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Photo Credit: Concacaf
CA & C Cafe: 46 Hours & 55 Minutes of CONCACAF Champions Cup: Round One!
By Editor’s Note: As part of showcasing the diversity of footballing talent from across Central America, the Caribbean, and North America involved with Canadian soccer, we are pleased to deliver the seventh edition of CA & C Cafe, a feature focused on how developments across our confederation are shaping our game.
Planned as fanciful travel, a lengthy journey to see two CONCACAF games in twenty-four hours became a fateful trip amidst political earthquakes in North America after January 20. Three chilly days on the road later in early February, our writer Darnel was left with high hopes, serious questions, and a renewed appreciation for what may be possible in our country.
The idea that true knowledge can only be obtained through personal observation with all of one’s senses has inspired many an inquisitive explorer to make a gruelling journey into the unknown. Me? While I have long been curious about ways to build a healthy soccer culture in Canada…I largely just wanted a brief vacation! A double-dose of CONCACAF soccer in winter plus some sightseeing at a very low flight price? Awesome!
When I booked the trip on December 26, 2024, I was expecting at most to reconnect with the Buoys, make some new friends, and conduct some insightful interviews for the Northern Tribune. Thanks to the BBC’s Race Across the World, I knew getting around on Vancouver Island might be tricky; however, it would be well worth the effort in order to relax for a weekend on Canada’s famously warm west coast, the only place in our country where soccer is a year-round sport (and with the the Vancouver Island Soccer League having first organized men’s amateur soccer here in 1895)!
I certainly was not expecting to travel across a country suddenly bristling with earnest patriotism, urgent conversations, and sober reflections about what it means to call yourself Canadian. This is the tale of how my trip unfolded, and the people, places, and conversations I encountered along the way!
….to follow the Photo Story from the beginining click the image below:
(A little bit after…) 5:00 PM EST – February 5, 2025: Getting Going to Hamilton
With the draw for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup in the very distant past and the press conference formalities complete, Canadian Premier League sides Forge FC and Cavalry FC are eager and ready to take on their Mexican opponents, CF Monterrey and Pumas UNAM. Me? I am looking forward to see them both play live!
My plan for this leg of the trip is pretty casual: head down to Union Station and hop on the 5:51 PM Express Lakeshore West GO Train to Hamilton GO Centre, where a local bus will get me to the game comfortably before kick-off. It’s a trip I have made a few times before to take in Forge matches, and the transit has always been reliable…so I decide not to hurry. After packing some work files that I want to read during my trip, I head into the cool Toronto afternoon a bit too casually…then realize on the subway that I may have cut things fine. When I emerge into the chaos of Union Station, I sprint as carefully as I can, weaving past commuters streaming in all directions. Reaching the far end, I skip up the escalator, take a glance at the arrivals board, tap my Presto (Transit) Card—which is already in my hand since the subway—and run up the grey steps, stumbling and hoping I am not too late.
My effort (and shortness of breath) is rewarded with the frustrating sight of doors closing the second I am four steps away from the platform. Given GO Transit’s policy of closing doors one minute before departure, I can only sit on the steps and watch the express train soon chug away.
Slowly heading back down the steps to look for the next train (or bus?) I quickly realize my best option is the next Lakeshore West Go Train, at 6:17 PM. However, it’s not an express, and taking it all the way would make me quite late for the game, so now I have no choice but to get off at Aldershot GO and hope I can catch a ride to still make it to kick-off on time…
…One large mocha and nearly thirty minutes later, I board my non-express train, and sip my coffee on my way to Hamilton Stadium. Built to replace Ivor Wynne Stadium, this site has been in use since 1930.
