Whitecaps get their man

Photo: CTV

The Vancouver Whitecaps have a new head coach and he's a Canadian!

Marc Dos Santos has agreed to a three-year contract to lead the Vancouver Whitecaps through 2021.

Dos Santos, formerly an assistant with the Los Angeles Football Club, was a top head coaching prospect in the MLS and a native of Montreal.

Dos Santos has international coaching experience with Portugal, Brazil the United States and Canada.

“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 club release. “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.

“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.”