Depending on your study of numerical calculus or the odds you follow, the team that scores first has a 67% chance of winning a soccer game.
So far, the Canadian men’s national team has defied the odds.
The Canadians have lost 1-0 in four of the six matches they have played in the octagonal round of CONCACAF World Cup qualification. Eliminate a 0-0 draw with Jamaica, and Canada has scored first only once in this round.
However, the Canadians are undefeated, with two wins and four draws. They have come back one down to draw both the United States and Mexico. They have come down early at home to both Honduras and Panama, and got a draw and a win.
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Heading into two home games in Edmonton, against Costa Rica on Friday and Mexico on Tuesday, the Canadians are confident they can make a comeback, even if their early-goal yielding continues.
“It doesn’t matter,” coach John Herdman said after the team’s practice session Wednesday afternoon at Commonwealth Stadium.
“The good thing for us is that you go down 1-0 and we know it will be a challenge, but we have responded.”
The Canadians have scored 10 goals in six octagonal matches and are third in the table. The top three teams qualify for the World Cup, while the fourth-place team gets a last-chance tie with another wild card from another region.
The 10 goals tie the Canadians with Mexico as the best offensive team of the remaining eight CONCACAF teams. So Herdman wants his high-octane team not to worry about being tight to start games. If the Canadians give up a goal, so be it.
“This is a new Canada that we are trying to create here,” he said. “We don’t have to worry about conceding goals. We have to be confident enough to be able to score. We can score in any situation at any stadium, and letting them play with that kind of freedom, and not with the pressure of being the brave Canadian team that has a tight game. “
Star winger Alphonso Davies was a bit more reserved in his assessment.
“We know that on defense we have not started the games very well,” said the Bayern Munich star. “But it’s going to show them the fight we have on this team. But we know that in these two games, we can’t take anything for granted. We can’t give you easy goals too soon. “
“Obviously, it is never ideal to lose a goal and lose right from the start,” added forward Liam Millar, who plays in his club football at Swiss club FC Basel. “But I think it shows our mentality and our will to win real games, and how much we believe in ourselves. Of course we can start games better and get that first goal. “
Canada Soccer officials said Wednesday that ticket sales approached the 45,000 mark for Friday’s game, and many will be excited to see Davies play in front of a local crowd since he was a teenager playing role-playing games. They expect to see a replay of Davies’ spectacular solo goal that propelled Canada to a 4-1 win over Panama on October 14 in Toronto.
“There will be a bit of butterflies but once the whistle blows, only the team and I will focus on the task ahead, which is to score all three points on Friday,” Davies said.
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Davies said he cannot afford to be distracted during his first homecoming since the COVID-19 pandemic began, even though he saw his parents. There are texts with friends, but he said that it is first and foremost a business trip.
Herdman said he has a healthy group at camp. Forward Cyle Larin, with 20 goals in 42 career caps, missed training on Wednesday with an upset stomach, but is expected to be fine for Friday’s game.
Some members of the Costa Rican team have been training together since last week. But the Costa Ricans waited until Wednesday to fly to Canada and will not train in Edmonton until Thursday afternoon. That won’t give them much time to acclimate to winter weather, which is expected to be at the freezing mark by the start of Friday.
Before leaving, the Costa Rican players told their federation’s official website that they don’t expect the weather to be too big of a challenge. Defender Francisco Calvo, who currently plays for MLS ‘Chicago Fire and previously played for Minnesota United, said the cold weather “will not be a surprise” to him. Defender Johan Venegas has also played in Minnesota and with the Montreal Impact (now CF Montreal).
Costa Rica’s biggest star is the team’s goalkeeper, Keylor Navas, who plays for Paris St. Germain. But he will not be part of the team that goes to Canada due to injury.
© 2021 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca