

Posted by

Steve Bottjer ,

June 15, 2015 Email

Steve Bottjer

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Fresh off a decisive 2-0 win away to Dominica on Thursday to kick off their World Cup qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup, the Canadian Men’s National Team now return to Toronto for the home leg of the two-leg series at BMO Field in Toronto on Tuesday.



Canada dominated the possession against Dominica in their opponent’s capital of Roseau on Thursday and were never really troubled by the Dominica attack through the entirety of the ninety minutes of play. The Canadians earned two away goals and look to be in a very good position to comfortably close out the series in front of their home supporters.



Cyle Larin and Russell Teibert were the standpoint performers in the opening leg amidst an overall solid performance from a Canadian squad that really had only one negative moment in the match when a pair of errors lead to Canada going down to ten men.



Keep thinking



Even with Canada completely in control for Tuesday’s match and pretty much a sure thing to advance to the next round of the qualifying process, the second leg against Dominica is still a vital game for the Canadian squad on a number of levels.







First and foremost, regardless of the fact that Dominica are a CONCACAF minnow, the Canadian squad needs to deliver another solid performance to not only seal a spot in the next round of qualifying for Russia 2018, but also continue the unbeaten streak against CONCACAF opposition that the team has engineered since Head Coach Benito Floro took over at the helm of the program. With more competitive competition looming in this summer’s Gold Cup and in the following rounds of World Cup qualifying, Tuesday’s fixture also presents another opportunity to continue to get the players who will be core players in the Gold Cup and the remainder of the World Cup qualifying matches to continue to fine tune their performances within Floro’s tactical framework.







Floro has pointed to this summer’s Gold Cup tournament as the next big test for his squad and as a perfect opportunity to measure how far this Canadian team has truly come under his leadership. In that vein, Tuesday’s match against Dominica will also function as the final tune up for the Canadian team ahead of a CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament that will see matches played in Canada for the first time along with a number of venues in the United States.



While he did not see any minutes on Thursday, the second leg will also be an important opportunity for the Canadian team to continue to reintegrate veteran midfielder Will Johnson, who is yet to play a match under Floro due to a serious injury he endured last year. The Portland Timbers captain brings many positive qualities to the Canadian National Team and he will likely be a key player for Canada in the weeks and months ahead, as he can bring key experience, quality and leadership to the Canadian midfield along with fellow veterans Atiba Hutchinson and Julian de Guzman.



Most importantly, Canada must endeavor to show an ability to dominate against a weaker opponent in an official match and impose themselves while playing on home soil. In previous qualifying matches, Canada’s inability to decisively finish off opponents at home has played a major role in the team’s setbacks in recent World Cup qualifying runs. With that in mind, all eyes will be on attacking threats Cyle Larin, Tesho Akindele and Tosaint Ricketts. The trio looked quite effective and dynamic in the away leg, with Larin scoring a goal and earning a penalty kick and Akindele and Ricketts involved in multiple scoring opportunities. It will be incumbent on these players in particular to finish their chances, as the squad as a whole looks to become a more consistent goalscoring threat in the Gold Cup and what will hopefully be a breakthrough World Cup qualifying campaign.







In the end



Expect plenty of squad rotation from Benito Floro in the second leg, with Kitchener, Ontario born central defender David Edgar likely back in the starting eleven in place of Manjrekar James. With keeper Milan Borjan now suspended for Tuesday’s match, either Kenny Stamatopoulos or Lars Hirschfeld will get the start between the sticks. It also would not be a surprise if Toronto FC regulars Ashtone Morgan and Jonathan Osorio featured in front of a home crowd at BMO Field in Toronto. Ultimately, regardless of the names on the team sheet, expect Canada to dispatch Dominica fairly easily, with opposition keeper Glenson Prince likely to be the busiest player on the pitch for the second straight game.



Prediction

Canada 3 – 0 Dominica