The CanMNT conversation this June window has shifted away from tactics and lineup decisions to issues surrounding compensation and broadcast rights, among others. Phrased another way, morale around the program has taken a dip as issues beyond the game take center stage.
First came the controversial scheduling of World Cup-bound Iran for a friendly, with public pressure giving way to a canceled showdown. Then the last-minute scheduling of Panama, a familiar Concacaf adversary, proved moot when that friendly was canceled mere hours before kickoff following player-led protests.
It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks, to say the least.
Should Thursday’s game proceed, it’ll mark the first time Canada’s convened since topping Concacaf’s World Cup qualification process, outpacing the United States and Mexico. And they’ve got Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies back this month after a COVID-related heart issue kept him out of their last two windows.
How will it all manifest? We’ll see as the buildup toward Group F play in Qatar against Belgium, Croatia and Morocco further nears. It’s their second-to-last window to get ducks in a row, but larger issues are looming at a seminal moment for Canadian soccer.