TORONTO — After celebrating Sunday’s World Cup qualification, it was back to business Tuesday for the Canadian men’s soccer team.
The squad trained under a bright sun at BMO Field in the morning before grabbing a quick lunch at the lakefront stadium and heading to the airport for an afternoon charter to Panama City for Wednesday’s World Cup qualifying finale.
And while the team has already secured qualification to Qatar 2022, there is more to play for.
“We have to finish strong,” said coach John Herdman. “That’s the message to these players … It’s a critical match.”
“We said we’ve come here to qualify. We have,” he added. “But we said we were here to define a New Canada and New Canada’s finishing top of CONCACAF … to really let this country celebrate.”
Canada (8-1-4, 28 points) goes into Wednesday’s finale with a three-point edge over the U.S. and Mexico (both 7-2-4, 25 points) and a six-point cushion over Costa Rica (6-3-4, 22 points). Fifth-place Panama (5-5-3, 18 points) is out of contention.
In other games Wednesday, it’s El Salvador at Mexico, Honduras at Jamaica and the U.S. at Costa Rica.
The top three teams will represent North and Central America and the Caribbean in Qatar this November-December with the fourth-place finisher taking on an Oceania side in an intercontinental playoff to see who joins them.
The 33rd-ranked Canadians just need a tie to finish first in CONCACAF qualifying. But they want the win, to finish with a flourish and collect as many FIFA ranking points as possible while hoping results in other regions go their way so they can crack the top 30.
The four pots in Friday’s World Cup draw in Doha are divvied up by FIFA rankings. Pot 1 will feature host Qatar and the seven highest-ranked qualified teams, going down to Pot 4 made up of the bottom-ranked qualifiers plus three placeholders representing the two winners of the intercontinental playoffs and the remaining UEFA playoff winner.
The goal is to be ranked as high as possible to lessen the chance of meeting higher-ranked teams early on at the 32-team tournament.
After Sunday’s 4-0 clinching win over Jamaica, the Canadian players had a private celebration in their dressing room before heading to a nearby sports bar/restaurant for a gathering with friends and family. Then it was off to a downtown steak house for a meal.
Rap star Drake made an appearance during the evening, rubbing shoulders with the players and their families.
The players were given Monday off, with most feted that night at the Raptors’ win over the Boston Celtics where they got a standing ovation from the crowd.
“It was a very cool 48 hours,” said wingback Richie Laryea, who spent Sunday evening with his parents, brothers and some close friends, although his wife and son were back in England where he plays for Nottingham Forest. “I think not many people get to celebrate things like that.”
“For me, at least, it hasn’t even really set in what we’ve done,” he added.
Herdman, who reckoned he had had 12 hours sleep over the last three days, said his celebration was in the private confines of the locker room
“I let it all go in the dressing room, I’ve got to be honest,” he said. “That was my moment to be a bit daft and let your hair down, let the guys see you maybe in a different light, let them tip champagne on your head and do silly things.”
The father of two called it “one of my top three moments in my life.”
“We had some fun in there, real fun,” he said.
Herdman also savoured seeing his players with their loved ones.
“I had a great time with the families,” he said. “And then I was in bed by quarter past one, up at 6:30. And my staff were ready to go.”
Herdman and his staff spent Monday going over medical reports, planning his lineup and substitutions for Panama.
The coach was trying to stay in business mode, even if his phone was trying to pull him away.
“Texts, WhatsApp (messages) all day,” he said. “From people I haven’t heard of in 30 years — people texting to apologize for what they’d said at the beginning (of his coaching tenure with the men). It was a strange moment. So you’re trying to get your work done and it was one (message) after another.”
The messages continued Tuesday as the players were at the Raptors’ training facility before heading over to BMO Field.
This time, it was Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies, back in Germany recovering from myocarditis after a bout of COVID. Herdman said Davies was asking for someone to touch the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship trophy for him.
“He’s here with us,” Herdman said of Davies.
From Panama, the players will disperse to go back to their clubs. With the timeline tight to get to Qatar in time for Friday’s draw, Herdman will return to Toronto where he will watch it from a TV studio.
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.
