Former Wales women’s national team manager Jarmo Matikainen is John Herdman’s newest assistant coach for Canada. Matikainen is already with the team for the Four Nations Tournament, which begins on Sunday.
“With this appointment we wanted to ensure we found somebody that not only had deep coaching experience at the international level but also somebody that was truly passionate and knowledgeable about the women’s game,” Herdman said.
The Canadian Soccer Association also announced that Andrew Olivieri is no longer the U-20 women’s coach after a quarterfinal exit from the World Cup on home soil in August. Daniel Worthington is now in charge of the U-20 team.
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Matikainen was Wales’ first full-time head coach, leading the team to a 15-position jump in the FIFA world rankings and overseeing youth national teams. He is Finnish and a former player.
Matikainen’s contract runs until the end of 2016, allowing him to get a World Cup and Olympics under his belt in a move that he likely sees as a path to a bigger head-coaching job in the future.
“I am very proud to have the opportunity to join Canada’s women’s national team and Canada Soccer,” Matikainen said. “I look forward to working together with John, with all the other members of the staff and with the players. It is a big year for football in Canada and it is a privilege to be part of the Canadian football family.”
