Bobby Smyrniotis

Haralambos "Bobby" Smyrniotis (born April 24, 1979) is a Canadian soccer coach and former player who works as head coach of Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League. Smyrniotis is the co-founder of the Sigma FC soccer academy based in Mississauga.

Bobby Smyrniotis

Smyrniotis coaching Forge FC in 2019
Personal information
Full name	Haralambos Smyrniotis
Date of birth	(1979-04-24) April 24, 1979 (age 44)^[1]
Place of birth	Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Team information
Current team	Forge FC (head coach)
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Charleston Cougars
	York Lions
Managerial career
2003–2004	Olympiacos (academy)
2005–2018	Sigma FC
2018–	Forge FC

Playing career

Smyrniotis played for the College of Charleston and York University.^[2]

Coaching career

Early career

In 2003 and 2004, Smyrniotis was a coach in the academy system of Olympiacos.^[3] He co-founded Sigma FC, and was the team's head coach from 2005 to 2018.^[4]

Forge FC

2019 season

On October 1, 2018, Smyrniotis was announced as the first head coach and technical director of Canadian Premier League club Forge FC.^[5] During the 2019 season, Forge finished in second place during the Spring and Fall Seasons, both times behind Cavalry FC.^[6][7] He became the first coach to win the Canadian Premier League when Forge defeated Cavalry FC in the 2019 Canadian Premier League Finals.^[8] Also during the 2019 season, Forge were knocked out in the second qualifying round of the Canadian Championship.^[9] They also played in the CONCACAF League where they were knocked out in the Round of 16.^[10]

2020 season

Smyrniotis returned to coach Forge FC for the 2020 season. The 2020 Canadian Premier League season was played in three rounds.^[11] Forge qualified for the next round after finishing the first round in third place^[12] then qualified for the championship match after finishing in first place in the second round.^[13] Forge repeated as league champions after a 2–0 win in the Championship final against HFX Wanderers.^[14]

2021 season

In the CONCACAF League, Smyrniotis guided Forge FC to the semi-finals, qualifying the club for the CONCACAF Champions League for the first time in its history.^[15]

Coaching statistics

As of game played February 13, 2024

Team	From	To	Record								Ref.
			M	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Sigma FC	2014	September 30, 2018	117	72	24	21	238	135	+103	061.54
Forge FC	October 1, 2018	present	162	81	36	45	239	156	+83	050.00	^[5]^[6]^[7]^[9]^[10]^[11]
Total			279	153	60	66	477	291	+186	054.84	—

Personal life

Born in Canada, Smyrniotis is of Greek descent.^[16] He received a Specialized Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Kinesiology & Health Science from York University and a Master of Science degree in Sports Management from the University of Louisville.^[5]

Bobby and his brother Costa Smyrniotis were both co-founders of Sigma FC. The brothers also worked together at Forge FC where Costa was the director of football until 2023.^[17]

Honours

Coach

Forge FC

• Canadian Premier League: 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023
• Canadian Premier League regular season: 2021

References

1. "Forge FC roster". Forge FC. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
2. "Forge FC Bobby Smyrniotis named Forge FC technical director and head coach". National Post. The Canadian Press. October 1, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
3. Milton, Steve (October 1, 2018). "Opinion | Bobby Smyrniotis named first Forge FC coach". TheSpec.com. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
4. Urciuoli, Anthony (October 1, 2018). "Forge FC names first-ever head coach". Global News. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
5. "Forge FC names Bobby Smyrniotis club's first ever technical director and head coach". forgefc.canpl.ca. October 1, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
6. "Canada » Premier League 2019 Spring Season » 3. Round". World Football. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
7. "Canada » Premier League 2019 Fall Season » 4. Round". World Football. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
8. O’Connor-Clarke, Charlie (November 2, 2019). "Forge FC crowned CPL champions in win over Cavalry". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
9. "Canada » Canadian Championship 2019 » Schedule". World Football. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
10. "Forge FC » Fixtures & Results 2019/2020". World Football. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
11. "Forge FC » Fixtures & Results 2020/2021". World Football. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
12. "Canada » Premier League 2020 First Stage » 2. Round". World Football. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
13. "Canada » Premier League 2020 Group Stage » 3. Round". World Football. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
14. "Canada » Premier League 2020 Championship » Final". World Football. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
15. "Forge FC advance to SF, qualify for Concacaf Champions League with resounding Leg 2 win vs. Santos". Forge FC. November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
16. Davidson, Neil (October 20, 2020). "Forge FC coach Bobby Smyrniotis' influence on Canadian soccer continues to grow". CFJC Today Kamloops. The Canadian Press. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
17. "Forge FC executive Costa Smyrniotis joins Canadian Premier League front office - Hamilton". Global News. The Canadian Press. April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.

Further reading

• Kloke, Joshua (September 22, 2023). "Meet Bobby Smyrniotis: The tactics-first coach the Canada men's team needs?". The Athletic. from the original on September 22, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.