Exclusive Interview
Pacific FC head coach Pa-Modou Kah has secured his place in Canadian sports history. On Dec. 5, the 41-year-old Norwegian led his club to the Canadian Premier League championship, dethroning two times winner Forge FC (0-1) to win their first title in the club’s history. In an exclusive interview with Transfermarkt, Kah speaks about a historic season with Pacific, the importance of his club’s win for the growth of the game in all of Canada, and his personal future.
Make no mistake, Pacific FC’s win at Tim Hortons Field is a big deal for sport on Vancouver Island. It is the first professional championship for a Greater Victoria-based club since 1966, when the Victoria Maple Leafs won the Western Hockey League and the first national title since the Victoria Cougars won the Stanley Cup in 1925.
“It was all about overcoming adversity,” Kah said to Transfermarkt. “We had to deal with many things, both on the field and off the field. Two players and a coaching staff member lost their fathers this season. On the field, we dominated, but then things fell apart a bit during the second half of the season.”
Kah: “Expected us to hit a bit of a wall” – Forge FC “played mind games”
Until September, Pacific FC dominated the Canadian Premier League and knocked out Major League Soccer side Vancouver Whitecaps (4-3) in the first round of the Canadian Championship. “I sort of expected us to hit a bit of a wall after that game,” Kah said. Pacific FC would win the next three, and then indeed, the slump arrived.
Over the last 11 games of the season, Pacific FC only managed three more wins in the CPL and ended dropping to third place in the standings. That meant that Pacific FC had not only lost the possibility of home advantage in the playoffs but now faced two road games on the path to the title.
Canada is a massive country, even a short trip to Calgary to face Cavalry FC (1-2 AET) is usually two flights from Victoria. Hamilton, the home of Forge FC, is a five-hour flight to Toronto and then an additional bus journey.
Additionally, the CPL is still a young league, and the facilities are not always ideal. “When we arrived, we were put in a hotel one hour away from the stadium,” Kah said. “They then played all sort of mind games with us. On the final day, we arrived in the locker room, and there were no heaters on; there was no water, no toilet paper, or no coffee. But all those things didn’t bother us.”
Despite Forge FC’s mind games, Pacific FC celebrated their first-ever Canadian Premier League title at Tim Hortons Field
On the field, Kah was not bothered by Forge FC much either. In fact, the 41-year-old laughs when it is suggested that Forge FC controlled much of the first half. “I wanted them to have the ball; you get tired on the ball,” Kah said when he was confronted with the fact that Forge had 72% ball possession. “We asked them to beat us in the first half. They got frustrated because they couldn’t find a way. We also knew that they were weak in set plays. So, we came out strong, pressed for the first 10-15 minutes, and after we got the ball, we shut it all down.”
Kah has the ability to have everyone buy into his system – “Own mistakes” most important
Set pieces were indeed key. Alessandro Hojabrpour‘s game-winning header in the 59th minute came off a Gianni Dos Santos freekick. “The last few games against Forge FC have all been close, and it was usually our own mistakes that made the difference, so all we had to do was make no mistakes from then on,” Kah said with a big smile on his face.
It sounds all so simple in retrospect. But Kah has the sort of ability to make everyone not just buy into his system. Still, he also displays a contagious belief in his team, which makes players go the extra mile even under the most difficult circumstances. Equipped with those tools Pacific FC not only won the title but also rose to become the most valuable squad in the CPL.
Morelli, Mason, Bustos & Co.: The most valuable Canadian Premier League players
Another aspect is his tactical flexibility. Kah believes in his own team’s strengths and will never change his tactics because of his own team’s shortcomings. Instead, Kah always focuses on the weaknesses of his opponents. “When we played the Whitecaps, I focused on their weaknesses in defense and ensured that we would focus on putting the center-backs under pressure.”
Kah’s handwriting is all over this Pacific FC team. It is a team that loves facing adversity, presses hard, plays attacking football, and is comfortable handing over the initiative to the opponent—a flexible team equipped to face all sorts of adversity.
It is a style that Kah believes perfectly fits Vancouver Island. “Islanders are very proud people,” Kah said. “The water separates us from not just the rest of the country but also the rest of British Columbia. My goal was for this club to represent the entire island.”
Kah: CPL has “mandate” to grow the game – Wants to change “narrative” for ethnic coaches
In fact, Kah feels that winning the title was not just important for the game on the island but for the sport in this country, in general. “The mandate of the Canadian Premier League is to grow the game in the entire country,” Kah said when asked about the media playing up Forge FC’s quest for the threepeat. “The media wanted a threepeat, but you have to grow the game everywhere in this country, not just in Ontario; this is why this title is important.”
Pacific FC head coach Pa-Modou Kah on the sideline during the Canadian Premier League final
A title that Kah promised from day one. “I told the owners that I will win them a title,” Kah said. It is a title that will hopefully change the narrative in Canada and help promote football and its diverse stories beyond the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario.
“I love changing the narrative,” Kah said. It is a statement geared not just towards Pacific FC’s success but the game in general and his own personal growth. Because even though Kah is under contract at Pacific FC until 2023, the 41-year-old has ambitions beyond the CPL.
2 out of 27 are black
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Major League Soccer is the next obvious step. But there are obstacles. “I am black,” Kah said when asked what is holding him back. “Please make sure to write that. It is a narrative that is 400 years old. But ethnic coaches have to face those obstacles to bring change. Look at us this season. We had a black coach and a black captain lift the trophy that will inspire our next generation.”
On Dec. 7, MLS did make changes in its Diversity Hiring Policy, but only two of the 27 teams have a black coach (CF Montréal and Chicago Fire). That said, clubs have been calling, and Transfermarkt understands that Kah was a candidate at FC Dallas. At least one further MLS club has called to offer an opportunity as an assistant.
In other words, Kah is a hot property. That, however, does not mean that Kah will leave the island for another job this winter. “You never know what is next in football,” Kah said. “I got my chance here, and I am attached to the club. For me to leave, everything needs to be perfect.”
