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United States 4 Canada 2
Prelude to the Battle
Coming into this crucial knockout Quarterfinal match against the rival Americans in what was being deemed by some as the “North American Clasico” with a place in the FIFA U20 World Cup on the line, Coach Nick Dasovic and his charges aimed to build off the strengths of their final group game against Nicaragua. This was made clear right off the bat with Coach Dasovic naming an unchanged starting XI.
Canada looked to be focusing on a similar game plan of getting the most out of the wide positions and. when given the opportunity, aiming to get the ball into forward Caleb Clarke. However, unlike against Nicaragua, it was expected that Canada would focus primarily on a counter attacking game and keeping their shape, knowing they would have far less time in possession against the United States. From a tactical perspective, the team lined up in a 4-2-3-1/4-5-1 formation. This was done to not only keep tight defensively but also frustrate the US game plan for large portions of the match.
Post-Match Interview: Samuel Piette:
The Opening Forty-Five
The USA started the match with the majority of possession and set plays, with Canada staying compact, keeping their shape and aiming for Caleb Clarke on the counter attack. The first chance of the match from open play fell to Clarke, who shot wide of the near post in the 6th minute. At the other end of the pitch, Maxime Crepeau made a couple of saves in the 8th minute off shots from Jose Villareal and Luis Gil. It was evident that Samuel Piette and Mauro Eustaquio were sharing the responsibility when marking Luis Gil.
Canada continued with a quality chance courtesy of Ben Fisk in the 19th minute, as he cut in from the left wing but with the keeper palming his shot away. The spell of pressure paid off with midfielder Dylan Carreiro opening the scoring with a long range strike from distance in the 23rd minute to make it 1-0 for Canada.
However, the Americans quickly responded, leveling the match through Luis Gil in the 29th minute, as midfielder Daniel Cuevas beat fullback Jon Dollery on the byline and played the ball into an unmarked Gil. Then things went from bad to worse for Canada as defender/captain Doneil Henry was forced off with an injury. Canada began losing their shape and allowing the USA to gain a comfort level within the match.
Post-Match Interview: Dylan Carreiro:
The Americans began to overrun the midfield and put Canada on the back foot, ultimately leading to them taking the lead in the 39th minute through Villarreal, as he was left unmarked and latched onto a low cross from Mario Rodriguez. The Americans added a third through Will Trapp to make it 3-1, as a poorly cleared ball from goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau was fired back on goal from the edge of the box just before the close of the first half.
The Second Half
The second half kicked off with early pressure being applied by Canada and with a questionable penalty call against the United States waived off by the referee. Not being able to capitalize on this situation proved to be costly, as Jose Villareal added his second of the match in the 53rd minute, making it 4-1 for the USA. The Americans took advantage of a defence that lacked shape and the unselfishness of Benji Joya put Villareal in a better position to score.
The Canadians were given a lifeline via what has become a trademark Samuel Piette long range strike in the 63rd minute to cut the lead to 4-2. However, from that point onward it went downhill for Canada, as if it were not for the goalkeeping of Crepeau, the Americans could have scored another three or four goals. The situation went from bleak to impossible with Canada ending the match with nine players, as defender Jon Dollery was forced off with a head injury and defender Manjrekar James picked up a red card for an off the ball altercation.
Post-Match Press Conference: Nick Dasovic
The Final Word: Opportunity lost in more ways than one
At the end of the night it was apparent that the Americans had the quality individuals capable of taking over a game, specifically the quartet of Jose Villareal, Luis Gil, Daniel Cuevas and Mario Rodriguez.
For the Canadian squad this is not only a lost opportunity for the individual players to prove themselves on a big stage at the FIFA U20 World Cup, but it is also a lost opportunity for the Canadian program as a whole. With the program currently under a complete rebuild and, with a limited number of international tournaments, a chance to participate in the 2013 FIFA U20 World Cup later this summer would have acted as the perfect showcase and development environment for Canada’s next generation of senior team players.
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