Herdman, ex-Whitecaps coach among candidates for Toronto FC job: report

Is a coaching change on the horizon for the Canadian men’s national team?

Recent rumblings around Toronto FC’s vacant head coaching job suggest there could be.

John Herdman has “emerged as a possibility” to land a job with Toronto FC, according to a report from Joshua Kloke of The Athletic. Kloke says Herdman hasn’t had a formal interview but has had “informal conversations” with the club.

Two names familiar to Canadian soccer fans have had interviews, however. Former Vancouver Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson has reportedly interviewed for the job, as has Bobby Smyrniotis, head coach of Hamilton-based team Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League.

Robinson, 46, led the Whitecaps from 2013 to 2018. He spent three years in Australia since being fired by the Whitecaps, as head coach of the Newcastle Jets and Western Sydney Wanderers. The former Toronto FC central midfielder returned to Major League Soccer this year, as an assistant coach with DC United.

Herdman, 48, is under contract with Canada Soccer through 2026. Taking the TFC job would result in him missing out on a chance to coach Canada on home soil during the next FIFA World Cup. That would seem like an unusual move, though given how rough the past year and a half has been for Canada Soccer, nothing should surprise us.

Toronto FC would present an entry into club soccer for Herdman, taking over an underperforming team blessed with a big payroll.

Toronto has had a dreadful season, winning just three times in 24 MLS regular season matches. The team parted ways with Bob Bradley on June 26 and has been looking for his replacement ever since, with Terry Dunfield filling in as interim head coach.

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