When Utah Royals FC fired coach Amy Rodriguez this week, the team's officials had their eyes on the future.

Rodriguez led the team to a 2-11-2 record and was fired after the Royals played 0-0 with Portland last Saturday. In a leadership change for the struggling expansion franchise, team president Michelle Hyncik was also fired from her post.

In the days that followed, questions arose about the team's future and direction under Kelly Cousins, Utah Royals FC's sporting director, and John Kimball, Real Salt Lake's president, who will oversee the Royals for the time being as they navigate the next six months of their upcoming rebuild.

“This obviously wasn't a quick decision,” Cousins ​​said of firing Rodriguez. “I think that's important to know. … I think we have a good six months to get things under control and get ready for next season. I think that gives the team time to really dig into where we need to be better on and off the court.”

“Everyone involved in the decision felt that now is the right time to do it. So we can use the six months to continue to build and make sure we are ready for next season.”

Cousins ​​said the decision to fire Rodriguez and goaltending coach Maryse Bard-Martel was solely due to the team's lackluster performance this season and it was better to make the decision now rather than later. She also said the firing, while it may have seemed impulsive to skeptics, was not rushed.

“We knew this would not be an easy decision and we wanted to handle it as delicately as possible because Amy is Amy and is so respected in this community,” Cousins ​​said. “To the fans, I know this is a devastating and sad moment for everyone, including us as an organization, but sometimes life takes a different path.”

Rodriguez was instrumental in finding personnel and players for their system, according to Cousins. Although their vision ultimately failed, the Royals hope to build on the potential of their current roster in the future.

Cousins ​​also suggested that the team's problems on offense were due to a lack of confidence.

“I firmly believe we have a talented group,” Cousins ​​said. “We just haven't seen them at their best right now. I think part of that has to do with confidence. I don't think we've played with that confidence, especially in the last few weeks. I think we saw glimpses of that on Saturday.”

The next task for Kimball and Cousins ​​is finding a talented and experienced head coach to replace Rodriguez. Cousins ​​is specifically looking for a leader who knows what the players want and need on a daily basis.

“I think we're going to take the time we need to make sure the search is right,” Cousins ​​said. “We don't want to make a mistake here. We want to make sure the next people we hire, whether it's head coach, goalie coach or president, are the right people.”

“Whether that's in a month or six months, I think (the goal) right now is to establish the team.”

While the Royals, currently in last place, look to fill the head coach position, Cousins' next step is to climb up the table in their league.

With this guidance, the team management hopes that the players can adapt accordingly and possibly rewrite the script after losing 11 of their last 15 games.

“I think we're in a good position,” Cousins ​​said, “we can continue to be aggressive, and we have been.”