Following Canada’s 2-1 defeat to Switzerland on Wednesday, the team’s World Cup journey will now shift away from home soil and down to California for a Round of 32 match against South Africa.
Kick-off for that match is Sunday at noon PT from Los Angeles Stadium.
Had Canada come away with a win or draw in their final group stage match, they would have played their match at BC Place in Vancouver instead.
It’s a historic accomplishment for Canada to qualify for the knockout rounds for the first time at a men’s World Cup, but some are left wondering why Canada isn’t playing at home.
TSN analyst Kristian Jack spoke about it following the match on the OneSoccer show “For the Win,” and expressed his frustrations at FIFA for the scheduling of the tournament.
“There are three countries that are co-hosting this World Cup,” Jack said. “There’s other games that are happening in the Round of 32 that are happening in this country.”
He says that FIFA could have easily organized the bracket of the knockout round would have assured the host nation would not have needed to play away from home at this stage of the tournament.
“If you are a co-host and are having two games in the last 32, it could have easily been organized where Canada may have had to go to Toronto if it wasn’t Vancouver,” said Jack.
Mexico, which won Group A with a perfect three wins in as many matches, will play their first knockout game in their home stadium.
If Mexico had failed to top their group, they would have ended up in the same situation, playing in the United States, while also hosting a second Round of 32 match in Guadalupe.
Jack said since the schedule was announced, he has been talking about this exact scenario, and suggests it could have been easily avoided.
“We would not have to talk about these contrasting emotions of qualifying for a World Cup last 32, but not letting go of that home advantage,” he said. “You’re either a co-host or you’re not.”
Coach Jesse Marsch told reporters Thursday that travelling south of the border may eliminate some of the distractions around the World Cup for Canada, but the home field advantage will certainly be missed.
“Of course, we would have loved to stay in Vancouver, we’re not kidding anyone on there,” defender Alistair Johnston said.
Canada will now have a much smaller contingent of fans in the next round with the game being played in a neutral site.
However, tickets released Thursday morning for the match through Canada Soccer sold out in less than half an hour.
“We’re playing in LA, we’re not playing on Mars or something, you know what I mean,” Johnston said. “I’m expecting a decent chunk of Canadian fans to get there.”
As for Canada’s supporters group, the Voyageurs, it’s a disappointing outcome, but the extra travel won’t stop them from cheering on their side.
“It is what it is, we’re travelling to the U.S. and now it’s about getting organized and getting our members down there,” said Matt Serson, who is on the board of directors for the Voyageurs.
Serson says the support that the team has received has grown exponentially throughout the group stage, seeing as many as what he believed to be 15,000 people take part in the pre-match march on Wednesday.
“It seems like this team has transcended into the mainstream,” said Serson. “Playing a knockout stage game in Vancouver is a missed opportunity, it would have been unbelievable.”
BC Place will host one more group stage match Friday night between Belgium and New Zealand.
Switzerland will return to Vancouver to play in the Round of 32 on July 2, against a yet to be determined opponent, with one final match at BC Place in the Round of 16 scheduled for July 7.
If Canada advances to the Round of 16 by defeating South Africa, that match would be played in Houston, Texas, on July 4.
With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Yasmin Gandham and The Associated Press.
