Canada’s World Cup Journey: years in the making
5 months prior to the start of the 2010 South Africa World Cup, Tony Waiters was asked whether he believed Canada was progressing towards having the Men’s program qualify for the coveted tournament. As a head coach, Waiters led Canada to its first ever World Cup appearance in 1986. Canada punched well above their weight in a competitive match against France where they lost 1-0. The team failed to exit the group stage in Mexico, but simply their presence at the tournament was a huge achievement. In response to Anthony Totera’s question, Waiters said: “We are doing some things right and a lot of things wrong. I think the Canadian youth, the soccer player is as good as anywhere in the world - given the opportunity.”
That same year Montreal joined Major League Soccer, and a year later, Vancouver became the 3rd Canadian team in the league. With the addition of these teams, came the implementation of youth academies for Canadian players. These were great opportunities but ultimately Canada needed to build its own soccer pyramid if it wanted to identify and produce more homegrown talent. The launch of League 1 Ontario and Première Ligue de Soccer du Québec, were vital in creating/expanding the Canadian semi-professional level. In 2019, the Canadian Premier League kicked-off at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton. Canada finally had a coast to coast professional soccer league.
John Herdman was hired by Canada Soccer in 2018 to serve as a head coach and national director for the men’s program. The announcement came as a shock to many; critics believed he was unproven in the men’s game, supporters were shocked to see him depart the women’s team. It did not take long for Herdman to experience the dysfunction of his new squad. The team first met in Murcia, Spain, where two fights broke out during camp. Herdman delivered a stern warning to the players: “You can fight with your opponent but you don’t fight internally – Unless you’re willing to change this, this team’s going nowhere.”
While Herdman was laying the foundations on the technical side, a golden generation of Canadian players were developing and making their mark at the pro-level. Alphonso Davies made his Bundesliga debut in 2019, and captured the league title that same year. The next season he became a UEFA Champions League winner. After two successful seasons at Gent, Jonathan David became the most expensive Canadian transfer with his move to Lille in 2020. After three seasons with Orlando City SC, Cyle Larin had scored 44 goals in 89 games, prompting his move to Besiktas in 2018.
Tajon Buchanan, Kamal Miller and Dayne St Clair were all drafted in the 2019 MLS Draft. Alistair Johnston followed suit in the 2020 draft. After being released by Orlando City SC, Richie Laryea earned a contract with Toronto FC in 2019 and progressively developed into one of the best full-backs in the league. Mark-Anthony Kaye made the jump from USL to MLS with Los Angeles FC in 2018, and became a key player for the expansion side over the next four seasons. In 2019, midfielder Stephen Eustáquio decided to join Canada after representing Portugal at the youth level. Along with these players and others, Canada also had a veteran contingent of Atiba Hutchinson, Steven Vitoria, Milan Borjan and Junior Hoilett.
Canada’s World Cup campaign began in an empty stadium in Orlando, Florida, where they defeated Bermuda 5-0. These were still early days, but it was important for John Herdman and his team to deliver on expectations. Canada breezed past the first round, before having to face a familiar foe. Haiti had eliminated Canada in the quarter finals of the 2019 Gold Cup, and now both teams were set to face each other in the second round of qualifiers. “We get to play them twice and put right the wrongs of two years ago and show how far this group has come,” said John Herdman. Canada went on to defeat Haiti 4-0 on aggregate to qualify for the octagonal round for the first time since 1997.
The 2021 Gold Cup, offered Canada an opportunity to play meaningful games against top Concacaf competition. Despite the absence of Alphonso Davies and Milan Borjan, The Reds made it all the way to the semi finals. Along the way they beat Haiti 4-1, and Costa Rica 2-0. Canada came of age in that semifinal match against Mexico. As a Concacaf powerhouse, and a regular World Cup participant; Mexico was the litmus test of how good Canada was. From kickoff Canada took the game to Mexico. After conceding a late penalty in the first half, Tajon Buchanan displayed a masterclass and scored a goal in the 56th minute. 10 minutes later, Mexico was given another penalty and Maxime Crépeau denied Salcedo. Momentum was clearly on Canada’s side going into the latter stages of the match. Unfortunately, Canada had a defensive lapse in stoppage time, and Mexico capitalized. The game might have ended 2-1, but it showed that this new Canadian squad could compete with any team in the region.
