MEXICO CITY — Four games into the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying and Canada is unbeaten, turning heads and raising expectations.
The Canadian men rallied to tie Mexico 1-1 on a Jonathan Osorio goal Thursday, picking up a valuable away point against the top-ranked team in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
The Canadian men have taken their lumps at Azteca Stadium in the past. But John Herdman’s young side, despite missing some important pieces, showed in the first half and parts of the second that it can keep up with the CONCACAF powerhouse, giving as good as it got and sometimes more on hostile ground.
“We wanted three points … I’m content with the point but at the same time I think there was an opportunity to take three,” said Herdman. “I think we’ll walk away from this, looking at this in time thinking we could have taken three points.”
History was against that.
Osorio’s goal was Canada’s first against Mexico at Azteca in 41 years. Canada Soccer Hall of Famer Gerry Gray scored in the 87th minute to lift Canada’s to a 1-1 tie in a World Cup qualifier in November 1980. The Canadian men were 0-6-1 against Mexico all-time at Azteca and had been outscored 16-0 there over the last four matches there dating back to July 1993.
Times have changed, it seems.
In other play Thursday, the U.S. defeated Jamaica 2-0 in Austin, Honduras tied visiting Costa Rica 0-0 and El Salvador edged visiting Panama 1-0 in San Salvador.
The results left the Americans atop the CONCACAF round-robin on goal difference with both teams on eight points at 2-0-2. Canada (1-0-3) is third, one point ahead of Panama (1-0-2).
The Canadian men play No. 59 Jamaica in Kingston on Sunday before returning home to face No. 68 Panama at Toronto’s BMO Field next Wednesday.
Come March, after the eight remaining teams have each played 14 games, the top three finishers in the CONCACAF final qualifying will book their ticket to Qatar 2022. The fourth-place team will take part in an intercontinental playoff to see who joins them.
The Canadian men have not made it to the final round of qualifying in the region since the lead-up to France ’98
Tied 1-1 at the break, Mexico came on strong in a second half that was paused in the 59th minute for objectionable fan chants. The contest was originally slated to be played behind closed doors as punishment for such behaviour in the past but FIFA cut the sanction in half to one game, meaning fans were allowed in.
After an even start, Mexico went ahead in the 22nd minute after Chucky Lozano found Jorge Sanchez behind the defence The Mexican fullback controlled the ball with his right foot then shot with his left, sending the ball through Maxime Crepeau’s legs.
The play started with Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa at the other end of the field. Three passes later, Lozano had the ball in front of the Canadian penalty box and spotted Sanchez, who had his arm raised as he got behind fullback Richie Laryea.
Osorio tied it up in the 42nd minute, beating Ochoa from a thrown-in after taking a slide-rule pass from Alphonso Davies that cut out four Mexican defenders. Osorio controlled the ball then slotted it in the corner for his seventh goal for Canada.
“That goal, it’s all Phonzie, to be honest,” said Osorio. “He deserves the credit. He is our star player and he shows up every time. And that’s hard to do, with the amount of pressure that he gets.”
The Toronto FC midfielder is no stranger to goals at Azteca, having scored in a 1-1 tie with Club America in April 2018 that moved the MLS side into the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League final.
The Osorio strike was also Canada’s first goal at the famed stadium since Alex Bunbury against Martinique at the 1993 Gold Cup.
It was the 20-year-old Davies 14th career assist for Canada, tying the national team record set earlier this year by Junior Hoilett.
The Canadians came into the match with a 4-20-8 record against Mexico in senior play since 1957. Canada was 1-12-7 against the Mexicans in World Cup qualifying play, with the lone win coming in October 1976 in Vancouver.
Canada and Mexico last met in late July in the Gold Cup semifinal, with the Mexicans needed a 99th-minute goal to win 2-1 in Houston.
Canada was without veteran goalkeeper Milan Borjan (Red Star Belgrade, Serbia), who is recovering from COVID-19, as well as captain Atiba Hutchinson and forward Cyle Larin (both Besiktas, Turkey) and striker Lucas Cavallini (Vancouver Whitecaps) who are recovering from injury. The hope is they might be able to join the team later in the window.
Canada Soccer had previously said Hoilett (Reading, England) and midfielder David Wotherspoon (St. Johnstone, Scotland) would meet the team in Jamaica ahead of the weekend match against the Reggae Boyz so as to avoid the quarantine that visitors to Mexico have to undergo when returning to Britain.
The Canadian starting 11 came into the match with a combined 219 caps, with 44 of those belonging to Osorio. Six of the starters were 24 years or younger.
Steven Vitoria captained the team in Hutchinson’s absence.
Canada had the best early scoring chance with Ochoa parrying Laryea’s hard shot in the 15th minute after the Toronto FC fullback combining with Davies, raced down the left flank and then headed inside. The rebound came to Tajon Buchanan, who hammered his shot high.
Four minutes later, Mexico came close when Lozano shot high after a counter-attack triggered by a Mark-Anthony Kaye turnover.
