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National pride is more than just a flag and some words to Jimmy - it's something real. Chalk up 47 caps for Canada. Add a CONCACAF Gold Cup winner's medal. Set those amidst a career overseas representing his nation to English football fans for a decade. Now you know what Team Canada means to Jim Brennan. Brennan's first cap came against Northern Ireland in Belfast. He played alongside Canadians he admired, from keeper Craig Forrest to striker Paul Peschisolido. The match ended in a draw, much to Jimmy's frustration - his father's side hails from Northern Ireland, and he relished the chance to give his family some stick.
Jimmy saved his first goal for home soil. Playing Jamaica at Toronto's Varsity Stadium in front of his friends and family, Brennan netted the game winner. Toronto FC teammate and Jamaican international Tyrone Marshall knows the story of Brennan's first goal backwards and forwards - Jimmy won't let him forget it.
But Brennan is not just a national team player - he's a champion. He helped Canada to one of its greatest-ever achievements: the 2000 Gold Cup. On the way to beating South American powerhouse Colombia in the final, Jimmy's side sent defending champions Mexico crashing out in the quarters with a thrilling golden goal winner. The medal from the tournament hangs in Jimmy's bedroom to this day.
For Canada's number 11, the most memorable appearance came when playing Brazil in the 2001 Confederations Cup. Lining up against world football's best and sharing the pitch with so many players Jimmy admired, made the day truly unforgettable. And battling to a draw against the future 2002 World Cup champs wasn't so bad either.
Now retired from Team Canada, Brennan looks back proudly on his career playing for his nation. Every time he donned the Canada jersey with number 11 on the back, he felt enormous pride to be representing Canadians everywhere. He only hopes to one day see a new dawn for Canadian soccer - one in which Team Canada is a true international force.
Brennan played the full 90 minutes of Canada's greatest cup glory: the 2000 CONCACAF Championship. After knocking out favourites Mexico in the quarterfinals, Jimmy and Team Canada earned a hard-fought victory against Trinidad & Tobago to set up a final against South American giants Colombia.
Not only did Team Canada succeed in toppling the Colombians, but the side did so in style. The Canadians were two goals to the good by the 67th minute and ended the match with a clean sheet. Jimmy and his teammates and lifted the Gold Cup and sealed the most remarkable triumph in Canadian soccer history.
The achievement stands as one of the most important moments in Brennan's career, and the winners' medal still hangs in his bedroom.
The press wrote off Canada's 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup hopes from the tournament kick-off. And when the Canadians came up against Mexico in the quarters, the commentators predicted a gloomy afternoon for the Reds.
But Canada shocked the world on February 20th, pushing the match into extra time with an 83rd minute equalizer. And just 2 minutes into the first half of extra time, the upset was complete. Team Canada knocked out the defending champs with a golden goal screamer.
Jimmy played every minute, helping to contain Mexico's midfield threats and contribute to Canada's flowing moves. His efforts paid dividends throughout the match, as the Mexicans were held to just 2 shots on goal.
Jimmy's last start and final cap for Canada came in the southern Mexican city of Tuxtla Gutierrez. The match against top-ranked CONCACAF nation Mexico was crucial to Canada's World Cup 2010 qualification hopes.
Mexico pressed the attack for much of the match, but Canada held firm for the first hour of play. Brennan worked hard along the left side of the park and played a substantial part in keeping his opponents from gaining an advantage in the early stages.
But when the final whistle blew, Brennan and Team Canada found themselves on the wrong end of a 2-1 score line. The loss effectively ended Canada's World Cup ambitions for 2010 and signaled the close of the Brennan Era for the Canadian national team.
Brennan bagged his second international goal in The Peg, and it couldn't have been at a more pivotal moment. After collecting a tidy cross, Jimmy slotted home the match-winning strike to the far post in the 82nd minute.
Brennan was nearly on the score sheet within the first 5 minutes of the match. He found himself on the end of a Canadian move and just missed with a first-time shot toward the far post.
