Canada Soccer has seemingly become accustomed to dealing with daunting tasks, including an Olympic scandal last year that garnered international headlines.

In some ways, a search for a new head coach is almost mundane by comparison. But the pressure was on once again for the federation.

The women’s national team had been without a head coach since Bev Priestman was suspended by FIFA during last summer’s Paris Olympics after the drone spying scandal. Canada Soccer needed to fill the vacancy with someone not only capable of leading a top-tier team, but also an individual who could help repair the image of the program.

The federation found both qualities they were searching for in Casey Stoney.

The former English international was officially introduced as the new head coach for the Canadian women’s team on Monday. Her contract runs through 2027, where the next FIFA Women’s World Cup will take place in Brazil, with an option for 2028, which would also have her at the helm for that summer’s Olympics.

Stoney previously coached Manchester United’s women’s team from 2018 to 2021, helping the club earn promotion to the Women’s Super League after just one season in the second division.

Most recently, Stoney was head coach for the San Diego Wave in the National Women’s Soccer League. In her first season with the club in 2022, she was named coach of the year after leading the expansion side to a third-place finish in the regular season and a run to the semifinals in the playoffs. In the following year, the Wave captured the NWSL Shield as regular-season champions.

But her stellar coaching resume isn’t what impressed Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue the most.

“Somebody's coaching ability and their skills in terms of what's appropriate for our........

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