Pacific FC head coach departs after 2 years, championship win
Pacific FC head couch Pa-Modou Kah is heading south to join FC Dallas after two years with the Vancouver Island team, and a recent championship win at the 2021 Canadian Premier League.
Kah joined Pacific FC in January 2020, after working as an assistant coach at FC Cincinnati and Whitecaps FC 2. He also played more than 400 professional soccer games across the world, and was part of the Norway national team.
"I’m very proud of what we accomplished this season with the championship," Kah said in a release Friday.
"We went through a lot as a team so I want to thank the players, the staff and the ownership," he said. "In my two years here we accomplished a lot so I will always remember my time here well."
James Merriman, the team's associate head coach, has been named the new head coach.
Merriman was born and raised on Vancouver Island and has previous experience coaching at Vancouver Island University, and was the technical director for the Van Isle Wave program and Trident Development.
"I’m excited to build off what we did last year and what we built over the last three years, and take it into the next season," said Merriman Friday.
"I definitely didn’t think I’d ever have the chance to coach a professional team on Vancouver Island but that’s what the Canadian Premier League is doing, creating opportunities like this."
Pacific FC CEO Rob Friend says that Merriman has been part of the team since its inception three years ago, and was "instrumental" to how the club came together.
He adds that the club is grateful for the time that Kah spent coaching the team, and describes him as "arguably one of the top coaches in North America."
As Kah heads to the U.S. to coach for Dallas, he says he's grateful for the time he spent on the island, and is confident in Merriman's leadership.
"I hope I made them proud, I hope I made the Island proud," he said. "We couldn’t have achieved this without their support."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Here's how much more Canadian landlords are asking for now, according to a just-released report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
What is basic income, and how would it impact me?
Parliamentarians are considering a pair of bills aiming to lift people out of poverty through a basic income program, but some fear these types of systems could result in more taxes for Canadians who are already financially struggling.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Out-of-control wildfire burning near Fort McMurray
As of 9 a.m. on Friday, the wildfire burning 28 kilometres southwest of the northeastern Alberta city was 25 hectares in size.
Mexico's president accuses press and volunteer searchers for missing people of 'necrophilia'
The administration of Mexico's president has accused the press and volunteer searchers who look for the bodies of missing people of 'necrophilia,' comments that drew criticism this week.