I want to play in the 2030 World Cup.
That’s a big goal of mine. So, when I was watching this World Cup during the past month, and especially the Canada matches, I was looking at who’s in my position and what they were doing differently to me.
As a player myself, I’m not watching the games like a normal fan. I’m thinking: what are the things in their game that have got them to this level and onto this team, and how can I learn from that and bring it into my performances for Vancouver FC during the CPL season?
Obviously, I’ve still been enjoying the tournament, the atmosphere in the city, the goals, and watching top players like Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.
But from an analytical point of view, I’m always looking at who’s got my spot and asking myself how I can get to that level in the future.
So for me, the standout player who caught my eye the most in the tournament was Djed Spence.
He was going up against Messi and some of the best attackers in the world, and he had a phenomenal couple of games for England.
I hadn’t really followed him too much before the competition, because as a Manchester United fan he was playing for Tottenham so I was not watching their matches.
But after seeing him play in this competition – the level of hunger he has and the intensity he brings to every play is something I think I can take into my own game.
He gives everything he’s got on every single play. I think that’s one of the things that separates some of the players in the CPL, like myself, from the higher levels.
It’s not just having that tenacity and hunger, it’s being able to bring it for every single ball. I’ll be trying to bring that same level of energy into my game, but more than anything it’s about bringing the consistency which comes from his mentality.
The standout match for me in this World Cup then was England against Mexico in the Round of 16 at the Azteca. Everything about it was unbelievable.
The drama, the hunger, the conditions they were playing in, and the fact Mexico never lose there made it such a good match-up. Then you had the five goals, so many chances, penalties and red cards. It had everything.
But for very different reasons, the France vs. England game in the third-place playoff was also one of the best games in the tournament. There were 10 goals and there could have been even more. It was a crazy game and really exciting to watch.
Overall it was a brilliant tournament, in terms of the standard of the games, for Canada and Vancouver as hosts, and how the Canada team performed.
Hopefully we will see the impact of this increased interest in soccer come through in the attendances in our national league, as people come out to watch the next generation of Canadian players start their professional careers. This will be so important to us pushing on as a soccer nation and competing in future tournaments, as well as increasing the number of kids who want to pick up the sport and get involved.
Since our World Cup break, we’ve been in really good form ourselves with Vancouver FC, winning our last two Canadian Premier League matches 4-0 against Inter Toronto and then beating FC Supra du Quebec 5-1 in Montreal last Friday.
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I think we’ve found our stride just at the halfway point of the season. We’re up to fourth in the table now and flying – after a slower start.
But there’s no time to pause or celebrate because these games come thick and fast.
Tomorrow night (Friday, July 24) we play Cavalry FC, who, along with Forge FC, have been the best two teams in the league. I actually made my first CPL start against Cavalry the last time we played them, and we lost that game, so we know it’ll be a big challenge.
But we’re going into the game full of confidence, we’ll have our fans behind us, and we’ll be looking to make it four home CPL wins in a row and five matches unbeaten.
Thanks for your continued support.
– Kian Proctor is a 20-year-old Vancouver FC defender from Delta, who signed his first professional contract for the 2026 season after a standout year at SFU. He will be writing a weekly column this season, offering insight into himself and his new team.
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