Paul Dolan: World Cup is finally here! What are realistic expectations for Canada?
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How did Paul Dolan react to the reality of a home World Cup for Canada?
So Harrison Price from the Historic Wall Center, we welcome in former national team keeper and coach, and of course, Blake Price's partner, calling MLS games on Apple Television, Mr. Paul Dolan, in advance of a home World Cup. Hi, Paul. How we doing?
Looking forward to it. Yeah, it should be exciting. It's one of those like the Olympics, I guess, where, you know, there's a lot of talk building into the tournament, but not until kickoff do you really start to feel it. And with everything going on around the city right now, around the country, and ahead of Canada's game tomorrow, obviously the kickoff game today, yeah, you're starting to feel it. Did you ever think you'd see the day where the World Cup came to Canada?
20-year-old Paul Dolan, intending goal at the 86 World Cup. If you told 20-year-old Paul Dolan, you'll get to do this on your home soil. Well, not 10 goal, but yes. No, yes. You'll get to see it. Would you believe it?
My visions of a Canada World Cup included Ivor Wind Stadium. So no, it wasn't something that, you know, you think of, okay, the Canadian stadium at the time when I was 20 years old. And it's just not fathomable that first of all, there's again, a North American Soccer League, which is obviously the MLS. replacement of what I, as a kid, followed with the Vancouver Whitecaps. But that's come to fruition through the 94 World Cup, which was 14 or 12 years after the 86 World Cup when I was 20. But as things started to progress, as people like Victor Montaliani had a vision And I think the perfect storm is the fact that we could combine with the United States and Mexico for a 48-team World Cup. It makes sense now.
I don't think Canada ever could have hosted a World Cup on its own with a 24-team World Cup. But here we are with the biggest and best, hopefully, World Cup ever. And it's in our home country.
It's amazing. It's 48 teams, as you mentioned. What's your cynicism of that? Given how we've grown as a planet, is that appropriate? Or are you an old-timer 32 team or 2014?
I guess there's a couple of different ways of looking at it. Anytime there's more football, for me, that's better. But... It's unquestionable that it makes World Cup qualifying a little less important, obviously. In saying that, Italy still isn't here somehow, and Cameroon and Nigeria aren't here somehow, but it does, let's be honest, it lessens the importance of World Cup qualifying. I don't ever see a time when Canada doesn't qualify for a World Cup again. And although that's fantastic, it's great for the game here, obviously, There is something to be said about jeopardy and making World Cup qualifying games important and having the best of the best in the world here. But it's a good question because it's still to be determined as we see Qatar play, New Zealand play, although they've been in the World Cup, Haiti, Curacao, teams like that.
I think it'll be good for the World Cup, but ultimately, will it be as competitive and dynamic a World Cup? Or really, is this almost in its sense, the 48 teams whittling down to 32 and then beyond, and that becomes the real World Cup in a sense, so that more teams and more countries do get to enjoy the experience of being here, and then you do get a proper World Cup in the play-down games.
Yeah, I was going to ask you about the group stage matches, Paul, and if some of them have not only lost their commercial luster from the point of view of people wanting to spend the money to go travel and pay the ticket, but also in terms of their gravitas that we don't necessarily see group of death style matches in the group stage with the expanded field.
I think you make a good point that it's just not possible because you aren't getting a Spain versus a... Well, you're getting a Spain versus Uruguay. So there are some games where there will have that gravitas. You could say that even a Brazil-Scotland. I mean, it certainly isn't a group of death type scenario for most people around the world, but it is for Colin Miller and our friends who are Scottish followers.
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