Canadian Footballers with the Legs of Iron Huddle Around Their Coach Jesse Marsch

Lars Baron photo, Getty Images

After holding Morocco to a tie for the first half, the team fell to defeat to Morocco in their Round of 12 match in the FIFA World Cup.
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After the loss, Marsch assured his players they had had given such “joy to the country.” An American soccer/football player and coach who brought new dynamism to his Canadian role.
 
“I’m really proud of my boys,” said Marsch.
 
Marsch embraced the importance of the men’s performance for Canadians after U.S. President Donald Trump’s 51st state rhetoric and the country’s “elbows up” spirit in the face of Trump’s degrading messages. 

Christine Sinclair

​Marsch’s players followed down the path of this country’s women footballers like Olympic Gold Medalist Christine Sinclair, who wrote in a message to the men’s team after their defeat: “I’ve been in that huddle…I know how heavy a loss like that feels, and I know that right now it’s probably impossible to see anything beyond the disappointment. But with time, I hope this group will realize what they’ve truly accomplished…Be proud. Canada certainly is.”
 
Well said, Christine.

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Molly Darlington photo, Getty Images

Coach Jesse Marsch centre, with goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, at far right, vow to fight on despite the loss to Morocco
                                          
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump couldn’t keep his hands out of World Football politics, improperly intervening to overturn a red card suspension against American football team star Flo Balogun. Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino asking him to overturn the red card.
 
Trump and Infantino have a long association. FIFA took out office space in the Trump Tower in New York City, and Infantino awarded Trump FIFA’s first ever “peace prize”, which fell short of the Nobel Peace Prize that has always alluded Trump.

Trump’s claimed on his “Truth Social” media page that Balogun’s suspension was “unfair.”
 
The affair angered many European nations and seemed to energize the Belgian football team which proceeded to thrash the American side on Monday night, winning by a 4-1 score.
 
Mr. Trump, you reap what you sow. Few Canadians would have wept at the Belgian victory.

Meanwhile, two of FIFA’s greatest players, Christiano Ronaldo, 41, and Lionel Messi, 39, have likely played in their final World Cup. Ronaldo and his team, Portugal, are now out of this year’s contest, losing 0-1 to Spain, on Monday, with Ronaldo attempting a classic over-the-shoulder touch which didn’t make it to the back of the net. As the game ended, Ronaldo appeared shaken and sad to have reached what he had said would be his last World Cup.

For his part, Messi and Argentina are still in the tournament, playing their next match against spunky Switzerland this Saturday. Messi had great moments in his previous games but did not appear as dynamic as in past tournaments, choosing his spots and letting action come to him.
Attention now turns to France with its superstar Kylian Mbappe. High-scoring Mbappe and the French team are ranked Number One to win this year’s tournament, over the seven other remaining clubs, with Mbappe just 27 years old and already having 19 career goals in his three World Cups.

France will face formidable competition from Spain, Norway, Argentina (the 2022 winner), Belgium, England, Morocco and Switzerland in the final eight.

Despite the inevitable focus on the greatest players, the writer of this Against the Flow blog, particularly enjoyed the England vs. Mexico match on Wednesday evening. The match was of supreme importance to the proud Mexican fans with close to 81,000 attending the event at the giant Azteca stadium in Mexico City, in a sea of green.
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Harry Kane the England striker led the English with a successful penalty shot, but the truly dazzling performance was that of the short-in-stature Mexican players, who proved with their grit and dazzling passing that football is a team sport, not one based purely on superstars.
The game was hailed by commentators as the best in this year’s Cup. It proved that football is, indeed, the beautiful game!