FC Dallas parts ways with head coach Nico Estevez

Peter Luccin assumes the role of interim manager.

Photo via Mike Brooks

FC Dallas has announced Nico Estévez's departure as head coach. Assistant coach Peter Luccin will manage the club in the interim, and the search for a new head coach will begin immediately.

“It is always a difficult decision to part ways with your head coach. A great deal of thought and deliberation went into this move, as it is still early in the season. We believe a coaching change is in the best interest of the club,” said FC Dallas President Dan Hunt in the club’s issued press release. “I want to thank Nico for everything he has done for the club, including some great playoff memories.”

FC Dallas hired Estévez on December 2, 2021. He led Dallas to two consecutive playoff appearances in 2022 and 2023 and the inaugural Leagues Cup knockout stage last season. He had a 28-27-29 MLS regular season record as head coach, including a 3-8-5 record in 2024. Estévez joined Dallas from U.S. Soccer, where he served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team under Gregg Berhalter.

Details regarding Luccin’s interim coaching staff will be announced later.

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BDS Take

Well, who had June 9 as the date this would happen? All jokes aside, I did not have today pegged as the day we would see this move happen.

The new era under Estevez was good at first but only fizzled out into the third season, and now the club is back where it was before they hired Estevez, coachless.

The writing has been on the wall for a while this season, though, as the club only has three wins to date as we near the halfway point. The Hunts had to see Saturday’s draw in Minnesota as the last straw. The Loons were without several key players who were out on international duty, and while Estevez fielded one of his strongest lineups to date this season, the team still struggled to create chances.

Estevez’s time with the club will mostly be marked by injuries to key players like Alan Velasco, Jesus Ferreira, Paul Arriola, and Paxton Pomykal. For all the talent that was added during his tenure, the win total was average at best, especially after 2022.

So why now?

You’d think the US Open Cup run would have helped keep Estevez on staff a bit longer. My gut told me the Hunts would have made a move after a potential loss in that tournament next month (along with the current trend in the regular season).

In a way, this is a step up from the 2021 situation with Luchi Gonzalez. Unlike Gonzalez, Estevez never seemed to lose his locker room, and the players still appeared to be playing for him. The difference is the results on the field haven’t been adding up lately.

I think announcing this in June as opposed to September is better. It allows more time for a viable coaching search, someone who could actually get results with this group and possibly shifting things back into a formation that makes more sense given the current roster's composition.

Final thoughts

Honestly, I have a lot of thoughts on this move, but I’ll try to keep this brief for now.

I look forward to seeing what Peter Luccin can do with this club and how long he’ll be given the keys to run the team. Luccin has been with the organization for a long while, so if he does do well, don’t be shocked if the Hunts end up going all in on the Frenchman.

On a personal note, I always enjoyed talking to Estevez. Out of all the managers I’ve covered with FC Dallas, he was possibly one of the nicest to me (not to say that Gonzalez, Oscar Pareja, Schellas Hyndman and others weren’t nice). I thought that this season, he was comfortable with the local media and opened up more about his coaching philosophy to us in different ways.