The Canadian men’s soccer team has secured a spot in the Gold Cup this summer, as well as in Group A of the CONCACAF Nations League, after completing the qualifying phase of this competition with a 100% record! The Canucks beat French Guiana 4-1 at BC Place in Vancouver on Sunday, to record another dominant win in their qualifying campaign.
Canada started the Nations League qualifiers in September last year, with a match against the U.S. Virgin Islands, which they easily won 8-0. A month later, Canada smashed Dominica 5-0 at BMO Field in Toronto. The team wasn’t that convincing against Saint Kitts and Nevis, scoring only one goal, but ending the year with three wins out of their first three games.
After scoring 18 goals and conceding only one in the campaign, Canada will have more difficult games in the coming period, as the team will face stronger opponents.
Against French Guiana, Canada went forward from the moment the game started, outshooting their opponents 18-4.
Canadian fans arrive to BC Place Stadium for FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 matches in Vancouver, Canada, on June 21, 2015. – Sergei Bachlakov / Shutterstock.com
Will the Winning Streak Continue?
Club Puebla’s Lucas Cavallini scored a brace, while Junior Hoilett and Jonathan David were also on the scoresheet for Canada. Kevin Rimane scored a consolation goal for French Guiana, which ended the campaign with two wins and two defeats, and will play in the 2019 CONCACAF Nations League Group B.
Canada’s goalie, Milan Borjan, had three saves, while Jean-Beaunel Petit-Homme was pretty busy, saving his net on 14 occasions.
The goal Rimane scored in the 26th minute was the first one Canada has conceded in more than a year since Jonh Herdman was appointed as the head coach.
Alphonso Davis missed the game on Sunday, although it was expected the 18-year-old former Whitecaps player would start the match. However the youngster injured his knee earlier this month in the game his club, Bayern Munich, won 6-0 against Mainz, where he scored his very first Bundesliga goal.
And although he didn’t play on Sunday, the received an award for being named the 2018 Canadian player of the year, at a ceremony held just before the start of the game. Once the match started, he joined the crowd of 17,124 and supported his teammates.
The draw for the 2019 Gold Cup will be held from 15th June to 7th July in the United States, Costa Rica and a Caribbean country also hosting doubleheaders in the first round of matches in groups B and C, respectively. A total of 16 teams will take part in this year’s tournament.