Amy Rodriguez firing was based on performance

SANDY, Utah (ABC4 Sports) – On Sunday, Amy Rodriguez was fired during her first season as head coach of the Utah Royals.

On Tuesday, we found out why.

Rodriguez and the Royals were off to a dismal 2-11-2 start, and with 11 games to go, management felt like this was the time for a change.

“It’s a performance based decision,” said Sporting Director Kelly Cousins. “I think this that we all know what sport can be like sometimes. The reason for now, is a belief that we’ve got a good six months to turn things around ready for next season. I think it gives the team time to really address where we need to be better.”

Rodriguez was the face of the franchise, which made it an even tougher decision. Rodriguez is the team’s all-time leading goal scorer with 15. In her first year as head coach at any level, management felt the team was not headed in the right direction.

“It was obviously something that wasn’t a quick decision,” Cousins said. “We knew this wasn’t going to be a light decision and we wanted to treat it as delicately as we could because of who Amy was and how she’s respected in this community.”

Assistant coach Jimmy Coenraets takes over as the interim coach for the final 11 games of the regular season. The search for a permanent head coach is already underway, but may take some time.

“We need to make sure that the search is right,” Cousins said. “We don’t want to make a mistake on this. We want to make sure that the next people that we’re bringing in, whether it’s head coach, goalkeeper, coach and a president, we need to make sure they’re the right people. So it’s a case of taking our time with that process.”

The Royals next play at Seattle on Sunday before taking six weeks off for the Olympics.

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