Matt Poland was named head coach and sporting director of the FC Naples professional soccer team. In his role, Poland is charged with building a new club from the ground up. The 13-year Marco Island resident played professionally in Europe and coached in European and American leagues. During the offseason, Poland coached girls’ and boys’ teams at Marco Island Academy, Naples United and local U8. As a coach, he guided amateur club Chicago House to back-to-back Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament proper appearances. In 2023, House made it to the third round of the tournament on the wave of a 15-game unbeaten streak, having knocked off league foe Bavarian United S.C. at home before traveling to USL 1 side Forward Madison and posting an overtime victory after coming back from a two-goal deficit in the 70th minute. In the coming months, Poland will be building out FC Naples’ team. The team has a network of agents and players in Europe and South America but also will be looking to find and develop local talent.