 Yallop withSan Jose Earthquakes in 2011 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Frank Walter Yallop | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1964-04-04)4 April 1964 (age 61) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Watford,Hertfordshire, England | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defender | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1983 | Ipswich Town | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1983–1996 | Ipswich Town | 389 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| 1995 | →Blackpool (loan) | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 88 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 480 | (10) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1981–1982 | England Youth | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1990–1997 | Canada | 52 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Project-40 (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | Tampa Bay Mutiny (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | D.C. United (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | San Jose Earthquakes | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Canada | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Los Angeles Galaxy | ||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2013 | San Jose Earthquakes | ||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Chicago Fire | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Phoenix Rising | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Fresno FC (general manager) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Las Vegas Lights (interim) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | Monterey Bay FC | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Frank Walter Yallop (born 4 April 1964) is a British-Canadian professionalsoccer coach and former player.
He played 13 years in England forIpswich Town, including the club's first three seasons in thePremier League. He also played inMajor League Soccer (MLS) for theTampa Bay Mutiny, and earned 52 caps for theCanada national team.
He spent a further 13 years as coach in MLS forSan Jose Earthquakes,LA Galaxy, andChicago Fire, as well as three years coaching the Canada national team. He has most recently been a coach and sporting director in theUSL Championship, working withPhoenix Rising,Fresno FC,Las Vegas Lights, andMonterey Bay FC.
Yallop was born inWatford and spent his early childhood there before his father, a meat cutter by trade, joined a brother in Canada in 1974 bringing his wife and three children toVancouver. Yallop continued playing in British Columbia, where he caught the eye of an Ipswich Town scout who invited Yallop to try out for Ipswich aged 14.[1]
In 1983, aged 19, Yallop signed a professional contract withIpswich Town. He was part of the Ipswich squad that was relegated from the First Division in 1986 and of the squad that won the 1991–92 Second Division title promotion six years later to the inaugural season of the newly formedFA Premier League, where Ipswich stayed for three years before being relegated once again to the second tier. In the later years of his Ipswich career, he played alongside fellow CanadianCraig Forrest. In the season following the relegation, Yallop was loaned out to third-tier sideBlackpool F.C. in November 1995, where he featured for the team in a fewSecond Division matches.[2][3] He departed the club following the conclusion of the1995–96 season.
Two of his eight goals for the Town came in the span of three days in February 1993. The first came againstTottenham Hotspur with Yallop breaking a four-year scoring drought in a 2–0 victory. The second goal helped to push Ipswich to beat Premier League title favouritesManchester United 2–1 atPortman Road, a result which saw Ipswich occupy fourth place in the league and spark hopes of a late run to the title, but instead a slump in form followed and Ipswich finished 16th.[4]
At the end of his time at Ipswich, Yallop amassed 385 appearances in all competitions, which puts him just outside the top ten in appearances for the club all time. Yallop was inducted intothe club's Hall of Fame in 2023, a recognition of his nearly 15 years spent with the club between academy and professional play.[5] Yallop had collected his award in December 2022, as the March match of honor fell within the USL Championship season.[6]
After a lengthy career in England, Yallop returned to North America in 1996, when he signed withMajor League Soccer and was drafted 57th overall by theTampa Bay Mutiny in theMLS Inaugural Player Draft.[7] Week 23 of the season saw Frank Yallop win his first and only MLS Player of the Week award. This award was also the first for any Tampa Bay player.[8] Tampa Bay would finish the inaugural MLS season with the best record, for which they'd retroactively be awarded the Supporter's Shield. However, in the playoffs Tampa would fall just short of reaching the first ever MLS Cup, losing in the Eastern Conference finals to eventual championsD.C. United.[9]
Yallop was given his onlyMLS All-Star honor with an appearance inthe 1997 game, representing Tampa Bay on the Eastern Conference team.[10] The1997 MLS season saw Tampa slightly regress, finishing with the third best record overall, and second best in the East behind D.C. United. Tampa would make the playoffs for the second season in a row but would fall in the first round to theColumbus Crew. The1998 season saw yet another regression, with Tampa Bay failing to quality for the playoffs.[9] In the final match of his MLS career, Frank Yallop scored the game winner, which was his first goal of his MLS career.[11]
