JUST NOW: Minnesota coach Announce his departure….

Seven weeks before Minnesota United’s Major League Soccer debut, Sean McAuley announced his resignation as

interim head coach on Friday.

The team announced that McAuley left to pursue other possibilities. After two years as the head coach of Minnesota’s

reserve squad in the third division of MLS Next Pro, Cameron Knowles was named interim coach.

In December of last year, Minnesota declared that McAuley would stay on as the team’s temporary head coach

through the 2024 campaign. But the team said in a statement announcing McAuley’s exit that it “is underway” to

find a permanent head coach.

After Adrian Heath was fired on October 6, McAuley took over as interim coach. Under his direction, the Loons

defeated the LA Galaxy 5-2 and fell short against Sporting Kansas City 3-1. Minnesota had 10 victories, 11 defeats,

and 13 draws at the end of the league. For the first time since 2018, the Loons missed the playoffs, finishing 11th in

the Western Conference.

Since the Minnesota Vikings began play in 2017, Heath has served as head coach. The team’s first game is on

February 24 versus Austin FC.

New Zealander Knowles spent nine seasons with the Portland Timbers, six as an assistant and three as a second-

team coach. In 2021, Knowles worked as the team’s video analyst in Minnesota.