Let’s be honest—2015 probably isn’t going to be the year that you go to the gym every morning, quit drinking beer or stop sending ill-advised 2 am text messages to your ex.
But if you’re a fan of Canada’s men’s national team, don’t worry. There are some New Year’s resolutions that you’ll actually be able to keep.
Of course, the one New Year’s resolution for the team itself should be to win games. As supporters, however, we’re limited in our ability to make that happen. Still, here are a few pledges that we should all make for the year ahead.
Stop caring what the doubters think. The joke gets more and more hilarious every single month, doesn’t it? “Hey look, Canada’s at number (something ridiculously bad) in the latest FIFA rankings,” assert countless comedians on social media. “They’re almost catching up to (country with GDP a small fraction of Canada’s)! Aim high Canada, LOLOLOL.”
If you’ve followed Canadian soccer for any length of time, you’ve heard it. Not just the banter from those south of the border or across the ocean, but from right here at home. “Does Canada even have a men’s soccer team? Why do they even bother?” And so on. Of course, we all know those jokesters will be right on the bandwagon once things finally do turn around for Les Rouges, but that’s another story.
For 2015, let’s all make a resolution not to give the trolls what they want. They want us to get angry, to snap back, to get upset. But why waste our energy? It isn’t worth your time. You support your men’s national soccer team. You’ve got nothing to explain or be apologetic for.
Focus on the players who are there, not the players who aren’t.
This one’s going to be really, really tough, I know. But for the sake of your mental wellbeing, it’s worth a shot. Yes, you can work yourself into a lather theorizing about how Benito Floro’s starting XI would look if only so-and-so would finally commit to the team, or if Floro could convince you-know-who to come into a Canadian camp.
But there are plenty of guys who bust their rear ends year-in, year-out, not only building their own careers, but in helping to build up the national-team program. Would they see their spot on the roster taken away if someone else decided to get with the program? Possibly. But games aren’t won and lost by hypothetical scenarios; they’re won and lost by the players on the field.
Every time a player is on the Canadian roster, it’s because he has made a conscious choice to invest his time and his energy, and to potentially put his career at risk, for the purpose of representing our country on the soccer field. In 2015, let’s shine the light on the players who make that choice, not those who choose otherwise.
Keep it in perspective. Maybe it’s the lack of big-game success we’ve had in the last 100 years, but Canadian fans have a troubling tendency to find any player with a modicum of promise and anoint them as the savior of the program. No doubt, it’s a program in desperate need of saving, but the grim reality of international soccer is that there are very, very few saviors who ever emerge for any team.
So yes, it was encouraging to see our Under-20 team go undefeated in a three-game road trip in November, nabbing results against England, Russia and the US And yes, there are a number of players on that team who could go on to have successful pro careers. But no, we haven’t just seen the ascent of a Canadian golden generation.
We’ve seen a youth team do well in three games. Let’s see how they do in World Cup qualifying and—hopefully—in the U-20 World Cup itself. Then—and only then—can we maybe talk about what it really means. Either way, everyone just chill for now.
Support local soccer. This goes far beyond buying tickets to watch your local MLS or NASL team play (though you ought to do that, whenever possible). It can also mean supporting one of Canada’s three new USL-PRO teams, or one of its eight USL-PDL squads, or a league such as League 1 Ontario or PLSQ in Quebec.
It means getting involved with your local community club in whatever way you can—as a coach, a referee, an administrator or in any other volunteer role that may be available. And yes, it means making a conscious effort to “vote with your wallet”—that is, buying from companies that invest in Canadian soccer.
Every single one of us has a role to play in moving the game forward. And talk is nice, but action is exponentially more valuable.
Get behind long-term player development, or get out of the way. Say what you will about the CSA, but one initiative for which they deserve praise is the decision to implement LTPD in youth clubs across the country. This has ruffled many feathers in certain circles, as those who’ve spent years building their personal fiefdoms within their provincial associations are suddenly being left out in the cold.
If you’re in the game to accumulate trophies or cash or plaudits to appease your own ego, get out now. But if you believe you legitimately have something to offer that can help move players in this country along the now-established development path, please, get into the game.
Change is not only coming, it’s here. And while we won’t see the results of LTPD for many years (note that “long term” is right there in the name), it is the way forward for soccer in this country. If you agree, this is the year to make your voice heard.
Quit pretending that there’s a “one size fits all” answer for players.
Everyone seemingly has his or her own idea of what the
perfect remedy is for the playing-time problem within the Canadian player pool. Get everyone in Europe! Get everyone in MLS! Get a Canadian league!
But every individual situation is different, and every player is at the mercy of forces beyond their control as it relates to their career. So, sure, the debate about whether Canada’s players are better served by playing at home or abroad is a good one to have, if we can all concede that what works for one player may not work for another.
The priority is seeing our players get into situations where they’re earning consistent minutes in a competitive environment.
Be part of the solution. Long before I wrote about the Canadian men’s national team, I was a fan who bemoaned the fact that no one was writing about the Canadian men’s national team. So I started writing. A lot. And podcasting. A lot. Eventually, the folks at MLSsoccer.com took notice—and here we are.
Now, I’m not saying everyone can, will or should follow that route. What I’m saying is that while it’s easy (and cathartic) to complain about what’s wrong with the coverage of Canadian soccer, I’ve found it’s more productive to build up the elements of coverage that you actually do enjoy.
That means that when you find something you do like—whether it’s wire copy on the website of a mainstream newspaper, a story right here on this website (hint hint), a feature on an independent blog, or whatever—show it! Leave a positive comment, like it, share it, favorite it, do all you can to show whoever’s running the website that yes, there are folks who care about the CanMNT, and yes, they should continue providing that sort of coverage.
Will leaving a comment below and sharing this article on Twitter really help Canada do better at the Gold Cup? Maybe, maybe not.
Better do your part just to be safe, eh?
