Austin FC Changes Leadership Following Lackluster Start to Season
Austin FC has parted ways with head coach Nico Estevez and sporting director Rodolfo Borrell, following a disappointing start to the season where the team won only three of its first 14 matches.
Davy Arnaud has been appointed as the interim manager ahead of the club’s next fixture this Saturday against St. Louis City SC.
“We are grateful to Rodo for his tireless dedication to improving the Club,” Austin FC chief executive officer and majority owner Anthony Precourt said in a news release. “Ultimately, we believe this decision is in the best interest of Austin FC. 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.”
“Nico has been a trusted ambassador for Austin FC and Austin during his time as head coach,” Precourt added. “We believe this team can compete for a playoff position, and given our results thus far, a change is necessary to achieve our goals of qualifying for the playoffs this year and becoming a consistent winner in this League.”
With a record of 3-6-5 (14 points), Austin FC currently ranks 13th in the 15-team Western Conference. The club has not won any of its past three matches, recently losing 2-1 at home against Sporting Kansas City after a significant 5-0 defeat to San Diego FC. Before these losses, Austin managed a 2-2 draw with Minnesota United FC.
This coaching change comes on the heels of another recent firing in the league. The Columbus Crew announced Sunday night that they had let go of first-year coach Henrik Rydstrom, just 14 games into his MLS career. The Crew also sits in 13th place, with a record of 3-7-4 (13 points) in the Eastern Conference.
In Columbus, assistant Laurent Courtois has stepped up as interim head coach. “We unfortunately have not capitalized on opportunities or produced the results that our club and supporters deserve,” commented Crew general manager Issa Tall.
Back in Austin, Borrell, 55, took on the role of sporting director in June 2023, succeeding Claudio Reyna. Estevez, aged 46, was hired in October 2022 and was the second full-time head coach in the franchise’s history, following Josh Wolff. Last season, Austin finished sixth in the Western Conference and qualified for the MLS Cup playoffs, also securing a runner-up position in the 2025 U.S. Open Cup.
The upcoming 60-day midseason pause, starting after this weekend’s match, provides Austin an opportunity to transition effectively under new leadership.
Arnaud, 45, previously served as interim manager for Austin FC in 2022, where he secured a 3-2 victory against the Colorado Rapids in the season’s final match. He also has interim coaching experience with the Houston Dynamo in 2019, overseeing nine matches.