Veteran MLS scouting and recruitment executive brings a data-driven, process-first approach to roster building as FC Naples strengthens its football operations and Southwest Florida’s professional soccer pathway
NAPLES, FL – September 24, 2026 – FC Naples today announced the appointment of Sean Howe as the club’s Sporting Director, adding an experienced Major League Soccer scouting and recruitment executive to lead the club’s football operations department. Howe steps into this role to oversee roster construction, player recruitment, domestic and international scouting, contract and transfer management, technical staff oversight, and long-term competitive strategy.
Howe is best known throughout the industry for a disciplined, process-driven approach to talent evaluation, one that blends data analysis with hands-on scouting, incorporating video study, live evaluation, player meetings and character assessment, rather than relying on any single source of information. With a foundation in coaching and technical leadership roles, Howe is more than a scout. He is skilled with managing coaching staff, overseeing technical programming, and player development, bringing a valuable organizational leadership perspective to FC Naples.
“Sean brings the experience and perspective we were looking for as we build the next phase of FC Naples,” said Roberto Moreno, CEO of FC Naples. “Sean will create a sporting structure that can consistently identify the right players domestically and internationally, build competitive rosters and establish a clear identity for this club over the long term.”
“Recruitment starts with understanding who you are as a club and the type of player who can succeed in that environment,” Sean Howe said. “The opportunity at FC Naples is to build a process that supports what we need to accomplish now while also thinking several seasons ahead. That means being disciplined about how we identify players, how we evaluate them and how every roster decision contributes to the identity we are building.”
Howe’s path to Naples spans three Major League Soccer organizations. He moved into professional scouting with Atlanta United, contributing to talent identification and roster strategy as part of a scouting and analysis operation that blended live evaluation, video study and data-informed decision-making. The move placed him inside a championship-level MLS environment, with Atlanta United winning both the 2019 Campeones Cup and the U.S. Open Cup during his time on the club’s technical staff.
In 2021, D.C. United named Howe Director of Scouting, entrusting him to build and lead the club’s scouting network across local, regional, national and international markets. Over more than two years in Washington, his responsibilities spanned player identification, roster planning and coordination with the league office on compliance matters.
Most recently, Howe held a senior scouting role with San Diego FC ahead of and during the club’s inaugural 2025 MLS season. San Diego FC’s roster-building philosophy is built around Right to Dream, the global football and education organization whose model pairs data-driven talent identification with character development and long-term player pathways rather than short-term results alone. Howe was part of the scouting operation that helped build a first-year roster that finished first in the Western Conference with 19 wins and 63 points and advanced to the Western Conference Final, setting MLS records for wins and points by an expansion team.
That full-pathway view, from managing youth technical programs, to championship-level MLS scouting, is central to what FC Naples hopes Howe brings to Southwest Florida. The club recently signed local products Ty Collins and Alex Bulai-Tudor to academy contracts, and club leadership sees Howe’s appointment as another step toward building a more connected, more visible soccer pathway in the region, one where talent isn’t just brought to Southwest Florida, but discovered and developed here.
“Southwest Florida has a strong soccer community, and there is tremendous value in having a professional club that young players can see and connect with,” Howe said. “We want to understand the talent in our own region while continuing to search nationally and internationally.”
Howe begins immediately. His early work will focus on evaluating FC Naples’ current roster, scouting infrastructure and organizational needs as he starts building the club’s sporting operations toward the 2027 season and beyond.
About FC Naples
FC Naples is Southwest Florida’s first professional soccer team, based at the state-of-the-art Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Naples, Florida. In their inaugural 2025 USL League One season, the club finished fourth in the regular season standings and qualified for the playoffs. The club’s mission is to create a world-class family experience and forge a title-contending team to be the pride of Southwest Florida. FC Naples’ crest, colors, and culture reflect the community’s rich history of strength and resilience, as well as a deep connection to the beaches and waterways that have shaped the region. Learn more at www.FCNaples.com.