Canadian men’s soccer team heads home from Jamaica with hope, but not three points

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This article was published 10/10/2021 (1823 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new Canadian soccer fan — someone who has watched the development of the men’s national team over recent months, tuned in to Thursday’s away tie with Mexico and was fired up after the fact — might have walked away from Sunday night’s stalemate against Jamaica feeling a little let down.

A glance at the results elsewhere after the final whistle — particularly a win by Panama, 1-0 over the United States, that knocked Canada out of the top three in the World Cup qualifying standings for the region — would have compounded that sentiment.

The point Canada earned from a 0-0 tie in Kingston on Sunday doesn’t compare with the 1-1 draw in Mexico City just days earlier, but the visitors still took some satisfaction from the result in hostile territory.

“They’ve stifled us to one point, but they’ve dropped two points,” Canadian coach John Herdman said post-game. “You’ve got to win your home games, so I think we’ll come away happier.”

The style of Canada’s last two games couldn’t have been more different.

In Mexico, both squads played relatively free-flowing attack soccer, helped by a referee who kept a handle on the match but wasn’t too quick to blow his whistle. The Mexicans’ high press gave Canada more opportunities in transition — where the speedy, creative lineup has been known to thrive.

On a warm Jamaican night, and a field that resembled a pasture, there was little of the link-up play that had given Canada an edge at Azteca Stadium. Jamaica’s physical approach, typical of CONCACAF matches, made for a choppy performance by both teams.

“It is difficult,” said Herdman. “We rely on our build-up strategies, we rely on our transitional work. And you know the Jamaican style, it’s very direct, second phase, and then they break your lines. They tailored their style to their conditions here, and I thought they did well at that.

“I think for Canada, we had to adapt. We said we needed to get things in behind a bit quicker … particularly the first half. We were just missing those runs in behind that would allow us to be a little bit more direct.”

Canada’s best chance of the night was in the 60th minute by midfielder Liam Millar, one of five changes Herdman made to the starting lineup. Alphonso Davies cut a ball into the box from the touchline after a run down the left wing. Millar, alone at the back post, side-footed a shot into what looked for a split second like a wide-open net.

The decision to side-foot the shot likely cost Millar. The lack of firepower gave Jamaican goalkeeper Andre Blake just enough time to make the save.

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Jamaican fullback Kemar Lawrence, who plays for Toronto FC, gave Canada a few scares with his delivery on set pieces, creating chances for Kemar Roofe and Junior Flemmings — whose header whizzed across the net and off the far post.

“You can say that the final-third quality wasn’t here today,” Canadian fullback Samuel Adekugbe told Canada Soccer’s website. “But we’re not going to make any excuses. We have to learn and we have to move on.”

Canada will be moving on to BMO Field for a home date against Panama on Wednesday night, when three points would go a long way for either side in hopes of qualifying for Qatar 2022. As the coach said, you’ve got to win your home games.

Herdman will also have more players to choose from after Richie Laryea, Tajon Buchanan and Steven Vitória served one-game suspensions Sunday for accruing two yellow cards.

Laura Armstrong is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @lauraarmy