FRISCO, TX (Dec. 2, 2021) - FC Dallas named Nico Estévez the eighth full-time head coach in club history on December 2, 2021. Estévez joins FC Dallas from U.S. Soccer where he served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team. The 41-year-old has more than 22 years of coaching experience that includes stints in Spain’s La Liga and Major League Soccer.
Estévez will be formally introduced at a press conference at Toyota Stadium on Friday, December 3, 2021 at 2PM CT.
“This is a phenomenal opportunity to lead FC Dallas,” said Estévez. “The club is globally recognized for developing talent and I’m looking forward to working with these players. I’d like to thank the Hunt family for their trust and commitment. I expect my team to work hard and play an attractive style of soccer that will make FC Dallas fans proud.”
“Nico is a seasoned coach with experience at the highest levels of our game, both in the United States and in Europe,” said FC Dallas Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt. “He has the drive, the knowledge, and the vision to succeed, and he has a proven track record as a great teacher and communicator. We are excited about the future of FC Dallas under his leadership.”
Estévez has been an assistant coach on Gregg Berhalter’s U.S. Soccer staff since January 2019. While working with U.S. Soccer, Estévez has coached current and former FC Dallas Academy Products Ricardo Pepi, Jesús Ferreira, Justin Che, Paxton Pomykal, Brandon Servania, Tanner Tessmann, Bryan Reynolds, Reggie Cannon, Chris Richards, Weston McKennie, Jesse Gonzalez and Kellyn Acosta.
“Nico’s familiarity with our player pool and understanding of our roster are huge assets,” said FC Dallas President Dan Hunt. “He understands how to have success across all levels of the game and will do what is necessary to produce winning results.”
Prior to joining U.S. Soccer, Estévez served on Berhalter’s staff with the Columbus Crew. He joined the MLS club in 2014 as Director of Methodology for the Academy before Berhalter promoted Estévez to first team assistant coach in January 2017.
A native of Valencia, Spain, Estévez spent eight years working with La Liga’s Valencia CF in the club’s Academy system, second division team and first team. As head coach of Huracán Valencia CF from 2011-2013, a team in Spain’s Segunda Division B league, he led them to the playoffs in two consecutive seasons. While there he won the Ramón Cobo award from the Royal Spanish Football Federation Committee of Coaches for his accomplishments. In July 2013, he assumed the head coaching duties for Valencia CF Mestalla, Valencia CF’s reserve team.
Estévez served as Interim Head Coach of the first division team, Valencia CF, for two matches in 2013. He oversaw a La Liga match against Real Madrid and a Copa del Rey match – Spain’s Domestic Cup – against Gimnastic de Tarragona, resulting in a 1-0 victory. Estévez posted a 1-1-0 record as Valencia’s Interim Head Coach.
Prior to his time with Valencia CF, Estévez worked with CF San Jose, a youth soccer academy in Valencia, Spain beginning in July 1999. He was their youth team Head Coach, overseeing the Under-12, U-14, U-15 and U-16 teams. He served as CF San Jose’s Director of Methodology from 2010-2011.
Estévez holds a UEFA Pro License and an Elite Formation Coaching License (EFCL). He is fluent in English, Spanish and Catalán. Estévez and his wife, Amparo, have two children – Sandra (12) and Nico (9).
Estévez will join the club in December, pending immigration approval. His coaching staff will be announced at a later date.
Head Coach Details
Full Name: Nicolás "Nico" Estévez Martínez
Preferred Name: Nico Estévez
Pronunciation: KNEE-co es-TE-vez
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish, Catalán
Nico Estévez Coaching History
- 1999–04, San José (Youth)
- 2004–11, Valencia (Youth)
- 2011–13, Huracán Valencia
- 2013–14, Valencia Mestalla
- 2013, Valencia CF (Interim)
- 2014-16, Columbus Crew Academy (Director of Methodology)
- 2017–18, Columbus Crew (Assistant)
- 2019–21, United States Men’s National Team (Assistant)
FC Dallas Head Coach History
- Dave Dir hired in 1996, dismissed in 2000
- Mike Jeffries hired on January 23, 2001, dismissed on September 15, 2003
- Colin Clarke named interim head coach September 15, 2003 to December 4, 2003
- Colin Clarke hired on December 4, 2003, dismissed on November 7, 2006
- Steve Morrow named interim head coach November 7, 2006 to December 11, 2006
- Steve Morrow hired on December 11, 2006, dismissed on May 20, 2008
- Marco Ferruzzi named interim head coach May 20, 2008 to June 16, 2008
- Schellas Hyndman hired on June 16, 2008, resigned on October 18, 2013
- Oscar Pareja hired on January 10, 2014, resigned on November 19, 2018
- Luchi Gonzalez hired on December 16, 2018, dismissed on September 19, 2021
- Marco Ferruzzi named interim head coach on September 19, 2021
- Nico Estévez hired on December 2, 2021
