Carlisle: Kah ‘Went Deep’ In FC Dallas Interview Process

ESPN’s Jeffrey Carlisle has reported that Pacific FC head coach Pa-Modou Kah came close to landing the head coach role with FC Dallas.

The Major League Soccer side instead hired Nico Estevez, who arrives to the club from an assistant coaching role with the US men’s national team.

Kah, 41, had made it no secret that he has MLS ambitions: speaking with Northern Tribune last month, he noted that he has clear MLS aspirations and would be keen to test himself at a higher level if the right opportunity came along.

As a coach I’m trying to reach the highest high. Everything is a stepping stone. I don’t think it’s a rush, but obviously if a club comes which meets the way I want to be, there’s nothing you will say no to because you always want to test yourself higher up.

Pa-Modou Kah

With Kah having led Pacific FC to back-to-back playoff positions and reach its first-ever CPL Final in a year that saw it defeat MLS opposition en route to a Canadian Championship semi-final, it’s not so surprising to see the former MLS defender get serious consideration south of the border.

With FC Dallas having produced plenty of great talent through its academy system, the MLS side appears to be one that would strike a chord with Kah, who has brought the best out of a young-leaning Pacific FC squad while establishing a well-defined style of play.

Despite the mutual interest between himself and FC Dallas, Kah had told us earlier that his immediate focus has been with the CPL for which he currently coaches:

That’s where my focus is. We’re still trying to achieve something. It’s not like if any club comes I want to move, that’s not where my mind is at, you understand what I’m saying?

Pa-Modou Kah

Kah has ample experience in MLS, having made seventy appearances in the league between the Portland Timbers and the Vancouver Whitecaps. His first steps into coaching came through a player-coach role with VWFC2 before he joined the first team’s technical staff before he signed with FC Cincinnati as a scout.

It wouldn’t be long before the side – then in the USL – brought him up to a coaching role with the first team. When FC Cincinnati began its transition to MLS, Kah left and ultimately signed with Pacific FC, though he had been linked with Norwegian side Valerenga, too.

With Pa-Modou Kah still remaining with Pacific FC for the time being, the former Norwegian international will have a chance to add a trophy to his cabinet this weekend: only ninety minutes separate him from a potential North Star Shield win.

What comes after remains to be seen: like many of his own athletes, Kah has clear aspirations to reach a higher level. It might not have worked for FC Dallas, but that isn’t to say he isn’t the right fit somewhere else. Some silverware – say, a North Star Shield – might be just the stepping stone he needs.

Source: Jeff Carlisle (via Twitter)