After three seasons with the Mutiny, in which he served as captain and started nearly every game, Yallop retired from professional soccer. He was released from the Mutiny roster due to MLS shrinking their foreign player limit from 5 to 4 players per team.[12] At the time of his retirement, Yallop was second on the team all-time in games played (88), games started (84), and minutes played (7,646).[13]
During the1999 season the team lostJan Eriksson andR.T. Moore to injury and retirement respectively. The Mutiny petitioned the league to sign Yallop, who was still participating in player drills and could resume his career, but the league denied the request and Yallop remained retired.[12]
Yallop made five appearances for England's youth team in 1981–82 before switching allegiance to Canada.[14]
He had initially been ineligible to feature for Canada and thus missed out on their first World Cup participation in 1986. After FIFA's rules changed regarding national team player eligibility, Yallop was finally able to make his official debut and start forCanada at 26 years of age on 13 May 1990, againstMexico in the1990 North American Championship, helping Canada win the tournament.[15][16] Yallop had featured in Canada's first match of the tournament against the United States, however since the US sent a B-squad to the match, it did not count as a full international.[17][18][19]
Over his Canada career he earned 52 caps, serving as captain multiple times, and scoring no goals at the international level.[20] He represented Canada in 27FIFA World Cup qualification matches across the 1994 and 1998 World Cup qualifying campaigns.[21] His final international was on 16 November 1997 away to Costa Rica in Canada's final1998 World Cup qualification match.[22][23]
On 29 April 2005, Yallop was selected for induction into theCanadian Soccer Hall of Fame for his playing career.[24] On 24 May 2012, Yallop was selected by the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame as the right back of Canada's Best XI for the 1963–2012 era.[25]
After retiring following his 1998 season with the Tampa Bay Mutiny, Yallop was offered the opportunity to become an assistant coach for the club starting with the1999 MLS season. In the interim period before the pre-season would begin, Yallop began his coaching career in 1998 as an assistant-coach underLothar Osiander with the U.S.Project-40 team, joining the team on a 5-game tour of England.[13] Osiander joked that he brought Yallop on board because "I needed someone who knew how to drive on the other side of the road."[26] Following the tour, he began his duties as an assistant coach for theTampa Bay Mutiny. In 2000, he became chief assistant coach forD.C. United underThomas Rongen.[27] In December 2000, it had been reported that Yallop was considered as an early candidate to coach for his former teamTampa Bay Mutiny, but he did not make the final group of candidates.[28]
In 2001, Yallop was named head coach for theSan Jose Earthquakes, just three days before theMLS SuperDraft. He replaced Lothar Osiander, who he had briefly coached under just few years prior with Project-40. Yallop was the first former MLS player to become an MLS head coach after retiring.[29] During the pre-season, Yallop acquiredJeff Agoos,Landon Donovan,Dwayne DeRosario,Manny Lagos,Ramiro Corrales andRonnie Ekelund, as well as assistant coachDominic Kinnear.[30] Kinnear, a former teammate of Yallop's atTampa Bay Mutiny, initially thought he was being recruited as a player, but Yallop asked him to join the club as an assistant coach. Kinnear would end his playing career to join Yallop's coaching staff.[31] In his first year as head coach, Yallop proceeded to lead the San Jose Earthquakes to the playoffs for their second time in franchise history, the first time since the club's and league's inaugural season in 1996. The 2001 playoff run culminated with the club's firstMLS Cup appearance, which ended with a win overCalifornia Clásico rivalsLA Galaxy. At the season's conclusion, Yallop was named 2001MLS Coach of the Year.[32]
The following year the Quakes would improve their regular season performance and finish in second place overall. They set or tied records for an MLS all-time best home record (12–1–1), a then MLS record 12-game winning streak at home, and went on a 15-game home unbeaten streak that tied their previous club best from 1999 to 2000.[33] However, San Jose would succumb to an upset in the first round of the 2002 MLS Playoffs against theColumbus Crew, ending their defense of the MLS Cup.[34] The season was also notable for Yallop as he coached in the2002 MLS All-Star Game in only his second season as head coach, leading the MLS All-Stars to a 3–2 victory over theUS men's national team.[33]
In 2003, the Earthquakes yet again improved upon their regular season form and finished as the best team in the West, and just two points shy of winning theSupporters Shield as the best regular season team. Yallop would lead the team to their second MLS title through these playoffs, their second title in the span of three seasons.[35] Beside the MLS Cup final, this Earthquakes playoff run is most known for the club completing the greatest comeback in MLS playoff history, a 5–4 aggregate win after being down 4–0 on aggregate heading into the second half of the return leg of the home and away series.[36][37]MLS Cup 2003 is the Earthquakes' most recent appearance in the playoff final as well as the last time they won the MLS Cup.
