A “multitude of factors” went into the firing of North Carolina Courage coach Sean Nahas, franchise sporting director Ceri Bowley said Thursday, but would not elaborate.
The team released a terse statement on Wednesday night that said Nahas' contract had been terminated.
“The North Carolina Courage remain focused on the continued development of the team and maintaining a professional, competitive environment for players, staff, and supporters," the statement said.
Bowley then spoke at a news conference Thursday morning during which he said: “There's always a multitude of factors that are considered, and a multitude of factors were considered in this situation.
“The standards of this club are extremely high and it was felt that there were reasons that we needed to make a change in order to uphold the standards of the North Carolina Courage.”
Bowley, named to the job in April, repeatedly said that he would not discuss the team's internal practices.
Nahas had been with the team for nearly four years. He was at practice Wednesday morning and posted a photo of his smiling staff on social media. The team would not say when the players were informed.
Nahas became interim coach of the Courage in 2021 when Paul Riley was fired amid allegations of sexual harassment and coercion. Riley, who has denied wrongdoing, was among five head coaches in the league who were either fired or resigned that year because of misconduct allegations.
Later investigations found that emotional abuse and sexual misconduct were systemic in the sport and the league and players' union both implemented measures to protect the players.
Nahas became permanent head coach in 2022 and led the team to the playoffs in 2023 and 2024. The Courage are currently 5-5-4 and in ninth place in the league standings. The team visits the Houston Dash on Friday.
Bowley was asked whether there was anything beyond performance involved in Nahas' dismissal.
“The decision was made with multiple factors in mind and we took a decision in the best interest of the club moving forward to allow us to achieve our goals on the pitch of being a successful soccer club and upholding the standards of North Carolina,” he said.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - North Carolina Courage interim coach Sean Nahas waits for the team's NWSL soccer match against Racing Louisville FC in Cary, N.C., Oct. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, file)
MILAN (AP) — AC Milan didn’t let city rival Inter Milan open up too big a gap at the top of Serie A as it fought back to win 3-1 at in-form Como on Thursday, with Adrien Rabiot winning a penalty and then scoring two goals.
Inter had moved six points clear of Milan and Napoli with a 1-0 win over Lecce on Wednesday, coupled with Napoli’s frustrating draw against Parma.
Milan’s victory saw the Rossoneri cut the gap back to three points.
It didn’t start off so well for Massimiliano Allegri’s team, however.
Como — which was sixth in Serie A — got off to the perfect start when a corner was taken short and then floated in for Marc-Oliver Kempf to head the hosts into the lead in the 10th minute.
Como dominated but Milan leveled on the stroke of halftime when it was awarded a penalty after Rabiot was brought down by Kempf and Christopher Nkunku’s spot kick squirmed under the body of Jean Butez.
Milan turned the match around completely 10 minutes into the second half. Rafael Leão controlled a crossfield pass and then cut inside before lifting the ball over for Rabiot to chest down and volley across into the bottom right corner.
And Rabiot sealed the match shortly before full time when Niclas Füllkrug headed a ball back to the France midfielder and he drilled hard and low into the near corner.
Bologna ended a miserable run as it fought back to win 3-2 at relegation-threatened Hellas Verona in a match full of spectacular goals.
Bologna hadn’t won since November and got off to a poor start when it gave away the ball in the opposition penalty area and Antoine Bernède raced almost from box to box before laying it off for Gift Orban to fire home.
Riccardo Orsolini curled in an equalizer following a smart free kick and equally impressive goals from Jens Odgaard and Santiago Castro put Bologna 3-1 up at halftime.
Bologna midfielder Remo Marco Freuler accidentally turned a cross into his own net in the 71st minute.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Verona's Gift Orban, left, celebrates scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Hellas Verona and Bologna in Verona, Italy, Thursday Jan. 15 , 2026. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)
Bologna's Santiago Castro (9), right, celebrates goal 1-3 during the Serie A soccer match between Hellas Verona and Bologna in Verona, Italy, Thursday Jan. 15 , 2026. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)
Como's Marc-Oliver Kempf, center, celebrates scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Como and Milan in Como, Italy, Thursday Jan. 15, 2026. (Antonio Saia/LaPresse via AP)
Como's Nico Paz, left, and AC Milan's Luka Modric in action during the Serie A soccer match between Como and Milan in Como, Italy, Thursday Jan. 15, 2026. (Antonio Saia/LaPresse via AP)
AC Milan's Christopher Nkunku celebrates scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Como and Milan in Como, Italy, Thursday Jan. 15, 2026. (Antonio Saia/LaPresse via AP)
