Austin FC announced today the appointment of Rodolfo Borrell as the Club’s Sporting Director. Borrell, who has over 28 years of experience as a coach and executive for some of the most prestigious soccer clubs in the world, will oversee all aspects of Austin FC’s sporting department including the First Team, Austin FC II, and Austin FC Academy. Borrell will report directly to Anthony Precourt, Austin FC’s Founder, CEO, and Majority Owner. Terms of Borrell’s multi-year contract with Austin FC were not released.
“I’m very excited to join Austin FC,” said Borrell. “It’s an ambitious club in a vibrant city with fantastic fan support and great ownership. I look forward to working closely with the coaches, staff, and players to help this organization win trophies and establish itself as a consistently elite team in Major League Soccer.”
A native of Barcelona, Spain, Borrell (pronounced “bor-rell”), was formerly a youth coach in FC Barcelona’s famed La Masia Academy from 1995 to 2009. While at FC Barcelona, Borrell played a key role in the development of future global superstars such as Lionel Messi, Gerard Piqué, and Cesc Fàbregas.
Borrell joined Liverpool FC in 2009, serving as Academy Technical Director and Second Team Head Coach while with the English Premier League club. During his tenure with Liverpool’s Academy, Borrell oversaw the developmental platform that ultimately produced Premier League mainstays Raheem Sterling, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Conor Coady.
In 2014, Borrell joined Manchester City FC as Global Technical Director before being named City’s first team assistant coach under manager Pep Guardiola in 2016, one of the most decorated coaches of all-time at the elite levels of world soccer. Borrell has since played a role in Manchester City’s unprecedented recent period of success.
During Borrell’s time as a member of Guardiola’s coaching staff, Manchester City won 14 major honors in seven (7) seasons: five (5) English Premier League titles, a UEFA Champions League title, two (2) FA Cup titles, four (4) EFL Cup titles, and two (2) FA Community Shield titles. Borrell stepped into the role of Assistant Manager ahead of the 2022-2023 campaign, a season in which Manchester City became only the second English team in history to lift the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup trophies in the same year.
“All of us at Austin FC wish Rodolfo and his family a warm welcome to our city and to our Club,” said Austin FC Founder, CEO, and Majority Owner Anthony Precourt. “He brings an incredibly impressive track record, a wealth of experience, and passion for the beautiful game, and we fully believe he is the right person to move our ambitions forward and develop the best players, coaches, and staff for the first team, second team, and academy.”
Borrell, 52, will assume duties as Austin FC Sporting Director on July 1, 2023. In his new role with Austin FC, Borrell will also be designated as the Club’s Chief Soccer Officer. Borrell will oversee the entire sporting department which currently features 45 full-time employees, and will be stationed at St. David’s Performance Center, the Club’s training facility in north Austin. Borrell and Austin FC President Andy Loughnane will be responsible for jointly leading Austin FC’s overall operations, with Borrell managing Soccer Operations and Loughnane managing Business Operations.
Sean Rubio, who has served as the Club’s Interim Sporting Director since January 2023, has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Player Personnel, a role in which he will oversee roster management and compliance for all Austin FC teams. Rubio originally joined Austin FC’s sporting department in 2020, and has since played a critical role in shaping the rosters for the Austin FC first team, second team, and academy teams. Rubio will work closely with the Sporting Director to help manage player personnel decisions across all levels.
Pending completion of Borrell’s visa and his eventual arrival in the United States, a formal introductory press conference will be held at Q2 Stadium on a to-be-determined date in the near future.
