Alfonso Davis leads the Fishbelly Force, and the Maple Leafs Canada craves a breakthrough of zero
author：Southern Metropolis Daily
Qatar World Cup Round of 32 Tour · Group F - Canada
Alfonso Davis leads the Fishbelly Force, and the Maple Leafs Canada craves a breakthrough of zero
Belgium, the world's highest-ranked team in the European zone (No. 2), will not look difficult to qualify in this group, while Croatia, runners-up in the World Cup, Morocco, an upgraded squad powerhouse, and young, dynamic Canada, will be fiercely contested for a second qualifying spot.
On the morning of November 14, Beijing time, the Canadian team announced the 26-man squad for the Qatar World Cup. 39-year-old veteran midfielder Hutchinson and Bayern star Alfonso Davies, Lille striker David and Club Brugge striker Larin are listed.
Alfonso Davis leads the Fishbelly Force, and the Maple Leafs Canada craves a breakthrough of zero
Canada 26-man squad.
Canada, a traditional women's football powerhouse, was the champion team at last year's Tokyo Olympics. But the Canadian men's soccer team has rarely done well in international competitions. The Maple Leafs only played in one World Cup stage in 1986 and did not perform well. In the group stage, he did not score a single goal, and lost all three games to get out early.
Even five years ago, in 2017, Canada's world ranking was only 94th in the world, far below China's ranking (63rd). But in the past five years, Canada's healthy and sound youth training system and immigration planning policies have finally paid off. They are making rapid progress under the leadership of two talented rising stars of Alfonso Davis and Jonathan David.
Alfonso Davis leads the Fishbelly Force, and the Maple Leafs Canada craves a breakthrough of zero
Bayern Munich's Alfonso Davis (right) fights Mainz's Stach during a match on April 30. On the same day, in the 32nd round of the 2021-2022 German Bundesliga, Bayern Munich lost 1-3 away to Mainz. Xinhua News Agency
In this year's World Cup qualifiers, Canada made the world shine, they won the first place in the CONCACAF region with Nick Mexico and the United States, and advanced to the World Cup. They showed incredible attack power in the CONCACAF qualifiers, scoring a terrifying 50 goals in 14 matches. Canada occupies four of the top six goalscorers, with Turkish Premier League striker Kyle Laalin leading the scoring table with 13 goals.
The absolute core of the team, Alfonso Davis, tore a muscle fibre in his right back thigh against Hertha Berlin in the round of 13 of the Bundesliga, which scared the Canadian into a cold sweat. Fortunately, the injury is not serious, and "Afon" can still catch the first match against Belgium in the World Cup. Despite being only 22 years old, he is already the most decorated footballer in Canadian history. In the national team, Alfonso usually plays on the left wing-back and even as a left winger in the back four, which is a bit higher than his position at Bayern and helps to use his talents in attack.
Alfonso Davis leads the Fishbelly Force, and the Maple Leafs Canada craves a breakthrough of zero
Lille player Jonathan Davey (right) dribbles the ball during a game on October 29, 2021. Xinhua News Agency
In front of Alfonso are two reliable strikers – Jonathan David and Larin. The former is a regular striker for Ligue 1 Lille, scoring 13 goals in 2020-2021 and 19 goals in 2120-2022, helping the team to steal a league title at the hands of Grand Paris in 2020-2021. The latter, who plays for the Turkish Premier League giants Besiktas, has all the characteristics of a good fulcrum striker: a strong body, excellent movement selection and top-level heading ability. Having these three impactful players on the offensive line is enough to make any backline fearful.
In addition to the three star players, the team's coach John Herdman also has a lot to offer. She has coached the Canadian women's national team since 2011 and has achieved success on the international stage, winning two Olympic bronze medals in 2012 and 2016. In charge of the men's football coach this time, Herdman will also become the first head coach in the history of the World Cup to participate in the Women's World Cup and the Men's World Cup. Referring to the young manager, Fraser said: "No matter what the occasion, everyone can feel the super confidence and the desire to win, I think all this is brought by Herdman, he has injected a strong heart and faith into Canada. ”
Canada will host the 2026 World Cup as one of the hosts, and if they can perform well in this World Cup, it will undoubtedly give a new boost to the domestic football industry. It is worth looking forward to whether Alfonso Davis can guide Qatar and lead Canada to create miracles.
