Coming up through the youth national team program, De Rosario, who parents immigrated to Canada from Guyana, said he had a tough time adjusting to the more direct style Canada employed at the time. He grew up around West Indians and his father had taught him to play the South American way, with flair, attacking and a penchant for dribbling. “We brought a different seasoning to the pot,” he said of his generation of national team stars.
“Now,” De Rosario continued, “we’re seeing us keep possession and attacking, move the ball around and dissect them, and express yourself, which is refreshing because we have the players that can do that now. If you look at demographic of Canada Soccer now, it’s very diverse and very multicultural. That’s beautiful because it speaks to the state of our country.”
Stalteri notices the change most whenever he is coaching his son’s teams or spending time around other youth players.
“There’s a number of these kids now not just wanting Messi or Ronaldo jerseys but they legitimately want the Canadian jerseys,” he said. “And that’s where you start to see a difference. It’s not just footballing people excited about this.”
Five games remain in the final qualifying round, and there remains much work left for Canada, the United States and Mexico, which now trails both in the standings. But De Rosario admitted he could already feel the pride bubbling up, and the possibilities for what is to come in Qatar and beyond.
“There should be no looking back after that,” he said. “It should be automatic now, right down to our youth teams.