Earning your first senior national team cap is an unforgettable experience.
It is even more special if, like now-Vancouver FC head coach Martin Nash, it comes at home.
On April 6, 1997, in a FIFA World Cup qualifier no less, Nash pulled on the Canada shirt for the first time. The B.C. native stepped onto the pitch at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, as Canada took on El Salvador.
"It was a fantastic day," Nash told CPLSoccer.com. "It was 0-0 in the end, but I had a really good performance. It was a dog fight in the end because Paul Peschisolido was sent off early, unfortunately. I thought it was a great debut, and set me up for a few more games in the final round of qualifying."
It was a strong Canada squad that day, featuring national team legends like Craig Forrest, Colin Miller, Randy Samuel, Alex Bunbury and Mark Watson.
"I was the youngest of the group by three or four years so, being a 21-year-old, nice to enter that group," said Nash. "They were kind, helped me out a lot. They were fantastic pros, and I learned a lot just being with them for qualifying. It set me up to have a good career for Canada. "
Nash would pull on the Maple Leaf 37 more times, scoring twice for his country. Probably the most famous times he wore the shirt came in the summer of 2000 at the Concacaf Gold Cup.
What was one of the most memorable moments in Canadian soccer history didn't start that way. Canada only got out of their group on a literal coin toss. In the quarters, they drew powerhouse Mexico.
"I remember calling home [to B.C.] and being like 'probably be home after this game' kind of thing, and then we won," said Nash.
In the quarter-final played in San Diego, Canada equalized late through Carlo Corazzin to force extra time. At the time, the Golden Goal rule was in place for the tournament, which meant extra time was sudden death, and any goal scored during it meant the game was over.
It was during this extra time period that Nash assisted one of the most famous goals in Canadian soccer history, striding up the pitch and playing in Richard Hastings, who slid and put the ball into the roof of the net to hand victory to Canada.
"It was an amazing feeling that Golden Goal, because the game just ended, and you were just dog piling, and it's over," said Nash.
Canada went on to defeat Trinidad & Tobago 1-0 in the semi-final, before beating tournament invitees Colombia 2-0 in the final in Los Angeles to win the 2000 Concacaf Gold Cup.
"It was a great moment for Canada Soccer, it was one of the greatest moments of my career," said Nash.
Really, he says, any opportunity to play for Canada was a cherished memory. It was the biggest goal of his 15-year professional career, and a childhood dream that he got to live out on many occasions.
"Always so much pride to put that jersey on," said Nash. "I didn't really trade my jersey as much [with other players], because I still have them at home, I cherish them, and every moment I was able to spend in a Canada jersey was a very memorable moment in my career."
Since hanging up his boots, and all of those kits, Nash has coached with the national team on multiple occasions. Most recently, he was part of a CanMNT camp in Toronto in October, 2024 where he got to see the current Canadian group up close.
The talent of the group blew him away, but so did the incredible depth. While he knows injuries are a big story heading into the tournament, he believes that the players who are next in line are more than capable of delivering top performances.
"I think the biggest thing for me, from this and any Canadian team, you're going to have a team that's going to work like dogs for a result," said Nash. "They're going to give everything, fight for every inch on the pitch, and they're never going to give up. And I think that we've always got that going for us, but now there's just that added bit of quality throughout the whole squad."
He believes that the squad has everything it takes to put in a really strong performance this summer and make the country proud, just as he and his teammates famously did back in the summer of 2000.
