Vancouver Whitecaps agree to 2-year deal with head coach Vanni Sartini
The Vancouver Whitecaps are sticking with Vanni Sartini, removing the interim tag the head coach held while leading the club through a big late-season comeback.
The 'Caps announced the news in a release Tuesday, saying Sartini has agreed to a two-year contract through the 2023 season.
The exuberant native of Florence, Italy, was handed the job on an interim basis on Aug. 27 when the 'Caps fired former head coach Marc Dos Santos.
Vancouver fell to the bottom of the Western Conference in early August following an eight-game winless skid, and later lost to Canadian Premier League side Pacific FC in the Canadian Championship.
The 'Caps finished the regular season sixth in the Western Conference with a 12-9-13 record - including a 7-2-5 stretch under Sartini - and made the playoffs for the first time in four years before losing to Sporting Kansas City 3-1 in a first-round matchup.
Sartini came to the Whitecaps in 2019 as Dos Santos's assistant coach and spent two seasons with the first team before he was named the club's “director of methodology” and took over coaching the U-23 team in 2020.
Before joining the 'Caps, he worked as a coach educator for the Italian Football Federation and the U.S. Soccer Federation, and coached at several different clubs in Italy.
Sartini said in a statement Wednesday that the last three months have “completely changed (his) life.”
“When the club gave me the chance to be the head coach in August, I didn't know how long I was going to last but I knew that I had to give everything and make the most of the opportunity,” he said. “I am fortunate to be surrounded by a great team and I'm so honoured, but also so excited, to help grow this club and continue this journey. Everyone now knows we are a good team, there are certain standards that need to be met, and the best is yet to come.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 30, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Tropical fish stolen from Beachburg, Ont. restaurant found and returned
Ontario Provincial Police have landed a suspect following a fishy theft in Beachburg, Ont.