Canada's World Cup Win: More Than Just Memes

Some corners of the internet were determined that Canada’s totemic and traumatic 6-0 World Cup victory on Thursday would be remembered mostly through Jesse Marsch memes.

The American’s handsy sideline shuffle after Jonathan David rifled the first goal of a hat-trick past Qatar duly racked up social media views by the million. Shots of Marsch holding up six fingers to Canada fans at the end of the match were chopped and put side by side with Michael Jordan in identical pose after winning his sixth NBA title with the Chicago Bulls.

The man himself was adamant it would be remembered for what it was: a moment in time and a moment for all times, including the dark ones after Ismaël Koné’s World Cup was ended with a broken leg. Koné’s horrifying injury came almost halfway through an afternoon that saw records fall like confetti through the Vancouver air.

“To create an identity for what Canadian soccer could be, you can say and do all the right things, but you need moments like today, where everybody remembers what happened,” Marsch said after the victory, the Canada men’s first in this tournament, the biggest ever by a Concacaf nation and the joint-largest by any World Cup host.

“No Canadian will forget this day. There’ll be 40 million people that said they were here. It’s an incredibly seminal moment for everyone to understand that there’s talent in this country, that there’s mentality, desire, a lot of things that make this country special, even though it’s a hockey country. I’m very proud that we’ve accomplished a moment everybody can remember.”

The truth of the matter is there was too much to remember. Six goals, two reds, a broken limb, the Canadian hearts that shattered with it, touchline confrontations after the Koné incident and at full-time which came awfully close to boiling over, another atmosphere to redefine what this sport looks like in a hockey country and the prime minister, Mark Carney, in the dressing room saluting Canadian character. As a script, it would have been sent back for trimming. Koné’s social handle is Hollywood.IK and when something like Nathan Saliba coming on to replace him, rapidly scoring a free-kick and holding up Koné’s jersey happens, the username feels a little too on the nose.

An emotional overload of an afternoon left Canadian players filing through the mixed zone, processing the last few hours in real time. On Friday they can properly kick back and reflect at a team barbecue in Vancouver.

Where does it all leave them? The simplest answer is atop Group B with destiny very much in their hands. But there’s more to it. Thursday left Les Rouges with a huge hole in the heart of their lineup and some intriguing options to fill the void. It also left them with so many positives that the crushing nature of the negative may fade faster than one would expect.

It’s important to recall they faced an awful Qatar side, who were limited with 11 men and lamentable when they were reduced to nine. Nonetheless, Canada’s attack finally clicked and turned clinical in a hurry – Cyle Larin and David savouring their greatest day together. Moïse Bombito, mere weeks after reports ruled him out of this World Cup, instead made his tournament debut with 45 minutes off the bench.

When Canadian players broke out of their post-match huddle – Bombito led that outpouring – they embarked on their lap of celebration. Alphonso Davies, however, did not. The captain instead went for pitch-length runs. He’d been declared available for Thursday but wasn’t needed. He will be eventually though and his sprints suggested he’s not far away. Canada are growing into the tournament and, even with the loss of Koné, getting stronger.

Saliba, who has flourished in his first season in Europe at Anderlecht, will take Koné’s spot in the middle, alongside Stephen Eustáquio. But he doesn’t have the invention and dynamism of his close friend. “I don’t think we have another player like Ismaël. He’s a bit of an X factor for us,” Marsch admitted after the game. “We’re going to miss him. We can use different guys in different ways.”

That’s where Davies comes in. While he clearly won’t occupy a central role when he returns, his creativity off the left – even from full-back – can pick up some of what Koné left behind.

After rest and well-cooked meats by the Pacific Ocean, Canada will get back to it next Wednesday against Switzerland, coming off their own fine win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. That could be a crucial match. The winner of the group play their last-32 match a whopping four days after the runner-up and stay in Vancouver to do so. An enormous advantage.

In brief moments around BC Place on Thursday it felt as if 40 million people were in the stadium; the Canada fan march to the ground was bigger and louder than it was in Toronto. This country simply loves a sporting bandwagon. Baseball’s Blue Jays and basketball’s Raptors will testify to that. This is Canada’s national team rising up on a global stage with cinematic twists.

In putting himself out front and centre Marsch has, arguably, given his players the room to feel their way into the roles, before meeting the moment. Out there in the rest of the world, some may already be tiring of Marsch’s excesses but Canada is revelling in his leadership. Thursday was both catharsis and crisis and Marsch led the country through both and left windmilling his arms for more.

The memes aren’t done. In spite of Koné’s loss, Canada are far from it too.