Shahad Farahani — U16 Head Coach

Shahad Farahani is the U16 Head Coach for the Columbus Crew Academy. Farahani joined the Crew as the U15 Head Coach in September 2023.

Farahani holds a USSF A-Youth License, UEFA B License and a BSc Degree in Bioengineering.

Prior to joining the Crew, Farahani served as the U14 Academy Head Coach at Houston Dynamo FC from 2021 –2023. In this role, Farahani oversaw the development process of multiple players who have gone on to make debuts in MLS Next Pro. During this time, Farahani also assisted in the development of the Dynamo Academy game model & methodology.

Farahani previously served as an Academy Coach and Assistant Academy Director with the Michigan Jaguars FC from 2016 – 2021. 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 has experience playing across 3 different countries (USA, Iran, 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 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.