It's a tale of two games on the way to the World Cup

This is why we should love sports.

A week ago, soccer fans in Canada were over the moon – and casual observers were pretty impressed, too – after the men beat Panama in what was a stirring World Cup qualifying game in Toronto.

It was a great event and a great game, rabid fans actually supporting the home team, a solid result; everyone went away happy and dreaming of Rio in 2014.

Now?

Now that over-the-moon feeling’s pretty much gone after last night’s 2-0 loss in Panama and the road to the World Cup all of a sudden is a lot more rocky than it was.

Euphoria on Friday, dejection on Tuesday; it’s the kind of emotional swing that makes it so much fun to follow sports.

But what of Canada?

I’m going to leave the Xs and Os to those who know far more about the game than I (Hello, Cathal and Daniel) but the result tells you as much about world-class soccer as anything else.

I used to think basketball, with its sometimes unique gyms and momentum-swinging crowds was the sport with the greatest home facility advantage but no more.

It’s world class soccer by a mile.

I don’t know if it was the zany fans surrounding the team hotel the nights leading up to the game or the screaming fans at the stadium or that uneasy feeling inexperienced teams in all sports get playing big games in hostile surroundings but it’s been proven time and again that the road is not kind to any travelling football team.

And Canada, for all that it did well in Toronto last week, finding a way to replicate that on the road was impossible.

Guess the biggest thing is that there’s still one home game to go and it’s a way off and if they can do the same thing at BMO Field next time that they did last time, all might be well in the world once again.

The World Cup is the most significant single-sport event in the world, there isn’t a world championship that can hold a candle to it and even for people who don’t follow the sport religiously, it captures the imagination like nothing else.

And if Canada wants to be seen globally as a true sporting nation, there are those who will not take us seriously until we at least qualify for a World Cup.

It’s monstrously difficult to gain admittance to it – it’s the most difficult team event to qualify for in any sport – and now Canada has to prove its mettle once again.

Sure, a draw in Panama would have been good and win would have been tremendous but there are still a couple of games left and the job is still doable.

But, as we’ve seen, games at home are far different than games on the road, even the marginally skilled teams can somehow find the necessary magic when they are buoyed by home audiences and comfortable surroundings.

Canada proved something to itself – and the soccer world – last Friday night; the gains they made there were significant and I don’t know that anyone really expected a result Tuesday night.

But if they capture that same magic the next time out, it’ll be a big story again and the good feelings will flow.

It’s sport, it’s up and down and highs and lows and it’s wonderful.

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So I’m at a reception with 30 NBA PR types and a gaggle of league poobahs and the consensus of the few I talked to at length is that the HOTH are going to be more interesting this year than they have been in some time.

No one knows how good they’ll be but the chatter was that they’re better and no longer an afterthought.

Make you fans feel a bit better?

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Oh yeah, if you want fancy-schmancy in Chicago, I give you The Paris Club, where we had a wee bit of a reception, but if you’re downtown and looking for a spot that’s real, go to O’Neil’s on Wells and tell ‘em we said hello.

Great spot, owned by a guy who works for the Bulls, and a long night of good stories.

And, no, it wasn’t like this joint, nor was the music as good.

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Finally found something we do better than Chicago.

Teachers labour disputes.

Arrived here to find the streets around the hotel packed with demonstrating, on-strike teachers who aren’t in the classroom, much to the chagrin of buddies who have to find child care.

No, I don’t know the specifics of the dispute, nor do I really know the intricacies of the fight in our neck of the woods but I do think we have the right answer to working it out.

And thus endeth the political portion of today’s offering.

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Right.

The mail.

Let’s start it, please.

Click. Write. Send. You’ll be glad you did. Honest.

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Comments

[David in Oakville]

Morning Doug,

I love Chicago! Always found the people there to have a certain affinity for Canada and the mid-west is perhaps the most like Canada.

To be fair, if we are not to take much heed of how Sheridan or Ford or the other ESPN list makers rank the HOTH pre-season, I think it is also wise to discount how any NBA PR person ranks the Raptors. They want to sell tickets when the Raps visit them too. It would be foolish of them to say the Raps are going to be awful or not worth watching. Pretty sure if you asked a McDonalds' PR person if today is a good day for ground beef the answer will always be yes, no matter whose ground beef you are referring to.

