Confident Canada in control against Belize
By the time veteran midfielder Atiba Hutchinson added the final goal in Canada’s 3-0 win over Belize Friday night, the clock had already ticked past 90 minutes, the game set to end whenever the referee blew his whistle.
But even though it came during added time, Hutchinson’s goal was far from meaningless.
On paper, the difference between 2-0 and 3-0 is the difference between a solid win and a dominant one. And on the field, 3-0 means Belize’s job in the second leg of the World Cup qualifier is that much more difficult. To advance, Belize will have to defeat Canada by more than three goals in next Tuesday’s rematch.
And for Canada, that third goal help restore offensive confidence for a squad that went scoreless in the CONCACAF Gold Cup last month.
“If it was just two goals, it wasn’t good enough,” said midfielder Issey Nakajima-Farran. “Home game, second leg coming up. With the guys that we’ve got now, we should be scoring a lot more goals . . . myself included.”
This early in World Cup qualifying Canada is still facing rivals from smaller countries, often without much soccer pedigree.
After Canada dispatched Dominica (population 72,000) in June, up popped Belize, a nation of 350,000 whose most accomplished athletes — retired sprinter Marion Jones and former Raptor Milt Palacio — grew up in the U.S. as the children of expats.
Of the 18 Belizean players who suited up Friday night, only three play in foreign pro leagues — two in Honduras and one in Turkey. The remainder toil in Belize’s semi-pro domestic league and from kickoff simply played not to lose. All-time leading scorer Deon McCaulay lingered near midfield for much of the first half, but Belize rarely advanced the ball that far. Instead, they clogged the midfield, clustered in their own end and hoped Canada wouldn’t crack their defence. The strategy worked. Until it didn’t. Twenty-five minutes in Nakajima-Farran back-heeled a pass to fullback Marcel De Jong, sprinting toward the left corner. He sent a cross into the Belize’s six-yard box, where Orlando City SC rookie Cyle Larin met it in midair and headed it toward the goal. Belize ’ keeper Woodrow West saved that shot as well as Samuel Piette’s whack at the rebound before striker Tosaint Ricketts slid in to send the ball into the net.
The goal was Ricketts’ 11th with the national team, placing him seventh on Canada’s all-time scoring list.
“Once the first one gets in, the pressure eases up,” said Ricketts, who plays professionally for Boluspor in Turkey. “The guys get more relaxed and then the gates are open to score more.”
Twenty minutes into the second half, right back Nik Ledgerwood sent a cross toward the Belize box, where Ricketts sprinted in to knock it past West to extend Canada’s lead to 2-0.
Hutchinson scored Canada’s third goal during second-half added time.
The two teams are scheduled to meet Sept. 8 in Belmopan, Belize, with the winner advancing to the fourth round. There, Mexico and Honduras await the winners of Canada-Belize and Curacao-El Salvador.
Canada’s performance next Tuesday might depend on how quickly veteran Julian De Guzman heals or how well the club adjusts to playing without him.
The 34-year-old Ottawa Fury and former TFC midfielder took the field Friday amid media reports that he’d been battling injuries, and less than 13 minutes after kickoff he went down. When it became clear De Guzman couldn’t jump back into action officials whistled the play dead. Canada’s training staff sent a stretcher to fetch him, but De Guzman rose slowly, ambled toward the sideline and crossed himself as he left the field.
Head coach Benito Floro later said De Guzman had injured his calf muscle.