Davy Arnaud Has Brought the “Standard” Back to Austin FC

When Austin FC traded midfielder Dani Pereira to Montreal last month, the list of inaugural ATXFC roster members still with the club shrank to just three: goalkeeper Brad Stuver and wing backs Žan Kolmanič and Jon Gallagher. At least, that covers the players. But if we’re to include all the Austin FC OGs, Davy Arnaud’s name belongs at the top of the list.

Arnaud has worn a Verde and Black track suit since August 2020, when he joined Josh Wolff’s staff as an assistant coach eight months before the club’s first-ever match. When Austin FC dismissed Wolff in October 2024, Arnaud remained, first as interim head coach, and then as lead assistant for Nico Estévez. And when Estévez received his marching orders this past May, Arnaud again remained, once again as interim head coach.

It’s rare for assistant coaches to survive the firing of one boss, let alone two. So how has the Nederland, Texas, native managed to remain in Austin for seven years and counting amid ample turnover in leadership? Well, he’s showing exactly why this season.

Under Arnaud’s watch, Austin FC authored a thrilling charge through Phase One of the Leagues Cup, advancing to the quarterfinals with wins over Tijuana and Puebla, followed by a hard-fought draw (and bonus PK shootout win) against Club América. The performances not only brought excitement and significance back to the club’s 2026 season, but represented a meaningful personal achievement for Arnaud. 

“Obviously, I’m so happy,” Arnaud said. “I do this because you get to be a part of a group of guys and a group of coaches and staff that give everything and pour everything into this. And it’s special to be part of… Yeah, we’re enjoying it.”

While Arnaud has kept some pieces of Estévez’s tactical principles in place, he’s injected a few fresh concepts that have elevated various individual players on the squad. Gallagher and Joseph Rosales have been effective in Leagues Cup as inverted wing backs, while DP Myrto Uzuni has found his top form playing underneath – rather than beside – the striker in the ATX attack. Arnaud has also trusted and empowered 18-year-old academy product Ervin Torres, who has been a revelation filling the midfield role vacated by Pereira’s departure.

Perhaps most importantly, though, Arnaud has brought a sense of accountability back to the training ground in the wake of Estévez’s overly lenient leadership style. 

“I knew Davy was going to set a standard about what it means to be an Austin FC player, a good professional, a good teammate,” Gallagher said. “He was pretty strict on that. So guys knew that they couldn’t really put a foot wrong, and kind of had to straighten up. And that’s maybe somewhere where we’ve been lacking over the last few years is, you know, that hard leadership.”

Arnaud’s efforts are perhaps even more commendable considering the fact that he’s not even coaching for the permanent gig. That’s already been earmarked for Jim Curtin, who will take over as ATXFC head coach starting in 2027. In his initial press conference in June, Curtin said of Arnaud, “He’s a coach that I want to be part of this thing moving forward.”

Provided he’s not offered a head coaching gig elsewhere, of course. 

Austin FC got a bit shafted by Leagues Cup’s wonky rules and won’t get to play its quarterfinal match versus Toluca at Q2 Stadium, despite being the higher seed with the better Phase One record. Instead, the match will take place at a neutral venue, Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, on August 26.

In the meantime, ATXFC will continue to try to dig out of the hole it put itself in when it comes to the MLS playoff race. A 2-1 loss to FC Dallas Sunday night (despite an Ervin Torres golazo) did not help things, but it only takes a handful of positive results to make a late charge up the table.

This column went to press in the hours prior to Austin FC’s August 19 regular season match at the Seattle Sounders.

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