You can follow the meeting between Canada and Salvador Tuesday at 9 p.m. on RDS and RDS.CA.
After its disappointing 1-1 draw against Curaçao, Canada still has work to work for its last duel of group B against Salvador on Tuesday at Gold Cup.
A victory against Curaçao (90th) on Saturday would have assured the Canadians, classified 30th, a place in the quarterfinals. But a goal conceded in the 94th minute somewhat enhanced the challenges for the match against Salvador (81st) at Shell Energy Stadium.
Canada (1-0-1, four points) is still at the top of group B, ahead of Honduras (1-1-0, three points), Curaçao (0-0-2, two points) and Salvador (0-1-1, one point).
The first two of each group access the direct elimination phase.
Canada could still qualify in the event of a defeat, since only the winner of Honduras-Curaçao will have more than four points.
And even if the Salvador had the same number of points as Canada in the event of a victory, the latter approach the match with a considerable advantage unlike goals (more-6 against less-2 for Salvador and less-4 for Honduras), which constitutes the first decisive point after total points.
“The fact that we have waited until this stadium to win the group is not ideal,” said Canada’s head coach Jesse Marsch.
“We are now looking at this as if there were four qualifying games left,” he added. We can therefore only have the best mentality and understand the difficulty of this match. And it is the thumbs, sometimes even the centimeters, which will make the difference. »»
Winning the group means avoiding group C winner – probably Panama (33rd) – in the quarter -final. The group B winner will face the second in group C, probably Guatemala (105th) or Jamaica (63rd).
The match against Curaçao was the last of the suspension of two Marsch games.
Marsch was suspended after being expelled during the match for the third place in the League of Concacaf Nations in March for protesting the absence of a penalty.
He later said he had acted at the request of his players, who felt despised and asked him to defend them.
He was the subject of a second disciplinary hearing after the opening match of the Gold Cup in Vancouver. The Concacaf asked him where he had watched the match – in a lodge with other Canadian team members at BC Place – and if offensive remarks had been made in an interaction with an official match.
“The dialogue was positive,” said Marsch about Concacaf. And I think that, more than anything, it is a misunderstanding in some respects. I think we are all ready to go ahead positively. »»
He added that he was expecting news from the Concacaf later in the day.
Canada started the tournament with an overwhelming 6-0 victory against Honduras, ranked 75th, followed by a zero verdict against Curaçao.
“We let ourselves go in the second half,” admitted Marsch. We talked about it. We are going to learn from it. We are going to improve and we will make sure not to relive this kind of performance and experience. »»
The Salvador obtained a 0-0 draw against Curaçao and bowed 2-0 ahead of Honduras.
The Salvador workforce is almost entirely made up of players playing in national clubs, with the exception of Brayan Gil (FC Baltika, Russia), Enrico Duenas (Top Oss, Netherlands) and Harold Osorio (Fire de Chicago, MLS).
“It’s a team that I really like to watch,” said Marsch. Their passion is palpable. They fight for every centimeter on the ground. They are the pride of their country thanks to their mentality and their collective commitment.
“It will be a difficult match for us and we will have to give the best of ourselves to find a way to win. »»
Marsch said that defender Derek Cornelius, injured in the lower body, was ready to play.
The Canadians display a 10-5-4 file against Salvador, with victories of 3-0 and 2-0 during their confrontations in September 2021 and February 2022.
Canada’s latest defeat against Salvador dates back to October 2017, at the same Houston stadium in a friendly match for the victims of Hurricane Harvey. Among the holders that day, only Cyle Larin and Jonathan Osorio, injured, are part of the current team for the Gold Cup.
Mexico is the current champion of the Gold Cup, after beating Panama 1-0 in the 2023 final to win his ninth Gold Cup, a record. The United States has raised the trophy seven times and Canada once in 2000.
During the 2023 tournament, Canadians lost penalties against the United States in the quarter-finals.
