The Utah Royals are on the hunt for a new coach after firing Amy Rodriguez with 11 games left in the NWSL season, the team announced Saturday. Assistant Jimmy Coenraets will serve as the interim head coach.
Player, captain, coach.
Thank you Amy for your effort & commitment to the club.
We wish you the best moving forward, A-Rod. pic.twitter.com/mGMKExAI7W
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) June 30, 2024
With a 2-11-2 (W-L-D) record, the Royals sit in last place in the league. Utah managed to score only seven times across 15 matches and conceded 27 goals. The team’s two victories came against the North Carolina Courage (currently sixth in NWSL standings) and Bay FC (eighth in league standings).
Utah also parted ways with goalkeeper coach Maryse Bard-Martel. Team president Michelle Hyncik, who hired Rodriguez, is moving into a legal role with the Blitzer family office.
“This expansion season has been full of lessons and learnings, and we are now focused on reorganizing leadership efforts on and off the pitch,” Real Salt Lake president John Kimball said in a statement. “We are grateful and appreciative of Amy, Michelle and Maryse and their efforts in helping re-introduce the Royals to Utah’s incredible fans and the international soccer community. We believe women’s sports are a vital part of Utah’s culture. Our club and ownership group are committed to delivering a product our fans will be proud of. While we have faced adversity this season, we are focused on building a team off and on the field that can compete at the highest levels for years to come.”
Before taking the reins of the Royals when the club rejoined the NWSL as an expansion team, Rodriguez served as an assistant coach for the women’s soccer team at USC, her alma mater. As a player, she was a member of the Women’s World Cup-winning team in 2015 and helped Team USA to two Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012. She also played for Utah from 2018-2020.
Utah’s move to cut ties with Rodriguez comes less than a week after the San Diego Wave parted company with coach Casey Stoney on June 24.
Utah visits Seattle Reign FC on July 7 before the league takes a six-week break for the Olympics.
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(Photo: Christopher Creveling / USA Today)
