Butterflies Galore: A home World Cup can take nervousness to a different level

Canada goalie Erin McLeod, centre, waves as she leads her teammates around Commonwealth Stadium after defeating China during FIFA Women's World Cup soccer action in Edmonton on June 6, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

TORONTO — Canadian soccer great Christine Sinclair remembers the unique buildup ahead of the first Women’s World Cup to be played in her home country.

The feeling that an entire nation was watching that day in 2015. The roar from 53,000 fans at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium. And of course, the butterflies and anticipation before kickoff.

“I had never been so nervous in my life,” Sinclair said. “But it’s a good thing.”

It’s a feeling the men’s side will soon get to experience as Canada co-hosts the FIFA World Cup with the United States and Mexico. Canada will open play Friday against Bosnia-Herzegovina at BMO Field, renamed Toronto Stadium for the tournament.

“I try and play football like I’m playing in the park,” said Canadian midfielder Liam Millar. ”I think that’s what’s helped me a lot (with) my nerves and deal with my problems, is just think about it like any other game.

“And not play the occasion, just actually play the game.”

On a sunny day in Alberta some 11 years ago, Sinclair scored the lone goal in Canada’s 1-0 opening win over China. She slotted a ball into the low corner from the penalty spot.

The injury-time winner provided immediate relief after a tense back-and-forth game that felt like “different stress and a different pressure” to Sinclair, who played in six Women’s World Cups over her career.

“If you’re playing at an event that’s somewhere else, you can kind of convince yourself that not everyone’s watching,” she said. “Like it’s just different. But those butterflies, honestly, they’re what you make them.

“And it’s a privilege to feel that pressure. It’s a privilege to have that stress because it means it matters. It means you care.”

The Canadian men, ranked 30th in the world, have a good chance of making it out of the group stage in the expanded 48-team tournament.

Bosnia holds the No. 65 position while No. 19 Switzerland and No. 55 Qatar round out Group B.

“I think June 12th will evidently be a very big and special moment for our entire city,” said Canadian defender and Toronto native Richie Laryea. “But within the group, I think what we’re trying to do is narrow it back down to us and just be composed for when the moment comes.”

The top two teams in each of the 12 pools will advance to the Round of 32 along with the eight best third-place teams.

The tournament starts Thursday and continues until the July 19 final at New York New Jersey Stadium.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and you want to put your best foot forward and put on displays and performances that your country can be proud of,” Sinclair said in a recent interview. “But it was the best feeling.

“Yes, it is stressful, but it was the absolute best.”

Ranked eighth in the world at the time, Canada was pleased to get three points against a plucky 16th-ranked Chinese side.

“The saying goes that the first game is always the most difficult because of the nerves and the stress,” Sinclair said. “For us to open the tournament with a win, kind of set us in the right direction and got the country behind us.”

The game was played on newly installed artificial turf, a subject that was a talking point in the year leading up to the tournament.

Dozens of women’s players — led by American star Abby Wambach — filed a lawsuit against FIFA, citing gender discrimination because the men’s World Cup is played on grass. The case was dropped in early 2015.

Moncton, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Vancouver and Montreal were the other Canadian co-hosts that year.

Just two cities — Toronto and Vancouver — are sharing hosting duties for the men’s World Cup games in Canada. A hybrid grass surface is used in Toronto, while Vancouver’s BC Place had a grass pitch installed for the tournament.

“We were the only country to put in a bid to host that (2015) tournament,” Sinclair said. “So obviously, would it have been amazing to be on grass? Of course. And of course, with the men’s World Cup coming (up), you know it’s going to be on grass. There was never any doubt.

“But the women’s game has evolved a lot. And I think everyone learned a lot from previous tournaments. It’s moving in the right direction.”

Sinclair’s side dropped a 2-1 decision to sixth-ranked England in the quarterfinals at Vancouver in 2015. England went on to win bronze while the U.S. beat Japan for gold.

The Canadian men, meanwhile, will head west after their opener in Toronto. The Canada-Qatar game is set for June 18, and the Canada-Switzerland matchup will be played June 24.

With files from Canadian Press sports reporter Gemma Karstens-Smith.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press