Growth Of Canadian Soccer Over The Months & It’s Future!?!?!

Written By Stephen Giuseppe

Over the last months there’s been multiple events that have lead to growth of the culture revolving around the sport of soccer more commonly known worldwide as football. Specifically a milestone was reached this week with the completion of the inagural season of the Canadian Premier League. Hamilton‘s Forge FC were able to be crowned the title of “Forever First” a nickname given after their double win in both home and away legs of the finals. During the week in between both fixtures arguably Canada’s largest club Toronto FC have returned to the MLS Cup. Last time they were involved they completed the treble (MLS Cup, Supporters Shield & Canadian Championship) by doing so beginning a swarm of interest towards the club, the league and in general the sport. These are great examples of clear growth in the culture around the sport in terms of access to local clubs. The one example that is apparent of the growth is the youth talent coming out of our nation in recent years.

In September, Canada was able to defeat the United States for the first time in over thirty years. The main thing to take from the commanding 2-0 win in the Concacaf Nation’s League at BMO Field in the heart of Toronto was definite suggestions the youth talent is the way for the future. With Alphonso Davies scoring in the 67th minute to secure the win, despite America’s recent struggles it was still a night to remember in the nation’s largest city. With a balanced group of players from various MLS sides and major clubs from across Europe‘s biggest leagues showcased the younger players are beginning to develop in a way we haven’t seen before with CANMNT and it’s emerging talents making a name on the world game. With the women’s team already a fairly big powerhouse, the question is when they’ll take it to the next step and win silverware and the even bigger question is if they’ll ever catch up to US. Although the women’s national team may not be to far off their southern neighbors, but with the USWNT‘s achievements it may seem harder or more effort in terms of catching up. With the men’s it’s a different story as the Men’s U.S. hasn’t won much but still are regarded as one half of the regions strongest footballing Nations, the other being Mexico. With that fact, Canada’s climb up to catch up the States isn’t as far as people think. Plus with our own domestic league beginning, strong characters coming onto the scene and continued progression forward will lead to a lot of future sucess leading up to the joint-hosting of the World Cup in 2026.

With the distribution of youth talent now able to reach a professional position with the CanPL directly drafting from Canadian Universities and other academies across the country. It’s only a matter of time until Canada finds the right group of players that can lead this team to the next step and/or influence the next generation of kids who are currently witnessing the growth of interest with soccer. Plus with the success of our biggest clubs these are all indications with Canada’s rapidly growing diverse population from countries that have rich histories in football, meaning Canada potentially has the ability to become one of continents new powerhouses.