Impact Sign Dahha as GK Coach 19/02/04
Montreal Impact head coach Nick DeSantis added a new member to his coaching personnel as Youssef Dahha joins the team as a goalkeeper coach.
Dahha, 36, who was a professional goalkeeper in Morocco, is the goalkeeper coach for the U-14, U-16 and U-18 Quebec Select boy’s teams, head of the women’s goalkeeping program at Montreal’s High-Performance National Centre, as well as head of the goalkeeping program for the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) soccer teams.
"He has a solid background and he knows the local scene extremely well," said DeSantis. "He’s also an excellent motivator and he works both the physical and mental aspects of the game. We’re thrilled to have him on board."
Before becoming a coach, Dahha played for Hassania Agadir, a first-division club in Morocco, from 1988 to 1990, after a stint with his native country’s COD Meknes, from 1984 to 1988. He has also played for the Moroccan junior and olympic national teams. Once he moved to Montreal, Dahha became one of the premier goalkeepers in the Quebec province in the Quebec Elite Soccer League (LSEQ), where he has been proclaimed Goalkeeper of the Year in the senior division, as well as in the Quebec Calcetto Soccer League (indoor soccer with boards).
Dahha will be working closely with the Impact’s two goalkeepers, Greg Sutton and Andrew Olivieri.
Sutton crowned the best season of his pro career in 2003. He led the A-League in goals-against average (0.73), minutes played (2,463), shutouts (11) and wins (15). His 11 shutouts are also a personal best. The 26-year-old Canadian’s performances earned him the 2003 A-League Goalkeeper of the Year award, a spot on the league’s first all-star team, as well as the Giuseppe-Saputo Trophy, awarded to the Impact’s Most Valuable Player.
Olivieri, a 22-year-old Montrealer, was the first-string goalkeeper with the Under-23 Canadian national team that recently played in the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament in Mexico.
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