{"id":517047,"date":"2022-11-11T19:25:18","date_gmt":"2022-11-11T16:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/"},"modified":"2022-11-11T19:25:18","modified_gmt":"2022-11-11T16:25:18","slug":"world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/","title":{"rendered":"#World Cup 2022: Canada&#8217;s cheering section"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2310a00c754\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2310a00c754\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/#%E2%80%9CWorld_Cup_2022_Canadas_cheering_section%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;World Cup 2022: Canada&#8217;s cheering section&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/#Amadou_Mbaye_40\" >Amadou Mbaye, 40\u00a0<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/#Translator\" >Translator<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/#Team_Senegal\" >Team: Senegal\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/#Christian_Parlee_42\" >Christian Parlee, 42<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/#Child_and_youth_worker\" >Child and youth worker<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/#Team_Germany\" >Team: Germany\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/#Nada_Benhachim_30\" >Nada Benhachim, 30<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/#Teacher\" >Teacher<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/#Team_Morocco\" >Team: Morocco\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/#Kristina_Boros_38\" >Kristina Boros, 38<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/#IT_consultant\" >IT consultant<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/#Team_Croatia\" >Team: Croatia<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/#Emil_Cohen_29\" >Emil Cohen, 29<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/#Android_developer\" >Android developer<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/#Team_England\" >Team: England\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWorld_Cup_2022_Canadas_cheering_section%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;World Cup 2022: Canada&#8217;s cheering section&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<div class=\"longform-fwimg-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/macleans-cheering-superfans-soccer-e1667939581277.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shot at The Duke of Kent at Yonge and Eglinton in Toronto. (Photography by Daniel Ehrenworth) <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Amadou_Mbaye_40\"><\/span>Amadou Mbaye, 40<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Translator\"><\/span><em>Translator<\/em><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"p3\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Team_Senegal\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\"><b>Team:<\/b><\/span><b> Senegal<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">I was born in Diourbel, Senegal, a small town two hours east of Dakar. Senegal is a soccer-obsessed country, so the sport has always been a big part of my life. My father, Abdoulaye, was an executive with the Senegalese Football Federation, which ran the regional league in our area. I\u2019d play soccer in the streets with my brothers and friends every single day. In the summer, we\u2019d play until the street lights turned on at sunset. That was our cue to head home.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">I vividly remember my first World Cup: Italy 1990. My favourite players were creative and audacious with the ball, like Romania\u2019s Marius L\u0103c\u0103tu\u0219 and England\u2019s David Platt. I was ecstatic when Senegal qualified for its first World Cup in 2002. It\u2019s a relatively small country, but we did exceptionally well. We made it to the quarterfinals and beat France, the defending champions.<br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">Shortly after that, I moved to Montreal, which has a sizable Senegalese community. I played a lot of pick-up soccer at the local fields while I attended the University of Montreal. In 2011, I moved to Toronto and started working as a French translator. I organized pick-up <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>s and created my own team, the Lions de la T\u00e9ranga, which is the nickname of the Senegal national soccer team. Now, I play at least four times a week all over Toronto, no matter the season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>As for the real Lions team, I\u2019m excited to see how they do in this World Cup. They\u2019re the current African champions, and the team is filled with elite players like Sadio Man\u00e9, Kalidou Koulibaly and \u00c9douard Mendy, who is arguably the best goalkeeper in the world. I think they might emulate the success of the 2002 team. Senegal will always be number one, but I\u2019ll also be supporting Canada. This country has given me so much. Back in Senegal, people don\u2019t know much about the state of the Canadian game, but I\u2019ve been following their young and talented team. It was only a matter of time before they sealed a World Cup spot.<\/p>\n<p>Over the years, I\u2019ve seen the game\u2019s popularity rise, especially among Canadian girls. To play hockey, you need skates, a stick and, of course, the ice. For basketball, you need a hoop. But you can play soccer in bare feet, and you don\u2019t even necessarily need a ball\u2014you can just use bunched-up rags or a bottle. Soccer just brings people together; it\u2019s how I met many of my closest friends here. I\u2019m going to host many of them\u2014some Senegalese\u2014to watch the Cup on TV. Hopefully, we\u2019ll recreate some of the excitement from back home.