I watched that Gold Cup too. Then I forgot about the national team for the next decade like everyone else. One night I got hooked watching Canada play Ecuador in front of a 2/3 empty BMO Field and haven't looked back. But I am the outlier and for years it felt like I was the only one in this city who cared.
Canada tends to be a nation of bandwagon jumpers when it comes to sports outside of hockey and the big 4 American leagues. The bandwagon that was full in March 2022 is now empty. Maybe a few people jump on during Copa America to watch Canada play Messi but they'll be off as soon as the tournament is over. Networks don't pay for national team content because not enough people care about the national teams to watch. Same with CPL.
I agree with johnny199r, I am seeing that there just aren't a lot of people willing to invest with their time or their wallets into the game. It's slowly improving, but to really change the culture requires decades of the game being around in a meaningful way and people don't tend to have that kind of patience.
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