Teitur Þórðarson (Teitur Thordarson) (born 14 January 1952) is an Icelandic football coach. On Dec 11, 2007 he became coach of Vancouver Whitecaps FC[1].
Playing career
As an active footballer, Þórðarson played for RC Lens and AS Cannes in France, Yverdon Sports in Switzerland and Östers IF and Jönköpings IF in Sweden. He collected 41 caps (9 goals) with the national team.[2]
Bio
Thordarson has coached clubs like F.C. Lyn Oslo and SK Brann. He led FC Flora to 3 league championships in Estonia.
With nearly four decades of experience in European soccer, Teitur Thordarson became the Vancouver Whitecaps men team's head coach after signing a two-year deal with the club on December 11, 2007.
Born January 14, 1952, in Akranes, Iceland, Thordarson's extensive coaching resume spans over two decades. He started his career in 1987 with the last club he played for in Swedish outfit Skövde AIK. The following year, he landed his first head-coaching role in Norway's top-flight Tippeligaen when he joined SK Brann. He led the Bergen club to the 1988 Norwegian Football Cup final and spent the following two seasons at Brann before ending his first spell by moving to Lyn Oslo for two seasons in 1991. After a season with Norwegian second division club Grei Oslo, Thordarson took charge of Lillestrøm SK and led them to second and four-place Tippeligaen finishes in 1994 and 1995 respectively.
In 1996, Thordarson moved to Estonia to become head coach of their national team and Estonian club FC Flora Tallinn. Under his direction, Flora were crowned champions of the Estonian Meistriliiga in the 1997-98 and 1998 seasons. He also led the club to the Estonian Cup and the Estonian Super Cup titles in 1998.
With Estonia's national side, Thordarson helped the Baltic nation move up from 145th (January 1996) to 68th (November 1999) in the FIFA World Rankings. Though he was Estonia's first foreign coach since the country's independence in 1991, Thordarson's efforts in developing Estonian soccer earned him a medal from the President of Estonia in February 2000.
The turn of the millennium saw Throdarson return to the Norwegian game for a second spell with Brann. He led the club to a second-place finish in the 2000 Tippeligaen season, and spent two more seasons with the Bergen outfit before making a return to another former club in Lyn Oslo in 2003. His final two years in Norway saw him coach second division club U11/Kisa in 2004 and 2005.
Before joining the Whitecaps, Thordarson returned to his native Iceland to coach Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur (KR Reykjavík or Reykjavík Football Club) to a second-place finish in Iceland's top-flight Landsbankadeild, as well as a spot in the 2006 Icelandic Cup final.
Before embarking on his extensive career in coaching, Thordarson enjoyed a successful playing career as a striker for nearly two decades. He signed his first professional contract when he joined hometown club Íróttabandalag Akraness in 1969. He went on to score 51 goals in 99 appearances for ÍA, with the striker claiming four Icelandic championship titles with the club between 1969 and 1976.
After a season with Swedish second division club Jönköpings Södra IF in 1977, Thordarson helped Östers IF to three league championships in Sweden's top-flight Allsvenskan between 1978 and 1981. He then made an influential move to French soccer when he joined Racing Club de Lens in 1981. It was at the northern French club that Thordarson scored 19 goals during the 1981-82 Ligue 1 season, with the striker finishing fourth in the French top-flight's goalscoring charts. It was also at Lens that Thordarson played for former Liverpool, Lyon, and France manager Gerard Houllier before he experienced the tutelage of another top coach in Arsene Wenger at Association Sportive de Cannes. In the early 1980's, the current manager of English Premier League giants Arsenal was an assistant coach at AS Cannes. Thordarson then had a spell in Switzerland with Yverdon-Sport FC before returning to Sweden in 1985 to complete his playing career with Östers IF and Skövde AIK.
A former Iceland national team captain, Thordarson also had an impressive international career, as he scored nine goals in 41 appearances for his country between 1972 and 1985.
Thordarson is the sixth head coach in the club's history. He follows Bob Lenarduzzi (1987-1993), Carl Valentine (1994-1999), Dale Mitchell (2000-2001), Tony Fonseca (2002-2004), and Bob Lilley (2005-2007).
External links
References
- ^ Club brings in former Reykjavík and Estonia coach
- ^ Iceland - Record International Players - RSSSF
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