The Remarkable Rise of Canada's National Soccer Team

Eight years ago, Canada were ranked 122nd in the FIFA World Rankings, 107 places below their neighbours the United States, having lost 8-1 to Honduras in 2014 World Cup qualifying.
At the beginning of 2021, Canada still ranked 73rd, but now they are up in 33rd, an all time high, and are currently on course to qualify for their first World Cup since 1986, having gone unbeaten in their CONCACAF qualification campaign.
In this documentary, HITC Sevens takes a look at this incredible rise, the young Canadians making it possible, the work of Canada's English head coach, and what Canada's national football team might be possible of achieving at the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cups.

[@Dan-qp5tq]

Huge credit needs to be given to John Herdman, who’s done an excellent job at building the team

[@andrewhardman3216]

His last name has similar origins of mine

[@watson956]

Soccer Canada should put up a statue for John Herdman, for all he's done with the Canadian Women's National team and now the Men's team.

[@tuneintotheworldpodcast187]

@@watson956 lets first wait for his life to end because 2 months ago people thought in 30 years greenwood would have a statue now we dont think the same thing at all

[@harrythomas9409]

He’s from consett, my town in Durham it’s max asf how he’s going to a World Cup

[@kaihiggins725]

@@harrythomas9409 same mate, it’s nice to see a NE manager doing well

[@lilvic04]

As a Mexican American, I love to see Canada’s growth over the past few years. The idea of more tough competition would certainly make both the US and Mexico push harder than before. While I think the USMNT have more high potential players, and Mexico has a bigger reputation in CONCACAF, Canada has the team play and team togetherness along with the talent that has shown to be effective

[@jacksondowney4327]

Good take. I honestly hope CANMNT can keep it up for a long time.

[@chrisfrank2664]

Definitely agree. Having Canada on same level with US & Mexico only helps make all of them better. Especially going into 2026 with all 3 countries hosting World Cup.

[@adamcraft9118]

I was visiting Mexico during the ICEteca game, and I can confirm not every Mexican is as happy with our rise. 🇨🇦🎉🎊🥳

[@bowriver1]

I strongly disagree with the USA having more high potential players. No one in the USA can match Phonsie's potential. Also the amount of talent in Canada 20 and under is unbelievable. I would also say that the new training and coaching in Canada for 15 and up players is as good as anywhere.

[@martintucson7244]

@@adamcraft9118 very true that kinda like disrespecting Mexico since Canada is known as a “hockey team”

[@3dsaulgoodman43]

English Canadians, French Canadians, immigrants, refugees, people from all walks of life represent a nation together. Canada makes me appreciate diversity even more. Hoping for the best for the CanMNT! Allez Les Rouge!

[@696190]

*Les Rouges

[@3dsaulgoodman43]

@@696190 Yes, my mistake

[@Victor-wc2vf]

Don’t forget Portuguese-Canadians

[@krish5445]

English Canadians, french Canadians are also immigrants, why do you need to say them seperately. Canada belonged to Natives not to Europeans settlers only. Stop this bias and racism and favouritism. What Europeans did to natives in North America is widely known to everyone.

[@globoiitsuna]

@@krish5445 I think he was referring to English speaking and French Speaking Canadians

[@BrendanP]

Thank you Alfie for showing how Canada Soccer has risen over the last decade. It is beautiful to see our national soccer team do so well. The men and women's teams are fantastic. As you mentioned, we've been in the dark for a long time. But this generation of players is different. I believe we can do some damage at the World Cup stage. It's also great to see how popular soccer is becoming in the country. At all levels and age groups, there is a massive following.

[@mikerodrigues2906]

Don't jinx it !

[@jonfee5081]

*football

[@BrendanP]

@@jonfee5081 You're really going to correct me on a regional term? Soccer, football, same thing!

[@mikerodrigues2906]

@Brendan P England has Soccer Saturday on sky . What's up with that ???? It's England's fault we say soccer for football.

[@donnyjepp]

I would like to see Canada in Englands group .. interesting

[@dapperduck4250]

So unnecessarily excited when you mentioned the Canadian Premier League! It's a young league that needs every bit of publicity! Me personally I'm a Halifax Wanderers supporter, but with the league being so young I still just want every team to do well and be well supported

[@n-zedorai6613]

How much popular is soccer in Canada?

