With the recent Olympic gold medal won by Canada’s women’s national soccer team, and a steady rise in world rankings by their male compatriots, a predominantly hockey-mad country is taking notice of another “winter” sport.
When the men’s team takes the field at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton tonight (November 12), led by its star player Alfonso Davies, who lived in the Alberta capital from the age of six until joining the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2016 at age 15, expectations are high for a win in World Cup qualifying against Costa Rica.
High expectations are rather new for the men’s team. While the Canadian women have consistently been ranked in the top 10 of FIFA rankings for more than a decade, the men struggled for relevance for most of that time.
That all changed with the arrival of Davies, and while he is the most recognizable face on the team, the roster features several young and talented players making names for themselves on the world stage in various top-flight leagues.
The women, currently ranked sixth in the world, are still ahead in achievements and recognition; a gold medal will do that. Superstar Christine Sinclair has been a household name in Canada since arriving on the scene more than 20 years ago. Being the all-time leader in international goals scored, male or female, will do that.
Everyone should know the names of Jessie Fleming and Julia Grosso, too. Scoring dramatic penalty kicks in a gold medal match will do that. Add goaltender Stephanie Labbé to that list as well. Stopping dramatic penalty kicks at the Olympics will do that.
Davies is now a household name. Being a major contributor on one of the top teams (Bayern Munich) in the world will do that. And he isn’t exactly carrying teammates on his back. Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Tajon Buchanan are climbing their way into that conversation on their own, and that may become more evident over the next few days.
In a group of eight CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) countries fighting for four spots in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Canada is currently third after six games, with eight more to come. In previous attempts this century, the team hoped to qualify. This time around, the players expect to. With positive results over the next few days, the rest of the country might start expecting that, too.
World number 48 Canada plays Costa Rica (45) at 6 pm tonight on Sportsnet. If you’re reading this after the fact, another viewing opportunity comes on November 16, when Canada faces ninth-ranked Mexico, also in Edmonton at 6 pm. Will you be watching?
