Hundreds of Calgary soccer fans cheer Team Canada at watch party on Tsuut’ina Nation
Hundreds of hyped-up Calgary soccer fans gathered for a Team Canada watch party at the Tsuut’ina Seven Chiefs Sportsplex Sunday morning.
Calgary Minor Soccer Association hosted the event as Canada played Croatia in their second group stage match from Qatar at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Fans celebrated early, as 68 seconds in, Canada’s Alphonso Davies, on a magnificent header, scored Canada’s first-ever World Cup goal.
Carlo Bruneau, executive director with CMSA said that goal will go down in the history books.
“To be here in person, with 700 of our closest friends, definitely a special moment for us,” said Bruneau.
Bruneau added that with the men’s team showcasing themselves on the world stage, the game is growing exponentially year by year.
“Canada is very diverse,” he said.
“It's only a matter of time until soccer takes over as the sport of choice for all Canadians. It truly gives that see it and you can be it feeling.”
The event also hosted members from Cavalry FC.
One of them, midfielder Charlie Trafford, played three games with the national team between 2015-2017.
“It's so cool to see the soccer culture growing, the amount of people coming out the next generation of those kids coming,” said Trafford.
Charlie signed with Cavalry in the off season and he says he's excited to be able to take to the pitch with Mason.
“It's so cool to see kids in Canada jerseys. We were talking about that," Trafford said. "You didn't see that even a couple years ago, so it's a special thing to see that growing.”
Later, fans were much more subdued as Croatia equalized in the latter stages of the first half.
Then, on the brink of halftime, in the 44th minute, Croatia scored again to take a 2-1 lead.
A turning point in the match according to head coach John Herdman.
“The second goal, I thought they were a little bit lucky with that,” he said.
Canadian soccer coach John Herdman
“At 2-1, we are opening ourselves up and again. I was proud of our lads, the way they pushed, but then you're vulnerable, (to) the Croatian counter attack, which is so clinical.”
Croatia added two goals in the second half while the Canadians could not find a way back into the match.
JUBILIATION FOR CALGARY CROATS
Although disappointment for many on Tsuut’ina land, it was jubilation at Limericks Traditional public House on Macleod Trail.
There, the Calgary Croat Sports Club celebrated the Croatian comeback.
“It’s an extra bonus this year that Canada is in it, obviously we were excited for their team as well,” said Croatian fan Frano Cavar.
“It was a bit of a shame they were matched up in the same group, and obviously in a perfect world we would see both teams advance.”
For Limericks co-owner George Kaketsis, the World Cup is what makes his establishment tick.
“The pubs are soccer, and soccer is a big part of what Limericks does,” said Kaketsis.
“These big events, we try to organize it, we specialize in it and we have the capacity for it, so we definitely try to focus in on it.”
The 4-1 defeat ended Canada’s hopes of advancing in the 2022 World Cup. However in 2026, Canada will be a host nation of the world’s largest sporting event, meaning it receives an automatic invitation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6941344.1719400735!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
She's still busy at 105. What secrets and science are behind Canada's 'super agers'?
There is ongoing research to better understand the relationship between social connection and healthy aging, and why the brains of super agers look different compared with their peers.
Several U.S. military bases in Europe on heightened alert amid possible terrorist threat
Several U.S. military bases across Europe were put on a heightened state of alert over the weekend, with the level of force protection raised to its second-highest state amid concerns that a terrorist attack could target U.S. military personnel or facilities, according to two U.S. officials.
Kin, community demand accountability for fatal N.Y. police shooting of 13-year-old boy
Relatives of a 13-year-old boy who was shot and killed by police in central New York were demanding justice as members of their immigrant community from Myanmar aimed Sunday to press local officials for accountability.
Travellers watch as WestJet cancels flights with no end to mechanics strike in sight
Travellers flying with WestJet continue to watch as the airline cancels more flights due to a sudden strike by its mechanics union.
Some of Canada's wealthiest billionaires, according to Forbes
If you gathered all the wealth that billionaires currently have worldwide, you would have about US$14.2 trillion, according to Forbes Magazine. But what about in Canada alone?
Zelenskyy appeals to West to relax targeting limits for Ukraine as glide bombs hammer front line
Drone footage from Ukraine's military released Sunday has shown what appears to be bodies in a civilian area in the embattled town of Toretsk in the east of the country.
Nude beach etiquette: Lose your clothes, not your manners
Most of us have felt the freedom and delight that comes with stripping down to a swimsuit on a sunny day and wading into a cool sea, the horizon twinkling in the distance.
Female suicide bombers kill at least 18 in coordinated attack in Nigeria, authorities say
Female suicide bombers targeted a wedding, a funeral and a hospital in coordinated attacks in northern Nigeria that killed at least 18 people, local authorities said Sunday.
'Lab-grown' meat maker hosts Miami tasting party as Florida ban goes into effect
As Florida's ban on "lab-grown" meat is set to go into effect next week, one manufacturer hosted a last hurrah — at least for now — with a cultivated meat-tasting party in Miami.