Whitecaps pair switch focus to World Cup qualifier
WORLD CUP QUALIFYING: Canadian defender looking forward to ‘massive’ match Friday in San Pedro Sula
David Edgar said he probably wouldn’t sleep after Saturday’s scoreless tie at the L.A. Galaxy. He can’t sleep after night games. Too wired.
Hopefully he caught a nap on his Sunday morning flight to Orlando, where he and fellow Whitecaps defender Marcel de Jong will meet up with the Canadian national team ahead of Friday’s do-or-die FIFA World Cup qualifier in Honduras.
It’s a game that will demand every ounce of Canada’s energy, will and focus.
“It’s massive,” said Edgar, a 29-year-old defender who joined the Caps in July along with de Jong.
“We’re trying to go in there for the win and make things easier when we get back to Vancouver (for the rematch Sept. 6).
“It’s a tough place to go, we know that. It’s not so much a revenge mission as people are dubbing it. We’re just going about our business. We already beat them at home. We know we can beat them away. It’s about preparing right and doing the job.”
Edgar and de Jong played key roles in Saturday’s tie at the StubHub Center.
It was a point that snapped a fourgame MLS losing streak for the Caps (8-12-7) and one that could turn out to be valuable in their playoff push.
It was also the first shutout for Edgar and de Jong since joining the club six weeks ago.
Edgar formed a strong centre-back partnership with Kendall Waston, while left-back de Jong had easily his best game as a Whitecap with eight tackles and seven interceptions.
“Hopefully it gets the ball rolling,” said Edgar. “We showed a determination and a grit that’s been lacking in recent games and we really dug in. You come away disappointed without three points, but that’s a good sign. It’s a tough place to come.”
Tough, yes. But it’s got nothing on Estadio Olimpico in San Pedro Sula.
Edgar knows all about that. He was part of the game there four years ago that stands as Canada’s most wellknown defeat. It finished 8-1 and cost coach Stephen Hart his job.
“I’ve thought about it plenty of times,” Edgar said. “There’s nothing we could ever put our finger on. It was one of those freak results.
“If you watch it back — which I never did, I just remember it — in the first five minutes we hit the post, we had another good chance and that was always our downfall in that qualifying campaign (not taking their chances).
“And then something just changed. They got the momentum. It’s a massive crowd. They got their first goal and it was just, I don’t know, the floodgates opened up and it was damage control after that.
“It’s a different group of players (this time). Guys who didn’t experience that, so maybe that’s a good thing. We’ll prepare the same way.”
The biggest difference this time is Canada has some players who can be counted on to create and score: Orlando forward Cyle Larin, Burnley winger Scott Arfield and unattached winger Junior Hoilett.
“Someone like Scotty is looking forward to that environment,” said Edgar, who played almost 100 games for Burnley, but hasn’t been among Benito Floro’s starting lineup for Canada thus far.
De Jong has been starting at left back.
Hoilett’s lack of a club is perhaps a worry in terms of his readiness. Canada also has a handful of players injured (midfielder Julian de Guzman) or coming off injury (goalkeeper Milan Borjan, who is on the roster, and midfielder Will Johnson, who is not).
“Maybe some players haven’t got as much match fitness as others,” said Edgar, “but we’re all professionals. We’ll be OK.
“I’m lucky to be coming in building up mine and really hitting top form now, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Canada hasn’t been to the Hex — the final round of CONCACAF qualifying — since 1998.
The top two countries from the fourth round of qualifying advance to the Hex, so a tie in Honduras Friday puts Canada in a good position before their match at B.C. Place against El Salvador four days later.
As for the Caps, they’ll be without six players to international duty when they host the New York Red Bulls Saturday. Aside from Edgar and de Jong, Waston and Christian Bolanos are away with Costa Rica, Giles Barnes is off with Jamaica and Blas Perez with Panama.
“It’s not an excuse,” Caps coach Carl Robinson said on the TSN 1040 post-game show. “It will give other players opportunities.
“I freshened it up (in L.A.) and it worked. So if you get an opportunity to go play, go and play, keep your spot.”