Asked about his favourite soccer memory growing up in his hometown of Edmonton, Alphonso Davies smiled.
“Just being a kid, playing football with my friends … And now here I am playing with the national team in my hometown,” he said. “It’s just going to feel like I’m back on the soccer pitch with the Edmonton Strikers and just having fun with some friends.”
He’s about to do it again, this time with a band of brothers wearing the Maple Leaf.
The Bayern Munich star will be the main attraction when the Canadian men, currently ranked 48th in the world, host No. 45 Costa Rica on Nov. 12 and No. 9 Mexico on Nov. 16 in a pair of crucial World Cup qualifying matches in Edmonton. Davies’ star power — combined with the appeal of an exciting young Canada team under John Herdman — has already seen close to 40,000 tickets sold for each game at Commonwealth Stadium.
WATCH l Davies proud to represent Canada ahead of return to Edmonton:
Alphonso Davies returns to home field
10 hours ago
Edmonton’s own soccer star, Alphonso Davies, is feeling great about representing Canada in his hometown in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. “As a kid, you dream about playing with your country. And you know, that’s what I’m doing.” 1:02
While Herdman can call on a talented roster with the likes of Atiba Hutchinson, Milan Borjan, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Tajon Buchanan, Stephen Eustaquio and Jonathan Osorio, among others, Davies has become the face of the program.
It’s easy to see why. A former refugee whose family found a home in Canada, his backstory resonates.
Exuding joy off the pitch
In games, his blistering speed, drive and bag of tricks on the ball are compelling. But one can argue he strikes a bigger chord off the pitch, especially these days.
WATCH l Breaking down Davies’ goal against Panama:
Breaking Down Alphonso Davies’ spectacular goal against Panama
22 days ago
Watch our breakdown of forward Alphonso Davies’ incredible individual effort as Canada defeats Panama 4-1 in their CONCACAF World Cup qualifying match. 1:19
Davies’ enthusiasm and joie de vivre are exemplary. And while already a celebrity at the age of 21, he exudes everyman.
He raves about meeting Drake when the hip-hop star dropped into the team hotel to say hello after Canada’s Oct. 13 win over Panama in Toronto, a game that saw him score a wonder-goal. And his delight — captured via live-stream — at hitting the jackpot by acquiring Lionel Messi — extremely rare and much-prized — when he opened a player pack in the FIFA video game was something to behold.
Asked which one ranked higher, Davies laughed. “I don’t know. I think they both go hand-in-hand.”
After some contemplation, he chose hanging out with Drake.
“I’ve listened to Drake ever since I started listening to music. Drake is one of my idols. I love all his music.”
“My achievement with Messi was me playing against him (in Champions League play),” he added in a virtual media availability. “Unfortunately I didn’t get to get his jersey. That would have been up there too, probably would have surpassed Drake a little bit more. But I’ll say it was meeting Drake, for sure.”
Staying grounded through success
Davies’ appeal is well documented.
He has become a social media phenomenon with 4.8 million followers on TikTok, 4.2 million on Instagram and 310,900 on Twitter. He can also be described as one-half of Canadian soccer royalty, given he goes out with Canadian international Jordyn Huitema, who plays her club soccer for Paris Saint-Germain.
Canada’s Alphonso Davies eyes the ball against Panama during second half World Cup qualifying action in Toronto on Wednesday, October 13, 2021. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)
Davies has not forgotten his roots, serving as a global goodwill ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
“He still has a great attitude. He’s still grounded, he doesn’t have a big head,” said Nick Huoseh, who coached him with the Edmonton Strikers.
Today, Huoseh serves as Davies’ representative in addition to his day job as owner and founder of Edmonton’s ASI Tech, which specializes in building communication systems in the oil and gas sector.
While Davies has attracted plenty of endorsement offers, Huoseh and the Davies family have been selective. Davies has a deal with Nike as well as two other companies whose products are close to his heart — EA Sports and Crocs.
Davies is an avid FIFA gamer and just likes wearing Crocs.
As a Bayern player, Davies also gets an Audi car. Audi owns 8.33 per cent of the German champions.
And while fame and fortune have come with his soccer skills, Davies — whose contract with Bayern runs through 2025 — has hardly put a foot wrong.
Sent off in a September 2017 friendly against Jamaica in Toronto for kicking out at Damion Lowe after the two went down in a tangle in the corner, the then-16-year-old Davies apologized the same day via social media.
“I just want to apologize to CanadaSoccerEN for my breakout on the field earlier today, and to the people that came to watch the game.” The tweet was accompanied by a GIF subtitled “I’m sorry.”
I just want to apologize to <a href=”https://twitter.com/CanadaSoccerEN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@CanadaSoccerEN</a> for my breakout on the field earlier today, and to the people that came to watch the game ???????? <a href=”https://t.co/eS19JHOZaa”>pic.twitter.com/eS19JHOZaa</a>
While Davies is coming to Edmonton on business, there will be some pleasure in reuniting with family and friends. He also admits to a fondness for West Edmonton Mall.
His family don’t get to see him play live often. They had hoped to see him in Canada’s game against El Salvador in Toronto on Sept. 8, but Davies ended up having to sit out after picking up a knock to his knee in a 1-1 tie with the U.S. three days earlier in Nashville.
Huoseh said Davies mother saw him play a Bundesliga and Champions League game in 2019.
Davies hasn’t played in his hometown since he was a member of the Edmonton Strikers, before leaving for Vancouver and the Whitecaps at 14.
He said he has only been in Commonwealth Stadium a few times, including a brief visit to take in a Grey Cup back in the day.
“I was in there for like five minutes and then I left because I had to go home. I don’t know how I got in the stadium because I had no ticket,” he added with a giggle. “I think I just went to the game, just walked in and no one saw.”
He’s giving back on his return home, working with Canada Soccer to provide tickets to St. Nicholas Catholic Junior High School, his alma mater.
Aiming for Qatar 2022
Helped by Davies, Canada (2-0-4, 10 points) stands third in CONCACAF’s Octagonal standings behind Mexico (4-0-2, 14 points) and the 13th-ranked U.S. (3-1-2, 11 points). No. 69 Panama (2-2-2, eight points) is fourth.
Come March, after each of the eight teams has played 14 matches, the top three qualify for Qatar 2022 while the fourth-place side takes part in an intercontinental playoff to see who joins them.
Davies has 10 goals and 15 assists in 28 senior appearances for Canada, playing both fullback and a more attacking role.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.
The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.
The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.
Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.
The final is scheduled for Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
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