It’s that part of the year when we can see the finish line of the NWSL season and top contenders for each category are making their cases clearer and clearer.
Who are the frontrunners for Coach of the Year? We nominated four gaffers who could claim the award.
Juan Carlos Amorós
Of course the coach behind the team that is standing No. 1 in the table belongs in this conversation.
It’s really impressive how he has maintained Gotham’s elite level despite the passing of time. After all, he’s already won two championships with
the Bats but it looks like he’s far from done.
Even though Gotham has dropped some points in the last five games (2-1-2) Amorós’ can wrap up the accolade, if they claim the 2026 NWSL Shield.
Assistant coach Shaun Harris also deserves tons of credit for how he led the team earlier on the season.
Mark Lind
What an impact the NC Courage head coach is having in his first year at the helm.
Right now, the North Carolina Courage are 3rd with 39 points but is leading the league in goals with 46 tallies. The Coach of the Month for August put his team in destroyer mode with a 4-1-1 record, scoring at least twice in all the matches they played that month.
Lind has transformed the Courage, taken a beaten team that finished ninth last season and t0 unstoppable in attack with a good chance to end in the top four.
Adrián González
The coach who has started in the Spirit as an interim has been able to keep the team amongst the top. The runners-up in 2025 are a serious contender this year too, despite the changes in the roster. The team had to deal with the absence of veteran goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury, the departures of Rebeca Bernal and Croix Bethune, and tons of adversity with injuries.
González also has heped to balance a roster with stars and young players such Lucia Di Guglielmo and Claudia Martínez.
The Coach of the Month for the months of April and July is keeping his team hot on Gotham’s heels and so far, it looks like it’s the only one that can take the Shield from their hands.
Jimmy Coenraets
Although Utah have been inconsistent as of late, that doesn’t take away the season they’re having in 2026. They’re still pushing high, being fourth in the table with 39 points, after finishing 12th last season.
The Coach of the Month in May, has given this team a huge transformation that is substantial enough that cannot be overlooked. After all, he has made one of the worst teams of 2025 into a real contender for the Championship.