<\/p>\n<div class=\"longform-fwimg-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/macleans-superfans-cheering-world-cup-e1667939692507.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shot at The Rhino at Queen and Dufferin in Toronto. (Photography by Daniel Ehrenworth) <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Christian_Parlee_42\"><\/span>Christian Parlee, 42<br \/><i\/><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Child_and_youth_worker\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\"><i>Child and youth worker<\/i><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Team_Germany\"><\/span><span class=\"s2\"><b>Team:<\/b><\/span><b> Germany<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p4\">My Opa got me a soccer ball for my first birthday. It was an Adidas model that would have been made in either France or West Germany. The first World Cup I remember watching was in 1990: there was a keg of beer (for older family members) and sausages were being dried in the back. Everyone was chain-smoking. It could not have been more stereotypically German. Germany beat Argentina, and it still sends shivers down my spine. Soccer is a live-and-breathe type of situation for me\u2014anybody who knows me will tell you that.<\/p>\n<p>The kids I played soccer with were either Italian, Irish, Portuguese or Dutch, and they all supported their teams back home. It didn\u2019t dawn on me that Canada even had a team until I was in my teens, so when Toronto got one, I was excited. I\u2019ve been a TFC season ticket holder since 2007. Now that Canada has Major League Soccer clubs to develop domestic talent we aren\u2019t losing all our young players to Europe. That said, I still support SV Werder Bremen. I was born and raised in Stratford, Ontario, but I grew up in a household of German immigrants, speaking fluent German and celebrating German holidays, so that\u2019s the club I cheer for.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve been collecting jerseys dating back to the \u201970s for more than 20 years\u2014game-worn and otherwise. Seven years ago, I bought one I didn\u2019t recognize, so I started doing research. There was a short-lived Canadian league called the CSL, the Canadian Soccer League, that existed from 1987 to 1992 and came about after we first qualified for the World Cup. Was it like a Premier League or La Liga? No, but it was ours.<\/p>\n<p>In the process of figuring out which numbers each teammate wore, I was put in touch with some ex-CSL players. It\u2019s a very Canadian story; they\u2019re all super modest. James Lowery\u2014who played in the World Cup, is driving a bus in Victoria. Nick Gilbert won the Golden Boot in 1987, when the Calgary Kickers won the league\u2014he\u2019s now a postman. I realized I needed to start documenting my findings, so I launched a website called <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.csl1987.ca\/\">CSL Memories<\/a>. A lot of contributors are ex-players themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Any Canadian that\u2019s been watching our team play for five or more years will tell you how difficult it\u2019s been\u2014so much heartbreak. I am cautiously optimistic this time. We have no experience in such a large tournament, but that could also make us fearless. Honestly, any game that\u2019s not a huge loss will feel like a win. I work in a hospital now, so I can\u2019t take time off in December, but I\u2019ll trade shifts\u2014whatever I have to do. I\u2019ll either alternate between wearing my 1986 Canada national team home and away jerseys, or I\u2019ll sport my 1980\u201381 under-20 Canada national team away jersey, which is as old as me. Germany will be fine without me, Canada needs me now.<\/p>\n<div class=\"longform-fwimg-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/macleans-superfans-cheering-soccer-world-cup-e1667939657693.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shot at Real Sports at York and Bremner in Toronto. (Photography by Daniel Ehrenworth) <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Nada_Benhachim_30\"><\/span>Nada Benhachim, 30<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Teacher\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\"><i>Teacher<\/i><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Team_Morocco\"><\/span><span class=\"s2\"><b>Team:<\/b><\/span><b> Morocco<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p4\">I met my husband, Mehdi, when we were both in our early 20s and living in Casablanca, our hometown. Soccer has always been Mehdi\u2019s passion: he started kicking a ball when he was three years old, played as a striker for youth clubs and dreamt of going pro. His idol was Salaheddine Bassir, the Moroccan star striker who scored two of the goals in Morocco\u2019s famous 3-0 win over Scotland at the 1998 World Cup. As for me, I was constantly surrounded by soccer growing up, but never interested in it. In Morocco, soccer is traditionally something that\u2019s meant for men. Mehdi got me curious about why it was such a big deal, and he taught me the intricacies of the sport: the tactics, the formations, the one-on-one battles between different players.