Herdman Here To Stay

Just as Toronto FC is going through another tumultuous management change, the Canadian Women’s National Team held a press conference to announce a friendly against Mexico on Sunday Nov. 24^th at BC Place.

But the bigger news was that the CSA has signed a contract extension with John Herdman coach of the CWNT that will have him remain the coach until 2020.  This will see him helm the Canadian team through the next two World Cups, Olympics, and the eventual retirement of Christine Sinclair. 

The last few months have been filled with speculation that he would take over the England Women’s National Team coach after former coach Hope Powell was fired. Herdman being from England was a top choice after the firing but with this contract extension the CSA has locked him up for the run into the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

With Herdman staying Canada still has a chance at getting deep into the knockout rounds of the tournament because without him the same last place performance in the 2011 World Cup would have been more likely.  Enough cannot be said about how much he has changed the program around with his focus on the mental attitude of the players and his focus on creating a national curriculum to development of the women’s game in Canada, and being able to get everything out of a certainly aging team at the 2012 London Olympics.

With his extension he will be able to implement and see the results of his plans, which along with the extra money the CSA probably threw at him is probably why he is sticking around.  With his home country calling, it had to take a lot not to go back, but in England only a head coaching job was available to him they will two people one as coach and the other as Technical Director of the Women’s  team in England.  Having both roles in the Canadian setup is probably why we still have a chance to reach that podium again in 2015, but after that it will be a whole new landscape for the Canadian Women’s National Team.