# John Herdman

John Herdman (born 19 July 1975) is an English professional football manager. He previously served as the head coach of the Canada men's national soccer team.

## Coaching career
### Early career

Herdman began coaching football at a young age in England, while he was a student and part-time university lecturer at Northumbria University. He was a development coach for Sunderland's youth academy until 2001, when he moved to New Zealand.

### New Zealand women's

Herdman arrived in New Zealand and joined the national association football programme in 2003, initially acting as Coach Education Manager and later as the Director of Football Development. Herdman was head coach for the New Zealand women's national football team from 2006 to 2011. Working with the national women's teams, he led the U-20 squad to the World Championship in 2006, the federation's first-ever youth tournament result, and the later renamed U-20 World Cup in 2010, securing its first-ever youth World Cup victory. He also guided the senior squad to the FIFA Women's World Cups in 2007 and 2011 as well as the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. For his contributions, he was recognized as New Zealand Football Coach of the Year (2006, 2008) and New Zealand Football Team of the Year (2008).
During his time in New Zealand, Herdman played amateur football for NRFL Division 2 club Hibiscus Coast.

### Canada women's

Herdman took over for the Canada women's national soccer team in 2011 from Carolina Morace after Canada finished last in their 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup group. Shortly after, he led them to a gold medal finish at the 2011 Pan American Games in Mexico. He guided the team through the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament in Vancouver, Canada, securing one of two qualifying spots for the 2012 Olympic Games in London that summer, where they won the bronze medal, Canada’s first Summer Olympic Team sport medal since 1936. At the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada, Herdman guided the host nation Canada to a first place finish in their group, eventually getting eliminated in the quarter-finals, a 2–1 loss to England. Canada went into 2016 on a high note with its first ever win at the Algarve Cup, beating 2016 Olympic hosts Brazil 2-1 in the final. Herdman lead the team to a second consecutive bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro beating host team Brazil 2-1 in front of 40,000 fans at Arena Corinthians, São Paulo. Canada's win earned the team the distinction of becoming the first Canadian Olympic team to repeat a medal performance at a summer Olympic Games in more than a century. At the 2016 Olympic Games, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team entered the record books early during the Olympic Tournament, scoring the fastest goal in tournament history in the opening match, before becoming the first Canadian team to win the group stage at an Olympic football tournament – winning all three group stage matches. Under Herdman, Canada earned it’s highest FIFA world ranking when it rose to fourth place in August 2016 in the wake of its bronze-medal performance at the Rio Olympics and earned the team the honour of "FIFA Most Improved Team."

### Canada men's

On 8 January 2018, Herdman was named head coach of the Canada men's national soccer team. He "also becomes men's national director, with responsibility for all age groups from under-14s upward".
In 2021, he guided the team up the FIFA World Rankings from 72nd to 40th, its highest position to date, to earn the team the honour of "Most Improved Side" of the year. On 10 February 2022, he improved Canada to 33rd in the FIFA World Rankings. During 2021-22, Herdman led Canada to a record 17-game unbeaten streak. In the lead up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Herdman ingle handedly secured private donations to fund training camp needs, including his staff.
On 27 March 2022, he led the team to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, its first World Cup in 36 years, becoming the first manager to have successfully led both the national women's and men's teams of a nation to qualify for a World Cup. Canada's first match of the tournament against Belgium on November 23 ended in a 1–0 loss, despite Canada dictating most of the play, and failing to convert any of their 22 shots, including a penalty. Four days later, Canada lost 4–1 to Croatia, despite scoring first, eliminating Canada from the tournament after two matches. Canada were defeated 2–1 by Morocco in their final group match on December 1, finishing fourth in the group with zero points.
Following the World Cup, Herdman led Canada to the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals, losing 2-0 to the United States.

