2022 World Cup Odds: Will Atiba Hutchinson reach 100 caps at World Cup?
There are plenty of storylines for Canada surrounding the upcoming World Cup, with one of the more underrated ones being 39-year-old Atiba Hutchinson’s chance to become the first men’s player to be reach 100 career caps for Canada. Sitting at 97 caps, can Hutchinson reach triple digits at Qatar 2022?
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Captain Canadian
Alphonso Davies may be the face of Canadian men’s soccer, but no player has given more to the program than Atiba Hutchinson. The only player on Canada’s roster alive during the country’s only other World Cup appearance in 1986, Hutchinson made his debut on the senior team in January 2003. In the nearly 20 years since his debut, he has appeared in more games for Canada than any other men’s player ever.
The Brampton, Ont. native has collected a monstrous amount of hardware in his club career, winning 12 titles in his time split between FC Copenhagen, the most successful team in Danish history, Dutch powerhouse PSV Eindhoven and Besiktas, arguably the most popular team in Turkey.
Hutchinson’s Impact
In Hutchinson’s fifth World Cup qualifying window, Canada’s captain has finally reached soccer’s biggest stage. Hutchinson was part of a revolutionary change in Canadian soccer on the men’s side. He is a key member of a group of Canadian soccer trailblazers that include Dwayne De Rosario, Julian de Guzman and Paul Stalteri, who all had successful careers with some of Europe’s biggest club teams.
Now, Hutchinson will also be part of the greatest generation of Canadian men’s players, including Davies, Jonathan David and Cyle Larin. Hutchinson suited up in 11 of Canada’s 20 qualifying games and now sits three caps short of 100 for his international career. As long as he stays healthy, he will make his 100th appearance for Canada in their final group stage match against Morocco on Dec. 1, almost exactly 20 years since his international debut.
Injury Concerns?
The main concern surrounding Hutchinson’s chance to reach 100 caps is a bone bruise injury that kept him sidelined for Turkish club Besiktas early in the season, although he was able to make his first appearance of the year on Wednesday. Hutchinson, who was in the starting lineup, played until the 70th minute in a Turkish Cup match against Serik Belediyespor. He was only expected to play the first half, so the added minutes could be a positive sign signalling the bone bruise injury won’t be an issue in Qatar.
