I got interested in why so many great players come from Paris (it's amazing, Parisians are the core of about 10 African teams, plus of course France). I thought there might be a lesson for Canada in that. We need the 2026 tournament to be a catalyst for something. Toronto has banlieus too, after all. We are producing basketball players like crazy.
But after doing some reading.. I don't know. It's probably too late for us for 2026. Also we are just too wealthy a society.
One thing that really got my attention: there is a documentary on Netflix, Concrete Football, that is a must watch for anyone who wants to understand the reality of large swaths of youth soccer in Europe.
In North America, we are hung up on youth sports defined a certain way. In the rest of the world, the whole idea of youth soccer is different. Think shinny or road hockey 40 years ago, but on a whole other level...
https://www.fastcompany.com/40469632...football-scene