Canada is currently in third place with 10 points in the CONCACAF final standings (two wins and four draws).
Alphonso Davies scored a brilliant goal in a 4-1 win against Panama
By Brandon Yip, Senior Columnist
The Canadian men’s national soccer team has entered uncharted waters. Canada re-entered the sea of CONCACAF final qualifying for the first time since 1997; aiming to book their ticket to next year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Canada’s only appearance at a FIFA World Cup tournament was in Mexico in 1986. However, a new generation of players and coaching staff has restored faith and confidence, reigniting belief in the Canadian men’s national soccer program. For the past 35 years, it has been very easy to criticize Canada about why they have failed to qualify for another World Cup. But perhaps, it comes down to one simple and logical reason: Canada did not have enough good players until now.
On October 13, Canada defeated Panama by a score of four to one at BMO Field in Toronto. The game was highlighted by Canadian and Bayern Munich star player, Alphonso Davies scoring a brilliant goal in the 66th minute. It is arguably one of the greatest goals in Canadian soccer history: Davies sprinted 80 yards deep into the Panama end to strip defender Harold Cummings of the ball near the sidelines. Davies then proceeded to dribble towards the 18-yard box. He took his time before making a quick pivot while bypassing another Panama defender—all before shooting the ball into the corner of the net. The Panamanian goalkeeper could do nothing except be a spectator as Davies celebrated the goal and the crowd of 26,622 fans erupted in euphoria.
If Canada continues securing points, they will put themselves in a good position to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. But it is not a fait accompli. The Canadians must continue to play hard and work as a unit (offensively and defensively) without underestimating their opponents. Canada is currently in third place with 10 points in the CONCACAF final standings (two wins and four draws). The US is in second place with 11 points while Mexico leads with 14 points.
Canadian head coach, John Herdman, stated in a Zoom media conference on October 17 that though the Davies goal was spectacular, there is no time to be celebratory. “It’s a special goal and I think it’ll go down in Canadian folklore,” he said. “But at the same time, if we don’t qualify for the World Cup—it will just be one of those moments. We can all get excited about what we achieved. [But] I’m back in the harsh reality now being down in the basement [doing game preparation]—and getting ready to go again […] and get ready for [our two games in] Edmonton.”
Canada’s next game is November 12 against Costa Rica at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. Then the Canadians face Mexico on November 16. Afterwards, Canada will play six more games in the New Year. And hopefully, they will have secured enough points to be amongst the top three teams heading to Qatar. At the moment, the future of Canadian soccer looks very positive.
