FC Dallas today announced the hiring of Mark Briggs as first team assistant coach and Melissa Harris as first team nutritionist. Briggs joins the staff after serving as head coach of USL Championship side Birmingham Legion FC during the 2025 season. Harris joins FC Dallas from Baylor University, where she served as assistant director of performance nutrition, overseeing more than 150 student-athletes.
Briggs has served as a head coach in the USL Championship for Birmingham Legion FC, Sacramento Republic FC, and Real Monarchs, compiling a regular season record of 105-73-75. Before joining Birmingham, Briggs led Sacramento for five seasons, reaching the playoffs four times and advancing to the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final, becoming the first second-division club since 2008 to do so.
Briggs began his coaching career in 2015 with Wilmington Hammerheads FC. In 2017, he guided Real Monarchs to the USL Championship Players’ Shield and earned USL Championship Coach of the Year honors. A native of Wolverhampton, England, Briggs began his playing career with West Bromwich Albion before competing for several English and U.S. clubs. He holds a U.S. Soccer Pro License, the highest coaching certification in the country.
“Mark is somebody I know extremely well after coaching against him in the USL Championship,” FC Dallas head coach Eric Quill said. “His teams have been highly successful, and they tend to play a similar style to how we’ve played here. They show mentality, focus, and consistency. He’s a competitor at his core and brings deep knowledge and experience. He’s a winner, and we’re a club that wants winners.”
Prior to her time at Baylor, Harris worked as an associate performance dietitian at the University of Houston. She also held consulting roles with Jackson State football, the Frisco Fighters arena football team, and Built 4 It Athletics. Harris earned her bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University and a master’s degree from the University of Houston. She holds multiple professional certifications, including ISAK Level 1 and DEXA assessment training.
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