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New Zealand to Guelph, Ont., is quite the commute, especially when the family home is in B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ· But for veteran soccer coach Alan Koch, it's normal.

Koch, whose resume includes stops in Major League Soccer and the Canadian Premier League, as well as coaching a young Alphonso Davies, has made the University of Guelph men's team his latest challenge since being appointed in late January.

Koch, 49, continues his role in New Zealand as academy technical director/head coach of Western Suburbs FC and GM at the Olé Football Academy.

Born in Durban, South Africa, Koch came to Canada in the '90s to play soccer at Simon Fraser University. He became a citizen in 2000 and calls himself a "very very proud Canadian."

Home these days is on Okanagan Lake.

"Haven't really spent much time at home," he said with a laugh. "I think in the last few years it's probably a matter of weeks that I've actually been there. But that is home."

During the recent wildfires in B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·, Koch and Winnipeg-born, Vancouver-raised wife Amy were able to watch from New Zealand via a camera installed at their house.

"We could see properties burning on the other side of the lake from our camera," he said. "A pretty scary experience. Our entire neighbourhood was evacuated."

The house survived. And Koch says one positive coming out of the fires is how close the entire community has become.

A young Koch had always been intrigued by North America and had several offers to play for U.S. colleges. But he came to Canada after connecting with the late Keith Watts, then coach at SFU. 

Koch went on to play soccer in South Africa, Germany and Ireland before a heart condition cut his career short. He focused on coaching, first at Midwestern State University in Texas and then Baker University in Kansas. 

When he came back to Vancouver, he sold light fixtures for six months.

"I think it's the only six months of my life that I've actually been outside of football," he said. "No disrespect to people that sell light fixtures, it wasn't my passion. And the head coach at SFU at the time, who was the assistant coach when I played, asked me to come be an assistant coach on $5,000. And I didn't even hesitate for two seconds."

In 2008, he became head coach of SFU, compiling a stellar record of 126-21-7 over seven years. Named conference coach of the year six straight seasons, he guided the Clan to a top-10 ranking every year.

In 2009, while still at SFU, he spent nine months coaching the Vancouver Whitecaps' women's team. And in 2015, he left SFU to take over Whitecaps FC 2 in the United Soccer League.

He remembers fondly "doing some special things" with the Whitecaps second team. That included giving Davies his professional debut.

"I don't think anybody can tell you that they could honestly have said he was going to be as great as he is — because he is becoming a great," Koch said. "But you knew he was special. To be honest, it was just the quiet aura of confidence and belief in himself. And then he also had obviously an amazing talent level, but he had the willingness to learn and to work."

Koch joined FC Cincinnati in December 2017, eventually taking the USL team into Major League Soccer. 

He led Cincinnati to the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals, beating MLS teams in Columbus and Chicago en route. He was USL coach of the year in 2018 after leading Cincinnati to the regular-season championship, with a record 23-match undefeated run and 10-match win streak.

But life in MLS proved more difficult.

Koch was fired with Cincinnati struggling at 2-7-2 with a league-low eight goals. The team went on to finish last at 6-22-6.

"As many people said we were flying the plane and building the plane at the same time," he said. "And you're never going to be successful when you're doing that … A very disappointing end to an amazing three years there."

It remains the only time he has been fired.

"Probably the greatest experience that I've learned from on my journey," he said. "It gave me time just to reflect what worked and what didn't. It's had a massive influence on my life."

Five months later he took over the USL's Colorado Switchbacks. When the pandemic hit, he and his wife opted to return to Canada to be closer to family,

That eventually led him to joining the CPL's FC Edmonton, which proved to be another roller-coaster ride.

In 2022, with the league having taken over the franchise, he coached a team of loanees and hand-me-downs from the league's other clubs. The team finished last at 4-16-8 and then folded.

Still, Koch has a soft spot for the loyal Edmonton fans and a hard-working group of young players. 

He returned to the family home in the Okanagan, before ending up in New Zealand after getting a call from Western Suburbs.

'We met some amazing people in an amazing part of the world and saw a project where I felt like I could make a meaningful difference and help young players progress," he said.

Based in Wellington, Koch is going into his third season in the top-tier New Zealand National League.

Former Canadian youth international goalkeeper Quillan Roberts and midfielder Connor Wilson both excelled under Koch there with Wilson now playing professionally in Ireland.

His Canada and New Zealand jobs fit, thanks to their schedules. Koch and his wife, whom he met at a Vancouver Starbucks, have two grown-up daughters, one living in Ireland and the other in Australia.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2025