John Herdman, who has coached both the women's and men's national soccer teams, has left the national program to take the head coaching job with Toronto FC, it was announced Monday.
Joshua Kloke of The Athletic was the first to report the story.
Mauro Biello will serve as interim head coach. He has served as assistant coach with the men’s team since March 2018. Canada Soccer says Herdman will work with Biello through the month of September. Canada is scheduled to play Japan on Oct. 13 in Niigata.
"One of the worst-kept secrets in Canada Soccer the last few weeks," said Kloke during an interview on Sportsnet's The Fan Drive Time.
Canada Soccer confirmed Herdman's departure for the MLS club via tweet shortly after the news broke. Toronto FC confirmed that Herdman would assume his duties on Oct. 1.
“I am grateful for the incredible opportunity to have represented Canada for the past 12 years, for the moments I’ve been able to share with the players, the staff and the supporters,” said Herdman in a statement released by Canada Soccer. “The goal was always to leave the game in a better place, and I’m confident that goal has been achieved for Canada.”
The 48-year-old, English-born Herdman took over the men's national team in January 2018, and led it to Canada's first World Cup appearance since 1986, when it played in the Qatar tournament in November. While the team went 0-3 in its group matches and did not advance, it did manage to do something the '86 team did not: score a goal at the event.
Herdman was lauded for the team's World Cup qualification run, as the team posted a record of eight wins, four draws and just two losses, edging out both the U.S. and Mexico for top spot in its regional group. The run included a historic 2-1 victory over Mexico on a frosty night in Edmonton on Nov. 16, 2021.
"Personally, it's the right time for me to step into a new challenge in my career, and the structure of a club environment is a context I've aspired to operate in," said Herdman in a Toronto FC statement.
Assistant coaches Simon Eaddy and Eric Tenllado, lead scout Alex Dodgshon and head of performance Cesar Meylan also are leaving the national team.
Herdman started with the women's national team in 2011, leading them to the 2015 World Cup quarterfinals, sandwiched by a pair of Olympic bronze medals in London and Rio in 2012 and 2016, respectively.
Canada is set to co-host the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and the U.S., which automatically grants the men's team a spot in the tournament.
In Toronto FC, Herdman inherits a team that has just three league wins on the season, to go with 10 draws and 13 losses, and is tied for last place in MLS with 19 points. The club's last win was on May 27.
“John Herdman is the most successful head coach in the history of Canada Soccer. From leading the women’s national team to back-to-back Olympic bronze medals, paving the way for their gold medal in 2020 and to leading the men’s national team back to the FIFA World Cup, John’s contribution to the game in Canada is unmatched,” Charmaine Crooks, president of Canada Soccer, said in the same team statement. “We would like to thank John for his immense contribution to the game in Canada and wish him the very best in his new role at Toronto FC.”
— With a file from The Canadian Press
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.