According to information at our disposal, Latvian specialist Jurģis Kalns, who left his position as manager of the Cambodian Premier League team Visakha FC earlier today, is set to become the new manager of FK Auda.
The 42-year-old Latvian coach, according to our information, will return to Latvia after spending nine months abroad. The former Valmiera FC manager, who led them to its first-ever Virslīga title in 2022, left the Cambodian club along with his backroom staff, which includes assistant manager Renārs Rode and goalkeeping coach Anthony McMullen, who both worked with him during his time at Valmiera.
FK Auda had previously shown interest in hiring Kalns after he left Valmiera, but he opted to pursue opportunities in Cambodia and declined their offer.
Interestingly, Kalns began his coaching career with FK Auda when the team was in the second division, as he was appointed before the start of the 2015 season as a player-coach.
In 2018, he moved to Super Nova, where he achieved a second-place finish in his first and only season there. He narrowly missed promotion to the Virslīga after losing in the relegation playoff against FK Metta.
In 2019, Kalns took over as manager of FK Tukums 2000/Telms, leading the team to victory in the Nākotnes Līga and securing their promotion to the Virslīga. In the following season, he was demoted to assistant manager with Marek Zub appointed as the head coach. However, when the start of the season was postponed due to COVID-19 and Zub did not return, Kalns reassumed his role as head coach.
In 2021, he joined Tamaz Pertia’s staff at Valmiera, and in 2022, he took over as the head coach, where he successfully led the team to its first Virslīga title with an impressive style of play.
While the contract between FK Auda and Jurģis Kalns has not yet been signed, it is expected to be finalized in the near future. Currently, the caretaker manager for FK Auda during the training camp in Dubai is Aleksandr Rekhviashvili, a former assistant manager at SK Super Nova.