I’ll admit I’m not a fan or follower of professional team sports. Conversations my friends have about fantasy hockey team drafts, trades and statistics go way over my head. Not that I experience FOMO on nerding out over how many assists some player managed last night. From the perspective of an outsider looking in at professional league clubs like those found in the NHL, NBA and UEFA, there is an almost religious devotion by the most fervent fans. Say what you will about it being all about the money, but the business model works because these games demonstrate some damn fine skill, athleticism and teamwork all in the name of entertainment.
When the players represent their nations, however, things get more patriotic. All those feuding club fans put aside their perennial differences and cheer as one voice under their country’s flag. And nowhere is this patriotism more fervent than at the FIFA World Cup.
I’ll make a quick note here that I don’t agree with how FIFA is run, corrupt as it is. And I do agree with the public sentiment that Qatar was a terrible choice for a World Cup venue with its 38 degrees Celsius temperatures and a long list of human rights violations. You can read more about Qatar’s questionable hosting of the World Cup on any number of credible news sources and find out more about FIFA’s corruption in the Netflix documentary FIFA Uncovered. I would support any successor organization that could supplant this collection of old boys lining their pockets, but for now, it’s our only way to watch the World Cup.
After a euphoric World Cup qualification—its first since 1986—Canada had a humbling campaign that wrapped up last week. While the Canadian squad won no games, it did outperform the 1986 effort with two goals scored (for context, the 1986 team scored no goals). The star that everyone is talking about is Alphonso Davies, who is considered one of the world’s best left-backs and plays for the powerhouse German club FC Bayern Munich. Davies was born in a Ghanaian refugee camp and raised in Edmonton, and in 2018, at the age of just 17, he was signed to the top-tier German league from the Vancouver Whitecaps in a $22-million transfer deal. Last week, Davies made Canadian sporting history with a goal against Croatia, the first by a Canadian men’s team at the World Cup. Canada lost the match 4-1 against the 2018 runner-up, but progress is progress.
Over the last couple of weeks, I had a great time following another underdog team; the Australian Socceroos. With two of the strongest European teams in their group, including reigning World Cup champions France, Australia held its own, defeating both Denmark and Tunisia to advance to the round of 16. Argentina promptly squashed any further World Cup dreams for the Aussies, but they can return home with their heads held high.
Even if there are no more countries that I can lay claim to left in the World Cup, I’ll still keep watching. I’m cheering for underdogs such as Japan, which managed two big upsets in its group games, beating Germany and Spain, both former World Cup champions. South Korea has also been one to watch, with a victory over Portugal advancing the squad to the round of 16. By the time you read this, most of the underdogs will have been eliminated, but hopefully they went out with a bang and gave the European and South American powerhouses a run for their money. This World Cup has seen some massive upsets already, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see two unlikely teams battling it out in the final.
While Canada’s World Cup dreams may be over, qualifying for the 2022 World Cup will have a lasting impact. The BTB (Born to Be) Soccer Academy—which serves underprivileged and diverse immigrant communities in North Edmonton, and where Davies trained in his youth—has been around for just nine years, and this year 14 of its players were awarded university scholarships while six others signed with the Whitecaps MLS Academy. With Davies’ goal against Croatia putting Canada another small step forward, young players up and coming through academies such as BTB have their sights set on the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Canada will automatically qualify as a host nation, giving it another opportunity to raise its stock in The Beautiful Game.
Canada’s hockey teams are legendary. But with a gold medal from the Canada women’s national soccer team at the 2020 Olympics and an important goal at the 2022 Men’s World Cup, there’s room to see what the Great White North can do off the ice.
Vince Shuley jumps on the soccer bandwagon every four years. For questions, comments or suggestions for The Outsider email [email protected] or Instagram @whis_vince.