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\">We moved to Toronto in 2013 and got married two years later. In 2016, Mehdi and I went to a bar to watch the European Championship final between France and Portugal. I fell in love with the atmosphere: everyone was cheering together and there was a wonderful energy in the air. I realized that soccer creates a reason to be joyful. I love bringing our kids\u2014Melina, who\u2019s two, and Yiannis, who\u2019s one\u2014to watch their dad play competitive pick-up games on Sunday mornings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\">Mehdi and I are both feeling positive about Morocco\u2019s prospects in this World Cup. The national team just hired a new coach. That\u2019s usually not a good sign so soon before a Cup, but he\u2019s a former player, so hopefully he\u2019ll inject some vitality into the team. It\u2019s also exciting to see how the perception of soccer is changing in Morocco. Our national women\u2019s team just qualified for their first World Cup, which will be held in 2023. It was incredible to see the women in my family cheer for them and watch their games. That wouldn\u2019t have h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ened 20 years ago.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\">We\u2019re a bit torn on who to support in Morocco\u2019s final group game. They\u2019ll be facing Canada, our home for the past nine years. I won\u2019t be sad if Canada wins. It is the birthplace of our children, after all. We\u2019re already making plans to watch the game with a big group of our Moroccan friends in Toronto. We\u2019ll all be wearing our red-and-green Moroccan jerseys, and some of us are bringing flags as well. Whoever wins, we will definitely celebrate in the streets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\">Even in Canada, more and more people are discovering that soccer is the beautiful game. Our kids are too young to really watch the World Cup this year, but I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll both be playing and watching in 2026, when Canada co-hosts. I especially hope that Melina has a different relationship to soccer than I did when I was a kid. She\u2019s got a few jerseys already.<\/p>\n<div class=\"longform-fwimg-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/world-cup-fans-cheering-super-fans-e1667939731681.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shot at The Bottom Line at Yonge and Front in Toronto. (Photography by Daniel Ehrenworth) <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Kristina_Boros_38\"><\/span>Kristina Boros, 38<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"IT_consultant\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\"><i>IT consultant<\/i><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Team_Croatia\"><\/span><span class=\"s2\"><b>Team: <\/b><\/span><b>Croatia<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p4\">I\u2019m a bad employee at precisely two times: during the World Cup and during the Euro Cup. In 2014, when I was living in Ottawa, I left in the middle of a shift at American Apparel to watch a semifinal match between Brazil and Germany. I was fired shortly after that.<\/p>\n<p>My dad\u2019s from Croatia, so the sport is political for us. Our national team was readmitted to FIFA in 1992, during the Croatian War of Independence. When I was eight or nine, my dad would take my sister and I to anti-war rallies at Hamilton City Hall. The other time the Croatian community would come together was for games. We\u2019d watch them at a Croatian restaurant in Stoney Creek called Checkers, and it would be packed with people. I have distinct memories of being surrounded by older men screaming, \u201cCORNER!\u201d I don\u2019t think anyone even noticed my sister and I were there. The Croatian War ended in 1995, and the following year, we qualified for the 1998 World Cup. We celebrated independence with every game\u2014especially the wins.<\/p>\n<p>When I lived in Vancouver during the 2018 World Cup, I would go to the Croatian Cultural Centre to watch games with my relatives. Hundreds of people were there, rejoicing and passing drinks around. Traditional music played over the speakers at first, but people brought instruments for the finals\u2014small guitars, accordions, even a stand-up bass. There\u2019s a Croatian club in Hamilton, too, but this time around\u2014because of the pandemic\u2014my family and I have been watching qualifiers at home. I took my TV off the wall and set it up in my backyard so we could watch the action outside. For the Canada-Jamaica match, I went to my parents\u2019 house with my sister. My dad was so excited. We were all jumping around and screaming. I couldn\u2019t believe it when Canada won. I\u2019d never seen it in my lifetime\u2014being two doesn\u2019t count.<\/p>\n<p>Croatia and Canada are competing in the same group, which is kind of disappointing. Having two groups to follow would make the tournament much more exciting. Still, I\u2019m cheering for Canada. It\u2019s not hard, being Canadian. Plus, there\u2019s a very good chance they\u2019ll lose. I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll get to see them in the World Cup again, so I have to root for them while I can. If Canada was going to present a real challenge, I think I\u2019d feel torn.<\/p>\n<p>The World Cup airs during the NHL and NBA seasons. I wonder if cities will have viewing parties, like Toronto does in Jurassic Park for the Raptors. I\u2019d really love to experience soccer the way we do hockey: by going to a bar with a group of people, with everyone rooting for Canada. That\u2019s a huge part of the sport for me\u2014cheering alongside other fans. Thankfully, my boss is doing their best to accommodate game days.