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Canadian soccer coach (born 1979) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Haralambos "Bobby" Smyrniotis (born April 24, 1979) is a Canadian soccer coach and former player who works as head coach of Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League. Smyrniotis is the co-founder of the Sigma FC soccer academy based in Mississauga.
|
Smyrniotis in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Haralambos Smyrniotis | ||
| Date of birth | April 24, 1979[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Scarborough, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Forge FC (head coach) | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Charleston Cougars | |||
| York Lions | |||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2003–2004 | Olympiacos (academy) | ||
| 2005–2018 | Sigma FC | ||
| 2018– | Forge FC | ||
Smyrniotis played for the College of Charleston and York University.[2]
In 2003 and 2004, Smyrniotis was a coach in the academy system of Olympiacos.[3] He co-founded Sigma FC, and was the team's head coach from 2005 to 2018.[4]
On October 1, 2018, Smyrniotis was announced as the first head coach and technical director of Canadian Premier League club Forge FC.[5] During the 2019 season, Forge finished in second place during the Spring and Fall Seasons, both times behind Cavalry FC.[6][7] He became the first coach to win the Canadian Premier League when Forge defeated Cavalry FC in the 2019 Canadian Premier League Finals.[8] Also during the 2019 season, Forge were knocked out in the second qualifying round of the Canadian Championship.[9] They also played in the CONCACAF League where they were knocked out in the Round of 16.[10]
Smyrniotis returned to coach Forge FC for the 2020 season. The 2020 Canadian Premier League season was played in three rounds.[11] Forge qualified for the next round after finishing the first round in third place[12] then qualified for the championship match after finishing in first place in the second round.[13] Forge repeated as league champions after a 2–0 win in the Championship final against HFX Wanderers.[14]
In the 2021 CONCACAF League, Smyrniotis guided Forge FC to the semi-finals, qualifying the club for the CONCACAF Champions League for the first time in its history.[15]
In May 2023, Smyrniotis signed a four-year contract extension with Forge. He also became the club's sporting director in addition to his role as head coach.[16] In 2024, Smyrniotis was nominated for Canadian Premier League Coach of the Year for a sixth consecutive season,[17] ultimately winning the award for the first time.[18][19]
Born in Canada, Smyrniotis is of Greek descent.[20] He received a Specialized Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Kinesiology & Health Science from York University and a Master of Science degree in Sports Management from the University of Louisville.[5]
Bobby and his brother Costa Smyrniotis were both co-founders of Sigma FC. The brothers also worked together at Forge FC where Costa was the director of football until 2023.[21]
Forge FC
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