After an up-and-down 2024 season, the Vancouver Whitecaps fired head coach Vanni Sartini on Monday.
The search for his replacement has already begun.
“We are incredibly grateful to Vanni,” said Axel Schuster, Whitecaps FC sporting director and chief executive officer. “Since arriving in Vancouver six years ago, Vanni gave his all to this club and city. He embraced everything with passion and enjoyed tremendous success along the way. I am extremely thankful for our friendship and wish him all the best."
Sartini, 48, led the Whitecaps to an eighth place finish in the Western Conference during the 2024 MLS regular season. In the playoffs, Vancouver went on to win the wild-card round with a 5-0 rout of the Portland Timbers, before succumbing to LAFC in round one. Los Angeles also eliminated the Whitecaps in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.
More notably, Vancouver won three consecutive Canadian Championships under the Italian, between 2022-24.
Schuster revealed that while the decision to part ways with Sartini was tough, the Whitecaps were ready for a new direction.
“I took my time with this decision, and it was not taken lightly. We have taken important steps each year and it is now the right time for someone else to lead this group on the pitch with fresh and new energy," he said.
Sartini joined the Whitecaps in 2019 as an assistant coach before transitioning to director of methodology in September 2020. He took over as interim manager in 2021 before being named full-time head coach that off-season.
“For the last three years and three months, it has been an absolute honour to be the head coach of Vancouver Whitecaps FC,” said Sartini. "... I will also always remember with fondness the successes on the field, but what I will cherish the most is the memories of my relationship with the fans, players, staff, and the community. Vancouver will always have a special place in my heart and my wife’s heart. Andiamo!”
In addition to his work on the pitch, Sartini was active in the community. He participated in several mini-pitch openings in Indigenous communities, as well as charitable initiatives including work with the BC SPCA.
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