The third round of World Cup Qualifying begins on Friday for Canada as they travel to Havana to face off against Cuba. It has been almost two decades since Canada were able to progress past this stage of qualifying and at first glance, it appears they have been given as good a group to compete against and move on to the Hex.
Their last attempt in World Cup Qualifying, at this round, saw them pitted against Jamaica, Honduras and Mexico - two of which (Honduras and Mexico) would go on to South Africa.
The third round in the road to Brazil 2014 for Canada can be looked at in two ways - either the glass is half empty or half full. A group consisting of Cuba, Honduras and Panama is a blessing in that the United States and Mexico are avoided for the time being. However, both Honduras and Panama present very formidable opposition, especially when traveling to Central America for the away fixtures. Panama would not have been regarded as a tough opponent four years ago, but their recent display at the Gold Cup confirmed they are one of the most in-form nations in CONCACAF.
For now - until September that is - Canada avoids Panama and their opposition at hand is Cuba on Friday and home to Honduras the following Tuesday. RedNation's writers were posed three questions heading into these matches covering the round as a whole and Canada's chances, the forecast for their two upcoming matches, and the key players to get them through these games.
Feel free to share your thoughts and predictions in the comments below.
Armen Bedakian - TFC Analyst
Well, no matter how each qualifying season pans out, Canada gets matched up with Honduras, Cuba, the United States and/or Mexico eventually, so dealing with the giants of CONCACAF is unavoidable. Really, it’s all up to Canada; they have shown an ability to contain sides like the USA, but haven’t shown their ability to score. If they can find it, then they will do well; if not, then we may not see much more from the boys in Red.
Their chances are as slim as they have ever been, but for some reason, this year has an air of finality – it’s like everything is coming together. I’d say Canada has the chance of making a name for themselves this year, and shock a couple big players too.
Prediction for these two upcoming games
Cuba I feel better about than Honduras. Cuba is beatable. We need to take
both those games, both home and away, which are doable. I predict a 1-0 win in Cuba, followed by a 1-0 win at home, for a 2-0 overall against the Cubans. Honduras will be a tougher test; some of their players have European experience now, and will be much more influential. If we can draw in Honduras 0-0, then scrape out a 1-0 win at home, that would be perfection. In all honesty though, Honduras and Canada has its own little curse going on – we’ll just have to wait and see!
Key player for Canada?
The key player for Canada is any one of Simeon Jackson, Olivier Occean and Tosaint Ricketts, simply because Canada needs to score goals. If they fail to do so, then Canada’s key player becomes Dwayne De Rosario, as it always has been; if he can shoulder the entirety of the World Cup qualifications, then he is a better player than I would have ever given him credit for. Strikers need to produce, end of!
Djuradj Vujcic - RNO contributor
The CMNT has an almost indescribable positive energy surrounding it. Our guys are getting closer and closer to qualifying. The home friendly against the USA was a great decision by the CSA and the buzz around Canada's soccer fans can still be felt. The "movement" of trying to recruit more Canadian fans than fans of the opposition is a noble one. Canada finally has a system in place with a winning combination: good coaching, excellent training facilities, players with both international and domestic competitions under their belt and home field advantage. Our boys are only human and they probably feel pressure on their backs every time they put on a Canadian jersey. If they can however use that pressure and turn it into a positive pump-up, anything is possible.
Prediction for these two upcoming games
Confidence is key for both matches. I am very confident about the Cuba match. Much has been made about the heat down in Cuba but that should only hinder Canada minimally. Without disrespecting Cuba, Canada should be (and has to be) the better team. I'm also confident about the Honduras match but am a little unsure of what to expect. Playing them on home turf will definitely be easier than playing them in San Pedro Sula. Honduras is a team whose players have been playing together for a while now. On a good day, they can play a run and gun-type style and can (at times) be the best in CONCACAF. They are however unpredictable.
