Imminent passage to the World Cup shows Canada's progress

The Canadian football federation made a surprise bet in 2018, when it appointed John Hardman as the new coach of the men's national team.

Herdman had led the women's team to a pair of bronze medals at consecutive Olympic Games and led that team as host of the 2015 women's World Cup.

Christine Sinclair, the experienced Canadian captain who has since become the top scorer in international matches in both branches, was amazed on Twitter by Herdman's appointment.

“I'm speechless for now,” he wrote.

Herdman's jump between one team and another proved a winning bet. The men's team is about to advance to the World Cup, something it had not achieved in 36 years.

He leads the CONCACAF playoff, ahead of the United States and Mexico. Unbeaten march in the final octagonal, with seven wins and four draws.

Along the way, the national team has risen notably in the FIFA ranking, from 94th place in 2018, when Herdman took the reins, to 33rd today.

“We've been through a lot with this team and this project. We've had a lot of hard times and disheartening results,” said Captain Atiba Hutchinson. “And for this to turn out as it is now, we have shown that we are a reckless and very confident team. We are simply expressing ourselves now.”

Canada was perfect on the previous triple date of the tie. He beat Honduras, the United States and El Salvador 2-0.

On Thursday, Canada visits Costa Rica on the first of the last three dates of the octagonal. If you win, you will be insured of the ticket in Qatar.

On Sunday, he will host Jamaica in Toronto, before visiting Panama on Wednesday.

On the way to the final round of matches, Canada leads with 25 points, followed by the United States (21) and Mexico (21). Panama (17) and Costa Rica (16)

The top three of the tie advance directly to Qatar. The fourth will play an intercontinental playoff against a national team from Oceania.

Herdman has named this feat “New Canada”.

“Underneath this mission are numerous goals. We won't be New Canada unless we really are pioneers in this period. Internally we have had really clear goals, which we have focused on, and we are on the right track,” he said. “We are on our way to truly establishing ourselves as New Canada and, as the players have said, we have to make the world tote it.”

It's not just Canada's men's national team that has had some recent successes. The women's team won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, under the orders of Bev Pirestman, Herdman's pupil.

Known more as a nation passionate about ice hockey, Canada has made progress on the international football scene, through a project that has been built over the past two decades.

It really started in 2002, when the country hosted the U19 Women's World Cup (later U20). At a young age, Sinclair scored five goals in a quarter-final match against England.

This generated so much interest that it increased the turnout to the parties. More than 47,000 fans attended the final against the United States, which remains a record for the tournament.

Canada then hosted the U20 Men's World Cup, which generated an economic impact of $259 million. This helped pave the way for the country to successfully bid for the 2015 women's World Cup venue.

The women's team is currently sixth in the world ranking, as it prepares to qualify for the 2023 World Cup. The foundations of that project were laid by Herdman, who was appointed coach in 2011.

“If you ever hear the Canadian teams talk about passion, legacy and playing for brotherhood, that's something I believe in too, because I was fortunate enough to play for a coach like John Herdman, who emphasizes the collective before everything else. And now they're seeing that success with men,” said former defender Rhian Wilkinson, current Portland Thorns coach at the NWSL.

For men, advancing to Qatar is not the ultimate goal.

“I've said it all this time, but these guys are fighting for something that goes beyond three points in a match or qualifying for Qatar, and it's been that way since I took office,” Herdman said. “There has been a lot of clarity. It took time for players to notice this in their minds and connect with this shared purpose. But there it is now and it's very clear.”