New Mexico United's head coach and technical director, Zach Prince, left his position on June 3 to pursue a different position. The news broke, following a 1-0 loss to rival El Paso Locomotive FC.
A statement from team owner, Peter Trevisani, was released Saturday night that thanked Prince for his time with the team.
"Zach came here in 2018 and helped build our club from scratch … Zach is a living example of the mantra, 'hard work and action pay off.' He led our team to the postseason and has created a foundation upon which we will build,” Trevisani said. “We will miss Zach, his wife Alex, and their two children, and we are excited for their future."
Prince has been with the team since their first season in 2019. His initial role was first assistant coach before he eventually became head coach in 2021.
As a head coach he posted a regular season record of 17-14-14. Prince managed the team for their best season as a club in 2022, setting new records and expectations for the team. Ultimately last season ended in a first round exit. Prince also led the team to the round of 32 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup this year.
The team is looking for a new long-term head coach to lead the program, but first assistant coach, Masaki Hemmi, will take over active head coaching duties as the hiring process begins, as was just announced.
After the match, Prince announced he was stepping down but is proud of the culture he helped build with the club.
"There's more steps to take and more room to grow, and whoever ends up taking over – they have a very special group … And that was definitely the hardest decision, 100%. It's those guys in there. That staff in there. I see the work that they put in everyday and, man, that made this decision incredibly, incredibly hard," said Prince.
Prince was also thankful for his time in Albuquerque and is looking forward to new opportunities.
“I'm so thankful for my time here. I'm thankful for you giving me this opportunity to be the head coach and thankful for you (Peter Trevisani) respecting me wanting to pursue what I'm eventually going to be doing. And thank all of you for how great you've been to me; all the fans have been so great to me," said Prince.
United has had a slow start to the season with a record of 4-2-5 and is currently sitting just outside of the playoffs in the standings.
The next coach's biggest job will be implementing a more aggressive offense. The team has a talented roster and their 16 goals this season puts them in the middle of the pack in scoring, but those 16 goals become increasingly impressive as they have come on just 104 shots, which is lowest in the league.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
United has proven they are capable of running an effective offense, but simply finding more quality shots is key to victory.
While Prince is pursuing another opportunity, the team is looking to be more competitive and has higher expectations. United is looking to enter a new phase as a franchise – trying to cultivate a consistent winning culture good enough to contend with the teams at the top of the league.
Thomas Bulger is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thomasbulger10
Thomas Bulger is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thomasbulger10
