Window is wide open
Canada’s first World Cup berth since 1986 is within its grasp
Coach John Herdman is managing a mix of emotions as the Canadian men’s soccer team enters what it hopes will be the qualifying window that leads to this year’s World Cup.
Canada can almost taste its first berth at soccer’s biggest competition since 1986, atop the CONCACAF standings more than halfway through regional qualifying.
They are unbeaten through eight matches, with the United States in second place and Mexico third with six to go. Three more wins, or any other combination of results that earns nine points, and Canada should clinch one of three direct berths for Qatar 2022, scheduled to start Nov. 21.
That could happen as early as next week, but it won’t be easy as the Canadians prepare to visit Honduras on Thursday, host the United States on Sunday — at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field — and then travel to El Salvador next Wednesday.
“I think this is going to be the trickiest window of all the windows we’ve faced,” Herdman said Tuesday
in an interview with Canada Soccer, posted on the organization’s Twitter page.
Among the issues is travel, and the toll it could take. Three games in seven days — from San Pedro Sula to Hamilton to San Salvador — makes for a taxing flight schedule. And two of those will be played in hostile environments.
Timing also presents a challenge. Nine of the 25 players Herdman picked are either without a club or play for Major League Soccer teams that are in the off-season.
Two more recently transferred to Europe from North America. Those who ply their trade in Europe are coming off a typically jampacked December schedule, raising questions about fatigue and match fitness.
Seven Canadians — Steven Vitoria, Richie Laryea, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Samuel Adekugbe, Stephen Eustáquio, Samuel Piette and Doneil Henry — also have one yellow card.
A second issued to any of them would mean a one-game suspension and test the side’s depth.
COVID-19 has also taken a toll.
Star Alphonso Davies has been ruled out for all three games with inflammation of the heart muscle after a recent bout with the coronavirus. And Herdman told OneSoccer on Tuesday that Eustáquio is “day-to-day” for medical reasons. That follows reports over the weekend out of Portugal the midfielder tested positive for COVID-19.
Herdman added he hopes to have him in the mix during this competitive window, but the absence of the 25-year-old Eustáquio for any length of time will be felt on the field.
While Honduras and El Salvador sit last and second-last in the standings, desperate opponents can be dangerous. And the U.S., historically a powerhouse in the region, won’t be short of motivation come Sunday.
It’s a lot to juggle for a Canadian team that’s now expected to deliver. While a long-awaited World Cup berth seems likely, there are still hurdles to clear. The mindset has to stay the same.
“Every camp we come into, we have to start again,” Herdman said. “No complacency.”