Posted Jun 17, 2023 8:02pm ET
Canada’s Atiba Hutchinson celebrates after Canada’s Alphonso Davies scored his team’s opening goal during the World Cup group F soccer match between Croatia and Canada on Sunday, November 27, 2022 at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Canada’s captain Atiba Hutchinson ends his outstanding playing career on Sunday. He wants to go home with a trophy.
The 40-year-old midfielder has already said goodbye to his long-time Turkish club side in a social media post this week, saying: “Thank you Besiktas, forever in my heart.”
He will conclude his Canadian chapter at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, where the 47th-ranked Canadian men will take on the 13th-ranked USA in the CONCACAF Nations League final. The winner raises a trophy and receives a check worth approximately $1 million.
“It will be my last try,” said Hutchinson, who played a stabilizing role after coming on as a 76th-minute substitute in Thursday’s 2-0 semi-final win over No. 58 Panama.
“(Sunday) will be the last time I put on this jersey and represent Canada,” he added. “It’s obviously a very big game, I’ll enjoy every moment of it.”
Hutchinson was 19 when he made his debut for Canada’s senior team in January 2003, in a 4-0 defeat by the United States. He now holds the Canadian men’s record with 104 appearances.
“I’ve represented Canada for 20 years,” he said. “I enjoyed everything, every single moment as we got together with the boys and played the games we played while traveling to so many different countries.”
“It was just a great trip for me. I think she will hit me a lot more (Sunday).”
Hutchinson said he’s had talks with John Herdman, the tenth Canadian coach he’s played under, about a future role in the program but nothing has been decided yet.
Hutchinson has become a talisman and role model for Canadian men, a top-notch professional with no ego.
Herdman called him “probably the greatest Canadian soccer player that not many people know. That was the reality until probably this (last) World Cup and people got to see him for who he really is.”
“He is everything for the team. He’s everything to the country, he’s everything to the people, the players,” Herdman added at Saturday’s pre-game press conference. “And nothing for him. He wants nothing more than to see that this country is doing well. And he is willing to make sacrifices for that.”
“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 this silverware. That would be a special moment.”
Hutchinson worked his way up and through Europe, building his club career in Scandinavia with Osters and Helsingborg in Sweden and FC Copenhagen in Denmark. He then joined Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in 2010 before moving to Turkey in 2013.
Captain of Besiktas Istanbul, he became a fan favorite for his spindly legs and ability to hold the ball, also known as the ‘octopus’.
Hutchinson, father of three boys, said he opted for the CONCACAF Nations League rather than the Gold Cup, which follows soon after, as his swan song because his wife is expecting their fourth child.
He leaves the Canadian men in a good position and says the team is further along in his career than he ever thought possible.
“I’m just happy with where we are as a team, what the future holds for this team and how much depth there is in Canada now,” he said. “There are no limits for this team. We’re playing for the cup here (Sunday) and we think this is a turning point for us. We will continue to play for trophies and qualify for the World Cup. This is the new standard for us.
“It’s a great time in Canadian football and I think it just keeps getting better and better and bigger.”
Hutchinson and the Canada men are on the hunt for their first trophy since the 2000 Gold Cup. They are also looking to build on their World Cup qualifying journey, which saw them finish first in CONCACAF.
“As I keep telling the players, it’s about bringing the future into the present,” Herdman said after Panama’s win. “We have our sights set on the World Cup in 2026 and winning big games there, but the future is ours now. We need to take some steps to further build that trust and confidence in our own abilities.”
The Americans are without midfielder Weston McKennie and full-back Sergino Dest, both suspended after receiving a red card in a 3-0 win over Mexico in the semi-finals. Dest, who has 26 caps for the United States, plays his club football for Barcelona, while McKennie (44 caps) was on loan from Italy’s Juventus to English club Leeds United last season.
Herdman has downplayed expectations and has repeatedly spoken out about the Canada team’s lack of preparation for the Final Four. He also pointed out that the American team has a huge lead when it comes to the number of players belonging to clubs in Tier 1 leagues around the world.
“USA currently have a massive qualitative advantage over any team in CONCACAF,” he said.
“And then there are seven million (support) workers 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 USA leads the all-time series ahead of Canada with a record of 16-10-12.
“They are a good team. As a team they are a good team. With structure. Trained well,” said interim USA coach BJ Callaghan of Canada. “They also have some incredibly talented individual players.”
The Canadians have enjoyed success against the USA in recent CONCACAF Nations League games. The Canada men won 2-0 in their October 2019 clash at BMO Field. Goals from Alphonso Davies and substitute Lucas Cavallini ended Canada’s 34-year, 17-game winless streak against their North American rivals.
The USA won the second leg in Orlando the following month 4-1 to reach the Nations League final.
The teams have since drawn 1-1 draws, with Canada most recently winning 2-0 in Hamilton in January 2022 in a World Cup qualifier.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 17, 2023.