FC Edmonton announced Alan Koch as the Head Coach and Director of Football Operations Monday. Koch replaces Jeff Paulus who stepped down from the position in September following a disappointing showing at the 2020 Canadian Premier League Island Games.
FC Edmonton owner Tom Fath said he and the club were looking for a proven winner on the field when looking for a head coach and Koch fits that description.
“We had the privilege of talking to a lot of great candidates for the position,” said Fath via a club statement Monday. “But in the end, coach Koch’s mix of professional coaching experience, winning track record, business understanding, and wide soccer network made him the clear choice to lead us into the future.”
Koch’s previous work as a Head Coach has been at Simon Fraser University from 2008 to 2014 sporting a 105-16-5 record playing in NCAA Div 2 and a 43-23-23 record with FC Cincinnati in both the USL and MLS from 2017-2019.
Koch to focus on set pieces and creative elements
Koch said he wants to make the club and supporters fall in love with winning. And when asked how he would achieve that Koch said the management of their set pieces and facilitating creative elements of the game were two priorities coming in.
“It is a privilege to join FC Edmonton and I am grateful to Tom Fath and Eric Newendorp for this opportunity,” said Koch. “I look forward to building on from the foundations that are already in place and assessing the areas that we need to adjust to have the required success in this new league. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but I am confident that we can have success with the club.”
Koch’s appointment follows the recent hiring of Eric Newendorp as President and General Manager of the club and solidifies the two major positions in the front office for FC Edmonton.
Now they’ll both take on the challenge on helping the Eddies create a winning culture in Edmonton.
