One of the most chaotic windows in Canadian Men’s National Team history ended on Monday, as Canada lost 2-1 to Honduras in San Pedro Sula in a the Concacaf Nations League.
The loss leaves Canada three points off first place in League A Group C, but one game less. The team’s last two games will be played in March 2023.
But Canada has higher priorities. Unless Canada Soccer can stage three friendlies in September, the Canadians probably have just two games left to prepare for the World Cup.
A labor dispute dominated the first week of the June window, leading to another friendly canceled, costing the team an extra game and two warm-up training sessions, so every moment counts. here November.
Here are three things we learned from Monday’s loss.
Waterboarded
It’s hard to get anything out of a game where a torrential downpour renders the field unplayable. Players on both sides were constantly slipping, the ball was caught in large puddles on the dribble which didn’t make the game smooth.
“Really tough game,” said Canadian coach John Herdman. “Credit to Honduras, I think they handled the terms well.”
But that did not change Canada’s strategy.
Thursday’s win over Curacao saw the Reds favor quick, direct passing through the flanks and early crosses, although there seemed to be a reliance on keeping the ball on the ground.
When a pitch plays as heavy as San Pedro Sula’s pitch, the direct usually allows for more chances on goal. Canada still had a few decent chances, the best of which was produced by Junior Hoilett after four minutes and then he then created Ike Ugbo with a terrific opportunity. However, Ugbo had the ball stuck under his feet in a puddle. It is fair to assume that normal pitch conditions would have allowed the attacker to get a shot on goal if not to score.
That was the story of the game for the Canadians.
“It’s like trying to put a Formula 1 car on an off-road track,” joked Herdman. or slip off the field.”
One team adapted to the conditions, played more directly and deservedly won the game. It is necessary if the teams want to succeed on the road to Concacaf. Canada may have had other priorities that night, but it was a stark reminder that taking such trips for granted can cost any visitor.
“Tactically, could we have been more direct when we got here seeing the conditions? Could we have changed the lineup? I don’t know,” Herdman said. “You always try to see the things you would have done differently. But I thought the boys just kept plugging in. It was nice to see the goal come in and I just felt like whoever scored that first goal was going to take control of the game and they certainly did.
“It’s Concacaf. It’s the learnings that we have to look at. Sometimes you just have to get a result and we didn’t tonight.”
Hoilett reaffirms its value
There’s a reason Junior Hoilett is relied upon in the hostile atmospheres of Concacaf. It is a calming presence that constantly produces the goods.
No other Canadian player has had as many assists (3), shots (2) and expected objectives (0.27) than Hoilett. The 31-year-old was the team’s only spark plug in adverse conditions, but he didn’t let that stop him.
It will be difficult to find a formation competing with Alphonso Davies, Tajon Buchanan, Cyle Larin, Jonathan David and others, but make no mistake: Hoilett is an extremely valuable player in this team.
The end product wasn’t on display Monday, but more often than not, Hoilett routinely maneuvers into tight spaces and advances the ball into promising areas. He will surely have an influence on the debates in Qatar.
David closes in on goalscoring record
Cyle Larin may have broken the all-time record for the men’s national team, but Jonathan David is breathing down his neck.
David’s late consolation was his 21st goal in his 31st cap for Canada, keeping him third all-time, but he is just three behind Larin after Monday’s strike.
Both forwards were visibly rusty on Thursday against Curacao as they appeared to hesitate in the box when the ball landed at their feet. It wasn’t a problem for David with his only clear opportunity on Monday.
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