Three months after FC Edmonton unveiled Alan Koch as the soccer club’s new head coach, the team has announced it has finalized its coaching staff that will guide players through the 2021 Canadian Premier League season.
In a post on the FC Edmonton website, the team said it has retained goalkeeper coach Lars Hirschfeld and also added two new coaches to its staff: Brendan Shaw and Jay Bhindi.
“I am incredibly excited to publicly announce and finally get to work with our assembled staff,” Koch said.
“I feel their diverse backgrounds and experiences will allow us to put the best possible environment in place to help develop our players, and simultaneously create a winning environment here at the club.”
Koch described Shaw as someone who “has a fantastic football brain and will help significantly in implementing our playing philosophy on the pitch.” He said Bhindi will be tasked with helping FC Edmonton scout opponents, analyze video and more.
READ MORE: FC Edmonton names Alan Koch as new head coach
Hirschfeld has been FC Edmonton’s goalkeeper coach since the 2019 season.
Shaw has gained significant experience at various levels of coaching, most recently with the Simon Fraser University’s men’s team and at Mountain United FC.
Bhindi, who has coaching experience as well, most recently spent time as the team/opposition analyst for Austin Bold FC in the USL.
READ MORE: CPL targets season kickoff on Victoria Day Weekend, if authorities agree
Last month, the CPL said it was targeting the Victoria Day long weekend in May for kicking off the league’s third season. However, the league’s commissioner acknowledged at the time that a start date will depend on local government and health authorities.
“Our plans call for the start of play this spring — while recognizing that a major factor will be our nation’s progress against this pandemic,” David Clanachan said in a letter to fans.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CPL was forced to play an abbreviated season in 2020 that saw teams enter a so-called “bubble” on Prince Edward Island.
–With files from The Canadian Press’ Neil Davidson
Watch below: Some Global News videos about the 2020 CPL season.
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