Canada, as co-host of the World Cup, has entered the tournament having never earned a point on “soccer’s greatest stage,” but now, they have won twice, scored nine goals and have “prevailed in a knockout game,” according to Ben Steiner of SI. On Sunday, as MF Stephen Eustáquio fired a half-volley past South Africa G Ronwen Williams and sent Canada to the round of 16, “scenes erupted from watch parties from all three coasts.” Canada coach Jesse Marsch said in the fall, “I believe that we will be even bigger... that is exactly what this national team will be about, and it will electrify this country.” Steiner wrote Marsch “was right.” Canada is set to “take on a global titan” in either the Netherlands or Morocco in the round of 16. Marsch: “My goal in this tournament, apart from inspiring our nation, was to make a run so that we could get to see one of the giants of the world. We’re at that phase of the tournament, and I feel like it’s a free hit, so we’re going to go after it and do everything we can to see if we can find a way to get a win.” Steiner noted due to a “weird scheduling quirk, millions more than a usual Canada match audience got to see the historic performance.” There were no other World Cup games on Sunday, “leaving a soccer-thirsty world with a single option.” And it “introduced the world to Canada’s story” (SI, 6/28).
CHANGING THE NARRATIVE: In London, Ducker & Zeqiri write the game “certainly produced the greatest result in Canadian football history” (London TELEGRAPH, 6/29). USA TODAY’s Seth Vertelney wrote for a country that is not often thought of “as soccer-obsessed, what could a win like this do?” Canada D Richie Laryea said, “We want to turn this country into a footballing country. This needs to now start to become the bar whenever we get into tournaments like the World Cup, to be in and around this level” (USA TODAY, 6/28).
