Canada gets its moment of glory

Alistair Johnston said it would be a track meet. It was that, and then some.

Canada’s round-of-32 showdown with South Africa had enough running, hurdling and feats of strength to exhaust observers, nevermind the players, and its only goal cut through more than 90 minutes of tension like a javelin thrown to the winning position.

To the neutral, it was likely hard to watch. For fans of the teams involved, everything was happening all at once, on turbocharge. It was not the sort of game you’d easily stomach losing.

Thankfully for Canada, Stephen Eustáquio’s decisive delivery in the second minute of second-half stoppage time remedied the nausea just as it was setting in.

The men’s national team will now have six days off, and the entire country will need every bit of that time to recover from Sunday, intake the necessary fluids and then get ready for Saturday. Next up is a round-of-16 match against either Morocco or the Netherlands, but that’s for then.

For now, Canada can rightfully bask in its moment of glory — a moment the entire world happened to see.

There were no other winners on Sunday; no World Cup matches before, during or after. Canada-South Africa was the only game in town.

For one day, or at least a few hours, you had to scroll down the screen or flip a few pages to read about Messi’s heroics, Ronaldo’s frustrations, France’s dominance and England’s wobbles. There was just the one spotlight, the one stage. And, if we’re honest, the one moment of brilliance.

Canada can rightfully bask in its moment of glory… a moment the entire world happened to see.

As a purely footballing spectacle, the match barely deserved the goal Eustáquio gave it. Johnston’s earlier prediction was spot on. This was an event that would require a range of athletic tools, and the team that ran faster and further, jumped higher and longer, and outmuscled and outlasted the other would prevail.

Basically, it was exactly the sort of match the Canadian men are made to play.

This is a talented group, but it’s also one that tends to do well when it knows it’s in for a fight. It knew what was coming on Sunday, and it fought off South Africa, fought off its own offensive struggles and fought off the disrespectful scenario of having to relocate from Vancouver to L.A.

To the latter issue, Canada will now move on to Houston. Pull the upset there, and Boston would be the next destination on a sudden summer road-trip throughout the United States.

Canada, remember, is a World Cup co-host. It’s also the first co-host or host to play outside its borders. And make no mistake, the team is quite aware of the disrespect it’s been shown.

And yet, you get the feeling it’s exactly where it wants to be.

Canada’s first objective at the 2026 World Cup was to advance from its group. Its second was to win a knockout match. Its third… well, there was never a third, really. From here it’s all gravy.

The Canadian men are accustomed to hearing the doubters. Bring it on. They play better when the naysayers are loudest. They’re used to putting up with suboptimal conditions. Fine — do your worst. They’ll face you anytime, anywhere. Think the team has a chip on its shoulder? And how. It’ll turn up even stronger when the shards start digging into the skin.

In the post-match huddle at SoFi Stadium, head coach Jesse Marsch told his players they were “Canadian heroes.” Listen past the hyperbole and you’ll get the gist of his compliment: this team “is Canadian.”

It’s tough. It doesn’t shy away. It makes use of what it has and doesn’t apologize for what it lacks. It does things together. It’s emotional when it needs to be. No apologies for that, either.

And it doesn’t get ahead of itself.

The team brought out the flag after beating South Africa. It had won an objectively unsightly match — less a beautiful game then, well, a track meet — but celebrated like it had done something special.

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Didn’t it?

Canada’s first objective at the 2026 World Cup was to advance from its group. Its second was to win a knockout match. Its third — well, there was never a third, really. From here it’s all gravy.

That’s not to say the team won’t expect to do well against Morocco or the Netherlands, or that an upset is an impossibility. And hey, if the dream scenario plays out, they’ll fly the flag again. Because Canada would still be there.

Right now, it’s still here.

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