head John Thorrington, whose squad is unbeaten successful 4 preseason games, outscoring opponents 7-3. “What is really awesome is Marc and the unit person begun implementing these tweaks. Everybody is really buying in.”

Which is bully since Dos Santos won’t person overmuch of a chance to do immoderate school erstwhile the play begins. LAFC will commencement the twelvemonth pinch 4 games successful 12 days; if it advances to the 2nd information of the Champions Cup, the squad will play 9 times successful 33 days.

Then successful precocious May, aft 16 MLS lucifer days, the play will region for much than 7 weeks for the World Cup.

The vagaries of that schedule will require elasticity and extent and will apt unit Dos Santos to rotate players successful and retired of the lineup. And though LAFC’s roster, led by South Korean skipper Son Heung-min and erstwhile MLS Golden Boot victor Denis Bouanga, appears apical heavy, the coach lauds the depth, pinch offseason additions including wingers Jacob Shaffelburg and Tyler Boyd and midfielder Amin Boudri.

“People could look very superficially,” he said. “But it’s besides a convention pinch a net headdress and there’s truthful galore players that support what are called the much known aliases prima players. That’s important.

“The attraction is to situation these players pinch a strategy and a measurement of playing that is going to maximize everybody.”

Dos Santos, 48, has won everyplace he’s managed pinch 1 exception: his only different MLS caput coaching stint successful Vancouver, wherever he spent parts of 3 seasons, 2 of which were impacted heavy by the coronavirus pandemic.

He sewage his coaching commencement successful his autochthonal Canada, past moved to Brazil, wherever he coached successful the younker programs of 2 clubs and worked arsenic a method head for another. He returned to North America to negociate 3 lower-division clubs and worked arsenic an adjunct pinch Sporting Kansas City of MLS earlier Bradley named him to the first LAFC unit successful 2018.

After Bradley moved on, Dos Santos returned to LAFC arsenic portion of Cherundolo’s first staff. And now, arsenic manager, he’s brought successful his ain lieutenants, replacing original LAFC adjunct Ante Razov pinch erstwhile Seattle adjunct Andy Rose — who played for Dos Santos successful Vancouver — and adding Spanish coach Xavi Tamarit.

“When you spell from adjunct coach to caput coach, you person to return a fewer steps back. But you request to make judge you delegate to competent people,” he said. “The group that person joined are really competent and do a really bully job.”

The impervious of that will travel connected the section and Dos Santos knows he has large shoes to fill. Under Bradley and Cherundolo, LAFC was the champion nine squad successful U.S. shot complete the past 8 years, winning much games, earning much points and scoring much goals than immoderate squad successful MLS. It made the playoffs 7 times, played successful 2 MLS Cup finals and 2 CONCACAF Champions League finals, won 2 Supporters’ Shields and a U.S. Open Cup.

Thorrington expects the winning to proceed nether Dos Santos.

“I americium assured that we made this determination for the correct reasons,” he said. “And those who are not convinced yet will beryllium convinced very soon.”

If they aren’t, LAFC’s famously demanding fans will beryllium calling for the coach’s head. So moreover though MLS is heavy promoting the regular-season opener pinch Messi and Inter Miami, Dos Santos isn’t looking past his existent first crippled successful charge, which is the Champions Cup crippled pinch Real España.

“For me, the only crippled that counts successful my caput correct now is the crippled of Feb. 17 successful Honduras,” he said. “That’s wherever I put my energy. And past we’ll woody pinch the Miami game.”