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Canada can’t sneak up on anyone anymore. No one is underestimating a team that has spent this summer going toe-to-toe with the world’s best soccer teams.
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Published Sep 13, 2024 • Last updated 19 minutes ago • 6 minute read
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On a cold, frigid BMO Field in March 2022, the Canadian men’s soccer team ended four decades fraught with pain, fruitless close calls and disappointments when they thumped Jamaica 4-0 to qualify — finally — for the FIFA World Cup.
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It was a moment of national catharsis, an exorcism of negative vibes and heralded Canada’s triumphant emergence from the hinterlands of CONCACAF’s soccer nations. They were back in the World Cup for just the second time in history, and first in 36 years.
A team that once struggled to beat minnows like Curaçao or Turks and Caicos had been crowned the Kings of CONCACAF, dethroning longtime foils Mexico and the U.S. to become the region’s top team, going 14-2-4 in qualifying, including a record 17-game unbeaten run.
At that World Cup in Qatar, Les Rouges did acquit themselves well — despite going winless in group play — with only a few missed scoring opportunities standing between them and even more success.
This World Cup qualifying cycle is a much different one. There’s no need to scratch, claw or recreate that 2021 magic. Canada, U.S. and Mexico are assured berths as hosts of the 2026 tournament.
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They used to be the underdogs, a label they proudly embraced. But they can’t do that anymore, there’s no catching anyone by surprise. Now they’re the big dogs.
They’ve gone toe-to-toe, blow for blow with South American giants like Argentina and Uruguay. Last week they beat the U.S. on American soil for the first time in 1957, and followed it up with a brawling, physical scoreless draw against Mexico.
“I think it’s a testament to what we’re building at Canada soccer, that Mexico felt they didn’t really have a chance if they came and played football, and had a (better) chance if they played WWE,” said midfielder Ali Ahmed. “We’re changing the perception of the way we’re playing now. And I think beating the U.S., you know, would have been nice to beat Mexico as well, the way we performed that Copa, I think, yeah, teams are starting to look at us differently. We’re definitely trying to be the best in CONCACAF and we have higher goals as well.”
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It’s only a little over a year and a half before the first ball is kicked at the 2026 World Cup, both an eternity and an instant. Since the last World Cup, Canada’s played 22 games. There were losses to Jamaica and the U.S., draws with Guadeloupe and Guatemala, and unconvincing wins over a short-handed Panama. John Herdman left as coach, the Canadian federation was wracked by a financial squeeze, labour disputes and a revolving door of leadership.
Enter Jesse Marsch — former manager of three different Red Bulls clubs, the Montreal Impact and Leeds United — as the new national team head coach. In the 10 games under his helm, the 40th ranked Canadians have played just two teams — versus Peru and Chile — ranked below them, beating Peru and drawing Chile. They’ve faced the world’s No. 1, Lionel Messi’s Argentina, twice, and held their own both times. They drew world No. 2 France. Lost on penalties to No. 11 Uruguay. Beat No. 16 USA. Tied No. 17 Mexico.
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“There has been a dialogue about being the underdog and a chip on the shoulder, which I think has served them well,” Marsch said Thursday. “But I’ve tried to say to them, now it’s ‘we belong.’ We need to show that every day and prove to ourselves more than anyone else, every day, that we can be a really good team.
“It hasn’t taken a lot of convincing to make them believe that — they know they’re a good team. There was disappointment after the Mexico game that we didn’t win. I had staff members coming to me and saying, ‘In the past a draw against Mexico in a pro-Mexico environment would have been a really good result.’
“In general, my ambition is to develop a team that, come 2026, can be dominant. Not just successful, not just get out of the group or win a World Cup match, but be dominant. And we’re working toward that every day, and I’m optimistic that we can get to that.”
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Marsch walks into a cash-strapped federation on its fourth president in five years — Major League Soccer’s three Canadian teams are paying his salary — and now roiling in the fallout of the drone spying scandal that is being investigated by FIFA. His duties go beyond that of regular gaffer; he’s working on shoring up the rickety Canadian soccer pyramid from the bottom up. He’s building relationships with coaches from the Canadian Premier League to Europe’s top clubs and youth development, establishing an unified style of play and looking at the CSA infrastructure.
While juggling all that, he’s trying to navigate the road map to 2026.
Next up is a friendly with Panama — ranked above Canada, in 35th — on Oct. 15, but beyond that, “we barely have windows scheduled,” he joked.
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A game in Vancouver will come — sometime — as will one in Montreal.
“What I want is to play the best opponents we possibly can,” he said. “That’s what we’ve done so far. … I don’t want to go ‘OK, now let’s start scheduling Caribbean (teams) — and nothing against them — but I think for us as a footballing nation, we have to have our sights set really high, and we have to try to find the best opponents we can.
“It is a challenge, right? I saw Mexico’s playing Valencia next window, because trying to find opponents (is hard). One of the things we were considering was would we play Mexico again the first match of the next window, but it just didn’t make any sense for us. And Mexico, I think, felt the same.
“Do we play away? Do we play at home? Where do we play at home? How do we get opponents here and there, and then financially securing the schedule.
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“I think there’s opportunities because there are countries and opponents that want to come to North America before the World Cup as part of their preparation and hoping that they will qualify.”
While the MLS agreement to foot the bill for his salary has been deemed “philanthropic donations,” both sides understand the symbiotic relationship will ultimately benefit the players’ development, and drive the individual organizations to success.
Ahmed is a prime example, going from MLS NextPro, to starter to star for the Vancouver Whitecaps, with his national team call-ups spring-boarding his pro career. Caps teammate Sam Adekugbe was another name cited by both Marsch and Vancouver coach Vanni Sartini, with Marsch detailing the level of communication between the sides as they balanced his national team playing time versus recovery from a leg injury. And Sartini admitted that, while missing players for extended periods of time during international windows might be the difference between making the playoffs or not, it’s “a small price to pay.”
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“The national team, call-up, representing the national team, is such an important thing for every player. That is such a stimulus for a player, it’s a reward for a player,” he said. “We’ve had the development of a lot of players that has been faster, better, bigger than it would have been if they wouldn’t be called. … The idea of becoming a national team player, that fuels (Ahmed) inside to say, ‘hey, I want to be a better player. I want to get to that stage. I want to be in the international stage. I want to be there, and I want to be better.’ Sam, the fact that he’s pushing, pushing, pushing, a big thing (because) ‘OK, I want to keep my spot in the national team because I want to be in the World Cup. I want to be there.’
“And all the guys that came back this time … they’re all kind of regenerated. So at the end, it’s just a small price to pay.”
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jadams@postmedia.com
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