The MLS Coach of the Year award, officially renamed the Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year Award in 2021, recognizes the manager who has the greatest impact on their team's performance during the regular season. Named after the winningest coach in MLS history, the award has been given annually since MLS's inaugural 1996 season.
The award is voted on by MLS club technical staff, media members, and current MLS players. It typically goes to the coach whose team most exceeds expectations, though coaches of dominant teams have also won when their tactical impact is undeniable.
Complete Winners List
| Year | Coach | Team | Season Record | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Thomas Rongen | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 20-12 | Inaugural winner; Mutiny won the regular-season title |
| 1997 | Bruce Arena | D.C. United | 21-11 | Second MLS Cup in the dynasty years |
| 1998 | Bob Bradley | Chicago Fire | 20-12 | Led expansion team to MLS Cup in their first year |
| 1999 | Sigi Schmid | LA Galaxy | 20-12 | First of Schmid's record wins |
| 2000 | Bob Bradley | Chicago Fire | 16-7-9 | Second award for Bradley |
| 2001 | Frank Yallop | San Jose Earthquakes | 13-7-12 | Quakes won MLS Cup under Yallop |
| 2002 | Steve Nicol | New England Revolution | 12-9-7 | Overachieved with limited roster |
| 2003 | Sigi Schmid | Columbus Crew | 15-7-6 | Schmid's second award |
| 2004 | Greg Andrulis | Columbus Crew | 12-5-15 | Crew won Supporters' Shield |
| 2005 | Dominic Kinnear | San Jose / Houston | 18-4-10 | Won in final SJ season before Houston move |
| 2006 | Steve Nicol | New England Revolution | 12-8-10 | Led Revs to MLS Cup Final |
| 2007 | Juan Carlos Osorio | New York Red Bulls | 12-8-10 | Tactical innovator ahead of his time |
| 2008 | Sigi Schmid | Columbus Crew | 17-7-6 | Shield and Cup double; Schmid's third award |
| 2009 | Bruce Arena | LA Galaxy | 12-6-12 | Revitalized the Galaxy |
| 2010 | Bruce Arena | LA Galaxy | 18-6-6 | Third award for Arena |
| 2011 | Óscar Pareja | Colorado Rapids | 11-9-14 | Defending champions stayed competitive |
| 2012 | Ben Olsen | D.C. United | 18-10-6 | Best DCU season in years |
| 2013 | Peter Vermes | Sporting Kansas City | 17-10-7 | Won MLS Cup in dominant fashion |
| 2014 | Greg Berhalter | Columbus Crew | 14-7-13 | Transformed Crew's style of play |
| 2015 | Greg Berhalter | Columbus Crew | 15-11-8 | Crew reached MLS Cup; Berhalter's second |
| 2016 | Óscar Pareja | FC Dallas | 17-8-9 | Dallas won Supporters' Shield and US Open Cup |
| 2017 | Greg Vanney | Toronto FC | 20-5-9 | Greatest single season in MLS history |
| 2018 | Gerardo "Tata" Martino | Atlanta United | 21-7-6 | MLS Cup before 73,019 fans |
| 2019 | Bob Bradley | LAFC | 21-4-9 | Vela's 34-goal season; Shield winners |
| 2020 | Heinze / Curtin | — | — | Season disrupted by COVID-19 |
| 2021 | Bruce Arena | New England Revolution | 22-5-7 | 73 points, all-time record; Arena's fourth |
| 2022 | Jim Curtin | Philadelphia Union | 19-5-10 | Shield winners; Curtin's first major award |
| 2023 | Wilfried Nancy | Columbus Crew | 18-6-10 | Led Crew to MLS Cup in first full season |
| 2024 | Gerardo "Tata" Martino | Inter Miami | — | Led Messi-era Miami to historic points record |
The Legends
Sigi Schmid (3 wins: 1999, 2003, 2008)
The award is named after Schmid for good reason. His 266 career victories are the most in MLS history. He won the award with two different clubs (LA Galaxy and Columbus Crew) and his 2008 Columbus team — which won both the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup — is considered one of the greatest MLS teams ever. Schmid's coaching tree has influenced virtually every corner of American soccer coaching.
Bruce Arena (4 wins: 1997, 2009, 2010, 2021)
Arena has won the award more than any other coach. His career spans the entirety of MLS history, from D.C. United's dynasty years to the Galaxy's Beckham era to New England's 2021 record-setting season. His longevity and adaptability are unmatched. Arena has won MLS Cup five times, the most of any coach.
Bob Bradley (2 wins: 1998, 2000, 2019)
Bradley won his first two awards with Chicago, including the 1998 expansion season that saw the Fire win MLS Cup in their first year — one of the most remarkable achievements in league history. His 2019 award with LAFC came 21 years later, reflecting an extraordinary coaching career that included the US national team and stints in Europe and Africa.
Greg Berhalter (2 wins: 2014, 2015)
Berhalter's consecutive awards with Columbus reflected a wholesale transformation of how the Crew played. He introduced a possession-based, tactically sophisticated system that was unusual for MLS at the time and anticipated the league's broader tactical evolution. He later became US Men's National Team coach.
Patterns and Trends
The overachiever bias. The award tends to go to coaches who exceed expectations rather than those who meet high ones. Coaches of expansion teams, turnaround stories, and mid-budget clubs that punch above their weight win more frequently than coaches of the biggest-spending clubs.
The Supporters' Shield correlation. Many winners also won the Supporters' Shield that year, reflecting the award's emphasis on regular-season performance rather than playoff results.
The coaching tree. MLS coaching is increasingly interconnected. Assistants under Arena, Schmid, and Vermes have gone on to become head coaches themselves, creating a network of tactical influence that shapes the league.
International influence. Juan Carlos Osorio (2007), Tata Martino (2018, 2024), and Wilfried Nancy (2023) represent a trend of internationally experienced coaches bringing tactical sophistication to MLS. The league is no longer a destination for retired coaches. It attracts ambitious managers who see MLS as a genuine challenge.
See also: MLS MVP | MLS Best XI | MLS Golden Boot | Best MLS Teams of All Time