While we wait for some NISA schedule news, I decided to dive deep into the coaching carousel this off-season in the NISA League. With the 2024 season kickoff around the corner, I decided to check in on the coaching front with NISA clubs after the conclusion of the 2023 NISA season.
Here is a list of NISA Head Coaches for each club at the start of the 2023 season last year.
| Team | Head Coach |
| ALBION San Diego | Diego Gomez |
| Chattanooga FC | Rod Underwood |
| Flower City Union | Jordan Sullivan |
| Club de Lyon FC | Victor Balaguer & Fabian Pourrain |
| Gold Star FC Detroit | Alex Lubyansky |
| LA Force | Bruno Costa & Salvador “Chava” Moran (Interim) |
| Maryland Bobcats FC | Alex Kao |
| Michigan Stars FC | Stewart Flaherty |
| Savannah Clovers FC | David Proctor |
Coaching changes during the 2023 season
LA Force
- Interim Coach: Bruno Costa and Salvador “Chava” Moran
- Incoming Coach: Matt Morse
The LA Force started the 2023 season without a head coach. Assistant Coaches Bruno Costa and Salvador “Chava” Moran took over coaching duties for their first three matches. Those matches were against Club de Lyon FC, ALBION San Diego, and a Round 2 U.S. Open Cup match against USL Championship side Las Vegas Lights. Matt Morse was appointed the club’s new Head Coach last April and agreed to coach the club through the end of the season. Morse was also concurrently working as the President of the Southwest Premier League and Managing Director of NISA Nation while handling coaching duties for the Force. Morse turned a club with only two wins the previous season and improved the club’s win total to 13 in 2023. The Force went from a 7th place finish in NISA in 2022 to moving up to 3rd place this past season and qualified for the NISA Playoffs for the first time since the 2020-2021 season. Back then, NISA was under a fall-to-spring season format.
Michigan Stars FC
- Outgoing coach: Stewart Flaherty
- Incoming Coach: George Juncaj
For the second consecutive season, the Michigan Stars decided to make another coaching change in the middle of the NISA season as their Head Coach and Technical Director, Stewart Flaherty, departed the club last summer. The club gave no announcement about the coaching change at the time, but once again, club owner George Juncaj stepped into the head coaching duties after he previously did the same thing in the middle of the 2022 NISA season. At that time, the club had parted ways with former head coach Trevor Banks, and Juncaj took over the coaching duties and led the club to the 2022 NISA Championship title that season. Last summer, the Stars brought in a new assistant coach, Valery Pishchyk, to work alongside Juncaj and fellow assistant coach Enis Dokovic. Together, they guided the Stars back to another NISA Championship final appearance. However, their quest to repeat as back-to-back NISA champions ended in disappointment, as they lost 1-0 at home to Flower City Union in the 2023 NISA Championship final last November.
Coaching changes during the Off-Season
Club de Lyon FC
- Outgoing Coach: Victor Balaguer/Fabian Pourrain
- New Coach: TBA
I contacted Club de Lyon FC’s club representatives last week regarding the coaching situation. I got in touch with their owner, Fabian Pourrain, for clarification. He stated to me that Victor Balaguer was the club’s head coach for a few days last season. Pourrain filled in as coach for Club de Lyon through the end of last season. For the 2024 season, Pourrain informed me that the club plans to have a new head coach and coaching staff this year. Pourrain also gave some insight into Club de Lyon’s stadium plans and confirmed the club has secured a viable Division 3 venue and plans to play its home matches in Orlando for the upcoming season.
“ Yes we have. We have our new place in Orlando, where we not only will play the NISA PRO games we also are going to put a second team in NISA Nation when they make the kick off this season in Florida; And where we are going to run our academy from March.”
Fabian Pourrain, Owner of Club de Lyon FC
Irvine Zeta FC
- Departing Coach: Jerry Tamashiro
- New Coach: Diego Gomez
According to Dan Creel of the Knights Who Say NISA Podcast, Jerry Tamashiro has reportedly left the club after recently being appointed a few months ago to lead Irvine Zeta FC into its inaugural season in NISA.
