Two weeks after their postseason concluded, the Vancouver Whitecaps are already making changes. The team announced on Monday that it is saying goodbye to head coach Vanni Sartini and will be looking for a new coach this season.
Sartini has been a member of the Whitecaps organization since 2019, starting as an assistant coach. In November 2021, he was promoted to head coach.
In a statement, Sartini and Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster both expressed their gratitude for each other.
“I took my time making this decision, and it was not taken lightly,” Schuster said in the statement. “We have made important strides every year and now is the right time for someone else to lead this group on the field with fresh and new energy.”
“I will always be grateful to Axel Schuster and the owners for entrusting me to be the technical director of this club at such an important time,” Sartini added in the statement. “I will always remember the successes on the field with fondness, but what I will cherish most are the memories of my relationships with the fans, players, staff and community. Vancouver will always have a special place in my heart. ” “
Sartini led the team to two playoff appearances in three years and made changes, but the Whitecaps could never advance past the first round. That tradition continued this year, with Vancouver losing to LAFC in the first round after forcing a win-or-go-home Game 3.
Sartini also led Vancouver to three consecutive Canadian Championships, besting professional soccer teams across Canada. The tournament featured three Canadian MLS teams: Vancouver, Toronto FC and CF Montréal.
The Whitecaps finished in eighth place this season after a 13W-8D-13L finish. Vancouver started the postseason well, beating the Portland Timbers 5-0 in the wild card round.
The win was especially impressive considering it took place in Portland; Despite being the higher seed, Vancouver was unable to host due to a stadium conflict, with the team’s BC Place scheduled to host a motocross event on the day. After Timbers head coach Phil Neville joked that happiness meant that “God is a Timbers fan”, Sartini responded similarly after the game: “God may be a Timbers fan, but God doesn’t exist for me.”
(Sartini’s witty comments have gotten him in trouble before: After a controversial decision turned the tide of last year’s playoffs, Sartini was suspended five games for joking that he would be a suspect if the referee was found dead .)
Sartini’s firing marks just the latest MLS coach to part ways with his team, even with the postseason still underway. Earlier this month, Philadelphia Union fired former head coach Jim Curtain after the team failed to qualify for the playoffs, while Inter Miami coach Tata Martino opted to leave the team due to personal reasons. Atlanta United also has a head coaching opening following the firing of Gonzalo Pineda in June.
