The UNC women’s soccer program announced Friday that current assistant coach Damon Nahas has been elevated to the role of associate head coach.

Nahas has worked with the Tar Heels for each of the last five seasons, after head coach Anson Dorrance brought him on staff due to his player development skills at the youth level of the sport.

For 15 years, Nahas worked as the technical director for the Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) in Raleigh–which has been one of the most successful youth clubs in the country. He also developed a U7-U11 technical academy called Next Level Academy, a program that continues to be a leader in player development within the Triangle.

“For me and my family, there is tremendous gratitude for this opportunity,” Nahas said. “I care greatly about what I do and those I have an opportunity to work with, the players, the coaches, the support staff. This is something that will not change my approach. To me, it’s still the same attitude and energy to give my best to Anson, the program, the alumni, and to the athletic department.”

In addition to his work locally, Nahas had the opportunity to be the head coach of the U.S. U15 National Team from 2011-14 as well as working a short stint as an assistant with the U17 National Team in 2014.

His knowledge of the youth game has greatly helped UNC’s recruiting efforts in recent years, making him a perfect addition for Dorrance’s staff despite having played his collegiate soccer at NC State from 1992-96.

“I have been coaching a long time and some of that time has been spent on sidelines recruiting and seeing where the American youth game is and it certainly continues to get better every year,” Dorrance said. “One of my absolute joys was watching the standard Damon Nahas had set for his North Carolina youth teams when he was winning a Super Y national title and his 2 ECNL national championships.”

“Back then, his teams fed many of the elite rosters in the ACC,” the 22-time NCAA champion continued. “Yes, we had our share playing for us at UNC; but so did Duke, Virginia and Clemson. His Duke player was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and his Virginia player was the ACC Offensive Player of the Year; and ours were among the best on our roster. I had no choice but to invite this soccer player development genius into our environment.”
 

 

Photo via UNC Athletics

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