"We're absolutely over the moon": The CanWNT/CanXNT are more than excited to finally kick off long-awaited gold medal celebration tour in Ottawa this weekend
After a long wait, the CanWNT/CanXNT are finally going to be able to celebrate their Olympci gold medal triumph in front of their home fans this week. Here's how they feel ahead of that occasion.
Just over 2 months since it happened, the celebration is finally upon us.
After finding themselves on top of the world back in August, when they surprised all onlookers and won the Olympic Soccer tournament at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the CanWNT/CanXNT are finally getting set to celebrate their monumental achievement in front of their home fans later this week.
As they get set to kick off the first 2 games of their long-awaited celebration tour this coming international break, where they’ll face off with New Zealand in Ottawa and Montreal, they’re not only excited to be back together for the first time since the triumph, but are also excited to do so in Canada for the first time since May of 2019.
Seeing that since then, they’ve gone on to become world champions, inspiring a nation in the process, this return has been a long time coming for this Canadian team, and they certainly feel that way heading into these games.
“We’re absolutely over the moon,” longtime Canadian veteran, midfielder Desiree Scott, admitted this week. “We’re pumped, I think 2019 was the last time that we played on home soil, so we are beyond pumped to be back in Canada, there’s something different about wearing the Canada Red in your home country, and I think fans are going to be excited to get out and see us live.”
“We had a lot of support over the last couple of years and in Tokyo this past summer, so to be able to bring this home in front of our fans and really celebrate and feel that support on those stands is going to be incredible.”
But despite not having had a chance to properly connect with the fans in person, that doesn’t mean that Canada hasn’t felt the love from their supporters over the past few years - in fact, it’s been the opposite.
Despite this year’s Olympics being one of the strangest games in recent memory, due to the lack of fans with the ongoing pandemic, Canada had a strong contingent of fans waking up early in the night back home to follow their efforts, watching these matches in record numbers.
From the comfort of their own homes, to bars, and even in the streets, people gathered and rallied around this Canadian team, and in turn, Canada provided a moment for the ages.
“Yeah, I got a sense through social media and through my family,” Canadian forward, Deanne Rose, said earlier this week. “I know they were watching on TV, so they would just tell me about how many people were tuning in, how many people were interested, and how many people were watching, so I definitely knew about the support that we had back home.”
And that’s what makes this celebration tour so important.
It feels like it hasn’t really sunk in yet, somehow, but that doesn’t make it any less surreal - Canada is at the top of the soccer world right now, but that event hasn’t been properly celebrated, hence the need for this sort of tour.
That sort of success will have a longstanding impact on Canadian soccer as a whole for generations to come, so it’s important that it gets its due recognition, which is why it’s going to be great to relive some of the memories of this past summer on this tour.
“After Tokyo, everyone parted ways pretty quickly, so I don’t think we got the chance to fully celebrate and that’s why I think that this is such a great occasion to have a celebration tour,” Rose said. “It’s a reunion, and I think we’ll get to really take in what we’ve done.”
“Yeah, we did something incredible this past summer,” Scott added. “But we are nothing without our fans, and I think that every time we get an opportunity to play in front of our homes fans in our home country we relish these moments, we look forward to them, and it’s something we truly get excited for.”
Canada celebrates their golden moment this summer (Canada Soccer/MexSport)
But almost forgotten in the shuffle of all of this, it’s also worth noting that while these games are going to be massive for the fans, who will finally get a long-awaited chance to welcome back their heroes after their exploits, this is also a big moment for the players, some of whom have been waiting forever for games like this.
It might seem like an exaggeration, but it really isn’t, either.
For example, Canadian veterans such as Scott, Christine Sinclair and Sophie Schmidt have all played plenty of games in Canada, so while they’ll be happy to be back after such a long time away, this isn’t anything new for them.
