ST PAUL, Minn — Head coach Adrian Heath is out after seven seasons with the Minnesota United Football Club, the team confirmed Friday morning.
The Athletic writers Tom Bogert and Paul Tenorio first reported Heath's departure Friday morning. In a statement, the team said Assistant Coach Sean McCauley will serve as Interim Head Coach for the remainder of the season, while Assistant Coach Ian Fuller and Goalkeeping Coach Stewart Kerr will remain in their current roles.
“We are grateful to Adrian for his dedication to our club and for all that we have accomplished over the last seven seasons. This was a difficult decision, but we believe that the time is right to move in a new direction,” MNUFC CEO Shari Ballard said in a statement.
“Whenever a club decides to make a coaching change, there is a tendency to focus only on the end of that coach’s tenure; however, the conclusion of Adrian’s time with MNUFC should not diminish his significant contributions to our club. His passion and hard work have been enormously impactful, and we thank him for all that he has done for MNUFC and for our community.”
Heath joined the Loons in 2016, ahead of their inaugural 2017 Major League Soccer season, and led the club to its first MLS Cup Playoff appearance. He's one of two MLS coaches to take their clubs to the postseason in the last four years, 2019-2022.
In his seven seasons with the club, Heath put forth a record of 91-101-56 in all matches.
The team also announced Friday that it's splitting with Technical Director Mark Watson, who's also been with the team since 2017 when he started as an assistant coach.
The window of opportunity for the Loons to make the playoffs this year is shrinking. The team currently sits in 12th place in the Western Conference with just two games left in the regular season. Minnesota hosts Los Angeles on Saturday at Allianz field before wrapping up the year against Sporting KC on Oct. 21.
This is a developing story. KARE 11 will have more information as new details become available.
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