Reality bites
The end is never fun, but the journey was no less meaningful
Canada was never going to win the World Cup*. Maybe in a wild fantasy brought upon by a fever dream or something, but to actually stand alone as the confetti flies at the end of the tournament?
(*men’s)
No. We aren’t deluded. Even in a perfect storm and with a lot of luck the reality was that Canada was not going deep in this tournament. Maybe a Round of 16 game was possible, but even that was a stretch.
When the balls came out at the draw, and we found ourselves drawn with two European powers, it was pretty much game over for advancing. And, outside of a few people who bizarrely argued that Croatia was too old to be competitive in the World Cup (a. they aren’t old. Luca Modric is older, yes, but the team as a whole is not old and b. are you new? It’s Croatia — since 1998 they have been mainstays in the knock-out rounds and were in the final just four years ago), most Canadian fans understood that.
They also understood that the victory was making this World Cup, giving them valuable experience before gaining a host spot in 2026 — a tournament where, in addition to there being 48 teams involved, they will also be seeded in their group and therefore will not have to face two heavyweights in the group stage (we assume. It’s still not entirely clear how the 2026 tournament will look).
Dreams of a knock-out run in 2026 are far more realistic. Especially when you look at the ages of our core players, who will all still be staring for club and country. Those clubs might be much bigger too, with big money move rumours flowing about Alistar Johnston, Ismaël Koné and Tajon Buchanan already.
So, the future does truly look great. There’s no reason to be upset that Canada is out of the World Cup, save one dead rubber (for us) game versus Morocco next week.
Yet…
It sucks, doesn’t it?
Here’s the thing. It doesn’t matter how logical you are about a World Cup. It doesn’t matter if deep down you knew that there was little to no chance of Canada getting a result in the first two games and therefore little to no chance that they wouldn’t be eliminated after the second game. No, when that first ball was kicked in anger you stopped thinking and you just felt.
And, when Phonzie rose up to meet that Tajon cross today and finally gave us a World Cup goal of our own to celebrate, we allowed ourselves to dream even more.
It was glorious — that half hour leading a World Cup game. Then it wasn’t. Then it sucked. It’s going to suck for a few days.
That’s OK. It’s supposed to suck for a few days. Then, slowly, we can settle into watching the rest of the World Cup, including a game involving Canada on Thursday. That game may not matter for advancing, but it is still a preciously rare opportunity to play on the world’s stage. For many of Canada’s players it will be the last time they are ever at a World Cup. For other’s it will be a final time to impress scouts from bigger teams so that they can secure a move up in quality and salary.
So, do not suggest it’s a meaningless game. It matters. So, treat it as such.
Enjoy it and celebrate the accomplishment of advancing to Qatar. It was a hell of an accomplishment and the results of the first two games don’t change that.
Once the tournament is over we can really break things down and figure out what could have been done differently. It won’t be long until we will have things to play for, including the 2023 Gold Cup, which is going to seem like a let-down, but will provide an immediate target to keep the players focused and motivated.
Yes, reality does indeed bite right now, but the great thing about football is that tomorrow is never far away, and this team is just getting started.
Allez Les Rouges.
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