Over a decade
\u200bago, Doneil Henry made his professional debut with his hometown club Toronto FC
\u200bin Canada Soccer’s Canadian Championship at BMO Field in Toronto. Still only 17
\u200bat the time, Henry was one of the trailblazers for homegrown talent at the
\u200btime, in fact his club’s first-ever MLS Homegrown signing in August 2010. The
\u200bBrampton centre back had gone from playing his youth career across the Greater
\u200bToronto Area to TFC Academy and all the way to the lineup with the big club
\u200bToronto FC.
He may not
\u200bhave known it at the time, but Henry was unwittingly opening the door to the
\u200bgeneration of talent that would come after him at the professional level in
\u200bCanada. From Toronto, Henry continued his career in Cyprus, England, back in
\u200bCanada (Vancouver and Ottawa), and now in Korea Republic as the first Canadian
\u200bplayer in the K-League with the Suwon Bluewings. With Canada Soccer’s Men’s
\u200bNational Team, Henry returns to his “first home, first love” to play in FIFA
\u200bWorld Cup Qualifiers this week at BMO Field in Toronto.
Canada’s
\u200bmatches throughout the Concacaf Final Round of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers are
\u200bbroadcast live on OneSoccer and Sportsnet. After back-to-back draws against
\u200bHonduras and USA, Canada face El Salvador on Wednesday 8 September at 19.30
\u200blocal / 19.30 ET / 16.30 PT. Fans will find extended coverage across Canada
\u200bSoccer’s digital channels on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube featuring
\u200bthe hashtags #CANMNT and #CANWNT.
Henry is one of 16 players in the Canada lineup who grew up in Ontario, including Atiba Hutchinson (Brampton), Steven Vitória (Sudbury), Milan Borjan (Hamilton), Junior Hoilett (Brampton), Jonathan Osorio (Brampton), and Lucas Cavallini (Mississauga). In the opening match of the Concacaf Final Round on 2 September at BMO Field, younger players Tajon Buchanan (Brampton), Stephen Eustáquio (Leamington), Alistair Johnston (Aurora) and Scott Kennedy (Calgary, Alberta) all got to play their first international match at home in Canada.
“We’re a
\u200bconfident group and not that in we’re going in there expecting the three
\u200bpoints, but we do know what it takes,” said Henry when speaking to the pressure
\u200bof a home game in front of a sold-out crowd at BMO Field. “Every game is
\u200bpressure and we know the importance of performing, especially at home.”
Much of this
\u200bconfidence stems from the depth of talent head coach John Herdman has at his
\u200bdisposal. With an unprecedented three FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in seven days,
\u200bthis depth will prove critical, something Henry sees as a bit of a challenge,
\u200bnot for the players, but for Herdman.
“With 23 guys
\u200bready to surrender their jersey anytime they step on the pitch the hardest job
\u200bis for the manager (Herdman) when you have three games in a week,” said Henry.
Henry’s
\u200bcomments point out a good conundrum for Canadian management in who they start
\u200band who they have ready as finishers. Regardless of that challenge, Henry
\u200bcommends Herdman, saying that, “he has everyone under a certain belief. This
\u200bCanada team is whole and we are one.”
With 14
\u200bmatches in the Concacaf Final Round from September 2021 to March 2022, Canada
\u200bare approaching each match with a “one match at a time” mentality. Unbeaten
\u200bwith two points from their first two matches, Henry described his team’s mood
\u200bas “satisfied so far [but will be] satisfied with nothing less than a win” on Wednesday
\u200bagainst El Salvador.
Henry aptly
\u200bpointed out that it “comes down to who wants it more in these international
\u200bgames” which is something the feistiness of the Honduras matchup and the
\u200bcaginess of the USA showdown proved. Canadians in attendance and watching on TV
\u200bcan feel confident that Henry’s homecoming will see him and the generation he
\u200bled give everything to make friends, family, and fans proud.
Story by
\u200bCasey Dobson
CANADA
\u200bSOCCER’S MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM PROGRAM
Canada has
\u200bbuilt plenty of momentum in a landmark year for the Men’s National Team Program
\u200bthat will feature a record 19 international matches including FIFA World Cup
\u200bQualifiers and the Concacaf Gold Cup. Canada have already played 13 of those 19
\u200bmatches, posting a record of 9-2-2 with six clean sheets and a record 44 goals
\u200bscored. Earlier this year, Canada set a record with eight consecutive wins and
\u200breached the Concacaf Gold Cup Semifinals for the first time since 2007.
Canada will
\u200bplay eight of their 14 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in the Concacaf Final Round
\u200bfrom September through November 2021: three matches in September, three matches
\u200bin October, and two matches in November). In 2022, Canada will play three more
\u200bmatches in January/February and three more matches in March. Along with Honduras,
\u200bUSA and El Salvador, Canada’s other opponents in the Concacaf Final Round are
\u200bCosta Rica, Jamaica, Mexico and Panama.
To reach the
\u200bConcacaf Final Round, Canada won their First Round group against Aruba,
\u200bBermuda, Cayman Islands and Suriname, then eliminated Haiti in a head-to-head
\u200bSecond Round series. This marks the first time since 1997 that Canada have
\u200breached the Concacaf Final Round of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. From the
\u200bConcacaf Final Round of eight nations, the top-three nations automatically
\u200bqualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the fourth-best nation
\u200badvancing to an inter-continental playoff for additional FIFA World Cup
\u200bQualifiers.
Canada
\u200bSoccer’s Men’s National Team are two-time Concacaf champions, previously
\u200bwinning the 1985 Concacaf Championship and 2000 Concacaf Gold Cup. This year
\u200bmarks Canada’s 15th participation at the Concacaf Gold Cup since 1991. Along
\u200bwith their first-place finish in 2000, Canada reached the Semifinals in 2002,
\u200b2007, and 2021. Across the past five years from 2017 to 2021, Canada are one of
\u200bonly four nations that have finished top-six across all three Concacaf major
\u200btournaments: fifth place in Concacaf Nations League A and sixth place at both
\u200bthe 2017 and 2019 Concacaf Gold Cups.