Head coach Josh Wolff was fired by Austin FC on Sunday after the team failed to advance to the Major League Soccer postseason for the second consecutive year.
Wolff, a former forward and assistant coach for the United States national team, was hired in 2019 shortly after the expansion franchise was announced by MLS, about two years before they began play. Led Austin to the Western Conference Finals in 2022.
After a playing career with the Chicago Fire, Kansas City Wizards and DC United and 1860 Munich in Germany, Wolff served as an assistant coach with the Columbus Crew and DC United before joining Austin in July 2019.
With a 16-10-8 regular season record, Wolf guided Austin to a second-place finish in his second season in 2022. Austin reached its first Western Conference final that year after home playoff wins about Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas.
“As the first coach in the club’s history, we want to extend our gratitude for Josh’s role in the growth and development of our team,” majority shareholder and CEO Anthony Precourt said in a statement. “After two consecutive seasons without qualifying for the playoffs, we realized that a fresh start is required under the leadership of a new coach.”
The team said Precourt and sporting director Rodolfo Borrell met with Wolff on Sunday morning to make the change.
Despite reaching the Western Conference finals in 2022, Austin has failed to reach the postseason in three of Wolff’s four years. He had a record of 45 wins, 30 draws and 60 losses in regular round matches in MLS.
Austin will name an interim coach for its final regular-season game on Oct. 19 against the visiting Colorado Rapids.
