Canada could book a spot in Qatar on Wednesday with a win and a whole lot of help

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This article was published 01/02/2022 (1706 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If there was a turning point for the men’s national team in the final round of World Cup qualification, it came last September in Canada’s win over El Salvador.

After the Canadians drew their first two games — at home to Honduras, away in the United States — a 3-0 won over the Salvadorans showed the group could be a dominant force in CONCACAF, talent, confident and joyful. The unbeaten run for this stage is now at 10 matches, and Canada sits atop the eight-team octagonal, four points ahead of Mexico and the U.S.

“When you’re winning, it’s easy to enjoy your football,” said coach John Herdman, whose Canadian team has won five straight against Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, Honduras and the U.S.. “But we’ve had our tough times and we’ve had to come through them, like any team.”

Canada faces El Salvador again Wednesday in what could be another one of those tough nights. Muddle through, and the reward could be plentiful.

Canada could book at spot at the World Cup in Qatar with a win over El Salvador, a Panama loss in Mexico, a U.S. loss against Honduras, and a Costa Rica loss or tie in Jamaica.

Canada could guarantee itself at least a fourth-place finish — which means, at worst, advancing to an intercontinental playoff against an Oceania team this summer for one last shot at a World Cup berth — with a win over El Salvador coupled with a Costa Rica loss or tie in Jamaica. A Canadian tie in El Salvador coupled with a Costa Rica loss would also guarantee the Canadians at least fourth place.

Either way, the team needs at least a point, or more, from its third game in seven days, in front of a likely hostile crowd.

“I think every game I’ve seen El Salvador play they’ve got a packed house,” Herdman said Tuesday. “They’re fighting for their lives. They’re the underdogs. We know they never surrender the shirt in that stadium.”

It’s a similar narrative to the one going into Honduras last week, when Canada won 2-0, but El Salvador is a stronger side that also beat the Hondurans 2-0 on the road this week. El Salvador has earned six of its nine qualification points on home soil. Its dependable midfield includes Major League Soccer products Darwin Ceren and Alex Roldan siting behind attacking threats in Enrico Duenas and Jairo Hernandez. While the team doesn’t score much, its six goals have been scored by five different players.

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Canada’s squad could be bolstered by the return of midfielder Stephen Eustáquio, who met the team in El Salvador after missing the first two matches following a reported COVID-19 diagnosis. Canada also brought defender Zachary Brault-Guillard into camp after Steven Vitoria was suspended for Wednesday’s match after accumulating two yellow cards. Midfielder Atiba Hutchinson will be available after serving a suspension of his own when Canada played the United States.

Herdman called playing at Estadio Cuscatlan “a real CONCACAF experience” but he has faith that his team has the know-how to circumvent any expected challenges.

“The tougher it gets,” he said Sunday, “I think the stronger they become.”

With files from The Canadian Press

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