On 16 December 2003 it was announced that Yallop would become head coach of theCanada National Team starting on 1 January of the following year.[22] Yallop oversaw Canada's appearances at the2003 and2005 editions of theCONCACAF Gold Cup, both of which featured group stage exits, as well as their qualification campaign for the2006 FIFA World Cup which ended in thethird round of CONCACAF qualifying out of four total rounds. On 7 June 2006, Yallop resigned as coach of the Canada national team, as he was announced as the new head coach ofLos Angeles Galaxy.[38] He finished with an 8-9-3 record as Canada's head coach.[39] Yallop stated in a 2021 interview that his "one regret" was leaving the Earthquakes to coach Canada, "I think I maybe jumped into Canada a little bit too soon and I wasn’t ready for it anyway."[40]
Yallop took the helm for the Galaxy midway through the 2006 MLS season, eventually guiding the team to finish just outside the playoffs, missing qualifications by three points. The Galaxy recruited English starDavid Beckham ahead of the2007 MLS season, though he would not transfer to the club until July and did not make his first appearance until August due to lingering injuries.[41] The Galaxy ultimately failed to qualify for the playoffs once again in 2007.[42] Yallop has been defended for his part in that, with forward Alan Gordon, who played on the 2007 Galaxy team, stating "it had nothing to do with Frank. We had 11 guys come in and out of there in a couple months. We had no team chemistry. We had a bunch of individuals who were trying to hang on and make the best of it."[43] Despite not making the MLS playoffs in either season, Yallop led the Galaxy to two tournament finals, the2006 U.S. Open Cup and the2007 North American SuperLiga, which the Galaxy lost to theChicago Fire andPachuca respectively.[44]
On 4 November 2007 it was revealed that Yallop was being bought out of his contract with the Galaxy to become the head coach of theSan Jose Earthquakes once again for the 2008 season,[45][46] withDutchmanRuud Gullit taking his place.[47] The Galaxy received the Earthquakes' third-round pick in the2008 MLS SuperDraft as compensation for Yallop's departure.[48]
Ahead of the2006 MLS season, the Earthquakes wererelocated to Texas to become theHouston Dynamo. Soon after the move, plans were established to revive the San Jose Earthquakes franchise, this time as an expansion team who would need to build their roster from scratch. Two weeks after it was announced Yallop would be taking over as Earthquakes head coach, the team participated in the2007 MLS expansion draft to build out the team's roster, most notably selectingJason Hernandez who would appear in 165 regular season matches with the club from 2008–2014.[49] Throughout the off-season Yallop would bring some players from his first Earthquakes stint back to San Jose includingJoe Cannon,Ramiro Corrales,Arturo Álvarez, andKelly Gray. Starting off the season in poor form, the Quakes would pick up momentum in the second half with a 9 match unbeaten run. This run of form would not be enough, as they would ultimately finish last in the overall MLS standings at the conclusion of their first season, though they were tied on points with Yallop's former team and San Jose's rivals, the LA Galaxy.
The following season would see the club barely best their 2008 finish, as the Earthquakes ended second from last in the2009 MLS season. The newly reborn club would see an upswing in their third season since their return.[50] The Earthquakes would finish the regular season 8th place overall, earning their first playoff appearance in their current incarnation. The league performance was spearheaded byChris Wondolowski who scored 18 goals en route to becomingMLS Golden Boot winner after only becoming an MLS starter late into the 2009 campaign.[51] Yallop would lead the club to a shocking upset of the top team in the Eastern Conference, theNew York Red Bulls, keeping New York's newly acquiredThierry Henry off the scoresheet in a 3–2 aggregate victory after a 1–0 home loss in San Jose.[52] The Earthquakes would fall in the Eastern Conference final, a 1–0 loss to eventual MLS Cup championColorado Rapids.[53] The following season would see the Earthquakes return to a near bottom of the table form, 14th out of 18 MLS clubs overall. Despite the poor form, the season and various transfers within would help to bring the team to new heights the following year.[54] The Quakes would begin the 2012 MLS season with their best start in franchise history, securing 12 points in their first 5 matches.[55] The good form would last throughout the regular season, propelling the team to finish with club records 66 points won and 72 goals scored. San Jose won the Supporters Shield the first trophy since their return in 2008 and second Shield overall. This shield was the first of Yallop's coaching career.[56] The club would make their second playoff appearance in two years, but could not get past the rival LA Galaxy in the Western Conference semi-finals. Yallop would win his second everMLS Coach of the Year award, 11 years after he won the award in his first season as a professional head coach.[57] The Earthquakes 2013 season under Yallop would quickly turn from a good start to poor form, with two wins in their first three matches but only one more for the remaining nine, for a record of 3-6-6. Yallop and the club would mutually agree to part ways with the club on 7 June 2013, with assistant coachMark Watson taking over the interim head coach role.[58][59]
