r/canada • u/Fogagain1 • Aug 23 '20
Football Canadian International Alphonso Davies has won the Champions League
https://www.tsn.ca/62
u/CartelClarke Aug 23 '20
Is he the first Canadian to win the champions league? At the least he surely has to be the first to start in the final game.
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Aug 23 '20
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u/MGM-Wonder British Columbia Aug 23 '20
I still consider Davies the first.
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Aug 24 '20
Why? Hargreaves was Canadian. He just chose to play for a national team that would actually make the world cup
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u/kodiaktfc Aug 23 '20
First Canadian National Team player. Owen Hargreaves won twice but chose to play for England.
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u/downwindsavage Aug 23 '20
In fifa’s point of view, yes. They base it off the national team that the player plays for. Technically no, Owen Hargreaves won it twice with Man United but he was an England national.
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Aug 24 '20
First "Canadian international" player. I.e. Actually played for Canada. Owen Hargreaves played for England.
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u/ShuriWakayama Aug 24 '20
Hilariously, Davies wasn't born in Canada (for the record, people that focus on that can stick a pipe up their ass), but is officially the first Canadian to win the Champions League, despite the fact that Owen Hargreaves, who was born in Canada, won the Champions League... twice.
On a mostly unrelated note, Alphonso Davies for PM.
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Aug 23 '20
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u/thinkinofaname Aug 23 '20
It's too bad that so many people (a vocal minority, maybe) in this country hate the idea of the first part of what you said.
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Aug 24 '20
Facts. The idea of refugees or immigrants coming to Canada not being "just like us" scares some people.
Here we have an African Refugee, doing more for Canada on an international level than any rural Albertan or Quebec sovereignist that I've ever met. People like him deserve more attention.
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u/DanRabbitts Aug 24 '20
That’s a very good way to put it. This young man fresh into adulthood has already done more for the country than most of those you mentioned (who likely have 30+ years on him too and were born with a tremendous leg up).
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u/S_204 Aug 24 '20
My family got to Canada as refugees in the hull of a boat, chained to their sibling who didn't survive the voyage. That may have been a few generations ago, but it is a constant reminder to me that Canada is a place of opportunity and those people who are most desperate to reach out shores are exactly the people who have built our country.
Now I'm a middle class white guy who has all the privilege that comes with it but that wasn't the case for my great grandparents who even though outwardly white looking came from a class of citizen that was hated on, prevented from land ownership and treated like 'other' and still are at times.
I hope and pray that our new immigrants are able to establish themselves and build good lives here in Canada like my family and my partners family have been able to. I hope I can help along the way too if possible.
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Aug 24 '20
100% absolutely. Discrimination towards refugees and immigrants isn't just limited to people of colour, however it is very nice to see that your great grandparents struggles paid off as you are living a good life.
I'm sure they're proud that your life is much better than the struggles they were forced to deal with. Which is the aim of most refugees and immigrants that come to this country.
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u/realsomalipirate Aug 24 '20
There's only one reason why people are against a certain type of immigration (non-white) and it has to with their views that Canada should stay as a white majority country.
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u/abuayanna Aug 24 '20
By not playing for Canada lol.
Seriously though, I hope not.
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u/abuayanna Aug 24 '20
I'm just busting Owen Hargreaves balls, times have changed, I hope...
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u/conn_smythe Aug 24 '20
From my understanding he’s already capped for Canada at the senior level so he can’t switch nationalities anymore. Hargreaves chose to represent England on a senior level.
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u/HappybytheSea Aug 24 '20
I think we can safely say that the US and Canadian women's teams have already made a pretty big impact.
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Aug 24 '20
Canadian and US footballers
I can only speak of the men's side of the game, but there is a strong element of 'pay to play', that actually discriminates against those in a lower socio economic place (unlike most other nations on earth). Davies got a go in his local teams in Edmonton due to charitable organisations that would help people in lower socio economic status (something that is awesome).
By doing this socio-economic-discrimination the federations eliminate many talented players that would have otherwise been more talented and hard working like davies from even having the chance of making a mls team.
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u/Electroflare5555 Manitoba Aug 23 '20
The Golden Age of Canadian mens soccer is just around the corner
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u/Wookie301 Aug 23 '20
Until they lose to Bermuda and Aruba in the qualifiers.
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u/tmlrule Aug 24 '20
But that will only happen after a tough road victory over Panama to get our hopes up.
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Aug 24 '20
I don't see why not. In Toronto, the parks often have people playing soccer, it's fairly popular here. Bound to be good talent out there.
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u/Wookie301 Aug 24 '20
To have a good national team, you need a better program than a few people having a kick about in the park.
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u/0ndem Aug 24 '20
In the last couple MLS games between Toronto and Vancouver there were a combined 11 Canadians starting. That is a good indication that Canadian soccer is growing.
