Despite El Tri’s sporadic struggles over the past half-decade, most in CONCACAF know very well when things are clicking, the team can be terrifying. And Canada got a stern reminder of that on Friday night, despite a valiant effort in front of the largest home crowd they’ve ever had in World Cup qualifying.

Though Canadian head coach Benito Floro’s side is typically known for its tight defensive structure, the squad (somewhat surprisingly) tried going toe-to-toe with Mexico in the game’s opening stages—and for a little while, it almost worked.

Ultimately, however, the gulf in quality between the two teams became clear, with the 3-0 scoreline fairly representing the night’s action. Canada’s World Cup qualifying campaign isn’t over by any stretch of the imagination; the team could still find a way to sneak into the Hexagonal round.

But Friday night’s game gave them a clear taste of the sorts of challenges to expect, should they manage to get there.

The clinic is closed

Seemingly forever, Canada has struggled to create dangerous chances in attack. But that wasn’t a problem on Friday night, as the home side managed to find itself threatening the Mexican goal on numerous occasions, particularly early in the first half.

Yet the clinical touch simply wasn’t there, as both Junior Hoilett and Cyle Larin missed golden opportunities to put Canada on the board, while the team also spurned the few set-piece opportunities it earned. With much of the game being a wide-open free-for-all, it’s little surprise that El Tri made the Canadians pay for it.

Playing on the big stage

It was a pulsating, rollicking atmosphere within Vancouver’s BC Place for 90 minutes on Friday, with a crowd of 54,798 setting the all-time record for attendance at a Canadian national-team home game.

Though a large section of Mexican supporters made themselves heard throughout the game, the Canadian fans held a strong numerical majority, with the Voyageurs supporters group once again putting on an impressive display in the stadium’s south end.

The Canadian Soccer Association has yet to announce the venue for team’s final game of the group stage, against El Salvador on September 6. But Friday’s turnout certainly ups the odds that the squad will return to the west coast.

Help from El Salvador

While the result at BC Place was far from ideal for Canada, they did get some good news coming out of San Salvador. A goal from Nelson Bonilla in the dying minutes gave El Salvador a 2-2 draw against Honduras.

That means that, halfway through the qualifying round, Canada remains second in Group A with four points, behind Mexico (9) but ahead of both El Salvador (2) and Honduras (1). With an even tougher test at Estadio Azteca coming on Tuesday, Les Rouges will be hoping for another similar scoreline between the two Central American rivals.

Player ratings

Milan Borjan: 8. Forgive the cliché, but the result could have easily been much worse; several excellent stops to keep the final score line respectable.

Marcel de Jong: 4.5. Had little success slowing down Mexico’s attack down the right wing, perhaps due to a lack of match fitness.

Dejan Jakovic: 5. Under intense pressure all night from the Mexican attack; bailed out by his goalkeeper a few times (see above).

Adam Straith: 4.5. Got caught on Mexico’s first two goals. With central defensive partner Jakovic, did what he could to keep the game within reach.

Doneil Henry: 4.5. Rough outing in his less-favored fullback role; tried getting forward more in the second half.

Julian de Guzman: 5. Honored in a pre-game ceremony for his record-setting 86th cap, though the game was ultimately sub-optimal.

Junior Hoilett: 4.5. Provided some danger on the flank but missed two tremendous scoring chances, including one that could have put Canada ahead early.

Atiba Hutchinson: 6. As usual, demonstrated an unmatched coolness and ball-winning capability; served as an attacking linchpin for Canada.

Will Johnson: 5. High work-rate, as usual, but wasn’t able to put his stamp on the game.

Tosaint Ricketts: 5. Full of running and defensively responsible in the early going, as expected, but didn’t trouble the Mexican defense.

Cyle Larin: 5.5. Saw more of the ball than in many of his prior appearances for Canada, but missed the best chance at goal he had.

Scott Arfield: 5.5. Brought an attacking spark as a halftime sub in his first appearance for Canada, but (predictably) looked out of sync with teammates.

Samuel Piette: 5. Came in as a like-for-like sub for de Guzman in the second half, by which time Mexico had geared down.

Tesho Akindele: 5. Canada’s last kick at the can off the bench, made himself a nuisance but didn’t get a real sniff at goal.