Sean McAuley leaves Minnesota United to ‘pursue other opportunities’

Minnesota United have confirmed that interim head coach Sean McAuley has left his post to take up another coaching job elsewhere.

McAuley was originally named interim boss of the Loons after the Western Conference side parted ways with Adrian Heath, who was the club’s first-ever head coach and was in charge from November 2016 – October 2023.

“MNUFC wishes Sean all the best in the future, and would like to thank him for his contributions to the club on the pitch and in the community over the past five years,” a club statement read.

Minnesota made the strange decision to part ways with Heath despite still being in the mix for a playoff spot with two games remaining in the regular season. Heath was dismissed despite guiding the team to four consecutive postseason appearances from 2019 – 2022 after failing to qualify in the club’s first two campaigns in MLS.

McAuley’s extremely short time in charge saw him claim a 5-2 triumph over LA Galaxy that kept them very much alive for a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, but a 3-1 defeat to Sporting Kansas City on Decision Day kept them out of the postseason for the first time since 2019.

Minnesota have appointed former second team coach Cameron Knowles as the new interim head coach following McAuley’s exit. Knowles also had a nine-year affiliation with Portland Timbers, serving in an assistant role as well as head coach of their second team.

The Loons kick-off their 2024 MLS campaign on February 24 vs Austin FC, now with another interim head coach to lead the likes of Teemu Pukki and Emanuel Reynoso in hopes of returning to MLS Cup playoffs in October.