Mexico will play against Canada on Tuesday at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, on the eighth day of the eighth Concacaf final on the way to Qatar 2022. Tata Martino’s team knows that they will have to brave the cold: a temperature of -10 degrees. He is also aware that the Canadian team is no longer a comfortable rival. The hockey nation, with statistics in favor, is getting closer to qualifying for the World Cup for the second time in its history.
Canada has only participated in one World Cup. He did it in Mexico 1986 and with a performance to forget: three defeats, five goals against and none for. This year, however, the maple leaf team is in third place in the octagon. He has 13 points – one less than the United States and Mexico – and has not yet been defeated. For decades, the pride of Canadian football rests with the women’s team, one of the strongest in the world. The footballers won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. But the men’s team is off to a flying start, with Alphonso Davies leading the way, taking firm strides to play on the Qatari courts.
This path of good results has many responsible. The practice of football has increased significantly in the country. A sizable legion of immigrants have joined ball enthusiasts for life in Canada, and the children’s leagues continue to grow. About 50,000 fans are expected at the Edmonton forum next Tuesday. The contribution of Briton John Herdman, Canada’s coach since 2018, has been significant. “We had good players, but something was missing,” Herdman told Sky Sports on Sunday. “We had to build the culture and the team spirit,” he added.
Canada’s national team consists mainly of MLS players. Three Canadian cities have squads in the United States League: Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. The patient work with the quarry is paying off. Some footballers have made the leap to Europe, although two of them are extremely dazzling for their quality. Jonathan David has established himself as a deadly striker for Lille in the French league. The second is an experienced roadrunner named Davies.
There are not a few votes that already rank Alphonso Davies as the greatest player in Canadian history, despite turning 21 earlier this month. Davies was born in a refugee camp in Ghana -into the lap of a Liberian family- and arrived five years later in Leonard Cohen’s country, exactly in Edmonton. After showing talent in spades in children’s and youth championships, he was signed by the Vancouver Whitecaps. In July 2018, Bayern Munich announced its foundation in exchange for ten million euros. One of Alphonso Davies’ most memorable performances took place on August 14, 2020 in Lisbon. That day, the Bavarian club defeated Barcelona 8-2 in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Davies was a demon along the left flank.
Canada drew 1-1 with Mexico on October 7 during their visit to the Azteca Stadium. “Hopefully we can take the three points and show Edmonton and all of Canada that we are a serious team,” Montreal FC midfielder Samuel Piette said at a press conference on Monday. “We can handle anyone,” he added. Canadian confidence is not flying low. The selection of Alphonso Davies cherishes a ticket to Qatar.
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