Posted by

Harjeet Johal ,

March 15, 2016 Twitter

@HarJournalist

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The Canadian Men’s National Team’s next World Cup qualifying match against Mexico is less than two weeks away. While Canada will be facing off against the undisputed favourite in their qualifying group, the matches nonetheless provide a fantastic opportunity to build up on the progress that has been made under Head Coach Benito Floro and to test the squad against the best opposition the CONCACAF region has to offer.



RedNation Online had a chance to check in with Floro ahead of the fixtures against Mexico to get his thoughts on the games, playing in Vancouver and Canada’s ongoing preparations as the national team aims to seal a spot in the Hex round of World Cup qualifying.



RedNation Online: Do you plan on making any specific roster or tactical adjustments in the two upcoming games against Mexico?



Benito Floro: No changes, no, we will look to continue to improve on our systems of play in both defense and attack.



RNO: You've seen a handful of players commit to the program since you took over as head coach, how important has it been to have more options in terms of player depth since you took over in 2013?



Benito Floro: To have a squad of more than 30-40 good players is very important. The players must be competitive and there must be competition between the players for their spots.



RNO: Canada has been very strong defensively under your management, but struggled to create constant offensive attacking chances. Is that a fair assessment and are you comfortable heading into the Mexico games with what you've seen of late, or will there more focus on trying to create goal scoring opportunities?



Benito Floro: No. In fact, I would say that there is not yet the appropriate level of defense. We have made lots of progress in the responsibility of rectifying defensive mistakes. In offence, we have the same level as the other nations in creating chances - we often create the same number of chances or more than our opponents and we are actually attacking more. So, we need to continue to improve our defense.



RNO: Are you looking at, and preparing, for these matches as a pair, or are you developing strategies specific for the home and away encounters? Do the final two games against Honduras and El Salvador factor into your strategies for these games?



Benito Floro: We are preparing step by step, so will approach the first match and then the second match. While it is true both national teams may feature mostly the same lineup over both matches, it always depends on the first match, including injuries and yellow or red cards. ‎So we will look at each match on its own.



RNO: Where do you expect to be in the Group after these two matches with Mexico?



Benito Floro: We are not looking to the future just yet. We are primarily focused on the present. We are focusing all of our energy on the Mexico match on March 25.



‎RNO: A crowd of over 40,000 is expected at BC Place, how do you think the Canada players will responded if a supposed home crowd is supporting Mexico? Do you think Vancouver and BC Place should host the third and final home match of qualifying vs El Salvador in September?



Benito Floro: Such a big crowd is very important for Canadian soccer. It would be very good to get a result and to play very well for our supporters. We had a big support for our last game and it was a very nice experience for everyone, so we must continue that with the upcoming game against Mexico.



I consider Vancouver supporters know our sport very well. They know that a team can play bad and win, but also play very well but lose. Everyone wants Canada to play well and hopefully we can win for our supporters‎. To win is the best way to increase our support from the home fans.



RNO: You attended the Vancouver Whitecaps vs Montreal Impact game (on opening night). What did you like from the Canadians that participated in the match?



Benito Floro: I think Kianz (Froese) is realizing as a player that he must continue to progress. There is a required rhythm to be more competitive. I think that for Fraser (Aird), it was his first game. He needs to be more confident because he had three or four perfect crosses, so I believe he will continue to progress.



The Vancouver Whitecaps supporters understand the game. Throughout the whole game, the fans were trying to help the team to recover from the bad luck on the second goal. In the last minutes, they demonstrated that when Kendall Waston scored. All the Whitecaps support was very important.



RNO: What will be the focus of the upcoming camp in Europe?



Benito Floro: We consider this match will provide us with a very good test for our players. The European camp is important because it gives us time to practice and create new structures for our team and their communication. With every camp, they can learn and practice positive methods that will help them in the games.

