TORONTO — Canadian men’s national team winger Ali Ahmed had read the rumors. Online, a small Instagram account had gone viral with a report that 30,000 Bosnian and Herzegovinian fans were set to descend upon Toronto’s BMO Field at Canada’s first-ever men’s World Cup game on home soil.
It was believable. For generations, Canadian soccer has been too welcoming. Teams would arrive, only to be greeted by home-like atmospheres. Games in Toronto often felt like days away in hostile environments—and a game in Edmonton once even invited Caribbean drums to welcome the opposition.
