John Herdman remains with the Canadian team
John Herdman chose the status quo. After a morning marked by numerous rumors out of New Zealand that the head coach of the Canadian men’s soccer team had agreed to join the All Whites, Herdman and Cocker Canada issued a statement on Wednesday to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.
“Success at this level will always open doors,” Herdman said in a statement released by Soccer Canada. I’ve had many offers in recent months, all of which I’ve turned down, including one from the New Zealand Football Association.
He added, “I repeat to you, the Canadian players and fans of the team, that I am completely dedicated to Canadian football and the development of this program.” During the World Cup in Qatar, our guys showed that they have their place at this level. I will not go anywhere. We still have work to do and the goal is to take this team to the next level in 2026.”
Earl Cochran, General Secretary of Canadian Soccer, confirmed that Herdman is under contract through the 2026 World Cup — Canada will be among the host nations for the competition.
Herdman’s record at the helm of Canada’s men’s soccer team is 32-13-5 since leaving the women’s national program in January 2018.
And its value rose significantly after the strong performance of the representatives of the maple leaf in Qatar, despite the defeats against Belgium, Croatia and Morocco.
Rumors were spread by Newshub, New Zealand’s news service, which reported that Herdman was the “favorite candidate” to captain the New Zealand men’s soccer team. This service even specified that Herdman had an agreement with the union, but maintained that such agreement had not been put to paper.
Herdman once trained in New Zealand, where he learned his trade before joining the Canadian women’s soccer team after the 2011 World Cup.
Furthermore, his son Jay was born in New Zealand and is now a New Zealand Youth International.
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