Getting into Aldershot GO a few precious minutes early, I hop into my driver Syed’s car, and he whisks me to the Prince of Wales Elementary School in Hamilton—adjacent to where Forge FC plays—where the school’s name, fiery lamp, and an open book etched elegantly in stone are still proudly displayed on their front lawn. Since my day job is urban planning, the fact that Hamilton’s stadium sits within a healthy neighbourhood is one of my favourite parts about it. This old school and the fact that by-law legal “game day parking” here involves paying nearby homeowners with handmade signs cash to use their driveways are two of my favourite Hamilton quirks.
8:14 PM EST – February 5, 2025: A Chilly Night by the Forge
…Unfortunately, making it to any stadium two minutes before kick-off is a recipe for trouble! Thankful that I booked an early flight to Vancouver so I would at least get to tomorrow’s game early, I wait for my press pass and the hustle and bustle around the elevators to clear. Once the always kind and professional Media Team at Forge FC could help me to my press seat, I feel privileged to once again take in the game from one of the best press boxes in sport – a long but narrow room that offers every seat an unobstructed bird’s-eye view of the field.
At half time, I head out to my complete my night’s assignment: interviewing fans in the stands, most of whom seemed lively from a distance, despite the frigid temperatures. Over the next hour, I experience first-hand what makes a Forge FC game and CONCACAF play truly special – the great variety of people of all ages and ethnicities that came out to celebrate a mutual love of soccer. On the hometown side, I meet:
- Braydon, Eduardo, and Ozzy (enjoying the game courtesy of Braydon’s father-in-law);
- Steve (we were both wearing the 2021 CPL Finals blue toque);
- Forge FC’s mascot Sparx (who kindly posed for me);
- Christine and her grandkids Kai and Elijah in the Forge FC Swag Shop (who were proud of Hamilton’s soccer team, and were at the game because some Forge players had visited Elijah’s school);
- James and Justin (regular Forge attendees wishing the field was a *bit* less icy);
- Marco, John, and Wesley from Vaughan (who came with a love of Mexico but also left as fans of the Canadian Premier League plus Forge FC); and,
- Iris, who for her second Forge game, invited her Mexican friends Alex, Mary, Dina, and Madalyn (to indulge in their shared passion for fútbol)!
Monterrey’s contingent are relatively easy to spot. Their main travelling group keeps cheering on the upper stands behind a large banner declaring “Monterrey Ladrón de Mi Cerebro!,” meaning, “Monterrey stole their brains,” so they cannot stop thinking about their team!
A pair of York United fans, Jason and Mat, are also found up there, enjoying the atmosphere, observing the game and certainly *not* cheering for Forge!
Otherwise, local Mexicans are found sporting the usual mix of colourful sombreros y sarapes (blanket cloaks) sitting comfortably side-by-side with Forge supporters, many with food and beers in hand. The common refrain? “Fun, but cold!” With the game soon at an end in Monterrey’s favour, I am finally able to make it past streaming crowds heading home to greet the Barton St. Battalion‘s Capo Mark, and newly elected President Charles. Despite the result and a subpar megaphone that did not adapt to the chill after 45’, the Battalion kept the Section 112 crowd lively all night!
12:30 AM EST – February 6, 2025: Too Late for Cheesecake
Starting my journey home (missing the post-game press conferance but catching my planned local bus and GO bus on time), I sit in deep thought about how and why Forge FC has built itself to be such a community asset.
Conversing with Hamiltonians over the years, it is clear that Forge has rooted itself in a community that it is proud to represent on the world stage. In turn, Hamilton has fallen in love with their team. Certainly, sporting fortunes can be fickle, and results both on and off the field will not always go the way all local communities wish. That is why it is vital for team management to have a thick skin in tougher times, and be cognizant that public criticism, once made in a construtive manner, is a key part of any pathway to collective growth and joy. Locker room leadership is another core component, so that when key team figures speak up, everyone knows that the entire team is comfortable with holding themselves personally and collectively accountable for their shared results. Lastly, encouraging a family-friendly, entertaining, and inclusive atmosphere is key so that the game experiance is always a postive one, no matter the score.
