Canada does well in youth soccer event
Canada tied Japan 1-1 Sunday at a prestigious youth soccer tournament in France to finish unbeaten in group play. But Turkey defeated Portugal 2-1 to finish first in Canada’s group, meaning the young Canadians miss out on the semifinals and will play France on Thursday for fifth place at the Festival International Espoirs, better known as the Toulon Tournament. Coach John Herdman praised his players, noting they had just five training sessions together. “They can be proud of what they’ve achieved,” he said. Theo Bair, an 18-year-old from the Vancouver Whitecaps residency program, scored in the ninth minute for the Canadian under-21 side. Substitute Kaoru Mitoma scored the tying goal for Japan in the 60th minute. It was the first goal Canada conceded at the tournament. The Toulon event has seen the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Jean-Pierre Papin, Cafu, Alan Shearer and Frank Lampard since its inception in 1967. Canada, playing at the tournament for the first time, tied Portugal 0-0 and beat Turkey 1-0 in earlier play.