That was more like it.

Following the final whistle of Canada's 6-0 win over Qatar, I was left stunned.

Looking around Vancouver Stadium, staring at a sea of red, all chanting and supporting the Canadian national team together, it made me extremely proud.

This World Cup has helped push the sport of soccer to the forefront in our country, and it has been such a blessing. It's been great to see how powerful the sport has become, and how many Canadians, soccer fans or not, are tuned in and cheering their hearts out for our squad.

I think it's truly important to highlight this Canadian pride. What we're seeing is something I've never seen around this game before in our country. In Vancouver, as I walked through the city, it was pure red as far as the eye can see. And not Qatar red, not Switzerland red, not Portugal red. No. Canada red.

As I went by the water, I took it all in and felt really proud of how far this sport has come in such a short amount of time. The ripple effect and impact that this tournament has had are massive, and I believe these moments provide a springboard for soccer to rival sports like ice hockey in popularity.

Our national team's success is growing new fanbases all over the country, and it's been so refreshing to watch. I look forward to it continuing as Canada's World Cup journey rolls on.

Qatar win turns heads

Make no mistake, that was a sensational victory. Watching Canada dominate an opponent on the world's biggest stage was a true breakthrough moment, and one I'll never forget.

We jumped on Qatar early and asserted ourselves from the opening whistle. And once Cyle Larin found the back of the net in the 16th minute, the floodgates opened. I thought, from back to front, the team played extremely well and as a cohesive unit, which was very hard for Qatar to break down. Once Qatar were reduced to 10 men (and eventually nine), the goals flowed in.

It was also great to see Jonathan David get off the mark, and in such a big way, scoring a hat trick. He is going to be critical if Canada are to make a deep tournament run, so I hope he goes into the match vs. Switzerland with confidence after seeing the ball hit the net three times. 

It has been incredibly special to witness this group take the field and represent Canada on such a massive global stage. Their success showcases the quality being developed in our nation, and I hope it's inspired so many young Canadians to tune in and begin playing soccer.

However, it's important not to get too far ahead of ourselves following such a big win. That result was amazing and absolutely worth celebrating! But for the players, that is yesterday's news. I trust that they'll have returned to training the following day and locked right back into the mission.

It all comes down to the final group matchup against Switzerland. The players, coaches and the rest of the staff are well aware of what lies ahead, and I think they'll be sure not to get hung up on the positive results that have come before.

Koné questions

I was devastated, absolutely gutted, when I saw Ismaël Koné's leg injury vs. Qatar. First and foremost, you never want to see an injury of that magnitude for any player, but especially for a player like Koné, who's been vital to Canada's success over the past few seasons and is such a key midfield contributor.

On the bright side, from a national team perspective, center midfield is one of the positions in which Canada have great depth. After Koné came off, we saw Nathan Saliba come on and immediately provide a positive impact, scoring and paying tribute to his international teammate.

He's a great player and provides a different dynamic in the middle of the pitch, and I'd expect Jesse Marsch to insert him into the starting XI. I've worked with him quite a bit, especially during my stint with the national team, and was always really impressed. He really caught my attention.

Of course, it is terrible to lose Koné for the remainder of the tournament, both from a personal and athletic perspective, but I believe our squad is strong enough to fill that midfield gap.

Switzerland loom

It certainly feels like every time Canada make history, we have to rewrite it immediately afterwards. We started by getting our first-ever World Cup point, then it was our first-ever World Cup win, and now we've got a chance to win our first-ever World Cup group.

But with all this excitement in the air, we cannot let our heads get too big entering our final group game.

Let's not take anything away from Switzerland. Like us, they'll be fighting tooth and nail to win Group B. They're a very strong team, full of experience and players who compete in Europe's top leagues.

Switzerland will be looking at this matchup thinking it's a perfect opportunity to go on and win the group. They're ready for a battle. On paper, it's fair to say they're the best opponent we've faced so far, so earning a win or a draw will be no easy task.

It's also important to note that winning Group B would mean Canada get ANOTHER match at home, which will be added motivation to snatch a result from this final group stage game. Playing a knockout round game in Canada would present another incredible chance to keep growing the game in this country while also offering a unique home-field advantage. It's something we absolutely must have.

So we have to go with everything we've got against a team who view themselves as the favorites in this match and will want to illustrate that from the first kick of the ball.

It will be best against best. Let’s go win Group B and make more history!