Global Courant
Canada captain Atiba Hutchinson ends his impressive playing career on Sunday. He wants to leave with a trophy.
The 40-year-old midfielder has already said goodbye to his old Turkish club team via a post on social media this week, saying: “Thank you Besiktas, forever in my heart.”
He will close out his Canadian division at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, where the 47th-ranked Canadian men will face the 13th-ranked USA in the final of the CONCACAF Nations League. The winner lifts a cup and receives a check worth approximately $1 million.
“This will be my last kick,” said Hutchinson, who provided a stable influence after coming off the bench in the 76th minute in Thursday’s 2-0 semifinal win over No. 58 Panama.
“(Sunday) will be the last time I put that shirt on as a representative of Canada,” he added. “Obviously it’s a very big game, I’m going to enjoy every moment.”
Hutchinson was 19 when he made his senior debut for Canada in January 2003 in a 4-0 loss to the USA. He now holds the Canadian men’s record for appearances at 104.
“It’s been 20 years since I represented Canada,” he said. “I’ve loved it all, every moment of getting together with the lads and playing the games we’ve played, traveling to so many different countries.
“It’s just been a great journey for me. I think it will really affect me a lot more (Sunday).”
Hutchinson said he has had talks with John Herdman, the 10th Canadian coach he has played under, about a future role with the program, but nothing has been decided yet.
Hutchinson has become a talisman and role model for Canadian men, a stylish professional with no ego.
Herdman called him “probably the greatest Canadian soccer player that not many people know about. That was the reality until probably this (last) World Cup and people got to see him for who he really is.”
“He is everything to the team. He is everything to the country, he is everything to the people, the players,” Herdman added on Saturday at the pre-match press conference. “And nothing for him. He wants nothing more than for this country to do well. And he is also willing to sacrifice for it.
“So it will be a privilege to spend (Sunday) night with him. Our gift to him will be to help him get his hands on that silverware. That would be a special moment.”
Hutchinson worked his way up the ranks and across Europe building his club career starting in Scandinavia with Osters and Helsingborg in Sweden and FC Copenhagen in Denmark. He then joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in 2010 before moving to Turkey in 2013.
He captained Besiktas in Istanbul and became a fan favorite known as the Octopus for his spindly legs and ability to hold the ball.
Hutchinson, a father of three boys, said he chose the CONCACAF Nations League over the Gold Cup that followed soon after because his wife is expecting their fourth child.
He leaves the Canadian men in a good place and says the team has progressed further than he ever thought possible during his career.
“I’m just happy with where we are as a team, what the future looks like for this team, how much depth there is in Canada right now,” he said. “The sky is the limit for this team. We are playing for a trophy here (Sunday) and we believe this is a turning point for us. We will continue to play for trophies, qualification for World Cups. That is the new standard for us.
“It’s a great time in Canadian football and I think it will continue to get better and bigger.”
Hutchinson and the Canadian men are after their first trophy since the Gold Cup in 2000. They also want to build on a World Cup qualifying track that saw them finish first in CONCACAF.
“As I always say to the players, it’s about bringing the future to the present,” Herdman said after the victory in Panama. “We’ve got our eyes on (the World Cup in) 2026 and winning big games there, but the future is ours now. We need to take some steps to continue to build that confidence and confidence in our own abilities.”
The Americans will have to do without midfielder Weston McKennie and fullback Sergino Dest, both suspended for red cards in the rickety 3-0 semi-final victory over Mexico. Dest, who has played 26 caps for the US, plays his club football for Barcelona, while McKennie (44 caps) was loaned out to England’s Leeds United from Italy’s Juventus last season.
Herdman has downplayed the expectations, speaking repeatedly about the Canadian team’s lack of preparation leading up to the final four. He also noted that the US side has a huge advantage when it comes to the number of players associated with clubs in Tier 1 leagues around the world.
“The US has a huge quality advantage over any team in CONCACAF right now,” he said.
“And then there’s seven million (support) staff they have and all the resources they can put into their program,” he added. “So they are the big dogs in CONCACAF. And rightly so. I think we and Mexico are still chasing the big dog.”
The US leads the all-time series over Canada with a record of 16-10-12.
“They’re a good team. They’re a good team as a team. With structure. Coached well,” US interim coach BJ Callaghan said of Canada. “They also have some great individual talented players.”
The Canadians have had success against the US in previous matches in the CONCACAF Nations League. The Canadian men won 2-0 when they met at BMO Field in October 2019 with goals from Alphonso Davies and substitute Lucas Cavallini ending a 34-year, 17-match winless run for Canada against its North American rival .
The U.S. won the second leg in Orlando 4–1 the following month to advance to the Nations League final.
The teams have since gone 1-1-1 in the encounter, with Canada last winning 2-0 in the January 2022 World Cup qualifier in Hamilton.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 17, 2023.
