HEALEY: Why Eustáquio's Gold Cup depends on status 'physically & mentally' after Club World Cup

In a world where footballers jettison from continent to continent and push their bodies more than ever before, Stephen Eustáquio finds himself a rather busy figure for club and country.

The 28-year old FC Porto midfielder joined the Canadian men’s national team (CanMNT) in Halifax this week after concluding his season in Portugal. He’ll likely feature in Canada’s two friendlies for the Canadian Shield tournament this weekend in Toronto as they prepare to face Ukraine and Côte d'Ivoire.

Eustáquio will then fly to be with Porto for the Club World Cup and, depending on how they perform, re-join his fellow countrymen in their pursuit of silverware at the Concacaf Gold Cup. The Portuguese league, of course, starts soon after. Add in a baby and a recent engagement, and a picture starts to form of Eustáquio’s dizzying schedule over the coming few months

So, when asked if too much was being demanded of footballers, Eustáquio agreed, noting that the demands — which can see some players suit up for 70 to 80 matches a year — don’t offer much time for players to relax and recover.

“It depends on how the club manages everything but I believe so,” he told reporters gathered at the Wanderers Grounds in Halifax on Wednesday.

“I’m going to talk about my situation. Let’s say I play these two friendlies (for the Canadian Shield Tournament), I go away with Porto for the Club World Cup. We finish in whatever position and I have to come back to Canada. Obviously, my colleagues back in Porto, they’re probably going to have one or two weeks on vacation. On their vacation, I’m probably still going to be playing the Gold Cup.

“There’s a limit of rest I can have because the Portuguese league starts in a couple weeks. That’s one of the big issues. I’m happy with the group we have (with Canada). Everyone is fighting for their spot and if one is not available, the other one is going to show up.”

Eustáquio added he knows how important this international window is for Canada given its proximity to the 2026 World Cup. It’s just over a year until the world descends on North America to celebrate the beautiful game and Eustáquio, who has been a staple of CanMNT for some time, wants to ensure he and his teammates are ready for the challenge. But they aren’t where they want to be yet.

“I think we’re not at the point we want to be. If the World Cup was this summer, I wouldn’t know what to say to you guys for the objective to win the World Cup. But I think for the path we’re taking, the work rate we have and the way we play, I think this year’s going to be very important for us,” he said.

The Gold Cup, of course, is a pivotal marker in Canada’s journey as it offers a chance to earn a trophy ahead of the final dash to 2026. And as a result, there’s a different feeling around the tournament this year as almost all of Canada’s top players are aiming to be available to compete for it later this month.

“I think there’s two big reasons,” said Eustáquio of the elevated importance of the Gold Cup. “One of them is, obviously, because the World Cup is next year, we’re not going to be together for that long. This is probably, I can say, the time we’re going to spend the most time together.

“The other one is because I feel that, as a team, we’ve grown so much. We feel that we’re really close to winning a trophy and this is probably the last opportunity before the World Cup that we have to win it.”

But it’s also possible Eustáquio won’t have a chance to help Canada push for a trophy this June. Although officially named to the Gold Cup squad, once he heads back with Porto, he said, his focus will have to be on performing in the Club World Cup.

Re-joining Canada is not guaranteed.

“It depends on how I finish the Club World Cup physically and mentally,” he said.

Given his role on the squad, it’s fair to say CanMNT head coach Jesse Marsch will miss Eustáquio’s influence on the pitch. However, the midfielder is certain that what he brings to the team has been shared through setting an example in things like training leading up to the important matches later in June.

“That’s probably one of the best things I do here is show that there’s certain levels to play here,” said Eustáquio. “I know in my situation, if I end up playing the Gold Cup or not, there’s room for other players to pick up a spot and play well. The only team that benefits from that is Canada.”