Nashville SC coaching search: 15 potential candidates to replace Gary Smith

Nashville SC is looking for a coach for just the second time ever after firing Gary Smith last week.

NSC general manager Mike Jacobs said Saturday that the club wants to be open-minded and cast a wide net in the search for a permanent coach while Rumba Munthali leads the team in the interim.

"It's going to be something that went through a lot of thought . . . not only who's the best manager, it's who's the best manager for Nashville SC," Jacobs said.

Who could that be? Here are 15 possibilities:

Kwame Ampadu, Columbus Crew assistant

Ampadu, 53, was an Arsenal youth coach before serving as an assistant at AS Monaco and CF Montreal under Thierry Henry. When Wilfried Nancy became Montreal's coach in 2021, he retained Ampadu, and took him to Columbus in 2023, where the two won last season's MLS Cup. While Nashville's attack under Smith was often stale, the Crew play a free-flowing offensive style. Could Ampadu bring that to Geodis Park?

Bruce Arena, former United States national team coach

With five MLS titles and a World Cup quarterfinal appearance to his name, Arena is the most decorated U.S. coach of all time. He most recently led the New England Revolution to a 71-37-48 record from 2019 to 2023. But his tenure ended in controversy; he was placed on administrative leave in August and later resigned after a league investigation into allegations of his "insensitive and appropriate remarks." In April, MLS confirmed Arena is eligible for employment in the league. At 72, it’s hard to see him being a long-term fit, but NSC wants to compete this season, not rebuild.

Kenny Arena, FC Cincinnati assistant

If Nashville believes Bruce Arena would bring too much baggage, his son might be worth a look. Kenny Arena, 43, has been an assistant with the LA Galaxy, U.S. national team and Los Angeles FC. He joined Pat Noonan's staff in Cincinnati in 2022 and helped take Cincinnati from 27th in MLS in 2021 to last season's Supporters' Shield.

Bob Bradley, former United States coach

In addition to his USMNT tenure, Bradley is a three-time MLS Coach of the Year and was the first American to manage a team in a top-flight European league, Norwegian club Stabæk, doing so in 2014 and '15. He was hired by Premier League side Swansea City in 2016, but was fired after just 11 games in charge. The 66-year-old is currently back at Stabæk after an unsuccessful run with Toronto FC (2021-23). Like Arena, he’s an option with the immediate future in mind.

B.J. Callaghan, United States assistant

Callaghan, 42, has been with the USMNT since 2019. He had a memorable stint as interim coach last summer, leading the USMNT to a CONCACAF Nations League championship before reverting to his prior role under Gregg Berhalter. Before joining Berhalter's staff, Callaghan was an assistant with the Philadelphia Union.

Yoann Damet, Columbus Crew assistant

The logic behind hiring Damet is similar to that for Ampadu, but there's one notable difference: Damet's age. He was 29 when he became FC Cincinnati's interim coach in 2019, making him the youngest head coach in MLS history. He had a second interim stint with Cincinnati in 2020 and has been with Columbus since last season.

Ronny Deila, former New York City FC coach

The 48-year-old Deila is on the market after he was fired by Belgian side Club Brugge in March. He had more success with NYCFC, guiding them to an MLS championship in 2021 before departing for Standard Liege midway through the 2022 season. The Norwegian also coached Scottish powerhouse Celtic FC (2014-16).

Landon Donovan, former United States forward

After an illustrious playing career that included 257 goals for club and country, Donovan helped found USL club San Diego Loyal in 2019 and served as the team's coach for three seasons. He stepped down from that role in 2022 to take an executive role with the club, which shut down in October 2023, with San Diego FC set to join MLS in 2025. Donovan, 42, was reportedly a finalist for the San Jose Earthquakes' coaching vacancy two summers ago.

Robin Fraser, former Colorado Rapids coach

Fraser, 57, had a 10-year career as a player in MLS and has been an assistant for two MLS Cup winners: Real Salt Lake in 2009 and Toronto FC in 2017. His head coaching stints, with Chivas USA (2011-12) and the Rapids (2019-23) haven't been quite as successful, though Colorado did finish second in the Supporters' Shield in 2021.

Thierry Henry, former CF Montreal coach

A legendary striker for Arsenal, Barcelona and the France national team, Henry, 46, knows MLS well. He ended his playing career with the Red Bulls and coached Montreal from 2019 to 2021, though he resigned because he wanted to be closer to his children. Henry served two stints as an assistant for the Belgium national team and currently coaches France's under-21 team.

Bob Lilley, Pittsburgh Riverhounds coach

Widely regarded as one of the top coaches in the USL, the 58-year-old Lilley has been named the league's Coach of the Year five times in a career spanning back to 1997. The Riverhounds had the best record in the USL in 2023 and knocked off Columbus in the U.S. Open Cup round of 16. Lilley has never coached in MLS.

MORE: 'We needed to have a new voice': Why Nashville SC fired Gary Smith, and what's next

Ben Pirmann, Charleston Battery coach

Pirmann, 38, won the USL Coach of the Year award with Memphis 901 in 2022. He left for Charleston, where he turned the Battery into the league runner-up after they finished 25th out of 27 teams the season before. But like Lilley, the other USL coach on this list, Pirmann has no top-flight coaching experience. Is he capable of stepping in midseason and leading a playoff push?

Ante Razov, Los Angeles FC assistant

Razov, 50, has been with LAFC since its second season in 2018. Before that, he played 13 years in MLS and earned 25 caps with the USMNT. He's been on the staff of two MLS Cup-winning teams: the Seattle Sounders in 2016 and LAFC in 2022, and has been interviewed by the Earthquakes and Chicago Fire in recent years.

Wayne Rooney, former D.C. United coach

Like Donovan and Henry, Rooney, 38, carries plenty of name recognition as the all-time leading scorer for Manchester United and the England national team. He both played and coached for D.C. United, but his managerial results have been spotty: he went 24-39-22 at Derby County (2022-22) and 14-25-14 in 2023 with D.C. He lasted just 15 games at Birmingham City in the EFL Championship before being fired.

Giovanni Savarese, former Portland Timbers coach

The 52-year-old Venezuelan coached the Timbers from 2018 until being fired in August. He led Portland to the playoffs in each of his first four seasons, reaching the MLS Cup final in 2018 and 2021 and winning the MLS is Back tournament in 2020. Savarese had never coached in MLS before being hired by the Timbers.

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC coaching search: 15 candidates to replace Gary Smith