Who is Christy Holly, the Irish soccer coach facing US sexual abuse allegations?

Holly played for Limavady United before working his way up to head coach of Sky Blue FC of New Jersey before taking over as head coach at  Racing Louisville in 2020.

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - AUGUST 18: Head coach Christy Holly of Racing Louisville FC speaks with Savannah McCaskill #7 against Chicago Red Stars at Lynn Family Stadium on August 18, 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Racing Louisville President James O’Connor has apologised to fans of the NWSL soccer team as well as to the former player who came forward with allegations of sexual abuse.

Wicklow man O'Connor is a former Republic of Ireland U21 international who played with Stoke, West Brom, Burnley and Sheffield Wednesday during a long career. 

The coach facing the abuse allegations is Christy Holly, a Derry man who played for Irish league side Limavady United before making his name as a coach in US women's football. 

Holly moved to the US 15 years ago and worked his way up to head coach of Sky Blue FC of New Jersey before taking over as head coach at  Racing Louisville in 2020. He was also part of the USA’s World Cup triumph in 2019 as an ‘opposition analyst’ for manager Jill Ellis.

In his apology, O'Connor referred to the report released on Monday compiled by former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Q. Yates and the law firm of King & Spaulding detailed “systemic” abuse and misconduct in women’s soccer. US Soccer retained Yates when a series of scandals rocked the league last year.

O'Connor wrote: "The US Soccer-released Sally Yates report which was published earlier this week served as a harsh reminder that appointing Christy Holly as Racing Louisville FC’s first coach was a mistake. We have learned from that mistake, and we apologise to Erin Simon, to our players past and present and to our fans."

Yates’ report focused on three former coaches: Paul Riley, who denied allegations of sexual coercion and harassment at North Carolina Courage, Louisville’s Holly and Chicago’s Rory Dames. Not only did the investigation find misconduct by all three, it also said their teams did not fully cooperate.

The investigative report recounted an April 2021 encounter between then-Louisville coach Holly and a player, Erin Simon, who now plays with Leicester City. The report says Holly invited Simon to watch game film with him and allegedly told her that for every pass she messed up, he was going to touch her. Simon told investigators Holly “pushed his hands down her pants and up her shirt.” The club fired Holly last season "for cause" after looking into the allegations against him.

That incident, according to the investigation, is part of a “pattern of misconduct” Holly allegedly engaged in during his time with Racing, including “verbal and emotional abuse of players and a relationship with a member of staff that caused problems”.

O’Connor added in his statement: “We commend Erin for her bravery in coming forward as part of U.S. Soccer’s investigation. And while our former coach was terminated within 24 hours of us being alerted to the behaviour, we know that wasn’t enough and that we failed our locker room by creating a space where this behaviour could occur,”

Yates wrote in her report on the investigation: “Abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women’s soccer, beginning in youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs boundaries between coaches and players.

“The verbal and emotional abuse players describe in the NWSL is not merely ‘tough’ coaching. And the players affected are not shrinking violets. They are among the best athletes in the world."

More than 200 people were interviewed by investigators. Some two dozen entities and individuals provided documents. U.S. Soccer also provided documents and the firm reviewed 89,000 deemed likely to be relevant.

U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone called the findings “heartbreaking and deeply troubling.” 

The NWSL said it was reviewing the report. The league and the NWSL Players Association are also conducting an investigation. 

At Louisville's Lynn Family Stadium on Wednesday, fans and supporters staged a protest during Louisville City FC's match to let club leadership know they wanted more action.

O'Connor said the club will cooperate with the ongoing NWSL/NWSLPA joint investigation and will "welcome recommendations to improve our organization for the betterment of players."

But Racing Louisville FC's former goalkeeper Michelle Betos says she felt manipulated by the club. 

"I think the thing that has really been hard for me to grapple with was how much the club made us stay silent."

USA star Megan Rapinoe, on media duty ahead of the USA's meeting with England at Wembley on Friday, was scathing about the three coaches named in the investigation.

"Rory’s been an asshole for the entire time that I’ve known him, from the first second that I heard him on the sideline in the first season that I ever played. Paul’s the same. I didn't know Christy Holly personally but everything I heard about him was horrible."

No criminal charges have been filed against Holly, who declined to comment when contacted this week by the Courier Journal in Louisville.

Associated Press and editors