AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Slumping Austin FC fired head coach Nico Estévez and sporting director Rodolfo Borrell on Monday as the team sits near the bottom of the Major League Soccer standings just one season after returning to the playoffs.
The move comes after a 2-1 home loss Saturday night to Sporting KC, the last-place team in the 15-team Western Conference. The previous match was a 5-0 loss at San Diego, the worst in club history.
After this week's matches, the league will take a two-month break for the World Cup. Austin currently sits at No. 13, well out of playoff contention with just three wins in 14 matches.
The club expected to contend for a return to the playoffs after making the postseason in 2025, Estévez's first season with the club. Austin has made the playoffs just twice since the franchise started in the 2021 season.
“We believe this team can compete for a playoff position, and given our results thus far, a change is necessary to achieve our goals of qualifying for the playoffs this year and becoming a consistent winner in this league,” team founder and majority owner Anthony Precourt said.
Borrell was a top assistant to Pep Guardiola at Premier League powerhouse Manchester City when he was hired by Austin in 2023 and tasked with using his international expertise to oversee player personnel and roster management.
Borrell often noted the struggles of signing players under the salary rules of the U.S. league compared with the big spending of European clubs. Austin's two-highest players this season are wingers Facundo Torres ($3.4 million guaranteed) and Myrto Uzuni ($1.6 million guaranteed), according to salary figures released by the league's players association.
Torres has one goal in 14 matches. Uzuni leads the club with five.
“Ultimately, we believe this decision is in the best interest of Austin FC,” Precourt said. "We know that our fans and our community deserve a winner, and our Ownership group will continue to make the necessary decisions in order to deliver consistently strong results across competitions.”
The club said assistant coach Davy Arnaud will be the interim head coach for Saturday's match at St. Louis. It did not indicate if he will coach the team beyond that.
AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer
FILE - Manchester City assistant coach Rodolfo Borrell stands on the touchline during the English FA Cup third round soccer match between Swindon Town and Manchester City at the County Ground stadium in Swindon, Wiltshire, England, Jan. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
FILE - FC Dallas head coach Nico Estévez looks on from the sideline during the first half of Game 3 of a first round playoff MLS soccer match against the Seattle Sounders, Nov. 10, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
ROME (AP) — A car-ramming and stabbing attack in Italy's northern city of Modena by a citizen of Moroccan descent highlights the challenges around integration even for those in the second generation, the interior minister said Monday.
Eight people were wounded, four critically, when the 31-year-old man drove into pedestrians Saturday before crashing into a shop window.
Despite ruling out terrorism, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said it cannot be dismissed as an isolated incident. He said investigators must fully examine the factors behind the attack, suggesting social marginalization and perceived discrimination might have played a role.
Some Italian politicians seized on the attack to voice xenophobic rhetoric, and renewed focus on so-called second-generation Italians — people born or raised in Italy to foreign parents — who are often at the center of debates over identity, citizenship and integration.
“At this stage, there are no elements that correspond to the classic profile of a terrorist who plans violent actions,” Piantedosi told the daily Il Giornale, noting the man's mental health concerns and social distress. “But all this cannot lead us to dismiss the attack as the act of an isolated madman.”
Italian authorities said the suspect, identified as Salim El Koudri, attempted to flee and slightly wounded a bystander with a knife before being overpowered by passersby and detained by police. Prosecutors arrested him on charges including massacre and aggravated injury. A court hearing on whether to validate his detention was postponed to Tuesday.
El Koudri's lawyer said he will request a psychiatric evaluation, describing his client as “not lucid” and unable to explain what happened.
Fausto Gianelli, who met El Koudri in the Modena jail, said the man appears to be in a state of “absolute confusion” and lacks awareness of the events, which he seems to relive “as if for the first time” when they described them to him, the lawyer told Italian TV.
A woman remains in life-threatening condition while other victims also sustained severe injuries, officials said.
The suspect, born in Italy and university-educated, had been diagnosed with a personality disorder and had shown frustration over his work and social condition, local authorities said. They said he underwent treatment in 2022 for what officials described as a schizoid disorder before dropping out of care.
Still, the case has fueled political debate in Italy, where controlling and limiting migration is a key priority in Premier Giorgia Meloni ’s conservative agenda.
Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini, leader of the anti-migrant League party, referred to the suspect as a “second-generation criminal” in a social post, renewing calls for stricter migration measures.
Salvini said he has instructed a group of jurists to refine security proposals recently presented by League, including the revocation of residence permits for foreigners who commit crimes, with immediate expulsion. He didn't provide data backing his proposal.
Opposition politicians criticized the government for seeking to use the case to toughen immigration rules.
“Even before the responsibilities and circumstances surrounding the incident had emerged, the deputy premier (Salvini) transformed a dramatic episode into an anti-immigrant rally,” said Carlo Calenda, leader of opposition party Azione.
Piantedosi sought to draw a distinction between the Modena attack and the government’s migration policies, stressing the suspect’s Italian citizenship while noting that doesn't guarantee successful integration.
He highlighted an email El Koudri sent to his university containing insulting language against Christians before later apologizing, suggesting possible resentment linked to perceived discrimination.
Piantedosi said investigators are still working to establish the full motive for the attack. He said the incident raises “profound questions” about integration, identity and marginalization, particularly among some second-generation immigrants.
Under Italy’s citizenship system, many are not automatically recognized as Italian at birth and may have to apply later in life. They may also face pressures linked to integration, including challenges in education, employment and social inclusion.
Modena Mayor Massimo Mezzetti called generalizations about foreigners “nonsense,” noting that two Egyptian migrants were among those who helped stop the attacker.
Thousands of residents gathered in Modena’s central Piazza Grande over the weekend in a show of solidarity with the victims.
Financial Police patrol a scene after a car incident in a street of Modena, Italy, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Lapresse via AP)
Blood is seen next to a destroyed car on a street of Modena, Italy, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Lapresse via AP)
