MNUFC interim coach leaves, club picks replacement

A month after Minnesota United announced it would keep its interim coach in place indefinitely, the coach has departed and a new interim has been chosen.

Sean McAuley left “to pursue other opportunities,” the club said in a news release Friday. He’d been with the organization for five years but served as the interim head coach for the final couple games of this past season after Adrian Heath was fired.

Taking his place will be Cameron Knowles, who has been MNUFC2’s head coach. He also led the organization’s MLS NEXT Pro team from 2022-2023 after serving as a video analyst for the Loons the year before. Prior to his time with Minnesota, Knowles was an assistant coach for Portland Timbers and a head coach for the club’s USL Championship team.

The club says the search for a new permanent head coach is underway. MNUFC previously said it was waiting for newly hired Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director Khaled El-Ahmad to arrive this month and lead the search.