Canadian men’s soccer team qualifies for World Cup

TORONTO –

Canada placed on a present Sunday, qualifying for the lads’s World Cup for the primary time since 1986.

Cyle Larin, Tajon Buchanan and Junior Hoilett scored because the Canadians had their means with an outmatched Jamaica aspect in a 4-0 win earlier than a loud and proud sellout crowd of 29,122 on a cold day at BMO Area. A Jamaican personal aim within the 89th minute padded the rating.

And the margin of victory might have been much more lopsided.

Canada (8-1-4, 28 factors within the closing CONCACAF qualifying spherical) dominated from the get-go, stacking scoring probabilities like firewood. The house aspect was up 1-0 after 13 minutes and 2-0 on the break. It might have been 4-0 halfway via the primary half when the solar made its first look.

Jamaica (1-7-5, eight factors) spent the afternoon in reverse. The sport was finished and dusted after the primary half.

The historic win got here 37 years after Canada certified for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico with a 1-0 victory over Honduras on Sept. 14, 1985, in St. John’s, N.L. That marked the Canadian males’s lone journey to the soccer showcase, the place they misplaced all three video games with out scoring a aim.

Canada soccer has been on a excessive with the sixth-ranked Canadian ladies profitable gold final summer time on the Tokyo Olympics. Now the Thirty third-ranked males, led by coach John Herdman, get their time to shine in Qatar, whereas lengthening their runway to the 2026 World Cup, which Canada is co-hosting with the U.S., and Mexico.

The Canadian males, who lead the eight-country closing round-robin, additionally had an opportunity to seal qualification on Thursday in Costa Rica however misplaced 1-0 after taking part in two-thirds of the sport with 10 males within the wake of Mark-Anthony Kaye’s crimson card.

It marked the lone blemish on their qualifying highway. Going into Sunday’s match, Canada had outscored its opposition 50-7 whereas posting 11 clear sheets in 18 qualifying video games over three rounds (13-1-4).

On a chilly day, Canada got here out sizzling and was rewarded for its dominance within the thirteenth minute when, after a lightning-fast counterattack, Hoilett squared the ball to Stephen Eustaquio who threaded the needle to place Larin behind the defence. The Besiktas ahead calmly slotted the ball previous goalkeeper Andre Blake for his twenty fourth aim for Canada, extending his nationwide males’s scoring document.

Buchanan made it 2-0 within the forty fourth minute as Jamaica did not take care of a free kick that the Membership Brugge winger had earned after being chopped down within the midst of a number of stepovers. A defender headed Eustaquio’s free kick away but it surely went straight to Jonathan David, whose cross dropped at Buchanan’s ft in entrance of aim.

He celebrated the aim along with his trademark backflip.

Hoilett made it 3-0 within the 83rd after Buchanan nicked the ball off a defender following a nook and fed the veteran Hoilett, who slashed via the penalty field and beat Blake for his 14th aim for Canada.

Adrian Mariappa’s failed try at a clearance off a Sam Adegukbe cross ended up within the Jamaican aim to make it 4-0.

In later video games Sunday, it was Costa Rica at El Salvador, Panama on the U.S. and Mexico at Honduras.

The Canadians, who wrap up qualifying Wednesday in Panama, solely wanted a draw Sunday to qualify. Different qualification routes have been if Costa Rica did not win or a Panama victory over the U.S.

The highest three groups qualify for Qatar as representatives of North and Central America and the Caribbean whereas the fourth-place finisher takes on an Oceania aspect in an intercontinental playoff to see who joins them.

A blanket of snow greeted gamers and followers in Toronto once they awoke Sunday, though nearly all of had disappeared by kickoff. Because of BMO Area’s underground heating, there was only a dusting of white in elements of the patchy discipline.

There have been gentle flurries at kickoff. Someway the circumstances made it extra Canadian.

“Our Home. Our Day. All of Canada is with you,” Canada Soccer tweeted in a video heralding the sport, accompanied by the sounds of “Coming Dwelling” by Diddy and Soiled Cash that includes Skylar Gray.

The Canadians had handled worse in snowy Edmonton final November once they defeated Mexico and Costa Rica.

