D.C. United have held discussions with Manchester City first-team assistant coach Rodolfo Borrell about becoming the club’s next head coach, according to a report from Pablo Maurer of The Athletic.
Borrell, 49, works under Pep Guardiola and has helped develop some of the world’s top talents during academy stints at FC Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester City. Maurer’s sources described the talks as “serious” and that Borrell wants to take on the challenge of rebuilding the MLS original.
Should Borrell get the D.C. United position, it’d mark the second time that a Guardiola assistant coach departed for MLS. Dome Torrent took over New York City FC after Patrick Vieira departed midway through 2018, with Torrent leaving his post after the 2019 season.
D.C. United, four-time MLS Cup champions, parted ways with longtime head coach Ben Olsen in early October and appointed Chad Ashton on an interim basis. They nearly snuck into the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs, but missed out on postseason soccer for the second time in four years.
Olsen was D.C. United’s head coach since 2010, so his departure marked the end of an era. Since, the club has been linked with everyone from former US women's national team head coach Jill Ellis to former New York Red Bulls manager Chris Armas.