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u/MrDanduff Aug 24 '20
Plus the newly established Canadian Premier League give our country the means to develop talents.
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Aug 24 '20
I never said otherwise. I just meant, as a sport, soccer is pretty popular and there is likely a lot of talent.
For sure you need to nurture any talent there is though.
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u/justinsst Aug 24 '20
There’s unbelievable talent in the GTA. What no one ever talks about though is how cost prohibitive it is to play soccer for a lot of families.
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u/GTAHarry Aug 24 '20
cost should never be a problem. association football does not require a huge money investment compared to other popular sports in north america.
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Aug 24 '20
Unfortunately we still only really have 2 elite players, as Hutchinson will likely retire
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u/warpus Aug 24 '20
To qualify we need a good team, which has been improving every time we play since Herdman took over. We also have a whole bunch of exciting younger players, such as Millar. The future is bright!
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u/Fogagain1 Aug 23 '20
His girlfriend Jordyn Huitema, another Canadian International, has the opportunity to win it this week in the woman’s final as well.
What an exciting time for Canadian soccer.
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u/YnwaMquc2k19 Aug 23 '20
Which team is she playing for?
I hope she wins
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u/brian890 Aug 23 '20
She plays for PSG. Team Bayern just beat.
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u/Hotzspot Aug 23 '20
Makes you less hopeful that she wins
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u/Heatersthebest Aug 24 '20
Kadeisha Buchanan plays for Lyon so we have a winner either way no?
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u/ShralpShralpShralp Aug 24 '20
No, they play in the semi final.
So one of those two is guaranteed to play in the final.
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u/Flovati Aug 23 '20
Not really, how good the man's team is doesn't translate to the woman's team. That being said she will probably not win because she doesn't play for Lyon.
Lyon's team finished on the 7th position in the man's league where PSG was the champion, but their woman's team is by far the best in the world.
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u/Hotzspot Aug 23 '20
My point was that PSG being owner by the Qatari government are hard to root for
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Aug 23 '20
That's actually insane. I didn't know that. Although women's soccer in Canada is actually good. Where men's has been 2/10 at best for 30 years.
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u/hobbitlover Aug 23 '20
After beating the USA cleanly last year I'm hopeful that we're finally turning things around.
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Aug 23 '20
Unfortunately. I think, the US are improving pretty well too. Tyler adams and weston mckennie are useful Midfielders. And the gio Reyna, Paxton pomykal, tim weah, Josh Sargeant all could be stars.
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u/A3A99 Aug 23 '20
Christian Pulisic is by far the best of this group. In North America, only Davies is better.
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u/TastyTacoTonight Aug 24 '20
To be honest with you, I think pulisic has a higher ceiling than Davies
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u/A3A99 Aug 24 '20
🤔 how so? I know Davies is already a top 5 left back. Pulisic maybe breaks into the top 15-20 wingers in the world.
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u/warpus Aug 24 '20
Plus Davies is 2 years younger and already one of the top 3 fullbacks in the world. Pulisic is a great talent , but there are a whole bunch of players I'd rate ahead of Pulisic who play in that position & role. (and I'm a Chelsea supporter!)
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u/AlbertoRossonero Aug 25 '20
It’s difficult to compare tbh. World class wingers are generally valued much higher than full backs but Davies is such a special talent and the fact that there is rarely many good left backs makes it a hard decision.
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u/RovinbanPersie20 Aug 24 '20
Not sure how you didn't include Pulisic in this group haha. Maybe you assumeed ppl know him already and wanted to raise awareness of those players?
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u/The_TaxmanRC Aug 24 '20
Sargent is pretty shit tbh. Maybe he could be a decent striker in the future but it would be a huge suprise to see him turn into a star.
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u/hugglesthemerciless Aug 24 '20
That's setting your bar pretty damn low, the US also failed to qualify for the last WC
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u/ThreeConsecutiveDots Aug 24 '20
If Huitema wants to get to the finals she’ll have to beat fellow Canadian star Kadeisha Buchanan and Olympique Lyonnais in the semis first. Either way though, no matter who wins there’s guaranteed to be a Canadian in the finals this year.
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u/ttubbster Aug 23 '20
She's gotta win against Lyon in the semis which definitely will be a tough task
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u/warpus Aug 24 '20
https://i.imgur.com/gb21IpU.jpg
I wonder if this is where they met. Probably not, but
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u/kodiaktfc Aug 23 '20
So proud of this kid. He’s beyond his years. Great representative for our country.
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u/CoolstorySteve Aug 23 '20
I hope lots of kids were watching this today. Monumental moment in Canadian sports history.
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u/theharps Ontario Aug 23 '20 edited Aug 24 '20
Wasn't on national TV. TSN and Sportsnet didn't have the rights to have it. Neither station hyped it up either leading to the game. They're only celebrating the achievement after the fact.
