Canada players were blown away by FIFA World Cup atmosphere in Vancouver
What a way for Canada to get its first win at a men’s FIFA World Cup.
BC Place was rocking, as Canada routed Qatar 6-0 on Thursday.
It began with an epic march to the match organized by the Voyageurs supporters group, and the commotion did not stop inside BC Place.
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How loud was it?
Having the roof closed traps the noise inside BC Place. Midfielder Ali Ahmed, who played three full seasons with the Vancouver Whitecaps, noted the increase in volume that emanated from the sold-out crowd of 52,497.
“I was a bit shocked. I never heard BC Place this loud,” Ahmed said, noting the reaction to Canada’s first goal from Cyle Larin in particular. “Obviously, it’s a good atmosphere, but that loud cheer was really, really loud.”
At 3-0, fans chanted “we want four,” and following Jonathan David’s brace, supporters were hungry for more, chanting “we want five.”
“It was amazing,” David said. “After every goal, it got louder, and it gave you even more hunger, more determination to get the next goal and the next one.”
The electric atmosphere that was on display showed just how much soccer means to the Vancouverites. The fans met the moment, and Max Crepeau took note. The former Whitecaps goalkeeper made an unprompted plea to keep the Whitecaps in Vancouver.
“It’s beautiful to see,” Crepeau told reporters. “This city deserves a team, and I hope it stays here. That is the proof. The whole country showed up, 53,000, full, sea of red. It’s beautiful, it means a lot to us. We absorb all the energy from the crowd. We were all one nation.”
“We’re a soccer country”
Jesse Marsch was fired up. (Simon Fearn/Imagn Images)
A win or a draw against Switzerland on Wednesday will secure top spot in Group B for Canada and a Round of 32 match at BC Place. Canada head coach Jesse Marsch believes that Canada has reached a groundbreaking point for soccer in Canada.
“They’ll be 40 million people that said they were here,” said Marsch. “It’s an incredibly seminal moment for everyone to understand that there’s talent in this country, that there’s mentally, desire, that there’s a lot of things that make this country special, even though it’s a hockey country. I’m very proud that we’ve accomplished a moment where everyone can kind of remember what’s happening. I think it will drive us to make sure that we can win the group and really make a run in this tournament.”
Canadian midfielder Stephen Eustáquio concurred.
“I really feel that we’re a soccer country,” Eustáquio added. “We just have to push, and we just have to show that united we can make things shine. For me, today was a very special day. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get this win in Toronto, but at the same time, we made history in Toronto, and we make history now in Vancouver, and we’re going to push for seven points.”
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