Mitchell named senior team head coach

The Canadian Soccer Association announced today that Dale Mitchell has been named Canada’s senior men’s head coach. Mitchell will be in charge of Canada’s qualification efforts for the FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010.



Mitchell will assume his new senior-team duties after the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007. Three years ago, Mitchell was an assistant coach under Frank Yallop with the senior team in World Cup qualifications. In the past year, he has led the Canadian U-20 team to victories over Brasil, Czech Republic and Scotland.



“We remain committed in our efforts to qualify for the FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010,” says Colin Linford, president, Canadian Soccer Association. “We believe that Mitchell is the right man to help us achieve that goal.”



Mitchell is the first coach to lead a Canadian men’s side to three-straight FIFA championships: United Arab Emirates 2003, Nederland 2005 and Canada 2007. At UAE 2003, he nearly led his U20s to a semi-final spot, only falling to eventual champions Spain on a golden goal in the quarter final. It was Canada’s best finish ever at a FIFA men’s championship. In May 2006, he helped Canada’s U20 team achieve a memorable 2:1 victory over Brasil, Canada’s first ever in men’s competition.



As a player, Mitchell represented Canada at both the 1984 Summer Olympics and the FIFA World Cup Mexico 1986. He was inducted into The Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002.



Along with the appointment, Mitchell has named Stephen Hart as an assistant coach to Canada’s senior team. Hart will be in charge of Canada’s current senior team at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States next month.



To qualify for the FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010, Mitchell will need to lead Canada to a top-four spot in the CONCACAF region’s qualifications. The top-three teams automatically advance while the fourth-place team must defeat a CONMEBOL (South America) team to qualify.