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A full team photo of the Canadian men’s national soccer team. Three rows of players stand and sit on a pitch at night under bright lights, all wearing matching red kits with white Canada crests. The three goalkeepers in the middle row wear teal jerseys. <br />Everyone faces the camera in a formal pose with a neutral or serious expression. Tall palm trees and stadium seating are visible in the background.

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 01:35:55 +0100

atomicpoet@atomicpoet.org

Speaking of soccer…

I’m shocked at how good Canada’s Men’s National Team has gotten. Shocked.

FIFA has us at 26th in the world, ahead of Scotland, Nigeria, Peru, Sweden, and Egypt. Countries that used to be absolute forces. And somehow we’re above them.

And think about where we were in 2017: ranked 120th. Practically irrelevant. The Faroe Islands—population 56,000 and living in what might as well be the Arctic—were ahead of us. That’s how bleak it was.

We were the punchline of CONCACAF. And CONCACAF isn’t UEFA or CONMEBOL. For years it felt like Mexico was just wandering around the region saying, “I’m bored…”

Now fast-forward. We’ve got real players. Real structure. An actual team.

This time, we might actually win a round.

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 02:26:53 +0100

Hans van Zijst

hans@social.woefdram.nl

@Chris Trottier It's called football 😏

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 02:41:35 +0100

Chris Trottier

atomicpoet@atomicpoet.org

@hans Wrong. It’s called “association football.” And “soccer” is a contraction of “association”. Which is to be differentiated by other forms of football.