It's a call he surely hoped he wouldn't have to make -- at least, not so soon.
But a day after his decision to resign as head coach of the men's national team in the wake of The Game That Shall Not Be Named, Stephen Hart took time on Friday afternoon to address the country's soccer media one more time.
He's provided his parting thoughts on Tuesday's game, its aftermath, his tenure as head coach and what the future holds for both himself and the men's national team program.
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Perhaps still shell-shocked by the enormity of what had taken place Tuesday, Hart simply offered "a series of things came together" as an explanation for how it all fell apart, saying that given the constraints with which he was working, there was nothing that could have been done differently in terms of preparation or selection.
"One player would not have made a difference," he said.
But three or four players certainly could have, in a country with a talent pool as relatively shallow as Canada's.
"Overall, we need more depth," he said of the Canadian program. "If you look at the USA as an example, they went into their last games with the (top) goalscorer in the MLS (Chris Wondolowski) and the (top) goalscorer in the Eredivisie (Jozy Altidore) not even in their (squad).
"In a year, we've lost Ali Gerba, Josh Simpson, Dwayne DeRosario and Olivier Occean, and it's very hard to replace that attacking impetus. It's not one-for-one swaps here."
Hart, though, still refused to blame the players who were present for Tuesday's result, a result that precipitated his departure.
"I'm not going to sit here and blame players," he said.
"Before we enter the field every game, regardless of the outcome, I want them to walk off the field with their dignity intact."
So, Hart was asked, did the players leave with their dignity intact on Tuesday?
"I'd prefer if you asked them that," he said.
"Some of the players came over and were apologetic, the rest were more or less speechless, really."
Regardless of how Tuesday's scoreline came to be, though, Hart knew that it made his resignation inevitable.
"This freakish result was impossible for me to accept, especially after outplaying the same opponent at home," he said. "I spoke to (CSA president) Victor (Montagliani), I actually called him and explained my side of it.
"Really and truly, I just felt that it was best that I step down."
With 10 minutes of that announcement, Hart said he was "overwhelmed" with messages from people within the Canadian soccer community -- a community that he holds very dear.
"I don't know," he said, when asked if his future may include a new role within the Canadian Soccer Association. "I cannot answer that; that is up to the CSA themselves.
"I've always worked with the best interests of the game in Canada (in mind), understanding the soccer reality here. My approach has always been to do my little part, rather than talk or moan about it. ... And if asked, I will continue to do so.
"I told them I'm willing to do anything to help, because this is something close to my heart."
Hart said it's problematic to boil Tuesday's result down to the "psychological issue" storyline that many have repeated in the last few days, saying that instead the team must deal with "such a wide spectrum of things" including each individual player's club situation, confidence at the time, adaptability and so on.
And, of course -- as he was told by fellow former Canada head coach Tony Waiters -- "you're going to need a lot of luck."
"On the day, it was not to be. I'm sorry for that."
As for what his legacy would be, Hart was characteristically reluctant to speculate.
"That's for (others) to decide," he said. "It's always going to be about that last game, so..."
Still, Hart seemed hopeful that he wouldn't ultimately be defined by that one "freakish result."
"One game in international soccer is probably not going to erase everything that you've tried to do. But at the end of the day, it's a very bitter pill to swallow, as you can well imagine."
Specifically, he reminded reporters that upon his arrival, he worked hard to convince a number of players to return to the national team, feeling that "it was important for that experience, for that depth, to help mold what would be our future."
When it comes to the current crop, he said it would be up to each player to decide "if they soldier on with the national team" under whoever his replacement ends up being. Those decisions will, of course, depend heavily upon the identity and priorities of the new head coach, whomever that ends up being.
While the initial reactions from the team's most ardent fans have been overwhelmingly supportive, Hart no doubt will leave mixed feelings among many -- about his appointment, his performance and his overall impact on the team and the program.
One thing, however, cannot be disputed.
To the very end of his time in this role, Stephen Hart remained what he has been for so many years, and will surely continue to be in some capacity: A loyal and dutiful servant of the sport of soccer in Canada.
And for that, he deserves our thanks.
So long, Stephen, and thanks for all the soup.
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