Buchanan and Davies, both speedsters, almost combined in the 31st minute when Buchanan left several Mexicans in his dust and curled in a wonderful low cross through the box. An onrushing Davies got a foot to the ball at the far post but could not steer it on target.
Canada threatened again in the 40th with Ochoa making a reflex save off Vitoria’s close-range header from a Stephen Eustaquio free kick.
Crepeau and Lozano tangled early in the second half as the Canadian ‘keeper tried to distribute the ball but cooler heads prevailed.
There was more niggle in the 56th minute when Jesus Corona kicked out at Laryea after both went down near the Canadian penalty box. El Salvador referee Ismael Cornejo showed yellow cards to both players, meaning Laryea will be suspended for the Jamaica game after picking up a second caution.
Soon after Corona tested Crepeau from in-close at the near post after a Mexican throw-in.
Canada defender Alistair Johnston came close to an own goal in the 64th but his clearing header, keeping the ball away from a waiting Raul Jimenez, bounced off the crossbar.
Jimenez, in his first international game since suffering a fractured skull playing for England’s Wolves last November, scored in the 66th but the goal was called off for a foul.
Herdman brought on Sam Adekugbe, Liam Fraser and Liam Millar in a triple change in the 77th minute. Charles-Andreas Brym came on late for his fourth Canadian cap.
Canada previously tied the U.S. and Honduras and beat El Salvador.
It mars the first time since 1980 that Canada has earned way results (both draws) against Mexico and the U.S. in the same World Cup qualifying round
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 7, 2021
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.
CALGARY – Mired in their first four-game losing skid in 20 years, the Calgary Stampeders are going back to Jake Maier at quarterback on Saturday after he was benched for a game.
It won’t be an easy assignment.
Visiting McMahon Stadium are the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Alouettes (10-2) who own the CFL’s best record. The Stampeders (4-8) have fallen to last in the Western Conference.
“Six games is plenty of time, but also it is just six games,” said Maier. “We’ve got to be able to get on the right track.”
Calgary is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
“I do still believe in this team,” said Stampeders’ head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson. “I want to see improvement, though. I want to see guys on a weekly basis elevating their game, and we haven’t been doing that.”
Maier is one of the guys under the microscope. Two weeks ago, the second-year starter threw four interceptions in a 35-20 home loss to the Edmonton Elks.
After his replacement, rookie Logan Bonner, threw five picks in last week’s 37-16 loss to the Elks in Edmonton, the football is back in Maier’s hands.
“Any time you fail or something doesn’t go your way in life, does it stink in the moment? Yeah. But then the days go on and you learn things about yourself and you learn how to prepare a little bit better,” said Maier. “It makes you mentally tougher.”
Dickenson wants to see his quarterback making better decisions with the football.
“Things are going to happen, interceptions will happen, but try to take calculated risks, rather than just putting the ball up there and hoping that we catch it,” said Dickenson.
A former quarterback himself, he knows the importance of that vital position.
“You cannot win without good quarterback play,” Dickenson said. “You’ve got to be able to make some plays — off-schedule plays, move-around plays, plays that break down, plays that aren’t designed perfectly, but somehow you found the right guy, and then those big throws where you’re taking that hit.”
But it’s going to take a team effort, and that includes the club’s receiving corp.
“We always have to band together because we need everything to go right for our receivers to get the ball,” said Nik Lewis, the Stampeders’ receivers coach. “The running back has to pick up the blitz, the o-line has to block, the quarterback has to make the right reads, and then give us a catchable ball.”
Lewis brings a unique perspective to this season’s frustrations as he was a 22-year-old rookie in Calgary in 2004 when the Stamps went 4-14 under coach Matt Dunigan. They turned it around the next season and haven’t missed the playoffs since.”
“Thinking back and just looking at it, there’s just got to be an ultimate belief that you can get it done. Look at Montreal, they were 6-7 last year and they’ve gone 18-2 since then,” said Lewis.
Montreal is also looking to rebound from a 37-23 loss to the B.C. Lions last week. But for head coach Jason Maas, he says his team’s mindset doesn’t change, regardless of what happened the previous week.
“Last year when we went through a four-game losing streak, you couldn’t tell if we were on a four-game winning streak or a four-game losing streak by the way the guys were in the building, the way we prepared, the type of work ethic we have,” said Maas. “All our standards are set, so that’s all we focus on.”
While they may have already clinched a playoff spot, Alouettes’ quarterback Cody Fajardo says this closing stretch remains critical because they want to finish the season strong, just like last year when they won their final five regular-season games before ultimately winning the Grey Cup.
“It doesn’t matter about what you do at the beginning of the year,” said Fajardo. “All that matters is how you end the year and how well you’re playing going into the playoffs so that’s what these games are about.”
The Alouettes’ are kicking off a three-game road stretch, one Fajardo looks forward to.
“You understand what kind of team you have when you play on the road because it’s us versus the world mentality and you can feel everybody against you,” said Fajardo. “Plus, I always tend to find more joy in silencing thousands of people than bringing thousands of people to their feet.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
