Vanni Sartini had all the feels Sunday during his debut as Vancouver Whitecaps FC interim head coach, leading the hosts to an emphatic 4-1 win over Real Salt Lake at BC Place.
“It couldn't go better,” Sartini said afterward. "I'm very happy right now and I'm like a little kid when he's happy and I want everybody to know that I'm happy. Unfortunately, in Italy it’s 6 am now so I can't call anyone. But I'm really excited. Before the game if you asked me, I was everything on the scale. I was excited, scared, preoccupied, inspired. I was every objective and now I'm just happy.”
Sartini had little time to prepare the 'Caps for a critical Western Conference clash, taking charge Friday after it was announced Vancouver parted ways with Marc Dos Santos, with assistant coach Philip Dos Santos also leaving the club.
Sartini, the club's director of methodology, credited the Dos Santos’ for helping the Whitecaps be ready for a playoff push amid the final stage of the regular season.
That push, Sartini said, will be aided by the addition of Designated Player Ryan Gauld, who has four goals and two assists in the ‘Caps last four regular-season games. Their long-awaited return to BC Place is prominent, too, after setting up a home away from home at RSL's Rio Tinto Stadium as the COVID-19 pandemic restricted travel between the US and Canada.
“The team has improved a lot. I want to say again that it’s improved a lot and also thank you to the former coaching staff that improved the team in a way that now is ready to play this battle,” he said. "Of course, there was also huge investment with the new DP by the club. And the third thing that makes me excited for the club is that we play at home.
"Even tonight we’re feeling the fans chanting. Having the support of the city, it really makes a difference. You don’t have to forget that we played away for more than one year so playing here, it really makes a difference.”
Vancouver are now nine games unbeaten and have won three straight in league play. They're just outside the West's playoff line, one point behind RSL and Portland in a jam-packed postseason race.
Before the match, Sartini shared a quick word with Pablo Mastroeni, who took charge of RSL Friday after that club parted ways with head coach Freddy Juarez. It made for a unique experience for both.
“We just say that world of soccer is crazy, because Thursday we had completely different jobs, the both of us and then we were there, now leading the team,” Sartini said. “So as I said, this situation is kind of unusual, but that's how it works, we need to adapt or die. In Italy we say either we swim or we drown. So let's swim, and let's see how much longer we can swim.”
