Updated Concacaf qualifying standings
25 Canada
22 USA
22 Mexico
--
19 Costa Rica
--
18 Panama
El Salvador, Jamaica and Honduras are eliminated.
So is everyone looking forward to Costa Rica playing the Oceania winner for the last spot in the Cup? That’s the most likely outcome at this point. Canada and the USA could clinch spots on Sunday.
Thanks for following along today, and may your country always be qualifying.
FULL TIME: Costa Rica 1-0 Canada
There’s no doubt which team is better. Canada showed its quality throughout and dominated the second half even after being reduced to 10 men by a shocking call.
But give Costa Rica credit. Well, give Keylor Navas credit. In a matchup of great goalkeepers, he never flinched, while Milan Borjan wasn’t at his best.
90 min +4: Stephen Eustáquio had nothing but a shot in mind with the free kick. He drilled it very hard. And straight into the wall.
90 min +3: Free kick to Canada as David is fouled 25 yards out, and this is Canada’s last chance ...
90 min +2: As Pluto makes another orbit around the distant sun, Navas prepares to take a free kick. I’ll take a quick nap, but I’ll be up before he actually kicks the danged ball.
90 min +1: Only three minutes of stoppage time. That’s reasonable. No stoppages except for subs.
USA and Mexico have finished 0-0.
90 min: Eons pass while we await a Navas goal kick. Then Canada comes forward again.
88 min: OFF THE BAR! ... but not legally
Again, it’s Laryea setting the stage, with a sharp pass finding Jonathan David for a quick shot that caroms away. Replay shows the ball came off his arm.
87 min: More Canadian possession, but Hoilett rushes a ball over the top.
This is a Richie Laryea appreciation tweet.#CANMNT | #WCQ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 25, 2022
85 min: My feed crashed briefly, so I’ll just assume Canada had eight more shots on goal.
Actually, no, it’s a bad foul by Hutchinson, the Canadian captain who has not distinguished himself in this game.
83 min: Chances for Canada!
Navas punches one long-range Laryea shot into the air. A follow-up shot is blocked.
Have I mentioned that Costa Rica has a lot to lose with a draw here?
79 min: More Canadian subs after some arguing between players and officials. The inexperienced duo of Ismael Kone and Ike Ugbo replaces Cyle Larin and Jonathan Osorio, both potent attackers but not as involved in tonight’s action as some of their teammates.
76 min: Canada did indeed make a substitution without the cameras taking notice. Reading midfielder Junior Hoilett is on.
73 min: OFF THE BAR
Close-range save for the excellent Navas from the equally excellent Laryea, but the rebound falls to Buchanan, whose shot clangs off the bar. It comes right back to Buchanan, but his next shot goes over the bar, and Costa Rica can exhale.
Updated
70 min: Worth noting that John Herdman has yet to substitute anyone in his 10-man lineup. Given the way Canada has played this half, he might be right to stay the course.
68 min: Matarrita comes up limping, and we know he’s not faking this one because he wasn’t near a Canadian player and did not pretend to be so. He pounds the grass in frustration. FC Cincinnati fans won’t be happy to see that. Juan Vargas replaces him.
66 min: Half-chance for Costa Rica, headed high.
In curling, South Korea scored three in the second end to race out to a lead against Canada, but Kerri Einarson and company battled back with two in the fifth to tie it 4-4. Also, the USA’s Cory Christensen is keeping pace with one of the best in the world, Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg.
64 min: Chance for Canada! Stephen Eustáquio shoots from a 45-degree angle and sends it skimming just past the far post.
Again -- Costa Rica is flirting with a costly surrender of two points here.
61 min: Costa Rican subs: Chacon and Tejeda are in.
Borjan has another puzzling moment and allows a corner for Costa Rica, and again, Canada’s defense barely seems up to the challenge. Uncharacteristic game for the Red Star Belgrade keeper.
59 min: Half-chance for Canada on a nice through ball on the fast break, but Navas alertly comes out to snare it.
You could say Costa Rica is smartly playing for the counter, but this is getting risky. They need a result far more than Canada does.
58 min: I’ve neglected another call our referee got correct -- a yellow card to Matarrita for a challenge that caught two legs and no ball.
Alexandra Fullerton writes: “I could literally hear the neighbours groans there. Absolutely shocking miss. Greetings from Ciudad Colon in Costa Rica! As always thank you for the wonderful commentary!”
And thank you for checking in from a country I certainly plan to visit before I die. I’d better get a move on, given the way I eat.
55 min: Buchanan shows his nifty footwork again and draws a free kick -- perhaps a little soft, but do we care at this point?
