TORONTO — Jim Brennan, coach, GM and technical director of York United FC, is leaving the Canadian Premier League club.
The north Toronto team said Brennan’s contract, which expires before the start of the 2022 season, will not be extended.
The news comes two days after a young York side lost 3-1 to defending champion Forge FC in the CPL semifinals.
Brennan, 44, has coached the franchise since its inception. York finished third, fifth and fourth in the regular season under his leadership.
“I want to thank Jimmy for everything he has done coaching this club over the last three years,” Angus McNab, York’s CEO, president and GM, said in a statement. “Firstly, there has been his impact on the field but it’s imperative that I also recognize and applaud the huge contribution he’s made off the pitch. Without him, the club is probably not here today,”.
“Additionally, there is no way our young players like Max Ferrari, Isaiah Johnston and Lowell Wright would be thriving as they are without Jimmy’s support and guidance. There is a strong foundation here and we are grateful to Jimmy for having been so crucial in building it.”
Under Brennan, York’s under-21 talent played 9,043 minutes in the 2021 CPL season.
A member of the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame, Brennan won 49 caps for Canada and was a member of its winning Gold Cup squad in 2000.
A feisty fullback/winger, Brennan played in England for Bristol City, Nottingham Forest, Huddersfield Town, Norwich City, Southampton and finally Toronto FC, where he was the MLS team’s first signing and captain.
He made 84 appearances for Toronto before moving upstairs to the front office in April 2010.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 23, 2021.