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, earning West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year in his freshman season.

He joined Hannover 96 in the 1998–1999 season and spent his entire club career there, becoming captain before the 2010–11 season. He set the team record for Bundesliga appearances in the 2012–13 season and was the longest serving player in the Bundesliga as of 2013. He announced his retirement on March 19, 2014, due to a long-term knee injury. He made his U.S. national team debut on September 8, 1999, and played in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.

After retiring, he remained with Hannover as an assistant coach for the amateur team, later became head coach of Hannover's U-17 academy team, then assistant at VfB Stuttgart, and joined the U.S. national team coaching staff in November 2018. He was named head coach of Las Vegas Lights on March 12, 2021, and head coach of Los Angeles FC on January 3, 2022. On October 2, 2022, he broke the record for most wins as a first-year head coach in MLS history with 21 wins, clinching the Supporters' Shield, and later won MLS Cup 2022.

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 was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2021 as a player inductee.

Reader's Guide

Cherundolo is a right-back who spent his entire playing career at Hannover 96. He is known for his leadership, becoming captain of Hannover and later the U.S. national team. As a coach, he led LAFC to the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup in his first season. He speaks English and German fluently and is nicknamed 'Dolo' and the 'Mayor of Hannover'.

Did You Know?

• He married Mandy Rosier on New Year's Eve 2009 in Hanover.
• He co-founded the children's charity organization Kinderherz Hannover e.V.
• He was a late injury replacement for the 2002 World Cup but was himself injured before the event.