About

A lab forfootballers.

Where the work happens between the matches.

Our story

Built by players who were coached properly.

Football Lab was founded by Gurman Sangha, who played professionally with Charlotte FC 2 in MLS NEXT Pro after an NCAA Division I career at Memphis and Portland — the first Punjabi-Indian athlete in the league.

The Lab exists because the development he had access to is not the development most players get. Small groups, direct coaching, real standards, and someone who has actually done it telling you the truth about where you are.

elite programProfessional environmentpro coaches

Our mission

Develop the whole player.

To give every player a clear path to being better — technically, physically and mentally — and to make the work worth doing.

Success has no limits. No ceiling we set on a player, and no point at which the work is finished.

Our philosophy

Coach the player in front of you.

A session is only useful if it changes something for the player doing it. We keep groups small so nobody hides, we coach individuals inside the group, and we tell players the truth about where they are.

Development is not linear and it is not comfortable. Our job is to make it clear, and to make a player want to come back and do it again.

How we develop players

The five core development elements.

Every session at the Lab is built on these five. They are what we coach, and what we record.

Mentality

Standards, focus and the habits a player brings before the ball moves.

Technical Development

First touch, striking, receiving — the detail work, repeated until it holds under pressure.

Physical Development

Speed, strength and movement built for football, with Athletic Lab behind it.

Game IQ & Awareness

Scanning, decisions and understanding what the picture is asking for.

Creativity & Joy

Players who try things. The part that makes the rest worth doing.

The coaches

Coached by players who made it to the pros.

Gurman Sangha

Gurman Sangha

Founder & Director

A disciplined, detail-driven coach who holds every player to a high standard. Gurman played professionally with Charlotte FC 2 in MLS NEXT Pro — the first Punjabi-Indian athlete in the league — after an NCAA Division I career at Memphis and Portland. He brings 10+ years of coaching to the Lab.

Charlotte FC 2 · MLS NEXT ProNCAA D1 · Memphis & Portland10+ years coaching
Filip Rakic

Filip Rakic

Coach

Filip combines energy and structure to make sessions intense and enjoyable. A former professional with Whitecaps FC 2 in MLS NEXT Pro, he represented Canada at the Danone Nations Cup and took gold at the 2012 BC Summer Games — 15+ years at the elite level, now poured into the next generation.

Whitecaps FC 2 · MLS NEXT ProCanada · Danone Nations Cup15+ years elite level
Matthew Baldisimo

Matthew Baldisimo

Coach

Matthew pushes players to raise their standards through intense, focused coaching — balanced with encouragement and a passion for making the game enjoyable. A CPL champion with Pacific FC, he captained Canada U-17 at the 2015 CONCACAF Championship, came through the Whitecaps FC Residency as MVP and captain, and debuted for the Philippines senior national team in 2024 with over 100 professional appearances behind him.

CPL Champion · Pacific FC 2021Philippines Senior National Team100+ professional appearances
Justyn Sandhu

Justyn Sandhu

Goalkeeper Coach

Justyn creates a focused, high-expectation environment where goalkeepers grow through discipline, calm coaching and elite-level accountability. Named top goalkeeper in League1 BC in 2024, he was selected for Canada’s U13 programme and led the Atlantic 10 in saves as an NCAA Division I starter at St. Bonaventure, where he made the Commissioner’s Honour Roll twice.

Top Goalkeeper · League1 BC 2024NCAA D1 · led A-10 in saves10+ years elite level
Simone Masi

Simone Masi

Coach

Simone brings energy and discipline to every session, pushing players to meet high standards while staying fully engaged in their own development. He made 26 MLS NEXT Pro appearances for Whitecaps FC 2, played Serie D in Italy with AC Pistoiese, and was GNAC Freshman of the Year at Simon Fraser — the only freshman named to the First Team — before becoming the first Canadian-born SFU defender to sign a professional contract.

Whitecaps FC 2 · 26 MLS NEXT Pro appsSerie D · AC PistoieseGNAC First Team · SFU

Success has no limits

Come and see what a session looks like.

Register to join the Lab, or get in touch and we will help you find the right program.

Burnaby, BC

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