Shahad Farahani — U15 Head Coach

Shahad Farahani joins the Columbus Crew Academy as the U15 Head Coach in September 2023.

Farahani joins the Crew from Houston Dynamo FC, where he served as the U14 Academy Head Coach from 2021 – 2023 while assisting in the development of the Dynamo Academy game model & methodology during that time.

Farahani holds a USSF ‘A-Youth’ License and is currently in the process of completing his UEFA ‘B’ License. Farahani also holds a BSc Degree in Bioengineering.

Farahani previously served as an Academy Coach and Assistant Academy Director with the Michigan Jaguars FC from 2016 – 2021. In that role, Farahani led various teams between the U14-U19 age groups in the US Soccer Development Academy in addition to overseeing various player development programming initiatives.

As a player, Farahani experienced playing across 3 different countries (USA, Iran and Germany). After a collegiate career at University of Michigan-Dearborn, he was a member of Moghavemat Tehran FC U21 and Esteghlal Tehran FC U23 teams in Iran. During this time, Farahani was also invited to multiple training camps with Iran Youth National teams (U17 & U19). Additionally, he played as a central midfielder for SC Staaken 1919 in Berlin, Germany prior to starting his coaching career with Michigan Jaguars FC.