Canadian Men’s National Team Head Coach Stephen Hart met with the press today in downtown Toronto to discuss Canada’s initial World Cup qualifying match against lowly ranked St. Lucia and, while he indicated that his team was completely confident that they will get a winning result, he also stressed that the Canadian National Team is not looking past St. Lucia or taking the 189th FIFA ranked side lightly.
“We haven't even discussed that (we are the favourites in our World Cup qualifying group). As far as we are concerned, we are not even considering that. The format is simple. You have to win the Group and training the last three days has been all business, with great enthusiasm, great passion and, when needed, some lighthearted times. And, overall, we have approached this match like any other game. Of course, there are always good days and bad days and there is no getting away from that. It's like any other job. We have not spoken at all about being overwhelming favourites or anything. We are not trusting any discussion like that at all,” says Hart.
While many pundits have not been shy in expressing their belief that Canada should easily dispatch the St. Lucians by a 5-0 or 6-0 score line on Friday, Hart was quick to dispel the notion that he will be disappointed if his team does not run up the score and win easily.
“Disappointed is a strong word. I think the objective is to win the Group. If there are situations where we stumble and things don't go as they should, it is always a situation that can be rectified. The objective is to win the Group, to play consistently and, first and foremost, that's what need to do. It's almost a cliche, but it is one game at a time and, as I said, we have not had any discussion as a team about anything other than our own performance and our individual responsibilities. Other than that, we have not even looked at Puerto Rico. All we are concerned about is Friday night.”
When asked to detail any background scouting that he has done on the little known St. Lucia squad, Hart indicated that did tap into his network of contacts in the Caribbean to learn more about Canada’s opponents in their opening World Cup qualifying match. At the same time, he was careful to stress that Canada has been focusing on developing and sharpening its own quality as a team rather than devoting too much time and energy into figuring out how to shut down St. Lucia.
“I did speak to some of my ex-teammates and coaches in the Caribbean. But ever since I have taken over this team we have focused on us and what we do well. When you play soccer and you focus too much on the opponent, what happens is that it takes away from your own game. And we have been working on the part of the game that we control, which is when we have the ball, etc. We will continue to do that. And, of course, you will scout the opposition, but we are continuing to build on our qualities and what we do well. They will largely be a local squad. There will probably be a couple of players that play in lower leagues, etc., but I think they will largely be a local squad. I don't know what their preparation will be. They haven't played a lot of games, but they might have been preparing or training five times a week.”
While Hart continually touted the qualities of the players on his team and emphasized that Canada’s training sessions this week have gone well, he did highlight his belief that the opening match in any group stage or tournament can be fraught with peril.
“I think the smaller Caribbean countries are very excited about these matches. I think their concerns are around whether they can afford to go to all the games or not. But this is a big opportunity for them. In the opening games there is going to be a lot of enthusiasm and this is where it is going to be the most dangerous. Once things start to not go your way, that's when you start doubting yourself. I don't know if you remember the 2005 qualification for 2006 when Mexico was almost surprised by St. Vincent and had to score late away from home to get the result. So you have to be careful.”
If Hart has another fear going into the St. Lucia match it is very much that his team will be going up against a side that has nothing to lose and that could feature a player or two who will be looking to make a name for themselves with a particularly strong tackle on a Simeon Jackson from the English Premier League or an Atiba Hutchinson from Dutch heavyweights PSV.
“That's going to happen. These guys are coming in and, listen, I know the Caribbean attitude. You get respect but once the games starts there is no respect and nobody is better than them. So our players are going to have expect that and they are going to do what is necessary because they also want to win.”
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