100% Canadian: What One World Cup Match Revealed About Our National Identity

Attending the first and only World Cup knockout game to ever be played in Toronto, with the game reaching a fever pitch, in the 90th minute I tried meditating. I wanted to soak it all in, be totally aware of my surroundings. I wanted to truly internalize the atmosphere, and make sure I remembered what that brilliant moment felt like.

It was a sweltering Toronto summer night, 48,000 people. Croatia and Portugal. Modric and Ronaldo. Two legends with their international careers on the line. At BMO Field of all places. In my home town.

A World Cup swan song for Toronto, the metropolis that Canadians from outside the GTA like to glibly label the “centre of the universe”. Canada, I hope we made you proud. Beyond our borders, there might have been a Billion people watching from around the world. From Lisbon to Dubrovnik, Tokyo, to Rio. They were all looking at the “Big Smoke”. Well, for those precious two hours, Toronto absolutely was the centre of the Universe.

This was a spectacle I never thought remotely possible. 20 years ago in 2006, I was parked in the Don Cherry’s Sports bar in Parry Sound (the middle of nowhere), Ontario watching Portugal take on England. Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the Penalty Shootout. Last night, I saw him score a penalty in person.

Portugal is moving on, so their fans can be happy. Croatia will always feel they got robbed by the VAR. Partisans and Neutrals alike will remember the night for the game on the pitch. For me, the result hardly matters. Simply being in the room was like my own personal World Cup final.

As I tried to soak in those moments the 91st minute now, I was met with a profound sense of pride for Canada. This feeling of identity — that elusive idea of what it means to be Canadian — came directly into focus. It was a product of the environment, but most importantly the small conversations I had when I said hello to dozens of strangers throughout the evening.

Croatia and Portugal have enormous diasporas in this city. Both sides had thousands of fans in attendance. To zoom out though, these two populations were proxies for many Canadians. They were representing every long established ethnic community that calls Canada home. Greeks, Mexicans, Italians, Brazilians, Jamaicans, English, French, and all the rest.

This was the cultural mosaic on full, glorious display.

That night proved that we can in fact be half Portuguese and half Jewish and still be 100% Canadian.

As the 92nd minute came, several vignettes from the evening came to mind:

I went to the game with one of my younger English cousins, who went to school in Guelph of all places. We’re both named after our Avô (grandfather), Sebastiao. When I found out we were going to the game, Avô was my first call. He is 95 and lives full time in Portugal now. When I got up the morning after the game, he was my first call again. Being able to share those moments and reporting back on the sights and sounds put a smile on his face. His hard work and sacrifice are why we were there at all. Sharing the photos with him, and making sure he knows that we were thinking of him is the most meaningful thing for me about the entire experience.

There was a Portuguese woman I met who had come in from Montreal - right around the corner from where my Portuguese mother grew up. Montreal was Canada’s first great city, it’s where my family landed in the ‘60s. My mother grew up there. That story is told in millions of different ways. It is profoundly Canadian.

There were the Croatian fans everywhere, in their signature checkered jerseys. Constantly in full song, singing and speaking in Croatian. When you spoke to them though, most had no discernible accents. They were usually from somewhere like Hamilton. 100% Canadian, 100% supporting Croatia. Genuine in holding both.

93rd minute. Paying almost no attention to the game, lost in thought and feeling.

There were a pair of South Asian men behind me - a thirty year old uncle and his eight year old nephew. The kid was an enormous Ronaldo fan and having the time of his life. I asked if they were Portuguese, and the man said they were Pakistani and he loves Portugal because of his nephew. Turns out they live out west in Calgary. He works in oil and gas. How many Canadians can relate to exactly this? Moving across the world for a better life, better prospects, and having the absolute privilege of sharing success with family.

I told the kid he had the best uncle ever, remembering all the times my uncles and aunts were there for me when I was young.

Then there were also the Colombians. A diaspora that always shows up. Perhaps unnoticed by many, there were probably a thousand yellow shirts in the stadium. Colombia were expected to play this game after all. They ended up winning the group, so many Colombians had tickets.

There was a man in yellow sitting next to me watching the game with his elderly father who I said a few words to in broken Spanish. I asked him, with ticket prices being what they were, and Colombia not playing, why didn’t you just sell them for thousands of dollars?

He simply said: “This is my dad. He still lives in Colombia. There is no way we would ever pass on this.” I spent my entire trip home thinking of my late father and how much I related to this stranger I will never meet again.

Finally there were the four Italian-Canadians sitting in front of me. They were just there to soak it all in, cheering for every goal, being a part of the fun. Facilitating, participating, and encouraging this crazy mosaic all around them. They were just as much a part of it. They were wearing Canada hats and Ronaldo jerseys, and waving a big Croatian flag. A mess of support, four identities adopted, all in harmony.

94th minute - Goncalo Ramos with a glorious header. Portugal take the lead. I lose my mind and watch the drama play out.

I soaked it all in. My country in my country. While the crowd was enjoying the crazy swings in the game, I was enjoying the crowd. I realized that this was Canada at its absolute finest.

Grandparents, friends, husbands and wives, sons, sisters, cousins, communities.

50% Portuguese, 50% Croatian, 100% Canadian.