Embattled Herdman deserves an ‘effing’ break

The soccer snobs, second-guessers and hypocrites were just lying in wait for John Herdman. Biding their time.

After all, having a coach move from success in women’s soccer to success in men’s soccer had to have been driving them a little nuts all along, right?

So, they were ready to slag him when Canada, ranked 41st in the world, failed to win a World Cup game against the second-, 12th- and 22nd-ranked nations on the planet. More than ready. They held their fire, and then when Alphonso Davies didn’t score on a penalty kick — obviously the wrong man to take it, right? — the sniping started. The “eff Croatia” comment produced all kinds of eye-rolling. Like, who does this guy think he is? Does he not know his place?

Never mind that Masai Ujiri’s nearly identical “eff Brooklyn” blast in the 2014 NBA playoffs was perceived very differently, as a badass team official announcing a Canadian team wasn’t going to take any guff from anyone. When Brooklyn won that series, you didn’t hear that it was Ujiri’s fault for motivating the Nets. They printed T-shirts in his honour.

Never mind that Wayne Gretzky’s astonishing nine-minute press conference rant at the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002, stating that the world wanted Canada to lose, was interpreted as an ingenious way for a leader to take the heat off his players.

No, when the Croats hammered Canada, as they were expected to, it was Herdman’s fault for motivating the opponent. Tut-tut.

What utter nonsense. Like the competition hardened Croats needed any motivation to win at the World Cup. Then, when their tournament was done and Canada had lost a hard-fought battle to another good team, Morocco, it was presented by some — not all — as proof that Herdman had been found lacking in the international spotlight.

Tactically, many opined, Canada was clearly lacking, as though clever tactics alone were going to lead to victory against the seasoned and talented Belgians, Croats or Moroccans. Sure, Canadians hoped for more. Those possibilities increased a little bit after Saudi Arabia beat Argentina and Japan stunned Germany. Why not us, right?

But many also went into the Belgian game hoping against hope that what had happened to Iran at the hands of England wouldn’t happen to Canada. It didn’t, but then the Croats tore Canada to shreds in the midfield and underlined the reality that this was all the beginning of a longer process.

“When you analyze the game after, you’ll learn to appreciate what (Croatia) did and learn from it,” said Canadian veteran Jonathan Osorio.

The Canadians certainly didn’t overachieve, but did they underachieve? Not really. They pretty much did what everyone expected them to do.

Too many, however, were nonetheless ready to make Herdman the goat, like this was some kind of international pratfall. As a Canadian, it’s all rather embarrassing, turning on the coach as if there were obvious choices available that would have generated an entirely different result in Qatar. As if he was driven by arrogance and hubris to make other decisions.

Look, this country should thank the soccer gods that Herdman came along. He hasn’t done it single-handedly. Davies and Christine Sinclair and Bev Priestman and many others have all done their part.

No one would argue Herdman is perfect or a saint, or above criticism, or should hold the job for life. The day will come when he will move on, or Soccer Canada will move on from him, and that will be just fine. But let’s make sure the record shows he has played a crucial role in changing the sport in Canada, and has been a unifying force for a country long divided into soccer fiefdoms.

Not only that, by moving from the women’s program to the men’s, and doing what many thought couldn’t be done, he made us a more progressive soccer nation than many others in the world, no longer hidebound by traditions and supposedly indisputable soccer facts.

As is often the case with Maple Leafs fans, or Blue Jays fans, too many have exhibited serious tunnel vision and lack of perspective when it comes to Canada at this World Cup. Like, the other countries are trying to win too, right? And if you think Canada should be disappointed, what about Germany? Or Italy, which didn’t even make it to Qatar? Or Mexico, which has a much richer World Cup history than Canada?

Canada was better than the United States in CONCACAF qualifying, and then the U.S. did better than Canada in Qatar before being ousted by the Dutch on Saturday in much the same way Croatia throttled Canada. The response from American commentators, however, was much more generous: that this was a reasonable performance despite the fact the country has had more World Cup success in the recent past.

“We’ve made progress, and we will keep pushing,” said American captain Tyler Adams. A reasonable position. Perhaps Herdman could have taken a different tactical path. Of course Milan Borjan made that big mistake, and more might have been expected from Jonathan David. The loss to injury of Steven Eustáquio was a serious blow. Nobody is suggesting the team should be spared any and all criticism.

But perspective, people. Two years ago, it was a giant “maybe” whether Canada could even make it to Qatar. Now there are some ripping Herdman because of his potty mouth, and slagging the team because Croatia wasn’t taken down.

If you want to make this World Cup about Herdman’s “eff Croatia” comment, fine. Fill your boots. Me, I saw a guy singing “O Canada” louder than anyone before the Belgium game, a coach who has played a serious role in making Canadians care passionately about men’s and women’s soccer — and, more important, making Canadian players want to play for their country.

Thank goodness Herdman refused to know his place.