Former England captain Casey Stoney has praised the “incredible passion of Canadian soccer fans” after being appointed manager of Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team (CANWNT).
2022 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Coach of the Year Stoney has taken her first role since leaving the San Diego Wave last June, having won the NWSL Challenge Cup that year and the NWSL Shield in 2023.
“Time to get to work,” the 42-year-old told her Instagram following of more than 114,000 after signing a contract that will take her to the Fifa Women’s World Cup in Brazil in 2027, with an optional extra year.
👋🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/V3Th84p71j
— FIFA Women’s World Cup (@FIFAWWC) January 13, 2025
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CANWNT: Casey Stoney record
Stoney is one of England’s most decorated internationals, featuring at three World Cup tournaments and reaching the 2009 final in one of three Euro tournaments she played at.
The defender won every major competition in her homeland at least once, including the top flight twice and the FA Cup three times with Arsenal.
She also secured the FA Cup once and the first two of her three League Cup titles with Charlton Athletic, and she won the second tier in the first season of her spell as Manchester United manager between 2018 and 2021.
A masterclass on empathetic leadership with former San Diego Wave and Manchester United coach Casey Stoney.
Catch the latest episode of The RE—CAP Show featuring the incredible @CaseyStoney on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. pic.twitter.com/CXH66AmVWf
— re—inc (@re__inc) November 22, 2024
Stoney: Canada ‘talented’
The Wave made Stoney their first manager before their inaugural season in 2022, and her surprise exit – coming after a seven-match winless run – was criticised by some fans, with Stoney describing herself as “broken” when the news was announced.
2020 Olympic champions Canada are currently ranked sixth in the world but were rocked by a spying scandal at the Paris Olympic Games last year, resulting in manager Bev Priestman receiving a one-year suspension from Fifa.
Canada sacked Priestman after an independent investigation found senior coaching staff had organised drones to be flown over a New Zealand training session to record “surreptitious film footage” before the Games began.
🧢 🏴 England player #134 ❤️
A special moment on camp as former #Lionesses captain @CaseyStoney receives her England legacy cap! 👏 pic.twitter.com/WYVPYwNBRK
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) October 23, 2024
“I look forward to the journey ahead and to engaging with the incredible passion of Canadian soccer fans,” said Stoney, calling Canada’s squad “such a talented group”.
“Together with the federation’s new leadership, we will strive to build on past successes and continue to grow the sport in Canada on and off the field.”
Stoney will take charge for the first time in a three-match series at the Pinatar Cup in Spain in February.
