Canada head coach John Herdman watches his team during practice at the World Cup in Doha, Qatar on Nov. 28, 2022. Herdman is stepping down from his role with Canada's national team to become head coach at Toronto FC.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
It’s been less than a year since John Herdman took the Canadian men’s soccer team to its biggest global event in 36 years. Now, he’s walking away from Canada Soccer to become the new head coach of Toronto FC.
Canada’s governing body for the sport, and TFC, each confirmed the news in separate press releases on Monday. The popular Englishman, who led the women’s national team to a pair of Olympic bronze medals, and then the men to their first FIFA World Cup since 1986, is departing for Toronto’s Major League Soccer club.
His exit is another crushing blow to a national sport federation that’s had itself entangled this year in financial problems, governance issues and labour disputes with its national team players over resources and gender equity. Now a prominent coach is leaving, just three years before Canada Soccer co-hosts the men’s World Cup.
The 48-year-old coach said in the federation’s release that he’s “grateful for the incredible opportunity to have represented Canada for the past 12 years.”
“I arrived from New Zealand in 2011 with the aim of changing the game in our country,” Mr. Herdman added. “I have been able to form many deep connections, through experiences in London 2012, a home World Cup in 2015, Rio 2016, World Cup qualification in 2022 and the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The goal was always to leave the game in a better place and I’m confident that goal has been achieved for Canada.”
Under Mr. Herdman, Canada’s men went 0-3 in group play at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and did not advance, but they achieved something that the 1986 team did not at the sport’s biggest event: they scored a goal. Mr. Herdman went on to thank the men that he has coached since 2018.
“The level of trust and belief that we have developed over that time,” Mr. Herdman said, “and the tightness of the brotherhood that we have today is something that I will always treasure.”
Canada Soccer’s trouble with money of late may at least partly explain the departure. The federation’s struggles have been very public in the past year, as it has been forced to deal with labour disputes with players from its men’s and women’s national teams. Players have complained about preparation and resources, and Mr. Herdman had been vocal about it.
After the Canadian men fell 2-0 to the U.S. in the CONCACAF Nations League final in June, Mr. Herdman challenged Canada Soccer “to get real” about Canada’s lack of preparation compared to other countries.
“We’ve got the best generation of players we’ve had and there’s more coming. … That support, we’ve got to figure this out financially,” Mr. Herdman told the media. “We’ve got to get serious about winning a World Cup [in 2026]. When you play at home you get a chance to win it.”
One pundit said Mr. Herdman’s exit from Canada Soccer “made complete sense at this particular moment.”
“He’s not going to be given what he needed to make the team potentially successful in 2026, and I think that really broke him up,” Craig Forrest, the former Canadian national team player turned commentator, said in a video post on X, the site formerly known as Twitter. “He wants a new challenge. This is a great challenge, to be given an opportunity to be given resources, and he’ll do a fantastic job.”
Canada Soccer says assistant coach Mauro Biello will now serve as interim head coach, and Mr. Herdman will work with Mr. Biello through the month of September. Canada is scheduled to play Japan on Oct. 13 in Niigata.
“John Herdman is the most successful head coach in the history of Canada Soccer,” Canada Soccer president Charmaine Crooks said in the release. “John’s contribution to the game in Canada is unmatched.”
But what a catch for TFC, the club owned by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. Now Mr. Herdman is tasked with returning the pro side to its former prestige. TFC won the MLS Cup in 2017 and was runner-up in 2016 and 2019.
Toronto FC will introduce Mr. Herdman as head coach in a press conference on Tuesday, yet he will begin his new job on Oct. 1.
“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,” Mr. Herdman said in TFC’s release. “Having access to connect and collaborate with the staff and players daily allows for a different depth of development and connection.”
It’s been a rough season for TFC, which has been looking for a permanent head coach since firing Bob Bradley, who doubled as sporting director, on June 26. Terry Dunfield, a former TFC player, was elevated to interim coach from his role of under-17 head coach with the TFC academy.
Toronto (3-10-13) has only eight matches left in this MLS campaign. While not mathematically eliminated from the postseason, TFC is the last-place team in the Eastern Conference, with 19 points from 26 matches.
“I’ve had a great relationship with John over the years and have always been impressed with his ability to get the most out of his teams,” TFC president Bill Manning said in the team’s release. “John is more than just a coach. He’s a great leader and a culture builder. We look forward to John having the same positive impact with TFC as he has had with Canada Soccer.”