All purpose ‘Going to Qatar’ thread

[An Observer]

I thought I would just bump this thread as its just passed a year since our appearance at the World Cup.  I thought I would share some reflections as it seems in some ways like yesterday and in others like a long time ago (especially after this dismal last year with everything negative going on with the national team).

The journey to qualifying started for me well before November 2022. It went all the way back to 1986 when I honestly thought that afterwards we would be qualifying every cycle and we would truly be the "kings of conacaf" for my adult life.  Clearly that was a fantasy that didn't work out.  Suffering through those 36 years of deprivation where hopes were rasied sometimes frequently and other times occassinally only to dashed on the rocks by poor play, bad management, fluke results and/or just being concafed put me in a mindset in March 2021 that while we may have a "golden generation", it likely wasn't going to lead anywhere and our dreams would be crushed again.  It was just a question of when.

So starting out with palpable fears of being put out first by Bermuda, then Suriname and finally Haiti just seemed like being reaslitic as we hadnt made it to the last round of qualifying for like... forever.  When we expectantly, but at the same time suprisingly, did, you could start to feel something stirring inside but you still knew it was going to be extinguished at some point.

But in the final round as each early window built on the previous one and we were getting results we never did before in places like Azteca and the US away, you started to believe.  For me, this stirring got into full swing after the victory over Panama at home.  Probalby in part as I was there in person and the period just before Davies scored was starting to feel like they were getting on top and our hopes were going to be dashed again.   That fantastic unbelievable goal just turned the tide and leaving the stadium afterwards, you could just feel things had changed and the whole country was starting to get behind the side.   But 36 years of pain and suffering still lingered inside.  But then there was Iceteca!  Then Hamilton!  And finally, Jamaica at BMO.  We were in.  That year long build up to qualifying had been such a ride.  Looking back, I have rarely felt so alive for a continual period.  The anticipation and trepidation between windows was magical and nerve racking just the same.  

And then the wait for six or so months until the World Cup.  I got into organising the WhatsApp group for the Canadian fans going to Qatar and then organising the unoffical meet ups before the matches.  The back and forth banter and even just the sharing of Qatar tips between fans on Whatsapp both sustained me and built inside me until it all started.  The Belgium match.  God, I have never lived and died on every touch, tackle, moment in a match in my life.  On one hand, I felt like Osorio (God, we have arrived and we are going to win this thing 😛); but on the other hand, that dread that is likely just not going to work out for us.  Which as we all know, it didnt.  Back to the 36 years of pain and suffering.  But then that opening goal against Croatia where for at least a few minutes you thought "hey, maybe we can get through" but then slowly starting to be extinguished as you could see them overrunning us in midfield.  Then 1, then 2....3...and finaly 4 goals.  And we were gone.  The next days were kinda flat...didn't help that I was sick and still suffering jet lag.  The Moroccan match was anti-climatic for me mostly with the Boran clanger which just felt like it was back to the good ole bad days of old. It still would have been nice to leave with a point if the ball off the crossbar had crossed the line.

Now 12 months on, I feel that I wouldn't have change that journey over a 1yr 1/2 for anything.  The 36 years of suffering was the precursor to that exhileration.  Without it, it would never have been the same.  I will remember it for the rest of my life.  I have regrets as I guess we all do.  The missed penalty, the "fuck Croatia" comment, that crossbar.   But mostly, I wonder if I will ever reach those heights again following Canada.  Maybe a run in 2026 will work similar magic at a home World Cup.  Maybe another generation in 10, 20 years time.  Who knows but I will always savour what the band of brotherhood did.  It changed a man who had blind mindless hope for decades into one with a modicum of expectation and perhaps misplaced belief.  I guess that sets me up for another type of journey in the future.  I hope it brings similar feelings.