Minnesota United part ways with head coach Adrian Heath

Minnesota United have parted ways with head coach Adrian Heath, after a poor 2023 MLS campaign that sees the Loons sit in 12th place in the Western Conference with two games remaining in the regular season.

The 62-year-old joined Minnesota in their inaugural season back in 2017, but after a negative string of results over the summer, the Loons are on the outside looking in for the postseason. The club announced that assistant coach Sean McAuley will will take over as interim head coach for the rest of the campaign.

Heath compiled a 81-91-51 record while in the dugout for Minnesota, and the change with just two games left in the campaign seems a bit harsh after leading the club to the postseason in four consecutive seasons from 2019-2022.

The Loons picked up two wins out of four following their Leagues Cup exit to Liga MX side Toluca, but since then things haven't improved. Since September 2, Minnesota have failed to win any of their seven games played, registering three draws and suffering defeat four times, including the recent 5-1 collapse at LAFC that appears to have sealed Heath's firing.

Minnesota aren't mathematically eliminated from the postseason, but they'll have to win their final two games of the regular season (at home against LA Galaxy and away at Sporting Kansas City) as they sit just three points outside off ninth place in the Western Conference table with 38 points behind FC Dallas.

Emanuel Reynoso, Teemu Pukki and Bongokuhle Hlongwane have all played their part in keeping Minnesota alive during the campaign with 24 goal involvements between the trio.

However, a dismal middle of the season saw Minnesota fall behind in the Western Conference despite their solid start to the season without Reynoso in the side and Pukki joining in the middle of the summer. Should the Loons win against Sporting KC, who they've level on points with and the Galaxy, who are three points behind them, there's a good chance they could sneak in to the 2023 MLS Cup playoffs.

Minnesota will also need teams around them, like FC Dallas, Austin FC and San Jose Earthquakes to drop points to help their cause.

"We are grateful to Adrian for his dedication to our club and for all that we have accomplished over the last seven seasons," Minnesota chief executive officer Shari Ballard said in a release. "This was a difficult decision, but we believe that the time is right to move in a new direction.

"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."

While the England native didn't deliver silverware for the Minnesota United supporters, he got them to the 2019 US Open Cup final as they fell in a narrow defeat to Frank de Boer's Atlanta United, 2-1.

In addition to Heath departing the club, technical director Mark Watson has also been relieved of his duties. For the first time since their first-ever season in MLS, Minnesota will be on the hunt for a new technical director and head coach.

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