Canada on verge of clinching World Cup berth

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This article was published 05/11/2021 (1746 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Previously in World Cup qualifying…

Part One: The Introduction. Following a 4-0 aggregate play-off win over Haiti, Canada’s men’s national soccer team advances to CONCACAF’s final round for the first time since 1997.

They open their schedule with a tentative draw at home to Honduras before picking up an impressive point in the United States, after which they dispatch El Salvador 3-0 in Toronto.

Part Two: The Test: Facing their campaign’s most difficult stretch of matches, Canada score a first goal and record a first result at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca since 1980. They then travel to Kingston, where hosts Jamaica provide a physical examination and manage to hold out for a nil-nil draw.

Back in Toronto, and knowing they must beat 2018 World Cup participants Panama to remain in the Octogonal’s critical top three, Canada come back from a goal down and romp to a convincing 4-1 triumph.

And now, Part Three: The Homecoming.

Alphonso Davies, whose performance against Panama was among the finest in Canadian men’s soccer history, will play his first matches in his hometown of Edmonton since joining Vancouver Whitecaps’ academy at the age of 14.

The 21-year-old, who has since won three Bundesliga titles and the Champions League with Bayern Munich, as well as being named to the UEFA Team of the Year in 2020, has referred to the occasion as a “homecoming,” and crowds in excess of 40,000 will welcome him back against Costa Rica on Friday (8 p.m., Sportsnet) and Mexico on November 16 (8 p.m., Sportsnet).

The conditions will be what you’d expect in the Alberta capital this time of year.

It’s forecast to be around -2 C when the showdown with Los Ticos kicks off at Commonwealth Stadium, and El Tri will face a slightly cooler temperature the following Tuesday. Additionally, the games will be played on an artificial surface that will no doubt harden when it gets below freezing.

It’ll be an advantage for Canada, but only a slight one.

Obviously, the thinking was always to take Costa Rica and Mexico well out of their comfort zones, and to that end it’s job done. They won’t enjoy their respective 90 minutes.

Not that the Canadians will much relish them, either. After all, this is a squad made up of players who live and work in places like Portugal, Turkey and South Korea, as well as American cities such as Denver and Nashville. The idea of hardy northerners taking on more delicate southerners tracks far more among fans than it does among footballers.

That said, it’s a narrative this country is embracing, and manager John Herdman is correct to point out that his team will have the benefit of training in the cold and on the Powerblade Elite 2.5 field turf in the days leading up to the matches.

Herdman is also rightfully buoyed by the squad selection.

Number-one goalkeeper Milan Borjan is back in the fold after a bout with COVID-19, and Besiktas duo Cyle Larin and Atiba Hutchinson have returned from injury.

Perhaps most importantly, Stephen Eustaquio, who picked up a knock late last month, was back in the Pacos de Ferreira line-up to face Moreirense on Monday and will be fit to start against Costa Rica. There might not be a better midfielder in CONCACAF right now than the 24-year-old.

Then there is Ike Ugbo.

Born in England but mostly raised in Southern Ontario, the 23-year-old striker had initially decided to represent Nigeria before declaring for Canada just this week. A two-time UEFA Youth League champion with Chelsea, he’s coming off a breakout season at Belgian club Cercle Brugge and has so far scored four goals for Genk this term.

Ugbo, much like Davies, hasn’t played a match in this country since he was a youngster, so the upcoming qualifiers will be something of a homecoming for him as well.

He couldn’t have joined the team at a better time.

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Canada have considerable momentum going into the match against Costa Rica. The squad is fit and full of talent, and right now a berth in the 2022 World Cup seems more likely than not.

Parts One and Two of their campaign put them in this position. Part Three should consolidate it.

jerradpeters@gmail.comTwitter @JerradPeters