USA FOOTBALL NAMES COACHES TO LEAD U.S FLAG FOOTBALL NATIONAL TEAMS IN 2026 JUNIOR AND ADULT INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS
– 18 total coaches selected to lead USA Football’s six U.S. National Teams –
– Team USA Football® begins its 2026 cycle with National Team Trials in March –
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. – USA Football, the sport’s National Governing Body responsible for selecting, training and leading Team USA Football® for international competition, including the 2028 Olympics, has announced the coaches who will lead the 2026 U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams and the Junior National Teams.
The U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams will compete in the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Flag Football World Championship in Düsseldorf, Germany this coming August. Both teams are the reigning world champions dating back to their victories in Lahti, Finland in 2024. The men have won five consecutive world championships while the women have won three.
USA Football also selects 15U and 17U Boys’ and Girls’ National Teams to compete in the annual Junior International Cup in Los Angeles. Last year’s event featured teams from Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama and South Korea.
USA Football will hold Junior National Team Trials from March 5-8 and U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Team Trials from March 19-22 to determine which athletes receive invitations to U.S. National Team Training Camp before further trimming the rosters to 12 athletes each.
With flag football’s Olympic debut on the horizon, the sport’s popularity is skyrocketing in the U.S. and worldwide. Flag football is a sanctioned high school varsity sport for girls in more than 15 states and many more are operating pilot programs. At the college level, the NAIA, NCAA and NJCAA offer scholarships in women’s flag football. The NCAA recently added women’s flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program, clearing a way for it to eventually become an NCAA championship sport.
U.S. Men's National Team
Jorge Cascudo, Head Coach
Cascudo returns for his fifth year with the U.S. Men’s National Team as a head coach. He has led the team to an undefeated record in IFAF-sanctioned competitions over the past four seasons, winning gold medals in The World Games 2022, the 2023 and 2025 IFAF Americas Continental Flag Football Championship and the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championship.
Cascudo ushered in the golden age of American flag football as a quarterback on the U.S. National Team. He guided the program to its first gold medal in the 2010 IFAF Flag Football World Championship and continued adding to his trophy case until after the 2018 world championship.
Cascudo served as head coach of the Panamanian Men’s National Team in 2021, guiding the program to a bronze medal finish in the IFAF Flag Football World Championship.
Rudy Fernandez, Assistant Coach
Fernandez enters his second year with the U.S. Men’s National Team. At the 2025 IFAF Americas Continental Championship in Penonomé, Panama, his defense limited opponents to 65 points as the U.S. National Team tallied a 5-0 record and was named co-champions. Fernandez won gold medals at the Junior National Team level in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Fernandez serves on the coaching staff for Nevada State University’s (Henderson, Nev.) women’s flag football team.
Willy Perez, Assistant Coach
Perez enters his second year with the U.S. Men’s National Team. In his first international competition on the staff, Perez guided an offense that outscored opponents 258 to 65 at the 2025 IFAF Americas Continental Championship. The +193 point differential was the best in the tournament as the team earned a 5-0 record and was named co-champions. Perez won gold medals at the Junior National Team level in 2023 and 2024.
Perez is the head coach of Baker University’s (Baldwin City, Kan.) women’s flag football team.
U.S. Women’s National Team
Saaid Mortazavi, Head Coach
Mortazavi returns for his fourth year with the U.S. Women’s National Team as head coach. Since taking over in 2023, the team has won gold medals at the 2023 IFAF Americas Continental Flag Football Championship and the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championship. Additionally, the National Team won silver at The World Games 2025 and bronze at the 2025 IFAF Americas Continental Flag Football Championship.
Prior to leading the U.S. National Team, Mortazavi served as assistant coach of the Panamanian Men’s National Team in 2021 and head coach in 2022. Mortazavi, along with current U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jorge Cascudo, helped guide the Panamanian team to its highest ever finish at the 2021 IFAF Flag Football World Championship with a bronze medal performance.
Mary Kate Beach, Assistant Coach
Beach enters her third year as an assistant coach on the U.S. Women’s National Team after a successful playing career that saw her win two medals as a defensive back. She won gold at the 2021 IFAF Flag Football World Championship and silver at The World Games 2022.
Beach made her coaching debut in 2024, helping to lead the U.S. National Team to a gold medal at the IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Lahti, Finland. The women’s team posted an 8-0 record and emerged at the top of the standings over 22 other national teams.
Matthew Hernandez, Assistant Coach
Hernandez returns for his second year as an assistant coach on the U.S. Women’s National Team. In his first year with the team, Hernandez helped the program win medals at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China and the IFAF Americas Continental Championship in Penonomé, Panama. Hernandez won gold medals at the Junior National Team level in 2023 and 2024.
Hernandez is the head coach of the girls’ varsity flag football team at Alonso High School in Tampa, Fla. He has led the program to national prominence, winning Florida High School Athletic Association State Championships in 2018, 2019, 2023 and 2025.
17U Boys’ National Team
Chris Hughes, Head Coach
Hughes is entering his first year with the U.S. National Team program after leading his team to a gold medal finish in the 23U women’s division of USA Football’s 2025 Select Bowl. Hughes began playing flag football in college in 1986 and has since won multiple national titles at the club level in various formats.
