That’s Canada’s mindset at the CONCACAF Nations League Finals. And John Herdman’s team is halfway to its goal after Thursday’s 2-0 semifinal win over Panama in Las Vegas.
“We deserved the win but we didn’t win nothing yet,” said defender Steven Vitoria. “A giant step to where we want to go to.”
Goals by Jonathan David and Alphonso Davies moved the Canadian men to within one win of their first trophy in 23 years. Canada, ranked 47th in the world, will play either the 13th-ranked U.S. or No. 15 Mexico in Sunday’s final with a winner’s purse of some $1 million US on the line.
Davies’ powerful shot sends Canada to CONCACAF Nations League final
Alphonso Davies scores with an absolute rocket and seals Canada’s 2-0 victory over Panama in CONCACAF Nations League semifinal play.
The Canadians are looking for their first hardware since lifting the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2000.
“We took a step tonight but it means nothing unless you win it [the final],” said Herdman. “We got to a semifinal of a Gold Cup [in 2021] and I just remember that disappointment (Mexico scored in stoppage time for a 2-1 win) … We played like six games to get there and, yeah, it hurt.”
“We’ve got some work to do,” he added. “We’ve got two days to get this team recovered. They’re pretty beat up listening to them. It’s going to be a hell of a ride.”
David put Canada ahead in the 25th minute, thanks to a perfect pass from Kamal Miller that sliced open the Panama defence. David saw the opening and pointed to where he wanted the ball as he ran towards space.
Miller delivered and the ball arrived at David’s feet. Not missing a stride, the Lille striker coolly slotted it between Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera’s legs for his 25th goal in 41 Canada matches.
Canada’s David, Miller connect for beautiful opening goal against Panama
Kamal Miller sends a perfect pass to Jonathan David who nutmegs the goalkeeper in the 25th minute of CONCACAF Nations League semifinal play. Canada went on to defeat Panama 2-0 to advance to Sunday’s final
Minutes after entering the game, Davies made it 2-0 in the 69th minute, slicing into the box and roofing a powerful shot at the near post for his 14th Canada goal in 40 appearances. The Bayern Munich star was a danger man throughout his cameo, outpacing Panama defenders.
“They’re next level,” Herdman said of David and Davies. “They made a difference tonight.”
They were the first goals Panama, ranked 58th in the world, had conceded in the competition.
“That’s the match we wanted,” said Herdman. “You need a match like that where it’s going to test you mentally, emotionally, physically. And there were moments there where I think Panama was taking us into some deep water. There were some tough moments for us. They were really physical.”
And occasionally dirty.
Tempers flared as the clock wound down and Panama was reduced to 10 men in the 89th minute when substitute Eric Davis was sent off for violent conduct. Costa Rican referee Juan Gabriel Calderon made the call after reviewing the play on the pitchside monitor and seeing Davis, chasing Richie Laryea, hitting the back of the Canadian’s head with his arm.
The Canada-Panama contest was the opener of a doubleheader at Allegiant Stadium, the 65,000-capacity climate-controlled home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. The stadium, which cost a reported $1.9 billion, boasts 2,300 TVs and almost 7,000 square metres of video board.
Goalkeeper Milan Borjan, earning his 74th cap, captained Canada with 40-year-old Atiba Hutchinson starting on the bench alongside Davies, whose season in Germany ended prematurely due to a thigh injury suffered in a game on April 22.
Borjan recorded his 34th shutout in Canadian colours.
Hutchinson earns 104th cap, extending record
Davies and Jonathan Osorio came on in the 62nd minute. Scott Kennedy followed them on in the 69th minute, with Hutchinson and Junior Hoilett arriving in the 76th minute as Herdman looked to rest players ahead of Sunday.
For Hutchinson, it was cap No. 104, adding to his Canadian men’s record.
Embracing every minute ????❤️<br><br>Atiba Hutchinson subs on for <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/CANMNT?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#CANMNT</a>! <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeCAN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WeCAN</a> <a href=”https://t.co/UbYqurfZOp”>pic.twitter.com/UbYqurfZOp</a>
“We scored first, that’s critical in football. And then we protected,” said Herdman. “We protected what we had.”
“We knew they’d be vulnerable on the transition and definitely we knew we had something a bit special coming in the 60th minute,” he added with a smile, referencing Davies’s entry onto the game.
Seven of Thursday’s starters were also in the starting 11 for Canada’s final World Cup game against Morocco in Qatar. Of the four other starters Thursday, three were on the bench against Morocco with midfielder Stephen Eustaquio nursing an injury in the World Cup group finale.
Calderon let them play, making for a fast tempo first half. Canada’s speed and accurate passing made life difficult for the Panamanians.
Alphonso Davies celebrates his goal against Panama on Thursday night at Allegiant Stadium. (Candice Ward/Getty Images)
The second half was a little choppier.
Canada came into the game having played just twice since the World Cup, wrapping up Nations League group play in March by defeating No. 80 Honduras 4-1 and No. 88 Curaçao 2-0.
The Nations League features 41 teams from North and Central America and the Caribbean split into three tiers: League A (12 teams), B (16) and C (13). The four group winners in League A advanced to the final four.
Canada (3-1-0) won Group C in the League A of the Nations League while Panama (3-0-1) finished atop Group B, outscoring No. 39 Costa Rica and unranked Martinique by a combined 8-0. Panama defeated Costa Rica 1-0 with a 77th-minute goal by Jose Fajardo to decide first place in the final group game.
Mexico (2-0-2) topped Group A, while the U.S. (3-0-1) won Group D.
Canada advances to CONCACAF Nations League semifinals with win over Honduras
Cyle Larin scores two early goals and Canada goes on to defeat Honduras 4-1 in CONCACAF Nations League group play. The Canadian squad will play in the tournament’s final four in Las Vegas in June.
Canada improved to 5-2-6 against Panama, which won 1-0 the last time they met. That was in March 2022 in Canada’s final World Cup qualifying game, which came four days after the Canadian men had secured their place in Qatar.
Panama missed out on Qatar, finishing fifth in the final round of World Cup qualifying in CONCACAF.
After the Nations League, the Canadians turn their attention to the Gold Cup. Canada opens Group D play against a yet-to-be-determined qualifier in Toronto on June 27 before heading to Houston to play No. 116 Guatemala and No. 165 Cuba.
The Americans won the first edition of the CONCACAF Nations League in 2021, defeating Mexico 3-2 on Christian Pulisic’s penalty in extra time in Denver. Honduras was third and Costa Rica fourth.
Canada missed out on the inaugural final four, finishing runner-up to the U.S. in its group on goal difference.
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.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
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