North Carolina Courage fire head coach Sean Nahas

August 8 – The North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) have fired their coach, Sean Nahas, with immediate effect, the club announced on Wednesday.

In a terse statement just two sentences long, the club announced his contract had been “terminated”, and that they “remain focused on the continued development of the team and maintaining a professional, competitive environment for players, staff, and supporters.”

Nahas became the interim head coach in 2021 after the previous incumbent, Paul Riley, was fired following allegations of sexual misconduct. He was eventually banned for life by the NWSL.

In the 2022 season, Nahas was named the full-time coach and led the team to a period of wild success, including a pair of NWSL Challenge Cup titles and playoff appearances each of the past two years.

However, this season their form has dropped off a cliff, and the Courage are currently 5-4-5 (W-D-L) with 19 points and sit ninth in the table, below the playoff line on goal difference. With only three points separating them from 6th place, though, the timing seems strange.

“In situations like this, there’s always a multitude of factors that are considered,” Dr. Ceri Bowley, chief soccer officer and sporting director, said on Thursday. “And a multitude of factors were considered in this situation. The standards of this club are extremely high. It was felt that there were reasons to make a change to uphold the standards we expect of the North Carolina Courage.”

The Nahas name has dominated soccer in the region, and his brother, Damon, recently won the NCAA Division 1 title last season with the University of North Carolina women’s soccer program.