They represented Canada and fair play in their own homeless way.
Yes, Canada’s homeless soccer stars played the Canadian way – it’s not whether you win, it’s how you play the game.
So the Team Canada football team came away with the only trophy that really mattered to them – the 2010 Homeless World Cup Fair Play Award.
“It was the best experience of my life, except for having a baby,” said a jet-lagged Richard Mountain, just off the plane from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “Our neighbours were Korea, Italy, Norway, Poland and Cambodia – we became best friends.
“But the highlight for me was playing with the Brazilian kids on the beach – they’re wicked.”
Striker Peter Chow liked the pre-game spectacle almost as much as the game – particularly New Zealand’s fearsome Maori haka and Canada’s pre-game native chant.
“They had their fearsome eyes and intense looks, and we had our power and spirit in our voices,’ said the six-goal scorer. “It was their First Nations against our First Nations.”
Coach Alan Bates, a UBC resident doctor, was proud the team didn’t get a single card for fouling the other teams.
“It was awesome – there was so much happening every day, so many games,” said Bates. “The guys were great at meeting people, making tons of friends, and we got quite a fan base. They were great ambassadors for Canada.”
The sportsmanlike team was singled out to come back with their sporting spirit intact to the 2011 Homeless World Cup in France.
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