…After going eighteen hours without sleep, ordering cheesecake-on-demand past midnight seems like a solid idea…but nothing is open near me. Oh well. Perhaps I will be more lucky in Victoria?
10:21 AM EST / 7:21 AM PST – February 6, 2025: Soccer à (Em)Porter
Passport, York United COTU ‘Racoon’ scarf, and carry-on in hand, I make my way to Pearson Airport early Thursday morning for my jaunt to YYJ, Victoria International Airport. My modest hope is for my flight to arrive on-time around Noon PST. Unfortunately, as the minutes tick by, it becomes clear between the overnight snowfall in Ontario and the needed de-icing, I am now facing another day running on risky timelines.
Once in the air, I take the opportunity to speak with Valeria and interview Mariano, two reporters (and Pumas UNAM fans) with Diario AS, a prestigious Spanish daily sports publication, that I had just met in Hamilton. Mariano and Valeria have been travelling to cover Mexican teams whenever they have visited Canada for the last few years; they also went to the 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup Final in Seattle, which saw Pumas fall 5-2 on aggregate after the second leg.
Mariano is a proud Pumas UNAM fan partly because of their team’s record of educating some of the best players in Mexican history. Mexican legend Hugo Sánchez – who was part of Pumas’ Academy from eleven years old in 1969 – played for Pumas and Real Madrid, before becoming a MLS star with Dallas Burn (renamed FC Dallas in 2004). [Apart from specializing in bicycle kicks, Hugo was also a true ‘Puma‘, as he earned a degree in dentistry from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México]. Universitario tradition is defined by hard work, honesty, curiosity, honor, and youth seizing their oppertuntites. ‘Pumas‘ treasure that tradition, UNAM’s historic role as a globally renowned academic institution, and the fact Pumas UNAM’s initial players were drawn entirely from the Universidad’s students.
Mariano added that in his opinion, soccer’s history in Canada as a recreational pastime rather than a game played for the joy of it perhaps contributed to the modest amount of passion seen in the stands at the Toronto FC and CPL games he had attended.
5:06 PM PST – February 6, 2025: On Foot in the Irish Trenches
Touching down hours later than planned, I trotted through downtown Victoria at a fast clip until I reached the Irish Times Pub, where Matt had told me the Foot Soldiers Supporters Group were gathering. Any doubts I had the right spot were dispelled with a welcoming hug on the road outside from a friendly Albertan gentleman wearing a red and white jersey and a cowboy hat. Stepping inside, the pub’s upper floor was entirely given over to Cavalry fans decked out in team jerseys, caps and sweaters. Between Victoria Airport and the Pub, I had a very good time chatting with:
- Alan and his son Spencer (new Cavalry FC fans who came out to see family and cheer for their CPL team);
- Kash and his parents Geet and Rakesh (an inaugural supporter and season ticket holder who introduced the team to his parents, who are now also ardent fans);
- Jodie, Doug, Pat, and Richard (inaugural supporters hoping for a goal or a draw, but mainly glad to watch their team play in -2 °C rather than -22 °C); and,
- Ian (a Foot Soldier before the CanPL who was throughly enjoying all aspects of his Away trip, and complementary of Forge’s efforts despite their loss).
I also learnt that due to wintry weather in Calgary, several Foot Soldiers who had planned to make the trip would miss the game. So I was thankful to be safe and late getting into Victoria, than not at the game at all!
8:12 PM PST – February 6, 2025: Snow, Soccer and Scarves at Starlight
Clambering aboard the local bus that would take me from Victoria to Langford just in time for kick-off, I felt more than a bit tired (and ready to commit to a firm fitness routine when I got back home)! Along the way, a few fans headed to the game hopped on board my bus, including Arnau and Jaime, best friends and staunch Pumas UNAM fans from Mexico City. Once in Langford, a fifteen minute jog plus a breathless sprint along snow covered walkways the wrong way around Starlight Stadium brought me to the Glen Lake Road media entrance a full three minutes before kick-off…a grand one minute improvement over my arrival last night in Hamilton! However, as Starlight Stadium is much less expansive than Hamilton Stadium, I quickly walked over to the press box as the game got underway.
