Charlotte MLS appoints Marc Nicholls as Technical Director

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte MLS has appointed Marc Nicholls as Technical Director, the club announced Tuesday.

The two-time U.S. Soccer Coach of the Year has a strong track record of developing players at national and international standard, including the development of more than 20 U.S. youth internationals in the past 12 months.

Nicholls’ wealth of experience in player development, scouting, coaching and strategic planning will be crucial to the inception and growth of Charlotte MLS.

“Marc is a crucial addition to our team,” said Tom Glick, president of Tepper Sports and Entertainment. “He brings a wealth of experience in Major League Soccer and our region, and he has built high performing teams.

“It’s great to have him join us right now, as we build from the ground up, including constructing our youth academy, establishing partnerships with other soccer organizations, confirming our coaching methods and laying pathways for young players into our senior team.”

Nicholls comes to Charlotte MLS following a highly successful tenure as Director of Player Development with the Seattle Sounders, where his leadership and development philosophies resulted in the transition of 15 academy players to MLS and the USL in the past three seasons.

Nicholls’ approach to finding and developing talent has also delivered a high level of tournament success. Most notably, the Sounders’ 2019 U-17 side became the only MLS representative to reach the final of the Generation Adidas Champions Division after a win over Valencia’s U-17s.

Nicholls now returns from the Pacific Northwest to North Carolina, where he previously spent eight years in technical roles. His successes in the region have included coaching positions with the North Carolina Fusion and pioneering technical leadership roles with Greensboro United and the Winston Salem Twins.

“I’m delighted to be joining Charlotte MLS,” Nicholls said. “I was immediately struck by the quality of the people and the vision of our leadership group. This area has great soccer tradition, and although it is our ambition to have worldwide appeal, we can’t wait to build a club that will represent the region.”

Nicholls currently sits on the MLS Player Development Sub-Committee and is a member of the Education Department at U.S. Soccer, where he holds a mentoring role for club leaders and coaches.

Nicholls is Charlotte MLS’ second technical staff appointment, following the arrival of Sporting Director Zoran Krneta.

“Marc’s knowledge and experience will be invaluable as we work together to build Charlotte MLS and get us ready for 2021,” said Zoran. “His expertise and outstanding record of achievements to date in developing young players, along with his deep understanding of the soccer landscape in the area, make Marc the natural choice for this role.

“I am looking forward to working closely with Marc to bring soccer success to Charlotte.”

Charlotte MLS will make further additions to the soccer operations staff in the coming weeks.