Canada soccer: Team armed with sword for World Cup
TORONTO –
The Canadian males’s soccer group goes to the World Cup and it will likely be armed this November in Qatar.
John Herdman’s group travels with a sword nowadays.
“The sword’s one thing that symbolizes ‘New Canada,'” Herdman defined after Sunday’s 4-0 win over Jamaica that secured the Canadian males’s first journey to the soccer showcase since Mexico ’86.
“I mentioned to those boys (that) we have all the time had a protect. However we created a sword and on the sword it says ‘Nihil timendum est,’ which is ‘Concern Nothing’ (in Latin). And that is New Canada. That is the swagger we need to play with. And it goes in into each stadium to represent we’ll personal their floor and be New Canada.”
That custom was derailed considerably throughout final week’s journey to Central America to face Costa Rica. La Nacion, a Costa Rican newspaper, reported that customs officers had seized the sword upon the Canadian group’s arrival by constitution as a result of “rules that govern the kind of weapons that may enter our nation.”
The newspaper ran a photograph of the sword, an extended two-handed weapon nestled in a black carrying case with a purple inside. On the deal with are the phrases Qatar 2022.
With out the sword, the Canadians noticed their 17-game unbeaten streak in CONCACAF qualifying finish in a 1-0 loss to Costa Rica. Canada performed with 10 males for two-thirds of Thursday’s match after midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye was despatched off for a second yellow card.
However there was a cheerful ending.
“We have it. We obtained it again. It was in that turf (Saturday),” a cheerful Herdman mentioned of the sword after Sunday’s win, pointing to the BMO Subject taking part in floor.
The group had stored the existence of the sword to itself. Jason deVos, Canada Soccer’s director of growth and a member of Herdman’s teaching workers, demurred when requested about it Sunday.
“I can not speak about that. You may need to ask (Herdman),” the previous Canada captain mentioned with a chuckle.
Armed with their sword, the Canadians raised their qualifying file over three rounds to 14-1-4 with one sport remaining — Wednesday in Panama.
