Lloyd Barker, head coach of the Concordia men’s soccer program, is pleased to announce his coaching staff for the 2007-’08 Quebec university soccer season.
At the top of the list is former Montreal Impact forward Darko Kolic who was a valued member of the local professional team for nine years. He retired after the 2006 season with 105 games, 17 goals and 13 assists to his credit. He was Montreal’s leading scorer in the 2000 season and was a league all-star in 1999. He was also a member of the 2004 United Soccer League championship team.
“I’m extremely happy he was available to help me,” Barker said. “Darko brings professional experience and valuable knowledge to the Stinger program.”
Before coming to Canada, Kolic was an elite player in Serbia, playing for FC Rad, FC Hajduk (Division II) and FC Graficar (Division III). He came through the highly-respected Red Star Youth Program.
Recently Kolic has put a lot of time into amateur soccer. He is the technical director of the Montreal Impact Soccer Academy school and technical co-ordinator for the Lakeshore Soccer Club.
François Bastien will also serve as an assistant coach. The PhD student played four seasons with Concordia, finishing his career in 2004 as team captain and a first team QSSF all-star. He has been an assistant with the Stingers the last two years. Barker has great respect for Bastien and will rely on him heavily to assist in the transition the program is going through.
Finally, the goalkeepers will receive excellent coaching from Andrew Weber and Remy Eyckerman. Weber, a native of Pheonix, Ariz., joined the Montreal Impact in 2006, helping the team win the regular-season title as well as the Voyageurs Cup, given to the top Canadian team in the league.
“Goalkeepers are often deprived,” said Barker. “Now ours have one of the most enthusiastic staffs that will give them unprecedented insight.”
Eyckerman is one of the most accomplished amateur goalies to come out of the Quebec system. As a coach, he has worked with various clubs and regional associations including Lakeshore, RDP and the Lac St Louis regional association goalie academy. He is also an assistant coach the Stingers women’s program.
Barker and his staff will see their Stingers in action for the first time this weekend. Concordia will play an exhibition game versus the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Concordia Stadium. The regular season begins Sept. 14 with a road trip to Trois-Rivières.
