Vancouver Rise continue playoff push after firing head coach

The Vancouver Rise are trying to keep their Northern Super League playoff push on track after firing the club’s first head coach, Anja Heiner-Moller.

Iain Darbyshire, elevated from assistant coach to interim head coach Monday, said players were shocked by the change but cannot dwell on it if they hope to defend the league title.

The Rise parted ways with Heiner-Moller after Saturday’s 1-0 loss to the Halifax Tides. Assistant coaches Katie Collar and Erin McNulty remain with the club.

Darbyshire joined Vancouver as an assistant before the 2026 season, after six years as head of women’s and girls’ football at Cardiff City FC in Wales. He said he wants his teams to have personality, be physically dominant and express themselves on the ball.

Under Heiner-Moller, the Rise went 18-18-8 and won the Diana B. Matheson Cup in November as champions of the NSL’s inaugural season. The club has struggled in its second campaign, however.

Vancouver is 7-10-2 and fifth in the standings, one point outside the playoff positions with six regular-season matches remaining. The Rise host the Ottawa Rapid, who are 10-6-3, on Sunday.

Chief soccer officer Robyn Gale said the club has not met its internal expectations. While 2025 was an incredible year, she said, the team set new measures for 2026 and was not progressing in a way the club found satisfactory.

Gale and sporting director Stephanie Labbe told players about Heiner-Moller’s departure before it was announced publicly Monday. Gale called it a difficult transition but said players and staff recognize their current position does not reflect the team they are or want to be. The focus is on securing playoff spots.

Gale said inconsistency within matches and from week to week has been a problem and must be addressed. She said the club has the necessary pieces, including excellent additions, and believes it can deliver better results and more consistent performances.

Jessica De Filippo has been a bright spot, scoring 10 goals in 19 games. She is second in league scoring behind Elyse Bennett of the Montreal Roses.

Darbyshire said the Rise need De Filippo to carry the team at times. The 25-year-old forward from Mississauga, Ont., wants to become the best and most dominant player she can be, he said, and has ambitions of playing for national teams. To do that, she must perform every week.

Darbyshire said leadership will also be required from the full group during the final stretch. Players need to take responsibility and show leadership in training and on the pitch, he said, because there is no time to waste.

The Canadian Press first reported this story Sept. 9, 2026.