Who is john herdman

Come March, the top three countries in the standings will qualify for Qatar , representing North and Central America and the Caribbean. The fourth-place team will take part in an intercontinental playoff to see who joins them. Friday could be a milestone night for year-old captain Atiba Hutchinson, who is one appearance away from tying Julian de Guzman's Canadian men's of 89 caps. Christine Sinclair holds the Canadian women's record of caps, and counting.

It will also be a night to remember for Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies, who will play his first game as a professional in his hometown.

Forward Cyle Larin, who was sidelined Wednesday by a stomach bug, was back in training Thursday. Herdman, a renowned motivator known for his attention to detail, is no stranger to fixing programs. The Canadian women's team was broken when Herdman took over in the wake of a last-place finish at the World Cup.

Herdman put the squad back together again, reminding them why they played soccer and for whom they did it. The women rebounded from a roller-coaster semifinal loss to the powerful U. They won bronze again with Herdman at the Rio Olympics. Now they are Olympic champions. Ironically Herdman was runner-up to Caroline Morace when Canada Soccer looked for a successor to Even Pellerud as women's coach in But in breaking the news that he didn't get the job, general secretary Peter Montopoli told him to stay in touch.

On Wednesday, Montopoli announced he was leaving Canada Soccer at the end of the month to oversee the Canadian end of the World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the U. Herdman said Montopoli gave him "the latitude" to lead his program, as well as "the belief that you've got this. And he's always given us that space to make our decisions and ultimately when we've needed him, he's been there. John Herdman: The English coach out to transform Canadian football.

Stuart James Feb 28, He has won Olympic medals, taken his adopted country to a World Cup quarter-final, turned down the chance to work for the Football Association and is now in charge of one of the most exciting young players on the planet.

Herdman breaks into laughter as he contemplates that question. Until Canada, as a country, until we — me, the players and this staff — put this team on the map, no one is going to know. And Alphonso, I guess, is inspiring everyone, just to keep reminding us that anything is possible for this country now. If Davies is the face of football in a country, Herdman is the brains behind it. Already a subscriber? Log In. Subscribe now to get full access to the new sports page. Must read content, player grades, stuff you can't get anywhere else.

View Plans Already a subscriber? Log in. Subscribe Now. Continue reading this story At the same time, Herdman recognizes that this month's slate of games, and in particular the match versus Mexico, presents Canada with a chance to take a giant step towards qualifying for the World Cup.

It's a window that we're going to suffer a little bit in… but it's a real opportunity for us to show the quality of our depth and to strengthen this group," Herdman offered. John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for a number of media outlets, including CBC Sports, Sportsnet and Sun Media.

He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of the Canadian game. A variety of newsletters you'll love, delivered straight to you. Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted. By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines.

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