By Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber

DOHA, Nov 22 (Reuters) – When Canada take to the field for their first World Cup game in 36 years on Wednesday, an ice hockey-loving nation will show how far their men’s football has come since being eliminated from the 1986 tournament without a win and without goals.

Canada produced an Olympic gold medal-winning women’s team, but the men’s team lagged until manager John Herdman took over in 2018.

For Bob Lenarduzzi, who represented Canada at the 1986 World Cup, Canada’s current level was achieved through the launch of a professional league in North America.

“The biggest difference and what got the ball rolling was awarding the World Cup to the Americans in 1994,” Lenarduzzi told Reuters.

“One of the prerequisites was to create a league. The arrival of MLS (Major League Soccer) gave players more opportunities.”

Lenarduzzi, who played for Reading in England as a professional, says Canadian men no longer necessarily need to seek opportunities in Europe to develop their talent. The right infrastructure and knowledge is now available in Canada.

Paul Dolan, goalkeeper for the team in the 1986 World Cup, said the globalization of sport through the broadcast of Premier League matches and FIFA video games helped soccer infiltrate sporting culture Canadian. .

“It made world soccer visible in Canada,” he told Reuters. “It made young people more eager to play soccer than hockey.”

Canada are in a tough group with second-placed Belgium in the FIFA rankings, as well as 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia and Morocco, who finished unbeaten in the African qualifier.

Lenarduzzi believes Canadian men’s soccer is here to stay

“I think I’m sure I can predict that we’ll never miss a World Cup final again,” he said.

(Report by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Spanish edition by Tomás Cobos)