But for some players, such as Vanessa Gilles and Evelyne Viens, they’ve actually never played a game for Canada in front of their fans, and in the case of Viens, who burst onto the scene for her country at the beginning of this year, they’ve never even had a chance to participate in a game like this, much less play in one, which is rare for someone who already has a decent number of caps (and a gold medal) for her country already.
So as much as there is going to be a lot of talk about players reuniting with fans that they’ve been without for so long, there are also some players who are excited to meet those fans for the first time, period, adding even more excitement to these games for them.
Plus, in the case of Gilles and Viens, who are from Ottawa and Quebec City, respectively, these games are like a homecoming of sorts for them, only adding to the many reasons that they’re both going to be so excited to play in matches like this.
“It’s actually my first home game,” Gilles admits. “I was here for the Toronto game (in 2019), but I didn’t play, I was a practice player at that time. So yeah, it’s kind of weird to now have my first home game as a Canada player in Ottawa, my actual hometown, I’m so excited, I wouldn’t say nervous, but there are definitely a lot of emotions and excitement around it.”
“Playing at home is so unique,” Viens added. “And now I will be able to do it, at home, home (Quebec), so I think that will be a great feeling, just seeing my friends and family in the stands, it’ll be the first time in a while, so just being able to step on the field with all of the girls that fought for our country this summer for this gold medal will be a unique experience for sure.”
But while a lot of focus will be on what goes on with Canada outside of the pitch this tour, as a lot of the emphasis will be on celebrating their accomplishments, and rightfully so, make no mistake - these games matter big-time on the field, too.
As Canada turns their focus to the next goal on their list, qualifying for and winning the 2023 World Cup, the work towards being able to do that starts now, as they prepare for qualifiers next summer.
Having won Olympic gold, they feel like they’ve got what it takes to become World Cup champs, but if they’re going to do that, they cannot afford any complacency, especially not in these games.
Plus, they now have a target on their backs, as everyone will want to find a way to dethrone the champions, so not only will they have to avoid complacency, they’ll have to do so while getting the best version of teams every time they play.
So while a big part of this tour will be about celebrating Canada’s big moment from this summer, they’re also looking to balance that by playing some really competitive soccer, as Canada starts to fixate their sights on what lies ahead for them down the road here.
“At the end of the day, when we come to the National Team, you’re going to work, you’re always here to represent Canada,” Gilles said. “Seeing friends and family and showing the hardware playing on home soil is always something you take seriously, you always celebrate it.”
“But you can also celebrate by playing soccer, which is obviously a pleasure, and like we’ve all been saying, the gold medal isn’t the end of the story, hopefully it’s just the beginning, and what comes next is the World Cup.”
And that’s this Canadian team for you. Not only are they quite talented, but they’re also a very determined bunch, which is why they’re so likeable in the eyes of Canadians, many of whom view them as key role models.
Not only do they want to compete at the highest level, they want to do so by being not only the best versions of themselves as athletes, but as people, too. That will most certainly be the case on this tour, and will continue to be the case going forward, as this Canadian team continues their quest to grow the game in this country.
Having already done a big job of doing that in their time as a program, this gold medal has just been the latest example of that, so that they’ll get to celebrate this in front of the next generation might just be the biggest thrill of this whole tour, and is what some of these players are relishing most about these next couple of weeks.
From coast-to-coast, this Canadian team has inspired a nation, and they’re excited to finally properly reignite that connection in stadiums once again, which will hopefully in turn make this a celebration tour for the ages, one that is more than deserved for a team that has already done so much for this country.
“Man, for us to just be role models for people who eventually want to be in our shoes one day, to see that we left the program better than it was when we began, is something that a lot of us players has said is our goal,” Scott finished.
“(We want) to put Canada Soccer on the map, and leave it better for the next generations, and we’re hoping that with the continued success, to be a champion and have gold around our necks, that we’re inspiring people to want to invest in the game, to play the game, and hopefully allow our young players to see what they can be down the road”
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Canada celebrates their winning goal vs the US in the semi-finals this summer at the Olympics (Canada Soccer/Daniela Porcelli)