[@OcEleven]

Glad to see someone cover Canada's often underreported rise.

[@blakemiller1349]

As a canadian it feels like the twlight zone seeing my nation on a channel like this in a positive way, Guys like Alphonso and Jonathan David have broke the door down for next generation of players coming out of canada. absolutely amazing to be able to say we're going to be in Qatar

[@A-small-amount-of-peas]

As a Welshman I'm familiar with the feeling of seeing your teams fifa ranking at a triple digit figure. We went from 117th to 8th in 4 years so I'm so pleased to see another country make giant strides

[@therapist6328]

Wales had some world class play for a good stretch. I never realised you were ranked as high as 8th. Hope you were higher than England at the time

[@danielalbo3781]

We might end up playing each other

[@DanoFSmith-yc9tg]

John Hurdman deserves a statue in this country 🇨🇦 for all he has done to propel both the women’s and men’s teams. The guy is a legend in my books.

[@paulleach3612]

As a football fan in the U.K. I think it's criminal that talented coaches, such as Hurdman, are too often overlooked at professional club level.

[@1313tennisman]

That 8-1 loss still haunts me. However I have to point out that Hockey does not rival Canadian Football in popularity, it is by far the most popular sport in Canada. In fact, Id put soccer in 3rd behind basketball in recent times as well.

[@milogunther5024]

I somewhat agree. Hockey is and always will be the most popular sport in Canada, but I think association football is above basketball with Canadian football in 4th

[@Not_Sal]

@@milogunther5024 I think that depends on where in Canada you are. Clearly hockey is number 1 but the rest of the sport’s popularity will vary by provinces and regions

[@tobybecker]

With the Raptors NBA Finals win, the popularity of basketball has exploded. I think that basketball is more popular than Canadian Football. If Toronto gets an NFL team, that could change

[@FlamingBasketballClub]

@@tobybecker basketball in Canada has grown for decades before Raptors won the 2019 NBA finals.

[@tobybecker]

@@FlamingBasketballClub yes but the Raptors win „confirmed“ the growth

[@ivoluijendijk5529]

Not the Netherlands or Italy, but Portugal or Italy will be absent this world cup, alfie. ;-) The Dutch have qualitifed by winning their poule w. Norway and Turkey

[@HarrisonJohn666]

We all know it will be Portugal to be left out

[@MrGrido0]

@@HarrisonJohn666 As an italian, i disagree. Chiesa's injury will hurt us bad (at least we will have Pellegrini, who missed the euros)

[@HarrisonJohn666]

@@MrGrido0 trust me, I’m portuguese. We have one of the best generations of talent in Portugal but we also have a manager that is very weak and can’t make them play well. The problem is that the federation is held hostage due to him having won Euro 2016. If we’re eliminated now, maybe he’ll leave, but it’s not certain. In my opinion we should’ve already change him after not qualifying for the world cup (that loss to Serbia was shameful). I have serious doubts we’ll even beat Turkey

[@alexroberts771]

Both to fail to qualify

[@alexsayshi6782]

@@HarrisonJohn666 its too close to call

[@Pablito___]

Thanks for the video Alfie. Growing up in Canada, I can definitely say that our rise has been inspirational, but there is still more to come. Besides the three academies we have, our other youth and semi-pro teams/leagues are playing at a similar level meaning that we have more talent on the rise. Once again, I appreciate the video since it’s the first time I’ve seen a non-Canadian platform recognize our success. Sooner or later we’re gonna be on everyone’s radar.

[@ericbaptiste3108]

Thanks Alfie. I was proud of the women for winning in Tokyo. A certain Jordyn Huitema, who scored a penalty in the final and is also a lion on the field has a relationship with a certain Alphonso. I would love to see some lion cubs (the next generation) when their playing days are over. I would love to see the men do well too. Nothing is guaranteed though.

[@duncanself5111]

Did you see that New Zealand women's defender scoring a hatrick of own goals the other day? Hilarious!

[@ericbaptiste3108]

@@duncanself5111 I only heard about it. I don’t know how such a thing is possible.

[@duncanself5111]

@@ericbaptiste3108 even the New Zealand goalkeeper was laughing by the third goal 😆 poor woman!

[@radagastwiz]

Jordyn and Phonzie met when both were at Whitecaps, now he's at Bayern and she's at PSG.