After enjoying a lively first half of play along with a pleased crowd of Pumas UNAM supporters (who had taken over the western grandstand), and Cavalry FC supporters (who were mixed in with a large number of neutral Island locals) I take the opportunity to trade away some of my York United scarves, and meet several people who had made their way to Starlight Stadium for the game, including:
- Hannah and her Cavalry FC collegue (who arranged my press access and sold me a beautiful golden Cavalry FC CONCACAF scarf);
- Juan and Joanni (Pumas UNAM fans now living in Canada who came out to cheer for their childhood team);
- Chris (a work colleague of mine who is part of a soccer group of parents and kids on the Island who often come to Starlight to watch Pacific FC games);
- Eduardo and Jessica (proud members of the Pumas UNAM familia now living in Seattle, who traded their beautiful Pumas UNAM scarf to me); and,
- Several Lake Side Buoys (an Island soccer supporters group established well before the CPL in 2009, who I had last met at the 2021 CPL Final…and I was still high in the west grandstand with them when Charlie Trafford scored in the equalizer in the 57′ minute, turning up the tension at Starlight).
(By the end of the night, I did manage to trade my York United scarves for a number of keepsakes along the way…😊)
9:05PM PST – February 6, 2025: ♫ Oh When The Cavs! Oh When The Cavs Go Marching In! ♫
Moving back over to sit with my colleague Chris as time winds down, I am lucky enough to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right people as Warschewski’s late strike sends Starlight into a frenzy! By chance, I end up right next to Michelle’s box, who happily noted after the game she loved Cavalry’s brilliant result, and was very good friends with ‘Tommy and Veronica,’ so she has been a Cavs FC fan since the beginning!
After the match, in response to my question about the importance of Mexican fans and Canadian fans coming together to enjoy soccer during turbulent times in North America, Pumas UNAM’s Coach Gustavo Lema said:
“It is really nice. In these (CONCACAF) trips we aught to learn spectacular stories from our fans. People who many years ago emigrated; they now look forward for the moment when they get to see their team play. When they come, they tell you some life stories that are fantastic. I believe those stories are important, (so I listen carefully to them), and rehearse them, so I can retell them to my players, who can then go out and deliver everything (for their fans). The players offer everything they have as sign of respect for their fans’ sacrifice. I obviously will not repeat these stories (now), but they sensitize you, and they fill you with pride for being their representative. They fill you with energy to do so with the best attitude and professionalism. Honestly, it is fantastic and we aught to recognize that it is possible because of these type of (CONCACAF) competitions. It is comforting, and I would like to thank the Canadian people for their hospitality.”*
[*Thanks to Diana Guzman Porras for translating this quote from Spanish.]
11:01 AM PST – February 7, 2025: Jamar, Me, and Stewie
A good night’s sleep later, my first look at Victoria and Langford bathed in early morning light were pleasant ones. Breezing past the Legislature Precinct to my ‘usual’ bus bay exchange, I hop on for the forty-minute-or-so ride to Langford. Unfortunately, not all buses that go to the City of Langford go by Starlight Stadium. Faced with the decision between a half an hour brisk walk upon arrival, or a cup of coffee and a short car ride, I gratefully choose the coffee shop on the corner of Goldstream and Claude. Twenty minutes, another mocha and a car ride later, I am back at Starlight just in time to interview Jamar Dixon! When I last interviewed Jamar, he was Pacific FC’s captain, a reigning CPL Champion, and headed to Jamaica to play a CONCACAF League match against Waterhouse FC. After the 2022 Season, Jamar joined Pacific FC’s front office as their Manager of Football and Player Development, a natural extension of his successful coaching work with the Vancouver Island Wave U14 Boys.
