Austin FC of Major League Soccer (MLS) fired Spanish head coach Nico Estévez and Spanish sporting director Rodolfo Borrell on Monday after a start to the season that fell short of expectations. The Texas side has 14 points from 14 matches, sits 13th in the Western Conference, and is outside the playoff places.
In a statement, club owner and chief executive Anthony Precourt said: “We believe this team can compete for a playoff spot and, given our results so far, a change is necessary to achieve our goal of qualifying this year and becoming a consistently winning team in this league.” Precourt thanked Estévez and Borrell for their dedication and announced the appointment of Davy Arnaud as interim head coach, who will lead the team in its final game before MLS’s two-month break for the World Cup.
Estévez took charge of Austin FC at the start of last season and led the team to the playoffs as the sixth seed in the West, though they were eliminated in the first round. The club also reached the U.S. Open Cup final, where they lost to Nashville SC. Borrell took over as sporting director in June 2023 and oversaw transfers, including the record signing of Albanian forward Myrto Uzuni.
This season, however, the dynamic has completely changed. Austin FC was eliminated from the U.S. Open Cup by a USL Championship side, the second division of American soccer, and has accumulated negative results in the league. The dismissal comes amid the need to reverse the trajectory before the break for the World Cup.