At 10:18 am today, Austin FC confirmed the very inflection point that we posited at the beginning of the post-match press conference following the team's 2-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City:
"Austin FC today announced that the Club has parted ways with Sporting Director Rodolfo Borrell and Head Coach Nico Estévez, effective immediately. The Club has begun searches for its next Sporting Director and Head Coach while implementing an interim leadership structure for Soccer Operations. Davy Arnaud has been appointed Interim Head Coach ahead of the Club’s next match against St. Louis CITY SC on May 23."
Based on what we are hearing, the expectation is that the rest of the assistant coaching staff will remain in place as the search proceeds for a new sporting director and head coach.
The club noted, in its press release:
While the search for the Club’s next head coach is already underway, Austin FC has also retained the services of Excel Sports Management’s executive search division, Excel Search & Advisory, to lead the global search for the Club’s next Sporting Director with the goal of identifying a sporting leader who aligns with Austin FC’s long-term vision and competitive objectives across all levels of the organization, including the first team, second team, and academy.
Following various departures across many levels of the organization since his hiring, Borrell's dismissal marks an opportunity for Austin FC to make meaningful change.
"We know that our fans and our community deserve a winner, and our Ownership group will continue to make the necessary decisions in order to deliver consistently strong results across competitions.”
A move this substantial allows Austin to pursue a much broader pool of head coaching options than they would otherwise be able to with the "sporting director-centric" model put in place under Borrell. The club went on to hint that the change might come prior to the July 22 home match against Seattle — its first following the World Cup break.
The 60-day mid-season pause that begins at the conclusion of the upcoming match vs. St. Louis City SC affords the Club a natural period to implement a transition and position the organization for success.
The players will all go on a mandated three-week break (per the MLS Players Association's agreement with the league) on the other side of this weekend's away fixture in St. Louis, and presumably come back to a rapidly changing environment at St. David's Performance Center.
Davy Arnaud will serve as Austin's interim manager for the second time.
You can most certainly expect an actual Emergency Podcast very soon. In the meantime, review the just-updated 2026 by the numbers.
At 10:18 am today, Austin FC confirmed the very inflection point that we posited at the beginning of the post-match press conference following the team's 2-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City:
Based on what we are hearing, the expectation is that the rest of the assistant coaching staff will remain in place as the search proceeds for a new sporting director and head coach.
The club noted, in its press release:
Following various departures across many levels of the organization since his hiring, Borrell's dismissal marks an opportunity for Austin FC to make meaningful change.
A move this substantial allows Austin to pursue a much broader pool of head coaching options than they would otherwise be able to with the "sporting director-centric" model put in place under Borrell. The club went on to hint that the change might come prior to the July 22 home match against Seattle — its first following the World Cup break.
The players will all go on a mandated three-week break (per the MLS Players Association's agreement with the league) on the other side of this weekend's away fixture in St. Louis, and presumably come back to a rapidly changing environment at St. David's Performance Center.
Davy Arnaud will serve as Austin's interim manager for the second time.
You can most certainly expect an actual Emergency Podcast very soon. In the meantime, review the just-updated 2026 by the numbers.
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