FC Wichita announce Gonzalo Carranza as Men's USL Head Coach

WICHITA, Kansas — Coaching promotion sees Gonzalo Carranza take the helm for the FC Wichita first team in the United Soccer League Two.

Carranza, Argentinian born, was raised in Brazil before moving to the United States to attend college, which eventually lead him to Friends University in Wichita, KS. 

In 2017 Carranza began his coaching journey with an assignment inside the FC Wichita youth system. Carranza exceeded expectations and was quickly rewarded with numerous promotions over the coming years, including titles as coaching director and camp director, before being named the head coach of the clubs United Women’s Soccer League team in 2021.

“Gonzalo has been a huge part of the growth of FC Wichita over the last few years,” says FC Wichita Technical Director Bryan Perez. “We’re excited for this hire and looking forward to working with him again this summer.”

In 2018, he was an assistant coach alongside Blake Shumaker (FC Wichita President) when FC Wichita made an historic run in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The team advanced forward in the competition eliminating higher division teams but eventually fell just five minutes short of an appearance in the next round at Sporting Kansas City, who was then a defending Open Cup champion. 

"My first job was a middle school boys team," said Carranza. "At that time I was so appreciative of the opportunity to be a head coach that it might as well had been the world cup. I didn't know what to expect but I had friends that had been around FC Wichita prior to my arrival and had great things to say about a potential for growth. My goal was always to do the best job I could and build a career in coaching. The few years I was in the NPSL men's assistant role really helped me grow and understand all facets of this process." 

Throughout his tenure with FC Wichita, Carranza also received college assistant coaching opportunities at nearby Bethel College and Hutchinson Community College, before eventually taking a head coaching role at Eastern Oklahoma State College in 2021.

Carranza credits his relationships with local area colleges to FC Wichita. 

"The first college job I got in the area was a men's assistant job at Bethel College, an NAIA 4 year school," Carranza said. "I was introduced to James (Bethel head coach) by Blake. I told him I wanted a college job and he connected the two of us. The following year I went onto Hutchinson Community College to learn the women's and JUCO side of things where I worked under Sammy Lane, who at that time was also the women's coach for FC Wichita."

Carranza credits FC Wichita for helping him build strong relationships that in just five short years has seen a college graduate with no head coaching experience rise to the top of his profession as a head coach in the United Soccer League.

"This job means a lot to me because I know how much the USL program means to the club and the city," Carranza said. "Bryan and Blake both know the trust they've put in me over the years has gained my admiration and loyalty. Personally on day one I couldn't have imagined for a better pathway towards rest of my career. Now I just want to win games for the entire FC Wichita family."