3 Wins in 14 Games: Austin FC Fires Coach AND Sporting Director, And Their Playoff Dream Is Wild Right Now

Alright, listen up, because this is wild. Austin FC just dropped a bomb, pulling the trigger on both head coach Nico Estevez and sporting director Rodolfo Borrell on Monday. Can you believe it? They've only managed a pathetic three wins in their first 14 matches this season. Davy Arnaud is stepping in as interim manager, and he's got a monumental task ahead of him. This team, which was just in the MLS Cup playoffs last season and was a runner-up in the 2025 U.S. Open Cup, is now a mess.

What Went Wrong in Austin? The Numbers Don't Lie

This isn't some minor shake-up, my friends. This is a full-blown emergency. Austin FC sits at a dismal 3-6-5 record, accumulating only 14 points, which puts them way down in 13th place in the 15-team Western Conference. The struggles have been brutal, with the club winless in their last three matches. They took a 2-1 loss at home against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, which followed an embarrassing 5-0 road loss to San Diego FC just last Wednesday. Before that, they tied Minnesota United FC 2-2. You see those numbers? That's not a playoff team. Austin FC chief executive officer and majority owner Anthony Precourt didn't mince words, saying, "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." He also 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."

New Faces, New Hope?

So, Estevez, 46, was only hired in October 2024 as the franchise's second full-time head coach, after previously coaching FC Dallas from 2022-24. Borrell, 55, had been sporting director since June 2023. Talk about short tenures! Now, Davy Arnaud, 45, is in the hot seat. He's got some interim experience, leading Austin to a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Rapids on the final day of the 2024 season, plus nine matches with the Houston Dynamo in 2019. And get this, this isn't an isolated incident around the league. The Columbus Crew also dismissed their first-year coach Henrik Rydstrom after just 14 games, with a 3-7-4 record, sitting 13th in the Eastern Conference. Their general manager Issa Tall said they "have not capitalized on opportunities or produced the results that our club and supporters deserve." This midseason pause, starting after this weekend's match, provides Austin a natural window for this transition. Austin FC's next match is this Saturday against St. Louis City SC. Can Arnaud spark something, anything, to turn this ship around? Can they still actually make a run for a playoff spot after all this drama? It feels like a long shot, but man, you gotta watch to see if they can pull off a miracle.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.