Canada's men's soccer team is competing to qualify for the World Cup. Here's everything you need to know about the CanMNT - The Globe and Mail | Canada News Media
On Sunday, at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont., the men’s team netted a 2-0 win over the U.S., Canada’s first World Cup victory over the United States since 1980.
The match allowed Canada to maintain its top-spot position. With four games remaining in the qualifying round, here’s everything you need to know about the Canadian men’s soccer team, including who the key players are and what it’ll take for the team to make it to the World Cup.
(Hint: Now is the perfect time to jump on the #CanMNT bandwagon.)
How close is Canada to qualifying for the 2022 World Cup?
Canada is currently ranked in first place in the CONCACAF regional qualifier. For this World Cup, the top three teams automatically qualify for Qatar.
On the road to the World Cup, Canada still has four more games to play, including this Wednesday’s match in El Salvador. Then, Canada will play three more games in March: An away game in Costa Rica on March 24, at home against Jamaica on March 27, and away to Panama on March 30.
Barring some kind of catastrophic meltdown in these last four games, they are almost certainly going to qualify, Daniel Squizzato, Canadian soccer writer and enthusiast, told The Globe and Mail.
Mr. Squizzato explained that the qualification process in CONCACAF (the regional zone in which Canada competes) is usually decided in a final round comprised of six teams, known as the “Hexagonal.” (You may hear your soccer friends refer to it as “the Hex.”)
Each team plays each other team twice, once at home and once away. The top three teams qualify for the World Cup, and the fourth-placed team goes to a playoff, Mr. Squizzato said.
Right now, Canada has played 10 of its 14 games in the Octagonal round and is undefeated: six wins and four draws.
“It’s a very tight race in the standings,” Mr. Squizzato said. Canada has 22 points, the U.S. is at 18, Mexico is also sitting with 18 points, and Panama sits in fourth spot, with 17 points. Mr. Squizzato cautioned that the most important thing is to stay ahead of Panama, since the top three automatically qualify.
“None of the remaining games will be easy. But given the form Canada is in [five straight wins], it is much more likely that they will qualify than not,” Mr. Squizzato said.
So far, Qatar, Germany, Denmark, Brazil, France, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, England, Switzerland, Netherlands, Argentina and Iran have already qualified for the tournament.
CONCACAF is the regional zone that includes North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Each regional zone gets a certain number of qualification spots for each World Cup.
For this World Cup, Mr. Squizzato said, CONCACAF has 3.5 spots, meaning three teams from the region will directly qualify, and one will have a chance to qualify via a playoff with a team from another confederation.
How does the Canadian men’s soccer team rank on the world stage?
Canada is currently ranked 40th in the world, the highest it’s ever been. After wins over Honduras and the U.S. in the past week, that will go even higher next month, Mr. Squizzato says, adding for context that the U.S. is ranked 11th, Mexico is 14th. A total of 32 teams make it to the World Cup.
When was the last time the Canadian men’s soccer team qualified for the World Cup?
The only time Canada qualified for the World Cup was for the 1986 edition, held in Mexico. People remember the Canadians didn’t score a goal. They forget they lost only 1-0 to an eventual semi-finalist, France, writes Cathal Kelly.
World Cup: Leon, Mexico: June 1, 1986. Canada’s Paul James fights for the ball while France’s Jean Tigana, right, keeps him away during the second half of the Canada vs France World Cup soccer match. France beat Canada 1 – 0. Credit: Charles Platiau / Reuters.Charles Platiau/REUTERS
“Since then,” Mr. Squizzato said, “it’s been one disappointment after another.”
The only time Canada made it to the Hexagonal round was in the run-up to the 1998 World Cup. It finished in last. Generally speaking, Canada has slipped up against middle-level teams like Honduras and El Salvador. Games against the big two of the U.S. and Mexico have always assumed to be losses.
