WCQ: Canada vs Mexico - Tuesday, Nov 16, 9pm EST / 6pm Pacific - Edmonton

[Scottie]

Nice that our next two away games are against the bottom 2 of the group!

[xabuep2]

Those last minutes made me revive old demons . The dose of suspense is never lacking. Canada congratulations on this well deserved victory!💪🏻🇨🇦

Could someone confirm if with 21 points Canada would qualify for the World Cup?

[doopy]

amen brother total PTSD at the end of the game for us who remember the horrors and tribulation

[Moldy9]

 

[Moldy9]

 

[kungfucious]

5 minutes ago, doopy said:

amen brother total PTSD at the end of the game for us who remember the horrors and tribulation

well said brother.  can i just reply with a meme?

Edited November 17, 2021 by kungfucious

[BearcatSA]

15 minutes ago, kungfucious said:

i noticed that too!  but failed to connect it was ancelloti!  hahahhaahhaha!  thnx bearcat!  dos a cero eh?

And they would always cut to him at the wrong times which, as @Gian-Luca noted, led to missing other more important happenings.   Dodgy directing there.

[ESG Shawn]

Just got home to my bed in Edmonton. What a fucking night. I want to say I had too many beers but I'm just high on the #CanMNT. 

Just too many emotions at the moment. Can't believe this happened on a freezing night in Edmonton, my hometown. I'll never forget this, especially from where we've come from as supporters. That said, all aboard the bandwagon, myself and the V's will make room. 

 

... AND NOW THEY'RE GONNA BELIEVE US...

[doopy]

f**k yah!

[weathermanfran]

Surreal night. I think my toes are thawed out now. Larin, Borjan, and our midfield bossed it tonight, and it felt like we were the better team for most of the game. The atmosphere at this game in person was better than the Costa Rica game despite less people in attendance. Well done all who attended, especially V's. What a famous result.

[Joe MacCarthy]

46 minutes ago, The Beaver 2.0 said:

or nearby?

Perhaps, easier and safer for the surface to remove snow from an artificial surface than a natural one.  SkyDome is out of the picture, correct?

Edited November 17, 2021 by Joe MacCarthy

[Dag Nasty]

NEVER DOUBT Herdman. You can question but next to never again. You who did please go to the corner and feel shame or go sit in your closet and repent. 😀

[doopy]

shtil celbrating!! yah! were number 1 eat it evry one of all those people who said no can do eat it you shilly pooplewe going to the cup fools!

[EDM Rover]

3 hours ago, _Vic_ said:

Thank God for Borjan or we'd probably be down players next game. And even after he threw them all back and screamed at them to use their heads, some still tried to go around him to get at the Mexicans. 

Borjan def knows how to switch it on/off. Mere moments earlier, he'd been goading the entire Mexican bench as the final seconds ticked down. Love it. 

[Cheeta]

8 matches deep and undefeated.

Quote of the night, in response to a jeer that it isn't THAT bad out.

"I'M FROM CANCUN!"

[scullion44]

Can the next window start now please? 

[EJsens1]

Just got back to my friend’s family’s place after going to Craft post game.  Great crowd there, everyone going nuts when the high lites came on tv.  When your team wins you can watch the replays over and over again (Davies Panama goal comes to mind).  It’s been a great 5 days out west.  Sad it’s over but ecstatic with the 6 points.

I haven’t been a big Borjan booster.  Always feel like something shitty will happen or at least get that cringe, but I have to admit he’s been rock solid in the first and third windows here.  Tonight was the best game he’s ever played for Canada in my opinion.

What a difference it made when Vitoria came into the line up.  Henry was running around like a chicken with his head chopped off.  

The best part is these melee’s during and after the game.  Over the years, we’d have taken shit from the teams in CONCACAF, but not anymore. This group isn’t afraid to flex its muscle.  Good on them   

[TGAA_Star]

I love this...WHAT A FAMOUS RESULT!!! Canada beats Mexico at home 2-1 in Edmonton last night...I still can't believe it nor can I remember ever beating Mexico especially in such a high stakes game!!! It seems the frozen tundra worked in our favor. But Larin scores twice for us while Hector Herrera scored for Mexico but no matter Canada we are 1st in the table...still undefeated in CONCACAF qualifying!!! 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🔥🙏

[Unnamed Trialist]

Couple of day after things. 

Oddly, well past the points we thought we'd have, with results beyond expectation, we are not there yet. As Herdman said, keep our feet in the ground and make sure "the rails don't come off the train."

I guess that's the EY&P. 

We outplayed México for 85 minutes. That's not always enough. The tough ending, so nerve biting, also helps us keep those rails on. 

