When it comes to finding the right general manager for Austin FC, team leaders are casting a wide net.

The position has drawn interest from “leaders from some of the top clubs” in Europe and South America, Austin FC chairman and CEO Anthony Precourt said Tuesday. The search is ongoing, but Precourt is hopeful a hire will be made by the end of the year.

“We are psyched with the overwhelming level of interest,” he said.

Precourt confirmed that persons with MLS experience are being considered, but hiring somebody with more international experience and connections could be appealing. Head coach Josh Wolff, who was named to his position in July, has strong ties throughout the league having played and served as an assistant coach in the U.S. top division for most of the past two decades.

“We need to understand our league, we need to have a global perspective and have global contacts ... And they need to be aligned in terms of experience, personality, vision, philosophy, etc.,” Precourt said.

Austin FC shirked convention by hiring its coach before a GM. Wolff, 42, had been drawing interest from around the league for vacant head coaching positions, and at the time of his hire Precourt said the feeling was that Austin FC could miss out on its top target the longer it waited.

As it turned out, August became one of the busiest months for midseason coaching churn in recent memory. Coaches were hired by the Colorado Rapids (Robin Fraser) and FC Cincinnati (Ron Jans). The Houston Dynamo fired Wilmer Cabrera, who was then hired to replace Rémi Garde after Garde was sacked by the Montreal Impact. Real Salt Lake also is looking for a coach after firing Mike Petke.

That type of timing pressure is not at play in the GM search, at least not now.

“We need to get this right and are willing to take the time to get it right,” Precourt said.

On the mend: Looking back at August, it’s hard to believe Austin Bold came out the other side in the top four of the USL Championship Western Conference. It’s a testament to the team’s depth and how coach Marcelo Serrano is using it.

Key contributors Sonny Guadarrama, Kléber, Xavi Báez and Francis Atuahene all missed multiple games with injuries last month, and suspensions further depleted the squad contributing to a 3-1 loss to LA Galaxy II on Aug. 10. Since then, the Bold have won two of three, with Ema Twumasi emerging as a scoring threat and André Lima continuing his steady form.

Guadarrama and Atuahene are expected back soon, and Jorge Troncoso — who broke his leg in May and was announced out for the season — is back practicing with the team and could play as soon as this weekend. Add in new signing George Acosta, who provided an assist in the 3-0 win over Rio Grande Valley on Sunday, and Austin’s roster will soon be deeper than ever with 27 members.

The Bold has eight regular-season matches left until the playoffs, and team spirit is high after lifting the Copa Tejas.

“What team can win a trophy in the first year?” Serrano said. “It’s not many, because it’s very hard. We’re still building.”

Rocky road: Texas dropped to No. 24 in the latest Division I women’s soccer rankings by TopDrawerSoccer.com after back-to-back losses in the state of Colorado.

The Longhorns lost 2-1 to Colorado on Sunday, following a 3-0 defeat against Denver on Thursday night. The good news for Texas (1-2) is that sophomore Julia Grosso has found the back of the net three times already this season.

The Longhorns play at Stephen F. Austin on Friday night before returning home to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 5 p.m. Sunday at Myers Stadium.

MLS player of the week: This week the award, and my vote, went to Minnesota United forward Mason Toye for his two goals in a 2-0 win over league leaders LAFC. Kacper Przybyłko was my second choice.

Austin’s Soccer Pod: This week we take you to “The Tomb of Soccer History” with Austinite Dave Brett Wasser.