One week after he was selected as the MLS coach of the week, Paulo Nagamura was fired Monday as head coach of the Houston Dynamo.
Houston is 8-16-5 in MLS play this season and sits in last place in the Western Conference. The campaign is its first under Nagamura, a 39-year-old Brazilian who spent 11 years as an MLS player and four years as head coach of Sporting KC II.
Dynamo 2 head coach Kenny Bundy was appointed as interim head coach. While goalkeeper coach Zack Thornton will remain on staff, two other assistants — Chris Martinez and Jimmy Nielsen — also “departed,” the club announced.
“This is a difficult decision because Paulo is a top individual who has earned the respect of the players and staff for his tireless work ethic and commitment to the club,” said general manager Pat Onstad. “Moving forward, we are excited about this opportunity for Kenny. He is a talented up-and-coming coach who worked his way up through our coaching system and he will lead the team for the remainder of the season.”
Bundy, 41, has been with the organization since 2016 in various coaching capacities.
Nagamura’s Dynamo endured a six-game winless streak (0-5-1) that dropped them to the bottom of the Western Conference before they rallied last week to knock off conference-leading LAFC, 2-1.
Sunday, the Dynamo led the Seattle Sounders 1-0 before giving up two second-half goals in a 2-1 defeat. They were outshot 20-4. It was the ninth 2-1 defeat for Houston this season.
After a 6-16-12 season in 2021, Houston parted ways with head coach Tab Ramos two days after his second season ended. The Dynamo have made the MLS playoffs just once since 2014.
Houston becomes the fifth MLS team to change coaches this season, following D.C. United, San Jose Earthquakes, Charlotte FC, and NYCFC (when Ronny Deila left for Belgian club Standard Liege).
–Field Level Media