Team Manitoba’s Men’s Soccer Head Coach Raffaele (Raff) Cantafio shares what it means to lead at one of Canada’s premier multi-sport events—and how the Canada Games experience is shaping young athletes on and off the field.

“This is my first Canada Games,” he says, “and I’m blown away. I was told about the gravitas of it, how emotional and inspiring it can be—I just didn’t expect the opening ceremony - it was unbelievable. The boys were in a space like I’ve never seen them before, quiet, almost awestruck almost and it was just a fantastic moment. You’re proud to be Canadian that’s for sure."

Cantafio is no stranger to high-performance soccer. As the REX (Regional EXCEL) lead at Manitoba Soccer, he works with high-performance athletes, including some of the players on Team Manitoba’s men’s and women’s rosters. But even for a seasoned coach, the Games present a different challenge.

‍

Different Format, Different Game Plan

Unlike most soccer tournaments, the structure of the Canada Games means early results can quickly shift the pathway for a medal. 

“What’s different is the formatting,” he explains. “Basically your first game can define whether you can medal or not. We played our hearts out yesterday and we go down 1-0 to the best team in the country. Now we’re trying to readjust and get our frame of mind ready.”

That mental reset is where Cantafio’s experience and structure come into play. 

“I use a game-day mitigation kind of map,” he says. “It’s tactical, it’s technical, it’s mental cues, it’s halftime talks, and scenarios—if we're tied, losing, winning, if there’s a red card. I do one for every game and the basic structures are always the same, it’s just a few minor adjustments based on the opponent.”

As Team Manitoba looks ahead to the rest of the week, the strategy combines building confidence and controlling the pace. 

“Let's set the tempo, let's get comfortable, let's stack our moments, psychologically, and then once we stack the confidence, we start to impose ourselves a little bit more and more. So that's the game plan.” 

‍

A Collaborative Coaching Culture

Cantafio leads a three-person coaching team, including assistant coach Chris Lourenco and team manager Kris Nordman. All three are already involved in Manitoba’s soccer development system.

“Chris and I both work in REX,” Cantafio explains. “He's the technical lead at Manitoba Soccer, so we work in tandem with each other. As far as how we work on the sidelines, I come up with the basic direction and structure and landscape of what we're trying to do. And then I discuss it with the two of them and it's an open table - what are your thoughts, what can be better, what do we keep the same, what do we want to change?”

‍

Managing the Big Moments

For many of these athletes, the Canada Games represent their first exposure to a national multi-sport event, and the environment can be overwhelming. 

“There’s just so much going on!” Cantafio says. “It's a bit of a visceral overload for them. And so it's kind of managing their emotions and managing the blinking lights, if you will, and trying to find moments within your itinerary and in the day where you manage that.”

Part of his approach is building routines that provide a sense of normalcy. 

“We try and create some routines within the system to kind of give them the feeling of home and a process that feels familiar. And then you can deal with everything else that's going on around you -  like, here's some downtime, and here's where we're going to eat together.”

‍

Building a Team of Individual Athletes

With only 11 spots on the field and 18 players on the roster, navigating roles becomes one of the most important lessons the athletes can take away from this experience.

“Some of the players are used to playing 50% or getting on the field every game,” he says. “And the other thing is, is that where they come from, they're all starters. And now they're not starters. So there's a degree of professionalism that they need to find and they need to understand that if this is a pathway to the national or even a professional pathway, that once you get to this level, you aren't that centrepiece that you're used to.”

The coaches are teaching the athletes how to think outside of that box, to become a full-circle player and focus more on the success of the team as a whole while being a proactive support system on the field or on the bench. 

‍

Pride and Perspective

At the heart of Cantafio’s coaching is a deep sense of pride—in his players, in his coaching staff, and in the opportunity to represent Manitoba on a national stage.

“I’m just super proud to be Manitoban, super proud to be Canadian, and super proud of the group that has come here, just overall super thankful for this opportunity, it’s all amazing.”