The ball pings around a bit, and Jonathan David turns to rifle a shot toward goal that’s blocked out of play for a corner. Canada shouts for a handball, but it clearly was not. Yes, the referee got one right.
53 min: CHANCE for Costa Rica! The ball is played ahead to Joel Campbell, who gets a couple of steps on the defense. A lone defender recovers just in time to put on some pressure as Borjan also arrives, and the ball squirts free, rolling slowly toward the goal until Borjan scampers back to swipe it away.
Bryan Cruickshank writes: “Nice to see the BIG PAPER covering Canada game. Thank you ( as we say in Canada ). Terrible call for the red . We won’t let that sit but it could get ugly. Shout out to anyone in Kingston, Ontario.”
On behalf of the BIG PAPER, thanks for checking in with us.
49 min: CHANCE for Canada! Keylor Navas has to come out to cut down the angle as Tajon Buchanan beats his man on the right and fires.
That’s the first save for Navas, and it was a big one. Bear in mind -- Costa Rica only has two shots on goal, and the one that didn’t go in was a routine save for Borjan.
48 min: We have a halftime substitution, with the long-serving Bryan Ruiz replacing the assist man Torres. He announces his presence with a shot on goal, a statement of intent undercut somewhat by being several yards offside.
46 min: The second half opens with a strong run down the left flank by Laryea. He ends up on the ground in the box, but on first glance, it seemed to be incidental contact.
Final: Panama 1-1 Honduras
Canada can now advance with a draw or, for some reason, a US loss to Mexico.
Current standings:
25 Canada (game in progress)
21 US (game in progress)
21 Mexico (game in progress)
18 Panama
16 Costa Rica (game in progress)
Other three teams eliminated.
Comboplate writes: “Canada fan here...so how does CONCACAF (bleep)-housery compare to the rest of the world? Don’t get me wrong, CRC looks good and CAN is not playing level-headed but it also looks like the official is petrified of getting out of the country alive and is calling the game accordingly...”
I normally stick up for my brethren who take up the whistle. I can barely keep a game of 9-year-olds straight, much less highly charged full-grown players. And I’ll do so ever so slightly here simply because the gamesmanship in Concacaf is at another level. The audacity of the dives would even make Italian players say, “Whoa. That’s a bit much.”
Mark-Anthony Kaye was given a second yellow card for this. #CANMNT are down a man and a goal at halftime in Costa Rica. They are at risk of losing their first match of #CWCQ. #Rapids96 #Concacafedpic.twitter.com/Ck0i99EFbN
— Holding The High Line (@rapids96podcast) March 25, 2022
Seybold Powers writes: “That fake foul/walk in to an opponent and feign injury to get a yellow is hardly new for Costa Rica. Joel Campbell pulled the same stunt in a 2013 qualifier against the USA. And got a yellow. See the video.”
Concacaf does not have the best reputation for refereeing.
Halftime: Costa Rica 1-0 Canada
Torres again looks dangerous down the right, turning Stephen Eustáquio one way and then another, but then he forgets to stay on his feet.
That’s the last action of a compelling first half that was unfortunately rendered ridiculous when an atrocious bit of poor sportsmanship fooled the ref and left Canada with 10 men.
GOAL! Costa Rica 1-0 Canada (Borges 45+1)
Borjan punches the ball a bit too meekly and falls down in the process. With the defense reeling, Gerson Torres lofts the ball dead center in the box, where a couple of Costa Rican players have their men beaten. Celso Borges gets there first and neatly heads it to one side of the net while Borjan watches. Not the Canadian keeper’s best five minutes, but the defense didn’t give him much chance.
45 min: Canada seems just fine without Kaye on the field.
The US and Mexico have wrapped up the first half scoreless. They’ll be well-rested for the last game of qualifying because several players keep picking up yellow cards that will excuse them from participating over the weekend.
We’ll have four minutes of stoppage time here.
41 min: What on earth is Milan Borjan doing? The excellent shot-stopper shows some clumsy feet, dawdling on the ball and finally playing it forward just as Costa Rica’s press catches up. The deflected ball misses the net, but Canadian coach John Herdman will want a word at halftime.
38 min: Canada seems energized by the controversy, setting up a nice goalmouth scramble in front of Navas’ goal.
Buchanan then figures if Costa Rica can earn a foul with a dive, he might try it as well. He gets called for handball. This is a farce.
RED CARD for Canada
Oh, and this needs to be reviewed.
While the ref failed to stop play with a Canadian player down on the field, a Costa Rican player walked up to Mark-Anthony Kaye, bumped into him and fell. Kaye earned a second yellow on one of the worst calls you’ll ever see.
