Yallop Named Men’s World Cup Team Head Coach

Ottawa, Ontario – The Canadian Soccer Association today named former Canadian international defender Frank Yallop as head coach of the Men’s World Cup Team, effective January 1, 2004 through to the end of 2006. The contract also holds an option for an extension to 2010. All other terms of the contract are confidential.



The team has been without a head coach since Holger Osieck resigned on September 2. Colin Miller, another former Canadian international and a teammate of Yallop’s acted as interim head coach for the recent friendlies against Finland, Czech Republic and the Republic of Ireland.



On November 23rd, Yallop led the San Jose Earthquakes to their second MLS Championship in his three-year tenure as head coach with a 4-2 win over the Chicago Fire in the MLS Cup.



“I am delighted to be able to welcome Frank Yallop as our new head coach of the Men’s World Cup Team,” said CSA President Andy Sharpe who introduced Yallop at a media conference at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, BC, today. “The CSA conducted a comprehensive search for the best person to lead the World Cup team into 2006 World Cup Qualifying but right from the start, the unanimous belief was that Frank Yallop was the man for the job. His recent success in the MLS, combined with his impressive national team career make him the ideal and logical choice.”



Yallop will hold a training camp for North American based players in Ft. Lauderdale from January 12-23 and those players will take part in an international friendly against Barbados in Bridgetown on January 18.



Also, as part of the team’s preparations for their opening World Cup Qualifyer against Belize on June 13, the team will play the Earthquakes on Saturday, June 5 in San Jose.



“This is a day that I have long dreamed about,” said Yallop, who grew up in New Westminster. “I took great pride in playing for my country and to be named head coach of the Canadian men’s national team is indeed a great honour. I was involved in World Cup Qualifying as a player for the 1994 and 1998 World Cups and I am eager to get started on trying to qualify for 2006.”



Yallop began his coaching career in 1998 with the US Project-40 team on a five-game tour of England. After the completion of the tour, he was hired as an assistant coach in Tampa Bay, where he had played from 1996-1998. In 2000, he served as the chief assistant to Thomas Rongen, who coached him in 1996 with the Mutiny, with three-time MLS Champion DC United.



He was hired as head coach of the Earthquakes in February, 2001 and took them from a league worst 7-17-8 record in 2000 to a 13-7-6 record in 2001 and the MLS championship. For his efforts, Yallop was named the 2001 MLS Coach of the Year. In 2002 the team compiled a record of 14-11-3 but was knocked out of the playoffs. In 2003, the team posted the best record in the MLS and defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy in a home and away two game series 5-4 on aggregate, despite losing the first game 2-0 and being down 4-0 on aggregate before scoring five consecutive goals. The team then defeated the Kansas City Wizards in the Western Conference Final and the Chicago Fire in the MLS Cup on November 23, 2003. Yallop was a finalist for the 2003 MLS Coach of the Year.



Yallop’s playing career spanned nearly 20 years both in England and the United States. A gritty and tough defender, he made 376 appearances and scored nine goals with Ipswich Town FC in England, the team with which he signed his first professional contract at the age of 16. From 1996-1998, he played in 88 games, and was named the Mutiny’s Defender of the Year in both 1997 and 1998.



Yallop enjoyed an excellent international career and was a stalwart on the Canadian defence throughout the Nineties. He made his debut against Mexico in 1990 and then became a regular on the Canadian defence, appearing in every match he was available for from his debut through to the end of qualifying for the 1998 World Cup. His final game was against Costa Rica in 1997. He was named captain in 1997 for a World Cup Qualifyer against the USA.



Yallop will move to Vancouver with his wife Karen and sons Jack and Samuel in February and will work out of the new CSA national teams’ office in downtown Vancouver at the Vancouver Whitecaps offices.