The first taste of the World Cup came to Jonathan Osorio when he was six years old, when his parents made the bold decision to keep him home from school one day.
"We wanted him to understand who we are and where we came from," said Bibiana Osorio, Jonathan's mom. "We're from Colombia. Colombia was playing in the World Cup. We wanted him to experience that. Soccer is in our family and has been big forever. My husband played. My dad played. Our kids play. Being South American, it was a way of life for all of us. It's in our blood."
Now, the World Cup is just a short drive from home. On Friday afternoon, Osorio will have the largest birthday party of his life. He's turning 34 with more than 45,000 people heading to BMO Field for Team Canada's World Cup opener against Bosnia-Herzegovina, 17 of them family members, all ready to blow out the candles.
This is what the Osorios do: They travel together. They celebrate together. They root together. They wear red together and they support whatever it is their kids are doing. Right now, they are beyond thrilled as the days approach to Friday, something they never could have envisioned in their busy lives.
"I can't even begin to explain how exciting this is," Bibiana said. "Who ever thought this was possible? This week, we've been counting down the sleeps to Friday. Five sleeps to go. Four sleeps to go. When we found out that the game was on his birthday, I got goosebumps. It was like something was meant to be."
This isn't his first World Cup. The family was in Qatar four years ago. "It was an amazing and unforgettable trip. But this feels so different. A different team. A different coach. When his name was called, just to know he got a second chance at this at his age, that was an incredible feeling. World Cup is always special. World Cup at home, in our country, near our home, it's going to be amazing. You can just feel it. Who ever believed this was possible?"
Certainly not an 11-year-old who made a tough sporting decision at the time: Osorio was giving up soccer for baseball. That was a rather shocking decision in their household. He thought baseball was his ticket out of Brampton. His parents gave him a choice — you can play soccer or baseball in the summer, but you can't play both.
"We had kids playing something almost every night," Bibiana said. "I remember how disappointed my husband was when he went to baseball. But when he turned 12, he changed his mind. He said to us, 'I miss soccer and want to go back.'" His parents took him to the Brampton Youth Soccer Club for tryouts. The legendary Ken Giles was watching from the bleachers and noticed Osorio right away. Other parents asked: Who is that Number 12?
That number 12 inverted his number to 21 with Toronto FC and now with Team Canada. The road, as it is for almost every Canadian national team player, is forever challenging. Osorio was identified at 14 as someone with national talent. By 18, he left home to play in Uruguay for two rather miserable seasons. "It wasn't a great experience for him," said his mom. He came home to be named rookie of the year in the Canadian Soccer League and, the next year, to begin his journey with Toronto FC. He is now paid more than $1 million to play professional soccer in his hometown.
Osorio wakes up every morning to a text from his mom. "I tend to leave him alone most of the time," Bibiana said. "Just a text saying 'good morning, I hope you have a good day.' And maybe something later, saying good night. He doesn't have to respond all the time. He's got a lot going on. He's busy right now as the days get closer. When the Canadian team gets together, there's this brotherhood among the players. It's a very tight group. They have a bond you have to watch to completely understand."
So the family takes in as much as they can over the next few days. Osorio has little cousins now playing soccer. Three Osorio brothers wound up playing pro soccer, one of them World Cup-bound for the second time. "This will probably be his last World Cup," his mom said. "But with him, you never know. His whole story has been amazing. How determined he was to keep going and growing in soccer. So many twists and turns — I told him, when he retires, he needs to write a book. There's a whole story to tell here."
The latest chapter begins Friday afternoon at the Exhibition Grounds, with all of Canada watching. "We're originally from South America. Jonathan's wife is from Europe. We all grew up in places where soccer really matters," Bibiana said. "Canada is just getting there now. Soccer was not such a big thing way back. Now the stadium has to be rocking on Friday, everyone wearing red. I can see that."
"You need to dream and believe," Jonathan Osorio said. "My parents sacrificed a lot for me to be here. I've given everything I have to get here." "Friday will be epic for us," Bibiana said. "Epic for our family. There's so much at play here."
For the little boy who stayed home from school and watched the anguish and excitement of a 1-0 loss to Romania, there is still that little boy in him as his birthday approaches. There will be at least 17 Osorios in the stands of BMO Field, probably more. Too many loot bags to give out on this monumental birthday. "I'm a fan of the game," said Osorio. "I'm still a fan. That's inside me. But to be part of this, at home. The World Cup." A player in his second World Cup. That's all you say right now. The World Cup. At home. Our first. It's time to get going.
