Report: US Soccer Alleges Canada Had Prior Spying Incidents Before Olympic Scandal

The United States Soccer Federation reportedly wasn’t shocked when the Canadian women’s national team was caught spying on an opponent’s closed practice using a drone.

According to ESPN’s Sam Borden, the infraction was “just the latest in a long pattern of similar circumstances involving Canadian teams attempting to view other teams’ closed practices, multiple sources with connections to U.S. Soccer told ESPN. And there have been frequent instances in which American teams were the targets.”

As for why the USSF didn’t report Canada in the past, the strong ties between the countries—they jointly bid and won the Men’s World Cup in 2026 alongside Mexico—was cited.

“It wasn’t worth it with so many bigger-ticket issues out there,” a source told Borden. “But that doesn’t mean it didn’t matter.”

The Canadian women’s soccer team was punished severely by FIFA. The team was docked six points at the Paris Games, head coach Bev Priestman is prohibited from “taking part in any football-related activity” for a year, her assistants Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander were also banned for a year and Canada was fined $226,000.

“We feel terrible for the athletes on the Canadian Women’s Olympic Soccer Team who as far as we understand played no role in this matter,” Canadian Olympic Committee CEO David Shoemaker said in a statement. “In support of the athletes, together with Canada Soccer, we are exploring rights of appeal related to the six point deduction at this Olympic tournament.”

As for the incidents of Canadian spying directed at USSF teams in the past, a Canadian staffer was reportedly caught spying on a USMNT training camp in Florida back in 2021 the day before a scrimmage between the countries.

United States soccer officials also believed they saw a drone flying overhead during a practice session the day before a Nations League match between the countries.

And U.S. officials believe that former Canada women’s team head coach John Herdman (2011-18) was a consistent spying perpetrator. Both Herdman and former Canada player Christine Sinclair, however, denied any knowledge of any previous spying infractions.

Herdman regularly complained about potential spying attempts from other countries, further fueling suspicions that he was employing such practices.

“With Herdman and Canada,” an official told Borden, “it was always just a little, ‘He doth protest too much.'”

Sinclair and Canada won the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games in women’s soccer. Shoemaker indicated that Canada possibly used drones for spying purposes in those Olympics, too.

“It makes me ill, it makes me sick to my stomach, to think that there could be something that calls into question… one of my favorite Olympic moments in history,” he told reporters.