Up to 15,000 Mexican supporters cheer on their side
There were plenty of sombreros and Mexican flags sprinkled among the sea of red in BC Place on Friday night as a crowd counted at 54,798, a record for men’s national soccer team game in Canada, took in Mexico’s 3-0 win.
The bulk of the Mexican supporters were in a couple of sections in the southeast corner. But it was difficult to tell just how big the numbers were among the Mexican supporters, many of whom had made the drive up from Washington state.
Estimates ranged anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000.
The huge attendance number was spoiled, however, when five or six yahoos ran onto the field at different times in the second half, forcing stoppages in play. Security at BC Place clearly wasn’t prepared for the interlopers, one of whom was tackled to the ground by Paul Dolan, Canada’s goalkeeper coach. BLUNT FLORO: Canadian head coach Benito Floro was pretty honest about the difference in quality between the Mexicans, ranked No. 22 by FIFA, and the No. 87-ranked Canadians.
“They put a lot of pressure on us from the beginning and didn’t allow us to think.”
Canada had a good chance to go up 1-0 when Junior Hoilett found himself all alone at 14 yards out and in line with one of the goalposts when Julian de Guzman skipped past four players in the box.
But he blasted a shot well above the Mexican cross bar.
“I think ... not important,” Floro said of that golden opportunity, “because the real superiority was very clear, no? What matters in the moment is to analyze not only the result, but the performance.
“For us, it has been a good experience. We need to increase our tactical level.”
That won’t happen before Tuesday, however, when the Canadians meet the Mexicans at the 95,000-seat Stadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Canada has lost it’s last three World Cup qualifying matches at Azteca by a combined score of 10-0, so getting even a single point out of there with a draw seems like a Herculean task.
“We’ve just got to continue believing in ourselves,” said goalkeeper Milan Borjan. “We’ve got to be compact ... finish that last touch. We’ll be ready for the game with these two/three days (of rest). We’ll try to win the game there.”
35 AND 87: It was quite the 35th birthday Friday for Canada captain Julian de Guzman.
He was honoured before the game for surpassing Paul Salteri last November in El Salvador as the player with the most senior national team caps. Guzman played in his 85th game for Canada that day. The Mexico game marked his 87th appearance for Canada.