Photo Credit: Katie Schroeck via North Carolina Courage
The North Carolina Courage announced Saturday the hiring of Mak Lind as the third head coach in club history. With preseason training camp already underway ahead of the 2026 National Women’s Soccer League season, Lind will begin his duties immediately.
The 37-year-old brings nearly a decade of head coaching experience from his time in Sweden, having led professional clubs since 2016. Most recently, Lind guided Swedish side BK Häcken Women to the 2025 Damallsvenskan title, atop the table with a 21-1-4 record and a +68 goal differential. He joined Häcken in July 2023 after spending the majority of his coaching career in the men’s game.
“Mak’s ability to combine performance, culture, and player development makes him a perfect fit for our club. We believe his leadership will help push us to the next level, and we’re thrilled to have him on board,” said Chief Soccer Officer Ceri Bowley in a statement.
Lind was also a professional player himself before turning to coaching. The former center back began his professional playing career at age 15 and made 256 senior appearances, the majority with BK Häcken. Internationally, Lind represented his birth country, Lebanon, between 2013 and 2015. He later moved to Sweden and now holds Swedish citizenship.
“I am extremely excited and humbled by the opportunity to serve as the next head coach of the North Carolina Courage. This is a club with an incredible history and a clear expectation to compete for trophies. I’m very aligned with the system and style of play already in place and look forward to continuing to evolve it alongside the players and staff. I can’t wait to get started and for my family and me to fully immerse ourselves in this community,” said Lind.
The Courage abruptly terminated its previous head coach, Sean Nahas, on August 6, 2025, due to a combination of factors, including performance issues and culture concerns. Assistant coach Nathan Thackeray served as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2025 season and then departed the club, recently named the head coach of USL Super League team Dallas Trinity FC.
The North Carolina Courage have claimed an NWSL-best seven league trophies, winning two NWSL Championships, three NWSL Shields, and a pair of Challenge Cups. However, the team has struggled in recent years, finishing outside of the playoffs in 2025, and although they qualified for the playoffs in 2024 and 2023, they were knocked out in the first round both years.
With a reworked roster and a new season ahead, North Carolina hopes Lind’s track record for building competitive teams and developing players with a clear footballing identity will lead the Courage back towards the success that long defined the club.
