The Canadian men's national team set a new Canadian sports attendance record last night. 54,798 supporters came to watch the match at BC Place in Vancouver, the biggest crowd to ever watch a Canadian national team play in any sport. Despite a 3-0 loss for Canada to Mexico attracting that crowd was an impressive achievement for the Canadian program.
What wasn't so impressive was how the crowd behaved, or at least a select few members who decided to invade the pitch during, and after, the match. Just as it wasn't a strong night for the Canadian men's national team, it was a less than impressive night for BC Place security.
In fact, it got the point where a Canadian staff member took things into his own hands. When a pitch invader ran by the Canadian bench, national team chiropractor Garret Kusch sprang into action. Running full speed, he would dive and take down the invader from behind. He would then stay on top of the fan until BC Place security could reach him.
The moment received plenty of reaction on social media, with some calling for Kusch to be named Canada's man of the match. Others suggested that Benito Floro should put him in for the away leg, which will be played this Tuesday at Estadio Azteca in Mexico.
Kusch is a former member of the Canadian men's national team. He played 21 games in red, scoring one goal. He also had a long career that would include time with the Vancouver 86ers before going abroad to play in Belgium, Sweden and Norway.
Since retiring, the 42-year-old has become a chiropractor and is now once again involved with the national team in that capacity. He first joined the national team in this capacity in 2006, and has served on staff during the 2008 Olympics, 2008 World Cup qualifiers and 2011 Gold Cup.