Chris Armas

Chris Armas was named head coach of the Kansas City Current on Jan. 7, 2026. Armas, who was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2025, brings with him over three decades of playing and coaching experience at the highest level of the sport.   

Armas’ coaching career began in 2008 as an assistant for Chicago Fire FC before spending four years as the head women’s soccer coach at Adelphi University, his alma mater, from 2011-14. Under his direction, Adelphi had back-to-back Northeast 10 (NE10) Tournament final appearances in 2012 and 2013, earned its first NCAA Tournament berth in six years in 2013 and rose as high as ninth in the national rankings in 2014. Armas, who produced 20 All-Conference and six All-Region selections during his time with the Panthers, was recognized as the United Soccer Coaches Regional Coaching Staff of the Year and the NE10 Conference Coaching Staff of the Year in 2013.   

In 2015, he joined the New York Red Bulls as an assistant coach and the team won the Supporters’ Shield that year. Armas was appointed the Red Bulls’ head coach in July 2018, finishing the regular season with a 12-3-3 record as the club won the 2018 Supporters’ Shield and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. He was then an assistant coach for Manchester United (2021-22) and Leeds United (2023) in the English Premier League, even serving as co-interim head coach of Leeds United. Most recently, Armas was the head coach of the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer (MLS) during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. He led the Rapids back to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in 2024 and earned a third-place finish in the 2025 Leagues Cup while capturing back-to-back Rocky Mountain Cup titles.   

Regarded as the best American defensive midfielder of his generation, Armas had a successful 12-year playing career in the MLS with LA Galaxy in 1996-97 and Chicago Fire FC from 1998 until his retirement in 2007. He amassed 12 goals and 48 assists across 264 MLS matches and won the 1998 MLS Cup, 2003 Supporters’ Shield and four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups (1998, 2000, 2003, 2006). The Brentwood, New York native is one of only five players in league history to have been named to the MLS Best XI five times (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003) and he is a six-time MLS All-Star (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004). In 2003, he was named the MLS Comeback Player of the Year after recovering from a season-ending injury sustained in 2002. He was also chosen as Chicago Fire FC’s MVP during their Shield-winning season that same year.  

Armas earned 66 caps and scored two goals for the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) between 1998 and 2005, and he was tabbed the U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year in 2000. He was a key member of the USMNT squads that qualified for the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups – captaining the team on four occasions during those cycles – but untimely injuries kept him out of both World Cups as well as the 2000 Olympic Games.  

A 1994 graduate of Adelphi, Armas earned All-America honors and helped guide the Panthers to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. He was a two-time All-New York State honoree and led the roster in scoring with 17 points as a senior. After college, Armas spent two years playing for the Long Island Rough Riders in the U.S. Interregional Soccer League (USISL) and was a USISL All-Star for guiding his team to the 1995 Pro League Championship. He was selected to be part of the inaugural class of the Long Island Soccer Football League Hall of Fame in 2013.  

Armas and his wife, Justine, have two sons: Christopher and Aleksei.