Canadians expect tough time in rematch
U.S. squad won’t take them lightly again, players says
Canada might be flying high, but they know not to soar too close to the sun.
Last month’s 2-0 triumph over the United States was the first such win since 1985, a 34-year span that saw Canada’s men’s soccer team go 0-9-8 against its southern neighbours.
The Nations League win was momentous, but its importance reached beyond the tournament. It boosted Canada’s FIFA ranking six spots, leapfrogging El Salvador into 69th globally — and sixth in CONCACAF.
It puts Canada in the Hex — the easiest, and realistically, only way to qualify for the 2022 World Cup — for now. The top six teams in CONCACAF in June will form the tournament that sends the top three to Qatar.
“I know it was a proud moment, and I was honoured to be part of that moment,” said Canada centre back Derek Cornelius of the Vancouver Whitecaps.
“That night we enjoyed it — it was a great night — but now it’s looking forward to the next one, in order to do the same. We know we can’t get too excited. We know we have another job to do. We know it’s going to be a harder game, there are going to be adjustments on both sides, and we have to be ready for that.”
Next Friday’s rematch with the U.S. in Orlando determines the Group A winner of the Nations League and a spot in the final four of the inaugural tournament, but the stakes are far higher than just that.
A win would all but seal Canada’s FIFA ranking and spot in the Hex. A tie would still make Canada the odds-on favourites to take the final berth, but a loss would make the job much tougher.
The team that finishes seventh in CONCACAF will have to grind through an arduous process with the other teams ranked No. 8 through No. 35, with that winner facing the Hex’s fourth-place finisher for a chance to play a team from another region for a World Cup berth.
The loss dropped the Americans to 23rd in the world, but they still comfortably hold down the No. 2 spot in CONCACAF. They’re 9-52 since former Columbus Crew coach Gregg Berhalter took over as head coach, a move many decried as nepotism — cries that grew louder with a string of unimpressive results, including 1-0 wins over regional minnows such as Curacao and Panama.
The American media was in meltdown mode after the loss in Toronto, an uproar rooted in the fact they’d lost to … Canada. The disrespect of a Canadian squad that boasts European darlings in Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, among other talents, practically dripped off their keyboards and podcast microphones.
Combined with the fact Canada is 10-2 since 2018, and set a new men’s team record by scoring in 12 consecutive matches, it was clear the outrage should have taken a much more muted form.
“I think coming in, (the U.S. team) came in with a similar mentality — I think we caught them off-guard with our intensity, our willingness to fight, to battle for every single ball. But I think they have enough experience there to know not to make the same mistake twice,” said Cornelius, who will see his regular running mate Doneil Henry return to active duty.
“That’s why I say the next game is going to be a lot tougher. They’ll be ready this time around.”
The U.S. has been in turmoil since the firing of Jurgen Klinsmann during qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, a storm that worsened with the shocking loss to Trinidad and Tobago later that year, a defeat that caused the Americans to miss the World Cup and ultimately forced Bruce Arena — Klinsmann’s replacement — to resign.
While the U.S. hasn’t improved, the rest of the region has made huge steps, said goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.
“I think there’s a new wave of players in CONCACAF, where all the teams are younger, looking for
their new core identity,” he said. “Our team, for example. It’s been two years with a new core group and tactics. Every team is like this right now, trying to find its new identity. With Canada, we know exactly what we are.
“I think the U.S. will respect us (now), for sure. They know our quality. If we do it again, it confirms (our quality). It wasn’t a mistake. We outplayed them.”
I think they have enough experience there to know not to make the same mistake twice. DEREK CORNELIUS, Canadian centreback