CARY, N.C. (Dec. 18, 2023) — The North Carolina Courage and head coach Sean Nahas have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension, keeping the coach on the Courage sidelines through the 2026 season, the club announced Monday.
Since taking over as head coach in October of 2021, Nahas has a 29W-21L-17D record in all competitions while guiding the Courage to back-to-back NWSL Challenge Cup titles in 2022 and 2023. He holds the most wins by a head coach in cup history with 10.
Nahas also led the team to a third-place regular season finish in 2023, earning the club’s first home playoff fixture since 2019.
“We couldn’t be happier to reach an agreement to extend Sean’s contract. He’s a true student of the game who has honed his craft as a youth and pro coach in our club for over 15 years. He coaches teams that play the game in a way that’s fun for fans to watch, challenging and enjoyable for our players, and gets results. In his short time as our head coach, he has guided the Courage to two trophies while leading the most competitive league in the world in many possession and passing metrics. His tactical philosophy and ability to translate it into a successful game plan is a winning formula,” said Chief Soccer Officer Curt Johnson.
“I'm here for three more years. That's three more years to continue to build on the fantastic foundation we created this past season with this wonderful group of players and staff. I am grateful to have the opportunity to lead this club in the coming years and make it a destination for players who want to grow both on and off the field while helping to keep the joy on the faces of our fans that we saw over the last 12 months.
This is only possible because of my incredible staff, and I am thankful for all their support. They and the players make me better and I am happy I get to keep learning and growing here in North Carolina. There is work to be done from top to bottom and I will do my part in making this club the best it can be. Courage country, I'm staying home,” Nahas said.
The Courage won the preseason Challenge Cup tournament in 2022, then narrowly missed the playoffs in Nahas’ first full season at the helm, contending for a spot until the last day of the season. The Courage would rebound in 2023 to claim the three-seed and stay in competition for the NWSL Shield through the penultimate week of the regular season.
Under Nahas, the Courage have established a possession-based style that is unique in a league traditionally known for transitional attacking and direct play. During Nahas’ tenure as head coach, the team holds 57.3% possession and an 81% passing accuracy in league play with 18 clean sheets.
The Courage averaged 60.06% possession and completed 9,483 passes at an 82.51% clip throughout the 2023 regular season, all three of which are highest for any NWSL team in a single season since Opta began tracking stats for the league in 2016.
Nahas first joined the Courage staff as an assistant in 2017, was named as the interim head coach in September 2021, and promoted to the position full-time that off-season. As an assistant, Nahas helped the Courage win two NWSL Championships, three NWSL Shields and an ICC Championship.
Nahas also has experience on the international level as an assistant coach with the U20 USWNT and U14 Youth National Team, mentoring and teaching several members of the current senior USWNT.
He held several leadership positions with CASL (now NCFC Youth), including Director of Girls Classic Soccer, ECNL Director, and Director of CASL Player Development. As ECNL Director, he helped CASL reach its highest ranking in USYS of No. 7 nationally in 2010-2011.
Nahas holds his USSF ‘A’ license and is currently working towards his ‘PRO’ license, which is the highest accreditation possible in the United States.
Nahas will begin his third full season on the Courage sideline when the 2024 campaign kicks off next March.
