Earlier this month, I had the privilege to spend a week with the high-performance staff at Austin FC and explore the operations of their MLS Next Pro team, led by my good friend Brett Utley. From the outside, there has been a great picture painted of this expansion team – their beautiful training facility, rocking stadium, experienced coaching staff, and exceptional high-performance department led by none other than Mr. Dave Tenney. I wanted to get an idea of how their state-of-the-art setting matched with their inner operations. My thoughts once I left: “What an incredible club! From top to bottom, an impressive operation.”
I started by observing the second team, and what stood out the most was the ease and simplicity of their daily workflow; that, to me, is a sign of a highly functioning staff that can nail down all the details of training and operational logistics with minimal stress and chaos – all of that while managing the needs of the first team and adapting to last minutes changes or requests. There is so much power in proper preparation, composure, and adaptability when operating in the fast-paced, high-pressure, and complex system of professional sports, and this crew gets it right. Unsurprisingly, they went on to become MLS Next Pro Champions two weeks later, beating Columbus Crew in the final. I must give a special nod to Brett, as his managerial style and playing philosophy were clear to observe within a week while watching the team play. He is a passionate and gifted young coach with a bright future. Thank you, Brett!
Read more on PierreSoubrierHPF.com and check out some photos here!
