The Utah Royals made some vast changes this weekend, firing head coach Amy Rodriguez and goalkeeper coach Maryse Bard-Martel on Sunday, according to a team press release.
Per the release, the team is also letting go of team president Michelle Hyncik, who will “begin transitioning to a new opportunity” within the office of team owner David Blitzer. Assistant coach Jimmy Coenraets will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
AMY RODRIGUEZ FIRED AS UTAHS HEAD COACH Former USWNT & NWSL forward leaves expansion team Utah Royals with a record of 2W-11L-2D sitting last in the standings in her first season.GK coach Maryse Bard-Martel & president Michelle Hyncik were also fired from their roles. pic.twitter.com/MMBIgP0QCK
The Women’s Game (@WomensGameMIB) June 30, 2024
Utah currently sits at the bottom of the NWSL table with 11 losses. Worse, the team has a real problem with scoring and getting scored on: The Royals have only scored seven goals this season, by far the lowest in the league, while also allowing a league-high 27 goals.
Sunday’s announcement, however, comes on the heels of a 0-0 draw to the Portland Thorns, pulling a point against a solid opponent in one of the team’s strongest games this season.
Rodriguez, a former NWSL forward in her first coaching job, becomes the second coach fired this week after San Diego Wave FC let head coach Casey Stoney go last Monday. On the same day, the general manager of expansion team Bay FC, Lucy Rushton, resigned unexpectedly, marking an unusual cluster of dismissals a little more than halfway through the season.
The Royals have 11 matches remaining in the season, including games against tough opponents like the Kansas City Current and NJ/NY Gotham FC. A playoff run would be highly unexpected at this point, but Royals management clearly believed that Rodriguez, Bard-Martel and Hyncik could not get Utah there.