34 min: Tajon Buchanan shows some nifty footwork.
A Canadian player is injured and ... something has happened off camera.
31 min: The rumors of Canada’s counterattacking prowess are true. Richie Laryea races down the left flank and poses some questions for Costa Rican defense.
The ball is partially cleared, but this time, Canada swings it out to Laryea for a shot. That’s better from the qualifiers-in-waiting.
28 min: Another dubious free kick for Costa Rica, but Canada handles this one a bit better.
And another.
It’s win and you’re in night for Canada.
— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) March 25, 2022
A Canadian curling win and it’s into the playoffs at the women’s world curling championship.
A Canadian soccer win and it’s into the World Cup.
Oh what a night. #cbccurl
26 min: Meanwhile, it’s dos a cero for the US against Mexico again. Unfortunately, we’re talking about yellow cards rather than goals.
24 min: Canada earns a corner kick at last. Stephen Eustáquio does nothing of significance with it, but the Canadians keep possession and earn a free kick as Tajon Buchanan falls easily.
(For the record, yes, I am a referee.)
22 min: Possession for Canada. It amounts to little.
Elsewhere -- Honduras has equalized against Panama! Both of these teams, along with the US and Mexico, will love that news.
19 min: Oh yes, Costa Rica still has a free kick and again, Canada deals with it poorly and allows an open header.
We can only hope Canadian fans remember that they’ve practically qualified already.
18 min: Canada can exhale. The call remains a yellow.
17 min: This could be bad for Canada. Matarrita may have been telling the truth this time. Replay is showing Kaye’s studs crashed into Matarrita’s ankle. Lonnnng look from the ref.
15 min: Yellow card to Mark-Anthony Kaye of Canada, well earned by Ronald Matarrita, who seems determined to roll all the way back to Cincinnati.
I’m not saying he’s acting. ...
Oh, wait! We have VAR! Here we go ...
13 min: A tactical thought ...
Costa Rica has definitely got the memo - they're pressing so much higher up the pitch than they ever did in Edmonton. Not much time on the ball for the #CanMNT
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) March 25, 2022
Good news is that if they can break that, Waston and Calvo could be ripe for the picking on the counter
Hasn’t happened yet, though a long spell of possession nearly gets the ball to the Costa Rican penalty area. The home side finally claims the ball, but Joel Campbell then fouls Jonathan Osorio to give it right back.
Is Canada settling in now?
11 min: Canadian captain Atiba Hutchinson commits a foul in a dangerous spot. Must be dangerous, because the Costa Rican player is still rolling around on the ground.
Free kick deflected for a corner, and this one’s dangerous. Francisco Calvo again gets away from his defender for a free header, and he doesn’t miss by much.
8 min: Free kick at midfield for Costa Rica, and this time, Canadian players make sure they can’t take it quickly. That’s not strictly legal, but our referee isn’t interested in correcting such behavior.
6 min: While Costa Rica plays keepaway against the Canadian press, check out another summary of the pregame festivities:
Gotta love Alistair Johnston trying to sing the anthem louder than about 100,000,000 fireworks 🇨🇦🇨🇦#CanMNT #Qatar2022
— Benedict Rhodes (@BTFR17) March 25, 2022
3 min: Costa Rica earns a free kick on an effective dive about 35 yards out. They take it while Canada is setting up and race forward into the box, winning a corner while Canada comes dangerously close to taking down Matarrita for a penalty. The header from the corner goes high, but this is an unnerving start for the group leaders.
2 min: Some sloppy passes from Canada, and Ronald Matarrita of FC Cincinnati gets room on the flank.
1 min: Costa Rica’s in red, Canada’s back in black, and we’re off ...
And the fireworks continue through the Canadian national anthem. The players are gamely trying to sing at top volume over the fireworks and whistling.
Rude hosts. Canada has one of the best anthems in the world, too.
Also, Panama is up 1-0 on Honduras at the half, a result that neither of the teams will want to see but certainly had to expect.
Panama would likely move up to 20 points. Costa Rica would need a win to keep pace at 19. Both teams would still trail the top three of Canada, the US and Mexico, no matter what happens in the concurrent Mexico-US game.
Back to our feature game -- teams are taking the field to a pulverizing display of fireworks. It’s still going. And going. They’ve finally stopped to allow for the singing of the national ... no, wait, they’ve started again.
OK, now they’re ... no, wait, still going ...
Meanwhile, in Mexico ...
