Riding Herdman clearly works T
Canadian Soccer Association has recognized coach’s importance to women’s program
wo years ago, in the wake of Canada’s bronze-medal performance at the London Olympics, John Herdman’s name was connected with the vacant head coaching position on England’s women’s team.
A month later, the Canadian Soccer Association announced that Herdman had signed a four-year extension which ran through 2020 as the Maple Leaf’s head coach. It was a bold, proactive move, the kind which is seldom associated with soccer in our country and, in extending Herdman, the CSA committed to a rising star in his profession.
But it also left a feeling of unease, namely what other opportunities might present themselves; opportunities in places where the game has a higher profile than in Canada.
Herdman has joked that if Newcastle United came calling with its manager’s job then, yes, he’d listen.
You just wonder if the idea of losing Herdman is as funny to the CSA and the women’s program.
“It does happen, more with players than coaches, but it does happen,” says CSA president Victor Montagliani. “He’s under contract. I know he’s committed to the program.
“I think we’re in a good spot. He’s a big part of our future. We’ll look at this event and our next challenge.”
As it happens, Canada’s next challenge is a watershed moment for the women’s game in this country, and Herdman, as he has over the last four years, will play a lead role in the drama. On Sunday, the Canadians face Switzerland in the round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup in front of an expected crowd of more than 50,000 at B.C. Place. Beyond that lies a place in the quarterfinals, another huge crowd in Vancouver and greater excitement for the women’s program and, beyond that, well, who knows where this might lead.
But these are the kind of moments which were anticipated when Herdman was signed, and the kind of moments he has delivered. Along the way he has inspired a fanatical loyalty among his players and emerged as one of the most intriguing figures in all of Canadian sport, all the while developing a world-class program which has set down deep roots in our country.
In short, the investment the CSA made in Herdman two years ago now seems visionary and if that sounds like empty hyperbole, ask yourself how many great soccer moments there were in Canada, irrespective of gender, before Herdman arrived?
There was one in London in 2012. Another awaits in Vancouver in 2015.
It’s all made for a compelling story, even if that story is incomplete.
“He has a very high emotional quotient,” says Montagliani. “Most coaches have a technical ability and a high work rate. I don’t know many coaches who are lazy. But he understands the emotional component of the game, what buttons to push, and when to push them.”
That much is apparent. Herdman knows the X’s and O’s, but it’s his ability to connect with his players which sets him apart. He says things like: “You have to touch the heart before you can take the hand.” And ... “My job is to fuel passion in people so they see a bigger version of themselves.” And ... “If you don’t understand the brain, you can’t understand coaching.”
I mean, even if he was a lousy coach, you’d want to keep him around for the quotes. Or maybe that’s just me.
The players also inhale his message. Midfielder Desiree Scott says Herdman brings out the best in the team because, “he sees the potential in everybody.”
And here’s defender Carmelina Moscato: “You talk about squeezing blood from a rock. He’s really done it with a lot of us. He has reinvented ourselves.”
Still, if you needed further evidence of the bond between team and coach, look at Christine Sinclair’s reaction after her late penalty lifted Canada to a tournament-opening 1-0 win over China in Edmonton. As the ball nestled in the corner of the Chinese net, Sinclair turned and made a beeline for Herdman, stopped about two feet short of her coach and, with her eyes on fire, raised her fists in triumph.
“She was going to stand up and do what she was born to do,” Herdman said afterwards.
Sinclair has also been the face of the women’s game since 2002. She’s 32 now and she’s clearly on the back nine of her career. But she’s no longer the point through which Canada’s success begins and ends, and that has a lot to do with the program Herdman has helped build.
In addition to everything else, WWC 2015 has established a core of young players which will lead Canada for the next decade. Midfielder Jessie Fleming is 17. Midfielder Ashley Lawrence is 20. Kadeisha Buchanan is 19 and has emerged as one of the best defenders in the world at this tournament. There are others.
Herdman has played a huge role in developing those players and this team and, yes, that means something. On Thursday, during a conference call, he was asked about returning to Vancouver for Sunday’s encounter with the Swiss.
“For a lot of us this is our hometown and we feel like we’ve come back home,” he said.
Home, hopefully, to stay.