MIAMI, Florida.- The question of whether Canada’s golden generation has arrived remains an open issue for some. In sports, a golden generation is considered to be a gifted group of players of similar age, whose accomplishments reach or are expected to reach a level of success beyond that which their team had previously achieved. This Canada team has already advanced to the final group of World Cup Qualifying in Concacaf for the first time in this century.
One of the brightest stars on the Canada roster for both club and country, Alphonso Davies, also became the first Canadian male international in 2020 to win the UEFA Champions League with Bayern Munich. The 20-year-old defender has nine goals in 20 appearances with the Canadians. These indications of ability and leadership make coach John Herdman’s group special, but as with any phenomenon, there is a time limit involved in terms of effectiveness. Canada understand that they must seize every opportunity to seek out silverware.
Herdman spoke approvingly of how willing the members of the Canadian team were to submit themselves to the selection process for the 2021 Concaccaf Gold Cup. A dozen players in the squad have previous Gold Cup experience, while others are eager for the opportunity to prove themselves.
“Fourteen of these players have gotten 10 or less caps,” said Herdman in a recent media call. “All of these moments, whether it's playing against Martinique or the U.S. in game three (of Gold Cup Group B play), it'll be just a great learning experience for them, but at the same time, there'll be an internal drive to continue this winning streak and to keep the momentum going.”
Canada currently has a six-game winning streak in 2021 and is unbeaten against Concacaf competition since 2019. There’s no doubt that Canada is bringing one of its strongest rosters ever to this tournament. It’s thus unlikely that fellow regional rivals will be taking Canada lightly in the Gold Cup.
“Each game will provide a completely different challenge,” Herdman stated. “On paper in areas of the field, we are stronger than other teams in Concacaf and in some areas they're stronger than us.”
With the talent at Herdman’s disposal, the execution of the team’s tactics becomes paramount.
“Our job is just to keep staying humble, to keep working hard behind the scenes, for the players to keep looking at the process and the journey, not the outcomes,” Herdman explained. “If we can stay that focused, we can take this team to even higher places.”
