STINSON: A disappointing World Cup shows Canada how far it is from the soccer elite

Here is an incomplete list of positive thoughts about the Canadian men’s teams’ trip to the FIFA World Cup which, you might have heard, was their first in 36 years.

OK, no. I’m not really feeling this, either.

Getting nothing from group-stage play, even in a tough group, is not the result that was widely expected of Canada after what was a thrilling qualifying campaign, one in which they topped their group, beat Mexico and the United States at home and earned a reasonably historic draw at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

By the time they thrashed Jamaica on a frigid afternoon at BMO Stadium in Toronto last spring to clinch their spot in Qatar, the Canadian men had rightly earned some global soccer buzz. They were one of the teams that people were interested in seeing, keen to discover what the fuss was about, having heard about this fascinating mix of young talent and wily veterans who played fast and dangerously loose.

Canada hadn’t shot up the FIFA rankings by following the tested path of smaller soccer nations that play stultifying defence and hope to scrape out a result at the end, they tore up the pitch and scored in buckets. They jumped in snowbanks and the goalkeeper wore grey sweatpants that became part of the lore.

Qatar was supposed to be the final payoff. Even if they were highly unlikely to get out of their group — and the oddsmakers certainly suggested they were — this was a Canada team that had proved it could be disciplined at the back and had a few world-class attackers. Other nations had at least made a little noise with that.

Canada, in the end, could only win praise for its effort, which is not how you want to be remembered.

In my minor hockey days in Winnipeg, I once had a coach who gave everyone on the team little trophies at the end of the season. Mine said, “Hardest Worker.” I was proud. It took me years to realize that I must have been lousy.

Did Canada deserve better in Qatar? Certainly.

How different would their tournament have been had the early penalty kick against Belgium been converted? If they hadn’t been forced to chase a result all game against the Belgians, would they have had more left in the tank for a Croatian team that overran their weakened midfield? And if they hadn’t already been eliminated before taking the field for their final game on Thursday against Morocco, would they have looked better than the team that served up two remarkably simple goals to their opponents before making a spirited comeback attempt?

All questions that will remain rhetorical.

There were ways in which Canada was close to finally getting a World Cup result — witness the Atiba Hutchinson header against Morocco that was on the goal line by the width of half a ball — but they also showed the chasm between the best Canadian team ever and the best teams in the world.

The first goal conceded to Morocco was the result of a poor back pass from defender Steven Vitoria and an even worse clearance from goalkeeper Milan Borjan. There is no margin for that on the World Cup stage.

The second goal came off a dead simple long ball to a forward who split the defenders, much like Belgium’s only goal in the first game. It’s the soccer equivalent of a boxer forgetting to put his gloves in front of his face and then getting punched straight in the nose.

The Croatia game didn’t contain such blunders, but was more about a strong team that knew how to create turnovers and then finish off chances. It was workmanlike and there was always the potential for a Canadian loss like that against an elite international team.

That will still be the case four years from now because, whatever happens with the national team, it will again face a jump in the quality of opponents when the World Cup of 2026 begins.

There will be a lot of matches between now and then. Given the youth of the Canadian side, they should still have elite attacking talent in Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David and probably a name or two who has not yet arrived. They’ll need to improve in the centre of the pitch, lest they get terrorized by a team like Croatia again. They will need a central defence that doesn’t get carved open so easily.

The hardest part, though, will be trying to get experience at the level at which they just played. Canada plays the bulk of its international matches against small countries in Central America and the Caribbean. That was problem enough for the Canadian squads of old, but for this one it meant a lot of easy wins.

Wins, that is, that gave Canada the chance to find out just how much work is left to do.

Postmedia’s soccer expert Derek Van Diest is on the ground in Qatar to cover every kickoff of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Subscribe today and get access to all his coverage.

1. CANADA VS. MOROCCO: Canada comes up short in final game

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