Canada Soccer took everyone by surprise in 2018 when the organization announced that Women’s National Team Head Coach John Herdman would now lead the men’s team.
Posted yesterday at 10:13 p.m.
Herdman had led the women to back-to-back bronze medals at the Olympics and had to deal with the pressure of hosting the Women’s World Cup in 2015.
Women’s team captain Christine Sinclair, who holds the world record for most goals scored in international matches, reacted on Twitter with the comment: “Wordless right now. »
This decision will ultimately have been a success. The Canadian men’s team is on the verge of confirming its qualification for the Soccer World Cup for the first time in 36 years.
Canada sits atop the Concacaf qualifying tournament standings, ahead of the United States and Mexico. The Canadians are still undefeated in the final round with a record of seven wins and four draws.
Along the way, the Canadian national team has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the FIFA rankings, rising from 94and position when Herdman arrived in 2018, at 33and place today.
“This team, this program, we have been through a lot. We have had a lot of difficult times and heartbreaking results, said captain Atiba Hutchinson. And to get to where we are now, we have become a team that is fearless and full of confidence. We’re just talking on the pitch now. »
In the most recent round robin series, Canada went a perfect 3-0 with wins over Honduras, USA and El Salvador.
PHOTO FERNANDO LLANO, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
John Herdman
On Thursday, Canada will resume its mission by visiting Costa Rica for the first game of a final three-game series. With a victory, the Canadian formation would ensure its place in Qatar before even playing the last two duels scheduled against Jamaica in Toronto, Sunday, then in Panama, the following Wednesday.
The top three teams in the round robin earn their ticket to represent Concacaf at the Worlds. The team that finishes fourth will have one last chance to qualify for Qatar against a team from Oceania in the same situation.
Herdman dubbed his team’s quest the “New Canada.”
“With this mission, there are several underlying objectives. We are not part of the “New Canada” unless we are truly at the forefront of this current period. For us, internally, we have clear objectives on which we are fully dedicated and we are on the right track, he affirmed. We are well on our way to establishing ourselves as the New Canada as the players have said and letting the rest of the world know. »
It’s not just the men’s team that has benefited from the coaching change. The women’s team also enjoyed success, winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics last summer under Bev Priestman.
Recognized as the country of hockey, Canada has worked for 20 years to establish itself as a real player on the world soccer stage.
The adventure really began in 2002, when the country hosted the FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship (which has since become the Women’s Under-20 World Cup).
The young Sinclair then scored five goals in the quarter-final round against England. His performance made so much noise that the bleachers filled up. Over 47,000 people attended the final against the United States. An attendance record that still stands today.
Then, Canada organized the Men’s Under-20 World Cup in 2007. This generated $259 million in economic spinoffs. An event that paved the way for the presentation in the country of the Women’s World Cup in 2015.
Today, Canada’s National Women’s Team sits 6and world rank as they prepare for Worlds 2023. The foundation of this team was built by Herdman who took the reins in 2011.
“If you ever hear these men from the Canadian team talk, all they talk about is passion, legacy, playing for their brotherhood, for each other. And those are things that I believe in deeply too, because I had the good fortune to play under a coach like John Herdman, who puts a team-first emphasis in everything he does. Now you see that success on the men’s side,” former Canadian defenseman Rhian Wilkinson said.
But for Team Canada players, just qualifying for Qatar won’t be enough.
“I said it from the start, but these guys are fighting for something much bigger than a three-point game and a qualification in Qatar, and it’s been like that since I took over. leadership of the team, Herdman said. We are very lucid. It took time for the players to get this into their heads and rally around this common goal, but it’s done now. Everything is very clear. »