On August 6, 2025, the North Carolina Courage fired their Head Coach Sean Nahas. This came nearing the conclusion of the 2025 NWSL season, which ends in November. Nahas served as an assistant in 2017, took over as interim coach in fall 2021, and became the Courage’s full-time head coach in December of 2021. Former assistant coach Nathan Thackeray has since taken over as interim coach. Nahas’ abrupt firing came as a shock to many.
In a press conference the day after Nahas’ termination was announced, the reason given by the NC Courage chief soccer officer Ceri Bowley exactly 10 times was “a multitude of factors”.
When reporters pressed for further elaboration after a 2-1 loss for the team to the Houston Dash, a spokesperson stated, “The termination stemmed from a combination of compounding performance issues, culture issues, and a perceived lack of fit that created an environment that club leadership felt was untenable to the point that change was necessary at the head coaching position.”
Nahas took over the Courage at a critical moment, following the firing of the previous coach amid sexual misconduct allegations from players. In his over three-year tenure as head coach, Nahas led the Courage to two consecutive NWSL Challenge Cup Championships in 2022 and 2023. While Nahas was an assistant coach, the team won three consecutive Shield Awards in 2017, 2018, and 2019, as well as the NWSL Championship in 2018 and 2019.
Nahas has a distinct playing style, which relies very heavily on possession and its effectiveness has been questioned by fans and experts alike. The Courage led in possession in nearly every game of the 2024 season, even within their losses. In the 2025 season in particular, the lack of focus on offensive strategies may be to blame for their results.
The Courage have stood on the verge of the playoff line the entirety of the NWSL season, but have not won in 7 matches and after 19 games played are currently sitting at 11 out of 14 teams. The team’s lackluster performance may be the main cause for Nahas’ firing, but many fans have questioned if it is truly enough to warrant releasing the head coach.
Since Sean Nahas’ firing, there has been no update on potential future coaches to lead the Courage, and Nathan Thackeray remains interim head coach.
