Mexico shuts out Canada at Seattle
Gold Cup hopes fade following second straight loss in CONCACAF tournament
SEATTLE — Canada saw its hopes of qualifying for the Gold Cup playoff round fade Thursday night in a 2- 0 loss to Mexico.
Canada fell to 0- 2 and, with only one round- robin game remaining, will be hard- pressed to advance. Mexico evened its record at 1- 1 before a pro- Mexican crowd of 28,354 at CenturyLink Field.
Raul Jimenez, in the first half, and Marco Fabian, on a penalty kick in the second, scored for Mexico.
The Mexicans atoned for an upset loss to Panama in their first game.
Despite Seattle’s proximity to Canada, the Canadians were clearly the visiting side. Mexico’s supporters vastly outnumbered Canadians in the crowd. Every section of the stadium was flush with fans in green jerseys, with many sporting Mexican flags.
Despite the joyous atmosphere, both teams entered the game in difficult circumstances. Canada is attempting to rebuild its struggling squad after a humiliating 8- 1 loss to Honduras in World Cup qualifying last year.
Meanwhile, Mexican coach Jose Manuel ( Chepo) de la Torre has come under fire as a result of his team’s opening loss to Panama and a 1- 0- 5 record in World Cup qualifying.
Both Canada’s and Mexico’s tasks became more difficult when Panama beat Martinique earlier Thursday. The win gave Panama a perfect 2- 0 mark and assured it will advance to the knockout stage regardless of how it fares against Mexico in the final round- robin game for both teams on Sunday.
Canadian interim coach Colin Miller opted to continue with goalkeeper Milan Borjan after he gave up a last- minute goal in the loss to Martinique. But Miller was forced to shuffle other parts of his lineup after midfielder Russell Teibert of the Vancouver Whitecaps missed the game due to an illness picked up earlier this week and captain Will Johnson ( illness) and striker Simeon Jackson ( club commitment) left the club, along with reserve striker Randy Edwini- Bonsu ( injury.)
Canada spent much of the first half hoping for a quick counter attack while often folding five or six players back to defend. However, the Mexicans still found space, recording five shots on goal and earning seven corner- kicks.
Canada mustered just two shots while forcing three corner kicks.
Borjan was tested early as he two- fisted away a free kick from Fabian from just outside the corner of the Canadian box. A little while later, Canada had a chance, but Marcus Haber’s close- range shot from a sharp angle was stopped.