Passion for football, secondary poutine, alive and well in Ottawa

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The chorus of chants inside the Glebe Central pub grew louder Wednesday afternoon as Canada attacked Belgium again and again on the big screen.

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Forget listening to play-by-play.

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“Canada is red or white?”, “Jonathan David, he’s one of us,” and “The referee is a geek,” cheered the Ottawa football poster boy from a full house. I was having issues with field calls in Doha, Qatar.

A knife was enough to ease the tension when Alfonso Davies scored a penalty just ten minutes into the game. Or fork.

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“Hold on to poutine,” shouted Daniel Duff, founder of the Capital City Supporters Group.

CCSG, known for their loud and proud support for Atlético Ottawa, were cheering on Wednesday in Canada.

Sometimes they were dancing and screaming at the screen. As if raising the decibel level could help push the ball over the Belgian line for an elusive goal that never came.

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It was a similar story in sports bars across the city, where beer flowed freely and Canadian pride was in full display when Canadian football once again had its day on the world’s biggest stage.

A Canadian T-shirt, scarf, hat, flag, and a goalkeeper’s mask with a red maple leaf on the front were all at home.

The World Cup party started early for John Hopkins. Dressed in true Canadian colors with red and white plaid and a Canadian flag hanging down his back, he was the greeter on the patio at 10am, four hours before kickoff.

That delay meant nothing to the 26-year-old Hopkins, who had waited a lifetime for Wednesday’s experience. Canada’s last appearance on football’s biggest stage dates back to his 1986.

“It’s hard to explain. It’s just that we’re passionate about the game and haven’t been able to root for our country[at the World Cup]before,” he said. It’s a very important day for Canada, and it means a lot to the people I greeted this morning.”

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Going into the tournament, his hopes were modest.

“For me, the expectation for this World Cup is to grow and build the game in Canada and get more attention.”

Inside the pub, Rafael Pelletier-Archambault was ready to go out at noon.

Wearing a handwritten headband — ‘1% Chance, 99% Fan’ — he let everyone know what Canada’s chances of success are. His heart says one thing and his head says another.

“The chances of winning the World Cup are 1% or less,” he said. “I hope we can at least make it to the 16th round, but realistically it will be 0-3. But it’s a community. They are coming to Japan and I really want to see them score against Belgium.”

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As the match time approached, the anticipation grew. An hour before his start, the Glebe Central Pub reached capacity and had to turn fans away.

“It’s a bit of an easy opening for us,” said general manager David Hania, who adopted Canada as a favorite after being a lifelong Dutch fan. “I’m ready. If you think of yourself as the sport’s pub, you have to tap into that passion.”

In the spirit of the moment, poutine was the specialty of the day.

“You have to show all your stereotypes when the world is looking at you, so let’s harden them. “The more games, the better.”

Five minutes before the game started, the patio crowd spontaneously played an a cappella version of O Canada.

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When the match started and Canada put constant pressure on the Belgian defense, it was more than even the most optimistic Canadian fans expected.

Canada trailed 1-0 at halftime. Penalties There was little disappointment, though some complaints about his kicking attempts and defensive blunders that allowed Belgium to score.

Reflecting on the endlessly missed opportunities in the first half, the table of spectators proudly labeled “Brazilians, Scots, Turks and Americans became Canadians”, in awe of Canada’s efforts. I was.

“Their play is the best I have ever seen,” said Ugur Avunca. “I never thought I would have so many opportunities.”

Of the atmosphere of singing and dancing in the bars around them, Lance Vickers said, “That’s why we’re here.”

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Vickers can see the entire drama unfold first hand in a matter of days. He leaves for Qatar on Friday. His enthusiasm for the Canadian opportunity grew based on what he saw on the big screen.

If Canada can push Belgium that hard, the chances of Canada doing some damage before the World Cup is over could be over 1%.

“Canada was the better team,” said Vickers.

It’s an exciting endeavor, and if there were any doubts that Canada had football fans to match its spirit, Wednesday’s raucous atmosphere should put those thoughts to rest.

kwarren@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/Citizenkwarren