CPL’s Vancouver FC fires head coach, hires Martin Nash

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VANCOUVER — Canadian Premier League club Vancouver FC has fired its first-ever head coach, Afshin Ghotbi.

The team announced the move Wednesday, saying Martin Nash will take over as interim head coach and head of Vancouver’s academy.

Ghotbi has been the club’s head coach since the team’s inception back in 2022, and Vancouver went 18-37-20 during his tenure.

The team currently sits in last place in the CPL standings with a 1-9-5 record on the season after getting thumped 4-0 by York United on Saturday.

Vancouver’s president and chief executive officer Rob Friend says in a statement that Ghotbi helped build the team from scratch, both on and off the pitch.

Nash joins the team after serving as head coach for York United from 2021 to 2024, and as an assistant for Cavalry FC from 2019 to 2021. He began his playing career with the Vancouver 86ers.

Nash is the brother of NBA legend Steve Nash and brother-in-law of Manny Malhotra, who just won an American Hockey League championship with the Abbotsford Canucks.

Appointing the 49-year-old Canadian international to the role is an opportunity to “reset, refocus and align our organization from top to bottom as we aim to put in strong performances over the second half of the year,” Friend said in a statement.

“We look forward to building momentum and finishing the season on a high note,” he said.