Patrick Lopez joined Boston University men's soccer head coach Kevin Nylen's first staff in March 2020. Both men have the unique distinction of reaching the NCAAs as student-athletes and coaches.
During his time on Commonwealth Ave., he's helped the Terriers repeat as Patriot League regular season champions for the first time in 2023-24 and win a conference tournament title for the first time in 15 years in 2023 as part of a PL sweep. In total, BU has claimed eight major PL year-end awards dating back to the 2022 season, including the Defensive Player of the Year honor each of the last three seasons.
Elevated to associate head coach entering the 2024 season, Lopez was originally part of Nylen's staff at Florida International for three years, including a historic 2017 campaign that saw the Panthers post a 12-2-4 record and claim their first-ever C-USA regular season title. They were named the Southeast Region Division I Staff of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches for their efforts. Overall, they helped nine Panthers earn professional contracts with five being drafted in Major League Soccer while guiding FIU to a combined record of 29-15-9 (.632).
In 2019, 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. They were later joined by Alessandro Campoy in earning United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region accolades. In January, FIU had an NCAA-tying three players chosen in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft with All-CUSA honoree Daniel Gagliardi becoming the third Panther in as many years to be selected in the top two rounds.
Lopez played under Nylen for two seasons at FIU in 2014 and 2015 when Nylen was an assistant. The center back made 17 starts his senior year and totaled eight points (3g, 2a), highlighted by the 75th-minute game-winning goal against Marshall that gave the Panthers their first C-USA title. He added C-USA All-Tournament honors, as FIU made its first NCAA appearance since 2004. The following season, he received a spot on the staff as the director of operations and later moved to the volunteer assistant position in 2017. He was promoted again in 2018 to assistant coach.
A native of Miami, Lopez graduated in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in sports and fitness studies. Following his collegiate career, Lopez played for Puerto Rico against the U.S. Senior Men's National Team, in a historic friendly in 2016. As a coach, he works with all players on the field while focusing his efforts on sports science, team tactics, training methodology and recruiting.
