A bad year for Canadian soccer got worse last night when the men’s national team blew a two-goal lead and lost its CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal matchup against Jamaica on its own turf in Toronto.
Canada had won the opening leg of the home-and-home, total-score series 2-1 on Saturday in Jamaica. So it needed only a draw last night at a cold and damp BMO Field to advance to the four-team Nations League Finals and, more importantly, earn a coveted spot in next year’s Copa America.
The always hotly contested South American championship tournament — featuring World Cup champ Argentina, powerhouse Brazil and other strong teams from one of soccer’s most robust continents — is being hosted by the United States next summer. Six teams from the CONCACAF region, which covers North and Central American and the Caribbean, will be invited, with four of those spots going to the winners of the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals.
For the Canadian team, which (rightly) complains about cash-strapped Canada Soccer’s inability to schedule quality exhibition matches, this presented a rare opportunity to secure some games against top-flight teams from other parts of the globe in preparation for the 2026 World Cup, which Canada is co-hosting with the U.S. and Mexico.
The Canadian men seemed to have their hands around a Copa ticket last night after Alphonso Davies’ goal gave them a 1-0 edge in the match (and a 3-1 lead on aggregate) heading into the final half. But they blew it as Jamaica outscored them 3-1 the rest of the way to make the total score 4-4 and take the series on the away-goals tiebreaker.
The fact that the decisive goal came on a penalty kick that probably should not have been called (a Jamaican player’s cross grazed Stephen Eustaquio’s arm near the outer limit of the box) did not make this defeat to a lower-ranked team any less devastating. Canada not only failed to clinch a spot in the Copa America but will also miss the Nations League Finals (a decent competition in its own right) after reaching the title match last season in Las Vegas. It’s a step backward for a team that made its first World Cup appearance in 36 years exactly one year ago tomorrow.
Jamaica’s shocking aggregate victory in Toronto caps a tumultuous year for the Canadian men’s soccer program. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)
“I can’t believe what just happened,’ said Canadian midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye. “We have too much quality on this team to find ourselves in this position.”
However, not all is lost. Canada can still get into the Copa. All it needs to do is defeat Trinidad and Tobago in a one-match playoff on March 23 to grab one of the two remaining spots. That will take place in Frisco, Texas (along with the other playoff between Costa Rica and Honduras) while Jamaica, the U.S., Mexico and Panama compete in the Nations League Finals at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in nearby Arlington.
Canada, currently ranked 45th in the world, should be favoured to beat 99th-ranked Trinidad and Tobago. But it’s no lock. The Soca Warriors upset the U.S. 2-1 in the second leg of their Nations League quarterfinal on Monday, though the Americans were intent on simply protecting the 3-0 lead they built in the opening leg.
It’s unclear who will be coaching the Canadians by the time the playoff rolls around. Longtime assistant Mauro Biello has served as interim head coach since John Herdman quit in August to take over Toronto FC, and the 51-year-old Canadian has made no secret of his desire to lead his country into its home World Cup in 2026. But Biello is now a tepid 1-1-1 at the helm, including a humbling 4-1 loss at Japan last month, and it’s fair to wonder whether someone whose biggest previous job was coaching the Montreal Impact is the right guy to replace the charismatic Herdman.
Whoever is on the sidelines, the pressure on the players will be immense. Many fans of the Canadian men’s and women’s national teams have blamed their recent failures on Canada Soccer’s inability to book top-flight friendlies. And it’s true — the federation is too broke and/or too dysfunctional to provide these teams with the tournament prep (and other perks) they deserve. But Canada Soccer wasn’t exactly flush with cash when the women won Olympic gold in 2021 or when the men qualified for the World Cup in 2022.
The players overcame their obstacles then. Now they’ll have to do it again.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
