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Island soccer pundits say building blocks in place for 2026 World Cup

Canada exits World Cup after third loss.
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Morocco's Sofyan Amrabat, left, and Canada's Alphonso Davies challenge for the ball during the World Cup Group F soccer match at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

This one was for the home-province World Cup in 2026, say Island soccer pundits.

There was only marginal official gain from Canada’s last World Cup appearance 36 years ago. The line in the table remained the same — 0-3 and minus-5 in goal differential — as Canada learned there is CONCACAF good and then there is World Cup good and they are two different things.

But there were two goals this time as opposed to none in 1986 and it can be said Canada “won” three of the six halves it played in terms of flow of game to at least provide the foundational building blocks to playing 2026 World Cup games at B.C. Place and BMO Field in Toronto as ­co-host with the U.S. and Mexico.

“We are going to be fine,” said George Pakos of Victoria, whose two key goals in the final round of qualifying propelled Canadian into the 1986 World Cup.

“Most of our main players now are in their 20s and I believe we are on the right path to 2026 and getting stronger. We’ll be in the next few World Cups.”

Jamie Lowery, another Island player from the 1986 World Cup team, concurred but with caveats.

“It was a good second half for Canada, but did Morocco let us play because they had the lead? I’m optimistic for 2026 that our outside backs are good enough, but our central defence needs help and needs to be looked at over the next 3 ½ years and so too our goalkeeping after Milan Borjan,” said Lowery, from Qatar, where he watched Canada play.

Morocco has 15 players from the top-five leagues in the world and Canada only Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David.

“We need more players in Europe in the Bundesliga and EPL because that’s the only way to get the competitive edge at this level,” said Lowery.

But they have to start their pro careers somewhere, which is where the Canadian Premier League leading to MLS leading to Europe ladder will come into play.

“I believe [former PFC defender] Lukas MacNaughton and Joel Waterman will be in there for 2026 and they are both CPL products,” said Pakos.

“That’s the development and process part. Then we may also discover the next prodigies like Davies and David who are good enough straight to Europe.”

PFC head coach James ­Merriman concurred about first-stage pro starter role the CPL can play: “To have three CPL products [MacNaughton, Waterman, James Pantemis] on the 26-player Canadian World Cup roster in Qatar shows the CPL can help grow the game across the country.”

Amid the disappointment of going three and out, Vancouver Island Soccer League executive-director Vince Greco brought it into perspective and back to where Canada was on the eve of CONCACAF qualifying in 2020 — ranked 73rd in the world and only seventh in CONCACAF: “Before the process began to qualify for this World Cup, the gap was larger and we were a lot further behind. We have closed the gap over the last few years.”

It’s been an adventure for sure just getting to be part of the 2022 World Cup story, and the intangible ripples from that, might be the most valuable.

“It’s those kids in the schools that’ll keep believing Canada is a football country because they’ve seen [the country in World Cup 2022],” Canadian coach John Herdman said in a statement.

“They know we’re a football country. We’re there.”

cdheensaw@timescolonist.com