The victory ended a five-game winless streak for the Canadians, and the 3 points breathed new life into the nation's hopes for 2002 World Cup qualification.
It's an unforgettable moment for any player to net his first international goal. But to score it on home soil in front of friends and family? That gets the heart pumping like nothing else.
Jimmy was lucky enough to experience exactly that feeling. He scored his first goal for Canada against Jamaica in Toronto's Varsity Stadium - a 53rd-minute strike that proved to be the match-winner. And although it was only the 6th cap for the young midfielder, he had already cemented his place in the starting 11.
Brennan's first cap for Canada held a special significance for the 21-year-old midfielder. His father's family hails from the country, which added a little extra incentive. If his Canadian side beat the Northern Irish team in front of the Green and White Army, Jimmy could have held it over his family for years.
It seemed like a reality until the 90th minute, when a Northern Ireland equalizer leveled the score at 1. Still, the experience of playing alongside Canadian veterans like Craig Forrest and Paul Peschisolido made a lasting impression on Brennan. It was a memorable match and a sign of the greatness to come.
Brennan notched a goal and an assist during a high-tempo friendly against Libya in Tripoli. In front of 45,000 screaming Libyans, Jimmy and Team Canada put in a textbook performance of tough defending, cool finishing and stalwart level-headedness away from home.
After surrendering a 1-0 lead in the early stages of the match, Team Canada responded in the best way possible. Jimmy took the match by the scruff of its neck, thundering in a 20-yard strike to the near post and retaking the lead. But he wasn't done there.
Canada's number 11 came out strong in the second half, tearing up the field to set up teammate Paul Stalteri for a 47th-minute goal that put Canada 3-1 up. The match ended 4-2 for the Canadians, and Brennan had a good shout for man of the match honours.
Quick thinking and deadly finishing earned a brace for Brennan and a deserved victory for Canada. Coming on as a halftime substitute, Jimmy dropped into a central midfield position and ignited a Canadian attack that had threatened goals in the first half.
Jimmy rifled his first past the Austrian keeper Payer in the 66th minute. He pounced on a loose ball around the top of the penalty area and let fly with a vicious strike that rocked the side of the Austrian net.
Just 4 minutes later, Brennan was on the score sheet again. A Canadian corner was half-cleared to the top of the box, where Jimmy was happily lurking. He unleashed a screamer with his left foot which took a deflection off teammate Marco Reda before finding the back of the net.
The goals proved to be the last Brennan would net for his country, but the two brilliant strikes made for a fine way to wrap up his scoring.
Jimmy and his countrymen toppled 3-time Asian Cup champions Iran to take 3rd place in the 2001 LG Cup. Playing the full 90 minutes in front of a raucous crowd of 10,000, Brennan formed the left side of a disciplined and determined midfield.
Jimmy helped to contain any left-flank threats and to preserve an early lead courtesy of a 20th-minute header goal. The Canadian back line held firm and keeper Craig Forrest made several spectacular saves to ensure his 18th clean sheet for his country.
The victory was Canada's first in 2001. The pivotal win against Iran helped build confidence ahead of the squad's trip to Japan for the 2001 Confederations Cup, where Brennan and the Canadians would face the likes of Brazil and Cameroon.
As Gold Cup champions, Brennan and Canada earned a place in the 2001 Confederations Cup. The FIFA event gathers the world's 6 confederation champions for a tournament in the nation set to host the next World Cup.
After a stinging defeat to Japan just two nights earlier, Team Canada lined up against the yellow shirts of Brazil. Brennan started the match and played the full 90 against some of the finest footballers in the world.
Tough Canadian tackling and a well organized midfield stymied the free-flowing attack of the Brazilians. Brennan played a pivotal role on the Canadian left, working to contain the constant threat posed by marauding Brazilian right backs. The match ended in a scoreless draw and a deserved point for the underdog Canadian squad.
Brennan & Team Canada
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