Austin FC did not wait for the MLS season to sort itself out. On Monday, the club cut ties with head coach Nico Estévez and sporting director Rodolfo Borrell, a double move that jolted the Verde & Black after an uneven start and ahead of a crowded run of fixtures.
Both departures came to light in reporting by the Austin American-Statesman, which noted that the front office pulled the plug to reset a season already feeling wobbly. The 2-1 home loss to Sporting Kansas City at Q2 Stadium that immediately preceded the changes was logged in the club's own match recap on Austin FC.
The Slide That Pushed Austin FC To Act
On paper, the warning signs were hard to ignore. Austin had collected just 14 points and was sitting outside the playoff line, a precarious place for a club with higher expectations. Standings tracked by ESPN, along with match data stored by FotMob, showed the club drifting toward the lower half of the Western Conference after a string of poor results.
Arnaud Handed Whistle For Trip To St. Louis
The shake-up is not coming with a long pause to regroup. Assistant coach Davy Arnaud will run the team on an interim basis for Saturday's visit to St. Louis on May 23, according to Yahoo Sports. The quick handoff gives Arnaud a fast-track audition to stabilize the locker room heading into MLS's midseason breather and offers supporters an immediate, if temporary, face of the new regime.
Short Stint For Estévez, Big Questions After Borrell
Estévez was brought in as Austin's head coach in October 2024, a hiring announced on MLSsoccer. Local coverage, including the Austin American-Statesman, pegged his record with the club at roughly 16-19-13, a middling return that never quite matched the ambition around Q2.
Sporting director Rodolfo Borrell, hired in July 2023, had been steering scouting and roster construction since his arrival, according to club staffing updates archived by OurSportsCentral. His exit leaves a sizable hole in the front office right as the club edges toward a key roster-building window.
As of Monday afternoon, the club's official news page featured match reports and roster notes but no extended statement breaking down the leadership overhaul, a missing piece flagged by local reporters. Fans and media in Austin are already pressing for answers on who will take charge of both player recruitment and first-team coaching in the long term, with the immediate focus now locked on that road date in St. Louis.
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