Yallop led the new-era Earthquakes for five and a half seasons before mutually parting ways in June 2013.[60] He compiled a 62–6–51 record and led the club to two postseason appearances (2010, 2012) and the2012 Supporters' Shield.[61] The 2012 Shield victory is the most recent trophy the Earthquakes have won. His combined 126 wins in two stints at the club is the most in team history. He would be inducted into the club's Hall of Fame in 2022, in recognition for his impact on the club, being the coach that brought them their only two MLS Cups, and three of their four trophies overall.[62]
In October 2013, Yallop was namedChicago Fire's new head coach and director of soccer, replacing departing coach Frank Klopas and general manager Javier Leon in their respective roles.[63][64] This was the first time that Yallop would not have to report to a general manager or a sporting director, having done so for his entire coaching career to this point.[65] Yallop notably kept his connections to Tottenham Hotspur from his stint with the San Jose Earthquakes, bringing inGrant Ward on loan for the 2014 season and later facing the English club in a mid-season friendly.[66][67]
Chicago would finish second to last in the Eastern Conference in his first season in charge, setting an MLS record for most draws in a season with 18.[68] The club made a run to the semifinals of the2014 U.S. Open Cup, where they were knocked out in a club record 6–0 defeat to eventual championsSeattle Sounders.[69][70] The 2015 season saw the team perform even worse in the league, and the poor form would see Yallop fired on 20 September 2015, with five matches left in the season. Chicago would finish the season worst in the East and the worst record in MLS overall. He compiled a 13–26–24 record with the Fire in his stint with the club, in what would be his last MLS coaching job to date.[71]
Yallop was signed to a three-year contract as head coach and president of soccer operations ofArizona United SC on 23 December 2015. This was his first time managing a club in the USL, a professional league then at the third division in theUnited States soccer league system.[72][73] The team was renamed Phoenix Rising FC on 28 November 2016.[74] After only four league matches played in the 2017 season, Yallop would resign from his positions on 24 April to rejoin his family in Northern California. Yallop would stay on to consult in the club's search for a replacement head coach.[75] Frank's assistantRick Schantz took over as interim coach before the eventual hiring ofPatrice Carteron.[76] Phoenix would finish the season in 5th place, good for their first ever playoff appearance.
Yallop was announced on 26 July 2017 as General Manager of the newly establishedFresno FC, an expansion team for the2018 USL season.[77] The team finished their inaugural season in 12th place out of 17 in the Western Conference, four places outside of a playoff spot.[78] The next season would see Fresno vastly improve in quality on the field, finishing in 3rd place out of 18 teams in the West, good for their first ever playoff appearance.[79] Fresno's playoff run ended as soon as it began, losing in an upset at home against expansion sideEl Paso Locomotive who had finished in 6th place.[80] Fresno FC would fold following the end of the2019 USL Championship season, citing an inability to find a suitable location for the club to play at long term.[81]
On 29 June 2020, Yallop returned to coaching for the first time since 2017 when he was hired in a caretaker role to replaceEric Wynalda as head coach ofLas Vegas Lights FC, a month before the2020 USL Championship season was set to resume. Yallop had made it official at the time of his hire that he would not pursue the head coaching role after the end of the season.[82] Wynalda had coached Las Vegas for a single match of the 2020 USL season before a pause was brought on due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[83] Las Vegas would finish the season fifth place out of five teams in their regional group, and fifteenth of eighteen teams in the Western Conference.[84]
On February 1, 2021, it was announced thatMonterey Bay FC would be joining the USL Championship as an expansion side. This club was primarily owned by Ray Beshoff, and the result of Fresno FC folding two years prior. Yallop was initially announced as sporting director, a similar role to what he had held previously with Fresno.[85] Yallop would be announced in April as taking on the additional role of head coach forMonterey Bay FC in addition to acting as sporting director. Former Earthquakes captainRamiro Corrales would serve as Yallop's sole assistant coach. Corrales played under Yallop during both of the coach's stints with the San Jose Earthquakes.[86] Monterey Bay FC began their firstUSL Championship season in March 2022. The club achieved their first professional win on 29 March, in their third match of the2022 USL Championship season.[87]
Yallop and assistant coachRamiro Corrales were both released from their positions on July 31, 2024.[88]
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||
| San Jose Earthquakes | 3 February 2001 | 1 January 2004[22] | 141 | 64 | 45 | 32 | 227 | 166 | +61 | 045.39 |
| Canada | 1 January 2004[22] | 7 June 2006[38] | 20 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 22 | 21 | +1 | 040.00 |
| Los Angeles Galaxy | 7 June 2006[38] | 5 November 2007[89] | 62 | 24 | 25 | 13 | 89 | 83 | +6 | 038.71 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 5 November 2007[45] | 8 June 2013[61] | 175 | 62 | 62 | 51 | 233 | 232 | +1 | 035.43 |
| Chicago Fire | 31 October 2013[64] | 20 September 2015[71] | 63 | 13 | 26 | 24 | 77 | 97 | −20 | 020.63 |
| Arizona United SC / Phoenix Rising FC | 23 December 2015[90] | 24 April 2017[91] | 36 | 12 | 17 | 7 | 46 | 53 | −7 | 033.33 |
| Career totals | 497 | 183 | 184 | 130 | 694 | 652 | +42 | 036.82 | ||
Ipswich Town
Tampa Bay Mutiny
Canada
Individual
San Jose Earthquakes
Individual
Canada squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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