[@Bryan2799]

Jordyn didn't score a penalty, but ALMOST finished it with a solid header in ET that went just wide. Also kicking ass in UWCL with PSG. Hopefully something similar in Arnold Clark Cup today :)

[@chrise7181]

Herdman is a already a football legend here in Canada. In my humble opinion anyway. The man's energy is extremely infectious and his in-game adjustments are usually spot on!! Thanks Alfie for the video and giving us Canucks (Kah-nucks) some recognition for our development on the pitch. Canadian Premier League video next? About the league in general or maybe the union issues the players are dealing with 🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@matthewc3135]

Herdman was a football legend here in Canada even before joining the men's team. But now he is clearly the most important person in Canadian soccer history.

[@aaronosullivan1286]

As a Canadian subscriber I've always loved your content and this makes me genuinely happy to see you cover our team like this. Great job Alfie!

[@CrabGamingTF2]

As a Canadian myself I'm very proud to see our team getting the recognition they deserve!

[@johnpettigrew83]

They are an excellent team..Mexico have the history..USA has the publicity..Canada have the side..

[@yeetpotatoes69420]

Watching one of my favorite channels uploading a video on my country a day after my birthday is one of the best gifts❤️🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@peytondagenais479]

I remember when we were around 117th a handful of years ago. You know who were one place above us? North Korea. You think we'd have a more advanced standard, and after seeing us defeat Costa Rica in November in snowy Edmonton, I can say that I've seen the improvement with my own two eyes.

[@muhdpeep]

you sure you have two eyes?

[@peytondagenais479]

@@muhdpeep I'm saying that we can actually compete with teams now. Watching us live and having a +40k crowd was huge for realizing we have something here. There has been significant improvement.

[@OttawaRocks]

While knocking North Korea's level of football is all fun and good I would say historically they haven't always been bad. In Ottawa, during the 2007 FIFA U-20 tournament, I saw the eventual tournament winners, Argentina, barely survive with a 1-0 win over NK and that team was stacked (including players such as Sergio Aguero playing for them). Nevertheless, I get where you're coming from - yes, Canada have made immense strides over the past 2 years.

[@nathancroucher90]

I have a real soft spot for Canada and it's a delight to see both the Women and Men's football teams performing at such a high standard.

[@ThaGamingMisfit]

I love stories about rises of a nation in sports, thanks for bringing it to us in clear format ! I've seen David play for AA Gent, we all knew he was up for a bigger future.

[@gri7]

I have season tickers watching davies since he was 14yrs old. So sad to see him leave but wow knew we couldn't keep that talent

[@connorbroughton8657]

One of the key things that fans love about this rise is the increase of the dual citizenship players choosing Canada. Any player who we learn has the ability to play for us, we as fans feel like they’re going to want to play for us, and it seems like the players want to too. Ike ugbo recently deciding to play for the team after playing well in Belgium was a subtly key moment. Also Tajon Buchanan, who wasn’t mentioned in the video and isn’t a dual national, has been a key piece for us and is stunningly promising. Milan Borjan too who i think has been one of the best gks on the international stage this year. Truly amazing leader and shot stopper

[@lordpembridge303]

I remember Canadian fans back in the day having an almost raging hate towards Owen Hargreaves for choosing to play for England over Canada 😂

[@gavinstone9983]

I live in upstate NY, around 30 minutes from the Canadian border, and the rise of Canadian soccer is very noticeable. Since I live so close to the border, I’m friends with some Canadians, and I’ve had a few come up to me to ask me about what’s going on, since before Davies, they couldn’t think of a single Canadian player on the team. I’ve also had different arguments with my other soccer buddies about who would make the World Cup along with the US and Mexico and I’m happy to say that I’ve been rooting for Canada for a few years now while others looked to other places, like Costs Rica, once a great team, and Jamaica, a team on the rise but still need a few years to get more chemistry and mesh.

[@ignaciotorres5294]

great video, as a peruvian-canadian i appreciate the recognition to the class shown by the national team and the rise of the sport in the country. im also so excited by the potential prospect of both my home countries being in qatar, vamos peru!

[@OkiePackerFan10]

Considering Peru's Recent Rise as well, you must be Over the Moon!! Cheers Mate!!! 🇨🇦🇵🇪⚽️🥅! 🇺🇸⚽️🥅🇺🇸!!!

