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Kevin Nylen
After participating in a combined seven NCAA tournaments as a player and coach, Kevin Nylen was named the head coach of the Boston University men’s soccer team in January 2020.
A native of Ipswich, Massachusetts, Nylen returned to the Commonwealth following a three-year head-coaching stint at Florida International in which he led the Panthers to a pair of top-35 RPI finishes, highlighted by an unbeaten 11-0-4 regular season record in 2017. He became just the sixth BU men’s soccer head coach in the storied history of the 70-year old program after the retirement of Neil Roberts (1985-2019).
Following his first season that was shortened to just four games by the CoVID-19 pandemic, the Terriers ended the second in fall 2021 with a 3-1-1 record. BU carried the momentum from the strong finish into his third season in fall 2022 with the program's best start through four games since 2010 at 2-0-2. After posting a 1-0 win at No. 9 New Hampshire for their first top-10 win since 2009, the Terriers collected 15 points in the Patriot League standings to claim their first top-2 seed since 2017. They finished with nine shutouts, including the program's first against ACC rival Boston College in the annual series since 2012.
For their efforts this past season, the Terriers received two major PL year-end awards with Francesco Montali collecting Goalkeeper of the Year honors and Griffin Roach earning Defensive Player of the Year recognition. BU had at least three All-Conference First Teamers for the first time since 2015 and posted a 4-1-5 home record for its best mark at Nickerson Field since 2016. BU ended the season ranked ninth nationally in shutout percentage (.500), 11th at .803 save percentage and 18th in team goals against average (.823).
While in Miami, the 2017 Conference USA Coach of the Year led FIU to an overall record of 29-15-9 (.632). This past season, the Panthers were one of the last teams left out of the NCAA tournament with an RPI ranking of 35 and a 10-3-5 record. Andrew Booth was tabbed the 2019 C-USA Midfielder of the Year, while Nick O’Callaghan was named the conference’s Co-Defensive MVP. Earlier in January, goalkeeper Daniel Gagliardi became the third FIU player in as many years to be selected in the top two rounds of the Major League Soccer SuperDraft.
Nylen was named to the FIU post in December of 2016 after spending the previous year as the chief scout and U16 head coach with the Orlando City SC (Major League Soccer) Development Academy. In his first season on the sideline as head coach at FIU, Nylen guided the Panthers to one of the best seasons in the program’s history, recording a 12-2-4 record and a 6-0-2 mark in Conference USA, and the team’s first-ever C-USA regular season title. Ranked as high as No. 8 nationally, FIU was also one of only two teams in Division I men's soccer to claim an unbeaten regular season record, joining Indiana, and later advanced to the second round of the NCAAs.
During the 2017 campaign, the Panthers garnered four NSCAA All-Southeast Region honors after Santiago Patino was named Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and the C-USA Golden Boot Recipient. Patino was also named a First Team All-American and a semifinalist for the prestigious Hermann Trophy. Paul Marie was named a Third Team All-American before becoming the first-round pick of the San Jose Earthquakes in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft.
While with Orlando City, in addition to on-the-field coaching, Nylen identified and oversaw all player recruitment into the MLS academy. He moved to Orlando following a four-year stint as an assistant at FIU in which he helped build the Panthers into one of the top teams in C-USA and the nation. During the 2015 season, FIU posted a 12-7-1 record, won its first-ever C-USA tournament championship and returned to the NCAAs for the first time since the 2004 campaign. In addition, the Panthers finished the season ranked No. 16 in the final NSCAA Top 25 poll.
As recruiting coordinator for FIU, Nylen secured the program’s first Top 20 recruiting class in 11 years when the Panthers’ class was ranked as high as No. 14 by the NSCAA. Nylen was recognized for his efforts at the end of the 2015 season by being named the NSCAA Southeast Region’s Glenn “Mooch” Myernick Assistant Coach of the Year.
After starting his coaching career at Amherst College in a 2009 run to the second round of the Division III NCAA tournament, Nylen spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Boston College, where he helped guide the Eagles to a combined 24-11-6 record from 2010-11 with two more NCAA appearances. The 2010 team advanced to the ACC semifinals and followed that up with an appearance in the 2011 ACC title game.
A four-year varsity standout at Ipswich H.S., where he took home Cape Ann League Player of the Year honors before graduating in 1999, Nylen went on to have a successful collegiate career at Saint Anselm. He received the school's 2003 Male Athlete of the Year honor, awarded annually to one student-athlete who best exemplifies the Saint Anselm spirit in leadership, scholarship and athletic achievements. After helping the Hawks reach the NCAAs in both 2000 and 2001, he garnered 2002 NSCAA All-America and Northeast 10 Defensive Player of the Year accolades as team captain.
Nylen spent six years competing in the professional ranks. He first played with the Wilmington Hammerheads of the United Soccer League Second Division (2003-06) before joining the Charleston Battery of the USL First Division for three seasons.
He and his wife Michelle have two daughters, Pearl and Tatum, and one son, Teddy. .
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