Canada's Quest

 Simon B

This is the first time in almost 40 years since we've been able to talk about Canada making an impact on the world stage in football (soccer). Not since 1986 has Canada qualified for a World Cup but this year, they have a legitimate shot at going back to the biggest tournament in the world.

The journey to Qatar is definitely not an easy one for the Canadians though. They've got daunting tasks ahead of them in this final qualifying stage like playing Mexico, Costa Rica, and the US who are all regulars in the world cup. 

In the past, Canada has barely ever even made it to this stage in the competition (final qualifying stage) so just being here feels like a win. But this team is a bit different than others. The Canadians finally have depth and star talent that is recognizable on the world stage. I'm going to make my bid as to why they have a serious shot at making it to Qatar in 2022 and I'm going to base it off on three questions.

What Do They Have to Do?

This final stage of quali has the eight best teams in CONCACAF (the North and Central American football federation) have all made it here by beating teams in the first round. The group has Canada, the USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, Jamaica, and El Salvador. You play each team twice, once at home and once away.

To qualify, you need to finish in the top three and the fourth-place team moves on to play another team from another continent in a one-game playoff. If you take a look at the teams in the group, Canada definitely has a chance of cracking the top four and maybe even three. Canada has already tied their first two games (at home to Honduras 1-1 and away to the US 1-1) which puts them in third after two games. 

Mexico is most likely going to finish top of the group. Then most have the US as number two and Costa Rica in third. These are choices based off of the fact that these teams usually make it through.

However, Canada has already tied the US in Nashville and gotten one of their games against a top team out of the way and they came away with a point that is massive. They did tie Honduras in Toronto and that one was definitely a winnable game so most see it as two points that they missed out on. Their next game is at home against El Salvador and that's a game they need to win. They have to rack up the points against these inferior teams (El Salvador, Jamaica, Honduras) so that they have a chance. 

For Canada, a good result against Mexico, the US or Costa Rica is probably a tie so they need to win the winnable games. 

Who Will Lead them?

As I mentioned in the beginning, Canada now has a team with lots of talent and secondary options. Of course, I'm not talking about talent and depth the way England, Argentina, or Italy have depth but it's definitely a step towards success for the national team. 

Canada also has a household name that fans around the world can recognize: Alphonso Davies. The Edmontonian plays his club football in Germany for the 9-time Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich and is a regular in the starting 11 there. He is definitely the most known Canadian athlete around the world and serves as the perfect figure to represent Canada. Before Davies, I'm betting that no casual fan could name a single Canadian player but now we've got one. Not only is he known, but he's also really good at football! Davies' speed and vision allow him to set up goals and open lanes that otherwise would never be there and he's the focal point of the attack. 

The other name that might be recognizable around the world is Jonathan David. David has won the French title with LOSC (Lille) and is their main striker. He also holds the record for the most expensive transfer for a Canadian player ever at 30 million euros. He is also Canada's main goal-scoring threat. If he can finish off what Davies creates, this team will score a lot of goals.

After watching the first few games, I noticed a few other players who are integral to the success of the team. Cyle Larin has scored the two first goals for Canada, Junior Hiolett and Jonathan Osorio provide strong options off the bench. Canada's goalkeeper, Milan Borjan has also shown great play over the first two matches. He's only conceded two goals (one of which was a penalty) and has led the team throughout. Not only that, but he is always interacting with the crowd. Whether it's telling the home fans to be louder or playfully encouraging the away fans when they're booing him, he’s a lot of fun to watch

How Have They looked?

At times, incredible! In the second half of the first game against Honduras, they dominated the entire field. Honduras only had 17% of total possession in the second period. That was probably Canada at their best. However, there have been some occasions where they just didn't seem to connect as seamlessly. 

And they can't seem to finish what they start. In both games, they out-chanced their opponents, but so many times a shot would be off-target or a pass wouldn't reach a receiver. That’s  frustrating because they would probably be 2-0 if they had that finishing touch.
But it's still early. They have 12 more games to make this world cup dream a reality. 

The Wrap

Their next game is Wednesday against El Salvador at home. Like I said, it's a winnable match. If they win the games they can win, they will most likely qualify.
 Shoots Left and Writes is also doing Radio Updates on Dave's Faves, the Saturday afternoon show on CKOL FM in Campbellford. You can check out the latest episodes on their Facebook page!

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