Canada bolsters its World Cup hopes with shutout victory over U.S.
Cinderella isn’t ready for the clock to strike midnight just yet.
In fact, the party might just be getting started for Canada, the surprise belle of the CONCACAF ball, which can begin thinking about packing its glass slipper for next fall’s World Cup in Qatar after Sunday’s 2-0 win over the U.S. in Hamilton, Canada.
Canada (6-0-4), the only unbeaten team left in the eight-nation tournament, needs only seven points from its final four games to earn its first World Cup berth in 36 years, and just the second in its history.
“It’s been a long time and this is what Canada deserves,” said goalkeeper Milan Borjan, who came to the postgame news conference draped in a Canadian flag. “We want to get to our goal, our dream, to get to the World Cup. This is one step closer.”
A big step closer considering Canada probably wouldn’t be playing in the qualifiers if not for COVID-19. Under the original format, the top six CONCACAF teams in the FIFA world rankings were to play a 10-game tournament to decide the region’s World Cup teams.
Canada was ranked seventh.
The pandemic altered those plans and when CONCACAF expanded the final round to a record eight teams, that allowed Canada to win its way into that field by rolling through two earlier rounds of qualifiers unbeaten.
It is still unbeaten — and now virtually assured of claiming one of CONCACAF’s three tickets to Qatar.
“It took a long time to bring it together. And we have got a long way to go. We’re not qualified yet,” Canadian coach John Herdman said. “We need to stay humble. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.
“A few more points to put in the bag.”
Canada hasn’t let many points get away, dropping just eight in the qualifying tournament and taking eight of a possible 12 points in four games with the U.S. and Mexico.
But if Canada is cruising, the U.S. (5-2-3) is sputtering, having been shut out for the third time in 10 qualifiers despite dominating Canada statistically, holding the ball for nearly 60 of the 90 minutes, outshooting it 13-8 and completing more than twice as many passes.
Canada found the back of the net twice though, with Cyle Larin setting a national team record with his 23rd international goal early in the first half and Sam Adekugbe getting his first deep in second-half stoppage time.
“It's hard for me to remember a performance away from home this dominant without getting a result,” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said. “So the result hurts, [but] the performance doesn't hurt.”
With Panama winning and Mexico and Costa Rica playing to a scoreless draw Sunday, the three teams chasing Canada are separated by just a point. With only two of the three assured a spot in Qatar — the other will advance to a one-game inter-confederation playoff in June with another World Cup spot at stake — the U.S. has no room for error over its final four games.
Sunday’s game kicked off on a narrow, road-hard artificial surface in a wind chill of 19 degrees and the U.S. started it short-handed, with forward Tim Weah prevented from entering Canada because of his vaccination status, and center back Walker Zimmerman on the bench because of a hamstring issue. The Americans lost two more players in the second half with captain Tyler Adams going out because of a hamstring strain and defender Chris Richards because of a right foot injury, leaving the U.S., which was out of substitutes, to play the final 10 minutes a man down.
It didn’t take long for Canada to exploit its home-field advantage, with Larin scoring the only goal his team would need on a counterattack in the seventh minute. The play started with a goal kick from U.S. keeper Matt Turner that was knocked down by the wind. Kamal Miller raced into the attacking end to head the ball upfield for Larin, who got Miles Robinson, Zimmerman’s replacement, to turn the wrong way, freeing him to race into the box and drive a right-footed shot off Turner’s fingertips and into the side netting inside the far post.
Borjan kept Canada in front with a big save just before the intermission, swatting away a Weston McKennie header off a Christian Pulisic corner kick. He made two other saves in the second half before Adekugbe put the game away, scoring on a breakaway just seconds before the final whistle.
The U.S., which hasn’t seen weather above freezing in more than a week, will continue its Frozen Football tour Wednesday in St. Paul, Minn., where it will meet Honduras. The forecast calls for daytime highs in the single digits and wind chill below zero.
“Our focus right now is finishing off the window,” Berhalter said. “If we can do that, we'll be in good position.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
