Team Staff

Nahas brings nearly two decades of experience with Capital Area Soccer League (now North Carolina FC Youth) to the NC Courage. In addition to being Head Coach for the NC Courage, Nahas is a coach for the NC Courage Academy. He has held several leadership positions with CASL 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 also has valuable US National Team coaching experience including assistant coaching positions with the U20 USWNT and U14 Youth National Team and serving as a US National Team Youth Scout. Nahas was a member of the coaching staff that lead the NC Courage to their first NWSL Championship in 2018 and another 2019.

Thackeray started his coaching career in 2011 after playing with England’s Bradford City from 2003-2006 and William Woods University from 2006-2010. He worked with Young Harris College in Georgia, and then became the Head of Goalkeeping at the Houston Dynamo Academy in 2012. Thackeray is a USSF licensed coach. He was a member of the 2018 and 2019 NWSL Championship coaching staff.

Originally from Nottinghamshire, England, Thomson grew up playing for Doncaster Belles in the FA Women’s Premier league. She represented England at the youth levels before attending university in the states. A four-year starter and two-year captain for Penn State women’s soccer, Thomson helped the Nittany Lions to four NCAA Tournament appearances, collecting four Big Ten Championships and one Big Ten Tournament Championship as well as the 2011 PSU Defender of the Year. Thomson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from Penn State in 2012, before her Masters in Sports Management from St. John’s (NY) in 2015 where she served as a graduate assistant with the women’s soccer team. Emma spent 6 years coaching in college with George Mason University, while also coaching with FC Virginia in the Development Academy.  Emma holds her A license and is currently on staff with the NC Courage Girls Academy.

Gautrat spent the last three seasons on staff with the Chicago Red Stars, including a full-time capacity in 2022. He also worked with youth club Chicago FC United from 2018-22, taking over as academy director in 2020 to lead the program through a transition to the highly competitive Girls Academy. He coached in the United States Youth National Team camp in June of 2019.

The Santa Clarita, California native was a defender for the University of San Diego Toreros from 2006-07 before playing professional soccer in both France and the United States through 2015. He also spent time as an assistant coach with French club Olympique Lyonnais’ academy. Gautrat speaks four languages (English, French, Portuguese, Spanish) and holds a United States Soccer Federation A License.9.

Boardman was on staff with the San Diego Wave last season and has been a U.S. Youth National Team network scout since 2020.

Boardman helped the Wave to a playoff berth in their first season of competition in 2022. Prior to joining the Wave, she was a head coach for BEACH Futbol Club in California for over four years. She earned her USSF A license in 2018 and achieved her UEFA B license in 2021. She graduated from Long Beach State in May 2020 with a degree in kinesiology and exercise science.

Forster brings a wealth of coaching experience to the first team, holding his USSF A License and currently serving as the Director of Soccer for North Carolina FC Youth, a role he has held since 2015. In addition to his responsibilities with NCFC Youth, Forster has worked as the Director of Analytics for the men’s soccer team at North Carolina State University since 2017.

Previously, he served in assistant coaching roles with Wake Forest University, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, NC Wesleyan College, and the State University of New York at Buffalo. Forster is happily married to his wife, Yexenia, and has two daughters Amelia (17) and Eva (13) who both play in the NC Courage Youth Academy.

Since 2017 Naimo has served as Technical Advisor for the North Carolina Courage where he assists with scouting and roster development for the club. Previously he served as Technical Director for the NWSL’s Western New York Flash from 2014-2016, helping form the backbone of their 2016 Championship season by drafting future U.S. National Team players Abby Dahlkemper, Samantha Mewis, Lynn Williams, and Jaelene Hinkle. In addition to serving as the LA Sol General Manager from 2008-2009 and as a Technical Advisor for the Chicago Red Stars in 2010, Naimo was a decorated coach with several W-League teams from 1995-2014, where his impressive accolades include: the most wins in league history as a Head Coach, three-time National Coach of the Year, five-time league champion, two Organization of the Year awards, one USL Progress award, and, in 2012, was named the W-League Executive of the Year and inducted into the USL Hall of Fame.

In his role as Performance Director for the North Carolina Courage and the North Carolina FC professional teams, Mike Young directs the athletic development and sports science for the club. Young is the owner of Athletic Lab sports performance training center and has served as the Performance Director or Strength & Conditioning coach for 4 professional soccer clubs. Young regularly consults for some of the top sports teams in the world including the US Women’s National Team, 4 World Cup Rugby teams and 4 Premier League Soccer clubs.

Austin has served as a sport scientist and assistant strength coach for the North Carolina Courage since 2018. Austin is recognized by the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) as a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), a Level 1 Sports Performance Coach from USA Weightlifting, a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), and has earned his Track & Field Technical Certification from USTFCCCA.

As Chief Soccer Officer for North Carolina FC and the North Carolina Courage, Johnson’s responsibilities will include oversight of team performance, player and coach development, player experience, and enhancing the youth to professional pipeline.

Johnson will continue to serve on the NWSL and USL Board of Governors, North Carolina FC Youth Board and the club’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Taskforce, in addition to other community focused boards. Johnson has been with the club as President and GM since 2011, and his role expanded to also oversee the NC Courage in 2017 when the team relocated from Western New York.  Previously, he served as the General Manager of the Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City) of Major League Soccer and the Richmond Kickers (USL).

Johnson is entering his 13th season with the North Carolina Football Club, previously serving as General Manager (GM) and now Chief Soccer Officer (CSO). Johnson’s previous experience includes time with the Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting KC in the MLS) from 2000-2006, as well as the Richmond Kickers in the USL from 1998 – 1999. Johnson is one of winningest GM/CSO’s in American Soccer History and the only GM/CSO to win trophies in MLS, NWSL and NASL. His accolades include the 2000 MLS Cup Championship, 2000 MLS Supporter Shield, 2004 US Open Cup Championship, 2018 ICC Championship, 2017, 2018 and 2019 NWSL Shield and 2018 and 2019 NWSL Championships.

Jason joined the North Carolina Courage as a sports scientist for the 2022 season following a long history of developing athletes at the top of their sport. His experience is accompanied by numerous industry accolades and degrees, including an MS in Exercise Physiology and Human Performance from Marshall University, and Certified Strengthening and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) from NSCA, PN Level 1 Nutrition, and CHPC Level 1 High Performance Coaching Certifications