Marc Dos Santos is out as head coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps, and sporting director Axel Schuster believes the move could be the jolt the club needs as it battles for a playoff position.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 convinced it could be at exactly the right moment, that itB次元官网网址檚 the wake-up call to go back and focus also on the small things that weB次元官网网址檙e not doing well,B次元官网网址� Schuster told reporters on a video call Friday after the team announced Dos Santos had been fired.

B次元官网网址淲e decided this morning that this project needs another push, that this project needs some new life.B次元官网网址�

Phil Dos Santos, MarcB次元官网网址檚 brother and an assistant coach with the club, was also relieved of his duties.

Whitecaps director of methodology Vanni Sartini will lead the team as acting head coach. Assistant coach Ricardo Clark and goalkeeper coach Youssef Dahha will remain in their posts, the team said.

Sartini said heB次元官网网址檇 developed a friendship with the Dos Santos brothers since the trio arrived in Vancouver in 2018.

B次元官网网址淚 know how much they worked and how much energy they pushed for the club and the team,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址 of the regime change came after the Whitecaps (5-7-8) suffered a 4-3 upset loss to Canadian Premier League side Pacific FC on Thursday, crashing out of the Canadian Championship for the second time under Dos SantosB次元官网网址� leadership.

The Whitecaps were at the bottom of Major League SoccerB次元官网网址檚 Western Conference standings early this season after losing five straight games but have rebounded of late and are riding an eight-game undefeated streak in MLS play. The club sat three points outside of a playoff spot on Friday.

Dismissing Dos Santos wasnB次元官网网址檛 simply about the result of ThursdayB次元官网网址檚 game, Schuster said, noting heB次元官网网址檇 recently spoken with the coaching staff about what needed to change.

B次元官网网址淲e are on a good run here results-wise but we could be even on a better one, maybe,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚 also donB次元官网网址檛 want to wait until the results copy what we see on the pitch, or saw on the pitch in several games.B次元官网网址�

One area where the team needs to improve is on defence, Schuster said.

The Whitecaps have conceded the third-most goals (30) in the Western Conference this season and starting B次元官网网址榢eeper Maxime Crepeau has registered 50 saves in just 15 appearances.

B次元官网网址淚 think we have now the skill level, we have the quality to score goals,B次元官网网址� Schuster said. B次元官网网址淚f we continue to concede goals in the way we have conceded goals, we will always be in trouble.B次元官网网址�

Fans shouldnB次元官网网址檛 expect big changes on the field on Sunday, though, when the Whitecaps host Real Salt Lake at B.C. Place.

Sartini said he isnB次元官网网址檛 planning to do anything B次元官网网址渃razy or differentB次元官网网址� for the game because the team has been getting results. The interim coach said if changes are going to be made, theyB次元官网网址檒l come next week.

The Whitecaps ended last year three points below the playoff bar with a 9-14-0 record and missed the post-season for the third year in a row.

Making the playoffs this year is key, Schuster said.

Whether firing Dos Santos will distract from that goal remains to be seen, he added.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檒l find out later,B次元官网网址� the sporting director said. B次元官网网址淎gain, itB次元官网网址檚 a wake up call to make everyone in the locker room aware that we have to do better than we have done in the last weeks.B次元官网网址�

Dos Santos, 44, was in the final year of his contract with Vancouver. He took over as coach in November 2018 after spending a year as an assistant with upstart Los Angeles FC.

The Montreal-born coach repeatedly said the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were difficult for the Whitecaps, who were forced to finish the 2020 campaign based out of Portland and began this year playing home games in Sandy, Utah.

Living away from his family took a personal toll, Dos Santos said.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not easy. ItB次元官网网址檚 not easy for the staff, itB次元官网网址檚 not easy for the players,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎nd of course itB次元官网网址檚 easier when you win a lot, but when you donB次元官网网址檛, it makes it even more difficult, for sure.B次元官网网址�

Despite the clubB次元官网网址檚 poor record early this year, Dos Santos said he didnB次元官网网址檛 feel as if he were under pressure. He maintained that real pressure would come from not being able to feed his family, or having cancer or a brain tumour.

B次元官网网址淧ressure of getting fired? ItB次元官网网址檚 part of every coachB次元官网网址檚 pathway, you know? ItB次元官网网址檚 even important for a coach on his pathway to get fired,B次元官网网址� he said on June 24, the day after Vancouver dropped a 2-1 decision to the L.A. Galaxy for a fifth straight loss.

B次元官网网址淚 never got fired in my life. So I think itB次元官网网址檚 an important step on your pathway as a coach to grow. So I donB次元官网网址檛 feel pressure, I feel frustration.B次元官网网址�

Before joining MLS, Dos Santos worked with the San Francisco Deltas of the North American Soccer League, where he earned manager of the year honours in 2017. He also guided the Ottawa Fury to the NASL final in 2015, his second and final year with the squad.

Weeks before Dos Santos took over the B次元官网网址楥aps squad, players and the teamB次元官网网址檚 general manager said the group suffered from a B次元官网网址渄ividedB次元官网网址� locker-room B次元官网网址� an issue that grew after coach Carl Robinson and his staff were fired mid-season.

The dual Canadian-Portuguese citizen said he knew he was arriving at a B次元官网网址渄ifficult momentB次元官网网址� for the club, and acknowledged that creating change and forming a new identity wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be easy.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not a PowerPoint presentation to the players or a motivational speaker or Harry Potter with a wand and now we have culture. ThatB次元官网网址檚 done in the day-to-day, every day,B次元官网网址� he told reporters at his first press conference as the Whitecaps head coach.

The Whitecaps finished the 2019 campaign with a dismal 8-16-10 record, and were ousted from the Canadian Championship when they dropped a 2-1 decision to the CPLB次元官网网址檚 Cavalry FC.

Fans hoping to see a new face behind the B次元官网网址楥aps bench this season may be disappointed. Schuster said he the club doesnB次元官网网址檛 feel rushed to find a replacement and that he doesnB次元官网网址檛 have any specific candidates in mind.

B次元官网网址淲e never want to hire the first one. We want to hire the right one,B次元官网网址� he said.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press

Like us on and follow us on .

Want to support local journalism? Make a donation