After falling out with Herdman, Kaye aims for fresh start on Canadian men's team

It’s an opportunity with the Canadian men’s team that has been eight months in the making for veteran midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye.

Interim coach Mauro Biello announced his 23-man roster last week for Canada’s upcoming two-legged Concacaf Nations League qualifier vs. Jamaica, and included in the list of call-ups was Kaye, marking his return to the national team fold after being left out for the past several international windows.

Prior to his time away from the men’s team, Kaye, a 28-year-old from Toronto, had two goals and seven assists in 40 appearances for Canada, including one start at last year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar. While Kaye made his senior team debut six years ago under former manager Octavio Zambrano, 35 of his caps came under John Herdman, who took over as Canada's coach in 2018 and saw the value of having Kaye in his squad. Kaye played in 10 of 14 matches (seven times as a starter) during Concacaf's final round of World Cup qualifying, a sure sign of how much he was valued by Herdman.

But Kaye has missed Canada’s last eight contests and wasn’t called up for the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League finals or the Gold Cup this summer when Herdman was still in charge. Kaye's previous appearance came on March 25, 2023, in a 2-0 road win over Curaçao. Since then, he was traded by Toronto FC to the New England Revolution on July 13, while Herdman stepped down to take over as coach of TFC in August.

Kaye struggled to comprehend how he went from a trusted midfielder in Canada’s midfield to being deemed surplus to requirements by Herdman so shortly after the World Cup. But what he is clear about is that his relationship with Herdman became strained.

“It’s always difficult when you want to be with the national team, and you don’t get called up. It was tough. Me and John had some really tough conversations where he blatantly told me I wasn’t good enough to be part of the team. That was hard for me to accept,” Kaye told Sportsnet.

“I’m fine with constructive criticism when there’s a real [opportunity] for growth. But for some reason, it just felt like things didn’t make sense. It was challenging seeing some players that weren’t playing at their clubs or were playing at the same level as me and not doing as well as I was and getting called up.”

After being told by Herdman that he wasn’t in his plans, Kaye turned his sole focus to his club career and watched from afar as Canada lost to the United States in the Concacaf Nations League finals and were eliminated by the Americans in the quarter-finals of the Gold Cup.

At the same time, he sought the advice of other players who’d been through similar situations with their respective national teams, hoping that their advice would help him come to terms with things. Among those he talked to about it was former TFC teammate Lorenzo Insigne, who helped Italy win Euro 2020.

“Lorenzo actually helped me a little bit with that. He was telling me there’s always guys that are good enough to get called into the Italian national team but for whatever reason, maybe personnel or the opponent, they don’t get called in. So, I just took a little break from the national team and focused on my club soccer, focused on my mental health, my family life, and on things I could control to make sure when I was going to get called back in that I was ready to go," Kaye explained.

Still, the hurt lingered within Kaye as he felt Herdman didn’t handle things properly with him.

“I took it personally, 100 per cent. John is a strong character. And yes, he has helped the national team grow to where we are today. But sometimes the way he would tell me things would honestly make me feel like I’m not a good player. And that’s tough. You have to be able to have a good support system around you, have coaches and people that really care about your growth to give you real, honest feedback because you know they want you to do well,” Kaye explained.

“He told me I wasn’t good enough to be part of that group. Not good enough to be a part of the Gold Cup group, and I think he’s the only person in the world who would believe that. So, I just had to swallow it because there’s not much you can do when you’re a player. You just move past it, and I used it to fuel myself, to continue working on myself and being prepared for the next chance I’d get called into camp. I thought maybe I’d get a fresh start with a new coach.”

That fresh start came under Biello, who previously served as an assistant coach under Herdman. A former Canadian international himself, Biello reached out to Kaye prior to Canada’s friendly against Japan last month.

Even though Kaye wasn’t called up for Biello’s first match in charge, a 4-1 loss in Niigata, the two had a fruitful conversation that left the midfielder with the impression that the door to the national team wasn’t permanently shut to him and that there’d be a possibility of a recall.

“Mauro and I had a good conversation before the Japan camp. We spoke about where I needed to be and how they were happy with what I was doing at New England. So, with Mauro, he’s an honest guy and you really trust his words and he really instills that belief in you that he does want you to get better, and he does want you to improve, so it’s been all good,” Kaye said.

“Mauro really understands what it’s like to be a footballer. When you have the ability to connect with players on that level it’s something that you can’t really quantify. It brings a breath of fresh air, puts a lot of the onus on the players to go out there and be leaders and get the job done.”

Whoever emerges from this two-legged playoff between Canada and Jamaica will qualify for the Nations League finals in March. But the series carries extra importance as the winner also qualifies for the 2024 Copa América — the U.S. is hosting the South American championship next summer with 10 CONMEBOL teams plus the six best Concacaf nations as guests.

With the stakes so high, Biello felt it was the right time to bring back a veteran campaigner such as Kaye.

"Mark has had that experience with the national team. He's gone to a World Cup; he's been through the qualifying. There was a resurgence when he left Toronto. Speaking to some of the staff there in New England, they were really happy with the way he's been performing. … It was very positive," Biello said.

He later added: "When I look back at the game in Jamaica [during 2022 World Cup qualifying], he was part of that. He knows the conditions there; he knows what it takes to perform there. … So, when I add up all of these things, along with his experience and what he can bring to the group, I thought it was important to bring him back in for this [window]."

The opener of the two-legged playoff goes Friday in the Jamaican capital of Kingston. The decisive return match is next Tuesday in Toronto, which will be Kaye’s return to BMO Field for the first time since being traded by TFC.

He’s also likely to run into Herdman there, but it doesn’t sound like a reconciliation is on the cards.

“It’ll be interesting seeing John there. I think he’s a great person at what he does, but our relationship has never been great. So, it’ll be interesting walking into a building where I [played] in which is now his building; it’s an interesting dynamic. But I look forward to playing at BMO again. The place is going to be rocking and the support for the national team is always unwavering,” Kaye offered.

“I’m just happy to be back with Canada, happy to be around the guys. It’s a real family here so it’s like being away from your siblings for a long time. It’s a good moment.”