Sports Beat by Heather Robertson
On Dec. 1, the final draw for the 2002 World Cup took place.
Not surprisingly, Canada’s national soccer team didn’t make it.
Realistically, Canada’s team didn’t have a chance and, with the way things are going, they never will.
In the latest FIFA world soccer rankings, Canada’s team fell another three places to 86th in the world.
In the last year, the team has dropped an unbelievable 23 spots from 63rd place.
Even Senegal, a team that was ranked lower than Canada less than a year ago, has qualified for the 2002 World Cup. What happened?
Starting with their Gold Cup win in 2000, Canada had an unbeaten run of 15 games.
Their winning streak, however, quickly came to an end with their World Cup qualifying games last summer and the team, on its worst losing streak in years, has continued to slide in the rankings.
Soccer has never been a true “Canadian” sport, despite increased participation at the recreational level.
Most Canadians have never heard of the Canadian Professional Soccer League, a 12-team semi-professional circuit, or its western counterpart, the Pacific Coast Soccer League.
Even Thomasz Radzinski, a top Canadian striker who was just signed for $10 million by England’s Everton Football Club, is a virtual unknown in his own country.
Now compare this support to the NHL, the OHL, even the minor leagues of hockey, where every good ol’ boy is a hometown celebrity.
Although most people in Canada are happy driving their sons and daughters to weekly soccer games, professional soccer in Canada has very little fan support from the masses.
In turn, this lack of support reflects negatively on the sport as a whole, from the children’s recreational leagues up to our national teams.
Not only is our national team not doing well, but the prospect of them ever ranking high enough to qualify for the World Cup, with the little support they have, is dwindling.
If we ever expect to have a team that ranks respectively in the top 30 we will have to foster its growth as a national sport.
Soccer is currently the fastest-growing sport in Canada, with enrollment surpassing even that of our beloved national pasttime, hockey.
But when these children grow up, is there going to be a professional outlet for the really outstanding players?
Furthermore, Canada is going to have to induce the best players to stay.
As a case in point, one need look no further than Owen Hargreaves, the 20-year old midfielder from Calgary.
He decided this summer he would rather suit up for England, a top-10 team where he has a better chance of being a benchwarmer than playing.
But does it matter? No, because players want to be on teams that actually stand a chance of winning, and that’s not Canada.
When Canada is playing a soccer game on our home field, Brazilian fans outnumber Canadians two to one.
In fact, just about every team that Canada plays a home game against have fans that are louder, more passionate, and twice the size of Canadian fans.
Things are going to have to change if we ever want the chance to play for a World Cup, starting with our attitudes.
There is a new generation of Canadians, a generation that plays soccer and actually care about the sport, who can change the fate of soccer in this country. But they need the public’s commitment.
It’s sad that Canada’s bid for the 2010 World Cup might just be the only chance that our soccer team ever sees of playing in a World Cup.
First, we will need to prove that we are deserving and capable of such an event.