Utah Royals FC Address Decision To Fire Amy Rodriguez

On Sunday, Utah Royals FC announced the club fired Head Coach Amy Rodriguez and Goalkeeper Coach Maryse Bard-Martel as the club currently holds a 2-2-11 (wins, ties, losses) record.

With Rodriguez's role as a former player and a first-year NWSL coach, the latest expansion club sits at the lowest rank in the NWSL standings. While the club has appointed assistant Jimmy Coenraets As the Interim Head Coach for the remainder of the NWSL season, Royals President Michelle Hyncik also parted ways with the club.

Royals Look To Build In The Next Six Months

Following the announcement, Royals Sporting Director Kelly Cousins ​​and RSL President John Kimball spoke with media today to address the changes as the club reorganizes their internal structure.

“It was obviously something that wasn't just a quick decision,” said Cousins. “The reason for now is that I believe we got a good six months to turn things around for next season. It gives the team time to really address where we need to be better on and off the pitch. For us to be ready to step into the next season and to really, really compete in this league, I think we've got the talent and a group that can do that, so everyone involved felt that now was the right time for us to do that. that.”

On Saturday night, the Royals recorded a 0-0 draw with the No. 5 ranked Portland Thorns. Although Rodriguez wasn't informed about her future with the club ahead of time, the draw marked her final game as the news was announced on Sunday.

“Obviously that game leaves us wanting more,” said Rodriguez following the game. “We were knocking on that door, just waiting to burst through. We thought we had one a couple of times there, but I'm so proud of this team for getting a point. There was still a bit of a missing piece in the final third, but this is a work in progress and everyday, this group diligently works towards growing. It's just a building block, but hopefully there's more in the future.”

Cousins ​​noted that the decision was taken with patience, evaluating data, and gathering information. Although the surveys conducted by the NWSL Players Association were not taken into consideration by the club due to the timing of the surveys submitted to the PA, the club felt this decision was the right one for the future.

“We knew this wouldn't be a light decision,” added Cousins.

Making a Mark in the NWSL

As the NWSL consists of 14 teams across the USA, the 2024 Paris Olympics will also allow for players to have a break from the NWSL regular season.

This summer, the league is hosting its first-ever, NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup tournament, which will allow for remaining NWSL players to gain extra minutes against high-level competition.

With the Royals in search of new leadership for the club, this tournament will also allow their current roster to grow and develop in the coming weeks.

“We're looking to the future,” said Cousins. “For us, it was definitely performance based, we want to be a successful team. We have a week break next week and six weeks building into our first league game and we can really use that as a mini pre-season to step into the second half of the season and make that positive and be ready for next season.”

With 14 weeks into the regular season, the high-level traction of the NWSL has grown across the board from fan attendance, player milestones, and goals scored. With the increase in competition, it also places a higher standard for teams at the bottom of the table to re-evaluate their performances.

Last week, 2023 NWSL Shield winners San Diego Wave FC fired head coach Casey Stoney as the club currently sits in tenth place of the NWSL standings. Although many were shocked and taken back by the club's decision, Rodriguez now marks the second head coach to lose their position within the same week.

As for the next head coach hire, the Royals hope to hire a female candidate who has experience coaching in the women's game.

“These are two big holes, they [Amy and Maryse] both worked hard to lay the foundation of this club,” said Kimball. “Our intention 100% is to move forward and to hire the best people at the right time and our intention of course is to have this club run by women, empowering women. At this point on the employment base, we're over 70% female staff. We are very proud of that and what we have accomplished and this wasn't a disciplinary decision.”

The Utah Royals will now focus on their next game as they travel to face Seattle Reign FC, who sit above the Royals in the No. 13 rank of NWSL standings. The game will take place on Sunday, July 7 at 3pm PT/6pm ET.