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
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
NEW 'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Canadian couple among tourists on sinking sailing boat tour abroad
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.