On March 28, Beijing time, Canada defeated Jamaica 4-0 and advanced to the final round of the 2022 World Cup! This is the second time the Maple Leafs have reached the World Cup after 36 years, so the question is: why can they break the spell and rise again?
Wait 36 years
Canadian football, like Chinese football, is a "yin and yang". The women's soccer team won the Olympic gold medal last year, and the World Cup also reached the final four, what about the men's soccer team? There is only one World Cup experience, and the time to leave the World Cup finals is longer than the Chinese men's football team!
It was at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, where the hosts qualified directly and Canada was missing one of their strongest rivals, eventually beating Honduras and Costa Rica at the Central and North American Championships (then qualifiers) and qualifying for the first time in history.
But in the Group Stage of the World Cup, Canada lost 0-1 to France, 0-2 to Hungary, 0-2 to the former Soviet Union, lost all three games, did not score, bottom out, and missed the round of 16.
In the following World Cups in 1990 and 1994, Canada did not qualify. In the 1998 World Cup, Central America and the Caribbean won 3 tickets, but they won 10-1 in the fourth round of the qualifiers, ranking at the bottom and had no chance at all.
In 2006, Central and North America was fourth to play in the play-offs against Asian teams, but Canada was out of the third round of the qualifiers. In 2010, 2014, and 2018, at least 3 teams in Central and North America were able to enter the World Cup, but they could not see the Maple Leafs.
Until this year, Canada successfully broke through the 1st and 2nd rounds of the qualifiers, the 3rd round of the quarterfinals, they played against Mexico and the United States, they were 1 win and 1 draw, in the upper hand, and the first 11 rounds remained unbeaten, at the top of the list! It was only after losing to Costa Rica in the 12th round. After the 13th round, we finally entered the World Cup again after 36 years!
Why is Canada qualified?
When you think of the Canadian men's football team, the first name that comes to mind is probably Alfonso Davis, who plays for Bayern. He is indeed the number one star here, but the Maple Leaf Legion is not only Ah Fang!
Canada's recovery began in 2007, when Major League Soccer extended its tentacles to Toronto. In 2011 and 2012, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact also entered the MSL, and Canada suddenly had three teams in the top North American leagues.
Joining MSL means that Canada can enjoy the professional youth training system, and Alfonso Davis, Osorio, Donell Henry, Liam Fraser, Adecubi and others are all cultivated from it.
In 2009, Stephen Hart became the manager of the Canadian men's football team, and he began to make major changes at the tactical level, abandoning the old concept of defense, emphasizing possession and rapid turnover, no longer relying on the body to play football, and seeking more technical improvements to lay the foundation for later recovery.
At a higher level, The President of the Canadian Football Association, Victor Montaliani, has also made important changes. He brought in more sponsors, dramatically improved the international's welfare and made them more willing to play for the Maple Leafs, "This is what I've always wanted to change: more from a business perspective and a corporate perspective." ”
Another major initiative of the Football Association is to attract more dual nationality players to choose Canada. Victoria and Affield played for Portugal and Scotland respectively, but both later joined Canada.
Although Jamaica was interested in Little Hoylet, he also chose the Maple Leaf Legion. There is also Porto midfielder Eustakio, Ligue 1 rising star Ugebo and 18-year-old Arsenal prodigy Marcelo Flores.
One of the most important factors in Canada's rise is the emergence of a group of stars and the experience of landing in Major European Leagues. Alfonso Davis need not repeat it, and he is already the main force of Bayern at a young age. And the number one striker Jonathan David, already a famous player in Lille, has scored 13 goals in Ligue 1 this season and 3 goals in the Champions League.
Main left-back Larrea joined Championship side Nottingham Forest in this winter window. Buchanan, who played against Jamaican passing success, has just moved to The League One giants Brugge. Team history goalscorer Wang Lalin, who has a good performance in the Turkish Super League, made 13 appearances for the national team last year, scoring 14 goals.
And the more important factor was the arrival of John Herdman. In 2018, he took over the coaching whip of the Canadian national team, turning a group of scattered players into a united whole, and also brought tactical flexibility and creativity to the team through meticulous preparation.
As a result, Canada became the national team with the most goals in 2021, scoring 53 goals in 18 games, more than European teams such as Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and England.
Why is Canada recovering? The main goalkeeper and captain Milan Bojan said: "Two words: John, Herdman, that's it. Little Hoylet, who scored against Jamaica, also said: "Herdman has established a true culture of brotherhood, without ego. Everyone is on the right path. Everyone knows why they're here, for the national team. ”
Conclusion
Breaking the curse of 36 years, Canada finally entered the World Cup. For the Chinese men's football team, which has not participated in the World Cup for 20 years, their success stories cannot be completely copied, but there are definitely places to think about and learn from, which is worth studying carefully.
As for what kind of results the Canadian men's football team can achieve in the final round, whether it can win the world cup for the first time, we can only wait and see.