By Noah Curitti
At Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), sports teams have found success in bringing back former players as coaches. The women’s soccer team joined that tradition this year, as previously reported by The Eyeopener, but the men’s soccer team has been reaping the benefits for some time.
The season kicked off at home against the Queen’s Gaels in a commanding 4-0 victory with some familiar players on the sidelines. Bold alumni Abdallah El-Chanti and Raheem Rose returned to head coach Filip Prostran’s staff this year—El-Chanti as an attacking coach and Rose as a striker coach.
The resumes of these two alumni are significant assets for Prostran and a team seeking to redeem an underwhelming finish to the 2023 season. El-Chanti was an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) all-star selection in 2019 and won the team’s Most Valuable Player award in 2021. He also captained the Bold and made the All-Canadian First Team in 2019. Rose was named a Second-Team All-Canadian and an OUA First-Team All-Star in 2019 along with winning the Bold’s Most Valuable Player award in 2018.
When making the decision to bring the players back, Prostran knew the Bold’s top two all-time goal scorers would be “incredible” additions to the team.
“They’re great examples for the players,” said Prostran. “They raise the level of the environment as well as the intensity and quality of our practices. It was an easy choice to bring them back.”
“As long as we’re scoring goals, I feel like I’m doing my job here as a coach”
Prostran describes that El-Chanti and Rose are not only great examples as players, they are also good people. All of this together translated to them having a lot of success as players and coaches.
“They’re just winners. In everything they do, they’re winners. They are [the] types of guys I want to give back to the team,” said Prostran.
El-Chanti joined the team after his final season in 2021. He said he knew that he could foster a strong relationship with Prostran and did not hesitate when he was offered a coaching position.
“I think it is easy to keep that relationship going as soon as you graduate,” he said.
He added that the team needed assistance in certain parts of the field, so he jumped in when asked.
El-Chanti works with players on goal-scoring and technical elements of the game. When the team comes together to work on finishing against the goalkeepers at the end of practice, he takes the lead while Prostran reverts to more of a spectator role. He said it is great to see players enjoy the end of practice and leave with positive energy and amazing to see it all come together in games.
“It’s nice to see the stuff that you do in practice reflect on game days. As long as we’re scoring goals, I feel like I’m doing my job here as a coach,” said El-Chanti.
“I could identify on the pitch with them, why this person is or is not succeeding and how they can improve”
Rose was confident that he would come back to the Bold in some way when his playing days ended, and like El-Chanti, he did not hesitate to accept the offer. While El-Chanti steps in when needed to lead drills on scoring, Rose is actively involved in the drills during practice, which he enjoys.
“I wanted to continue playing, so I’d come to practices then and now to help out. [Prostran] would say to me, ‘You need to come because it makes the practices better,’” he said.
Rose’s experience as a star for the Bold has helped him keep his dream of still playing alive while passing his knowledge down to the new players in his position. He described it as getting the best of both worlds.
“I have the luxury of actually stepping on the pitches and playing with them. So now, the most important thing is how can I build the players’ confidence as well as getting them to be the best that they can be,” said Rose. “I could identify on the pitch with them, why this person is or is not succeeding and how they can improve.”
Both El-Chanti and Rose said being out on the field during training reminded them of their own time as players on the team. El-Chanti said when the Bold play big games against teams like the University of Toronto Varsity Blues or the Carleton Ravens, he wishes he could be out there on the pitch. But ultimately, he cares most about helping in any way he can.
“As a player, you want to try to score and impact the game as much as possible. You don’t have that same impact as a coach…still, with that competitive spirit. I want to win so I try to cheer the guys on as much as possible and just instill confidence in them,” he said.
“Players look at them and there’s immediate respect because of what they’ve accomplished here”
Throughout his five years of playing and now coaching, Rose has witnessed TMU’s men’s soccer program battle through adversity and inconsistency, including moving from Monarch Park to Downsview Park multiple times. Now, he is happy to take the field with the team at Downsview where TMU Bold banners and a scoreboard solidify it as their home.
“To call this our home is the boldest statement,” he said.
Prostran said the two alumni coaches are great resources and mentors for players, especially younger ones. To him, earning respect as a player leads to earning respect as a coach.
“Players look at them and there’s immediate respect because of what they’ve accomplished here individually and what they’ve done with raising our teams to the next level,” he said. ”It is a really easy transition considering who they are.”
Prostran said players will sometimes turn to El-Chanti and Rose in times where they don’t want to go to their head coach. To him, it’s good to have mentors closer to where the players are in their lives.
“[Rose] and [El-Chanti] have been in all their shoes,” he said. “It’s really special to have them because it’s another touching point with our players…you’ve got guys that are in their mid-20s that have been there, done that.”
Prostran said since he has had great memories with El-Chanti and Rose, it is great to now have a personal side and joke around with them. Instead of just being their coach, they’re now even better friends.
“It’s really special to keep our relationship going beyond soccer,” he said.
“They are great leaders and are seamless to become great coaches”
At nearly 9 p.m., a tough practice for the Bold sees players and coaches push each other to bring their best. El-Chanti mentions the players did not have a great scrimmage but a shooting drill brings out laughs and boosts confidence.
Prostran said El-Chanti and Rose’s infectious energy and dedication—remnants from their playing days—shines positively on the team. They contribute to the winning formula the squad is trying to build—they want to always outwork everyone else.
“[When] they were here as players, they were always the guys that were here early. They were always the guys staying late. They were always the guys pulling other people along when the intensity’s down or if we had a tough loss,” he said of El-Chanti and Rose. “They are great leaders and are seamless to become great coaches.”
Prostran said having the alumni coaches on board is crucial to what the team wants to achieve this season. They currently boast a record of six wins, one loss and two draws and are ranked fifth in the nation as of Oct. 8. To him, El-Chanti and Rose’s experience is helping push the team to the next level.
“Having guys like Abdallah and Raheem is a blessing for our team.
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