University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Men's Soccer

Carlos Somoano enters his 16th year at the helm of the North Carolina men’s soccer program in 2026. He holds a career record of 185-68-55 and a 67-31-28 mark in ACC play. Somoano's 185 victories rank second all-time at Carolina and his 67 ACC wins are the most for a head coach in program history. He has guided 14 of his 15 squads to NCAA postseason play and seven of those teams have reached at least the NCAA quarterfinals. Somoano reached the summit of collegiate soccer when he led the Tar Heels to the 2011 NCAA title, becoming just the second rookie head coach in NCAA history to win a National Championship. He returned to the College Cup with his Tar Heel squad in 2016, 2017 and 2020. In 2020, he led Carolina on an improbable run to its fourth College Cup under his tutelage. Entering the NCAA Tournament unseeded, UNC advanced past Charlotte on penalty kicks in the first round, then upset fourth-seeded Stanford and fifth-seeded Wake Forest to reach the national semifinal. Carolina lost, 1-0, in the semis to eventual NCAA champion Marshall and finished the year with a 9-5-4 record. Coaching History Somoano was named the 2011 National Coach of the Year by Soccer America as the Tar Heels posted a 21-2-3 mark en route to the national title. The Tar Heels became only the second team in Atlantic Coast Conference history to claim the treble in a single year by winning the ACC regular season title, the ACC Championship crown and the National Championship in 2011. In addition to his n

Gabriel Colon joined the North Carolina men’s soccer program as the Director of Student-Athlete Development in December of 2024. In this role, Colon works closely with student-athletes to maximize leadership development and personal growth. Colon came to Chapel Hill after serving as the Youth Development Director at North Carolina Football Club (NCFC) in Raleigh. While at North Carolina FC, Colon was responsible for technical oversight of the pre-academy program and U-13/14 academy age groups. Additionally, Colon coached two teams within these age groups, becoming the only coach in club history to win two Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) conference championships in one season, as well as leading the 2011 boys team to the 2024 ECNL national semifinals. NCFC finished ranked No. 6 in the ECNL’s national club rankings at the end of the 2023-24 season, its best finish in club history. Prior to his time at NCFC, Colon served as the club administrator, college pathway coordinator, and head coach at Richmond United. During his two stints in Richmond (2019-20; 2022-23), Colon coached the 2006 and '07 teams in both the United States Soccer Federation’s Development Academy (USSF DA) and the ECNL, as well as the U-23 pre-professional team. The pinnacle of his tenure at Richmond United came in 2023, when Colon led the 2006 boys team to the U-17 ECNL National Championship, becoming the only team in Virginia soccer history to win the title. Under Colon’s guidance, several Richmond United

Grant Porter transitioned from his assistant coach position to handling alumni relations, camps and clinics for the program in 2026. A key figure in both national titles in school history, the 2004 UNC graduate helped lead the Tar Heels to their first national championship as a player in 2001 and again as an assistant coach in 2011. While on the sidelines, Carolina routinely brought in top-10 recruiting classes in recent years: No. 3 in 2012, No. 4 in 2013, No. 7 in 2015, No. 1 in 2016, No. 2 in 2017 and No. 1 in 2019. He played alongside 16 MLS draft picks as a player and has helped guide 27 players into professional soccer since becoming a Tar Heel assistant coach in 2011. His 19 combined years with the Carolina program as both a player and a coach is stellar. His resume includes the aforementioned two national titles in 2001 and 2011, and 19 appearances in the NCAA Championship. He has also been a member of six Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championship programs and two ACC title teams. Porter returned to Chapel Hill in 2011 with eight years of coaching experience under his belt after graduating from UNC. Porter was the Director of Soccer for the Charlotte United Futbol Club in Charlotte from 2006-10. During that time, he was also the head soccer coach at Charlotte Country Day School during the 2009 and 2010 seasons where he groomed an all-state selection, a pair of all-region honorees and six all-conference award winners. He began his coaching career at Georgia

Jeff Negalha is in year three of his second stint in Chapel Hill as an assistant coach for the North Carolina men's soccer program in 2026. Negalha spent nin...

Marco Genée joined the North Carolina men's soccer program as Director of Operations in 2022. Genée brings a unique combination of coaching exp...

Tar Heel alum Michael Callahan joined the men’s soccer staff as an assistant coach in March of 2026 after spending four seasons as an assistant coach at George Mason, where he helped guide the Patriots through one of the most successful stretches in program history. In 2024, George Mason posted a 13–4–1 record and captured the Atlantic 10 regular-season championship. The Patriots followed that with another strong campaign in 2025, spending five weeks ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25, earning a marquee win over No. 7 Virginia, and finishing as the highest-scoring team in the Atlantic 10. George Mason also placed four players on the All-Atlantic 10 First Team during the season. A former UNC All-American midfielder, Callahan served as a captain for the Tar Heels and helped lead Carolina to the 2008 National Championship Game while earning both All-America and Academic All-America honors. After graduating from UNC with a degree in economics, Callahan played eight professional seasons in the USL, appearing in more than 160 matches with Austin Aztex and the Richmond Kickers. He later transitioned into coaching as an assistant coach for the Richmond Kickers and an academy coach with Richmond United. He also spent the 2021–22 season as a volunteer assistant with Virginia Commonwealth University before joining George Mason. A native of Cary, N.C., Callahan played club soccer for CASL and attended Green Hope High School. ASL and attended Green Hope High School.

A former Tar Heel and two-time All-ACC defender, Michael Harrington enters his eighth season on the sidelines at his alma mater for the 2026 season. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft by Kansas City, Harrington enjoyed a 12-year professional career before retiring in 2018. He was selected as an alternate for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and participated in the full National Team Training Camp in January 2014 as the United States prepared for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. During his playing career at North Carolina, Harrington was a four-year starter and started in 81 of the 82 matches in which he played. He helped lead the Tar Heels to the postseason in all four years, including a trip to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals during his junior season in 2005. As a senior in 2006, he was named first-team All-ACC as a defender while starting 19 games and recording one goal and four assists. His breakout campaign came one year prior when he switched from midfielder to outside back and was an immediate impact in the lineup. He started all 24 games his junior season, was named second-team All-ACC and tabbed an NSCAA/adidas All-South Region player. Prior to his junior campaign, he played defense for the U.S. U20 National Team at the FIFA World Youth Championship in Holland. Harrington was also named to the ACC All-Freshman Team in 2003 when he started all 20 matches for the Tar Heels in midfield in addition to being named to the All-Tournament team at the Nike Carolina Clas