Nonetheless it was a cold, windy afternoon with the temperature minus-five, feeling like minus-14 for the 4 p.m. ET kickoff. It did not faze Larin, Richie Laryea or substitute Alistair Johnston, who wore short-sleeved jerseys.

Canada flags flew proudly, with a number of Ukraine ones dotting the sellout crowd.

Herdman made 4 adjustments to his beginning lineup in Costa Rica, inserting defenders Scott Kennedy, Adekugbe and Doneil Henry and winger Hoilett. Adekugbe and Henry have been suspended for the Costa Rica sport.

Goalkeeper Milan Borjan took over as skipper from Atiba Hutchinson.

Canada wasted little time with Blake having to claw away an Adegukbe cross within the second minute. Blake then needed to cease a fourth-minute Larin shot after a nice run by David, prompting chants of “Canada, Canada.”

David shot simply large within the fifteenth minute after one other Canadian assault. Six minutes later, Buchanan shot excessive.

The group cheered when Borjan was lastly known as into the motion to make a save within the thirty second minute.

Larin shot simply large after within the thirty eighth minute, taking a cross from Adegukbe after a wonderful ball from Hoilett discovered the fullback flying down the left flank.

The sport grew extra open as the primary half wore on, with Jamaica discovering some house within the Canadian finish as the house aspect threw our bodies ahead trying. Canada has 65 per cent possession within the first half and had a 11-2 edge in photographs (4-1 in photographs on course).

It was extra of the identical within the second half with Buchanan simply lacking a low cross from Larin throughout aim as play resumed. David shot large minutes later.

Henry limped off within the 62nd minute, with Herdman going to his bench. Borjan wasted little time giving up the captain’s armband when Hutchinson got here on for his 94th cap, prolonged his Canadian males’s document. Chants of “Atiba, Atiba” adopted.

Blake stopped substitute Lucas Cavallini within the 82nd minute, with chants of “Ole, Ole” from the gang. Buchanan then tried to flick a nook house from the close to submit.

The Canadian males certified the onerous means this time. Whereas CONCACAF powerhouses like Mexico and the U.S. acquired a bye to the ultimate spherical, Canada needed to begin on the backside within the area.

Herdman’s staff needed to dispatch Aruba, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Suriname and Haiti simply to succeed in the ultimate spherical of qualifying for the primary time because the lead-up to France ’98.

“If we take a look at it the proper means, it simply might be one hell of a narrative,” Herdman stated prophetically in July 2019 when CONCACAF revamped its qualifying process.

Thursday marked the four-year anniversary of Herdman’s first sport in control of the lads, a 1-0 win over New Zealand in Murcia, Spain, earlier than simply 75 folks. His document on the males’s helm now stands at 29-7-4 with the one losses to the U.S. (twice), Mexico (twice), Costa Rica, Haiti and Iceland.

Already certified within the 32-team males’s World Cup discipline are host Qatar, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Iran, Japan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and Uruguay.

Canada has been to seven of eight ladies’s World Cups, lacking out solely on the inaugural occasion in 1991. The ladies completed fourth on the 2003 match within the U.S.

Jamaica was one in all 5 groups to obtain a bye to the ultimate spherical of CONCACAF qualifying however had managed only one win — a 2-0 determination in Honduras on Oct. 13.

The Canadian males have been ranked 73rd on the earth, in comparison with No. 47 for Jamaica, once they began World Cup qualifying in March 2021. Right this moment Canada is Thirty third whereas Jamaica is No. 62.

Nonetheless there was hope within the Jamaican camp.

“Fearless Reggae Boyz to Spoil Canadian Occasion” was the headline in Jamaica’s Gleaner newspaper.

Canada drew Jamaica 0-0 when the groups met Oct. 10 on the Nationwide Stadium in Kingston. The Canadian males improved to 10-6-7 all-time in opposition to Jamaica together with 7-0-2 on house soil.

The Reggae Boyz are led by interim coach Paul Corridor, who performed for Jamaica on the 1998 World Cup in France.

Jamaica was lacking Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey, absent as a consequence of a private subject, with West Ham star ahead Michail Antonio one in all a number of different high-profile absentees. Vancouver Whitecaps fullback Javain Brown began for the guests.

Canada was with out Kaye, suspended after being despatched off for 2 yellows in Costa Rica.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first printed March 27, 2022.