Fortunately for Irvine Zeta FC, it had options with a few former NISA head coaches in the market with plenty of coaching experience in this league still available and looking for work. On Jan. 22, Irvine Zeta FC announced that former ALBION San Diego Head Coach Diego Gomez will lead the club as its new Head Coach.
Gomez was previously the Head Coach at ALBION San Diego last season and led the club to a 4th place finish in the league table (41 points; 11W-8D-5L) with a plus-ten goal differential. In his first and only season with ALBION, Gomez led the San Diego side to a six-match unbeaten streak twice and was also named the 2023 NISA Coach of the Year last December. Gomez was the Head Coach at Queensboro FC II before joining ALBION in 2023. His stay in Orange County was short, as he was only with Irvine Zeta FC for two weeks before he announced on Feb. 5 that he’d be leaving the club to take an assistant coaching role with USL Championship side Phoenix Rising FC.
- Outgoing Coach: Diego Gomez
- Incoming Coach: TBA
For Diego Gomez I certainly wish him all the best in his next chapter with Phoenix Rising. As for Irvine Zeta FC its back to the drawing board as they’ll look for their third head coach in a month with the 2024 season kickoff just around the corner.
LA Force
- Departing Coach: Matt Morse
- New Coach: Dekel Keinan
Matt Morse finished the 2023 season with the Force, leading the club to third place in the NISA table (44 points; 13W-5D-6L) and a plus-12 goal differential. Morse also helped turn around a rebuilt roster and improved the club to 11 more wins than its previous season, when it only had two wins in the league in 2022. Last summer, the Force won the Pacific Region Championship in the NISA Independent Cup. After the LA Force were stunned at home in the quarterfinals of the 2023 NISA Playoffs, losing 4-2 to eventual champion Flower City Union, the club has found its next head coach to take over the club for the 2024 season.
Next in line to coach the Force is a player, Dekel Keinan, who was announced as the club’s Head Coach last December. Keinan made 16 appearances for the Force last season and scored two goals. The 39-year-old defender has experience playing for clubs around the globe, such as Maccabi Haifa, Blackpool, and Cardiff City. Keinan has also played in the U.S. for FC Cincinnati, Sacramento Republic, and Las Vegas Lights before joining the Force last season. Keinan will be in a player-coach role for the club this season. Matt Morse will continue serving as the President of the Southwest Premier League and Managing Director of NISA Nation but will remain with the Force as a coaching consultant.
Potential Coaching Changes to Watch
Gold Star FC Detroit
Gold Star FC Detroit will reportedly be under new ownership based on my interview with NISA Commissioner John Prutch last November before the 2023 NISA Championship final. The club has yet to announce whether General Manager and Head Coach Alex Lubyansky will return for another season, any coaching staff or front office moves, player tryouts or signings, or where Gold Star FC will play their home matches this year. Gold Star FC hasn’t posted anything on social media in months, so we’ll have to wait and see how this plays out, with kickoff just around the corner.
Michigan Stars FC
A decision has yet to be announced by the club on whether Michigan Stars owner George Juncaj plans to stay on as Head Coach or decide to promote someone from within or look elsewhere. I know that the Stars are returning for another season in NISA, and there have been some changes in the front office. Chris McInally, General Manager for the Stars for the last two seasons, was named Chief Operating Officer for the club last month. His predecessor, George Juncaj, who has held the position for the previous four years, has stepped down.
Meanwhile, assistant coach Enis Dokovic has been staying busy this off-season. He was in Europe last December shadowing Legia Warszawa’s manager, Kosta Runjaic, and has been working on acquiring his UEFA A license.
Those are the latest NISA coaching news updates I got for you today, everyone. Let me know your thoughts on the latest off-season coaching moves in the comments section below. Enjoy your Tuesday, and I’ll see you next time.
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