EDMONTON – According to statistics or the bookkeepers available, the team that scores the first goal has about a 67 percent chance of winning a soccer game. So far, Canada’s National Men’s Team has defied those odds.
In all six games it played in the third round of the CONCACAF FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament, Canada faced a 1-0 deficit in four. occasions.
Putting aside their 0-0 draw against Jamaica, there is only one game left where the Canadian team scored the first goal since the start of this third round.
However, the Canadian players have still not suffered the defeat, as confirmed by their record of two wins and four draws.
They erased one-goal deficits and pulled down draws in the United States and Mexico. They also faced one-goal delays at home against Honduras and Panama, and earned another draw and victory, respectively.
As they prepare to host Costa Rica on Friday and Mexico on Tuesday in Edmonton, the Canadian team are confident they can come from behind again even if this tendency to give the first goal should continue. to chase.
“It doesn’t matter,” commented head coach John Herdman after the team’s practice session Wednesday afternoon at Commonwealth Stadium.
“The beauty for us is that we find ourselves in a 1-0 decline and we know it will be a challenge, but we responded. “
Canada has scored 10 goals in its first six third round outings and is third in the overall standings.
The teams finishing in the top-3 will qualify for the World Cup while the club which finishes fourth will have to play a playoff game against a country from another part of the world.
With such an offensive production, Canada shares first place with Mexico in most goals scored among the eight CONCACAF teams still in contention.
Thus, Herdman does not want his players to feel tense early in the game. If they concede a goal, that’s it.
“We want to create a new Canada here,” Herdman explained.
“We don’t have to be afraid to concede goals. We need to know that we can score goals. We can score in any situation, in any stadium. “
Winger Alphonso Davies was a little more reserved in his analysis.
“We know that defensively, we did not start our games very well,” admitted the star player of Bayern Munich.
“But it shows the fighting spirit that drives this team. But we know that in these two games we shouldn’t take anything for granted. We can’t give them easy goals too soon. “
Soccer Canada officials said on Wednesday nearly 45,000 tickets have been sold for Friday’s game, and many will be excited to see Davies play in the city where he grew up.
Spectators are also hoping to see Davies replicate the spectacular goal he scored in Canada’s 4-1 win over Panama on October 14 in Toronto.
“There will be a few butterflies, but once the whistle blows, it is me and the team who will focus on the task in front of us, that is to say collecting the three points on Friday,” a Davies observed.
Herdman has let it be known that he relies on a group of healthy players. Forward Cyle Larin, scorer of 20 goals in 42 international games, missed Wednesday’s training session with an upset stomach. He should be restored in time for Friday’s game, however.
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