We had some odd tactics. Johnston was asked to play close to the CB, and then was not often out wide. But Laryea was not coming back either, so we watched Henry covering on the left wing and getting beat. Also meant Johnston was not wide when we were playing out, and he often had to try to get out late for the outlet pass from Henry or Vitoria. I think Laryea should have been dropping deeper to provide that option to the CB. IMO Laryea is often weak tactically. 

You could interpret that another way too, which is that a DM drops into the middle to help with the build up, allowing the CB to move further out one side too. Little details.

That was our only defensive flaw or weak aspect in the 1st half. But then again: Having Johnston more centred explains his burst from the left midfield (!!) to cut off a ball and take the shot. I'd like to see the entire sequence to see how Alistair got to where he was 15 seconds before that play.

Johnston and Sam with short sleeves, buggers, at 10 below. That was Sam's Calgary statement, but Alistair? 

2nd goal. First I thought Edson covering Vitoria put Cyle onside, but was not the case. Perfect set piece. Study that, it's a missed defensive cover, and not so sure Ochoa had it coming out. But see how insisting on one tactic (far post to Vitoria who heads back across) gives you options to twist things based on a rivals reaction to it. Steven was even mixing it up with Edson before the play. Nice. 

The changes were not quite right, but perhaps that was due to David coming off (IMO he should have stayed on, blind or not, to not leave us with 10 men for 3 minutes. Or how long was it?). 

Their goal. That was a missed coverage on the center, maybe due to Kamal being tired. But Eustaqiuo lost his man too. Very nice cross and fine header. 

100% agree with @Gian-Lucathat those silly replays when the ball was in play were poor. On one we saw a Mexico chance twice, heard crowd excitement, then they cut back and we were deep up the left attacking. What did we miss? Vs. Costa Rica I don't think that happened.

Our better players were Borjan, the CBs, Atiba, Tajon, Larin. Eustaqiuo was great but had an odd sequence missing basic passes going forward 2nd half , maybe the cold was getting to him. But overall, excellent. The rest had good games, Adegkube was more subdued, and so was Laryea. And maybe Henry did a good job too, with that cruncher at the start, as he seemed to be following instructions. I'd rate our 3 stars Larin, Borjan and Tajon. But the third star could also go to Atiba, or Eustaquio, or Alistair...

The ref did not hurt us and resisted constant Mexican "pendejadas". He stayed consistent, all power to him. 

Clearly coming in the top 3 will require 9-10 more points. 

 

Edited November 17, 2021 by Unnamed Trialist

[narduch]

5 hours ago, xabuep2 said:

Those last minutes made me revive old demons . The dose of suspense is never lacking. Canada congratulations on this well deserved victory!💪🏻🇨🇦

Could someone confirm if with 21 points Canada would qualify for the World Cup?

It's probably going to take 25 points unless Panama starts to slip up

[TGAA_Star]

Canada in our next window we have 3 games within days of each other 27th we face Honduras in Honduras, 30th at home vs USA and then like 3 days after February 2nd we face El Salvador 

Against Honduras on the road I say we get the W

At home against USA we get a draw

Then against El Salvador we get a win

 

Altogether next window that will give us 23 points and honestly would that be enough to get to Qatar by booking an early ticket? I would definitely say so

[scullion44]

Last few minutes were a wreck for me as game was at 4:00 local time lol so can anyone confirm was David subbed off due to injury? It was before Mexico scored so tactical switch would seem weird 

[scullion44]

13 minutes ago, TGAA_Star said:

Canada in our next window we have 3 games within days of each other 27th we face Honduras in Honduras, 30th at home vs USA and then like 3 days after February 2nd we face El Salvador 

Against Honduras on the road I say we get the W

At home against USA we get a draw

Then against El Salvador we get a win

 

Altogether next window that will give us 23 points and honestly would that be enough to get to Qatar by booking an early ticket? I would definitely say so

Combine this with Panama losing both their away games and now we're talking.

 

Costa Rica also has to go away to Mexico and Jamaica.

[rydermike]

El Tri was "L Tri" for this window

[Unnamed Trialist]

4 minutes ago, scullion44 said:

Last few minutes were a wreck for me as game was at 4:00 local time lol so can anyone confirm was David subbed off due to injury? It was before Mexico scored so tactical switch would seem weird 

Where are you then? I am in Spain, just curious. 

The broadcast was not clear and the commentators were not either. We saw David apparently near the bench for a second, as if not coming back on, then we were playing with 10. I wondered if he'd come back on, One Soccer has no one doing the work pitchside to let us know how the subs might be going, what the bench activity is (two commentators, 3 analysts, the person doing pitchside interviews postgame, but no one during the match to provide fills? Waste of personnel). Which I find amazingly dumb considering what was at stake. At least ask him to go back in and sit up high and occupy a space and pressure a bit, his legs worked. Then do the sub.