Canada qualified for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup and moved one step closer to a spot in the Concacaf Nations League Finals after a Saturday 2:0 away win in Curaçao. Jonathan David and Cyle Larin were the goalscorers, Richie Laryea earned Performance of the Match honours, and captain Milan Borjan along with his backline posted the clean sheet.
“I thought the players tactically did well today,” said John Herdman, Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team Head Coach. “We were tight defensively and showed our quality in the moments we needed to do so. The main goal was to keep a clean sheet and put the goal difference out of the grasp of Honduras.”
With his 26th career goal, Larin tied John Catliff for the all-time Men’s National Team record for all international goals (all matches and competitions including Olympic Games). David, meanwhile, moved into a tie for third place with his 23rd career goal.
“Going into that game with Honduras, we have an element of control, but these matches against Honduras are never easy,” said Herdman. “We will be ready for whatever is in front of us and our team will carry this momentum into Toronto which has been a fortress in recent times.”
Canada Soccer Match Centre & Match Report : https://canadasoccer.com/national-team-match-upcoming/?matchId=3300
Concacaf Match Centre: https://www.concacaf.com/en/nations-league/game-details?matchid=626362
Canada need a win or draw against Honduras on Tuesday 28 March in Toronto to win top honours in League A Group C. Winner of the group will advance to the Concacaf Nations League Finals from 15-18 June in Las Vegas, a four-nation series featuring the four group winners from League A competition. The Tuesday night match in Toronto will be Canada’s first home match since the Men’s National Team’s historic run to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.
CANADA SOCCER’S MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team are the reigning Kings of Concacaf, having finished first overall in the Concacaf Final Round of FIFA World Cup™ Qualifiers from September 2021 to March 2022. It marked the third time that Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team won a Concacaf title, having previously won the 1985 Concacaf Championship and the 2000 Concacaf Gold Cup.
Across FIFA World Cup™ Qualifiers, Canada posted 14 wins, four draws and just two losses over three rounds as they became the first nation from the region to qualify for Qatar with a 4:0 home win on 27 March 2022 in Toronto. Canada scored a Men’s National Team record 54 goals across the cycle while Cyle Larin set the Canadian record for goals (13), Alphonso Davies set the Canadian record for assists (eight), and Milan Borjan set the Canadian record for clean sheets (nine). Of note, both Larin (13) and Jonathan David (nine) were the top-two goalscorers across all Concacaf nations in 2021-22 FIFA World Cup™ Qualifiers.
Throughout the qualifying campaign, Canada set numerous team and individual records, also setting a Concacaf record for the longest undefeated streak in a FIFA World Cup™ Qualifiers campaign. Canada set their own Men’s National Team records for consecutive wins (eight) and longest home undefeated streak (14 matches). Across 2021, Canada were the “Most Improved Side” on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Richard Scott
Director, Communications | Directeur, Communications
rscott@canadasoccer.com
m. +1 613.818.0305
Philomène Sully-Bitsi
Communications Coordinator | Coordonnatrice des communications
media@canadasoccer.com
Marianne Gagné
Women’s National Team Communications Manager |
Responsable des communications de l’équipe nationale féminine
mgagne@canadasoccer.com
m. +1 613.402.3869