Canadians will be stopped in their tracks on Friday night when the host country kicks off their World Cup campaign, and Hull City‘s Wembley hero Liam Millar will be front and centre.
Canada hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina at Toronto Stadium, as the eyes of the world descend on the 45,000-capacity arena on the banks of Lake Ontario.
Millar is set to start for Jesse Marsch’s side in what must surely be one of the biggest games in Canada’s football history, and it’s a moment the winger cannot wait for, having been dubbed crazy at school for daring to play football, rather than hockey or baseball.
“Thinking about where football was in Canada when I was a kid to where it is now, it’s unbelievable the difference in how seriously the sport’s taken in Canada. When I was a kid, growing up and playing football, guys were calling me crazy,” the 26-year-old winger told Hull Live.
“They’re like, ‘why do you want to play football, like why are you not playing hockey, blah blah blah, all this stuff, and I really just see a shift change. It’s changing so much now, and it’s such a cool thing to see.
“From growing up, where it wasn’t big to now, where it’s becoming massive, it’s such a cool thing to see, and I cannot wait to see what this country will do after it. Honestly, it’s one of the biggest events, if not the biggest event, in the world when it comes to sporting events.”
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Like with any major tournament, legacy is important. What happens when the World Cup circus has drifted away and a sense of normality returns?
In Canada, like in the US, football, or soccer as it’s commonly reffered to as, remains behind the likes of hockey and baseball, so trying to encourage the next generation to get into the game on the back of the World Cup is key, and Millar says the players can have an impact on that with how they approach the games and look for a first victory.
“What this can do for our country is, I think, even bigger than any of us. I just can’t wait for the moment,” he continued. “For us, it’s just setting the right example. That’s the biggest thing. Giving our absolute everything, trying to put on a really good performance and trying to get a result.
“Canada is yet to have a result at a World Cup, yet to win a game, or even draw a game at a World Cup. We scored our first goal in Qatar last time, but we haven’t won or drawn a game yet, so for us it’s about setting the standard, about setting a good example for future generations when they’re watching this.
“How many kids in Canada now will be watching this game, and they would have had no idea that football was massive. They just turn on the TV, and they see Canada in the World Cup, and they’re just watching the game – this can change everything.
“How many kids are going to watch this game and think, oh my God, I want to play soccer now, I want to play for Canada. It’s such a big moment, and I think for us our responsibility is to set an example, set the standard, and show everybody this is what Canadian soccer is now.
“We want to take it even further, but this is what it is now, and if you want to be a part of it, you’ve got to help try and take that further, and that’s what we’re going to be doing.”
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