John Herdman made some waves with his 'F Croatia' comment. Here's what he had to say about it.
Canada's World Cup match with Croatia will have a little extra spice to it after Herdman's comments.
Canadian national men’s soccer team head coach John Herdman was forced to clarify some of his comments after his post-game interview went viral Wednesday as his clubCanada outshot its opponent 22-9 but ultimately couldn't find the back of the net. Herdman said he told his players the next goal was to "F Croatia" in its second group stage match Sunday.
“I mean, you say those things in an impassioned moment trying to inspire your team in a huddle,” Herdman said. “And when you’re asked a question ‘What did you say in that huddle?’ It’s what I said. It’s not massively respectful to Croatian people and the Croatian national team. I understand very well where we’re at on the world stage, but in that moment you enter that next place, you take your team to that next place that we’re here to be fearless and to bring everything we’ve got to that game.
“I mean no disrespect to the Croatian team and Croatian people, but at the end of the day it’s a mindset that Canada is going to have if we’re going to have three points against one of the top teams in the world. And it’s the mindset we took to Belgium. We have to; it’s part of ‘New Canada.’”It’s somewhat surprising this registered as a controversy.
Canada’s pace ought to give an older Croatian roster some pause, although Luka Modric is a world-class midfielder and a weapon that Herdman’s side simply doesn’t have. With Canada sitting in the bottom of Group F, while Croatia played to a scoreless draw against Morocco in its opening match, Sunday’s clash might be one of the best of the tournament and Herdman’s comments have added some ancillary motivation for Modric and company.
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