Why is Pauline MacDonald out at Dallas Trinity?

Dallas Trinity FC is officially looking for their second head coach in club history.

On Wednesday, Trinity announced via social media that head coach Pauline Macdonald and her assistant Gavin Beith would be leaving the USL-Super League club.

How did Dallas perform under Macdonald?

Macdonald led Dallas to third in the table of the inaugural USL-SL season. That spot clinched a playoff semifinal berth away to Tampa Bay Sun. Trinity would go on to fall 2-1 to the Sun, which will now go down as Macdonald's final game in charge.

“This season has been challenging in a positive way, because the league is so competitive. We’re always being tested. We didn’t know what we were coming into with it being the first year and now we have a much clearer picture. I’m super proud of the group and what we’ve achieved. We’ll learn so much from this experience," Macdonald said after exiting the playoffs in Florida.

Tampa Bay went on to lift the USL-SL Championship after beating Ft. Lauderdale United 1-0 in the final.

The Scot missed the beginning of the 2024-25 USL season due to visa issues, eventually arriving at the end of September with Trinity already third in the USL-SL table with a record of W1-D2-L0.

After losing their first match under Macdonald, 2-0 to Brooklyn FC, Dallas then went on a seven-match unbeaten run, which included four wins, and Macdonald was named coach of the month for November 2024.

Having been in contention for the top spot in the table in April, Trinity struggled towards the end of the season, and lost three consecutive games in May before defeating Carolina Ascent 2-1 on the final day to clinch a playoff spot.

Macdonald leaves Dallas with a W11-D5-L10 (42% win) record. Trinity's best memory under Macdonald will be when she beat Brooklyn at home 6-0 in March.

Was this always the plan?

Macdonald felt like a multi-year hire for Dallas. Trinity made a wide net to pursue coaches from across the world, and Macdonald had to take risks on her side to make it work.

Macdonald left her partner and family back home in Edinburgh, as well as a position she had held with the Scottish Football Association for a long time to become the head coach of Trinity.

In her mind, it felt like the last chance to be a head coach at a major level.

"I probably thought that the moment had passed, if I'm being honest with you," Macdonald told Squad Depth in May. "You know what? Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and just throw yourself into it. And so that's kind of what I'm doing."

This wasn't a small decision to commit to Trinity. One of Macdonald's non-negotiables was bringing assistant Beith with her from Scotland.

What drew Macdonald to the opportunity was the investment from Trinity's owners, the Neil family, the uniqueness of being at a club and league from the very beginning, plus the huge influx of young talent in North Texas and the United States.

"I made the big decision in part because the startup is so unique. So it's so I felt so privileged, you know, to be part of something that you could look to work with a group of people to shape from the beginning, what is that? Just doesn't happen. It really doesn't happen. So that part was really exciting," Macdonald said.

"The ownership's desire to invest in something that was probably so overdue. For me, it's about the visibility for the local kids. It's about showing they can achieve their dream within their own geographic it's about the opportunity."

There's no doubt that Dallas is one of the most well-resourced and serious teams in the USL-SL. But Macdonald had the challenge of managing plenty of roster turnover during her one season.

From loan players like Sam Meza only playing for a few months, to star signing Lexi Missimo getting injured, and the likes of Sealey Strawn having to go on national team duty.

What comes next?

The surprise exit of Macdonald, someone the club had identified to be their head coach in March 2024, leaves a curious vacancy.

At this moment in time, one can only assume Dallas decided to part ways with Macdonald due to the club's ambition to win the USL-SL. Winning a championship was something that general manager Chris Petrucelli had stated plainly on the Full Time podcast in April.

Third place and a spot in the semifinals is not the level that Trinity desires considering what they believe they have with their squad and investment.

One imagines, that over the past few weeks, the Dallas front office have been exploring their options and must be convinced they can attract a coach who can take Trinity to new heights.

Due to visa issues, Dallas started their inaugural season without a head coach on the ground. With the next USL-SL season set to start in August, Trinity are on the clock to bring in Macdonald's successor within the next six or seven weeks or risk once again needing to bed someone in late.

"I wasn't here in July, so trying to implement a game model, whilst your missing every week is really, really challenging. We focused more on it in January," said Macdonald.

Time will tell if Dallas' shock move to relieve Macdonald of her duties is reasonable, or if Macdonald was in fact maximizing the hand she was dealt.