THE TRUE NORTH STRONG

Sebastian Zucchet

Yesterday marked one of the greatest days in Canadian sporting history as the Canadian Men’s National Team qualified for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar, the nation’s first birth since Mexico 86’. Canada defeated Jamaica 4-0 at BMO Field to secure qualification and currently sit atop the CONCACAF Octagonal. Let's rewind a year to the beginning of this incredible journey.

In the summer of 2020, Canada sat 73rd in the official Fifa world rankings, meaning they would have to play in round one of CONCACAF qualifying. On August 19, 2020 the draw was made and Canada were placed in a group with Suriname, Bermuda, Aruba, and the Cayman Islands. Canada’s task was simple, top this group and move on to round 2.

The first game was March 25, 2021 and Canada took on Bermuda in Orlando, because Canada was not allowed to play at home. Canada dominated the game and won 5-1 via a Cyle Larin hat trick.

Next up was the Cayman Islands and Canada were runaway winners, netting eleven goals en route to a shutout victory that shattered numerous Canadian records. Lucas Cavallini scored a hat trick in just eight minutes to cap off a rare offensive explosion from the Canadians.

Fast Forward to the final game as Canada sat tied on points with Suriname, who was the only team standing in their way from moving on to the second round of qualifying. Alphonso Davies would make it 1-0 before halftime, a performance that would be one-upped by a Jonathan David hat trick in the second half to seal a 4-0 win and see Canada progress onto round two. Canada would finish the first round scoring twenty seven goals in just four games played, all the while conceding a single goal to cap off a brilliant victory for Canada.

The first game against Haiti was both tight and tough to watch . Cycle Larin made it 1-0 in the 14’ minute and that would be the only goal of the match as Canada struggled to create chances on a horrible playing field. The return leg was in Chicago since Canada was still not able to play at home. The first half ended 0-0, but at the beginning of the second half, Haiti scored one of the worst own goals ever scored to put Canada ahead. Goals from Cyle Larin and Junior Hoilett followed and Canada were eventual 3-0 winners and had advanced to the Octagonal for the first time ever.

September called for the final round, with the big teams like USA and Mexico calling Canada’s name. The first and second round leading up to the major stage allowed head coach John Herdman to find the perfect players that could push this Canadian squad to the very top of the football world.

The first match of the final round was against Honduras in Toronto. A fairly even game ended 1-1 with both teams scoring a penalty each. Although it wasn’t a win, a point was better than nothing to kickstart the campaign.

Game two was a tough one playing against the USA in Nashville. The Americans were the better side and took the lead early in the second half through a Brenden Aaronson goal, but of course Cyle Larin was able to equalize less than ten minutes later, and the game stayed knotted at one. A big point on the road for Canada to help them stay afloat amongst the other teams.

The final match of the September window was at home against a struggling El Salvador side and greeted Canada with a chance to grab a massive first win. An incredible start saw Canada jump to a 2-0 lead within the opening eleven minutes, with goals coming from Jonathan David and the legendary Atiba Hutchinson. Tajon Buchanan added the third and final goal in the second half to seal off an impressive win for the Canadians.

Going to play Mexico in front of a full Azteca Stadium is daunting for any team, but this Canadian team showed how fearless they were and came out of the match with a 1-1 draw thanks to a late Jonathan Osorio equalizer after falling behind 1-0. The Canadians played a very good match and a draw was a big result that caught the attention of others around CONCACAF.

Matchday 5 was a trip to Kingston to face a struggling Jamaican team. The game was a very stale 0-0 draw with the best chance coming for Canada’s Liam Millar, who had an open net to shoot at and ultimately missed, costing his side the three points. Many thought that this game could come back to haunt them in the future since it was a game in which they should have won. Many blamed the field conditions as the pitch was terrible and not properly taken care of.

Canada vs Panama was the game where Canada truly made its mark in CONCACAF qualifying. It was the first match where full capacity was allowed so the atmosphere was going to be great. Canada were 1-0 down early in the match but a Tajon Buchanan header off a corner later in the half saw the match go 1-1. With 25 minutes left to play, Alphonso Davies took it upon himself to score one of the best solo goals of the season and send BMO Field absolutely wild. Five minutes later Tajon Buchanan doubled the lead and just a few minutes after that Jonathan David sealed off the match, seeing Canada win 4-1 and rise into first place. A great spot to be in before the November games.