The majority of the Honduran players play in Honduras. The ones who play abroad are especially dangerous. Oddly enough, one of their most well-known players Carlo Costly is without a club. Let's hope this proves costly (my attempt at being punny). I would suggest Canada take it easy a bit on the long balls (there's a reason the British dropped this style of play). Canada seemed to use the long ball a lot in the USA friendly. This gives the impression that the midfield isn't creative enough as the defenders boot the long ball directly to the forwards (skipping the entire centre of the field in the process). In these games however a win is a win.
Prediction: Cuba 0 – Canada 2
Prediction: Canada 1 – Honduras 0
Key player for Canada?
The toughest question out of the three. Not to sound cliché but this really has been a team effort and by choosing one player, I fear I would leave someone equally deserving out. To point out which players got me excited, I like how there is finally some consistency and competition in net.
The trio of Hirschfeld-Borjan-Stamatopoulos should be kept intact. This is the perfect mix of youth (Borjan) and experience (Hirschfeld and Stamatopoulos). This mix of youth and experience is key and is present in every position on the field.
If we take the USA friendly for example, we had Jazić showing he's still got it and de Guzman showing he can be a more than capable CDM. If Canada can play an offensive-minded 4-3-3 against the States and almost come out with a win, they can do it against anyone. The goals will come. Let's go boys, you can do this!
Ian Clarke - Host of East Side Stand Up
Up until recently, my head was telling me we are firmly placed as the number three team in this group behind Panama and Honduras. However, after seeing the team on Sunday and the manner in which they performed I'm starting to have a gut feeling this group of players are committed to do whatever it takes and will leave it all out on pitch each game.
Cuba really should be six points, and Honduras are the one question mark as their best players have not been playing regularly for some time and could be ripe for the picking. We will only know for sure come Tuesday when they arrive at BMO. However, Canada have beaten them since 2009 and this is a real opportunity to make amends for past failures. Panama is the team to really be wary of, but as many will note, as long as we can start putting balls in the back of the net, we should be able to go toe to toe in this group. In the end I think we can have the better of Cuba and Honduras and will be playing qualifying matches beyond 2012.
Prediction for these two upcoming games
Cuba no doubt will be a gong show in terms of stadium and pitch quality, but Canada has crossed this bridge already in St. Lucia and St. Kitts. There are lots of factors to weigh in for this match, but Canada should be able to say, been there - done that, and get the win. It might not be pretty ala Puerto Rico but they will get by, probably 1-0.
Honduras is trickier, as noted they are a real question mark coming into qualifying as it looks like their national team peaked for 2010 and is nowhere near the form from 2008-2010. I don't rate them as high as Panama right now, or even the United States and will be clinging to that result as the precedent for home form which should result in a win, but something more dramatic, like 2-1.
Key player for Canada?
Without question, for me, it's Dwayne De Rosario. We have the MLS MVP on our team and when comparing him to other impact players in the league and what they are able to do in CONCACAF, now is the time for De Rosario to further stamp his claim as an all-time great.
In this round, against teams whose players are for the most part competing in their domestic leagues, it is the perfect level of competition for him to set himself apart and shine. We know he can single handedly take over a game to set up and produce goals from everywhere on the pitch, and this is the time for him to do it for Canada.
Dominic Sikora - The Boot Room
The same as always with Canada -- cautious optimism. They definitely have the players to qualify for the Hex and with the way they played against the States their confidence must be high. They can't afford to start poorly and anything less than four points from their opening games against Cuba and Honduras would be unacceptable, and they should be aiming for six.
Prediction for these two upcoming games
I think they'll comfortably dispatch the Cubans to the tune of multiple goals to nil before winning a tightly contested game at home against Honduras by one goal.
Key player for Canada?
Against Cuba I think Dwayne De Rosario has to step up and be the man to break down the Cubans. Against Honduras I think Julian de Guzman will be key. He thrives playing against those types of sides and can read the game well and break up attacks. It will be a big game with a big atmosphere and de Guzman usually plays well in those types of matches.
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