In soccer, experience tells. Japan is about to play in its seventh consecutive Men’s World Cup. Canada is about to play its first in 36 years. Good teams, good players, have a nose for insecurity, for uncertainty, for weakness.
Japan needed nine minutes to find it in Canada.
The Canadians took the rest of the game to show that they have strengths, too.
Thursday’s 2-1 win for Canada—one last tune-up for both teams before they embark on their World Cup campaigns in Qatar—didn’t exactly take place in a cauldron. There were maybe a thousand fans in Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai. The evening air was warm and still rather than electric.
Even absent nerves or pressure, the countless tiny gulfs that exist between Canada’s best players and the best in the world began to open.
WATCH | Lucas Cavallini scores winner on penalty kick:
Cavallini’s late penalty kick earns Canada a win in final friendly before World Cup
Richie Laryea drew a penalty in stoppage time, and Lucas Cavallini’s “Panenka” penalty kick gave Canada a 2-1 win in their international friendly over Japan in Dubai. Canada’s next match will be November 23 against Belgium in the FIFA World Cup.
Milan Borjan, the goalkeeper who guided Canada through its epic qualifying run with his stellar saves and charismatic leadership, has a fundamental flaw. He is not good with his feet.
Before the Canadians really had chance to find their rhythm, he shanked a clearance, failing to kick it to half. Head coach John Herdman, pacing the touchline, stopped his perpetual motion to tell Borjan to settle down.
The Japanese had already mounted their precision counter. They sliced down the middle of the field, and Yuki Soma neatly handled a long through ball and slotted it home.
Japan’s Yuki Soma celebrates after scoring past Canadian goaltender Milan Borjan in a friendly match on Thursday. (Christopher Pike/Associated Press)
That’s how the game works at this level. It is designed to expose everything about you.
On this night, it also happened to reveal the size of Canadian hearts. After a quick regroup, they responded to their early faltering in the 21st minute. Steven Vitoria directed home a corner kick that went uncharacteristically uncleared by the Japanese.
GOAL! Steven Vitória equalizes from the corner! ????<br><br>Atiba welcomes <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/CANMNT?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#CANMNT</a> back with an assist ????<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeCAN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WeCAN</a><a href=”https://t.co/qHBxVx1EPO”>pic.twitter.com/qHBxVx1EPO</a>
And in the dying moments of the second half, deep into added time, the Japanese made one more. A streaking Richie Laryea was brought down in the box, and the Canadians were awarded a last-minute penalty that would decide the game.
Lucas Cavallini fought to take it. He wasn’t the obvious choice. Jonathan David, who has been scoring virtually at will in Ligue 1, was standing beside him. Cavallini—El Tanque to his teammates—still ended up with the ball. Herdman looked at the rest of his team, now having joined him on the touchline.
“If he tries a Panenka, I’ll kill him,” he said.
Host Andi Petrillo gets you caught up on the biggest news from the Canadian men’s and women’s national teams.
Cavallini did, in fact, take a Panenka, hitting a light, spinning chip down the middle. The Japanese goalkeeper fell just enough for Cavallini’s ill-advised mischief, diving to his left before reaching back vainly to his right, the ball spinning off his glove and dropping into the net.
“I don’t know,” Herdman said after, putting his hands to his face, able to laugh about his premonition only because the ball went in. “Just put it in the corner. I don’t know why we need to do that stuff. All I can say is, it’s the new Canada swagger, eh?”
Canadian head coach John Herdman shouts during a friendly soccer match between Canada and Japan in Dubai, Thursday. (Christopher Pike/Associated Press)
It was an improbable, happy end to a chaotic, revealing match—and the result shouldn’t mask this team’s faults. There is a difference between good and great, between upstart and veteran. It is real, and it exists.
But sometimes in life, and for this team especially, some perfect combination of grit and luck momentarily makes up the gap.
It’s unlikely Canada’s magical run will continue beyond next week. Herdman knows that. He understands better than most that you can ignore reality for only so long. A win is a win, and he will take Thursday’s triumph, along with every other moment in the sun his team is about to enjoy.
“Then you sober up,” he said. “And it’s clear. The second-best team in the world awaits us.”
He was talking about Belgium, the first of Canada’s daunting opponents. Then comes Croatia—two teams that are supposed to beat Canada. They are better in every respect. They will almost certainly finish what Japan could not, and send Canada home.
If they do, that’s okay. That’s the natural and proper order of things. The only tragedy will be if the Canadians fail to take the one opportunity that they know they will be given in Qatar: to stand alongside the greatest players on Earth for the first time in 36 years, and to resolve that the next time they meet, they will rely less on good fortune, and more on themselves.
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.
