Liam Millar of Canada celebrates the team’s progression to the quarter finals after the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 Group A match between Canada and Chile at Exploria Stadium on June 29, in Orlando, Fla.Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images
When it was announced a year and a half ago that North American teams would participate in the Copa America for the first time, the reason provided was to “ensure football in both regions continues to thrive.”
Somehow, I think soccer in Brazil was going to be okay without Jamaica’s help.
Nobody needed to say the real reason – the imminent arrival of Lionel Messi.
Messi was about to turn the United States into soccer boom town. Everybody knew it, and they still underestimated the effect.
Everyone also understood that the boost would be temporary. Messi is 37 years old and they aren’t making any more of him. The U.S. GDP is five times that of all of South America combined. It was a unique opportunity plus that math vs. more than a century of tradition. Tradition didn’t make it out of its own corner.
It helped that putting the tournament on in the United States would act as a soft opening for World Cup 2026. Make sure none of the stadiums would fall apart under persistent foot stomping.
The agreement would look like this:
South America would provide Messi plus a bit of class; America would produce several hundred thousand hicks to buy shirts they didn’t quite grasp the significance of.
South America would beat the hell out of opponents; North America would say, ‘Thank you, señor, may I have another?’
From the South American perspective, there were a lot of reasons to fret about watering down the Copa, but none of them was fear of embarrassment.
South American soccer is the most two-fisted on the planet. Forget about balletic Brazilians coming at you with midfield pirouettes. Think more Huns coming at you on a screaming pack of Steppe ponies. Chile recently won two Copas in a row with a style that might be described as 1970s Philadelphia Flyers Extra.
North American footballers pride themselves on toughness. The world allows them to persist in this delusion because it’s kind of cute.
Now, for the first time really, America & Friends would find out what full-contact football feels like when you’re playing for real.
And it has played out just like that, but for one exception – Canada.
For a few minutes against Argentina in the opener, Canada looked like it might fluke its way into a famous win. That had its moments, until it didn’t.
The next two games against Chile and Peru were more typical of the occasion. It couldn’t have been more dour if the players had stripped off their shirts at the whistle, then stood at the centre of the park trying to wrestle each other into submission. But it’s worked. On Friday, Canada play Venezuela in the quarters.
You wouldn’t call what’s happened so far good, or watching it fun. But this is what a Copa looks like, especially in the early stages. Nobody’s trying to win. Everyone’s trying not to lose.
You’d expect Mexico, with its combo of human resources and connections south, would be best at this. Nope. They got sumo wrestled off the group-stage platform by Venezuela and Ecuador. This is a special humiliation for them, and a terrible psychic setup for 2026.
The U.S. expected to look good, if not exactly perform well. Same story. As of this writing, it was a defeat to Uruguay – the most explosive team in the tournament so far – away from elimination.
When America was putting together its application to play host to the World Cup a decade ago, it must have fantasized about the shock to come. The world was changing, but America would reassert its dominance by winning at a sport it didn’t even care about. That would grind gears in Moscow in a way trade blockades never could.
That dream is rubbing up against reality this summer. If America can be beaten by Panama, then who can’t it lose to? If it is out by Saturday, it will find itself in a Joe Biden/Democratic Party situation – no choice but to try something radically different, having left it too late to expect any major change to turn out well.
By Tuesday night, Canada could be the only North American side left standing. From World Cup burnout to continental standard bearer in the space of 20 months – not too shabby.
The reason this country bombed out so badly at Qatar 2022 wasn’t the results. It lost all three games, but it lost them to two eventual semi-finalists (Croatia and Morocco) plus the then-No. 2-ranked team in the world (Belgium).
It was the way Canada lost that was the problem. It couldn’t adapt. It never settled. Good teams ease into major tournaments. Canada arrived on the threshold of nervous hysteria and got more wound up as the days passed.
The less it adapted, the louder it talked and the more ridiculous it seemed. Then manager John Herdman’s decision to crudely insult Croatia – then gleefully repeat the insult when asked about it – ought to be studied in war college. It is a textbook example of reverse gamesmanship.
Canada’s problem wasn’t talent, or the federation that runs it, or how much the players are paid, or even coaching as such. It was approach.
When you don’t have a Messi on your side, you don’t get to dictate how the game is played. You also don’t get to come into the room shouting and expect people to make way. There is confident and there is cocky. Two years ago, Canada was the wrong one.
You wouldn’t call the Canada team we’ve seen over the past two weeks confident, exactly. It hasn’t been particularly well organized, and it certainly hasn’t been fluid. At best, it has trod water.
The word to describe Canada after three games is adaptive. In international soccer, and South American-style international soccer in particular, there is no higher praise.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps have loaned midfielder Jay Herdman to Cavalry FC of the Canadian Premier League and rewarded two Whitecaps FC 2 players with MLS contracts.
Midfielder Jeevan Badwal signed as a homegrown player through 2027, with options for 2028 and 2029, while forward Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau signed an MLS contract through 2025, with club options for 2026 and 2027.
Both have been playing for the Whitecaps’ MLS Next Pro team along with the 20-year-old Herdman, the son of Toronto FC coach John Herdman.
The moves were made before Friday’s MLS and CPL roster freeze.
Born in New Zealand while his father was working for the New Zealand Football Federation, Jay Herdman was also part of the New Zealand soccer team at the Paris Olympics with three appearances including two starts. Herdman’s loan deal runs through the end of the CPL season.
“Jay is an important signing for us, who will provide another attacking option for the run-in,” Cavalry coach and GM Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said in a statement. “He’s a player that we’ve been tracking since we played against Whitecaps in pre-season and he has very good quality, with terrific energy and the ability to contribute to goals.
“With the recent injury to Mael Henry, Jay’s positional profile and age helps us with on-field options and minutes that count towards the league’s required 2,000 U-21 domestic minutes during the regular season.”
Badwal, an 18-year-old from suburban Surrey, is the 26th academy player to sign an MLS contract with the Whitecaps.
“Having joined our academy in 2019, Jeevan continues to progress through our club and takes every challenge in stride,” Whitecaps FC sporting director Axel Schuster said in a statement. “He is comfortable on the ball, positionally sound, and does the simple things very well. We are excited for Jeevan to make the next step in his young career.”
Badwal has made 19 appearances with Whitecaps 2 this season, scoring two goals and adding three assists. A Canadian youth international, he started all three matches for Canada at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup
Badwal made his first-team debut off the bench in the first leg of the Canadian Championship semifinal against Pacific FC.
Chateau was originally selected 74th overall by the Whitecaps in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft after spending two years at St. John’s University.
The 22-year-old from Ottawa signed an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Whitecaps FC 2 in March. He leads Whitecaps FC 2 in goal-scoring this season with eight goals across 21 appearances (including eight starts).
“Nicolas leads MLS NEXT Pro in shots on target, has a very strong work rate and willpower. We are looking forward to seeing his growth as he builds on his young professional career,” said Schuster.
Chateau made his first-team debut as a second-half substitute at CF Montreal on July 6.
Herdman, who joined the Whitecaps academy as a 13-year-old, has made 19 appearances for Whitecaps FC 2 in 2024, scoring six goals and adding three assists. He made his MLS debut in April as a second-half substitute in a 2-0 victory at the Seattle Sounders.
Internationally, Herdman has represented New Zealand 29 times across the U-19, U-20, and U-23 sides. He was part of New Zealand’s squad at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, starting three matches at the tournament and scoring against Uzbekistan.
The Whitecaps host San Jose on Saturday while Cavalry entertains Atletico Ottawa on Sunday.
—
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024
