VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced on Wednesday that the club has extended the contract of head coach Carl Robinson through 2020. Assistant coaches Martyn Pert and Gordon Forrest have also agreed to multi-year contract extensions.
Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson
- Qualified for MLS Cup Playoffs and won the Cascadia Cup in two of his first three seasons
- Won the club’s first Voyageurs Cup after winning the 2015 Amway Canadian Championship
- Qualified as the top seed in the 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals
“The 2017 season started for us as soon as the final whistle went on Sunday,” said Whitecaps FC president Bob Lenarduzzi. “Today’s announcement is a statement that everyone is committed to the vision of our club.
“Carl’s body of work over the course of his five years at the club has shown that he is one of the top up-and-coming head coaches in North America. While this past season was certainly a learning experience for everyone involved within the club, we have complete faith in Carl’s continued vision in acquiring the necessary players to build a team that will compete with the best in MLS.”
In his three seasons at the helm, Robinson has led Whitecaps FC to two MLS Cup playoff appearances, including the club’s first-ever home playoff match in MLS, and two Cascadia Cup titles. Robinson also managed Whitecaps FC to their first-ever Voyageurs Cup and first two appearances in the CONCACAF Champions League, where they will compete in the quarterfinals as the top seed this coming February.
The native of Llandrindod Wells, Wales joined the club as a first team assistant coach in 2012 following two seasons as a player/coach with the New York Red Bulls.
Among the key players acquired during Robinson’s tenure are MLS leading tackler the past three seasons in Matias Laba, 2015 MLS Defender of the Year runner-up and 2016 MLS All-Star Kendall Waston, and two-time FIFA World Cup midfielder Christian Bolaños. This past season, Robinson signed the first two players to make the jump from Whitecaps FC 2 (WFC2) in Canadians Alphonso Davies and Brett Levis.
“As we’ve said all along, we’re building the club for not only the short term, but the medium and long term as well,” said Robinson. “We’re excited to continue building our foundation. We’ve brought in a number of players who have contributed greatly to the successes that we have achieved so far. We have a comprehensive plan for 2017 and beyond; changes will be made and players will be brought in to give our fans the team that they deserve.”
“Players will be brought in to give our fans the team that they deserve.”
Assistant coaches Pert and Forrest both joined the first team in January 2014.
Hailing from Norfolk, England, Pert had previously served as an assistant coach with English Premier League outfit Cardiff City FC, Football League Championship side Coventry City FC, and the Bahrain senior men’s national team. A graduate of Loughborough University’s Sport & Exercise master’s program, Pert has held head of conditioning/sports science positions with Watford FC, Fulham FC, and Cardiff City FC
Forrest joined the club in October 2012 as head coach of the U-18 Residency team and manager of coaching development, before taking on the role as head of high performance - a link from the club's Residency program and Whitecaps FC 2 side to the first team. Prior to joining the club, the Dunfermline, Scotland native spent nearly a decade working in soccer development for New Zealand Football and the Scottish Football Association, as well as a period as the assistant coach of East Fife FC in the Scottish Second Division.
Robinson and Pert leave for South America on Thursday to kick off their extensive off-season scouting plans.