Canada went up in the Fifa rankings once more climbing to 40th spot. The November matches were two home games in Edmonton taking on Mexico and Costa Rica, a huge test in the Canadian’s way.

The Costa Rica match was a cagey affair with both teams looking like they could win it at any time. Canada picked up all three points in front of a rowdy Edmonton crowd thanks to a Jonathan David winner. After scoring, the team played some great defense and Costa Rica could not find a way through.

Canada vs Mexico, one of the most famous games in Canadian soccer history. The game was played in front of 44 thousand Canadian fans at around -10 degrees celsius. Cyle Larin had Canada 2-0 up either side of halftime and in this game we got to see the famous Sam Adekugbe snow dive celebration. The Mexicans got one back in the final minute and came close to equalizing but a great save by Milan Borjan helped seal a famous victory for Canada, and the Edmonton stadium received the nickname “Iceteca.” This was the match where Canadians really started to believe in qualification.

The January window would test Canada’s squad depth as they faced their first bit of adversity. Star player Alphonso Davies would not be able to play in the three games due to being diagnosed with myocarditis, which he got from getting Covid-19.

The first game was an away match to Honduras, which would be a very hostile environment, and Canada have had some very bad luck there in recent years, including an 8-1 loss. But these boys showed no signs of slowing down as they cruised to a 2-0 victory over bottom of the table Honduras, with Jonathan David on the scoresheet again. It was the men's first ever win in qualifying in Honduras.

Tim Hortons field in Hamilton was the venue for the renewed rivalry of Canada vs USA. A top of the table clash with lots on the line started brilliantly for Canada, as Cyle Larin scored in the 7’ minute to become Canada’s all time leading goal scorer. After the goal Canada sat back and put on a defensive clinic including an incredible save from Milan Borjan to keep Canada ahead. Sam Adekugbe sealed the win with an electrifying goal in the 95’ minute and gave Canada their first win against the USA in qualifying since 1980.

The final game of the window was in El Salvador. A win for Canada would basically guarantee them qualification and they did just that. A tight first half but with 25 to go Atiba Hutchinson scored a wacky goal, followed by a class solo goal from Jonathan David where he showed off his true pace. This win meant Canada needed three more points to qualify.

Canada currently sit 33rd in the world, its highest ranking for the men's all time. This was it. The final window. A chance at history.

The trip to Costa Rica didn’t go down well, the first half saw Canadian midfielder Mark Anthony Kaye receive a red card and Costa Rica score on the brink of half time. The Canadians played an amazing second half despite being down to ten men and hit the post twice but just couldn’t find that breakthrough goal, resulting in their first loss in qualifying. This gave them the chance to qualify at home.

A win or a draw would see Canada qualify for Qatar 2022. 29,122 people came out to see Canada play Jamaica in the second last game of the qualifier and to witness Canadian history. Cyle Larin got the party started with an early goal, later followed by a Tajon Buchanan goal. Junior Hoilett scored late in the second half and that was followed by an own goal by Jamaica to make it 4-0. After the third goal you could feel it in the stands that the fans had realized that Canada had actually qualified for a world cup. The scenes were incredible when the final whistle blew, and the party's just getting started.

There is still one more match to be played against Panama but for both teams it is pretty much meaningless. The World Cup group stage draw is on Friday morning and we will find out who Canada plays this winter.

Some top players that deserve recognition include Canada legend Atiba Hutchinson, Alphonso Davies, Milan Borjan, Jonathan David, Tajon Buchanan, Stephen Eustaquio, Sam Adekugbe, and Cyle Larin. If Larin scores twice against Panama, he becomes the leading goal scorer in all of qualifying for 2022. Ali Mabkhout of UAE is currently top spot with 14 goals, while Larin has 13.

A lot of credit has to be given to head coach John Herdman for bringing this team together and inspiring them on this incredible journey, a journey most Canadians could only dream of, but now it is a reality. This young talented squad has shown that Canada is a footballing nation and it is an exciting time and it's only going to get better, Canada are kings of the north!