After the interview (which will be published later this summer), I take a picture with Stewie the Starfish and meet some of the people behind Pacific FC’s success, as they gear up for the 2025 Season. Later in the day, as I was not able to go to the W̱SÁNEĆ School Board’s mini-pitch due to the unusual snowfall, I also have the pleasure of interviewing Paul Beirne, Managing Director of Pacific FC.
You can read my interview with Paul Beirne by clicking here.
Walking out back for one last look at Starlight Stadium, I was surprised to see Cavalry FC in training on the pitch. Snapping a quick video and wishing a player well as a ball came my way, I turn toward Glen Lake Road in search of the nearest bus stop to catch my ride back to Victoria.
12:55 PM PST – February 7, 2025: Reflections on Bones
Disembarking from the last long bus ride of my trip, I stroll across the Legislature Precinct to get a closer look at the Knowledge Totem erected in honor of the fifteenth Commonwealth Games on the Legislature’s south lawn. Carved by Coast Salish Master Carver Cicero August and his sons Darrell and Doug just over thirty-five years ago, the totem represents the lessons of the past and hope for the future.
Looking up what each of the figures mean, I learn that in Coast Salish culture:
- The top 🦆 figure, the Loon, is “the teacher of the speakers” as well as an interpreter of all the Indigenous languages spoken;
- The second 🎣 figure, the Fisherman with a Salmon, honors a way of life for costal peoples which is anchored to the abundance, prosperity, nourishment and renewal offered by the ocean;
- The third 🦴 figure, the Bone Player, showcases people playing Slahal, a non-verbal ‘bloodless war’ game thousands of years old, where two teams make wagers and then take turns using music and strategy to hide and guess the location of a marked counter; and,
- The last 🐸 figure, the Frog is a herald of the seasons and a communicator (as well as a symbol of sacrifice and generosity for the Interior Salish Sinixt Nation).
Standing at the water’s edge next to the totem, I could not help but think of how relevant these carved figures were to the both matches I was part of over the previous two days. Soccer, much like the bone games played for thousands of years across Cascadia, still involves two teams playing a (mostly) wordless game, supported by music, cheering and (relatively) friendly wagers, across all seasons. Our sport, very much a way of life for many across the Americas and the globe, had managed to bring thousands together in celebration, regardless of anyone’s ability to speak fluently face-to-face. If nothing else, a fleeting reminder of the power of sport to unite peoples in peace, but ideally, a foundation for positive relationships that might endure.
3:55 PM CST – May 30, 2025: Time for Some Central Thoughts
In two days from now, the curtain will fall on the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup. A Canadian team once again stands on the summit of continental glory, eager to avoid the precipice that awaited CF Montreal in 2015, and Toronto FC in 2018. This time, it is the Vancouver Whitecaps, who after defeating Deportivo Saprissa, avenged Forge and Cavalry by eliminating CF Monterrey and then Pumas UNAM before routing Inter Miami on their way to a trophy clash against Cruz Azul.
What would a win by Vancouver Whitecaps mean? While members of the Canadian Men’s Team are winning silverware in Europe, this year’s run highlights the growth of Canadians playing for elite soccer teams within Canada. While two Canadians (Patrice Bernier and Maxim Tissot) came off the bench for Montreal during their 2015 Final, and Jonathan Osorio and Ashtone Morgan played an impactful role for Toronto FC during their run in 2018, the Whitecaps squad boasts four Canadians: Ali Ahmed and Jayden Nelson up front, Ralph Priso anchoring the midfield, and Sam Adekugbe at left back, all of whom could start or feature in this year’s final. A record is also likely to be set with the number of away fans present, if Jon Rees’ (Vancouver Whitecaps FC – Vice President, Events and Fan Experience) tweets are anything to go by…
However, if Canada’s future stars are to supposed to emerge from our existing systems, the near-term outlook for some of our established soccer institutions appears cloudy, just as fresh professional and grassroots efforts are igniting opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups across Canada. Between 2015 and 2024, Canada Soccer’s Annual Reports show a decline of sixty-four thousand, seven hundred and nine (64,709) registered soccer players, or a drop of nearly eight (8) percent nationally; only Manitoba, PEI, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia saw marginal gains.
