Utah Royals fire head coach Amy Rodriguez, assistant; team president also moved

The Utah Royals announced an organizational overhaul Sunday morning, including firing the first head coach in the franchise’s relaunched history after a 2-11-2 start.

Amy Rodriguez’s first stint as a professional head coach is over after 15 matches.

The Utah Royals announced an organizational overhaul Sunday morning, including firing the first head coach in the franchise’s relaunched history after a 2-11-2 start. Goalkeeper coach Marysa Bard-Martel — the staff’s lone assistant holdover from the initial setup to start the season — has also been released.

Additionally, team president Michelle Hyncik has been moved to a legal role within the Blitzer Family Office, which is owned by club co-owner David Blitzer. John Kimball, president of Real Salt Lake, while oversee URFC business operations on an interim basis.

Assistant coach Jimmy Coenraets, who has been on the job for less than a month and in Utah for barely a week, has been appointed interim head coach.

“This expansion season has been full of lessons and learnings, and we are now focused on reorganizing leadership efforts on and off the pitch,” Kimball said. “We are grateful and appreciative of Amy, Michelle and Maryse and their efforts in helping re-introduce the Royals to Utah's incredible fans and the international soccer community. We believe women’s sports are a vital part of Utah's culture. Our club and ownership group are committed to delivering a product our fans will be proud of.

“While we have faced adversity this season, we are focused on building a team off and on the field that can compete at the highest levels for years to come.”

Rodriguez is the second head coach fired in the NWSL in 2024, six days after the San Diego Wave moved on from Casey Stone after that club’s 3-5-6 start to the season.

A former U.S. international and record-setting goal scorer, Rodriguez was the first coach in the club’s relaunched history after playing for the Royals from 2018-2020 while scoring 15 goals prior to the franchise’s relocation to Kansas City.

Rodriguez played professionally for a dozen seasons in three different leagues, wrapping up her pro career in 2021 with the North Carolina Courage and immediately stepping into an assistant coaching role at her alma mater USC.

That job lasted just one year before Hyncik — a former youth teammate of Rodriguez — and club ownership brought her to the Royals to be the franchise’s first coach since reviving the club in the NWSL.

But the first season has been anything but easy.

Utah ranks last in the 14-team NWSL with a 2-11-2 record, with just 8 points through 15 matches after Saturday night’s 0-0 home draw with the Portland Thorns, currently ranked fifth in the league.

“Obviously, that game leaves us wanting more,” Rodriguez said after the match. “We were knocking on that door, waiting to burst through, thought we had one a couple of times. I am so proud of this team for getting a point, especially after the reaction from last weekend. A lot of really great moments, we worked a lot on defensive structure this week. Getting the press right and being together. You saw that a lot tonight and that affected how we then attacked. To keep a Portland side at zero, I have to say I am really proud.”

The Royals have a league-worst -20 goal-differential, primarily due to a league-worst 27 goals allowed (go with just seven goals scored). Center back Kate Del Fava leads the team in goals with two.

For Utah’s defensive issues, the prime deficiency has been in the attacking third. The team has been shut out 10 times, and only scored multiple goals in a match once — a 2-1 win over North Carolina back on March 22.

“Getting opportunities on goal is not the problem and we saw that tonight,” Rodriguez said. “It’s just the final piece of being able to put it away. It is the hardest piece of the game for that reason, we will continue working on that. I am excited to see this team continuously knocking on the door. I know they are ready to burst through.”

The Royals’ relaunch was always going to be a project. But that project will now shift to new management.