Steve Cherundolo

Lore & Background

Born in Rockford, Illinois, Cherundolo grew up in San Diego, California, and attended Mt. Carmel High School in Rancho Peñasquitos. As a youth, he played for the La Jolla Nomads club team, which won the California state championship six times with him. Before joining Hannover, he enrolled at the University of Portland and played for the Pilots soccer team from 1997 to 1998. In his freshman season, he was the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year. He joined Hannover 96 in the 1998–1999 season and spent his entire playing career there, becoming captain before the 2010–11 season. He set the team record for Bundesliga appearances in the 2012–13 season. He announced his retirement on March 19, 2014, due to a long-term knee injury. He made his U.S. national team debut against Jamaica on September 8, 1999. He was on the roster for the 2002 FIFA World Cup but was injured in training and unable to play. He played in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. He scored his first international goal in a 4–1 loss to Germany on March 22, 2006. After retiring, he became an assistant coach for Hannover's amateur team, then assistant for the first team, then head coach of Hannover's U-17 academy. He later moved to VfB Stuttgart as assistant coach, then joined the U.S. national team coaching staff in November 2018. He became head coach of Las Vegas Lights on March 12, 2021. He was announced as head coach of Los Angeles FC on January 3, 2022. He broke the record for most wins as a first-year head coach in MLS history with 21 wins, won the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup in 2022, and the U.S. Open Cup in 2024. On April 18, 2025, LAFC announced he would step down at the end of the 2025 MLS season. On July 9, 2026, he was announced as head coach of the U.S. under-23 team through the 2028 Summer Olympics. He speaks English and German fluently, is known as 'Dolo' and nicknamed the 'Mayor of Hannover'. He married Mandy Rosier on New Year's Eve 2009. He resides in Großburgwedel, near Hanover. In 2021, he was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame as a player inductee.

In Their Own Story

The BMO Stadium crowd was a low, sustained roar, the kind that builds when a team is under sustained pressure. Cherundolo, in the blue and gold, was tracking back on the left channel, his eyes fixed on the winger cutting inside. He won the ball at the byline, spun, and instead of forcing a shot, he held it for a half-second — just long enough for the center-back to reset. Then the counter broke. He drove forward, the grass slick under his studs, and on the touchline he whipped the ball in. It hung in the air for what felt like three seconds, a white thread against the evening sky, and the header that followed was a thing of quiet, inevitable force. The net rippled. He didn't celebrate loudly. He just jogged back to his position, already scanning the next phase, already working.

Reader's Guide

Cherundolo is a right-back who spent his entire club career at Hannover 96. He was captain of the team and set the club record for Bundesliga appearances. He represented the United States at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. As a coach, he led Los Angeles FC to the Supporters' Shield, MLS Cup, and U.S. Open Cup. He is currently head coach of the U.S. under-23 team.

Did You Know?

• Cherundolo spent his entire 16-year club career at Hannover 96, making him a one-club man.
• He was nicknamed the 'Mayor of Hannover' by fans.
• He broke the MLS record for most wins by a first-year head coach in 2022 with 21 wins.
• He was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2021.
• He co-founded a children's charity organization called Kinderherz Hannover e.V.