— It has been six weeks since North Carolina FC announced that Colin Clarke won’t return as the team’s manager next year after seven seasons at the helm. While there’ve been scant public updates about the search for a new head coach, an expansive, systematic process has been taking place inside the club’s Cary headquarters.

As that process enters its final stages, NCFC President and General Manager Curt Johnson, who spearheaded the last managerial hire in 2011, can peel back the curtain. That starts with comparing this year’s search with seven years ago.

“It’s a lot different from 2011, and I mean that in a positive way,” Johnson tells WRALSportsFan. “In 2011, I think we had three strong finalists for the head coach position. There was a west coast person who no one really knew about but was a fantastic candidate. Then there was [assistant coach] Dewan Bader, who was strongly considered, and Colin, who ultimately got the job. The pool of candidates was probably closer to 8-10 who had the credentials and interest level of what we felt was a right-fit candidate.”

By contrast, Johnson says 60-plus individuals were considered for the open NCFC manager position this year. Approximately half the candidates reached out to club, while the club proactively contacted the other half directly or through their agents. All the candidates were then reviewed and graded on multiple criteria by a search committee comprising Johnson, club owner Steve Malik, Executive Vice President Pete Sciandra, Director of Team Operations Nic Platter and NCFC Youth Chief Operating Officer Gary Buete.

Johnson emphasizes that the involvement of Buete and NCFC Youth is a key component of both the search process and the ultimate hire.

“That’s part and parcel with the long-term collaboration that we have with NCFC Youth –collaborating to hire a new head coach who understands our youth-to-pro pathway,” Johnson explains, “as well as obviously leading our first team, being a leader in the overall organization, a resource and advocate for the women’s team [the NC Courage], our MLS bid, etc. That’s who we’re hiring, and that’s who the search committee is looking for.”

Over several weeks, the committee conducted telephone and/or in-person interviews with roughly 15 candidates. While Johnson wouldn’t chronicle the complete list of interviewees, he says they include current NCFC assistant coaches Bader, Greg Shields and Michael Milazzo.

“We’ve identified approximately 10 finalists out of the 60-plus candidates,” Johnson says, “and now we’re narrowing down that list and beginning to focus on a couple.”

Among the range of criteria the search committee considered, Johnson highlights two in particular: head coaching success at the professional level and youth development experience.

“[Winning] is a key criteria we’re looking for in a new coach,” Johnson says. “That can be at a variety of different levels, but ideally it’s winning head coaching experience at the pro level. When we’re ranking all the individuals, there are a lot of people out there who have been assistant coaches, but we desire somebody who has the combination of head coaching professional experience and a history winning at that level.” Johnson clarifies that the person ultimately hired doesn’t necessarily have to check that box, “but as a guiding principle, that’s what we want.”

The new manager will be only the fourth in the club’s 12-year history. After making the playoffs in three consecutive seasons from 2009-2011, the team qualified for postseason play only twice, in 2012 and 2017, during Clarke’s roller-coaster tenure. Johnson says the role and expectations of the position have evolved over time, including since Clarke was hired seven years ago.

“In 2011, we were hiring someone to lead our team and be a strong asset in the community,” Johnson says. “In 2018, we’re hiring somebody who is going to be the right fit and right leader for our entire club. Winning, head coaching experience, and the right balance between playing attractive soccer and developing youth. Another key criteria is that they have to believe in our youth-to-pro pathway, meaning the value of it and the opportunity in it.”

There’s no hard-and-fast deadline for when North Carolina FC will announce their new manager, although signs point towards a decision that will be finalized sooner rather than later.

“We want the best of the best,” Johnson insists. “We have something here that is real special, and we’re going after the highest level coaching talent in the country.”