

Posted by

Ian Clarke ,

July 8, 2015 Email

Ian Clarke



Twitter

@ClarkeRNO Read this on your iPhone/iPad or Android device



Canada heads into the 2015 Gold Cup with tangible signs of optimism. After being eliminated from the 2014 World Cup qualifying, it has taken up to this past year for the senior men's national team to turn a page and visibly begin heading in an upward direction. Younger players have gained experience both at the club and national team level, and results have gone in their favour. From the eleven matches played since 2014, Canada has only lost twice, and more importantly have begun winning and scoring goals. With this progress in mind, the question still looms of how far the team has come now that the Gold Cup is upon us? Friendlies, while important for competition, do not replicate CONCACAF tournaments or qualifying cycles and can be difficult to judge whether when the pressure is on and performances required, can Canada deliver? The 2015 Gold Cup has some similarities to the previous tournament, where Canada flamed out with no wins, no goals and little to no optimism for the program moving forward. Benito Floro had just been named the new head coach and Colin Miller did admirably in knowing he would not have the best players on hand and chose youth to represent the team. Canada begins the competition without key players, against a similar underdog from 2013, and one that if they take lightly could damage their hopes of advancing out of the group. Will Canada look ahead to the tougher opponents, or has Benito Floro instilled the mentality of taking care of what's in front of them first, which is a tricky opponent in El Salvador? Keep thinking

It has been an encouraging year for supporters of the Canadian Men's National Team. Especially over the last few months, there have been developments and steps seen that the team looks to be regaining confidence lost after the last World Cup qualifying cycle. From beating Jamaica at home to nearly getting out of a match with Colombia with a result, to cruising through their first round of 2018 World Cup Qualifying, Canada looks to be a competitive team. Heading into the 2013 Gold Cup, expectations were low given the players available and state of the program. Canada delivered on those expectations by losing 1-0 to what many would have thought as a sure win over Martinique. They would go on to lose 2-0 against Mexico and by that point a 0-0 draw with Panama sealed what was one of the worst finishes in the tournament in recent memory. It is the make-up of the roster and match against Martinique that has similarities between this year`s competition and the last. By all accounts, Canada should be the better side than El Salvador, but the Central American country has some good players who are playing regularly and have skill and technique. Last time, Canada undoubtedly were looking ahead to Mexico as their toughest match and should have focused in putting all their chips on starting the tournament on the right foot. This year, Jamaica and Costa Rica are two teams that will be very difficult to get points from, but without three in the bank to start, those matches could bring overwhelming pressure for a squad still building experience and confidence. Canada once again is without Atiba Hutchinson, far and away their best player and critical piece of the midfield, and this time around also do not have Will Johnson or Milan Borjan in net. The one positive between the two tournaments is that Canada appears to have remedied their scoring issues with two players who have loads of potential. The emergence of Cyle Larin and addition of Tesho Akindele has already paid dividends, but having two attackers that have technique, athleticism and physicality can become a huge asset moving forward. Getting shots on target, and hopefully scoring, should not be an issue this time around. El Salvador will be a tough opening opponent for Canada, despite them not having great stature in the region. They have also progressed over the last few years and have seen their youth programs be very competitive at the U20 and U17 levels. Off the back of their domestic league, the side is made up of many players competing at home. Especially from a defensive standpoint, their players are all, save for Alexander Larin, competing in the Primera Division. However, moving forward several players are competing in the United States and abroad. El Salvador will have players such as Richard Menjivar and Andres Flores to compete with in the midfield, while Rafael Burgos and Nelson Bonilla both could be problematic in the attack. Without a doubt, Canada will have a huge edge in physicality and in CONCACAF that is not usually a positive. Soft fouls should be expected and cool heads required when the likes of David Edgar, Andre Hainault and Nick Ledgerwood, who are used to defending in rugged leagues, have to tone down their approach to marking out and tackling El Salvador. On the flipside though, this can be a positive in the attack as Canada has players in the midfield with strong technique in Julian De Guzman, Samuel Piette and Jonathan Osorio. There should be little fear of them being bossed off the ball and finding space to pass to Larin, Akindele and Ricketts can be expected. Benito Floro hopefully has gathered good intel over the last year on competing in this region outside of the CSA, who are painfully naïve when it comes to understanding what to expect and how to gain advantages in CONCACAF. There is no question, if prepared correctly, Canada could start off the tournament with three points in an impressive fashion. However, this again requires dealing with the task at hand and focusing on El Salvador. It is an opponent that Canada has advantages over and if space is available and the pace of the game controlled, the side could be looking into the weekend with three points in the bag. In the end

This will be the first true test of what Benito Floro has to offer in CONCACAF with a meaningful tournament to gauge how far the side has come since the last edition of the Gold Cup. It is hard to not go anywhere but up, however, Canada needs to improve drastically if they are to become a solid competitor in the region both in this competition and World Cup Qualifying. While El Salvador might be considered a minnow both in Central America and CONCACAF, they have good things going for them and will be looking at Canada as potential points as well as Carson, California could create a home atmosphere for them. The last year has seen indicators that the team is moving in the right direction and the last round matches against Dominica offers hope that with more games and experience, this team could emerge as a dark horse in the region. El Salvador will be a good opponent, but one that if all hands perform as seen last month, Canada will start the Gold Cup with a win. Prediction

Canada 1 – 0 El Salvador