Families of Team Canada players get ready to cheer on loved ones at World Cup
CBC
It is the most common dream in the world.
From Jakarta to Rio de Janeiro, from Dakar to Dublin, Tokyo to Tijuana, kids kick balls on sandy lots or dusty alleys or lush pitches with the hope of one day playing in the biggest sporting event on the planet.
But for Canadian boys, the dream seemed too distant. Too audacious. Canada wasn't a soccer nation. This country didn't take part in World Cup championships.
Just eight years ago, Canada's men's team sat 122nd in the FIFA standings.
But to quote John Herdman, the country's beloved coach, this is a new Canada.
Now, 26 Canadians are about to live out their childhood dreams. Those who helped get them to where they are today, well, they're part of the dream, too.
Martin Piette fights back tears as he tries to express just how much he loves his nephew, CF Montreal defensive midfielder Samuel Piette.
"Normally, our idols are older than us, but my idol is Sam," he said.
The large, tightly-knit Piette family has been watching from up close, gathering at Saputo Stadium in Montreal to watch the 28-year-old's games.
The family always knew Samuel Piette had talent, but the thought of him going to the World Cup never crossed their minds.
Now, the 28-year-old has earned 66 caps with Team Canada heading into the World Cup and hopes to pick up seven more before it's over. If his family wasn't thinking about the World Cup when Samuel was a boy, he definitely was.
"When he was small he had a project in school 'Where will you be in 2040?' or something like that," said his mother, Linda, from her home in Repentigny, a Montreal suburb. "And Sam said 'professional soccer player and play in the World Cup.'"
Piette's father says Samuel's confidence on the pitch has been growing over the past few months.
"It looks like he's taking more initiative on the attack this year compared to last. He's trying longer passes and I think it went well," said Stéphane Piette.
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