#CanadaRed soccer weekly: Ahead of Mexico tie, men's side looks for a result - and a face
There’s no debating that Christine Sinclair is the face of soccer in Canada when it comes to the program as a whole, and rightfully so.
Most of the recent iconic moments in Canadian soccer history have involved the women’s team and in some way, Sinclair. But when it comes to the men’s program, is there a player that sports fans across the country, even non-soccer fans, could come to associate with the domestic game?
“You ask anyone in Canadian soccer who are the best players to have played for Canada. We’ve got two in our side: Julian (de Guzman) and Atiba (Hutchinson),” said veteran forward Iain Hume after Canada trained at BC Place in Vancouver on Wednesday. “They’ve been two of the best players in CONCACAF over the past ten years.”
Hume also pointed to recently retired forward Dwayne De Rosario as another player that has graced the field for Canada and fronted the program through the years.
Those are all examples of players that have had great careers. De Guzman is the first Canadian to have played in Spain’s La Liga while Hutchinson is possibly the most underrated Canadian athlete from all sports as he plays for a top team in Turkey and is simply Canada’s most skilled player at the moment. But Hutchinson could walk down the street in most Canadian cities with nary a second glance.
Goal scorers tend to get the most attention so one candidate leading the charge into the next generation is forward Cyle Larin.
Last season’s MLS rookie of the year, Larin has continued his goal-scoring prowess with three goals in three games for Orlando City this season. Canada has been short on goals over the years so if there’s someone who could be emblematic of the game in Canada, perhaps it's Larin. He scored the lone goal in November’s 1-0 win over Honduras.
“He definitely has the potential, this early in his career. I put him down as one of the young players who can make a big difference for Canadian soccer in the future,” said de Guzman earlier this week. “He’s off to a wonderful start and it’s great to see him doing well at his club.”
What's added to the Sinclair legend are the times where she's crossed over from providing big moments in soccer, to great moments in all of Canadian sports history.
Her performance at the U-19 FIFA World Cup in 2001 that launched her career, coupled with that game against the United States at the 2012 Olympics, has solidified Sinclair's sterling legacy in Canadian soccer.
Moments like these are simply lacking on the men’s side. Canadian soccer fans remember Richard Hastings’ golden goal against Mexico during the fairy-tale 2000 Gold Cup run but soccer wasn’t where it is in Canada today.
So while there are players who could fulfil that promise of being synonymous with men’s soccer in Canada, what’s missing is a moment—a truly memorable time that unites all sports fans, not just soccer fans, from coast to coast.
Could that happen as early as Friday at BC Place against Mexico? We’ll have to find out.
