One of the most chaotic windows in Canadian men’s national team history came to an end on Monday, as Canada fell 2-1 to Honduras in San Pedro Sula in Concacaf Nations League action.
The defeat leaves Canada three points adrift of top spot in Group C of League A, albeit with one game in hand. The team’s final two games will be played in March 2023.
But Canada has bigger priorities. Unless Canada Soccer can lock down three friendlies in September, there are likely just two games left for the Canadians to prepare for the World Cup.
A labour dispute dominated the first week of the June window which led to another cancelled friendly, thus costing the team an extra game and two training sessions worth of prep, so every moment counts between now and November.
Here are three things we learned from Monday’s loss.
Waterboarded
It’s difficult to glean anything from a game where a torrential downpour renders the pitch unplayable. Players on both sides were slipping constantly, the ball was caught up in large puddles on the dribble which didn’t make for a fluid game.
But that didn’t change Canada’s strategy.
Thursday’s win over Curacao saw the Reds prioritize quick, direct passes via the flanks and early crosses, although there appeared to be a reliance on keeping the ball on the ground.
When a pitch plays as heavy as the field in San Pedro Sula, going direct usually allows for more chances on goal. Canada still had a couple of decent chances, the best of which was produced through Junior Hoilett after four minutes and then he subsequently set up Ike Ugbo with a terrific opportunity. However, Ugbo had the ball caught underneath his feet in a puddle. It’s fair to assume that normal pitch conditions would’ve allowed the striker to get a shot on goal, if not score.
One team adjusted to the conditions, played more direct and justifiably won the game. That’s necessary if teams want to succeed on the road in Concacaf. Canada might’ve had other priorities on the night but this served as a stark reminder that taking these trips for granted can cost any visitor.
Hoilett reaffirms his value
There’s a reason why Junior Hoilett is leaned on in the hostile atmospheres across Concacaf. He’s a calming presence who constantly produces the goods.
No other Canadian player had as many key passes (3), shots (2) and expected goals (0.27) than Hoilett. The 31-year-old was the only spark plug for the side in unfavourable conditions but he didn’t let that stop him.
It will be difficult to crack a lineup when competing with Alphonso Davies, Tajon Buchanan, Cyle Larin, Jonathan David and others, but make no mistake: Hoilett is an immensely valuable player on this team.
The end product wasn’t on display on Monday but more often than not, Hoilett regularly maneuvers through tight spaces and progresses the ball into promising areas. He’ll surely have an influence on the proceedings in Qatar.
David edges closer to scoring record
Cyle Larin may have broken the men’s national team’s all-time scoring record, but Jonathan David is breathing down his neck.
David’s late consolation was his 21st goal in his 31st cap for Canada, which keeps him in third all-time but he’s just three tallies behind Larin after Monday’s strike.
Both strikers were noticeably rusty on Thursday against Curacao, as they seemed to hesitate in the box when the ball landed at their feet. That wasn’t an issue for David with his one clear-cut opportunity on Monday.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
