The Canadian soccer team lost this Friday night against the USA. It as a painful lesson for John Herdman’s boys, who were broken into pieces by the American. The final result was 4-1 for the hosts.
Still, the difference on the scoreboard was this high, mostly due to the inefficiency of the Canadians who had their chances, but failed to convert them into goals.
On the other side, the American team was very sharp and clinical, which was precisely what Herdman stated following the event.
“Credit to the U.S.A. as they were clinical with their 12 shots to our 11, and they came away with four goals,” he said. “We will learn from this, but there’s enough in our performances over the two games that tells us that we are right there with them.”
The guests were behind after just 120 seconds of play, with Jordan Morris scoring the opener. For the first time after 284 minutes, the Canadian defense, led by Milan Borjan, cracked.
Gyasi Zardes doubled the lead in the 23rd minute, with a header following Morris’ header. Some eleven minutes afterward, it was 3-0 for the home te, with Aaron Long delivering another header behind Borjan’s back.
In the meantime, Canada had its own chances, but the lack of composure or something else prevented them from beating Brad Guzan.
Also, there was one controversial decision of the referee, which might have determined the course of the contest. With the result 1-0 for the hosts, Scott Arfield was coming towards the American goalkeeper area, when he was brought down. The Canadian bench jumped, asking for a penalty, but the referee Ramos didn’t stop the play. Arfield himself was in disbelief, for not getting the foul here.
The Glasgow Rangers‘ player took the corner kick, which led to Canada’s only goal of the game. It was the 72nd minute when Jonathan Osorio diverted the ball to Steven Vitoria, who executed.
However, the Americans had the last word in this event, with Zardes delivering his second of the match, one minute before the end of the regulations. The ball reached out to him after a deflection, with the Columbus Crew’ attacker alone in the box. For a player of his caliber, it is the best possible gift.
“The boys kept going and I was proud of their attitude, they came with belief that they could win the game and they left it all out there,” said Herdman. “At this level, games are won and lost on set pieces and transitional moments. We lost in these areas tonight.”
The Americans got their revenge for a defeat in Canada one month ago. They secured the first place in CONCACAF Nations League group A, and are now waiting to see what happens until the end of the season with their rivals for the spot World Cup qualifications. Canada is currently No.6 nation in the CONCACAF zone, with El Salvador, Curacao, and Panama behind. El Salvador us just three ranking points behind Herdman’s guys.
Only the first six places are participating in the hexagonal, which later determines the three passengers to the World Cup.
