Canada's World Cup group is no easy task, but draw could have been worse
Coach John Herdman preaches 'no fear' for his young Canadian team
Pretty tough, but it could have been worse.
That seems to be the general consensus among Canadian soccer fans and pundits following Friday's official draw in Doha for the 2022 FIFA World Cup that placed Canada in Group F alongside Belgium, Croatia and Morocco.
Roughly an hour after the draw was completed, Canadian coach John Herdman was all smiles when speaking to reporters via Zoom in Toronto, calling it a "surreal moment" when his team was finally picked last of the 32 nations that will compete in Qatar.
"I don't know how many years people probably in this country had to endure a [World Cup] draw and be ready to support their secondary team," Herdman said. "To have our team pulled out [of a pot] and just to see that this is real, Canada is on the big stage now.
"And we're not just heading to Qatar. We're ready to play in Qatar and where we know the teams we've got. We have a wonderful opportunity ahead of us."
WATCH | John Molinaro on Canada's stiff competition in World Cup group stage:
Canada, No. 38 in the current FIFA world rankings, will kick off its World Cup campaign in Qatar against second-ranked Belgium on Nov. 23 before facing No. 16 Croatia on Nov. 27. The Canadians will close out Group F play on Dec. 1 versus Morocco (No. 24). The top two nations in the round-robin group advance to the knockout stage of the World Cup.
If the Canadians do manage to get out of the group, more daunting challenges await them in the knockout stages. Group E crosses over with Group F, which means a potential second-round match for Canada vs. either Germany or Spain, who between them have won five World Cups.
It also doesn't help matters that Canada will not be able to ease its way into competition in Qatar, with its opening two games coming against group favourites Belgium and Croatia. By the time Canada's third match (and on paper it's easiest) against the Moroccans comes along, it could quite conceivably already be eliminated if it loses its first two.
The "glass is half full" crowd will point to Canada not being drawn into Group G with five-time World Cup winners and top-ranked Brazil, or into Group E with European heavyweights Spain and Germany. Group H with Portugal and the mercurial Cristiano Ronaldo, and Group D with reigning World Cup champions France were also trap doors that Canada avoided.
Herdman welcomed the results of the draw, and didn't concern himself over what might have been had Canada been drawn into an easier group.
"We wanted these types of games. You go into a World Cup, there's no easy matches, and any team can beat any team on any given day. That's just tournament football," Herdman said.
The other three teams in Group F have combined to play in 23 World Cups since the first tournament in 1930 in Uruguay. Canada's only previous World Cup appearance came in 1986 in Mexico when it bowed out in the first round after suffering three shutout losses. Despite Canada's lack of World Cup pedigree, Herdman insists his team won't be intimidated when it steps onto the pitch in Qatar.
"For us, there'll be a 'no fear' mentality. Not naive, but no fear coming into this; just see the opportunities to pioneer for this country and get after scoring that first goal for Canada at a World Cup," Herdman said.
Still, it has to be said, the Canadians face a massive task to advance out of a first-round group that includes two of the best teams in the world in Belgium, semifinalists at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and Croatia, who were runners-up four years ago.
Croatia surprise of 2018 World Cup
The Belgians cruised through UEFA qualifying, going unbeaten in eight games (with six wins) and scoring an impressive 25 goals along the way to comfortably top their group ahead of Wales. Coach Roberto Martinez has a squad littered with stars who play professionally at some of the biggest clubs in the world, most notably Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea) and Eden Hazard (Real Madrid). The Red Devils' bristling attack should give Canada's defence all it can handle.
Croatia was the surprise package of the 2018 World Cup, having relied on an experienced midfield, anchored by the sublime Luca Modric of Real Madrid, to upset Lionel Messi and Argentina en route to reaching the final where they lost to France. It's an aging Croatia team that manager Zlatko Dalić will take to Qatar (Modric will be 37 at the start of the World Cup).
Canada's core is considerably younger, so it'll be interesting to see how the Croatians deal with the speed of Alphonso Davies (who turns 22 in November) and 22-year-old Jonathan David.
"Belgium, we know their quality with players like De Bruyne and Lukaku, and what they've done on the international stage," Herdman said. "And then the Croatians, who four years ago were the finalists. This is what we want — we want that underdog story. We'll be at our best when we rely on our grit, our spirit, and then to bring that 'no fear' [mentality] in that opportunity that exists in these types of games against the best players in the world."
Morocco should not be overlooked. They are the second-highest ranked African team, and currently sit 14 spots ahead of Canada in the latest FIFA rankings. Ayoub El Kaabi, who is a teammate of Canadian fullback Samuel Adekugbe at Turkish club Hatayspor, led the African nation in scoring with five goals in the qualifiers. Forward Youssef En-Nesyri, who plays for Sevilla in Spain, is another dangerous goal-scoring threat.
On the plus side for Canada, all three of its opponents like to have possession of the ball. That could play into Herdman's hands because his team developed into a dangerous counter-attacking side over the course of its CONCACAF qualifying campaign.
Canada's only previous game against Belgium came in a 2-0 loss on June 8, 1989, in Ottawa in an exhibition match. Canada has met Morocco on three occasions, suffering away losses in 1984 and 2016, and battling to a 1-1 draw in Montreal just prior to the 1994 World Cup staged in the United States. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will mark the first-ever meeting between Canada and Croatia.
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