So it comes down to win or die for Canada tonight at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Because of their -1 goal difference, the only way Canada could advance to the quarterfinals with a draw would be if Guadaloupe (bless them) knocks off Landon Donovan and the Yanks.
And since we all know that would be extremely funny … er, unlikely … let us simply concentrate on the fact that there are no tie-breakers and no back-door scenarios this evening. The game gets won, or the Gold Cup’s done.
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Yes, Panama knocked off the States on the weekend. But so diddly what? Any vision of a future where the Canadian men’s national soccer team ever gets to the World Cup involves Canada being better than Panama. This is the perfect time to put that standard to the test.
But which Canada will show up? The one that spend far too much time going backwards in the 0-2 loss to the Americans? The one that didn’t create nearly enough going forward, got a dodgy penalty call and survived 1-0 against Guadeloupe?
Neither of the above, I hope.
Canada’s weaker at the back tonight with the loss of Marcel de Jong. They’ve also got problems going forward as the contagiously brilliant Atiba Hutchinson is done as well.
The focus, tonight, should be on Canada’s other attack-capable midfielders. Terry Dunfield, Will Johnson and that-guy-that-left-Toronto-FC-for-New-York-and-is-still-not-a-DP-and-still-stuck-with-that-contract-that-makes-him-so-unhappy are all fine and capable attackers. Josh Simpson has also shown fine dash and daring in attack.
We basically need the back four to hoof the ball to the midfield, and some all-out grit and hustle to push the ball across centre and keep it there. Bottle up the Panamanians, and force them to go seventy yards when they get the ball back.
Easily said, and not so easily done, right? Maybe not.
I think an awful lot depends on the collective Canadian mindset tonight. If they play tentatively and cautiously in their own end, Panama will only have to cover 30 yards when they get the ball. A stronger, more urgent, no-guts-no-glory mindset must bear better fruit, if only in erasing this nagging tentativeness Canada simply cannot afford anymore.
Go back to the U.S. game for a moment. The States played the ball backwards a lot, too. But every defender who received it had his head up, and had clearly already decided what he wanted to do next. The Canadian first touches weren’t as crisp, and there was a lot of aimless back-and-forth passes that really only bought time for the Americans to close in for the steal.
Obviously, Panama can win tonight. If the risk of elimination is there, if Canada might go down, wouldn’t we all rather see them go down playing daring, positive football? Especially if the alternative is just going to get them killed anyway?
I want to be very, very proud of my nation’s team when it’s all over tonight. A win would be lovely, but I want to see a team that knows how to fight for a win, rather than one that’s content to trip over one – as they basically did vs. Guadaloupe.
See you at the Duke of Gloucester.
Onward!