Pa-Modou Kah
Pa Modou Kah (born 30 July 1980) is a Norwegian football coach and former footballer who is the current head coach of MLS Next Pro club North Texas SC. Club career. Vålerenga. Born in Banjul, The Gambia, Kah and his family emigrated to Norway in 1988, when he was eight years old. He began his football career with Vålerenga in 1998. At Vålerenga, Kah appeared in 94 league matches and scored 9 goals. In the 2001 season, his side won promotion and won the Norwegian Cup the year after. AIK. In the mid-2003, he moved to Swedish  club AIK as a part of the club's efforts for winning the championship. Kah was appreciated for his fighting spirit and ability to win the ball. Although his natural position was as a central midfielder, he had to play in various positions; he played several games at right-back. After the club was relegated the following season, Kah transferred to Dutch club Roda JC, making nearly 200 league appearances. In the Netherlands Kah mainly played as central defender. Al-Khor. In 2011, after seven years in the Netherlands, Kah moved to Qatari club Al Khor. Portland Timbers. After a  brief period in Saudi Arabia with Al-Wehda, Kah moved to the United States on 3 May 2013 when he signed with Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers. On 8 December 2014, the Portland Timbers declined contract options on Kah. Vancouver Whitecaps FC. He was unsigned in the waivers draft and later claimed by Vancouver Whitecaps FC on 21 January 2015. In August 2016, he agreed to mutually terminate his contract with Vancouver Whitecaps' first team in favour of joining their USL team as a player-coach. On 21 February 2017 Kah announced his retirement and it was also confirmed , that he would continue working at the club as a Whitecaps FC staff coach. Coaching career. FC Cincinnati. FC Cincinnati added Kah to its technical staff as a member of the scouting staff in August 2018. In January 2019, the club announced that Kah's role would be changing, and he would now serve as an assistant coach. Pacific FC. On 14 January 2020, Kah signed with Canadian Premier League side Pacific FC as the club's new head coach. During the 2020 CPL season, Kah guided Pacific to their first play-off appearance, being eliminated in the second group  stage of the Island Games. During the 2021 season, Kah would lead Pacific to the 2021 Canadian Championship semi-finals, defeating Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Cavalry FC, before falling to Toronto FC. He would also be victorious in the 2021 Canadian Premier League Final, defeating Forge FC 1-0 at Tim Hortons Field. For his efforts, Kah would be named the 2021 CPL Coach of the Year. North Texas SC. On 21 January 2022, Kah was announced as the new head coach of North Texas SC. Personal life. In 2005, he was involved in a car accident in Peer, Belgium . He was accompanied by his girlfriend, his cousin, and a friend. His car was rear-ended while stopped at a routine road check, immediately killing his girlfriend but only inflicting minor injuries to Kah. In Roda JC's next match, referee Bjorn Kuipers held a minute of silence to in honour of Kah's girlfriend. During the game, Arouna Koné took his shirt off to reveal a shirt which had the inscription ""For Kah"" and was yellow carded, which was condemned by the commentators. Kuipers said afterwards that he had not seen the text on Koné's shirt. Kah speaks  seven languages, including English, Norwegian, and some Spanish. Kah possesses a US green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes. Kah is the nephew of Djimon Hounsou. Honours. Manager. Pacific FC