Canada has a theme — and a social media hashtag, of course — for Qatar: We Can.
It’s a clever slogan for a team heading to their first World Cup in 36 years.
“Canada is a football nation, man. We better believe it,” coach John Herdman said when the team secured their spot. “And we will keep coming. We have only just begun.
Canada has enjoyed a spectacular rise on the world stage in the four years since Herdman took office. In 2021 alone, the team fell from No. 72 in the world rankings to No. 40.
Canada earned its World Cup spot the hard way. Due to the team’s low ranking, the players had to skip the first two CONCACAF qualifying rounds. They emerged at the top of the pack ahead of third-placed Mexico and the United States, who were both bye’d from the final round.
Canada has since fallen from the top of qualifying. The Canadians played four games, winning two and losing two. The most recent match was a 2-0 defeat against Uruguay in Slovakia at the end of September.
“I think by the time we get to the World Cup, and as I’ve told the players, we won’t get an award for a performance award at the World Cup. You have to take your moments and we didn’t,” Herdman said.
Canada are led by Cyle Larin, who plays in Belgium with Club Brugge. He scored 25 goals, six of them in the final round of playoffs. Fellow countryman Jonathan David, who plays for French club Lille, is close behind with 22. Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies has 12.
Herdman clearly understands that Canada cannot simply return to the World Cup after a long drought. The team must win.
In other words, they have to believe in their own “We Can” slogan.
“That’s what Canada needs to learn, you’re not going to get a freebie. You have to earn it,” Herdman said. “And our whole team has to work to make sure those chances that we put away.”
CAPTAIN CANADA
Canada is awaiting news on the status of captain Atiba Hutchison, who missed the September friendlies through injury.
But a good sign: Hutchinson resumed training in early October for Turkish club Besiktas.
The 39-year-old captain was 3 years old in 1986 when Canada played in the last World Cup. The Canadians lost to France, Hungary and the Soviet Union by a combined score of 5-0. He is the only player on the team to be born before the last appearance.
Hutchinson has 97 appearances with the national team.
Canada has also been without Johnathan Osorio, who plays for Toronto FC, in the last two friendlies with a concussion.
TURBULENCE
As Canada prepares for its World Cup, the national team is still in talks with the federation about compensation. This year, the team declined to play a friendly match against Panama due to tense union negotiations.
One of the sticking points was the $10 million in FIFA bonuses the men’s team earned by qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1986. Canada’s national teams – men’s and women’s – believe they are entitled to a share of the premium.
Their fight for prize money comes after US Soccer reached an agreement to split the prize money equally between men and women.
CROSSOVER BLOW
Herdman became the first coach to lead both a men’s and women’s team to a World Cup berth. He coached the Canadian Women’s National Team from 2011 to 2018.
MORE TESTS
Canada has two games before the World Cup. The team will face Bahrain in Manama on November 11, then Japan in Dubai on November 17.
“I think it’s just continuing on the path of game control,” said Canadian midfielder Stephen Eustáquio when asked about the team’s prospects. “I think if we control the games we will be closer to winning them. Try to finish our games. Try not to concede a goal. I think that’s important also against very good teams.”
After that, it’s off to Qatar, where Canada play in Group F. The team will be challenged from the start against Belgium on November 23, then Croatia on November 27 and Morocco on December 1.
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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