Qatar, Uruguay to test Canadians
The Canadian men's national soccer team will get an opportunity to see where they stand against 2022 FIFA World Cup opponents in its final international window before Qatar.
John Herdman's men are playing host Qatar in an exhibition game at the Generali Arena in Vienna, Austria, on Friday and then will face Uruguay at the Stadion Tehelne Pole here on Tuesday.
Canada has set up training camp at the impressive MOL Soccer Academy just east of the Slovakian capital.
“Qatar will arguably be the most prepared team at the World Cup, given the investment and the time they've had together,” said Herdman on Thursday. “They're very disciplined and defensively they're as organized as I've ever seen a team in this World Cup setting.
“So, it'll be a tough match. As I've learned, we'll be clunky in that first five or 10 minutes, it'll take us a while to get our rhythm when we haven't been together for a while and against a disciplined team like Qatar they can punish us, so we'll have to be on our toes in those first 15 minutes. That will be an absolute given for this group, we'll have to show some real focus and concentration.”
In what is an important time for the Canadian men's national team, the team has had its preparations disrupted by controversy in previous international window leading up to the November tournament.
Canada had to cancel an exhibition game against Iran after receiving backlash for inviting the team to Vancouver. The Iranian government was responsible for shooting down a Ukrainian commercial flight, killing all 176 passengers on board, which included 63 Canadians.
The players then boycotted the following friendly quickly organized against Panama over a pay dispute with Canada Soccer over World Cup prize money.
Canada will have one final exhibition game against Japan on Nov. 17, after the World Cup squad is named, then open the 32-team tournament against Belgium on Nov. 27 in Al Rayyan, Qatar.
Canada also play Croatia in Al Rayyan and conclude Group F play against Morocco in Doha on Dec. 1. The top two teams advance to the second round.
“We feel great, we always have great energy in our locker-room,” said Canada fullback Steven Vitoria. “We know the tests we have in front of us and we always have that mentality and attitude of respecting our opponents. So we're focusing on who we are, where we are at the moment and where we want to get to.”
While playing Qatar will be a nice appetizer for Canada, the true litmus test will come against Uruguay. The South Americans are two-time World Cup champions and are considered on similar footing to the region's powerhouses Argentina and Brazil.
“I think that's going to be a little taste of what we have to come against Belgium, and Croatia,” Vitoria said. “This is a level we all dream of playing at and now that we're here, there is no reason to get scared. We're all embracing the moment and are accepting that and it's about pushing our new limits that are out there.”