Forge coach believes Canada’s dominance at Concacaf is 15 years’ work | Mexico | USA Edition

Canadian Forge FC coach Bobby Smirniodis explained on Wednesday that the Canadian team’s dominance in the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers was the result of 15 years of hard work.

“Canadian football’s development over the past 15 years, before I started my career at Forge. Canada is a country full of footballers, unique, diverse, with all kinds of Native, South American players, Central Americans, Europeans, anywhere in the world,” he said. Said at the press conference.

Smirniodis, a Canadian of Greek descent, said a number of factors combined to make Qatar the first Congolese team to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with talented players testing their quality on the field. .

“It’s all going well. Sometimes you need a generation of players to not fail and play like professionals. Now we see Canadian players playing in major leagues in Europe, MLS has grown, it’s due to Canadian football. Where is he now?”

Bobby Smirniodis said he was pleased to see the Canadian team finish first in the octagonal Conclave First Qatar, and acknowledged that his country had not only elevated its position, but also that teams in the region in general had enhanced competition.

“As a Canadian I’m glad to see where Canada is today, but what happened is that a strong Concacaf was created in all competitions, such as the national team and club competitions such as the Concacaf Champions League,” he said.

The 43-year-old manager and Forge will visit Mexico’s Cruz Asula in the second leg of the 16th round of the Confederations Cup on Thursday.

The Mexican players took advantage of the series by winning the first leg 1-0 in Hamilton, Canada, and closing the tie at their Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, more than 2,000 meters above sea level.

“Height is height, which is an advantage for the home team, as well as an advantage for us due to the cold and windy weather in Hamilton in February. We need to look at how to tackle it with tricks on the field. Focus on what we can really control,” Smirniodis said.