[@danielvaljin2538]

Hoping Peru makes it through!

[@ignaciotorres5294]

@@danielvaljin2538 appreciate it brotha

[@therapist6328]

You must be so proud. Both nations are playing very well. Hopefully Canada plays Peru in the WC

[@chuchonchuchon7640]

Proud Canadian-Guatemalan here, supporting our boys all the way 🇨🇦🍁🇨🇦🍁🇨🇦

[@10royals10]

As a Canadian. I love seeing the exposure for our team on a global scale and it really makes you appreciate what we have witnessed here I remember watching the 8-1 Honduras game and feeling dread about where our program was going.

[@jonathanpanzh]

Lets go we are getting some recognition ❤

[@wrgproductions1381]

Proud of Canada !! Hopefully Australia can one day fix up our development system and start producing top European talents - Love Canada from Australia 🇨🇦🇦🇺❤️❤️

[@almostyummymummy]

Aussie!? My NZ should be much further up in ranking, too.

[@sergiomorales8882]

I'm Mexican and live here is Los Angeles. I'm happy for Canada, I love the young players that they have I hope they keep growing. Mexico needs to get their shit together before we find ourselves on the back end.

[@Jim-so3zm]

You're the Spurs of North America pretty much - you have the potential to do something big but never capitalise on it. Must be really frustrating.

[@therapist6328]

My entire life, it has been a given that El Tri are the class of CONCACAF. Canada has a chance to change that. May we meet in Qatar and then again 4 years later in North America.

[@grahamgiancola6477]

Yes you finally did something about Canada! I'm glad! 🇨🇦

[@qwertyuiop123453993]

THIS IS THE GREATEST VIDEO I HAVE SEEN IN MY SUBBOX EVER. as a canadian footy fan

[@acryption5747]

Been waiting for this video, nothing but good things ahead for my country!

[@nerdsunited345]

0:39 You meant one of Portugal or Italy, right? Netherlands have already qualified. It's Portugal that can potentially miss out

[@jdjphotographynl]

Ah, it wasn't just me that got triggered by that error. 🤣

[@PatrickvanStokken]

As if we haven't suffered enough already at the last three major tournaments 😅

[@Loffacius_XVI]

I knew we qualified, but that stil gave me a heart attack

[@sizzledan31]

Who's here after they officially qualify to Qatar 2022?

[@somerandomedgyguy1723]

It's a development I believe any attentive football/soccer fan has noticed. And I absolutely love it. By the time the World Cup comes to NA, all host countries have teams to be reckoned with competing. All the best from Germany!

[@jhines5713]

I love how this channel covers stories and teams outside of the usual "big teams" and "big leagues". Keep up the quality content.

[@charmaineflowers9164]

My son Shane Lammue , played for the men's team. He is now the technical analyst, due yo suffering a serious injury. I am extremely proud of this team noone believed they would achieve such greatness. I am so oroud of your achievements son Goodluck on the next qualifying games. A proud mother from Toronto Canada

[@APG19912009]

Been watching the mens and women’s Canada soccer since I was a kid. For me, I think the turning point in the programs and the attention it has now received was back in 2012. When the women got screwed out of the Gold medal in the London Olympics, with a controversial call in the semi-final of a penalty that even many experts said they didn’t know was a rule. I remember after that game, sports fans across Canada were outraged and felt like we were screwed out of the gold medal. And when the women won gold in Tokyo, it finally lay to rest that demon. But the seeds were planted… But never. Would I have ever imagined this! This has just been sensational! The men’s national team defeating the US and Mexico! 1st in qualifying currently. And the domination. I’m just gobsmacked! I can not put in appropriate words the magic I am witnessing of the rise of mens national team. And it makes me so proud and warms me greatly when I see people from around the world notice. Canada has arrived! In a way I would have never guessed possible!

[@user-ve5ln5le9y]

Well to be clear they weren’t screwed out the gold, they we’re screwed out of a chance to advance and play for gold.

[@JaviFuego93]

I’m Mexican American and I’m happy that Canada will qualify to the World Cup and be the 3rd “big” team in concacaf. The competition is great for Mexico and the US if they wanna improve.

[@mrmovelook]

We more like first rn 🤷🏿‍♂️

[@therapist6328]

@@mrmovelook lol so true

[@Ben-po8kf]

Thank you alfie for making this video. I’ve been watching since 2017 and finally a video on Canadian soccer. I knew you would a this video one day.

