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Whitecaps coach Vanni Sartini took his shirt off again last night

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
|
Jun 8 2023, 7:53 pm
Whitecaps coach Vanni Sartini took his shirt off again last night

Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini wears his heart on his sleeve, and when his team wins the Canadian Championship, his sleeves end up on the ground.

The fiery Italian manager was in fine form again on Wednesday, as his club celebrated a second straight Canadian Championship on home field. When the Whitecaps won last year, the 46-year-old manager immediately ripped off his shirt and raced onto the field, jumping around in jubilation.

He kept his shirt on this time — but only momentarily. Sartini fired up supporters in the Southsiders section following the match, jumping and fist-pumping like a man half his age.

But later on, with his shirt doused in water, Sartini decided to disrobe. And he did it mid-interview with Oliver Platt of OneSoccer.

“It’s not a Canadian championship win if I don’t take off my jersey, so I’m going to take off my jersey,” Sartini said, as he showed off his physique for a second straight year.

Sartini put on a Canadian Championship T-shirt for a second straight year, which is something no other head coach has done since the competition began in 2008.

Vancouver beat CF Montreal 2-1 at BC Place and were full marks for the victory. Needless to say, the coach was pleased with his team’s effort.

ā€œWe’re over the moon for the happiness of winning the trophy again, itā€™s the first time that itā€™s happened [back-to-back] to this club,” Sartini told reporters after the match. “Iā€™m very happy for everyone, for the players, for all the people that work here, all the fans.

“I told them before the game, Iā€™m proud to work with them and to share this journey with them. They inspire me every day in the way they want to work and the way they want to improve. Everyone from the players, to the kit manager, to the performance staff, to the analysts. Iā€™m so happy that we win.”

He also described his team’s play as “better than sex,” according to OneSoccer web editor Alexandre GanguĆ©-Ruzic.

The Whitecaps secured the win in front of a season-high 20,072 fans at BC Place.

ā€œWe love them, we love to celebrate with them, that we love when they help us and when we are in trouble… The Whitecaps need them, and we love to be with them.ā€

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