<\/p>\n<div class=\"longform-fwimg-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/macleans-superfans-cheering-canada-world-cup-e1667939624214.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shot at The Queen &amp; Beaver at Bay and Elm in Toronto. (Photography by Daniel Ehrenworth) <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Emil_Cohen_29\"><\/span><span class=\"s1\">Emil Cohen, 29 <\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Android_developer\"><\/span><i>Android developer<\/i><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Team_England\"><\/span><span class=\"s2\"><b>Team: <\/b><\/span><b>England<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p3\">I watched my first World Cup in 1998, when I was six. It\u2019s tradition to root for your parents\u2019 teams in European households, so I quickly became a fan of Team England. (My dad grew up near Leeds.) Besides, at that point, Canada hadn\u2019t qualified for a World Cup in more than a decade. After the Cup, I started playing a lot of soccer, mostly as a centre-midfielder. By the age of 10, I was <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>ling 45 minutes to play in Vaughan. I wanted to go pro, but soccer wasn\u2019t as popular in Canada back then\u2014not like it is now. There was no Canadian Premier League and no MLS teams.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t play competitively anymore, but I\u2019m still a huge fan. I\u2019m a Toronto FC season ticket holder, and I\u2019ve travelled to all seven of Team Canada\u2019s home qualifying matches for this World Cup. One highlight was flying to Edmonton with my girlfriend last November to see them play Mexico and Costa Rica in frigid weather. We stayed at the Westin Edmonton\u2014the same hotel as all the players. The Canadians had all played in that weather before, but the other team wanted no part of it. They stepped onto the freezing-cold pitch at the very last minute, and never stood still.<\/p>\n<p>My current favourite player is Jonathan Osorio\u2014he\u2019s played for Toronto FC since 2012\u2014but, obviously, Alphonso Davies is sensational. It\u2019s incredible to see a Canadian play like he does. We\u2019ll definitely be an underdog at the World Cup, but our secret weapon is cohesion.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s funny to come into this tournament not rooting for England first. I\u2019ve been a fan of Leeds United, just like my dad, since I was young. They were so bad in the previous decade that they were demoted from England\u2019s Premier League to its third tier, League One. Even still, in 2012, I got a tattoo of their logo on my left bicep. Fandom is about loyalty.<\/p>\n<p>People have asked whether I\u2019ll struggle to cheer for Canada this time, but the answer is no. I was born and raised here, and always wished I had the kind of chance to root for my country that I do now. I hope the game is projected up on the big screen in downtown Toronto. I\u2019d go down there and watch with my girlfriend, my brother and, of course, my dad. He might have a tough time splitting allegiances if Canada and England meet in the semis, but I still think he\u2019ll side with Canada. Traditions change sometimes.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>This article appears in print in the November 2022 issue of<\/em> Maclean\u2019s <em>magazine. Buy the issue for <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"c-link\" tabindex=\"-1\" href=\"https:\/\/canadianmags.ca\/products\/macleans-november-2022\" data-stringify-link=\"http:\/\/canadianmags.ca\/products\/copy-of-macleans-single-issue\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\" data-remove-tab-index=\"true\">$8.99<\/a>\u00a0or better yet, subscribe to the monthly print magazine for just\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/secure.macleans.ca\/loc\/MME\/head_subscribe\">$29.99<\/a><\/em>.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1241161 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Cover_November_DRE-e1665665188991.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"819\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/longforms\/world-cup-2022-canadas-cheering-section\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;World Cup 2022: Canada&#8217;s cheering section&#8221; Shot at The Duke of Kent at Yonge and Eglinton in Toronto. (Photography by Daniel Ehrenworth) Amadou Mbaye, 40\u00a0 Translator Team: Senegal\u00a0 I was born in Diourbel, Senegal, a small town two hours east of Dakar. Senegal is a soccer-obsessed country, so the sport has always been a big&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":517048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/macleans-superfans-cheering-soccer-world-cup-e1667939657693-766x431.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[134239,73900],"class_list":["post-517047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-fifa-world-cup","tag-soccer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=517047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/517048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=517047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=517047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=517047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}