Team Canada beat Team USA 6-0 yesterday. The rout was part of the Cannes Lions World Cup of Beach Soccer Tournament, and Canada was represented by Steve Persico of Leo Burnett, James Stewart of Geneva Film, Yanik Deschenes of AAPQ, Miles Savage of DDB, Andrew Livingston and Kyle Lamb of John St., Sean Atkinson from Cossette, Pierre-Olivier Descoteaux of SherWeb, Toronto lawyer Jean-Pierre Bouchard (on vacation) and Andy Kalevar, a student from McGill who won the AAPQ bursary.
Despite Cannes organizers not being able to source Canadian kit (which says something about Canada’s FIFA status), and start time delays that diminished team size, Canada’s determined hard-core adverati/parkour experts held their own, and fought valiantly in their Chinatown tourist T gear. Veteran defender Deschenes and striker Stewart could have something to fall back on should they tire of developing Montreal’s Ad Lab, and pioneering 3D respectively.
The rest of the team was a blur of fast running, fancy footwork and committed headbutting amid sharp blowing sand and hot sun, and kudos to Savage for adapting the uniform to sleeveless T with optional tuque/sweatband accessories.
Canada warmed up with a 1-4 match against Portugal, followed by a sand skirmish with Estonia. The highlight of the latter exchange was a four-goal streak in a matter of minutes, before bowing 7-4 to Estonia.
‘Unfortunately the clock and the bar were against us,’ quipped Stewart. ‘Instead of raising the bar we raised the glass.’
Indeed, some team members had to leave after game two to hit the awards stage, so it came down to a committed core crew – including Persico, Atkinson, Descoteaux, Deschenes, Kalevar and Bouchard – who hung in to tear a near forfeit-victory away from the Americans grasp in a final burst of beach soccer brilliance. Well played, Canada.
