Less than two weeks after initially facing Argentina in the Copa America curtain raiser, Canada is gearing up to take on Lionel Messi and co. yet again, only this time the stakes are much higher.
At +900 to make the final four before a ball was kicked, even the most glass-half-full of Canadians would have struggled to argue the case for Jesse Marsch and his men to reach the semi-finals, but here we are. Team Canada is one win away from reaching the final of the Copa America.
Canada started as hefty as +6500 to win the tournament, and even stretched to as big as +10000 after falling to that 2-0 opening defeat thanks to Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez (-325 tournament top goalscorer) strikes.
With only four nations remaining, Bodog still think it is a big ask for Alphonso Davies and co. to lift the trophy for the first time, reflected by odds of +2500.
At the time of writing, here is how we have the outright market:
Argentina: -125
Uruguay: +275
Colombia: +350
Canada: +2500
Having already defied the odds to reach this stage, could the impossible be achievable? Maxime Crepeau has only conceded one goal since that defeat to the world champions, and even that was something of a freak effort from Salomon Rondon to send the quarter-final tie to penalties.
Canada will need to rely on that defensive resilience to keep an attacking Argentina at bay. After all, the nation ranked no.1 in the world possess the tournament top scorer in Martinez, soccer royalty in Messi, the experience of Angel Di Maria and youthful exuberance of Alvarez and Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister.
The Bodog soccer odds may be stacked against them, but stranger things have happened in the beautiful game. Think back to 2004, when an unfashionable Greece won the European Championships at a whopping +15000.
Sure, Canada going all the way would rival that Greek triumph of two decades ago, but with them being potentially just 180 minutes away from glory, is it time to start dreaming?
If you’re feeling optimistic, dream away. This team is the real deal. An 8-1 humbling at the hands of Honduras during a failed World Cup qualifying campaign back in 2012 is a distant memory, and the women’s team tasted gold in the Olympics as recently as 2021.
The men’s team have failed capitalize on the rise in popularity of this global sport since the turn of the millennium, but having qualified for their first World Cup in a generation back in 2022, followed by a run to the semi-finals (and maybe further) of the Copa America, our nation is primed and ready to host the World Cup alongside the USA and Mexico in 2026.
Hockey will always be the national sport here in Canada, but a victory over the world’s best in Argentina to reach the final in what has been their debut Copa America campaign will stamp this team firmly on the map.
If they were to pull off the unthinkable and go all the way, expect soccer mania to hit full throttle.
Team Canada, we’re right behind you!