The Khaled El-Ahmad era officially came to an end this week at Minnesota United. In a press release dated Tuesday August 25, the club announced that it had "parted ways" with El-Ahmad and "wishes him the best with his next chapter with Austin FC."
El-Ahmad was one of the first major hires of the post-Adrian Heath era – when MNUFC lured him from Barnsley FC in England in November of 2023. He seemed in many ways like a logical fit for Minnesota at the time. El-Ahmad grew up in Sweden but had already logged time in the midwest while playing collegiately for University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, and his diamond-in-the-rough scouting ethos paired well with the club's cautious spending habits. In an interview with local media during his first year, he talked about riding his bike to the local farmer's market and waxed philosophical about how building a soccer club is similar to growing a garden in it takes both time and patience.
What prompted El-Ahmad to jump ship for Austin FC in mid season will of course remain a mystery. In many ways, Austin and Minnesota seem like similar jobs: both are generally considered good places to raise a family and the clubs boast vibrant stadiums with enthusiastic and loyal fanbases. One difference that has developed over the past two years is that Austin has shown an increasing willingness to sign players that command higher transfer fees. In addition, El-Ahmad will get the opportunity to work with head coach Pat Curtin, who will officially take over as Austin FC's coach next season. Curtin developed a reputation for building a consistently competitive team in his years with the Philadelphia Union, and has been one of the first names on the list for any MLS team looking for a new head coach. David Gass, who discussed El-Ahmad's departure on this week's Soccerwise podcast along with Matt Doyle and Tom Bogert, said that the move tells us something about the current "pecking order" in the MLS.
Hank Stebbins, MNUFC's current Head of Recruitment, Roster Strategy and Notification, will take over for El-Ahmad on an interim basis. According to the club, Stebbins is already MNUFC's lead negotiator and liaison with player agents. In an introductory press conference, Stebbins assured the local media that the timing of El-Ahmad's departure – less than two weeks remain in the Summer Transfer Window – would not affect the team. He stressed that a plan is in place, and that the club will, "continue to look to execute on that plan. Not only short term, how do we come out of next week, but it's long term. How are we looking at next year? How are we looking at the new CBA? How do we structure it so that we're in a good place to transition to the future?"
Incoming CEO Christina Huntington called the timing of El-Ahmad's move "unique," but echoed Stebbins' comments: "We're executing on that plan as we would with any window."
Looking back over El-Ahmad's tenure at Minnesota, it is difficult to say the extent to which he will be difficult to replace. He deserves credit for a range of successful signings over the past few years. After a relatively short adjustment period, Designated Player Joaquin Pereyra grew into his role as the cornerstone of the Loons offense. Owen Gene may not have looked like a promising signing when he first joined the club from Ligue 2 in France last year at the age of 22, but he has developed into a lockdown starter and an increasingly important cog in the Loons passing machine this season. There have also been some important misses that will tarnish El-Ahmad's legacy. Dominik Fitz was brought in from Austria last summer as a key acquisition to the tune of a reported $2.3 million transfer fee – a pretty big outlay for Minnesota – only to languish on this side of the Atlantic with various injuries and trouble adjusting to the league. Fitz has logged only seven MLS minutes in 2026.
Doyle speculated that Austin might look favorably on El-Ahmad's capacity to make successful signings in the one to two million dollar range, but also acknowledged that Minnesota's inactivity in the past two windows could reflect poorly on his tenure in Minnesota.
Head Coach Cameron Knowles was typically upbeat and pragmatic in his assessment of how El-Ahmad's departure will affect the club. "We just keep moving on. When something happens, it happens. We keep moving on. We do the work on the grass. We get ready for next game."
Prior to publication it came to light via reporting from Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press that Dominik Fitz is being loaned to Austrian side Wolfsberger AC on a one year loan. Fitz has taken a few injuries during his time in Minnesota, resulting in him only seeing the pitch for 159 minutes. In that span he has failed to see the back of the goal via scoring or an assist.
