Soccer
\n Canada’s 2026 World Cup: Qatar win catches eyes, Switzerland on deck
\n <\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\nFollowing the final whistle of Canada<\/a>‘s 6-0 win<\/a> over Qatar, I was left stunned.<\/p>\nLooking around Vancouver Stadium, staring at a sea of red, all chanting and supporting the Canadian national team together, it made me extremely proud.<\/p>\n
This World Cup<\/a> has helped push the sport of soccer to the forefront in our country, and it has been such a blessing. It’s been great to see how powerful the sport has become, and how many Canadians, soccer fans or not, are tuned in and cheering their hearts out for our squad.<\/p>\nI think it’s truly important to highlight this Canadian pride. What we’re seeing is something I’ve never seen around this game before in our country. In Vancouver, as I walked through the city, it was pure red as far as the eye can see. And not Qatar red, not Switzerland red, not Portugal red. No. Canada red.<\/p>\n
As I went by the water, I took it all in and felt really proud of how far this sport has come in such a short amount of time. The ripple effect and impact that this tournament has had are massive, and I believe these moments provide a springboard for soccer to rival sports like ice hockey in popularity.<\/p>\n
Our national team’s success is growing new fanbases all over the country, and it’s been so refreshing to watch. I look forward to it continuing as Canada’s World Cup journey rolls on.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\nQatar win turns heads<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Make no mistake, that was a sensational victory. Watching Canada dominate an opponent on the world’s biggest stage was a true breakthrough moment, and one I’ll never forget.<\/p>\n
We jumped on Qatar early and asserted ourselves from the opening whistle. And once Cyle Larin found the back of the net in the 16th minute, the floodgates opened. I thought, from back to front, the team played extremely well and as a cohesive unit, which was very hard for Qatar to break down. Once Qatar were reduced to 10 men (and eventually nine), the goals flowed in.<\/p>\n
It was also great to see Jonathan David get off the mark, and in such a big way, scoring a hat trick. He is going to be critical if Canada are to make a deep tournament run, so I hope he goes into the match vs. Switzerland with confidence after seeing the ball hit the net three times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It has been incredibly special to witness this group take the field and represent Canada on such a massive global stage. Their success showcases the quality being developed in our nation, and I hope it’s inspired so many young Canadians to tune in and begin playing soccer.<\/p>\n
However, it’s important not to get too far ahead of ourselves following such a big win. That result was amazing and absolutely worth celebrating! But for the players, that is yesterday’s news. I trust that they’ll have returned to training the following day and locked right back into the mission.<\/p>\n
It all comes down to the final group matchup against Switzerland. The players, coaches and the rest of the staff are well aware of what lies ahead, and I think they’ll be sure not to get hung up on the positive results that have come before.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\nKon\u00e9 questions<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
I was devastated, absolutely gutted, when I saw Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9’s leg injury vs. Qatar. First and foremost, you never want to see an injury of that magnitude for any player, but especially for a player like Kon\u00e9, who’s been vital to Canada’s success over the past few seasons and is such a key midfield contributor.<\/p>\n
On the bright side, from a national team perspective, center midfield is one of the positions in which Canada have great depth. After Kon\u00e9 came off, we saw Nathan Saliba come on and immediately provide a positive impact, scoring and paying tribute<\/a> to his international teammate.<\/p>\nHe’s a great player and provides a different dynamic in the middle of the pitch, and I’d expect Jesse Marsch to insert him into the starting XI. I’ve worked with him quite a bit, especially during my stint with the national team, and was always really impressed. He really caught my attention.<\/p>\n
Of course, it is terrible to lose Kon\u00e9 for the remainder of the tournament, both from a personal and athletic perspective, but I believe our squad is strong enough to fill that midfield gap.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 19, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\nSwitzerland loom<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
It certainly feels like every time Canada make history, we have to rewrite it immediately afterwards. We started by getting our first-ever World Cup point<\/a>, then it was our first-ever World Cup win<\/a>, and now we’ve got a chance to win our first-ever World Cup group.<\/p>\nBut with all this excitement in the air, we cannot let our heads get too big entering our final group game.<\/p>\n
Let’s not take anything away from Switzerland. Like us, they’ll be fighting tooth and nail to win Group B. They’re a very strong team, full of experience and players who compete in Europe’s top leagues.<\/p>\n
Switzerland will be looking at this matchup thinking it’s a perfect opportunity to go on and win the group. They’re ready for a battle. On paper, it’s fair to say they’re the best opponent we’ve faced so far, so earning a win or a draw will be no easy task.<\/p>\n
It’s also important to note that winning Group B would mean Canada get ANOTHER match at home, which will be added motivation to snatch a result from this final group stage game. Playing a knockout round game in Canada would present another incredible chance to keep growing the game in this country while also offering a unique home-field advantage. It’s something we absolutely must have.<\/p>\n
So we have to go with everything we’ve got against a team who view themselves as the favorites in this match and will want to illustrate that from the first kick of the ball.<\/p>\n
