Former interim general secretary Jason deVos leaves Canada Soccer for Toronto FC

Former Canada captain Jason deVos is leaving Canada Soccer to join Toronto FC as an assistant coach under John Herdman.

DeVos took over as the governing body's interim general secretary in late April after Earl Cochrane stepped down with Canada Soccer embroiled in a bitter labour dispute with its players.

DeVos was a candidate for the permanent role as general secretary, which went to former MLSE executive Alyson Walker last month. His departure is a blow to Canada Soccer given Walker, while long on business and sports marketing acumen, is short on football experience.

DeVos was part of Herdman's coaching staff with the Canadian women at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the men at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

"It's an important step to have an experienced leader, such as Jason, joining our coaching staff," Herdman said in a statement. "His playing experiences at club and international level combined with his understanding of the game will help continue to raise standards and improve our team."

DeVos joins the returning Eric Tenllado, Simon Eaddy, Robyn Gayle, Alex Dodgshon and Cesar Meylan on Herdman's first team staff. All were part of Herdman's staff with the Canadian men's team.

Herdman took over TFC on Oct. 1 after stepping down as Canada coach on Oct. 1.

The MLS club said deVos will focus on "developing defensive strategies and providing individual support to backline players" with Toronto, whose defence ranked 28th in the league last season.

The 50-year-old from London, Ont., won 49 caps for Canada in an international career that stretched from 1997 to 2004. A centre back, he scored in Canada's 2-0 win over Colombia in the 2000 Gold Cup final.

He spent the last seven years as Canada Soccer's director of development