Joel Waterman's World Cup dream gets Calgary's backing

Joel Waterman's rise from Calgary's soccer ranks to the World Cup stage is getting a hometown cheering section. The staunch defender, who cut his teeth with Cavalry FC before moving to the MLS, will represent Canada in the 2026 FIFA World Cup starting Friday against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto.

It's Waterman's second World Cup appearance. His first was in 2022 in Qatar.

"That's my guy," said Tofa Fakunle, Waterman's former Cavalry teammate and now the club's assistant GM. "Been friends for a while now, since our university days. Great guy, and he's very excited for the World Cup — very grateful for the opportunity to be at his second World Cup."

Waterman, 30, a native of Surrey, B.C., honed his skills under Cavalry head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. before joining the club's inaugural 2019 season as a regular-season championship contributor. He became the first CPL player transferred to an MLS franchise when he moved to Montreal Impact in January 2020, eventually landing with Chicago Fire.

"Joel adds a ton of credibility and really validates that everything that we're trying to do with this club," said Cavalry marketing director Mason Trafford. "It's about producing the next big players. We did that in Year 1 with Joel, and we've now seen it with Mo Farsi, who's on the Algerian national team."

Wheeldon himself is supporting the national team during the tournament, analyzing games and training sessions. For Waterman, the journey from Calgary club soccer to the world's biggest stage is something he calls "crazy."

Canada and Cavalry are counting on him to make it count.