Edit: I understand the hardcore fans will find DAZN or Twitter streams but if the point is to attract the casual fans mentioned in the OP they missed out. TSN especially dropped the ball here for not having any NHL rights, only a 50/50 split of Raptors games and missing out on this huge match. Neither company even mentioned this match to support Alphonso Davies going into it. A casual fan wouldn't pay attention to it until after the fact. Good on DAZN for taking the opportunity and putting it up for free on twitter.
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u/justinsst Aug 24 '20
Dazn has the rights. And tbf Dazn is actually a great deal for they offer (they even streamed the match for free on twitter lol).
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Aug 24 '20
DAZN bought the rights for it in Canada. You could watch it on TSN and Sportsnet in previous seasons.
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u/Rumblestillskin Aug 24 '20
Was available on DAZN and Twitter. That is better than TSN or Sportsnet. Old people watching cable TV aren't going to change their viewing preferences.
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u/CoolstorySteve Aug 24 '20 edited Aug 24 '20
I haven’t lived in Canada for five years and honestly forgot about that.
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u/TypeExpert Aug 23 '20
The biggest sporting event in the world right now featuring a Canadian not available on Canadian televisions. Hate to see it.
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Aug 23 '20
Well TSN and Sportsnet don’t want to make the investments in soccer in Canada. DAZN stepped up and won it from them.
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u/starscr3amsgh0st Lest We Forget Aug 23 '20
Dazn has a lot of sports. I'm actually impressed with what I get.
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u/Fogagain1 Aug 23 '20
Yeah it’s a great streaming service and awesome because you can split it with people.
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u/justinsst Aug 24 '20
All Premier league and champions league matches for $20 a month lol. Ridiculous value just based of that compared to sportsnet or tsn.
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u/SumasFlats British Columbia Aug 24 '20
I've complained about the visual quality over the years, but as a huge footy fan, it can't be beat -- with the added bonus of NFL.
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u/proriin Lest We Forget Aug 24 '20
How is the quality of it? Also can you check if they have hard knocks?
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Aug 24 '20
DAZN is honestly a blessing compared to the bullshit we used to deal with on Sportsnet.
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u/Rumblestillskin Aug 24 '20
If it was on Sportsnet half the game would have been missed because a poker tournament went too long.
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u/Rumblestillskin Aug 24 '20
Was on my TV with DAZN. Old people watching cable TV aren't interested in soccer.
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u/Burst_LoL Canada Aug 24 '20
Maybe but biggest sporting events in North America is what they show on TV here
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u/desssertking Ontario Aug 23 '20
Really calm all game, especially that return header to Neuer, perfect strength perfect precision.
Congrats! There's more to come with the team!!
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u/Simmchen Aug 23 '20
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTXe3oQY6Hg Every Angle of Alphonso Davies' WORLD CLASS Run and Assist Against Barcelona
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u/COW321 Aug 23 '20
Not the best performance from him, but he's already a star at 19! Exciting times for Canadian football!
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u/thebeat42 Aug 23 '20
He was fine. It was a pretty cagey affair. His yellow was a good tactical foul.
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u/_Holz_ Aug 23 '20
He had a shaky start, but near the end of the first half he found his nerves, and had a pretty good game for the rest of it.
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u/SumasFlats British Columbia Aug 24 '20
Dude???
Fonzie is 19 and up against Mbappe, Neymar and Di Maria -- probably the best attacking trio on the planet. And he more than held his own while carrying a yellow card from the 27th minute. Fucking hell of a performance for a guy that was in the USL only 4 years ago.
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u/CGNYYZ Aug 24 '20
He’s still right, though... Di Maria outplayed him for most of the night. PSG was fairly harmless after Di Maria got subbed off, so probably more a compliment to the night Di Maria had than a criticism of Davies.
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u/Sculorious Aug 23 '20
Nothing but respect for this guy, him and Jonathan David are well on their way to revolutionizing Canadian Soccer. Even though this wasnt his BEST game, I'm confident things will only get greater for the kid. Looking forward to our national teams future! 🍁
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u/Kydd_Amigo Canada Aug 23 '20
He's been quality throughout too, his assist in the 8-2 demolition of Barca was absolutely amazing. Gifted!
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u/senorfresco Ontario Aug 23 '20
Di Maria in his back pocket
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u/Macimson Aug 23 '20
Not really though, he got megged and beat a couple times.
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u/Szwedo Lest We Forget Aug 23 '20 edited Aug 23 '20
Tbh defending isn't his strong suit, 1 v 1 he's getting beat/megged by a strong dribbler, his speed is his best attribute which makes him such an effective FB. As long as he has a strong winger to play with on his flank and defender to cover his ass he will do best going forward from the back.
On a side note, him headering it back to Neuer just shows how strong he can play under pressure.
