What to know
- Canada faces Morocco in Houston on Saturday for a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals.
- Many Toronto residents are rooting for Canada, but expect Morocco to win or for the match to be close.
- Canada advanced after a 1-0 victory over South Africa, marking a historic achievement.
- Local fans say reaching the Round of 16 is a huge step for Canadian soccer and inspires national pride.
Canada is entering the Round of 16 to face Morocco in Houston, Texas, on Saturday. Many Toronto residents are rooting for Canada, but think Morocco’s gonna take the win home.
Canada beat South Africa 1-0 on June 28 and has officially advanced to the Round of 16.
Following their recent win, the team will now play Morocco in the Round of 16. Ahead of the match, Now Toronto spoke with local residents about their predictions.
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Here’s who Toronto’s rooting for, and who they think will win
Toronto resident Alfred is rooting for Canada, but thinks Morocco will take home the win.
“They have more seasoned and better players,” he told Now Toronto. “Canada must score, and even if they score, Morocco is going to score. It’s the best they can do; they can hope for a 2-2 tie and go into penalty kicks, and then who knows what happens there.”
Toronto resident Patrick agrees with Alfred, saying he hopes Canada wins, but thinks Morocco “has an edge.”
He’s hoping for a 2-1 Canada win, but is unsure how the game will play out.
“If people knew the result before watching the game, we wouldn’t watch it, right? That’s the thing with a tournament in one game. It just takes one goal, two goals,” Patrick told Now Toronto.
Torontonian Lisa agrees with the two Canadian fans above.
“As much as I really want Canada to win, and I think they’ve been doing amazing, I just think Morocco might have the edge on them,” she said. “So unfortunately, I predict a 2-1 final score for Morocco.”
But Toronto resident Audrey is rooting for Canada and believes they will win.
“I’m hoping Canada will win. I mean, being Canadian and all, but I don’t know, it’ll be a really good game,” she said.
Audrey thinks Canada will take the advantage 2-1.
How do Toronto residents feel about Canada entering the Round of 16?
Alfred believes Canada’s achievement in reaching the Round of 16 is great for soccer in the country.
“I can see the next World Cup, we’ll be having an even better representation. This representation is great, and I’m really cheering for the boys,” he told Now Toronto. “If they can pull this off, you won’t be able to stand the noise that we’re going to be making here.
Patrick describes it as “exceptional.”
“12-year-old me can’t believe that Canada’s at the World Cup, let alone scoring goals and winning games in an elimination round,” he said. “The sport is growing in Canada, and it’s awesome.”
Lisa also finds it amazing that the men are performing well.
“Obviously, the women’s team, we’re really tops in the world. We’ve been showing that, so it’s really awesome to show that the men are doing well as well,” she said. “We have so much pride in how our soccer teams across the nation are doing. It’s really awesome.”
Audrey is also amazed at the achievement.
“I think it’s really great for the country… I hope you guys win and know that the whole country is rooting behind you guys,” she cheered.