Speaking of which, your Woodys recommendation was Bang On! Thanks.

[Rob]

the problem with soccer talents in canada is that they usually own dual citizenships and more often than not they choose to represent other countries , for example brampton's junior hoilett plays for QPR rangers in england but chooses not to represent the canucks because he might have a chance in the future to obtain english citizenship and represent england. The reputation here is that we are not a soccer country and the game is not taken seriously enough in this part of the world.

[Kent]

What else in the world were those PR people gonna say? That the raptors are uninteresting and no one should give a damn? They probably told the bobcats guy the exact same thing.

Blogger's note: Whatever. They actually have said that in the past.

[Hal]

What's "the right answer to working it out"?

Blogger's note: Teach the kids

[sam]

It's a no win situation when discussing compensation issues with teachers - For the most part I see a lot of dedicated, teach/student first, type teachers on the front lines. Then there are those that take advantage of situations and union contracts. I suggest being a staff member in a school, is like most work places. There are those who walk the walk, and those who frankly, don't. The later are usually the loudest.

How could the HOTH not be more interesting than the previous couple of years?
We have a whole new PG battle to look forward to, a couple highly regarded rookies coming into the fold, and year 2 of the new coaching staff complete with a full training camp. Not to mention a healthy Kleiza, Andrea, and another year of growth for Davis and Demar.

[m]

Interesting to equate teaching with childcare.

Blogger's note: I would certainly hope you're not putting words in my mouth because that's wrong. And sneaky

[J]

@David:

I think there's a substantial difference between PR types calling a team "interesting" and the various lists published for public consumption. As interest itself is subjective, the opinion that one finds a certain team "interesting" is rather appropriate and difficult to disprove. I can't say whether we're in for another cellar finish or a contender for the last playoff spot, but this year will certainly be interesting (to me, at least) and one to watch.

The biggest issue with the lists published by not only ESPN but by everyone's crazy aunt and idiot kid brother as well is the nature of overly reactive fans. While the lists and rankings are opinion-based rather than fact-based, too many fans forget this distinction and treat them as the latter. Someone ranked us second last in the league after ranking us third last the previous year? Oh my, our team is going downhill and BC did a terrible job this off-season! Or, as another example, we had a terrible draft because we didn't select the "consensus" BPA at #8, even though a) mock drafts are not even subjective predictions of who the best players will be five years down the road and are instead subjective predictions of how certain teams will subjectively value certain draft prospects (notice the irony that the team is clearly wrong when it deviates from that prediction), and b) my crazy aunt and idiot kid brother both contributed to that consensus courtesy of Bleacher Reports. These lists and rankings should be discounted more so than a statement that a team is "interesting" as long as they are construed as anything more than mere opinion.

[doug]

@J I agree totally even for Brian Burke to react to Espn's list is wrong as why even give it credence or these pre-seaon rankings are just all bluster..and what Doug stated in this blog is exactly right this Raptors team is exciting or a unknown in this coming season as their are too many unknowns and anyone that thinks they have this team pegged now are dead wrong.....and I hope to god BC doesn't do the AA tour as he did with the Jays(earlier in the season) where he made himself look like a fool and put undo pressure onto himself...teams are what they are and take on their own life as the Heat proved when they were first assembled and as this years Lakers team will ..teams prove what they are not the G.M.;s vision but really having said that John Farrell has been a complete disappointment and when Pat and Buck question his every move you know there is something out of whack...last night 4 guys with lead -off doubles after the 4th in a close game one scores is just terrible managing...no direction or passion from the manager, dump him well you can AA...and hire a guy like Ryne Sandberg with a binder guy behind him, as best 2 hires last 2 years Gibson and Ventura and throw the Raptors in there with a guy like Casey they get it Farrell doesn't......there not computers but people......and why people attack opinions always confounds me to me it reflects more on them...ok cheers

[Paul]

I don't see the reason to strike - strikes should be left for situations of danger and peril - work to rule, use other means, but we're long past the times of children in mines. Time to move on and recognize that teachers are well reimbursed and will always be.

Back to the Raps, is the prevailing reason for the PR types' interest Valenciunas?

Blogger's note: As much Lowry