[@truenoae8689]

Thanks for the great video! It's really nice to see our national team get recognized outside of North America. Cheers from Canada

[@theblaugranainsider]

I’m sooooo happy you’ve done this! Thanks as always, Alfie!

[@travisgibson7341]

Thank you for giving this story some light, as well as highlighting a serious issue that needs to be resolved as well. Great video!

[@JohnElcome]

I’ve been waiting for this. Alistair Johnson is the unsung hero of the team for sure, he’s played more minutes than anyone on the team

[@spencerl3533]

I play in a provincial league in Ontario, OPDL. This kind of competitive football wouldn’t have been available for people my age even 20-25 years ago. It’s crazy how the country can shift so quickly. My theory is immigration to Canada had a lot of impact on the love of football, many players on our national team are from elsewhere.

[@mikemurphy8996]

I asked you about a month ago to do this video and thank you so much for listening to your fans. I’m born and raised in Toronto and Canada is so pumped about the upcoming World Cup. John Herdman is a hero in this country. We love the man. Thanks again

[@SkyFire2112]

As a Canadian I have been waiting for this video!!!! Our team has been kicking ass! They’re the pride of Canada right now!!

[@53rdand3rdShows]

Thanks so much for covering the crazy Canucks!! 🇨🇦💪🏽

[@teaguebates5807]

Another thorough and engaging essay. I was not expecting Canada to be chosen as a subject, didn’t know it was on anyone’s radar. Go Canada!

[@zacharyhacault9546]

Currently watching this from Canada at 3:30am high af and can I just say praise ALFIE

[@michaelplaysbass]

OMG as a Canadian boy, I've been WAITING for this! Haven't even watched yet, but I'm so jazzed. If Alfie has sat up and taken note, then we really must be creating a splash in the footballing world ;) One small thing, though; it's not pronounced "can-ucks" but "kuh-nucks"

[@senorsoupe]

Thank you Alfie! I've been following the MNT since the late 1990's and it's almost surreal to see us actually be good. I was one who refused to celebrate until it was 100% confirmed, but the last international cycle finally has me believe. Even just a couple of years ago we were doing things like blowing a 2 goal lead in a gold cup quarterfinal against Haiti, or playing full internationals with guys like Fraser Aird and Marcus Haber in attack. It's incredible the work that Herdman and the entire program have done over the last few years, and we are building something that I think will see us be sustainably competitive for years to come. Allez les Rouges!

[@RasenRendanX]

Finally a video about my home country and their incredible rise to relevance. It's been a beautiful thing Our women's team has always been the pride of football in Canada led by Queen Christine Sinclair but now finally our men's team isn't a meme anymore

[@dedlues]

I’ve been watching the channel for several years, and it’s remarkable seeing Alfie talk about our Canadian national team with such positive light & you’ve done the video essay justice Another thing I find so nice about this WCQ campaign is that we’ve had to start qualifiers way back in the beginning, while 5 CONCACAF teams got the bye to the final round; also every single CanMNT player had at least 1 memorable moment throughout the campaign. Canada saw the emergence in 2021 of Stephen Eustáquio, Tajon Buchanan, Alistair Johnston, Sam Adekugbe, and so many more of our players ---- I also wanna talk about the impact a star like Phonzie committing to Canada is like. I believe Canada could’ve had a golden generation in the 2000s, but with Hargreaves opting for England, and coaching incompetence leading Asmir Begovic to switch to Bosnia & Herzegovina, there was no such star power attracting dual-nationals to play for Canada until right now.

[@balham5606]

Alfie Can you do a documentary on the afc Wimbledon on the nine promotions in eleven years, how they’re a fan own club and how they have a stadium in plough lane now. The story of they lost the club, how the F A allowed that and won’t allow that anymore. How they were very close to moving to ireland How they went up the English football leagues. It would be a good documentary video if you can do this. #thepeopleschannel

[@Cym69]

Let's gooo 🇨🇦 ❤️ thanks for making this video my dude

[@Glensrep]

Thank you for covering my country! It honestly felt like I would never get see Canada in a World Cup!

[@therapist6328]

Cheers to Chris Neil. Blue collar and hard working just like our footy squad. Go Canada!