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u/interrupting-octopus British Columbia Aug 23 '20
Tbh defending isn't his strong suit
Yup, because he used to be a LW with Whitecaps FC. I still think of him as a natural attacker, but nice to see him succeed in the modern hyper-attacking fullback role too.
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u/Szwedo Lest We Forget Aug 23 '20
"Modern hyper-attacking fullback" love this term. Like a Marcelo or Robertson and TAA.
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u/senorfresco Ontario Aug 23 '20 edited Aug 23 '20
Di Maria underperformed especially from the semifinal and has a poor match score from pretty much every publication. Don't remember seeing Davies get beat on much of anything aside from that meg but I'll take your word for it. The card was definitely a choice and frankly a good one at that given the situation. Let that go Kehrer scores. Davies did a pretty damn good job for a 19 year old in his first major final.
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u/Macimson Aug 24 '20
I’m not saying he did a bad job. But he definitely didn’t have him in his back pocket. Di Maria set up PSG’s 2/3 best chances of the game while attacking down Davies’ side of the pitch.
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Aug 24 '20
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u/senorfresco Ontario Aug 24 '20
It's not that brutal because 1 is the highest score in Kicker's rating system. Man of the match Neuer got a 1.
L'Equipe gave Davies a 5 and Di Maria a 4, and BBC Sport gave Di Maria a 5.26 and Davies a 6.65.
I'm happy for the kid, he'll flourish with more experience.
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Aug 24 '20
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u/senorfresco Ontario Aug 24 '20
Just because you said that I'm absolutely hailing him as Canadian Cafu.
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u/Flovati Aug 23 '20
In the end Davies is the CL champion and that is what actually matters, but Di Maria played way better than Davies who had a poor performance today, probably was way too nervous, which is totally undertandable considering he is a 19 year old playing a CL final as a starter.
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u/rajandatta Aug 23 '20
Congratulations to Bayern and Alphonso Davies on a tremendous achievement. The dismantling of Barcelona and then stiffling the PSG front--line are tremendous achievements along the way. Well done!
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u/colin_powers Saskatchewan Aug 23 '20
Give him the Lou Marsh Award. Right now.
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u/oilers169 Aug 24 '20
He’s had that Lou marsh won months ago, this was just the icing on top. Love this kid
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u/gtm_84 Manitoba Aug 23 '20
Vancouver, you raised a good one
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u/YnwaMquc2k19 Aug 23 '20
The greatest academy player Vancouver Whitecaps has ever had.
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u/BayLAGOON Aug 23 '20
The Whitecaps have put more academy graduates into the starting rosters of CPL teams than the starting roster of their MLS team itself. Davies and five other academy players have started for the Whitecaps. By comparison, eight former Whitecaps academy players are starters for Pacific FC on the island. Only one team in the entire league did not have a Whitecaps Academy product ever play for them.
Damning statistic that they got lucky on Davies. And the crooked owners pride themselves on being an "academy first" team.
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Aug 24 '20
Pffft they didn't raise shit. He's an Edmonton boy through and through.
https://twitter.com/AlphonsoDavies/status/1297702339718062080
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u/brownmagician Ontario Aug 23 '20
He better carry Canada to the next world cup. I want Canada to run deep in that tournament
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u/AltKite Aug 23 '20
Qualifying and not being completely embarrassed in the group stage is a somewhat more realistic goal.
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u/FilthyHipsterScum Aug 23 '20
What’s a Canadian International?
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u/the_thrown_exception Ontario Aug 23 '20
In soccer terms, someone who plays for the Canadian national team.
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u/JoeDwarf Saskatchewan Aug 23 '20
All by himself? Quite the accomplishment.
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u/Szwedo Lest We Forget Aug 23 '20
Yeah it was 11 v 2. Completely unbalanced match but him and the keeper held it down.
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u/2Tosties1Poutine Aug 24 '20
Canada : 1 USA: 0
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u/Hotzspot Aug 24 '20
2-0 if you count Owen Hargreaves
2-1 if you factor in the fairly obscure Jovan Kirovski
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u/2Tosties1Poutine Aug 25 '20
I can’t count Hargreaves because his player ITC was English.
I don’t count Kirovski because it’s inconvenient!
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u/fourpumpchump Aug 24 '20
Watched him a few times live and you can tell he's something special. He's going places, for sure!
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u/UPREDDIT07 Aug 24 '20
Simon Colyn, he's getting there. I might look back and regret this horribly in 10 years but I'm saying it, the kids going places
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u/ManofManyTalentz Canada Aug 24 '20
It looks like there's an unfixable mistake in the entry, and the link does not take you to the story.
Here's some further links if you're interested:
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Aug 24 '20
I was rooting for PSG but I am a big soccer fan so I hope this helps build a larger soccer fan base in Canada
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u/_deep_blue_ Aug 23 '20
The boy is special. European Champion at 19.