And so now we're more frustrated than ever.
Yes, because of the performance again. Frustrated because the best we've seen yet comes when it's too late. It comes in a game where Canada's vaunted midfield is a patchwork of journeymen, some of whom were playing out of position. It comes in a match where Canada's most dangerous attacker is 34-year-old Tomas Radzinski playing the best football of his life in the twilight of his career, playing like a little kid with a smile on his face.
And it all came on a brisk October evening in Edmonton with millions watching in Mexico, as this game was televised live on the two largest TV networks in the country.
This campaign has shown that we have far to go, and yet, a game like this one might muddy the waters a bit leading some to believe we are close.
But those in the middle of it know otherwise. Despite what many of you believe, there are some progressive thinkers within the CSA and they are adamant that preparation for 2014 begins now.
Sacking the CSA is not a viable option. If you know anything about the sport, then you know that FIFA would simply suspend Canada if there is any outside interference. To think otherwise is naïve. We've seen FIFA's act before. The CSA is not blameless for this debacle. Yet neither are the players nor the coaching staff. It was a collective failure.
What we need is for soccer fans across the country to hound and badger their district and provincial officials into backing the national program. It's the provinces who make up the association after all. But too many of them don't give a hoot about the World Cup. They have personal, regional and provincial agendas.
But who actually speaks for Canada? I can tell you that some of the suits at the top definitely do. Peter Montopoli and Victor Montagliani to name a couple of them have had their hearts ripped out, just like you have, by what's transpired over the last few weeks. But they won't give up.
Dale Mitchell? He's likely gone. Here's hoping they don't rush into making a knee-jerk decison and hire the wrong guy.
Many of the players are gone too. 2010 was the one for many of them. It was funny and a little weird after the game to see players, supporters and some CSA executives all in the same watering hole. Everyone was solving the soccer problems in this country with their own voice at the same time. There were Voyageurs. There were TV people. There was beer. Plenty of it.
Maybe it was the best frank discussion we've had about the state of the game in a long time or maybe our judgement was clouded just a bit.
