The next week will be a crucial one for Canada’s National Men’s Soccer Team as they attempt to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
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The Canadian team, which leads Group B with six points and a +15 differential, will first face Aruba in Bradenton, Fla., On Saturday, and conclude the prelims against Suriname, in Chicago, next Tuesday.
It is also this match that is likely to be the most important since Suriname also has six points, but a differential of +9.
Only the first team in the group will advance to the next round. These two meetings are therefore of capital importance.
“There is no margin for error, Samuel Piette agreed on Monday during a videoconference. The game against Aruba is our first mission to put us in a good position against Suriname. “
In the first qualifying matches, Canada defeated Bermuda 5-1 and the Cayman Islands 11-0. But no way to get complacent.
“Even if we don’t face the big teams that people want to see, we have to play these games to get to the second round,” Piette insisted.
“It’s crucial for us and everyone is aware of it, be it the players or the coaching staff, and there has been a lot of prep work that has been done. “
The CF Montreal midfielder pointed out that just as the team wanted to set a record with their 11 goals against the Cayman Islands, they will tackle these other two challenges with a headlong rush.
“We go into these matches with the same desire to smash everything and with the desire to prove to ourselves and to everyone watching us that we are serious. “
Big test
With its 205th position in the FIFA rankings, Aruba should be easily taken for 70th Canada.
It will be different for Suriname, 136th, of which more than half of the players are of Dutch origin, since the small nation of South America was part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands until 1975.
“Suriname is perhaps our biggest test,” Piette admitted. There is a player who plays in the Bundesliga [en Allemagne] and another who plays in the Dutch first division.
“We know the importance of these two games and these are two tests that we must win,” said the 26-year-old Quebecer.
If Canada does manage to clinch the top spot in Group B, it will have to play two more matches in this international window.
The second round will pit the winners of each of the six groups against each other in three round-trip series. Group B will face Group E, where there is a triple tie at the top, with Nicaragua, Belize and Haiti all having three points.
These games will take place on June 12 and 15.
Not much rest
It is therefore a potential of four meetings in 11 days that awaits Canada if it wins in its group.
“There is a lot of quality in this group, we have a lot of depth and I expect that there will be a rotation over the first two games,” said Piette first, adding that he did not should not fall into the trap of neglecting a lower ranked opponent.
“You have to win those two games to advance to the second round and it’s no secret that this second round will be more difficult. It would be a big mistake on our part to rest players for this second round. “
► Goalkeeper James Pantemis is also on the national team, while Zachary Brault-Guillard and Joel Waterman will train with Canada.
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