VANCOUVER — Coach Jesse Marsch downplayed suggestions ahead of the start of the Concacaf Gold Cup that Canada was the odds-on favourite to win the competition.
He’s right to be cautious about the hype surrounding a Canadian men’s team that has shown promise in several major tournaments in the aftermath of its appearance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup but has fallen short of going all the way.
At the same time, there’s no denying this is a quality Canadian outfit that ranks among the truly elite nations in Concacaf. Honduras discovered this to its peril on Tuesday night in a humiliating 6-0 loss to Canada before a crowd of 24,286 at BC Place, and the rest of the teams in the 16-team Gold Cup have been likewise warned.
Canada sits atop Group B with three points, ahead of Curaçao and El Salvador (one point each) and Honduras (zero points). The top two teams in each of the four round robin groups at the Gold Cup advance to the knockout round. The Canadians can clinch a berth in the quarterfinals with a win in their next game against Curaçao on Saturday at Houston’s Shell Energy Stadium.
“Really proud about the team’s performance. It was a total team [effort]. I can’t look at one guy and find someone who had an off game. Everybody came out with the right mentality. We played within our identity, and in the end, we were able to not give them much and [let them] score goals. And that’s part of who we want to be. And I think for this first game of the tournament, super happy to get it started in that way,” assistant coach Mauro Biello told reporters after Tuesday’s win.
There was a lot to like about this performance from Canada, especially the sheer ruthlessness in which Marsch’s men dispatched their Concacaf rivals. Historically, that’s been a major dilemma that has held back the Canadians from achieving international success — a hesitancy to go for the jugular.
No such issues on Tuesday night as six goals represented Canada’s biggest offensive outburst since Marsch took over the coaching reins last May. It was also the most goals Canada scored in a single game since a 7-0 win over lowly Aruba on June 5, 2021, in a World Cup qualifier.
A ravenous hunger for goals defined the Canadians’ performance on the night, the likes of which we’ve rarely previously witnessed.
“I think that’s the mentality that Jesse [introduced when] he came in; to have that aggressive mentality. I think the players love it. They enjoyed it. As a staff, we continue to push these guys every day to get to that next level, and we set certain standards and demands. And players then start to hold each other accountable and start pushing themselves at training and in games,” Biello offered.
Marsch served the first game of a two-match ban on Tuesday and watched the contest from a private suite while Biello oversaw things from the touchline. But the absence of their inspirational coach hardly slowed down Les Rouges as they were merciless in the way they fearlessly went right at Honduras.
Canada is No. 30 in the current FIFA world rankings, 35 spots above Honduras at No. 75, and the gap was pretty evident right from the opening kickoff. The hosts carried the majority of play, enjoying long spells on possession inside the visitors’ half of the field.
Ali Ahmed and Richie Laryea on the left and Tajon Buchanan and Niko Sigur on the right provided Canada’s attack with dangerous width, while Mathieu Choinière and Nathan Saliba probed and prodded Honduras with their creativity in midfield, forcing the Los Catrachos to chase shadows. Captain Jonathan David didn’t find his way onto the scoresheet, but his dangerous runs off the ball opened up spaces for his attacking teammates.
Canada should have opened the scoring in the second minute when Choinière delivered a dangerous free kick deep inside Honduras’ penalty area. Defender Joel Waterman ghosted in behind the defence and was able to stab at the ball from the edge of the six-yard box, only to see goalkeeper Edrick Menjívar make a reflex save with his shin.
It proved to be only a brief reprieve for the visitors as Sigur opened the scoring in the 27th minute with a composed finish and Tani Oluwaseyi doubled Canada’s advantage just before halftime with a highlight-reel goal.
The game was essentially over in the 48th minute when Ali Ahmed’s exquisite back-heel touch deep inside the box off a pass from Richie Laryea teed it up for an unmarked Buchanan who slammed it into the roof of the net at the back post. Buchanan bagged a second goal of the night when he poked home a shot past Menjívar after Oluwaseyi couldn’t quite connect on a header off a corner kick.
Forward Promise David added a fifth goal in the 75th minute, shortly after subbing on for Oluwaseyi, by beating Menjívar with a chipped shot via a pass from Ahmed.
But that still wasn’t enough for a bloodthirsty crowd inside BC Place who chanted “We want six!” before starting a raucous Mexican wave. They got their wish when Saliba picked off an errant Honduras pass deep inside of its half and then went on a weaving run before curling a gorgeous attempt from distance past a helpless Menjívar.
What also stood out about this amazing Canadian performance was the personnel behind it.
Canada fielded a lineup featuring a few mainstays in Jonathan David, goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, Buchanan and Laryea. But the starting 11 was also highlighted by a number of youngsters, including centre back Luc de Fougerolles (19 years old, four caps), Sigur (21, five caps) and Saliba (21, three caps). Marsch also gave rare starts to Oluwaseyi (one goal in his previous 12 games), Waterman (seven caps) and Ahmed (16 previous caps),
Sigur and Saliba responded with their first goals for the national team, Waterman and de Fougerolles anchored a defence that gave very little away, Ahmed was a driving attacking force down the left wing, and Oluwaseyi scored a fabulous goal from a ridiculously tight angle while also stretching Honduras’ defence.
All of this bodes very well for Canada as it not only attempts to win its first Gold Cup in 25 years but also looks to be a competitive force on home soil when it co-hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“Tonight was a perfect example of some of the good young players in this country. And we wanted to continue to give them opportunities, continue to help them develop and become the players that we think that they could be. And tonight, we saw a really good performance by a number of young players that have a handful of caps, and I think it’s exciting. It’s exciting to put a team with players with those [few] caps, and then put in a performance like that,” Biello said.
Jonathan David added: “We have a solid group. We don’t only have a certain [starting] 11. We have guys that can step up at any moment to make the difference.”
Editor’s note
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 25 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.
from Sportsnet.ca https://ift.tt/Y8TkQ2J
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