The Wheatsheaf, Toronto's oldest bar, was packed shoulder-to-shoulder on a Saturday lunchtime during the World Cup. But the energy inside told a complicated story about how this tournament was playing out in Canada's own backyard.
While fans draped in red and white gathered to watch their team face Morocco in Houston, the real electricity in the city belonged to someone else entirely. When Wayne Gretzky appeared on the bar's screens, he was booed with genuine enthusiasm by the Canadian crowd, a fleeting moment of collective passion that would prove rare.
Once Morocco scored early in the second half, the bar's mood shifted noticeably. The resignation set in. When the final whistle sounded, there was applause, but it felt obligatory. No anger. No debate. Just quiet acceptance that Canada's tournament was over. The bar emptied quickly.
That flat reaction stood in jarring contrast to what was happening elsewhere in the city. While Canada's match barely registered as the week's biggest soccer story, Portugal's arrival in Toronto had literally stopped traffic.
Hundreds of fans pulled over on the highway to catch a glimpse of the Portuguese team bus traveling from the airport. Police had to shut down a portion of the roadway, with lanes blocked for an hour. But that was just the beginning. For three days, supporters camped outside the team's hotel and training sessions. Cristiano Ronaldo, in a scene one observer compared to Eva Perón on the balcony of Casa Rosada, waved to the adoring masses below. Local media covered not just the team's movements but the restaurants Ronaldo's family members visited and what they ordered.
When Portugal departed, fans turned out again in droves for a send-off. One woman could barely contain herself describing a glimpse she caught. "It's amazing, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," she said, having barely seen the back of Ronaldo's head and his backpack.
The contrast raised uncomfortable questions about Canadian soccer's moment in the sun. Yes, there had been celebrations. Cyle Larin scored in the opening draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Canada demolished Qatar 6-0. Stephen Eustaquio's winner against South Africa brought emotion and relief. But none of those scenes came close to matching the frenzy surrounding Portugal or Egypt, whose supporters took to Vancouver's streets after beating New Zealand 3-1.
Even as co-hosts with the country's name literally above the door, Canada couldn't generate the same level of passion. Jesse Marsch faced criticism for even celebrating enthusiastically after the Qatar victory, a reminder of how Canadian soccer tends to operate. Mild-mannered. Considered. Pragmatic to a fault.
But that caution came at a moment when Canadian soccer needed something different. The tournament showed the country had the infrastructure to host a major event and could produce some memorable moments on the pitch. Yet massive questions linger about what comes next.
The temporary seating at Toronto Stadium will come down. In Vancouver, the immediate concern is whether the city will even have a professional men's soccer club next year. Montreal's CF Montreal faces ongoing questions about its future. The entire domestic professional league's long-term viability remains uncertain. Infrastructure investment, player development, competitive ambition: few have clear answers on any of it.
Canadian soccer history reads like a succession of near-misses, almosts, and squandered chances. This World Cup, despite the opportunity it provided, may end up being another entry in that list unless something changes.
Author James Rodriguez: "Canada showed it could host and compete, but wasted a golden chance to build genuine momentum for the sport when the whole country was paying attention."
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