Richie Delgado, Assistant Coach
Delgado began playing flag football in 2008 and joined the coaching ranks in 2016. He has helped Founders Classical Academy of Frisco (Texas) develop its football program to win multiple district championships and an area championship. His club teams have captured multiple tournament championships across various divisions.
Al Tucay, Quality Control Coach
Tucay began coaching flag football when his daughter, two-time Junior National Team gold medalist Trishelle, showed interest in the sport. A former high school tackle football player and Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) champion, Tucay coaches for the powerhouse Apex Predators flag football program and is a linebacker’s coach for Liberty High School in Henderson, Nev.
15U Boys’ National Team
Jon Nagapen, Head Coach
Nagapen joined the U.S. National Team program in 2025, when he led the 15U U.S. Boys’ National Team to a gold medal finish at USA Football’s Junior International Cup. Nagapen and the G-MEN All-Stars Flag Football club team (Bronx, N.Y.) have captured numerous championships, including the 2024 NFL Flag 13U National Championship.
Jesse Marrow, Assistant Coach
Marrow returns for his second season as Nagapen’s assistant coach with the 15U U.S. Boys’ National Team. He earned an invitation to join the U.S. National Team program after leading his 14U boys’ team to a gold medal finish at USA Football’s 2024 Select Bowl.
Wilson Naboa, Quality Control Coach
Naboa joins the U.S. National Team program after serving as a head coach at the 14U boys’ level during USA Football’s 2025 Select Bowl and guiding his team to a gold medal finish in Los Angeles. He is the head coach of Campbell High School's (Ewa Beach, Hawaii) girls' flag football program and led his team to victory in the inaugural Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) State Championship in 2025. He capped an excellent 2025 season by being named the Hawaii High School Coach of the Year in flag football.
17U Girls’ National Team
Joshua Saunders, Head Coach
Saunders joined the U.S. National Team program in 2024 as assistant coach of the 15U U.S. Girls’ National Team and assumed his current role in 2025. He won gold medals in both years.
Since Saunders began coaching girls’ high school flag football in 2007, he has become one of the sport’s most successful coaches in history. Under his leadership, Robinson High School in Tampa, Fla. has won ten FHSAA State Championships in the past 11 years, including the 2025 State Championship.
Nadia Bibbs, Assistant Coach
Bibbs joined the U.S. National Team program as a coach in 2025 following a successful playing career. The former DI basketball star is in her second season as Saunders’ assistant coach. Bibbs earned roster spots on the U.S. Women’s National Team twice, winning a gold medal in the 2021 IFAF Flag Football World Championship and a silver medal in The 2022 World Games.
Bibbs served as an athlete representative to the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Team selection committee in 2024 and 2025. She coached in USA Football’s Select Bowl in the 20U women’s division in 2024.
Angellica Grayson, Quality Control Coach
Grayson joins the U.S. National Team coaching staff after last serving as an assistant coach to Matthew Hernandez on the 2024 17U U.S. Girls’ National Team.
Grayson coached the University of St. Mary’s women’s flag football team for its first two seasons, helping to establish the school’s NAIA program. Following her time coaching in college, she worked with the Los Angeles Chargers as the team’s first Manager of Football Development to help support and inspire the next generation of athletes.
Grayson worked with the Washington Commanders in 2021 as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. She was a member of the U.S. Women’s Tackle National Team that won a gold medal at the 2017 IFAF Women's Tackle World Championship.
15U Girls’ National Team
Todd Thomson, Head Coach
Thomson joined the U.S. National Team program in 2024. He won gold medals as an assistant coach at the 15U boys’ and 17U boys' levels in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Thomson is the head coach of Desert Oasis High School’s girls’ varsity flag football team in Las Vegas, Nev. He was the Nevada Preps All-Southern Nevada Coach of the Year in 2023, when Desert Oasis won the 2023 4A State Championship.
Thomson also coaches for the national powerhouse Apex Predators program.
Nathan Williams, Assistant Coach
Williams officially joins the U.S. National Team program as a coach after assisting with talent identification for several years. Since he began coaching in 2014, Williams has led youth and adult club programs to championships in various flag football disciplines.
Williams coached for the powerhouse club program Texas Fury, winning the 2024 NFL FLAG 17U Girls’ Championship and 2025 NFL FLAG High School Girls’ Championship.
Ty Johnson, Quality Control Coach
Johnson began playing flag football in 2012 and made the leap to coaching in 2020. She is the head coach of Pace Academy’s girls’ flag football team in Atlanta, Ga. Under Johnson’s leadership, Pace has claimed five Area Championships and finished as the Division III state runner-up in 2024. She previously assisted USA Football with talent identification.
About USA Football: USA Football is the National Governing Body (NGB) for American Football in the United States and the sole U.S. member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the international governing body for the sport of American football. USA Football selects, trains and leads Team USA Football® in tackle and flag football disciplines, while delivering world-class football development resources, sport standards and competitive opportunities to empower athletes at every level. USA Football is committed to ensuring every athlete has access to develop and compete in the game through safer, inclusive and innovative pathways. For more information, visit usafootball.com.