Amid a decisively poor season of play so far, Vancouver FC has parted ways with its head coach, and a new coach is coming in.
As of Wednesday morning, while reports of Afshin Ghotbi being fired were flooding social media and some soccer-specific media, the 91原创-based team would not speak many specifics about the personnel changes, beyond to confirm it was happening.
Ghotbi, 61, joined the Eagles pro soccer team as its first-ever head coach in November 2022, ahead of the club's inaugural season in the Canadian Premier League (CPL).
鈥淥n behalf of everyone at Vancouver FC, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Afshin for the commitment he showed to our organization,鈥� said Rob Friend, president and CEO of Vancouver FC.
鈥淭aking charge of a team while launching a new organization is never an easy task. The work Afshin put in to help build this club from scratch went well beyond the pitch and we thank him for the dedication he showed on and off the field. We wish him all the best in the next steps of his coaching career,鈥� he said.
Friend toted Ghotbi's wealth of coaching experience across many levels of the game, including at three FIFA World Cups, as he re-signed the coach for his third season back in January.
Ghotbi played an integral role as VFC navigated its first season in the league in 2023, and subsequently improved its record in its sophomore year of play in 2024, Friend boasted.
鈥淚 am pleased to bring Afshin back for his third season with Vancouver FC,鈥� he said at the time. 鈥淟eading a new squad in a league as competitive as the Canadian Premier League comes with its challenges, but Afshin has never shied away from the task. He continues to set lofty goals for our organization and we are confident we will achieve them during his tenure.鈥�
But the wins haven't been coming for this team this season. The Eagles are currently at the bottom of the CPL league for 2025. Out of 15 games played, they have only won one, tied five, and lost nine. The last defeat came last Saturday, when their Toronto hosts 鈥� the York United FC 鈥� locked them out in a 4-0 victory.
Outside of league play, however, they did recently defeat Calgary's Cavalry FC to advance to the semifinals in Canadian Championship play.
Ghotbi, a native of Iran who moved to the United States as a teenager, began his decades-long coaching career in the 1980s.
He previously worked on the technical staff for the U.S. men鈥檚 national team in 1997 and 1998, including during the squad鈥檚 appearance at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and as an assistant coach with the South Korean men鈥檚 national team, joining the squad at both the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups as well as at appearances in the Confederations Cup, Asian Cup, and Gold Cup.
In 2009, Ghotbi was named head coach of the Iranian national team, leading the side to the quarter-finals of the 2011 Asian Cup. At the club level, Ghotbi was part of the coaching staff that led the LA Galaxy to an MLS Cup win in 2005. He won the Iranian league title in 2008 as head coach of Persepolis FC, and was named the league鈥檚 coach of the year that season.
Ghotbi has also worked for top-flight clubs in South Korea with the Samsung Bluewings, Japan with the Shimizu S-Pulse and China with the Cangzhou Mighty Lions FC.
鈥淚 am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue our unfinished business in developing the 鈥榝ootball factory鈥� of Vancouver FC,鈥� Ghotbi said, after resigning with the team in the new year. 鈥淲e have built the foundation and identity of a football club that will change the sporting landscape of Canada. I am grateful to the ownership, the fans, and players for their trust and support and look forward to a thrilling season.鈥�
While Ghotbi is gone, former York FC head coach Martin Nash has left the Toronto team to take over as interim head coach. More details are expected to come during a press conference at 3 p.m. today (Wednesday, July 23).
Also on Wednesday, the team announced the departure of two of its seasoned players, forwards Alejandro Diaz and Mikael Cantave. Diaz will join the Pacific FC on Vancouver Island. They also confirmed that attacker Hugo Mbongue has joined the Vancouver FC roster, on loan from Toronto FC.
Next up, Vancouver FC Eagles take on Valour FC at Willoughby Community Park in 91原创 on Friday, July 25, with the team taking the pitch at 7 p.m.