### Toronto FC

On 28 August 2023, it was announced that Herdman would depart the Canadian national team to take charge of MLS team Toronto FC, effective 1 October. At the time of the announcement, TFC sat bottom of the Eastern Conference, with 3 wins from 26 games in the 2023 season. Under Herdman, Toronto FC earned its largest win margin against rivals CF Montreal with a lopsided 5-1 result and defeated the reigning Concacaf Champions Cup holders C.F. Pachuca by a 2-1 scoreline in Leagues Cup action at BMO Field in the Leagues Cup group finale.
On 29 November 2024, he announced his resignation from the position. Herdman's resignation followed allegations he had been involved in the Canada Soccer drone spying scandal at the 2024 Paris Olympics despite having left the federation in 2023, and the beginning of related disciplinary actions by Canada Soccer.

## Coaching licences, broadcasting and speaking roles

Herdman holds elite coaching licences:
* UEFA Pro Licence (2020)
* UEFA A Licence (2010)
* UEFA B Licence (1998)
Beyond his coaching roles, Herdman has been an analyst and speaker:
* CBC FIFA World Cup TV Analyst (2014)
* TSN Women’s Euros TV Analyst (2013)
* TSN Men’s Euros TV Analyst (2016)
* Professional Speaker with Speakers Spotlight (2012–Present)

## Personal life

Herdman is originally from Consett, County Durham, England. Herdman is married to his childhood sweetheart, Clare, and has two children: Lilly and Jay. The latter plays for Cavalry FC, as well as the New Zealand U23 team.

## Managerial statistics

    As of match played 5 October 2024
| Team | From | To | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Team | From | To | G | W | D | L | Win % |
| New Zealand women's | 1 January 2006 | 31 August 2011 | 61 | 16 | 7 | 38 | 026.23 |
| Canada women's | 1 September 2011 | 8 January 2018 | 109 | 62 | 14 | 33 | 056.88 |
| Canada men's | 8 January 2018 | 28 August 2023 | 58 | 36 | 8 | 14 | 062.07 |
| Canada under-23 men's | 8 January 2018 | 17 July 2018 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 025.00 |
| Toronto FC | 10 October 2023 | 29 November 2024 | 44 | 16 | 6 | 22 | 036.36 |
| Total | Total | Total | 276 | 131 | 37 | 108 | 047.46 |

## Honours
### International Coaching Awards:

* FIFA Coach of the Year Nominee (2012, 2015, 2016)
* FIFA Most Improved Team (2016 - Canada WNT, 2021 - Canada MNT)

### Canadian & CONCACAF Recognitions:

* Jack Donohue Canadian Coach of the Year (2017)
* 2016 CONCACAF Awards - Outstanding Performance Award (2016)
* Sport Canada Coaching Excellence Award (2012, 2016)
* Canadian Press Team of the Year (2012, 2022)

### New Zealand Recognitions:

* Sport NZ Innovation Award (2011)
* New Zealand Football Coach of the Year (2006, 2008)
* New Zealand Football Team of the Year (2008)
* North Harbour Coach of the Year (2007, 2009)

### Academic & Honorary Recognition:

* Honorary Doctor of Sciences – Northumbria University (2023)
Team Achievements New Zealand Women's National Team (2006-2011)
* FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualification (2007, 2011) – First-ever World Cup result in 2011
* Oceania Champions (2010)
* FIFA U-20 Women's World Cups (2006, 2010) – First-ever youth WC victory in 2008
* Beijing Olympics (2008) – First Olympic result for NZ Women’s team

### Canada Women's National Team (2011-2017)

* 2011 Pan American Games – Gold Medal
* 2012 London Olympics – First-ever Olympic medal (Bronze)
* 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup – Quarterfinals (6th place)
* 2016 Rio Olympics – Back-to-back Olympic Bronze medals
* 2016 Algarve Cup Winners – First-time champions
* 2017 FIFA Top 4 Ranking

### Canada Men's National Team (2018-2023)

* FIFA World Cup Qualification (2022) – First in 36 years
* First-ever FIFA World Cup Goal (2022)
* 1st Place in CONCACAF World Cup Qualification (2022)
* 17-Game Unbeaten Streak (2021-2022)
* First-ever CONCACAF Nations League Final Appearance (2023)
* First Top 40 spot in FIFA Ranking (2021)