Canada continues training in Philadelphia
Canada’s men’s national team enjoyed another day of training at Rhodes Field at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Canada is currently preparing for this Saturday’s quarter-final match at the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Canada-Honduras match kicks off at 17.00 ET (14.00 PT) and will be …
Canada’s men’s national team enjoyed another day of training at Rhodes Field at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Canada is currently preparing for this Saturday’s quarter-final match at the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Canada-Honduras match kicks off at 17.00 ET (14.00 PT) and will be broadcast live on all four Rogers Sportsnet channels.
“To be honest, we don’t have any fears,” said coach Stephen Hart of his opposition. “There is an understanding that it is just one game. There are certain things we do well. If you focus on that, do the best along those lines, then you can come away with a result.”
Canada reached the quarter-final stage after finishing first in its group with two wins and one draw. Honduras, meanwhile, finished second in its group with two wins and one loss. The Saturday quarter-final match will mark the 18th meeting between the two nations and the third in CONCACAF Gold Cup competition.
“Canada plays great football,” said Honduras coach Reynaldo Rueda. “We know each other both very well.”
Just last year, Honduras beat Canada twice in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Canada’s campaign turned for the worse in Montréal after Tomasz Radzinski was pushed into the boards (he left the game with an injury) and the opponent reversed a 1-0 Canadian lead into a 2:1 Honduras victory.
In 2009, however, Canada is unbeaten in five games under interim head coach Stephen Hart. Canada has four wins and one draw since Hart took over in April. The team has plenty of experience, especially in midfield where it has been led by Julian de Guzman (2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup MVP), Atiba Hutchinson and Patrice Bernier.
The team has also not only scored goals (eight goals in five games), but also prevented them (four clean sheets before allowing two goals in its last game).
“Right now, we are keeping the players focused on their own game,” said Hart.
Canada won the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2000, thus qualifying for the FIFA Confederations Cup Korea/Japan 2001. It has since reached the semi-final stage on two occasions (2002 and 2007).