By Canadian Press

John Herdman surrounds himself with familiar faces on Toronto FC coaching staff

Oct 2, 2023 | 6:23 AM

TORONTO — John Herdman will be surrounded by some familiar faces in his new role as Toronto FC head coach.

The MLS club announced Monday that Eric Tenllado, Simon Eaddy, Robyn Gayle, and Alex Dodgshon, all part of Herdman’s Canadian national team staff, will join Herdman’s staff.

Tenllado will serve as assistant coach and “performance lead,” while Eaddy becomes the club’s goalkeeper coach and “tech coordinator.” Gayle’s role is performance and wellness coach and Dodgshon takes over as scouting and analytics coach.

“This group of people have experienced winning many times at BMO Field in the biggest moments for Canada in front of many of these fans and are highly motivated to experience that feeling with Toronto FC,” Herdman said in a statement. “We feel privileged to be able to work for the people of this city and will, as always, give our all to bring the success our fans deserve.”

Herdman, whose tenure at TFC officially started Sunday, has said he and his staff will spent their first week at the MLS club primarily observing while interim coach Terry Dunfield and his staff prepares the 4-17-10 team for away games Wednesday at Charlotte FC and Saturday at the New York Red Bulls.

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Herdman and his staff will then take over the team during the international break that precedes the Oct. 21 season finale against Orlando City at BMO Field.

Dunfield will stay on as an assistant coach. The former Canadian international and TFC player was part of Herdman’s staff with the Canadian men’s team and served as a technical assistant and performance analyst at last year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Herdman’s ties with Eaddy date back to his days with New Zealand before taking over the Canadian women’s team in 2011.

A native of New Plymouth, New Zealand, Eaddy served as goalkeeper coach for the New Zealand under-20 and senior women’s team before joining Herdman with the Canadian women and then men.

Between the two countries, Eaddy has coached at two FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups (Russia 2006, Chile 2008), three Summer Olympic Games (Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016), four FIFA Women’s World Cups (China 2007, Germany 2011, Canada 2015, France 2019), two CONCACAF Nations Leagues (2019-2020, 2022-2023) and one FIFA World Cup (Qatar 2022).

As a player, Eaddy had goalkeeping stints with Australia’s Football Kingz FC, New Zealand’s Waitakere United and Auckland City FC of the New Zealand Football Championship and Ottawa Wizards of the Canadian Professional Soccer League.

Tenllado spent more than five years with Canada Soccer and was Herdman’s assistant coach with the Canadian men. The Spaniard began his career in his native Barcelona as an academy coach at RCD Espanyol de Barcelona from 2009 to 2016.

He moved to Toronto in 2016, serving as director of coaching and coach development manager for Toronto High Park Academy

Gayle, a former Canadian international, has spent the last eight years working with both the Canadian men’s and women’s programs, most recently as the mental and cultural manager at Canada Soccer. She worked with Herdman at the 2016 Summer Olympics, 2019 Women’s World Cup Games and 2022 Men’s World Cup.

The Toronto native was part of the Canada squad that won Olympic bronze in 2012 and gold at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. 

Dodgshon spent more than two years with Canada Soccer, working as lead opposition analyst for the Canadian men under Herdman. A native of Liverpool, England, he began his coaching career as a head coach of the U-15 and U-17 boys at Fredericton District Soccer Association from 2018 to 2020.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2023.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press