Thursday, March 28, 2024

Pacific FC names new head coach for 2019 season

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Just a month after announcing itself to the world, the Pacific FC soccer team has named Michael Silberbauer as its head coach.

Formerly the assistant coach for two Swiss outfits, Silberbauer also played alongside Pacific FC president Josh Simpson. Leading the Canadian Premier League team will be his first time as head coach.

“The Canadian Premier League is a unique opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” Silberbauer said. “Opportunities like this aren’t going to happen anymore. To have the opportunity to work alongside club owner, Dean Shillington, Josh Simpson and Rob Friend in building a football club from the ground up is unique. It’s something you take very seriously.”

Silberbauer has years of Danish national team experience playing in the European Championship, and four years of assistant coaching experience—exactly what Pacific FC CEO Rob Friend was after.

“That sort of experience, to us, was exactly what we were looking for to bring to Canada, to bring a different flavour, and also for young coaches to develop under,” Friend said.

Silberbauer will work over the coming months to build the Pacific FC ahead of the league’s kickoff in April 2019. He’ll be joined by assistant coach James Merriman, a Canadian who last worked as the head coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps under-15 residency team.

Merriman also worked previously as the assistant coach of the Simon Fraser University men’s soccer NCAA Division II program in 2012 and 2013, and as the assistant coach at Vancouver Island University from 2009 to 2011.

“[Merriman] understands the Canadian game and the local, regional market here,” said Pacific FC president Josh Simpson. “He understands the Canadian mentality, the Canadian game, and he’s got a great network, so it really balances out.”

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Myles Sauer
Former staff editor and writer at Victoria Buzz.

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