FC Edmonton gets fresh start after winless season with new hire

FC Edmonton hires new president The team is hoping for a fresh start after a winless season in the Canadian Premier League. CTV News Edmonton’s Adam Cook reports.

EDMONTON — FC Edmonton hired Eric Newendorp as the club’s new president and general Manager on Tuesday, and his first order of business is to hire a new head coach.

Newendorp is a self-described soccer fan who has ties to the World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

“It’s a fantastic organization. They do things right. I’m bringing a lot of that with me ideally here,” said Newendorp.

His last job was in the front office of the Dodgers’ double-A affiliate in Oklahoma.

“It was fantastic to see the Dodgers win the championship...I think there was like 16, 17 guys on that final roster that played at one time at either Tulsa or Oklahoma City,” Newendorp told CTV news.

FROM DODGERS BLUE TO EDDIES BLUE

FC Edmonton is on the market for a new head coach after Jeff Paulus resigned in September. Newendorp wants to have a manager in place by the end of November and the successful candidate doesn’t necessarily have to have professional experience.

“Really just someone who understands the business side of things, has a great network, has some experience, knows how to find good players,” said Newendorp.

He takes over a club featuring a core of players that struggled to score over the last few seasons and failed to win a game in 2020.

“My gut is you’re going to have a lot of new faces and a lot of new names, but again I’ll defer to the new head coach when they come in,” said Newendorp, who added he won’t be taking a patient approach with a team that has made the playoffs just twice over the last decade.

“Our goal and our approach is we’re going to win now.”