Phoenix Rising has named a new head coach. Pa-Modou Kah comes to the Valley after serving as an assistant coach with Charlotte FC in Major League Soccer — he’s also been an assistant with MLS clubs in Vancouver and Cincinnati. His playing career included teams in both Europe and North America.
Phoenix Rising won the USL Championship title in 2023; the team made the playoffs this past season, but lost in the first round.
Kah joined The Show to talk about his new role as head coach, starting with what he finds appealing about this job.
Full conversation
PA-MODOU KAH: The ambition that the club have that matches with mine, but also an opportunity to, to help a club win.
MARK BRODIE: And how different do you think it will be in this league than it was coaching in MLS? Obviously being a head coach versus an assistant is different, but you know, the level of play is a little different as well.
KAH: Well, obviously, the quality of the level in MLS has gone up and you know, so, so, so with everything around in the external, but for me, the games always remains the game, which is it's 22 players on the pitch trying to win a football match. So what, where you have, what I have in MLS was that I had the players that, you know, I could help. And the same is gonna happen in Phoenix. So I don't see no huge different in that sense, beside the external factor of it being an MLS, you know, at the higher level.
BRODIE: Yeah. How do you think that your playing career has helped you in your coaching career? I mean, you had, you've played in a lot of different places at a lot of different levels. I'm curious how that has impacted how you are and, and how you coach.
KAH: Of course, it had the impact, it has a huge impact because you get to see different cultures, which I always feel is a valuable thing to have because you talk about understanding people, understanding who they are and what drives them. So that gives me insight in a different lot of cultures, a lot of different people to meet, you know, and that shaped me also in terms of when I meet new people, you know, to understand them, understand the language, they, they feel comfortable in talking, you know, so those things are very important. So for my, for my football career, it has helped me a lot, being able to see and learn about different cultures.
BRODIE: How much of your job do you see as Xs and Os and how much do you see as almost like a psychologist?
KAH: No, I won't say it's not a psychologist but it's more about the, the human facet. And first of all, one thing I always say to people is players are human before being players. So it's my job as a head coach, try to understand who they are, what makes them tick, so that I can help them on the pitch.
I don't look at them as only purely football players because they are only football players 90 minutes, you know. But the rest of the time, they are normal human being with normal problems and normal happiness, like everybody lives around the world.
So those things are very important that we put them into the consideration and make players also understand that yes, you play football for a living, but you are a human being first and foremost and you're gonna go through problems and joys, sad too like every normal human being.
BRODIE: I would think it would be helpful both to the players and to the team for the head coach to, as you reference, sort of understand how to motivate each player, get the best out of them. So that A, in theory, they can be happy, productive human beings. But also so the team can be successful.
KAH: Well, of course, with commitment, that's, that's where it starts because you cannot ask people to commit to us if they're not willing to commit to themselves. So that's one of the first things I always ask players, you must commit to, to the goal that you want to achieve. Therefore, we can help you achieve the goal that you wanna achieve.
You know, it's, it doesn't work the other way around. We cannot ask for commitment if they're not committed to themselves and what they want to achieve.
BRODIE: So, Phoenix Rising has had some success in, in its league over the last number of years and won the championship a couple of years ago. We've been to the playoffs a number of years. How …
KAH: A year ago.
BRODIE: Right. Exactly. So, like, how do you try to come in? You're brand new to the city, you're brand new to the league, you're brand new to the team. How do you come in and try to not just replicate what's happening because of course, every player, every fan wants to win the championship every single year. But how do you try to take the sort of the foundation that's here and, and bring it back to a championship type level?
KAH: Well, listen, I don't think that, it's not like the club didn't win. They just won the league last year and they've been contenders for many years. It's not like they never been in those positions, right. So we quickly forget, us human beings, right, we said a couple of years ago, but it was just last year that they won the league. And I know that football moves very quickly, right?
But the most important thing is to take the foundation that is there and build upon it with the people that are there and create the foundation even stronger hat will give us the opportunity to achieve the goals that we set for ourselves to want to achieve, which is again winning. And winning is reserved for a very few. So, so be able to climb to the mountain top, you gotta trust the process that, that will be put in place both for us as staff and as a staff as people, as well as players. So those are the things that we look to build on first.
BRODIE: How do you see the role of player development in, in this job, in this league maybe differently than you would in MLS or international football?
KAH: No, for me, player development is the base in football. That is one of the greatest things you can have, is being able to develop players so that they can go out and achieve their own dreams and put the club on the map because it does help if we develop players and later on, they get to play in leagues around the world or even in MLS and, and Phoenix Rising.
I've done that a couple of times where you see Carlos Harvey last year was, was with us and now he is in MLS playing and so numerous players that have gone through that route. So it's just us continuing, continuing that foundation and look to build upon and help players.
BRODIE: In addition to winning with Phoenix Rising, do you see it as part of your job to help players move up to MLS and other levels of soccer?
KAH: Of course, that's one of the reasons why I'm coaching. Like I say, I've played for 20 years. So I've, I've lived my dream. So now it's my job to try to help players that have those ambition, you know, try to reach them and, and, and help them through the experiences I have and guide them, you know, so that they understand what it will be to be at that level.
Because football is, football is a funny old sport. You know, it's, it's easy to get to the top, but remaining, remaining at the top is one of the most difficult things to do. So that's where you want to help players understand, you know, the, the downfalls that can happen, you know, just prepare them. My job is to prepare them.
