Former Bundesliga pro Steven Cherundolo has reached the MLS championship final in his first year as head coach of Los Angeles FC.
The side, led by European stars Gareth Bale and Giorgio Chiellini, beat Austin FC 3-0 in Sunday’s Western Conference final and have their first Major League Soccer title shot in their history.
Unlike Italy’s ex-European champion Chiellini, Bale, who moved to California from Real Madrid in the summer, was not used again, he last played at the beginning of the month.
The 43-year-old Cherundolo is working in Los Angeles for the first time in his career as head coach of a team in a premier league. Previously, he had looked after a lower-class team in Las Vegas and worked as an assistant coach at VfB Stuttgart and Hannover 96 in Germany.
In the final for the title on Saturday, Los Angeles will meet either the Philadelphia Union with Swabian Kai Wagner or New York City FC.