University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Adds Damon Nahas To Coaching Staff
November 9, 2015 | Women's Soccer
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of North Carolina women's soccer program has announced the hiring of Damon Nahas as an assistant coach. Nahas' hiring was announced by UNC women's soccer head coach Anson Dorrance and he joins Dorrance, Bill Palladino and Chris Ducar on the Tar Heel staff.
Nahas brings an extensive background from the past 15 years in player development, club coaching, and national team coaching to his duties in Chapel Hill. In 2000, he developed a U7-U11 technical academy, Next Level Academy (NLA), which not only played a major role in his development as a coach but along with the NLA staff continues to be a leader in player development in the Triangle. He has served as the technical director of one of the most successful youth clubs in the country, the Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) in Raleigh since 2000. He also served as head coach of the U.S. U15 Girls National Team coach from 2011-14 and began a stint as an assistant coach for the U.S. U17 Women's National Team in 2014.
“I am incredibly honored and humbled to have the opportunity to work alongside Anson (Dorrance) and his staff. The UNC women's soccer program has an unrivaled tradition of success, so to say I am excited for the next phase of my career, would be an understatement,” says Nahas. “To have the chance to work with some of the most talented players in the women's game while learning from a staff who continues to be motivated to develop players both on and off the field is incredible. I want to thank Anson along with the entire UNC family for this amazing opportunity and I look forward to the beginning of an exciting journey”.
Nahas attended and played soccer at North Carolina State University from 1992-96 and then played professionally with the Wilmington Hammerheads and Capital Express. In 2000, he joined the CASL staff where he has since helped develop and execute a technical curriculum for the coaching staff and players, primarily at the U9-U14 levels for both boys and girls. During his tenure there he has coached teams across all age groups and genders including squads which have won two ENCL national championships, a U.S. Club national championship, a Super Y League national title, four state championships and two Disney showcases while having success in many other national tournaments.
Nahas began his coaching tenure on the national level with U.S. Soccer in 2011. He was the U15 girls' national team coach from 2011-14, overseeing the program for up to five training camps per year while also scouting and selecting players eligible for the teams. Last year he began a current stint as the U17 WNT assistant coach, a position which includes scouting players and assisting with training sessions with head coach B.J. Snow. In 2014, Nahas was also invited to serve as an assistant for the full USWNT during various camps, where he conducted technical training sessions for the team.
“Damon Nahas has changed girls soccer in the state of North Carolina. It used to be very difficult to find local players that could compete at a national level collegiately. Damon has changed that,” says Dorrance. “Right now three of his youth players off one team now start for us–Joanna Boyles, Cameron Castleberry and Maya Worth. There are not many youth coaches in the country that can say off one youth team, they have produced three NCAA Division I starters on a Top 5 collegiate team.
“Watching his teams play and seeing his players develop has been inspiring. It was clear as soon as he entered the girls' game that he was something special. We have too many coaches in our sport that are reluctant to do the grunt work – trapping, passing, shooting, dribbling and heading – and an even smaller number that can make this fun. Damon is a brilliant young coach and will be a tremendous addition to my veteran staff. Our player development has always been good. This hire is going to make us even better.”
Among his past head coaching experiences have been stints with Cary Clarets PDL (head coach), Carolina RailHawks (assistant coach 2007-09) and Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh (men's head coach 1999-2002).
Nahas is a native of East Northport, N.Y. Nahas and his wife, Nicole, have two sons, Crew and Grayson.