As Edmonton Journal’s Steven Sandor reports, ‘elite’ soccer development in Canada begins at age thirteen (13), creating intense pressure for youth to join a few licensed clubs at that age, if their parents can afford to pay the fees to begin with. In response, many kids stop playing. High costs and rising physical and mental dangers endanger those who remain; soccer ceasing to be a source of ‘fun, balance and personal development’ for kids. In short, many no longer play with joy, if they play at all.
On the positive side, investments in safe grassroots mini-pitches across our country are thankfully becoming more common. Since 2021, Whitecaps FC, Scotiabank and Hope & Health have installed nine mini-pitches in Indigenous communities across Vancouver Island, starting with the Penelakut, and most recently, the Cowachin. In Toronto, City Council and MLSE will be working together over the next year to install twelve mini-pitches in underserved communities, and will provide programming as part of the ongoing legacy of the 2026 World Cup. In Nova Scotia, a new mini-pitch just opened in Antigonish, courtesy of funding from Scotiabank and a number of government partners.
While the launch of Canadian Premier League has given a few hundred men and women the opportunity to earn at least a partial living from professional soccer in Canada, the launch of the Northern Super League has opened up further pathways to careers in professional sport, this time focused on women and girls. Several NSL clubs currently share home grounds with CPL or League1 Canada teams, but the Montreal Roses broke that mold and expanded top flight soccer for women to Quebec.
Contrary to these cheery developments, our historic soccer institutions are actively grappling with severe discontent around grassroots league governance, lawsuits and the looming threat of bankruptcy in youth organizations, and abuse of young adult and youth match officials by players and spectators nationwide to the point some of our grassroots leagues are making use of body cameras to dissuade violence.
What of CF Montréal and Toronto FC, both of whom in the last decade have stood inches away from the CONCACAF Club summit? Well, a year out from the 2026 World Cup, supporters in both cities are in active conflict with team management and players. A lack of on-field results and off-field tensions are flaring up in public, leaving people in two of our three Major League Soccer stadiums, BMO Field and Stade Saputo, to grapple with swathes of empty seats, muted atmospheres and bitter feelings…
At about the same that I was getting into Victoria, British Columbia on February 6, the CBC published an article about the timely re-emergence of one of their own radio hosts, Jeff Douglas, into our national consciousness. Known affectionately as “Joe”, the Molson ‘I Am Canadian’ commercials he starred in were a defining feature of the new millennium for many of his fellow Canadians. Twenty-five years later, listening to himself boast of ‘toques, beavers, and chesterfields’ gave Jeff such “complex” feelings that he released an updated ‘We Are Canadian’ version that was more substance than stereotype by early March. In his February interview with the CBC, Jeff worried about a slide back into “blind patriotism,” noting that, “I feel that people are needing to feel that love. I just hope that they don’t forget that there is still a lot of work to do.”
As I sit in Mexico City awaiting the arrival of hundreds of proud Canadians this weekend, I am left agreeing deeply with Jeff. There certainly is a lot of work to do. Our nation, if it is to remain our nation, must be reflected in more than signs and slogans. Our values must shine through as we grapple with our inconsistences and imperfections in public, in order to craft amendments and adjustments that lead to the equitable visions we constantly repeat as Canadians. Changing culture is ceaseless work—even just sporting culture—and it is often thankless work. If we are to be the people we profess to ourselves and the world we are, we have no choice but to get, and remain, ‘stuck in’.
Header Image Photo Credit: Concacaf
