Canada Will Play a Knockout Match at the World Cup!

Two weeks ago Canada had never secured a single point at a men’s World Cup. In both 1986 and 2022, the side lost all three group stage matches and went straight home.

Against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto this side got itself on the books, giving the nation a taste of putting a World Cup in the bag with Cyle Larin scoring late to secure a draw. In game two against Qatar they went one better, collecting all three points for a first-ever win at the World Cup, one of many, many historical marks set on that day – they are too numerous to count.

In game three against Switzerland they fell short, missed out on topping the group and securing one, maybe two, more games in Canada, but a little lost in that frustration was exactly what had been accomplished.

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A country that had never secured a single point is moving onto the knockout rounds. Less than a decade ago, Canada was battling to even get into the Hex, the final round of qualifying in Concacaf, let alone the World Cup itself. 8-1 seems a lifetime ago, in a different world.

Raised expectations are good. They are necessary, but do not let them detract from the achievement.

“At this moment there’s a lot of criticism around what I’ve done, the decoy thing, and what the players have done,” said Jesse Marsch on Thursday. “We came from a situation where we had zero points as a nation in the World Cup, we had two goals, and one was an own-goal.”

“We have four points, second in the group, eight goals scored, an incredible moment to showcase the team in every way against Qatar,” he listed. “We set ourselves up for a second-round match where we feel like we can go after the game and give ourselves a chance of moving on in the tournament.”

“What a beautiful thing that we’ve created an expectation of excellence here for this program in this country. So, you’re welcome – you’re welcome,” Marsch said wryly. “And by the way, nobody’s less satisfied with not winning the group than us. Let me assure you that.”

Somewhere between the dream state that was 6-0 over the Qataris and the reality of facing the Swiss, a seasoned side that is always there or thereabouts at the World Cup, there was a disconnect.

Perhaps it was unrealistic expectations, perhaps it was a bit of desperation to stay on home soil, knowing that such an advantage is not one that should be lightly tossed aside. Perhaps it was just fans being fans, that excitement brewing in the country being more contagious than anyone was prepared for. It was probably a little bit of each.

Regardless, Canada will play South Africa on Sunday in the Round of 32 in Los Angeles.

“The guys are all thrilled,” said Alistair Johnston. “A lot of this player pool has been in this program for a while now and we’ve been through some difficult periods. You think back to that last World Cup, we played decent in some matches and you come out there with zero points. And now we’re in this World Cup, we had a chance to top the group, but we got out, and that was the biggest thing for me.”

“A lot of football fans in Canada, who have a good knowledge of soccer and have followed the team for a while now, know how big finishing second place in a World Cup group is – I don’t care if it’s home World Cup or the World Cup was being played on Mars. It’s an unbelievable result,” he continued. “But it’s more framing it to the casual fan that are watching this national team for the first time to understand this is still a massive accomplishment.”

“Of course, we would have loved to stay in Vancouver, we’re not kidding anyone on there,” Johnston added. “But at the same time if you told me a month ago that we were going to finish second in this group and be in the knockout rounds I would have shaken your hand for that.”

And perhaps there is a silver lining to the side having to hit the road for the rest of the journey. A team is always going to be under the microscope during a World Cup, but at home that is amplified. Those headlights were evident in the opening half against Bosnia. They were again against Switzerland.

It is a shame to say, but Canada is not used to that environment at home. So now, on the road, there is something familiar ahead.

“There’s always pressure in these situations,” said Marsch, “The players like to be in the pressure, but also [there are] distractions.”

“I think we can get down to LA and it’s not going to be the same kind of thing around the hotel and around the entire experience,” he anticipated. “We’ve enjoyed all of it, it’s been incredible. What an amazing three, four weeks we’ve had, but now we need to really lock in and make sure we’re ready for this match.”

Johnston was a little disappointed in the vibe of some of the questions the side faced post-match on Wednesday.

He had a message: “We’re in a great place, we’re exactly where we want to be.”

“We’re into the knockout rounds. We finished second place. In previous World Cups, finishing fourth, you’re eliminated; this one you could have been third and you’re sitting here the rest of this week, training, twiddling your thumbs, hoping for results. We’re not in that position,” he continued. “We actually went into a final game with everything in our own hands, which is something that this program never really had before.”

“Once you get to the knockout stage of a World Cup, you’re going to run into a gauntlet at some point, whether it’s the first game, the second game, it’s going to come. It’s South Africa, not a Spain, but at the same time, they’re there for a reason,” he closed. “It’s going to be a really good game, a really good test for us. What I would say is: get behind the team, we’re in an unbelievable spot, a chance to make even more history, and, hopefully, we can make a deep run here.”