In 2012, the program reached its nadir. Needing only a draw against Honduras to advance to the next round of World Cup qualifying, Canada came completely apart in an 8-1 loss. “I know [the fans] will never forgive me,” manager Stephen Hart said afterward. “But on behalf of my players, forgive them.”
Canada went on a 16-game winless streak from October 2012 to May, 2014. Included in that was a14-month stretch during which Canada scored only one goal. By this time, Canada had finally nailed down a coach – former Real Madrid manager Benito Floro. After a couple of draws at the tail end of this dismal run, Floro said, “For us, it isn’t important to be looking at the results right now. That will take time.”
Who are the top players on the Canadian men’s national team?
Alphonso Davies
The star of the team is 21-year-old Alphonso Davies from Edmonton. He plays left-back or winger for the Canadian team and Bayern Munich. In 2017, he became the youngest player to appear for the Canadian men’s national team. He’s been unable to play Canada’s last two World Cup qualifiers, and will miss Wednesday’s trip to El Salvador, after developing signs of mild myocarditis after a bout of COVID-19.
Jonathan David
When Canada has needed goals in World Cup qualifying, 22-year-old forward Jonathan David has stepped up. In this final round, David has scored four goals, bringing his overall tally to 19 goals in 25 appearances since he made his national-team debut in 2018.
Cyle Larin
The 26-year-old forward born and raised in Brampton, Ont. is now the Canadian men’s team’s top goal scorer of all-time with 23 goals in 46 appearances. He cemented his star status with the winning goal in the Canada-U.S. game on Jan. 30, just as he did against Mexico in Edmonton snow last November.
Milan Borjan
Veteran goalkeeper Milan Borjan, 34, boasts 28 clean sheets in 60 appearances, including his stellar goalkeeping in the Canada-U.S. game in his hometown of Hamilton. Borjan, along with England’s Reading FC forward Deanne Rose, was named Canada Soccer’s Players of the Month for January.
When and where is the World Cup?
The World Cup will be held in Qatar from Nov. 21 to Dec. 18, 2022. The tournament’s eight stadiums, seven of which were built specifically for the World Cup, are all within a 50-kilometre radius of Doha, Qatar’s capital and most populous city. The country has also built a new airport, roads, public transit systems and hotels in preparation.
Since Qatar was announced as the host country in 2010, the country has fended off corruption investigations and faced criticisms over its treatment of the migrant workers who built the tournament’s infrastructure.
An Associated Press investigation found that Qatar had employed a former CIA officer to help spy on soccer officials as part of its efforts to win the bid for the World Cup. A FIFA-commissioned probe into Qatar’s methods to win the bid concluded that there was “no evidence of any improper activity by the bid team.”
Meanwhile, an analysis by The Guardian found that 6,500 migrant workers in Qatar, mostly from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, have died in the past 10 years. Qatar has not provided full details or data on the deaths of the workers. In the last year Qatar has introduced new labour reforms, including the introduction of the minimum wage and new rules to protect workers from the country’s intense summer heat.
With files from Cathal Kelly, Paul Attfield, The Canadian Press, The Associated Press
TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.
The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.
Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.
“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”
Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.
Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.
Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.
Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.
Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.
Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
PITTSBURGH – Sidney Crosby plans to remain a Pittsburgh Penguin for at least three more years.
The Penguins announced on Monday that they re-signed the 37-year-old from Cole Harbour, N.S., to a two-year contract extension that has an average annual value of US$8.7 million. The deal runs through the 2026-27 season.
Crosby was eligible to sign an extension on July 1 with him entering the final season of a 12-year, $104.4-million deal that carries an $8.7-million salary cap hit.
At the NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas last Monday, he said things were positive and he was optimistic about a deal getting done.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion is coming off a 42-goal, 94-point campaign that saw him finish tied for 12th in the league scoring race.
Crosby has spent all 19 of his NHL seasons in Pittsburgh, amassing 592 goals and 1,004 assists in 1,272 career games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
MONTREAL – Tadej Pogacar was so dominant on Sunday, Canada’s Michael Woods called it a race for second.