It will be best against best. Let\u2019s go win Group B and make more history!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Following the final whistle of Canada<\/a>‘s 6-0 win<\/a> over Qatar, I was left stunned.<\/p>\n Looking around Vancouver Stadium, staring at a sea of red, all chanting and supporting the Canadian national team together, it made me extremely proud.<\/p>\n This World Cup<\/a> has helped push the sport of soccer to the forefront in our country, and it has been such a blessing. It’s been great to see how powerful the sport has become, and how many Canadians, soccer fans or not, are tuned in and cheering their hearts out for our squad.<\/p>\n I think it’s truly important to highlight this Canadian pride. What we’re seeing is something I’ve never seen around this game before in our country. In Vancouver, as I walked through the city, it was pure red as far as the eye can see. And not Qatar red, not Switzerland red, not Portugal red. No. Canada red.<\/p>\n As I went by the water, I took it all in and felt really proud of how far this sport has come in such a short amount of time. The ripple effect and impact that this tournament has had are massive, and I believe these moments provide a springboard for soccer to rival sports like ice hockey in popularity.<\/p>\n Our national team’s success is growing new fanbases all over the country, and it’s been so refreshing to watch. I look forward to it continuing as Canada’s World Cup journey rolls on.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Make no mistake, that was a sensational victory. Watching Canada dominate an opponent on the world’s biggest stage was a true breakthrough moment, and one I’ll never forget.<\/p>\n We jumped on Qatar early and asserted ourselves from the opening whistle. And once Cyle Larin found the back of the net in the 16th minute, the floodgates opened. I thought, from back to front, the team played extremely well and as a cohesive unit, which was very hard for Qatar to break down. Once Qatar were reduced to 10 men (and eventually nine), the goals flowed in.<\/p>\n It was also great to see Jonathan David get off the mark, and in such a big way, scoring a hat trick. He is going to be critical if Canada are to make a deep tournament run, so I hope he goes into the match vs. Switzerland with confidence after seeing the ball hit the net three times.\u00a0<\/p>\n It has been incredibly special to witness this group take the field and represent Canada on such a massive global stage. Their success showcases the quality being developed in our nation, and I hope it’s inspired so many young Canadians to tune in and begin playing soccer.<\/p>\n However, it’s important not to get too far ahead of ourselves following such a big win. That result was amazing and absolutely worth celebrating! But for the players, that is yesterday’s news. I trust that they’ll have returned to training the following day and locked right back into the mission.<\/p>\n It all comes down to the final group matchup against Switzerland. The players, coaches and the rest of the staff are well aware of what lies ahead, and I think they’ll be sure not to get hung up on the positive results that have come before.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I was devastated, absolutely gutted, when I saw Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9’s leg injury vs. Qatar. First and foremost, you never want to see an injury of that magnitude for any player, but especially for a player like Kon\u00e9, who’s been vital to Canada’s success over the past few seasons and is such a key midfield contributor.<\/p>\n On the bright side, from a national team perspective, center midfield is one of the positions in which Canada have great depth. After Kon\u00e9 came off, we saw Nathan Saliba come on and immediately provide a positive impact, scoring and paying tribute<\/a> to his international teammate.<\/p>\n He’s a great player and provides a different dynamic in the middle of the pitch, and I’d expect Jesse Marsch to insert him into the starting XI. I’ve worked with him quite a bit, especially during my stint with the national team, and was always really impressed. He really caught my attention.<\/p>\n Of course, it is terrible to lose Kon\u00e9 for the remainder of the tournament, both from a personal and athletic perspective, but I believe our squad is strong enough to fill that midfield gap.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 19, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n It certainly feels like every time Canada make history, we have to rewrite it immediately afterwards. We started by getting our first-ever World Cup point<\/a>, then it was our first-ever World Cup win<\/a>, and now we’ve got a chance to win our first-ever World Cup group.<\/p>\n But with all this excitement in the air, we cannot let our heads get too big entering our final group game.<\/p>\n Let’s not take anything away from Switzerland. Like us, they’ll be fighting tooth and nail to win Group B. They’re a very strong team, full of experience and players who compete in Europe’s top leagues.<\/p>\n Switzerland will be looking at this matchup thinking it’s a perfect opportunity to go on and win the group. They’re ready for a battle. On paper, it’s fair to say they’re the best opponent we’ve faced so far, so earning a win or a draw will be no easy task.<\/p>\n It’s also important to note that winning Group B would mean Canada get ANOTHER match at home, which will be added motivation to snatch a result from this final group stage game. Playing a knockout round game in Canada would present another incredible chance to keep growing the game in this country while also offering a unique home-field advantage. It’s something we absolutely must have.<\/p>\n So we have to go with everything we’ve got against a team who view themselves as the favorites in this match and will want to illustrate that from the first kick of the ball.<\/p>\n It will be best against best. Let\u2019s go win Group B and make more history!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nQatar win turns heads<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Kon\u00e9 questions<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Switzerland loom<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n