February 7, 2022...Former Teammate Sings Martin Nash's Praises (from York United FC website)

'HE'LL BRING OUT THE BEST IN THESE PLAYERS': FORMER TEAMMATE SINGS MARTIN NASH'S PRAISES

Midfielder Gershon Koffie played alongside the York United Head Coach at the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Ghanaian midfielder Gershon Koffie believes his former Vancouver Whitecaps' teammate Martin Nash fits
the bill perfectly as Head Coach of York United.

Nash was formally announced in late-December and is currently putting the Nine Stripes' squad
through their pre-season paces.

Koffie played alongside Nash for just one season - way back in 2010 - but says he benefitted
immensely from his tutelage as a senior player in the Caps' setup.

"To start off, I am not surprised of Martin's [Nash] new role as Head Coach" Koffie said.

"I believe he will bring a lot of experience and discipline, and he'll bring out the best
in these players. He [Nash] was a very smart thinking player. He was really good and comfortable
on the ball and he was a leader on and off the field.''

''Our time together was too brief, really. Nashy retired at the end of that season and though
he stayed at the club, I didn't get the chance to really train under him. But, I did pick up
so much knowledge from him that helped me back then and that's still helping me today.''

Koffie went on to become a Caps' legend, just like his former midfield partner. He ended up
with 136 appearances for the club [including playoff appearances in 2012 and 2015], starting in 119
of those games and being a key part of the Canadian Championship-winning team in 2015 too.
Afterwards, he lined up for another MLS side in the New England Revolution while he also appeared
for Israeli outfit Hapoel Kfar Saba, Al Fahaheel of Kuwait and Swedish team Hammarby. Most recently,
Koffie was playing his trade in the USL Championship with Indy Eleven.

The 30-year-old has watched with interest as the Canadian Premier League has picked up steam
and believes the country's top-flight has taken giant steps to producing future stars.

"I think it's inevitable that the CPL is just going to keep growing into a really powerful league,"
he said.

"The league is doing a great job of investing in the grassroots and giving young players a proper
platform to develop and prepare for a move to a bigger league. In a few years from now, a lot
of clubs - including the biggest in Europe - will start to pick up talent there. Given the interest
in Canadian football now too, it's a certainty things will get bigger and better."

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