Canada's continued ascension won't be perfect, and that's perfectly fine

TORONTO - Progression in international soccer rarely travels on a linear plane. Even the brightest runs of form and results invariably encounter a setback.

For Canada's men's national team, a remarkable and unprecedented qualifying campaign set the table for what some viewed as an underwhelming World Cup in Qatar.

Even by its standards - those of a not-so-long-ago regional minnow who'd gone 36 years between World Cups - finishing 31st of 32 nations amounted to a letdown. Never mind that Canada was grouped alongside two eventual semifinalists and mighty Belgium: lofty - and maybe unreasonable - pre-tournament expectations weren't met.

Two steps forward and one step back, it seemed. However, the vibe in the wake of the Group F finale defeat against an inspired Morocco wasn't one of disappointment.

"I'm proud of what these lads have shown here," Canada coach John Herdman said following the group closer in December. "It's going to sting, but there isn't a game we're not proud of. I think we competed in every match here."

Herdman added, "We'll be back stronger. We've got four years to build. But this is our first step into the big unknown, and we've found a lot of things out, that this team has quality, we can compete, and we were close."

Fast-forward three months, and there was a similar spirit ahead of Tuesday's CONCACAF Nations League clash with Honduras at BMO Field in Toronto.

"We should win this game. That's the expectation," Herdman said Monday, and his charges obliged in outclassing Honduras 4-1 in a largely one-sided affair.

Cyle Larin expanded on his men's national team scoring record in the eighth minute with a close-range finish on a Jonathan Osorio cutback. The Brampton, Ontario, native doubled that haul three minutes later with an unmarked header from a Stephen Eustaquio corner. Larin would have completed his treble five minutes before the interval had he not fired a penalty wide right.

Jonathan David made up for Larin's gaffe and registered Canada's third goal five minutes after the break. Jorge Benguche clawed one back for the visitors in the 73rd minute with a deft header that added an iota of intrigue to a matchup that mostly lacked in that department. Local boy Osorio bagged Canada's fourth three minutes from time for good measure.

Paired with Saturday's 2-0 result versus Curaçao in Willemstad, Canada finished atop its group in CONCACAF Nations League play and has a spot in the semifinals of the competition. Consider that two steps forward.

Another stride in the right direction

Courtesy of Tuesday's result and others cooperating in its favor, Canada will face Panama at the semifinal stage in Las Vegas this June and not regional heavyweights the United States and Mexico. Those two will instead renew a familiar rivalry on the opposite side of the bracket.

A victory in the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals would give Canada its first piece of silverware since the unexpected Gold Cup conquest in 2000. It has already booked a spot at the 2023-24 Gold Cup and strengthened its grip on a top-four spot in the regional rankings. That goes a long way toward ensuring one of six berths at the revamped 2024 Copa America with the likes of Brazil, Uruguay, and World Cup holders Argentina.

That would also go a long way toward elevating the quality of Canada's opposition. As Herdman said last week, "Canada can't go into its next tournament with only one tier-one match in a decade."

First-choice 'keeper Milan Borjan echoed the manager's sentiments following the win over Honduras, telling theScore, "We've been working hard to get these teams, big teams to play against."

There's no guarantee Canada will continue its swift rise at such a trajectory, nor that its positive results against Curacao and Honduras will be replicated at the CONCACAF Nations League Finals in June. Perhaps that's OK because the magnitude of the ascension Herdman and Co. have forecasted in anticipation of co-hosting the 2026 World Cup isn't a facile one.

With the benefit of hindsight, Osorio was asked after the win over Honduras about what was gleaned from the team's performance at the 2022 World Cup. "We were disappointed that we didn't move to the next round, but at the same time, we learned a lot, and there's a lot of positives we took from that," Osorio told theScore. "And now, I think the way we've started this year shows we reacted really well to that.

"In football, it's never linear. Your journey is never linear. For players and for teams, it's an up-and-down journey," he added. Like Osorio said, it's not supposed to be easy or without setbacks. And that's perfectly fine.