CanPL.ca's Kristian Jack spoke with many players of the Canadian men's national team on Beyond The Pitch ahead of the team's first World Cup Qualifying matches this week. The first episode features Toronto FC fullback Richie Laryea, who discusses his career to date, experience with the national team, and the path ahead as Canada strives to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Throughout the episode of Beyond The Pitch, it was clear that Canada's team is a confident group that have a lot of faith in one another. The men's national team program is attempting to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986, and they believe that this is a great opportunity to do so, especially after an impressive Gold Cup performance in which they came close to reaching the final in what would have been a famous victory over Mexico.
The significance of the impending matches is not lost on Laryea, who has established himself as a regular under John Herdman since making his senior debut in late 2019.
“We all know how important of a time it is,” he said. “We’re very ready, we believe in our squad, the coaches, everyone behind us. Everyone believes in what we’re able to do, and about to do, and to make this country proud and bring it to heights that it hasn’t seen in a very long time.”
“We believe in ourselves, and knew that we could put together performances like that, no matter who we were playing against, and no matter who we had on the field,” said Laryea. “We looked at [the Gold Cup] as a big opportunity for us to put a statement out to the rest of Concacaf, and I think we did that.”
He stated that Canada felt they would win before ever entering the pitch against Costa Rica in the quarterfinals, and that they should have beaten both the US and Mexico – the two regional powerhouses.
Canada will have opportunities to redeem themselves in the coming months, as all three teams are competing for a place in Qatar.
The Canadian players have a sense of solidarity and cohesion that makes them feel at ease and eager to battle for one another. Jack compared the excitement that players appear to have when they are with the national team to "going on vacation with your pals" every time they are in a camp.
“I’m playing with guys that I grew up playing with, or against, my entire club career here in Ontario,” he said. “There’s other guys that are older than me that I idolised growing up. Seeing [Jonathan Osorio] in camps, seeing Doneil [Henry] in camps, seeing [Lucas Cavallini] in camps, Atiba [Hutchinson], Junior [Hoilett].
“The list goes on and on… now you’re teammates with them. It’s such a cool gel that we have on the national team. Guys can’t wait to get in to see each other.”
Laryea's route to the national team has been unusual. He spent some time with the NCAA Division I side at the University of Akron after growing at the famed Sigma FC academy, which has produced hundreds of national team and Canadian Premier League players. He was chosen seventh overall by Orlando City in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, and he spent the most of his time with Orlando City B, although he also appeared 21 times for the first team between 2016 and 2018.
His contract option for the 2019 season was refused, paving the way for a return to Toronto FC, where he has become a club and nation star. His offensive ability is obvious to everybody – he is one of the greatest fullbacks in Major League Soccer at rushing in behind defenders and causing issues for opposition defenders, and he can play at both fullback positions.
John Herdman gave him his national debut in 2019, and Laryea has been a crucial player for him since then. He stated a few years ago that he never imagined himself in this situation, and that enduring adversity has shaped him into the athlete he is today.
“I don’t do it often, and maybe I should sit down and reflect to see how far I’ve come,” said Laryea. “My parents remind me, some of my friends remind me. If you would’ve told me at the end of 2018 that I’d be where I am right now — I have a lot of belief in myself, and I think you have to as a player — but with the way things were going I probably would have looked at you sideways. It’s a nice experience and it’s one that I don’t take for granted.”