Marc Dos Santos


Marc Dos Santos is a Canadian-Portuguese soccer manager who is currently the head coach of Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer. He was previously the head coach of Montreal Impact in D2 Pro League, was North American Soccer League Coach of the Year in 2015, when he led the Ottawa Fury FC to the North American Soccer League Championship Final after a first-place finish in the Fall Season, coached at Swope Park Rangers of United Soccer League, San Francisco Deltas of NASL and assistant coach of Los Angeles FC. Prior to that, he focused on youth initiatives in Brazil with FC Primeira Camisa and SE Palmeiras, culminating with a Copa do Brasil Sub-15 championship and a technical director position with Desportivo Brasil. The Montreal native was first hired by the Montreal Impact in January 2007 to lead the club's reserve team, Trois-Rivieres Attak FC, in the Canadian Soccer League. After leading the squad to titles in their initial two seasons – first as 2007 Open Canada Cup champions, then as 2008 CSL National Division champions – Dos Santos was added to the Impact's technical staff as an assistant coach in June 2008 and became head coach in May 2009. During his tenure, the Impact won the inaugural Canadian Championship in 2008 to claim the Voyageurs Cup and a berth in the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League. Dos Santos then led Montreal through three different leagues in consecutive campaigns, winning the USL First Division title in 2009 before transitioning into USSF Division 2 in 2010 and the North American Soccer League in 2011.
A dual citizen of Canada and Portugal, Dos Santos holds a UEFA "A" coaching license, worked at both Chelsea F.C. and FC Porto and is fluent in four languages. He is the father of three children with his wife Marie.

Managerial career

Trois-Rivières Attak

In 2006, he managed the Lac St.Louis Lakers in the Ligue de Soccer Elite Quebec. On January 17, 2007, the Trois-Rivières Attak announced the signing of Dos Santos as manager for the 2007 CSL season. Under the guidance of Dos Santos the club won the Open Canada Cup with a 3–0 victory in the final against the Columbus Clan F.C. In the league, they finished second in the National Division and reached the playoff semi-final, where they eventually lost against the Serbian White Eagles.
During the 2008 CSL season Dos Santos led the Attak to claim the National Division title, the first Division title to be won by the club. For the second year in a row the Attak gained a playoff berth, eventually reaching the finals of the CSL Cup, where once again the Attak were defeated by White Eagles.

Montreal Impact

On November 5, 2008, Dos Santos stepped down as head coach of Trois-Rivières, and accepted an assistant coach position with the Montreal Impact under head coach John Limniatis. In May 2009, Limniatis was fired and Dos Santos named as interim head coach. Later that year, Dos Santos was named head coach and remained in that position until his resignation on June 28, 2011.

Brazil

Dos Santos worked at three Brazilian clubs. On December 21, 2011 he was announced as the head coach of Primeira Camisa FC, which was then owned by World Cup champion Roque Junior. During his tenure, he achieved the best result in the club's history at Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior. In February 2012, Marc was hired by Palmeiras, one of Brazil's largest soccer teams, as its Youth Academy Coordinator. Brazilian journalist Paulinho ridiculed Dos Santos hire by announcing it together with the photo of a donkey and the phrase "he is from Canada, a real soccer powerhouse". Marc became the head coach of Palmeiras U-15 and won the youth championship in 2012, a competition that the club had never won before. Over 6 thousand Palmeiras fans watched the final at the stadium.
Marc moved to Desportivo Brasil, where he held the posts of technical director and head coach for roughly one year before returning to North America in 2013.

Ottawa Fury FC

announced the signing of Dos Santos as the first ever manager of the new NASL franchise on May 23, 2013. On September 15, 2015 Ottawa Fury FC announced that coach Marc Dos Santos would be leaving the club at the end of 2015 season to join MLS. At the time Ottawa Fury FC was placed first in fall standings and third in overall standings for 2015 season. On November 11, 2015, Marc Dos Santos was named "NASL Coach of the Year" for 2015 by the NASL.

Swope Park Rangers

Dos Santos was introduced as the first manager to helm Swope Park Rangers, beginning in the 2016 season. He led the team to a fourth-place finish in the West and to the USL Cup final.

San Francisco Deltas

On August 17. 2016, Dos Santos was named as the first head coach of the San Francisco Deltas, beginning in the 2017 season. He led the Deltas to a 14-12-6 record—good for a second-place table finish—and then to a 2–0 win over the New York Cosmos in the NASL Soccer Bowl to claim the team's first title. Several days after the win, he resigned.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Dos Santos was named as head coach of MLS's Vancouver Whitecaps FC after the team finished its 2018 season.

Managerial statistics

Honours