Canadian soccer’s amazing year

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/12/2021 (1704 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It has been… a year.

In all honesty, how many of us even remember January of 2021? Or February? Or, for us Manitobans, anything before the most recent lockdown was lifted in June?

June! It seems a lifetime ago, but it’s only been six months. And now, here we are again, staring down yet another COVID-19 variant — this one even more contagious than the last. Wasn’t it earlier this year — this year, right? — that many sports venues remained shuttered to fans?

Well, it’s happening again, and predictably it’s Europe — simply because of geography; few jurisdictions morally outdo their peers anymore — where the grim sense of déjà vu is arising first. Five of the weekend’s Premier League matches have been postponed, and capacity limits are already in place in the Bundesliga. No doubt more leagues, more games and more stadiums will adjust to Omicron in the coming days.

That said, 2021 saw soccer played from start to finish, and much of it was very, very good. Memorable, even. It goes without saying that the pandemic was the top story of the calendar year, but if we can somehow set it aside for just a moment we can better appreciate some of the others that made us ooh, ahh, cry and cheer.

Take Canadian soccer, for example.

This country had an incredible 12 months — it’s best ever. The men’s national team lost just two of 19 matches over the duration of it and advanced to the semi-final round of the summer’s Gold Cup. Impressively, they also went unbeaten in the final round of World Cup qualifying and finished the year with an unforgettable win over Mexico in Edmonton.

Then there were the Canadian women.

Rank outsiders at the start of the Olympics in Tokyo, they put on a defensive masterclass in Japan en route to a historic Gold Medal. Goalkeeper Steph Labbe was heroic in shoot-out wins over Brazil and Sweden, and Jessie Fleming scored crucial penalties against Sweden and the United States.

At club level, Chelsea’s Fleming was recently named Women’s Super League Player of the Month for November, Ashley Lawrence helped Paris Saint-Germaine to a first French title and was also named a Champions League all-star, and Gold Medal-winning penalty-taker Julia Grosso sealed a high-profile move to Juventus.

On the men’s side, Cyle Larin’s goals propelled Besiktas to a Turkish league and cup double, Jonathan David found the back of the net with regularity as Lille won an unlikely title, and Alphonso Davies continued to establish himself as a world-class left-back with Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich.

The Canadian Premier League crowned a new champion when Pacific FC defeated holders Forge FC, although Forge flew the flag through four rounds of the CONCACAF League, eventually going out on away goals to Montagua of Honduras. But the CPL put on a compelling show down the stretch as three teams sparred over the final play-off spot — York United eventually pipping Winnipeg’s Valour and HFX Wanderers by a single point.

Globally, it was surely Lionel Messi who made the most headlines.

The undisputed G.O.A.T finally lifted that elusive international trophy when Argentina beat Brazil in July’s final of the Copa America. A few weeks later, however, his joy turned to mourning as he was forced to leave Barcelona after 18 years. Last month, to conclude the emotional rollercoaster, he was awarded a record seventh Ballon d’Or.

In Europe, Italy triumphed in the postponed EURO 2020 tournament, breaking English hearts with a penalty shoot-out win over the Three Lions in the Wembley final. But it was a Group Stage match in Copenhagen that brought the world to a standstill.

In the 43rd minute at Parken Stadium, Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field after suffering cardiac arrest. Team captain Simon Kjaer quickly called for medical help and then kept by his teammate’s side, ensuring he remained unobstructed while receiving treatment. Kjaer received the UEFA President’s Award for his actions, and in early December Eriksen resumed training at childhood club Odense.

The Euros, and the Gold Cup, Copa America and Olympic Games that followed later in the summer, looked to herald a hopeful period as soccer, and all team sports, resumed close-to-normal operations in the autumn.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

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If it already seems so long ago it’s because the pandemic has caused time to stall, to play tricks on us, to have us question what normal even is as it jolts us from one sense of reality to the next.

And the reality, as 2021 comes to a close, is that we don’t know what happens next. Which is why it’s important to put to paper the things that did happen while everything stopped. It might be the only way, in a linear sense, that we can plot out the things worth remembering from the past 12 months.

And there have been a lot of them. Although, it has been… a year.

jerradpeters@gmail.com

Twitter @JerradPeters