Technical Staff
Phillip Dos Santos became the second General Manager and Head Coach in the history of Valour FC upon his appointment on September 23, 2021.
He comes to Valour FC after most recently coaching with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of the MLS, where he served as the assistant head coach to his older brother, Marc. He joined the Whitecaps staff in December of 2018.
Dos Santos has extensive coaching/management experience that also includes time with the Ottawa Fury and San Francisco Deltas of the NASL and the Indy Eleven of the United Soccer League.
He also worked as the Fury’s Technical Director, being appointed to that position in July of 2013 after serving in a similar role with the Lac St. Louis region in Montreal.
Dos Santos has also held head coaching positions at the Quebec National Training Centre, with Quebec Provincial teams and served with Canada Soccer national teams (U-15, U-17, U-18, U-20) as head coach, assistant coach and scout.
Fluent in English, French, Portugese and Spanish, Dos Santos holds an ‘A’ License from the European Union of Football Association (UEFA).
Born in Montreal, Dos Santos and family moved to Aveiro, Portugal when he was 10 years old. He played professionally in Portugal and Mozambique before turning to coaching.
Patrick Di Stefani was named the first goalkeeper coach in the history of Valour FC on March 1, 2019, adding another chapter to his long association with the game as a player, administrator, scout and coach.
Di Stefani is a familiar face locally, having coached three Manitoba Major Soccer League clubs – Ital-Inter, Lucania and Hellas – while running his soccer academy, Focus9. He has also served as the goalkeeper coach for Manitoba U13, U14, Western Canada Games and Canada Games Teams, both for female and male squads, and served as the Technical Director for Winnipeg South End United.
His coaching experience in Canada includes stints working with the Laval University women’s team and the Francois Bourrin Residential Soccer Program, and he also served as the technical director for the Association de Soccer de Charlesbourg – all based in Quebec.
Belgian-born and raised, Di Stefani has a long list of contacts in the sport in Europe. He first began coaching with the Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht Youth Football Academy in Belgium after a shoulder injury forced him to give up playing. He has also coached with Union St. Gilloise, a Belgian third division club and was the Sport Director for the La Mina Mediterranean Football Centre in Spain. He has also worked as the football analyst for Ici Radio Canada TV and Radio in Winnipeg.
Di Stefani holds a FA Goalie licence, Canadian Provincial B license, personal-trainer licence and is also a certified speed, agility and quickness instructor.
Jay Bhindi was added to the Valour FC coaching staff as an assistant coach/video analyst on January 12th, 2022 and brings a wide range of experience to the club.
Bhindi comes to Valour FC from FC Edmonton where he served as the First Team Assistant Coach in 2021. Bhindi also spent time with the Ottawa Fury FC, serving as assistant coach for a variety of the club’s youth teams from 2011 to 2016, until he took over as First Team Analyst for the club’s USL Championship squad for the 2016 season.
He also served as the First Team Analyst/Opposition Scout for Austin Bold FC from 2019 to 2021.
He has also had coaching education internships with FC Porto (2018), Academica SF and Vitoria de Setubal (2017) in Porgtual, and Fenerbache SK, Besiktas JK and Manisapor in Turkey (2015).
Bhindi is fluent in four languages, including English, Turkish, Portuguese and French.
Daryl Fordyce made a seamless transition from player to coach for Valour FC after three years as a key figure in the club, including serving as co-captain.
His retirement from professional play was announced in early 2023, and he immediately joined the coaching staff in a player-development role. Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Fordyce now contributes to the success of Valour’s main squad.
Fordyce’s coaching journey began at just 18 during his time with Portsmouth FC. He holds a UEFA ‘A’ license, showcasing his dedication to the craft.
A professional player for over two decades, Fordyce appeared in 56 matches for Valour from 2020 to 2023 and previously represented AFC Bournemouth, Glentoran, Linfield, FC Edmonton, FC Cincinnati, and Sligo Rovers. On the international stage, he earned caps for Northern Ireland’s U-21 and U-19 teams.
Fordyce, his wife Christina, and their son Luka have embraced Winnipeg as their home.