[@zachw787]

I've been waiting for this for so long 😍😍

[@jamgunner2.0]

Well done HITC for the content 👏.

[@gaberobertson7919]

As a Canadian our team has grown so much and I couldn’t be more happy with them. I’m so proud to see my team make a name for them selfs

[@JasonArmond]

As a Canadian soccer supporter, this was a really good summary. Thanks for making this!

[@joseph-fernando-piano]

Fun fact: Canada's men's team won Olympic gold in football in the 1904 summer games in St. Louis, coupled with the women's team's gold in Tokyo 2020, this makes Canada the only country to have won Olympic gold in both men's and women's football...

[@waterboy99troop]

Great video! I know a few people already pointed out some of the mistakes, so I won't say much about it. It's a very exciting time to be a Canada supporter. Definitely feels like the start of something amazing for football in this country. And thanks for letting me know to find a photo of myself on the web. - The bloke with the scarf @2:52

[@juanaction2715]

Thanks for that! As a 52 yr old Canadian (of Swedish heritage) and a life long football (soccer) fan and child/teen player, this Cdn Mens squad is mind blowing to watch. I have always had Sweden to cheer for but Canada is #1 for sure now. Super exciting. Only a few weeks from final qualifiers. Go Canucks!!

[@trunter20]

You're the best thing on KZbin Alfie. Great video as ever 👌

[@danielmessent2824]

Really enjoyed this video! As a Canadian, it has been really cool to follow this teams journey!

[@Logan-th6tf]

Great video, as a Canadian it's very exciting to see Canada play so well and I hope that we can take full advantage of this golden era.

[@boguey1000]

Great video but Gaelic football in Ireland is not based on rugby football, rather it is a sport that can trace its origins back hundreds of years in Ireland to an ancient sport called caid.

[@mdjcsmith]

Yeah, I was surprised he made that gaffe.

[@paulverdon4989]

Was just going to say that

[@theravingtimes9582]

You would NEVER think Canada would have ANYTHING after the 2014 World Cup and I'm not talking about the aftermath of our 8-1 defeat to Honduras at San Pedro Sula, but rather the fact that we went 18 months without winning an international match, barely any recognized talents apart from Hutchinson who just left PSV for Besiktas and was ranked 122nd in the FIFA Ranking. Heck, 2013 saw Canada score a whopping 1 goal across 13 games and even after Benito Floro took over, he was calling the 2015 Gold Cup a successful campaign after Canada recorded only 2 points because they conceded 1 goal (and failed to score in any of their 3 matches). Even once Herdman took over, it wasn't perfect as Canada rarely played games in his first year, we blew a 2-0 lead to Haiti in the Gold Cup (Godinho would never recover from that game) and our Nations League campaign collapsed in a 4-1 defeat to the US. I think the turning point was actually the Gold Cup last year when multiple players like Davies, David, Hutchinson, Arfield and Borjan were unable to attend the competition (with Akindele getting his first start for Canada since 2015 against Mexico), yet even with the absences, suspensions (Victoria and Cavalini) and injuries (Akinola and Larin) it took a 98th-minute goal (there was a long delay due to homophobic chants) for Mexico to eliminate us. Our victories over the US and Mexico in the World Cup Qualifiers were expected, but the match against the United States in Hamilton was a testament to our squad's resolve and Herdman's tactical adaptability in the face of more experienced managers.

[@onncga]

I have loved your channel ever since I discovered your channel and as a Canadian this is your best video ever, even though I'm biased.

[@creemzyt5418]

Thanks for shedding some light on us Alfie🇨🇦 hopefully now we can attract some players to join us!

[@gavinkruger930]

Thanks for exposing the rest of the world to how well we have developed our team and players, i'm proud to be canadian, thank you for making this video!

[@kaihiggins725]

It’s perfect timing mind. They co host the World Cup in 2026 so it’s good that they have a class side ready. It’s the perfect mix of talented youth I.e David, Davies etc and then experience. Looking forward to seeing them at the World Cup for the first time in my lifetime

[@davidcox6047]

Amazingly well done documentary. Loved it!

