Manuel Bilches
Personal information
Full name Manuel Reinaldo Bilches
Date of birth (1957-05-25) 25 May 1957 (age 66)
Place of birth Argentina
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1974 Hamilton-Italo Canadians
Managerial career
1990 America United
1993 Windsor Wheels
1999–2001 Belize
2006 PSM Makassar
2011–2012 Curaçao
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Manuel Bilches (born 25 May 1957) is an Argentine football manager and former player.

Playing career

Bilches began playing at the youth level with Mendoza.[1] A forward, he had stints with Independiente Rivadavia, Huracán Las Heras and Deportivo Goudge in his native Argentina.[2][3] In 1972, he moved to Canada and had a trial with Toronto Metros in the North American Soccer League.[3][4] He resumed playing in Southern Ontario in 1974 where he played in the provincial circuit of the National Soccer League with Hamilton-Italo Canadians.[5] After a season in Hamilton, he traveled to Western Canada to train with the Vancouver Whitecaps.[4]

In 1977, he started playing in the Alberta Major Soccer League with Edmonton Victoria.[6] Throughout the season he was selected to the Edmonton Select team which faced Eintracht Braunschweig.[7][8] After the conclusion of the summer season, he played in the Edmonton Indoor Soccer League with Edmonton Croatia during the 1978 winter season.[9] He trained with California Surf and played in several preseasons matches the following season.[10][11]

In 1979, he resumed playing in the local Alberta soccer circuit with Northwest United.[12] He re-signed with Northwest the following season.[13]

Managerial career

Bilches began transitioning to the managerial side by becoming the player-coach for Team Argentina in the 1978 Mini World Cup soccer tournament.[14][15] In the winter of 1980, he served as the head coach for Edmonton Italo-Canadians in the Edmonton District Soccer Association's indoor league.[16] In 1990, he returned to the province of Ontario to manage America United in the National Soccer League.[17] He was the head coach for NSL rivals Scarborough International for the 1991 season.[18] He continued coaching in the NSL in 1993 when he was hired by Windsor Wheels in the preseason.[18] Unfortunately, his stint in Windsor was short-lived as he was dismissed after the arrival of new ownership.[19]

The Ontario Soccer Association named Bilches as their under-15 provincial head coach in 1995.[1] He began managing the Honduran side Atlético Independiente during the 1997–98 season.[20] After his stint in Honduras, he began managing at the international level in 1999 when he was named the head coach for the Belize national football team and managed the squad throughout the 1999 UNCAF Nations Cup.[20] The Football Federation of Belize renewed his contract in late 1999 and also served as the head coach for the under-23 national team.[21] Bilches received some criticism during his helm with the national team as several players disagreed over his coaching style.[22]

In 2005, he was named the technical director for Persipura Jayapura in the Liga Indonesia Premier Division where the club would claim the championship title against Persija Jakarta.[23] He would return to manage in Indonesia in late 2006 when he signed with PSM Makassar and extended his contract for the 2007 season.[23] Unfortunately, he resigned from his position before the commencement of the 2007 season.[24]

In 2011, he was named the head coach for Curaçao.[25][26][27] Throughout his tenure with Curaçao, the team failed to advance past the group stage in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification.[28]

References

  1. ^ a b Caton, Mary (8 March 1995). "Going south for soccer". Windsor Star. pp. D2.
  2. ^ Caric, Hugo (20 September 2023). "Manuel Bilches, el argentino que dirigió a la selección de Curazao" [Manuel Bilches, the Argentine who directed the selection of Curacao]. Al Toque Deportes (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b Cross, Jeff (10 April 1975). "Caps rounding into form". The Province. p. 16.
  4. ^ a b Jukich, Roy (15 April 1975). "Caps seeking English forward". Vancouver Sun. p. 20.
  5. ^ "Allan Anderson is big gun in London's soccer victory". Toronto Star. 3 July 1974. p. D2.
  6. ^ Cole, Cam (6 June 1977). "Eyo returns to spark win". Edmonton Journal. p. 33.
  7. ^ Cole, Cam (15 June 1977). "Germans leave Selects breathless". Edmonton Journal. p. 65.
  8. ^ "City selects facing gargantuan task". Edmonton Journal. 10 June 1977. p. 97.
  9. ^ "Bilches buries Rangers". Edmonton Journal. 27 February 1978. pp. H2.
  10. ^ Petersen, Jan W. (27 March 1978). "Stompers Fall 2-1 to Surf; Low Turnout Leaves Deficit". Fresno Bee. p. 21.
  11. ^ "NASL California Surf Rosters". www.nasljerseys.com. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  12. ^ "PWA soars to 3-1 win over United". Edmonton Journal. 16 April 1979. p. 38.
  13. ^ "United Wins". Edmonton Journal. 20 August 1980. pp. D3.
  14. ^ "Argentina pulls upset at Mini-World Cup". Edmonton Journal. 8 May 1978. pp. F3.
  15. ^ Cole, Cam (15 May 1978). "Team England unites for Mini World Cup". Edmonton Journal. pp. F3.
  16. ^ "Thistle seeks to move back to First Division". Edmonton Journal. 11 November 1980. p. 38.
  17. ^ Waddell, Dave (30 July 1990). "Wheels slip past United". Newspapers.com. The Windsor Star. p. 24. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  18. ^ a b Hall, Dave (9 March 1993). "Wheels hope to score with new soccer league". Newspapers.com. Windsor Star. p. 12. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  19. ^ Hall, Dave (24 March 1993). "New owners hope to create soccer harmony". Newspapers.com. Windsor Star. p. 17. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  20. ^ a b "Un benjamín renovado" [A new baby]. La Nación (in Spanish). 19 March 1999. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  21. ^ "National football team coach's contract renewed". Channel5Belize.com. 11 November 1999. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  22. ^ "Wanchope's fan won't get the message". Evening Standard. 1 February 2000. p. 83.
  23. ^ a b "PSM Pilih Bilches - Sport Tempo.co" [PSM Select Bilches]. Tempo. 3 October 2006. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  24. ^ "3 Pelatih Asal Argentina Pernah Alami Nasib Tragis di Liga Indonesia" [Apart from Mario Gomez, 3 coaches from Argentina also experienced a tragic fate in the Indonesian League]. INDOSPORT.com. 15 December 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  25. ^ Soccerway profile
  26. ^ "Curacao, past master forging bright future". FIFA.com. 2 October 2014. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  27. ^ "Bilches moet Curaçao naar WK leiden" [Bilches must lead Curaçao to the World Cup]. Versgeperst.com Curacao. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  28. ^ "'Bondscoach Curaçao snapt er niets van'" [Curaçao national coach does not understand]. Versgeperst.com Curacao. 12 December 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2022.

External links

Belize national football team – managers
Curaçao national football team – managers
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