John Herdman insists Canada needs to 'get serious' following 0-2 loss to USMNT
The Canadian men’s national team fell 0-2 to the United States in the Nations League Final on Sunday, inspiring head coach John Herdman to speak out against the adversities his side is currently facing.
Spectators watched as the US men’s national team overwhelmed Canada entirely before goals from Chris Richards and Folarin Balogun sealed the game and propelled the Stars and Stripes to their second, consecutive Nations League trophy. Herdman commended the opponents for the spectacular performance, before revealing that a lack of resources and preparation time put his side at a disadvantage.
“The US were unbelievable on set pieces. We were there by fingernails. The organization, the timing, the variety was so difficult to deal with,” he said.
“There's no time. We need the resources where we can actually put a camp together, where I can work for six days on the things that will make the biggest difference moving forward. We’ve got the best generation of players we’ve had and there’s more coming. You can see it. Ismaël Koné just dropped out of the sky, Tajon Buchanan just dropped out of the sky, Alistair Johnston. It’s coming. We’ve got to figure this out financially.”
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This isn’t the first time Canada speaks out on the topic of financial struggles. In 2022, players of the Canadian men’s national team boycotted a friendly against Panama in protest over the use of World Cup prize money, broadcast and sponsorship contracts and equal pay issues alongside the women's national team.
The team penned a ‘Dear Canada’ letter to outline concerns and resolve the matter prior to the international tournament in November. But it seems Canada’s financial turmoil continues, leading Herdman to think the organization is “not serious” about winning the World Cup or any major tournaments.
“We've got to get serious about winning a World Cup. When you play at home you get a chance to win it. … We've brought a World Cup to our country and we're not serious about winning it. And you see how close that team is tonight. Tactically we were there, chances, shots we were there. The margins were so tight tonight, so tight.
“We've got to get real and quick because these players deserve it. They deserve a shot. The country deserves it. All the people that worked to bring it deserve the shot. Let's get after it. We're close.”
Canada returns to action on June 27 to kick off their CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign, and attempt to win a trophy for the first time since 2000.