Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced their new head coach on Wednesday, revealing that LAFC assistant Marc Dos Santos has agreed to a three-year contract to lead VWFC through 2021.
One of the most highly-regarded coaching prospects in the league, Dos Santos has never led an MLS side before but brings ample experience from previous stints in Portugal, Canada, Brazil and the United States.
Before his stint under Bob Bradley at LAFC, the Montreal native led the San Francisco Deltas to the 2017 NASL Soccer Bowl championship and also enjoyed successful stints with USL side and Sporting KC affiliate Swope Park Rangers, Ottawa Fury FC, the Montreal Impact in their lower-division era and the youth system at Brazil’s Palmeiras.
“Marc is a confident, driven leader who has proven himself as a winner at every level he has been tested,” said Whitecaps FC co-owner Jeff Mallett in a statement. “We were impressed by his ability to deliver a clear plan that optimizes all of our resources to measurably improve the club in critical areas. Bringing in Marc positions the club to meet our goals of competing regularly with the best in the league and to win trophies for Vancouver's loyal supporters, starting first and foremost with the MLS Cup.”
The announcement noted that Dos Santos will manage the first-team roster, including player transactions, and will work closely with Whitecaps academy technical director Craig Dalrymple, while reporting to vice president of soccer operations Greg Anderson.
Dos Santos, 41, holds a UEFA A coaching license, has compiled a 124-81-70 record as a head coach at the professional level and was twice named NASL Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2017. A dual Canadian-Portuguese citizen, he spent 2012 and 2013 in Brazil, coaching FC Primeira Camisa U-20, SE Palmeiras U-15 and serving as technical director for Desportivo Brasil. He speaks English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
“Whitecaps FC are a club with a rich history, from the NASL days, to CSL, USL and now in MLS,” said Dos Santos. “It's a club with an incredible potential to grow and become an example for others. I believe in the structure the club has and in the passion of the people involved. I look forward to meeting with our supporters and listening to them, sharing in their dreams and ambitions. They are a very big part of what this club is all about, and together we will meet the challenge of becoming a championship-caliber club.”