Pogacar, a three-time Tour de France champion from Slovenia, pedalled to a resounding victory at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal.
The UAE Team Emirates leader crossed the finish line 24 seconds ahead of Spain’s Pello Bilbao of Bahrain — Victorious to win the demanding 209.1-kilometre race on a sunny, 28 C day in Montreal. France’s Julian Alaphilippe of Soudal Quick-Step was third.
“He’s the greatest rider of all time, he’s a formidable opponent,” said Woods, who finished 45 seconds behind the leader in eighth. “If you’re not at your very, very best, then you can forget racing with him, and today was kind of representative of that.
“He’s at such a different level that if you follow him, it can be lights out.”
Pogacar slowed down before the last turn to celebrate with the crowd, high-five fans on Avenue du Parc and cruise past the finish line with his arms in the air after more than five hours on the bike.
The 25-year-old joined Belgium’s Greg Van Avermaet as the only multi-time winners in Montreal after claiming the race in 2022. He also redeemed a seventh-place finish at the Quebec City Grand Prix on Friday.
“I was disappointed, because I had such good legs that I didn’t do better than seventh,” Pogacar said. “To bounce back after seventh to victory here, it’s just an incredible feeling.”
It’s Pogacar’s latest win in a dominant year that includes victories at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.
Ottawa’s Woods (Israel Premier-Tech) tied a career-best in front of the home crowd in Montreal, but hoped for more after claiming a stage at the Spanish Vuelta two weeks ago.
“I wanted a better result,” the 37-year-old rider said. “My goal was a podium, but at the same time I’m happy with the performance. In bike racing, you can’t always get the result you want and I felt like I raced really well, I animated the race, I felt like I was up there.”
Pogacar completed the 17 climbs up and down Mount Royal near downtown in five hours 28 minutes 15 seconds.
He made his move with 23.3 kilometres to go, leaving the peloton in his dust as he pedalled into the lead — one he never relinquished.
Bilbao, Alaphilippe, Alex Aranburu (Movistar Team) and Bart Lemmen (Visma–Lease) chased in a group behind him, with Bilbao ultimately separating himself from the pack. But he never came close to catching Pogacar, who built a 35-second lead with one lap left to go.
“It was still a really hard race today, but the team was on point,” Pogacar said. “We did really how we planned, and the race situation was good for us. We make it hard in the last final laps, and they set me up for a (takeover) two laps to go, and it was all perfect.”
Ottawa’s Derek Gee, who placed ninth in this year’s Tour de France, finished 48th in Montreal, and called it a “hard day” in the heat.
“I think everyone knows when you see Tadej on the start line that it’s just going to be full gas,” Gee said.
Israel Premier-Tech teammate Hugo Houle of Sainte-Perpétue, Que., was 51st.
Houle said he heard Pogacar inform his teammates on the radio that he was ready to attack with two laps left in the race.
“I said then, well, clearly it’s over for me,” Houle said. “You see, cycling isn’t that complicated.”
Australia’s Michael Matthews won the Quebec City GP for a record third time on Friday, but did not finish in Montreal. The two races are the only North American events on the UCI World Tour.
Michael Leonard of Oakville, Ont., and Gil Gelders and Dries De Bondt of Belgium broke away from the peloton during the second lap. Leonard led the majority of the race before losing pace with 45 kilometres to go.
Only 89 of 169 riders from 24 teams — including the Canadian national team — completed the gruelling race that features 4,573 metres in total altitude.
Next up, the riders will head to the world championships in Zurich, Switzerland from Sept. 21 to 29.
Pogacar will try to join Eddy Merckx (1974) and Stephen Roche (1987) as the only men to win three major titles in a season — known as the Triple Crown.
“Today gave me a lot of confidence, motivation,” Pogacar said. “I think we are ready for world championships.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2024.
