Canada, although hosting a World Cup for the first time, has a soccer culture.

It has three clubs that compete in the Major League Soccer (MLS) competition: Vancouver Whitecaps, Toronto FC and CF Montréal.

But the country has struggled to translate the passion of the recreational league into consistent high performance, particularly with the men’s national team. Meanwhile, the women’s team is currently ranked ninth in the world according to FIFA.

This tournament has helped drive massive financial improvements for Canada Soccer, the sport’s official national governing body. The organization launched a pre-tournament fundraiser that recently reached its goal of C$25 million months ahead of schedule.

That windfall could deepen the game’s roots at the national level, Canada Soccer says, through more funding for youth participation, coach development and support for youth and senior national teams.

The hope now is that the governing body can build on the enthusiasm and fanaticism around the team, as well as longer-term projects such as establishing a national training centre.

Meanwhile, fans of the men’s team, nicknamed The Reds, are simply savoring the experience of a good performance in the tournament.

“It brought a lot of people together in kind of a segregated world that we live in,” said Zeileen Reardon, who spoke while watching the team play Morocco in a Calgary bar.

“I think it really showed the world that we can come together, even for one game,” he added.

Additional reporting by Nadine Yousif and Eloise Alanna