CHICAGO (Nov. 8, 2024) – Chicago Fire FC today announced that the Club has parted ways with First Team Assistant Coaches Carlos GarcĂa and Paulo Nagamura.
“While these were difficult decisions, after careful review we felt that a fresh start was important as we head into the 2025 season,” said Chicago Fire FC Director of Football and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter. “I’d like to sincerely thank Carlos and Paulo for their contributions to the Club and wish them the best in their future endeavors.”
GarcĂa joined the Fire after spending the 2022-23 season as assistant coach in the Italian Serie A with Udinese Calcio. Since beginning his coaching career in 2017, GarcĂa has held positions with Maccabi Tel Aviv (2017-18), Chongqing Liangjiang FC (2018-19), the Ecuador National Team (2020), Shenzhen FC (2020-21), and Beitar Tel Aviv (2021-22). GarcĂa originally began his career as a professional player in Spain’s La Liga with RCD Espanyol in 2002. He spent 16 years playing for various clubs in Spain, Turkey, and Israel as a central defender.
Nagamura joined the Fire after serving as the youngest head coach of the Houston Dynamo in club history. Nagamura originally transitioned to coaching in 2017 after retiring from his playing career. He joined the Sporting Kansas City II staff as an assistant coach and helped the team win its second consecutive USL Championship Western Conference title. Nagamura was then named head coach in 2018 and led Sporting KC II to the conference semifinals. As a player, Nagamura retired in 2016 after a 12-year MLS career where he finished with 252 regular season appearances, three Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles and two MLS Cups.