[@jasperredican4987]

This is a fantastic video, and I hope Canada’s rise helps all of CONCACAF be taken more seriously around the globe

[@fj5052]

Long time watcher first time commenter, AMAZING video and thank you very much! P.S. Canucks is pronounced Cuh-nuks :)

[@RedWolf3893]

Love to see you pay attention to us Canadians more! Our Canadian men’s team has been incredibly exciting to watch over the last 2-3+ yrs. I will say this is a really solid video and you got like 97% of things right, Eustáquio is pronounced (Ess-Tack-ee-Oh). Would love to see some more Canadian content, maybe do a feature on Forge FC and their dominance since the CPL was established?

[@jennadawson7949]

Thank you so much for setting a video aside for us. I'm so proud and can't wait for March. Maybe we can get a good draw

[@10mibrahim]

I will never get tired of watching your videos

[@coltonvanessa5096]

Thank you so much for making this video. As a long-suffering 🇨🇦 fan, I got a bit teary eyed to hear you call 2022 qualification "an eventuality". For ages, even our domestic video was unwilling to pay the CANMNT any attention, so to have channels like this around the world giving us this level of respect feels pretty special.

[@lahsport9259]

The rise of the Canadian National team just shows the growth of Concacaf as region. The future of football in North America is looking very bright

[@Nikolaki514]

Great video!

[@jamthefed]

Thanks Alfie, man it's been such a drag the last couple decades for the team. So exciting now.

[@dinzehhh]

no matter what alfie always brings us interesting videos!

[@keiths81ca]

Canada'a MNT is currently like lightning in a bottle. Several young world class players and the right manager.

[@westshorebassfishing3205]

Thank you for doing this one!

[@jorgeandrade783]

As a Portuguese person and a Porto fan I love the fact that a fellow Portuguese man is doing great for another. Yes Eustaquio is Canadian but his parents are Portuguese and he was raised in Portugal and his footballing education has been almost exclusively in Portugal. He is a baller and I really really like him. He’s at my club Porto and he looks good when he’s played so far. Great player and love that he’s doing bits for Canada!!!

[@therapist6328]

He will only get better and Porto will sell him when the time comes. Good luck to Portugal in the last chance qualifiers

[@unrealgaudy]

I love to see my home country exploding onto the scene with the young players we have unbelievable

[@AlkalineAjay]

Thank you 🙏🏼 for making this video about my Country. I’m going to the Canada vs Jamaica match this Sunday

[@keon5100]

ITS BEEN AMAZING SEEING MY COUNTRY FINALLY BE COMPETITIVE 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@balham5606]

Canada do have good players such as Jonathan David who won the League with Lille😊

[@LoyalFan9383]

And Alphonso Davies

[@wesbrit630]

What about Scott Arfield at Rangers. Quality underated midfielder at the champions.

[@cangoals5601]

@@wesbrit630 he recently retired from the national team I think last month

[@wesbrit630]

@@cangoals5601 Sorry mate. The last i heard he was talking with manager about joining back up. He does like to speak his mind as am sure you no. So maybe could upset team harmony. Oh well better for us i suppose.

[@peytondagenais479]

@@wesbrit630 Yeah, I'm guessing there was a conversation and... y'know, we've got a good thing going on. I would've killed for Arfield when he played for Stoke or Burnley years back, and he's still good, but Hutchinson, Eustaquio and Kaye are a solid 3 for a rotation and we have some decent young guys to rotate... finally.

[@lukaschan_]

‼Really great video Alfie! I'm a footballer from Canada - born and raised playing the sport - so I've been fortunate enough to see the growth of football in this country firsthand. Here's some extra perspective I'd like to share (TLDR at the end if you're lazy to read through the whole thing): There's no footballing pyramid in North America. Instead, there are a bunch of leagues of varying quality with no promotion/relegation between them: MLS being at the top, then USL Championship, USL League One, and then NISA. It's important to know that only 3 (out of 28) MLS teams are Canadian and then all teams in the lower divisions are from the US (except for Toronto FC II in USL League One). This made it incredibly difficult for any Canadian footballer to play at a professional/semi-professional level. It became imperative for Canada to start making their own platforms (not shared with the US) to expose Canadian talent. The Canadian footballing structure is broken into smaller provincial footballing associations. In 2013, Ontario Soccer were the first to establish a province-wide semi-pro league called League 1 Ontario. Up until this point, the highest level your local club could play at was a competitive provincial league - but now with League 1, your local could compete in a well-funded, professionally-run semi-pro league. Canadian internationals such as Tajon Buchanan and Richie Laryea (just to name a couple) were products of the League 1 Ontario platform. More provinces quickly followed suit, and now Quebec and British Columbia also have their own semi-pro leagues, Première Ligue and League1 BC respectively. But even with these new provincial leagues, there was still a sizeable gap in a player's path from semi-pro to professional. This is why the Canadian Premier League (established in 2019) is so important. It acts as an appropriate next step for many of these talented players towards professional football. In fact, CPL is (technically) considered professional football. Players are offered (varying) salaries, the level of play is high, and the winner of CPL qualifies for the CONCACAF Champions League. (Not to mention, many CPL clubs are located in mid-sized Canadian cities, helping grow football in Canada even more.) TL;DR There's still lots to work that needs to be done to the footballing structure in Canada (and North America) for football to be really established and grow, mainly promotion/relegation between leagues (in my opinion, at least). But I can guarantee that one of the main reasons why Canada has seen recent success on the international level is simply because, over the past decade, they've provided quality platforms for Canadian footballers to showcase their talent.