Canada found their identity in those Gold Cup matches. Our back line had historically been a point of critique, but throughout the tournament they only conceded 5 goals (two of them against Mexico). The growing pains were visible as Canada began developing a possession-based playing style which required us to play out the back. But by that Mexico game, Johnston, Miller and Vitoria excelled within that style. With the pace of our wingers/fullbacks, Canada also became a major threat in transition. It can not be understated how crucial Eustáquio was to Canada’s playing style, as a box to box midfielder, he became the link that allowed us to transition from defense to offense. John Herdman also implemented a culture where non-starters could easily fit into the XI and be confident enough to perform well when called upon.
When the Octagon kicked off in the fall of 2021, Canada was an experienced squad which had been battle tested against the best in Concacaf, now it was time to see how far they could go. After 7 games Canada was still undefeated, scoring 11 goals and conceding only 4. In the frigid temperatures of Edmonton, Alberta, John Herdman was about to go head to head with Tata Martino once again. Concacaf competition is tough because the environments are often unwelcoming to the visiting team, factors such as altitude, pitch quality, and temperatures can be detrimental to a team’s playing style. Temperatures dropped to -9 degrees Celsius as 44,212 fans watched Canada take on Mexico. When Cyle Larin scored the opening goal at the end of the first half, momentum was in favor of the home side. Larin added a second in the 50th minute, courtesy of an excellent free kick from Stephen Eustàquio. Tensions rose in the last few minutes as Herrera found the back of the net in the 90th, but Canada held on for the win. This was a historic night for Canada in many respects. The Reds had not beaten El-Tri since 1976. Atiba Hutchinson earned his 90th cap, becoming the all-time-leader in Canadian history. With his 22nd goal, Cyle Larin joined Dwayne De Rosario as the top goal scorer for Canada. Many more Canadians started to believe in the team after that night in Edmonton.
World Cup Preview
Now that Canada has qualified and the draw has taken place, we can start imagining what our World Cup journey will entail. Canada was drawn into Group F, with Belgium, Croatia and Morocco.
Belgium will be Canada’s first test in Qatar. Coach Roberto Martinez shared that “The strength of the Canadian team is their togetherness, they play like a club team. From that point on the individuals become even stronger.” There will be massive pressure on Martinez and Belgium to deliver at this World Cup. This golden generation of players which first took stage at the 2014 Brazil World Cup, has failed to win any international trophies. With the experience of players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard, and an emerging group of young talent; Canada will be facing a hungry team - more importantly they will not be taking us lightly. It will be fascinating to see how this game will unfold tactically, Canada and Belgium are both teams that like to hold possession. Martinez employs a three at the back, so Canada’s best opportunities could come via counterattacks.
Next up will be Croatia. If Belgium supposedly dominates the group, then this matchup could determine who else will earn their spot in the next round. Led by Luka Modrić, Croatia is a much different team from the roster that reached the finals in 2018. Mario Mandžukić, Ivan Rakitić and Danijel Subašić are no longer with the squad. We recently saw Croatia bow out of the 2020 Euros, after losing to Spain 5-3 in the round of 16. Regardless of this apparent decline, Coach Zlatko Dalić has kept the team competitive and consistent on the international stage.
Canada will play Morocco in their final match of the group stage. This will be seen as a must win for The Reds if they are to make it out of the group. The north African nation defeated Congo over a two-leg series, to qualify for Qatar. They had a great showing at the African Cup of Nations, where they reached the Quarterfinals, before losing to Egypt 2-1. Though the team features talented players such as PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, they will most likely head to Qatar without their star player Hakim Ziyech. A rift emerged between Ziyech and Coach Vahid Halilhodzic, after the latter supposedly accused him of faking injuries to avoid playing friendlies for Morocco. As the final match of the group stage, we could see Canada controlling their destiny in Qatar.
For many Canadian Soccer fans (including myself), this will be our first time hearing “O Canada” at a men’s World Cup. The national anthems are always an emotional affair for the players and their fellow countrymen. The World Cup is the pinnacle of football - once every four years you have the best players and best countries competing against one another. As a player you dream of playing there, as a fan you fantasize about watching your country on the biggest stage. Although this piece analyzes and previews Canada’s World Cup journey, let’s not forget to enjoy these moments, because they do not come often.
