VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced on Tuesday the appointment of Jesper Sørensen as the club’s new head coach. Sørensen has agreed to a two-year contract through 2026.
“Jesper is known for his competitiveness, adaptability, and leadership, qualities that have proven to bring the best out of both his players and staff,” said Axel Schuster, Whitecaps FC sporting director. “Throughout his career, he has delivered immediate success with his teams, whether that was securing promotion or competing for titles. His ability to improve individual players while also implementing a flexible, high-performing tactical system will be key to our continued growth. Jesper is the right leader to take us to the next level.”
Whitecaps FC head coach Jesper Sørensen
- Over 200 matches as a head coach and over 300 matches as a player at the top level in Denmark
- 1.75 points per game during two-year spell at Brøndby IF (37W-19L-17D)
- Finished second with Brøndby IF during the 2023/24 Danish Superliga season, compiling a record of 18W-6L-8D
- Second-best defensive side in the league (35 goals conceded, lowest was 34)
- Second-best goal differential in the league (+25, best was +26)
- Third-most goals scored in the league (60, highest was 64)
- Led Silkeborg IF to promotion from the Danish 1. Division to the Danish Superliga
- UEFA Pro coaching license and fluent in English, Danish, and German
- 15-year career as a midfielder at the professional club level in the Danish Superliga
“I am tremendously excited to join Vancouver Whitecaps FC. It's a wonderful opportunity and I'm very grateful,” added Sørensen. “I'm here to help the team, win football games, as well as work with the players to get them better and we will do it together.”
- The only way to secure a seat to every MLS regular season home match at BC Place is by becoming a Whitecaps FC season member. For more information visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
Sørensen, 51, most recently served as head coach of Brøndby IF, posting a 37W-19L-17D record and a 1.75 points per game average during a two-year spell with the club. At the time of taking the position in January 2023, Brøndby sat 10th in the Danish Superliga before Sørensen helped the team improve to a fifth-place finish. The following season, the Dane led Brøndby to a second-place finish during the 2023/24 season, completing the campaign with the second-least goals conceded, second-best goal differential, and third-most goals scored in the league. Sørensen also spent some time with Brøndby as an assistant coach from 2019 to 2021.
Between his two stints at Brøndby, Sørensen coached at the international level with Denmark’s U-21 side from September 2021 to December 2022. During this period, Denmark reached the qualification playoffs for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
Sørensen has also held the head coach position at fellow Danish sides FC Fredericia and Silkeborg IF, as well as two separate stints with his hometown club Aarhus Gymnastikforening (AGF) as an assistant coach. At Silkeborg, Sørensen guided the team to promotion from the Danish 1. Division to the Superliga in his first season at the helm, winning their third league title in club history having posted a record of 20W-7L-6D. Sørensen also won the 2010/11 1. Division during his first stint as an assistant coach with AGF.
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The native of Aarhus, Denmark was a midfielder during his 15-year professional career with AGF, Akademisk Boldklub Gladsaxe (AB), FC Copenhagen, and Ikast FS, while also representing his country at the U-21, U-19, and U-17 levels.
Sørensen becomes the sixth full-time head coach in Vancouver’s 15-year MLS history. Following today’s announcement, Sørensen will join his new team as they depart for a three-and-a-half-week camp at the Marbella Football Center.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC will kick off their Major League Soccer with a Cascadia rivalry clash against Portland Timbers on Sunday, February 23 at Providence Park. The following weekend, Vancouver hosts MLS Cup champions Los Angeles Galaxy in the home opener at BC Place on Sunday, March 2.
The start of the 2025 MLS season will come in-between Whitecaps FC beginning play in the Concacaf Champions Cup, starting with a Round One matchup against Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa. The first leg will take place in Costa Rica on Thursday, February 20, while the second leg will be hosted at BC Place on Thursday, February 27.
