Doha, November 07 (QNA) – The statistics do not seem in favor of Canada when it participates for the second time in the FIFA World Cup, after it failed to achieve any victory during the previous time and did not score any goal in the last tournament.
With Croatia, the runner-up to the former world champion, Belgium which is a candidate for the title, and Morocco, one of Africa’s most prominent teams, along with them in Group F, Canada appears to be on an impossible task to reach the second round of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The Canadian team’s exit from its first participation in the 1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico, from the group stage with three consecutive defeats will serve as an incentive for its coach and players to express the development of Canadian football four years before hosting the global event in 2026 jointly organized with Mexico and the USA.
English coach John Hardman, the owner of the correction revolution in Canadian football, will be on a difficult task in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, after the draw put his team in a difficult group, the weakest party in it, but the hopes for a surprise exist considering its reliance on a generation of talented young people and veteran players.
Hardman, who led Canada to qualify for the World Cup after an absence of 36 years, relies on the attacking trio Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, and Tyler Basher considering his reliance on the counterattack, based on the midfield duo Liam Fraser and Junior Hoilett with a defensive line led by Alphonso Davies and Steven Vitoria and from Behind them is goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.
The Canadian team will begin its advice in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in Group F, by facing Belgium on Nov. 23 at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, and then colliding with Croatia on the Nov. 27 at Khalifa International Stadium, to conclude its matches against Morocco on Dec. 1 at Al Thumama Stadium.
The Canadian Soccer Association chose the Century Hotel Marina in Lusail, the headquarters of the team during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, to conduct its training at the Umm Salal Sports Club Stadium.
After failing in eight consecutive attempts, Canada managed to qualify for the World Cup finals for the second time in its history, after topping Group B of the first round of the North American and Caribbean qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 with 12 points after winning all its matches, then it overtook Haiti with a clean sheet in the second round.
In the third and decisive round, which included one group consisting of eight teams, Canada outperformed ancient and great teams such as Mexico and America and topped the overall standings with 28 points from winning in 8 matches and drawing in 4 matches, while losing in two matches, to snatch the first well-deserved qualification cards.
Canada’s history at the World Cup is limited to a single participation in the 1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico, during which it came out empty-handed after losing its three matches against France (0-1), Hungary, and Russia (former Soviet Union) (0-2) with the same result, without being able to score a goal.
In terms of participation in the North American Championship, the Canadian team participated in the Concacaf Gold Cup on 12 occasions starting in 1977, and then ranked fourth among six teams, but the best achievement for Canada in this tournament was to win the title in 1985 and 2000.
It is also calculated for Canada that it participated in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup Final, where it performed a distinguished performance against Brazil and tied negatively, but lost against Japan (0-3), and against Cameroon (0-2), to be eliminated from the group stage.
In the history of Canadian football, there is a group of distinguished players, most notably the generation of the 1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico, led by captain of the national team in the championship Bruce Wilson, along with Paul James, Terry Moore, Igor Vrablic, Mike Sweeney, Gerry Gray and Colin Miller.
Former captain of the Canadian national team Atiba Hutchinson, the country’s historical top scorer with 22 goals Dwayne De Rosario, as well as Julian Bobby de Guzman, who has made the most international appearances for the national team with 89 appearances, in addition to the dangerous trio Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, and Alphonso Davies. (QNA)