A whole generation never thought it would be possible. Canada’s football team were always the butt of the jokes. North America’s nearly men. On the eve of one of the most important nights in their soccer-playing history, their rivals aren’t laughing now.
After enduring a miserable time of things during the Nineties, Canada travelled to Honduras in October 2012, needing a draw to reach the final round of the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers, having only been to a World Cup finals once, in 1986. Instead, Stephen Hart’s side were humiliated in an 8-1 loss and, by 2014, their Fifa ranking had cratered to 122nd. The only way was up, for sure.
Fast forward until now, and North American soccer has been rocked by a star-studded Canadian side, managed by a coach heralding from Consett, Co Durham, unbeaten in qualification for Qatar, one win away from their first World Cup appearance since 1986.
“It will be an incredible achievement if we can get it done,” Cyle Larin, Canada’s all-time top goalscorer, who leads the scoring charts in Concacaf qualifying, tells i.
“When I was younger people always had different soccer-related flags flying out of their car, but now they have Canadian ones. For young people it is really big because Canada in a World Cup is a first for them. It will just help develop soccer so much.”
Victory over Costa Rica in the early hours of Friday morning UK time will be enough to seal Canada’s long-awaited World Cup berth with two qualifiers to spare. A draw may do for them, too, if other results go their way.
Larin, who fired Besiktas to the Turkish title last season, is just one of several stars in the Canadian squad at coach John Herdman’s disposal.
Lille striker Jonathan David, who 26-year-old Larin “knows” will take his all-time top goalscorer mantle at some point, has attracted Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea, while Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies is regarded as one of the best left-backs in the world – talent previous Canada coaches could only have dreamt of.
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“We got our guys playing at top clubs, playing in Champions League, top level MLS – that didn’t happen before,” Larin says. “Many of us grew up together, so we are a close group. Nobody is above anyone.
“He [Herdman] has made a big difference. Look where we are now compared to before. He’s always told us Canada will play in the World Cup and now we see it happening. He believes in us, that’s the most important thing.
“We want to qualify then go back to Toronto for our next match and celebrate. Qualification is not enough, we know that if we do get to Qatar, we are capable of getting out of our group.”
Football becoming the global behemoth that it is has helped matters. Soccer was very much down the pecking order among sports in Canada, but a wide-eyed audience embraced the game, and that interest helped get enough talented youngsters, like Larin, hooked. Much to traditional North American heavyweights USA and Mexico’s detriment.
“I always had a ball at my feet,” Larin adds. “Either playing by my parents’ work or at schooI. I played different sports growing up like ice hockey, like everyone else.
“But it was always soccer, and every kid’s dream is to play in Europe from what we could see on TV. I feel it’s hard for kids to get over to Europe to play.
“Once we win a couple of games in Qatar, then more [European clubs] will take notice.”
Larin’s European dream took a while to get off the ground after moving to Besiktas in 2018. A loan move to Belgium was needed to gain him more first-team experience, and he has not looked back since, plundering 19 goals last term.
His exploits have alerted Premier League suitors, with reports linking Larin with Graham Potter’s Brighton revolution.
Such talk is music to any soccer-mad Canadian’s ears. The first task is to complete the job for his country, then who knows, it is not too late to fulfil those Premier League ambitions too.
“My dream has always been to play in the Premier League from being young kid,” Larin adds.
“What’s more important is to show what Canada can do for now. If I can help do that, everything else will follow.”
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