The Concordia University Department of Recreation and Athletics is pleased to announce that former Montreal Impact star Greg Sutton has been named head coach of the Stingers men’s soccer program.
Sutton, 36, has been an assistant coach with Concordia since 2011 and served as interim head coach for the indoor season this past winter. He has high expectations for the future of the program and its players.
“I want to create a culture where the soccer players feel they are not just part of a program but part of a family,” Sutton says. “When they graduate I want them to feel proud of the program they were a part of and what they accomplished. I want them to be better individuals on and off the field because being part of a university soccer program has given them important life skills.”
Sutton brings a wealth of experience to his new role with the Stingers. He was also an assistant coach with the Montréal Carabins in 2002 and 2003 and he will draw on his 14 years as a professional soccer player.
An outstanding goalkeeper, Sutton began his professional career in 1999 with the Chicago Fire of the Major League Soccer (MLS). He signed with the Montreal Impact in 2001. During the 2003 season he helped the Impact become the USL (United Soccer Leagues) squad with the lowest goals allowed total. The same year Sutton won the Goalkeeper of the Year honor for his league-leading 0.73 goals-against average. He won the honor three more times and was the USL MVP in 2004.
Sutton left Montreal after the 2006 season to play in the MLS with Toronto and New York. He returned to the Impact in 2011.
Despite his goalkeeper past, he likes aggressive soccer.
“I think you’ll see a high tempo game from the Stingers,” he says. “I want to put a lot of pressure on our opponents and play an exciting, attacking style of soccer.”
A native of Hamilton, Ont., Sutton spent much of his youth in Bethel, Conn. and went on to play for St. Lawrence University where he graduated with a BA in Education. He was an all-American with the Saints in 1996, 1997 and 1998.
