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The Canadian men’s program has long been dogged by the fact that talent did not have proper places to develop. Finding work overseas was complicated by red tape and intense competition. And while Major League Soccer has helped development, it has not always produced playing time for domestic talent.

Herdman knows talent when he sees it. The CPL will help develop it as the CSA works towards 2026.

Herdman is also good at surrounding himself with quality off the field.

When Herdman came to Canada from New Zealand, he took some of his staff with him. But not Tony Readings, a grassroots coach Herdman hired first as a technical analyst and then assistant coach. Readings stayed and took over the Kiwi team.

Herdman’s rationale was Readings, who stepped down as New Zealand coach last year, was ready to become his own coach.

“My mantra was you’ve got to put things down better than you found it,” Herdman said.

He believes that is the case with the Canadian women with former Danish coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller, his former assistant, taking charge. Herdman speaks highly of the Dane but makes no secret of the fact that he sees former national team players like Rhian Wilkinson and Carmelina Moscato as the team’s coaching future.

Ask his players what it like working under Herdman and they say it’s an honour and a privilege.

“(He’s) somebody that knows absolutely how to get the best out of people,” Moscato said prior to the 2015 World Cup. “He’s a high-performing guy. He’s created the environment for that. And you talk about squeezing blood from a rock, I mean he’s really done it with a lot of us — reinventing us.”

“John has affected all of us in huge ways and only a tiny piece of that is soccer-related,” added Wilkinson. “It sounds ridiculous but he’s changed me probably as a person and I only met him when I was 29.”

The transition of power Monday proved hurried and messy as the CSA rushed to get the news out before reporters did.

Herdman did call captain Christine Sinclair before the news broke. She was still obviously stunned.

“Speechless right now….,” Sinclair tweeted.