#CanadaRed soccer weekly: Montagliani, Herdman head up top five of influence

The Canadian brand of soccer is in an ongoing endeavour to find its place in a nation where the big European clubs and national teams attract most of the television attention, and 2016 is a year where both men’s and women’s programs can make big steps forward provided they can achieve results. The men will continue World Cup Qualifying and the women hope to get an encore performance at the Olympics, where they first grabbed the national consciousness back in 2012 and off the field, while Canada has a growing role in the new FIFA as it works to turn from a corrupt laughingstock into responsible stewards of the game. Here's my list of the most influential people in the game in Canada (and it is, of course, open to debate).

1. Victor Montagliani

After a number of arrests and indictments purged many senior CONCACAF officials from the management ranks this past year, Canada Soccer Association President Victor Montagliani is now one of the senior administrators of the game in North, Central America and the Caribbean.

Montagliani is a member of the CONCACAF Executive Committee and FIFA Reform Committee at a time when the governing body is finally sorting the corruption out and hopefully putting the world’s game back into calmer waters. After former CONCACAF President Alfredo Hawit from Honduras was caught up in the latest FIFA sting in November, the CONCACAF EXCO opted to go without a President until an election next May and Montagliani may be a serious candidate as someone who hasn’t been painted with the corruption brush.

2. John Herdman

Herdman was feted as a miracle worker in 2012 when he guided Canada’s women to a bronze medal at the London Olympics, less than a year after Canada finished last at the 2011 Women’s World Cup in Germany.

He’s now on the clock once again as he faces an Olympic Qualifying tournament in March in Texas and needs at least qualification to show that he’s still got the program in the right direction after the team was knocked out in the quarterfinals of summer's World Cup at home.

He’s championed integration of the program from the youth national teams up to the senior team and the U-20 team has already qualified for the World Cup at that age group next year, but he is ultimately judged by the performance of the senior team. Should they qualify, getting out of the group stage in Rio may be a minimum standard given the resources invested in the women’s program compared to other teams in the CONCACAF region.

3. Benito Floro

Floro is a big name in the game internationally having coached most prominently at Real Madrid and on five continents over the course of his career, giving Canada a recognizable name running the senior men's team. With Spanish as his native tongue, the Latin American media has taken to Floro quickly and he’s drawn plenty of attention when Canada’s played in the southern regions in CONCACAF.

Under Floro, Canada has finally attracted the commitment of Junior Hoilett and Tesho Akindele, and has brought forward Lucas Cavallini back into the fold. The team has surpassed the modest expectations many held for them in World Cup Qualifying after their first two games of the competition, but 2016 will be a make-or-break year for him, with the decisive four games in the semifinal round of qualifying to come.

4. Kadeisha Buchanan

Buchanan, the first player other than Christine Sinclair to win the Canadian women’s player of the year in a dozen years, is the future face of the Canadian program once Sinclair steps aside, and the present and future leader of the Canadian backline at the tender age of 20.

Known for her fierce tackling on the field, Buchanan is the life of the party off it. She’s usually leading the dancing in the dressing room and has warmed to the spotlight and is becoming more gregarious and adapting to the world stage. On a side going through growing pains on the attack as they look for players who can ease Canada off their reliance on Sinclair’s offensive prowess, Buchanan will be crucial to lock things down at the back in low-scoring games against the elite teams in the world.

Canada is one of few countries in the world where the women’s team gains more attention than the men’s and, until the men make progress in World Cup qualifying, Buchanan could be the most famous soccer player of either gender in Canada if she reaches her potential.

5. Atiba Hutchinson

He’s not playing in England’s Premier League or La Liga in Spain, but Atiba Hutchinson currently plies his trade with a Besiktas team that sits in first place in Turkey’s Süper Lig, one of Europe’s top leagues. With the league winners in Turkey getting a spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League Group Stage and the runners-up getting a spot in the Champions League Qualifying Rounds, Hutchinson could be a rare Canadian lining up against the top clubs in the world next season.

A tremendously gifted midfielder, Hutchinson is unappreciated in Canada where the men’s program gets only a modest amount of attention with many fans focusing on other national teams, but he is simply Canada’s best player.

He just won his fourth Canadian men’s player of the year but if Canada surpasses expectations and somehow advances to the final round of World Cup Qualifying, Hutchinson will be key to any success. Given that he’s one of the rare Canadian players who plays near the highest level of the most popular sport on the planet, he’d deserve to be mentioned among the names up for the most renowned Canadian end-of-year sport awards if he leads the team forward in qualifying.