Bryan Graham notes that the US resisted the temptation to save their stars for Sunday’s match against Panama, which may be a safer bet to pick up three points that would virtually guarantee qualification:
So much for the rumblings that Gregg Berhalter might consider fielding a ‘B team’ to save the legs of key players for Sunday’s match against Panama with five on a yellow card and facing a one-match suspension if they collect another. His team for tonight’s match includes nine of the starters from November’s win over Mexico in Cincinnati (Acosta for McKennie, Pulisic for Aaronson).
Read his live updates here.
Also, Jamaica drew El Salvador to drag El Salvador into qualification oblivion.
Starting at the same time tonight (this morning, if you’re elsewhere in the world), Kerri Einarson and the Canadian women face South Korea in a game that could have a dramatic impact on who gets a bye into the world women’s curling semifinals.
Just saying. Could be an epic night. But Canada wins curling world titles a lot more often than they qualify for the World Cup. (In soccer.) (In men’s soccer. They’re pretty good in women’s.)
Costa Rican lineup
Another star goalkeeper will be on the field at the other end. You may have heard of him from his several productive years at Real Madrid and his move to PSG. He’s Keylor Navas.
Beyond that, it’s a team based mostly in Costa Rica, with a few exceptions in MLS.
¡Así salimos hoy! 🇨🇷 #LaSele #HastaElÚltimoMinuto pic.twitter.com/n8B7d0NkWA
— FEDEFUTBOL Costa Rica (@fedefutbolcrc) March 25, 2022
Canadian lineup
Goalkeeper Milan Borjan of Red Star Belgrade has played out of his mind in qualifiers, like a goalie getting hot and leading his team to the Stanley Cup. (Thank you, Braden Holtby, from your old home in the DC metro area.)
Cyle Larin is the leading scorer in the qualifiers with 12 goals in 13 games. Jonathan David has nine goals in 15.
The bad news is that Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies, who has five goals and eight assists in qualifying, remains out with a Covid-related heart ailment. He’s taking steps toward a return, which would be nice for the big event later this year. (The World Cup. Not whatever Bayern’s doing.)
Atiba Hutchinson, who plays with Larin at Besiktas, is the captain. He’s 39, but age is just a number that tells you how old you are.
Starting XI 🍁 #CANMNT #ForCanada #WCQ pic.twitter.com/69cKAWvbkP
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) March 25, 2022
Preamble
Welcome to a momentous occasion in Canadian history.
To explain why, let’s look at the Concacaf qualification standings: Let’s take a look at the CONCACAF qualifying standings through 11 of 14 games:
25 Canada
21 US
21 Mexico
17 Panama
16 Costa Rica
9 El Salvador
7 Jamaica
3 Honduras
So with a win, Canada has 28 points. Panama’s max would be 20.
The top three teams qualify for the World Cup. The fourth goes to a playoff against the Oceania representative.
Do the math.
That’s right. Canada can return to the World Cup for the first time since 1986 with a win tonight.
It won’t be the easiest task. Costa Rica’s Estadio Nacional is never an easy place to play, with the Ticos conceding three points only once in the last 19 World Cup qualifiers. But it’s likely academic, anyway. TSN counts three ways Canada can clinch a berth tonight without a win. After that, there are two more matchdays. Panama or Costa Rica would basically have to win out while Canada forgets how to play.
This is, though, the best Canadian team … well, ever. The days of middling MLS players chasing Dwight Yorke and Jorge Dely Valdes around the field are long past. Thanks to holistic long-term planning that turned out to be more than buzzwords, along with some greater academy investment, Canada isn’t just for curling any more.
(That said, I’ll keep you apprised of the latest from the women’s world championships as well.)
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Cyle Larin on his team’s success:
“If we make the World Cup people will know who we are,” Cyle Larin says. The Besiktas forward knows that Canada are on their way to achieving something special. They have only once qualified for the World Cup, only to go out in the first round after losing all of their group games at Mexico 86, but a place in Qatar is there for the taking.
November’s 2-1 victory over Mexico has made people take notice of Canada. They had not beaten Mexico since 1976 and Larin, who scored both his side’s goals on a freezing night in Edmonton, feels that momentum is building. “We can compete against anybody,” Larin says. “If you’re playing for this team, it’s special. You saw it in the Mexico game.
“We hadn’t beaten Mexico in a long time. The last three times we’d played Mexico I was injured and had to watch. We always had a chance to win and this time I told myself we’d beat them. We did and it showed how good we are. I think it’s the team and brotherhood we have. A lot of players play in Europe and we’ve never had that before. Now we’ve been together for a while and keep growing.”
You can read the full interview here:
