| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christopher Armas[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1972-08-27)August 27, 1972 (age 53) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | New York City, United States | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| New York Hota Bavarian | |||||||||||||||||
| Brooklyn Italians | |||||||||||||||||
| Frosinone | |||||||||||||||||
| South Shore | |||||||||||||||||
| College career | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1990–1993 | Adelphi Panthers | 73 | (17) | ||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | Long Island Rough Riders | (8) | |||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | LA Galaxy | 50 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 1998–2007 | Chicago Fire | 214 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 264 | (20) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1994 | Puerto Rico | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1998–2005 | United States | 66 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Chicago Fire (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | Adelphi Panthers (women) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | New York Red Bulls (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | New York Red Bulls | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Toronto FC | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Manchester United (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Leeds United (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Leeds United (co-interim) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | Colorado Rapids | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Christopher Armas (born August 27, 1972) is an American professionalsoccer coach and former player who was most recently the head coach ofMajor League Soccer clubColorado Rapids.
Born inThe Bronx, New York City, Armas is of Puerto Rican descent and grew up inBrentwood, New York. He graduated fromSt. Anthony's High School and then attendedAdelphi University from 1990 to 1993, amassing 17 goals and 15 assists over his collegiate career. Armas was named anNCAA Division II First Team All-American his senior year.[2]
After graduating from college, Armas spent 1994 and 1995 playing for theUSISL'sLong Island Rough Riders, being selected as a USISL All-Star. In 1995, the Rough Riders defeated theMinnesota Thunder in the USISL's Pro League Championship.[3]
In 1996, Armas was drafted byLos Angeles Galaxy in the first round of theMajor League Soccer Supplemental Draft and played a significant role in their first and second seasons.Chicago Fire acquired Armas in a trade for their inaugural 1998 campaign. It was with the 1998 Fire team that Armas emerged as an exceptional player, helping them win their first MLS Championship that year. Between 1998 and 2001, Armas was named to the MLS Best XI four consecutive times, his streak only being broken by an ACL injury that kept him out of much of the 2002 campaign; Armas was named to his fifth Best XI after the 2003 MLS season, in addition to being named the MLS Comeback Player of the Year. He was named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year in 2000. In ten years in MLS, he totaled eleven goals and 41 assists, plus added four goals and four assists in the playoffs.
On April 19, 2007, Armas announced that the 2007 MLS season with the Chicago Fire would be his last, as he decided to retire. His retirement was made official on November 13, 2007, after spending 12 years in MLS.[4]
Armas played forPuerto Rico in the1993 Caribbean Cup. The competition was not then recognized byFIFA and so his five matches were classed asfriendlies.[5]
He was therefore later allowed to switch his allegiance to theUnited States, for whom he made his debut November 6, 1998, against Australia.[6] He went on to earn 66 caps. He did not break into the squad until soon after the1998 FIFA World Cup, and his ACL injury came just before the2002 FIFA World Cup, so he was never able to play for the United States in the World Cup. He was named as a standby player for the2006 FIFA World Cup, and did not feature in thefinal squad.
After his retirement, he coached youth soccer and was a high school physical education teacher atSt. Anthony's High School.[7]
Armas served as an assistant coach for the Chicago Fire in 2008 and was the head women's soccer coach atAdelphi University between 2011 and 2015.
On July 6, 2018, Armas was promoted to head coach ofNew York Red Bulls after former managerJesse Marsch departed the club to joinRed Bull Salzburg as an assistant.[8] Armas helped the Red Bulls finish first in the regular season, winning the Supporters' Shield as a result. The Red Bulls were eliminated in the conference finals byAtlanta United.
In 2019, the Red Bulls finished sixth in the Eastern Conference and were eliminated by thePhiladelphia Union in the first round of the playoffs. The Red Bulls were then eliminated in the group stage of theMLS is Back Tournament after they were defeated byFC Cincinnati. The team was in the middle of a scoring slump when Armas parted ways with the club on September 4, 2020, the day after a 1–0 loss toD.C. United.[9]
In 2021, Armas was hired as head coach ofToronto FC, replacingGreg Vanney, who departed the club at the end of his contract.[10] On July 4, 2021, following a 7–1 loss to D.C. United, the largest loss in the club's history and a league record of one win, eight losses and two draws, the team announced he had been fired.[11]
On December 7, 2021, Armas was hired byManchester United as assistant coach to work under interim managerRalf Rangnick.[12][13] He left the club in May 2022.
In January 2023, it was confirmed that Armas had re-united with Jesse Marsch atLeeds United. Armas was named co-interim head coach alongsideMichael Skubala andPaco Gallardo following the sacking of Jesse Marsch in February,[14] the trio overseeing a 2–2 draw atOld Trafford withManchester United on 8February 2023[15] and Skubala acting as solitary interim manager in the home loss against the same opponents four days later.[16][17][18]
On November 17, 2023, Armas returned toMajor League Soccer, signing as head coach of theColorado Rapids.[19]
On October 27, 2025, Armas and the Rapids mutually agreed to part ways after missing the MLS Cup Playoffs.[20]
Armas and his wife, Justine, have two sons, Christopher and Aleksei.[21]
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | Cup[a] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| LA Galaxy | 1996 | Major League Soccer | 22 | 1 | 6 | 2 | — | — | 28 | 3 | ||
| 1997 | 28 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[b] | 0 | 32 | 3 | |||
| Total | 50 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 60 | 6 | ||
| Chicago Fire | 1998 | Major League Soccer | 31 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 39 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 28 | 1 | ||
| 2000 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 25 | 0 | |||
| 2001 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 30 | 1 | |||
| 2002 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2003 | 25 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | 33 | 4 | |||
| 2004 | 21 | 1 | — | 3 | 0 | 3[b] | 1 | 27 | 2 | |||
| 2005 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 25 | 2 | |||
| 2006 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 31 | 1 | |||
| 2007 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 0 | |||
| Total | 214 | 8 | 29 | 2 | 22 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 273 | 12 | ||
| Career total | 264 | 12 | 37 | 4 | 22 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 333 | 18 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico | 1993 | 6 | 0 |
| 1994 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 0 | |
| United States | |||
| 1998 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 14 | 2 | |
| 2001 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 66 | 2 |
| No. | Cap | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | January 16, 2000 | Rose Bowl,Pasadena, California, United States |  Iran | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 13 | February 19, 2000 | Miami Orange Bowl,Miami, Florida, United States |  Colombia | 2–1 | 2–2 (1–2pen.) | 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| Team | Nat. | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | Ref. | ||||
| New York Red Bulls |  | July 6, 2018 | September 4, 2020 | 71 | 33 | 11 | 27 | 046.48 | [25] |
| Toronto FC |  | January 13, 2021 | July 4, 2021 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 013.33 | [26] |
| Colorado Rapids | | November 17, 2023 | Present | 82 | 30 | 17 | 35 | 036.59 | |
| Total | 168 | 65 | 31 | 72 | 038.69 | ||||
Chicago Fire
United States
Individual
New York Red Bulls
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)United States squads | |||||||||||||||||||
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