Canada advanced to Concacaf’s Second Round of FIFA World Cup
\u200bQualifiers Qatar 2022 with an emphatic 4:0 win over Suriname on Tuesday night
\u200bin Chicago. The win keeps Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team perfect in 2021
\u200bwith four-straight wins to finish atop Group B as they advance to a
\u200bhead-to-head series against Haiti.
The two-match series will be played 12 June in Haiti and 15
\u200bJune back in Chicago, Canada’s home away from home amidst travel restrictions
\u200bduring the global pandemic. Both matches will be broadcast live on OneSoccer.
\u200bShould Canada advance past the Haitians, they would qualify for the Octagonal
\u200bfrom which three teams will advance to Qatar with the fourth-place team playing
\u200ban intercontinental playoff.
“We knew Suriname were going to be a tough test, they were
\u200briding a bit of a high coming out of their last game. We always knew if we
\u200bcould weather that storm and stick to the process that we’d be in good shape.”
\u200bsaid John Herdman, Men’s National Team Head Coach. “The universe has brought us
\u200bthat (Haiti) game, we wanted it back. No better than an opportunity to go into
\u200btheir hometown and have that experience for the players. I don’t need to do
\u200bmotivational speeches for this team, now. They’re crystal clear, the purpose is
\u200bthere and you’ve seen the passion tonight.”
HIGHLIGHTS!#CanMNT 4:0 Suriname#WCQ2022 pic.twitter.com/z78qW5kCfd — Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) June 9, 2021
Canada had a big chance in the 17’ when Richie Laryea’s shot
\u200bfrom distance was saved off the post by goalkeeper Warner Hahn. On the play, it
\u200bwas a great through ball for Jonathan David whose shot was saved into the path
\u200bof Laryea.
Canada took the 1-0 lead on the Davies goal in the 37’
\u200bminute, his fourth in the last three matches and his ninth career goal since
\u200b2017. On the play, debutant Scott Kennedy played it forward to David who turned
\u200band played it into the box. Suriname right back Kevin Leerdam got a touch on
\u200bthe ball, but he wasn’t quick enough as Davies sped in around him and fired the
\u200bnext touch through the legs of the goalkeeper.
With the goal, Davies also became the first Canadian since
\u200bPaul Peschisolido in 1996 to score in three-straight FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
\u200bin the same year.
In the 60’, David made it 2-0 after he was played through on
\u200bgoal by Davies. David’s low shot from inside the box after he outran the centre
\u200bback Shaquille Pinas.
In the 73’, David scored again after Davies fought his way
\u200bthrough a pair of defenders, fell over, got back up and played a ball to
\u200bDavid’s back foot. David re-set his feet and coolly buried it into the top
\u200bcorner with his left foot.
Just five minutes later, Mark-Anthony Kaye threaded a pass
\u200binto the box to a wide-open Lucas Cavallini who was taken down in the box to
\u200bearn a penalty. David, on a hat trick stepped up and slotted it home. With the
\u200bhat trick, it marked the first time ever that Canada scored hat tricks in three
\u200binternational matches in the same season, with David joining Cavallini as just
\u200bthe second player to ever to score three hat tricks for the Men’s National
\u200bTeam. David’s third goal was the 15th of his international career.
“We played well in a new formation in a game that was slow
\u200bin the beginning trying to figure out how we were going to break them down,”
\u200bsaid Alphonso Davies. “We’re happy that we were able to take the lead and then
\u200bstart playing the way that we know how to play and the right opportunities came
\u200band we put our goals away. The connection (with Jonathan David) is good, every
\u200btime I try to find him he’s been in the right position.”
Canada’s starting XI featured Milan Borjan in goal, Alistair
\u200bJohnston at right back, Doneil Henry at centre back, Scott Kennedy at left
\u200bback, and Samuel Piette, Richie Laryea, Stephen Eustáquio, Jonathan Osorio,
\u200bAlphonso Davies, Cyle Larin, and Jonathan David from the midfield up through to
\u200bthe attack. In the second half, coach John Herdman replaced Cyle Larin with Lucas
\u200bCavallini, Jonathan Osorio with Mark-Anthony Kaye (66’), and Alphonso Davies
\u200bwith Sam Adekugbe, Jonathan David with David Wotherspoon, and Richie Laryea
\u200bwith Tajon Buchanan (82’).
“We’ve created something here, a brotherhood based on a
\u200bshared purpose to qualify this team to the FIFA World Cup,” said Herdman. “They
\u200bcare about each other and that’s the first thing. They care about taking this
\u200bteam to the FIFA World Cup and you saw it in March when they had a chance to be
\u200bback together and build on that spirit in the Canada shirt.”
CANADA SOCCER’S MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM PROGRAM
Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team, two-time Concacaf
\u200bchampions, were one of only four nations that have finished top-six across all
\u200bthree of Concacaf major tournaments across the past three years: fifth place in
\u200bConcacaf Nations League A and sixth place at both the 2017 and 2019 Concacaf
\u200bGold Cups. In 2019 against Concacaf’s top three nations, Canada earned a
\u200bvictory against USA in Concacaf Nations League as well as eliminated both
\u200bMexico (U-15) and Costa Rica (U-17) in Concacaf youth competitions.
It will be an exciting yet busy summer of soccer for Canada
\u200bSoccer’s Men’s National Team Program in 2021. On the heels of FIFA World Cup
\u200bQatar 2022™ Qualifiers in June, Canada will participate in the 30th anniversary
\u200bedition of the Concacaf Gold Cup, with their Group B matches scheduled in
\u200bKansas City on 11 July against Martinique, 15 July against a
\u200byet-to-be-determined Caribbean nation from the preliminary round, and 18 July
\u200bagainst USA. The top-two nations from Group B advance to the final round with
\u200bthe Quarterfinals on 24 July, the Semifinals on 29 July, and the Final on 1
\u200bAugust.
FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022™ QUALIFIERS
Concacaf established Canada’s pathway for FIFA World Cup
\u200bQatar 2022™ Qualifiers beginning with a First Round being played amongst the
\u200bConcacaf Member Associations ranked 6-35 based on the FIFA Men’s Ranking as of
\u200b16 July 2020. The Second Round will feature three home-and-away series
\u200bfeaturing the six First Round winners.