Austin FC names Khaled El-Ahmad as new sporting director as MLS club continues major rebuild

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Austin FC on Tuesday announced Khaled El-Ahmad as sporting director and chief soccer officer as the Major League Soccer club continues a major rebuild amid a danger of missing the playoffs for the third time in four seasons.

Austin FC currently sits 14th out of 15 teams in the Western Conference and well out of playoff position under interim coach Davy Arnaud, who took over after Nico Estévez was fired in May. Jim Curtain will take over as permanent head coach after this season.

El-Ahmad, 45, has been sporting director at Minnesota the past two seasons, and the club reached the MLS playoffs both years. Before joining Minnesota, El-Ahmad was sporting director for Barnsley, which currently plays in League One, England's third tier of professional soccer.

“The most important thing for me is to come to a place with potential; your history is brief but exciting,” El-Ahmad said at his introductory news conference.

Austin dismissed previous sporting director Rodolfo Borrell the same day Estevez was fired. The club recently promoted team president Andy Loughnane to chief executive officer overseeing business and soccer operations.

Borrell had come to the club in 2023 after years as a top assistant to Pep Guardiola at Premier League powerhouse Manchester City.

Loughnane said hiring someone with El-Ahmad's experience and success managing and developing a roster within the MLS structure was important for Austin.

Austin was an MLS expansion franchise when it started play in 2021. Majority owner Anthony Precourt has sought to elevate the club into one of the league's marquee franchises, but results on the field have been mostly disappointing.

Austin has advanced to the MLS playoffs just twice and will be on its fourth head coach and third sporting director by next season. Still, the club holds an MLS-best streak of 98 consecutive league-match sellouts at Q2 Stadium, which seats nearly 21,000.

Austin has had better form in this season's Leagues Cup tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals. A top-three finish qualifies for next season’s CONCACAF Champions Cup.

“We were very thoughtful about what this team needs for its next leader,” Precourt said. “We have a burning ambition to deliver top results for our fans and our city.”

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