Field Hockey Canada > Canadian men comfortable being “target” at World League Round 2

Canadian men comfortable being “target” at World League Round 2

PHOTO: Mark Pearson (left) and Matthew Sarmento (right) at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. Both will be at World League Round 2 in Trinidad and Tobago (By Yan Huckendubler)

March 24, 2017 | Shaheed Devji | fieldhockey.ca

Canada’s men’s field hockey team enters World League Round 2 in Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday as the number one ranked team, and there is no other way they would have it.

But with that designation, there is no flying under the radar for the Canadian men, who will be the only Olympic team at the competition in Tacarigua.

“We are under no illusions, we know that every side at Round 2 is going to be tough,” says Men’s National Team Head Coach Anthony Farry. “The big thing now is that we’re the number one ranked team going in to this, so we have a target on our back.

“Every one of those sides is going to be looking to perform well against us, looking to try and knock us off. There’s that added pressure and that’s a good thing.”

After making waves in the last World League cycle in 2015 and subsequently going on to the 2016 Olympic Games and improving its world ranking to 11th in the world, Canada is the team to beat in Trinidad and Tobago.

And while the group knows ranking does not guarantee anything on the field, the status is one the Canadian men are proud to have earned over the last several years.

“What we look to bring into this tournament is that strong last 18 months when the chips were on the table, we were able to get a result,” says veteran Mark Pearson, who has now appeared at two Olympic Games, and has been a part of Canadian teams that have had both success and failure in the World League circuit.

“We’ve kind of learned to win. The team that went to 2000 and 2008, they had instances and circumstances where they didn’t qualify and they regrouped and trained harder and learned how to grind out those key wins that get you to an Olympic Games.”

And that’s what Canada’s current squad of men has been able to do.

Many players on the current World League 2 roster were part of the Men’s National Team that fell short at the 2013 World League Round 2 in France, where Canada dropped a 3-2 decision to host France. The loss prevented Canada from moving on to Round 3 and limited its chances at 2014 World Cup qualification.

Canada then fell short at the Pan American Cup at home in Brampton, losing to Argentina in the final, and did not qualify for the World Cup.

But it’s the same core of players that had success in the subsequent round of World League in 2015, when Canada prevailed through adversity in Round 2 and then upset higher ranked New Zealand to earn Olympic qualification in Round 3.

And it’s that same group of players that has made Canada the target this year in Trinidad and Tobago.

But as the Canadians know well, success will come down to results. And Canada’s men are relying on what got them to this point.

“Irrespective of our position in the world, we know that we’ve still got a lot of work to do. We know that what got us to the position we are in now is nothing short of hard work, and understanding of working for each other. Those thins we talk about constantly.

Canada opens World League Round 2 on March 25 against the United States at 1:15pm (local time) in Tacarigua, Trinidad and Tobago. Click here for Canada’s full schedule, results, and game recaps.