Since then, the Canadians have been the focus of the Concacaf qualifying process and are now poised to win a place in the World Cup for the first time since 1986 and only for the second time in their history. With two games left, Canada is at the top of the standings with a record of 7-1-4 and with 25 points enjoys a six-point advantage over fourth place in Costa Rica (19). The United States and Mexico are in second place with 22 points, while Panama is fifth with 18 points. El Salvador (10 points), Jamaica (eight) and Honduras (four) are at the bottom of the table. The top three in the group of eight teams automatically advance to Qatar, while the fourth team advances to the intercontinental playoffs. For Canada, the scenario is simple. A win or draw against Jamaica on Sunday at the BMO Field in Toronto will secure a place in the World Cup. Canadians could also hit their ticket to Qatar if they lose, provided Costa Rica either loses or draws in El Salvador, or Panama wins the US Jamaica has already been excluded from the conflict, which means that nothing but pride is at stake. The Reggae Boyz were a big disappointment in the Concacaf qualifiers, scoring just 10 times (third-worst in the area) and conceding 17 goals (second-worst). No wonder the Jamaicans have won just once in 12 games and are without a win in their last seven games. But in many ways, Canada has to thank Jamaica for giving them a wake-up call and reminding them not to take anything for granted. After a historic and exciting draw away from Mexico last October, Canada got involved in an unfair game with Jamaica at Kingston’s Independence Park a few days later, managing to get away with only a point from the 0-0 impasse. Canada traveled to Jamaica riding a tidal surge after Mexico fought a 1-1 draw, marking the first time it had scored a point or even scored at the prestigious Estadio Azteca since 1980. Jamaica, meanwhile, was without victory and won a single point in its first four matches in the CONCACAF qualifiers.
As a result, John Herdman’s team entered the match in Jamaica as the heavyweight favorite, but Reggae Boyz made life difficult for the Canadians in a physical match that had five yellow cards issued by the Costa Rican referee. The Canadians dominated the game in terms of possession (63.3%), but measured nothing against a determined Jamaica. Questions began to be asked about Herdman’s side and whether they were legal candidates.
“We would have liked to have three points here, but we took two away from Jamaica, added one and remained undefeated. It is not easy to do [that] on the road. “I’m happy with how the boys got through tonight, given how many players we missed, but at the same time, just the commitment of this team to get out there and in some difficult circumstances just to give everything, that’s what they do.” “I did it,” Herdman said after the game. As much as Herdman and the players gave a positive turn in the result, he could not escape the fact that the failure to win three points was a significant missed opportunity for Canada against the last place of Jamaica, as it fell from Panama and fell to fourth place. scores. But the disappointing result in Kingston gave new life to the Canadian team. Three days later in Toronto, the Reds responded with a convincing 4-1 victory over Panama, a game known for Alphonso Davies’s top goal that went viral around the world in minutes.
The Herdman men would win their next five consecutive games, with a rare home win over Mexico and a perfect 3-0 record during the January international window that saw them record victories over the United States, Honduras and El Salvador. During the Reds’ 6-0-0 win over Jamaica, they beat the opposing team 13-2 on aggregate and lost only once in all 23 minutes. The 1-0 defeat on Thursday night in Costa Rica delayed the celebrations of the World Cup for Canada. But this setback, such as the draw against Jamaica last October, could be good for the team as it refocuses on the task at hand. “Coming out of Costa Rica, it was like the punch in the gut we needed. come down to Earth again, put your feet on the ground, let’s do that. Let’s get back to business. … At the end of the day, a team of men is going to put Canada in a World Cup. They have to work very hard for that [Sunday] “against Jamaica,” Herdman told reporters after the team’s last training session on Saturday. – About the Author: John Molinaro is one of Canada’s leading football journalists, covering the match for more than 20 years for many media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of the Toronto football team and Canadian football. TFC Republic can be found here.