I’d never coached an international men’s team, and Canada hadn’t even reached the final qualification round for a World Cup in 20 years. I can imagine some of the players were a bit taken aback. Right at the start of his reign, Herdman told the Canada players that qualification for the next World Cup was their aim Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images And, in doing so, to bring the country together in a way only football can. I told them that the next four years of work would be about becoming the first Canadian men’s team to score a goal at a World Cup and to win a World Cup game. What I’d really noticed in these conversations was that these players – especially the younger ones – would be willing to listen to what I wanted to tell them: that we will qualify for Qatar in 2022. So, during that first meeting with the team, I simply relayed back to the players what I’d heard. They wanted to create history with their results they wanted to leave a legacy by increasing the level of respect in the game for Canadian men’s football and they wanted to become heroes for the next generation. Three simple themes emerged from my chats with the players. "There had been training-session punch-ups in my first couple of camps, but these quickly became a thing of the past" One player was driving his car when he took my call, but after the first two questions he told me he had to pull over. I had conversations with more than 40 players, and I asked them all the same three questions: why they wore the shirt, what they wanted for the national team, and who they were wearing the shirt for. Tom Watkinsīefore the meeting I’d worked hard with my staff to understand the group, with anonymous surveys and individual interviews. I took a deep breath, and set about sending a very clear message. I knew they would be more than curious to find out about me given my surprise appointment.Īs I stood in front of the players, I had to put my own doubts out of my mind, with imposter syndrome inevitably setting in. When I first got the Canada head coach job in March 2018, my first meeting with the players was a big moment. That was the last – and only other – time Canada has qualified for a World Cup. It was the first World Cup I had the Panini sticker album for, so I remember the Canada team.
Gary Lineker and his wrist bandage Maradona’s hand of God everything about it, I just loved.
The 1986 World Cup was the tournament that really ignited my passion for football.