There was a time early in his career when Canadian winger Ben Fisk got too deep into his own head to see the bigger context. At 21, Fisk was playing for Spain’s Deportivo La Coruña reserves, and he was obsessed with winning against the first team.
As he got depressed, then-friend and teammate Samuel Piette put a hand on Fisk’s shoulder and begged him to investigate his surroundings. He may have been the only two Canadians who lived near the stunning beaches of A Coruña, a seaside town on the northwestern tip of Spain.
“Look where we are,” said Piet. “We are living the dream. Let’s have fun.”
Next, Piette pulled out a list of restaurants that she had heard good reviews about, circled one together, and visited. The hours they spent playing cards at a beach cafe, making friendly bets at billiards, and “not speaking to each other for hours afterwards” were countless.
“The ultimate adventure,” said Fisk. “Instead of making a lot of money, chase your dreams, train hard, and hold each other accountable.”
Had it not been for Piet’s demeanor, Fisk’s obsession with climbing the football ladder might have ultimately kept him out of the game.
“Sam has an amazing ability to remain humorous in almost any scenario,” Fisk said. “Including things that should be super serious”
That attitude has become a hallmark of Piett’s career with the Canadian men’s national team. After making his debut in 2012 at the age of 17, he had a consistent down year from 2015 to 2018.
As the national team had more players, Piet’s role as a starter diminished. He became the quintessential “glue man”. He’s the one who keeps the mood light and keeps the training standards strict.
Piette plays for Montreal against Orlando City in May (Photo: David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
However, after a renaissance-like season in MLS with CF Montreal and a two-game start in Canada’s pre-World Cup friendly in September, Piette has stepped up his role in Qatar, earning his mark on the pitch. may become acceptable.
“I think he enjoys being recognized as better than anyone on the team,” said Canadian head coach John Hardman.
Sam Piette is only 28 at this World Cup, but Canadian football has evolved significantly in his career and the road to Qatar may seem unfamiliar to his younger teammates. He didn’t grow up in his local MLS academy or be drafted into the MLS from American college football. not a person.
Instead, Piette represents a more common rise among Canadian male players in the 1990s. Without a growing domestic league, Canadians leave their families at a young age, and dreams of playing professionally often end up bouncing from club to club far from home.
Piette always had a fearless personality and was comfortable starting conversations with new people. He was comfortable adjusting to an unfamiliar environment, which he credits to his father, who he said wanted to be surrounded by as many people as possible and was quick with one-liners. increase.
“And so am I,” said Piet. “She would rather have dinner with 10 than with 3. It’s a different perspective.”
So when Piette moved to France at the age of 15 to train at the Academy of Metz, he wasn’t as homesick as many of his peers. When Fortuna two years later had to roll the dice and head to Germany to sign for Düsseldorf, he was unfazed.
“It shaped my personality,” Piet said. “When I was in Germany at 17, I spoke English. I had to learn German and book myself to get a car and my own insurance.” I don’t have many kids who have to.That’s why I’m one-sidedly mature, but still young, so I guess I’m a glue guy.”
By the time he arrived in Spain at the age of 20, his joie de vivre was all-encompassing.
Fisk and Piette tried to learn Spanish, while Piette tried to master innuendos, jokes and curse words in the language. According to Fisk, they were the team’s “class clowns.”
“He learned a word in Spanish and beat it to death,” Fisk said. “He used it for all the wrong things and the guys were just howling. ”
On the Spanish side, there were questions as to whether Piette could hack it in the fourth division on the reserve side. It has helped me stay on course and stay positive throughout the three seasons of .
“Life is too short,” Piet said. “I make money, I’m with my friends. I can’t ask for a better life. I can’t come to training in a bad mood.”
These days, Piette is often typecast as a workmanlike last line in midfield, crushing enemy plays and doing little else. Unusual among players, his shirt is always tucked up and his long hair is tied up in a bun, giving him the image of a lunch pale player.
Piette will face Curacao’s Jarvan Kastania in June’s Nations League match (Photo: Don MacKinnon/AFP via Getty Images)
When Benito Floro took over the national team in 2013, he was certainly typecast. Michael Findlay, an assistant coach at the time, remembers a Spaniard who didn’t understand English very well, telling young Piet bluntly: “Sam, you’re fat. Don’t be fat.”
Findlay reminds Floro that Piette is not overweight, stands at 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) and has a different body structure than his teammates.
“But Benito would say, ‘Sam, you had a good day,’ and be surprised at how much ground he was tracking,” recalls Findlay.
“He’s a quiet contributor,” added Findlay, noting Piette’s strong completions and ball possession numbers. “He’ll say, ‘What do we need to do today?’ He’ll do what’s best for the group.”
As Piette got older, the look of the team changed.Canada now has more talented players, and they are starting to play better technical football than ever before. This has prompted questions from both inside and outside the program as to what role a player like Piette would have within the group.
Piette has been in the Canadian ranks longer than all but two other players, but in the final round of 2022 World Cup qualifiers, he made only two starts, more than coming on as a substitute. I spent a lot of games on the bench.
Immediately after qualifying, it was worth wondering how safe Piette’s spot would be on a flight to Qatar, and if he would be able to see much of the field if he was going to go to the World Cup.
But Piette’s stellar play in Montreal and his accompanying rise with the national team over the past few months are a reminder that development is not linear.
“Just making my debut for the national team when I was 17 was big,” said Pietto. “And I think the fact that I’m still here after 10 years says a lot about who I am as a person and as a player.
“There were a lot of players who were there when I was 17 and weren’t there anymore and they had better potential than me. I will be on the team.”
Piette playing for Canada in 2012 (Photo: Frederick Breedon via Getty Images)
Piette recovers well and can get stuck on defense, but Steven Eustakio, whose long-range passes can change the game, and his composure, playmaking, and ability to cover the ground make him a Canadian football legend. Alongside the likes of Atiba Hutchinson, who made it into the series, he doesn’t always stand out to the Armchair audience.
“When you have to play, well, I do my job, smash it,” he said. “And we need it sometimes.”
But for his teammates, who often refer to him as “pitbull” or “bulldog,” Piette deserves rave reviews.
“(Piete) is one of those players you can hardly appreciate until you play with him,” Fisk said. “He makes other people’s work easier. He’s not afraid to do the dirty work. increase.”
“I think he’s gone one step further in the last two games,” Hutchinson said. “And when he’s healthy and in good shape like that, he always performs like that. He can always play at that level.”
For Piette, little has changed. When tension builds up before a match, he’s the first to crack a joke. If a player needs to train prior to the same match, Piette will increase his intensity level first.
“He’s just a lovable guy and someone you always want to have in your team,” Hutchinson said. “Everyone respects what he gives.”
And when young players need to remember how far Canada’s men’s national team has come and how they need to assess the opportunities ahead in Qatar, Piette is the first to speak up. .
Does the team’s defining element of ‘brotherhood’ exist thanks to a player like Piette?
“I would like to think so,” he said. “I think it plays an important role. I didn’t play much in the qualifiers. But just being there and training to prepare the teams to play and who’s going to start that game. I think they play an important role for us.
And Piette could be named as a World Cup starter, which will no doubt surprise some outsiders.
“These are the posters we want our youth players to see,” said Findlay. “[Pieté]can transcend different situations.”
Otherwise Piette will not complain.
“In the national team, it’s bigger than me. Bigger than us,” said Pietto. “I will be with the national team forever.”
(Photo above: Matthew Ashton/AMA via Getty Images)
