Canada Soccer announced today that former English international, Phil Neville and former Crystal Palace, Coventry City and Millwall defender, Richard Shaw will be joining John Herdman’s Men’s National Team coaching staff. The two additions are effective immediately and will be part of Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team technical staff for the upcoming Concacaf Nations League Finals in Las Vegas.
“Both Phil and Richard bring with them winning experiences at the highest levels and have worked with some of the premier leagues top managers during their careers,” said John Herdman, Head Coach, Men’s National Team. “They’ll work as positional and unit coaches with the aim of helping us to win our first trophy in over two decades.”
After a successful playing career at Manchester United, where he won numerous titles, Neville transitioned into coaching. He worked as a coach at Manchester United and served as assistant manager at Valencia in La Liga. In 2018, he was appointed head coach of the England Women’s National Team and led them to a fourth-place finish at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and a tournament win at the 2019 SheBelieves Cup before being named head coach of Inter Miami. Neville is no stranger to head coaches of Canada’s national teams, as he previously worked with Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team head coach, Bev Priestman at England Women.
Richard Shaw had a triumphant playing career, primarily with Crystal Palace and Coventry City, amassing more than 650 appearances in English football before transitioning into coaching. He began his coaching journey at Millwall in October 2007, initially as a caretaker manager. Shaw then took on a coaching role at Crystal Palace, working as an under-23 coach by January 2013. In January 2021, he joined Watford as an under-23 assistant coach, serving under Omer Riza.
Canada will play Panama on 15 June, 2023 at Allegiant Stadium. A win will see them face the winners of USA or Mexico for the country’s first trophy since 2000.