[@lukaschan_]

Some random, extra tidbits that I didn't know how to throw into my main blurb: - Playing sports in North America is unfortunately a privilege. Enrolling a kid onto a team costs quite a bit compared to the rest of the world (easily a few hundred dollars for half a year), making it difficult for some kids to even get a chance to show/grow their talent. - Although less prevalent now, a common North American footballer's path to the professional game is to get drafted through their college/university team (following the format of other American Pro Sports, like the NBA and NHL). This makes it even more difficult for many to follow the path, given that North America (the US especially) have some of the highest tuition fees in the world. Only a very select few would be lucky enough to get onto a college/uni team through a full or partial scholarship.

[@lukaschan_]

@John Doe because I was raised by parents who didn't call it soccer lol i'm not trying to sound smart, words are just words, try not to get upset

[@blueshky]

@@lukaschan_ too late, it irritates me.

[@arturowagner4728]

Thank you, Alfie, for a great analysis. This story would make a great film. Greetings from Mexico!

[@umang77]

As an immigrant who became a Canadian citizen....I am proud of this team... looking forward to see them in the WC this winter

[@therapist6328]

Canada is a great place to lead a better life. Clean, stable economy, safe and diverse. Congrats on citizenship. Do us proud

[@timothycarson5127]

Well done. I'm in Canada, mate. Been enjoying the rise of the beautiful game, here. Lifelong hockey fan, enjoying the rise of football.

[@jtjr26]

Nice video. As someone that played minor soccer as a kid and still follows soccer, I have to say there were no Canadian role models to follow growing up. We would always get games from Europe mostly the premier league and the big international tournaments but never with actual Canadian talent. Looking forward to see how far this team can go.

[@maxb829]

Great video. As an American, it's been impressive to see how well Canada has done in qualifying. Herdman has really turned them into a team and has done a great job getting the most out of both their stars and getting good performances from their less heralded players. Canada won't be an easy game for the teams that draw them in their group. While the US is squandering its golden generation with terrible coaching and a severe lack of tactics, Canada is getting the most out of theirs. With the academies they now have, I'd expect them to keep developing more good players who can contribute internationally.

[@3dsaulgoodman43]

You need to get GGG out bro

[@samplingmastersxlr8660]

the USA doesn't have a golden generation yet ! look this is a start of one but we are not there yet

[@SuperStrik9]

As a Canadian I'm so proud of our team. See you at the World Cup!

[@SuperJNG18]

I'm beyond impressed at Canada's rocket to the top of the leaderboard. I remember when I started following the Gold Cup last year, where the first match I watched was the USA vs. Canada, I was amazed at how well Canada held their own. I figured they'd at least be worthy opponents, but they played better than I could've even predicted. They've more than earned those results, and hopefully we won't be too far behind them in qualifying!

[@mewsainbolt2841]

Although I love the video, I'm just a little confused about the lack of mention of Tajon Buchanan. Maybe I'm bias as a New England Revolution fan, but I feel as though he has had a breakout year for Canada, and has played just as much of an important part in Canada's success this year as Davies and David, not saying he's as good, because he definitely isn't, but his role for Canada has been very important. Edit: grammar

[@therapist6328]

Taj is a beast, no doubt.

[@denja964]

4:40 just a PSA, Gaelic football is older than association football and has always been more popular ;)