As Canada go in search of a first FIFA World Cup victory, playing on home soil, two of their players are drawing inspiration from different eras of Nigerian football.
Forward Promise David grew up idolising Nigerian legend Nwankwo Kanu, while teammate Tani Oluwaseyi points to current Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface as the player who most influences his game.
Kanu is one of the most celebrated figures in Nigerian football history, winning the Under 17 World Cup in 1993, the UEFA Champions League in 1995, Olympic gold in 1996 and multiple titles in Europe with Ajax, Arsenal and Internazionale to become one of Africa's most successful players in Europe.
While Boniface is nowhere near as accomplished, he has emerged as one of the more quirky faces of the current Super Eagles generation, with his outrageous skills, club goalscoring form and witty social media presence.
A Canada squad shaped by a rich tapestry of diversity is proof of the growing influence of Nigerian football on one of the world's largest African diaspora communities.
"I always looked up to Nwankwo Kanu growing up," Promise said to ESPN during the mixed zone. "That was one of the greatest players in Nigerian history.
"My dad talks about him fondly and I've watched a lot of highlights of him. Granted I didn't watch him live but he's a great player and somebody I tried to take a lot of things here and there from."
Asked which Nigerian player has influenced him most, Tani offered a quick answer: "Victor Boniface."
Picking Nigerian stars for inspiration is proof that much as the players are fully Canadian, they have also retained the Nigerian flavour in their lives.
Tani, especially, was quick to show off his Nigerian pidgin when asked how much he felt of the support from Nigerian: "Energy dey abeg.
"Thank you for all the Nigerian support in this World Cup. Nigeria is not in it, so abeg support us.
"We trained our whole life for this stage, the biggest stage in football, so obviously all my Nigerian friends always support me. It's great to have a World Cup on my home soil in Canada."
David was just as appreciative of the dual support coming their way, from both the Canadian and Nigerian communities, and is happy to embrace both.
"It's really good," he said. "To be from two countries and have people from both supporting you is always very cool. I hold both roots very close to my heart so it's really nice."
Both players were involved as Canada secured that point in their opening game, and while there is disappointment that they dropped two points, David said the team left the field encouraged at their strong finish.
He said: "It felt good to get the point but I think for us we think we could have got all three, so I think it's nice and something we can build on. I don't think we are satisfied and we are hoping that we can take that onto the next game.
"We are positive. The way we played from the 25th minute on. We pushed the game, we had chances, one hit the post, one got cleared off the line. Chances were there and we knew they would fall eventually, so heads are up, no one's down on this game for sure."
For Tani, it is about getting off the block early: "The fans should look forward to a better start. We didn't start the way we wanted to this game, but we were able to get ourselves back into it. So hopefully in Vancouver we take the first charge."
To do so, Tani says he needs to bring some extra aggression to his game and the frontline as a group: "Just being a threat going forward. I don't think we made enough fear of danger in the first half.
"So in the second half it was just to continue scaring the defense and knowing that something was going to open up eventually."
Having dropped points in that first game, David remains convinced Canada's first World Cup win is close.
"It will come. I have full confidence in every single person in that locker room that we will get a win in at least one of those two games," he said.