Canada 3 – Puerto Rico 0
Once again some might say the scoreline is not indicative of the run of play through ninety minutes, but in the end Canada gets the job done in a tough environment to go well ahead of the pack in Group D of World Cup Qualifying.
While it might have been warranted to lament on a lack of urgency in the early going, another way to look at it is Canada did well to pace themselves through trying weather conditions and appeared confident they would have the advantage in quality and technique to find a way to get the victory.
Puerto Rico had their moments but their lack of pedigree showed, as they could not make more of their chances to truly test Canada. Lars Hirschfeld could have used a few more threatening balls to build his confidence, but overall the keeper looked mentally strong and physically on point any time a shot came his way.
There were moments that the midfield appeared a step behind when Puerto Rico attacked, but through the entire match Terry Dunfield, Will Johnson and especially Julian De Guzman were strong in the middle.
The two players of note in this match are ones who’ve over the last few years had hard times in England trying to get consistent minutes and put their careers on track. Iain Hume has been in a much better spot since last fall and his impressive run of form at Preston North End, despite being relegated to League One, has resulted in Canada benefiting from his reborn confidence.
David Edgar is the other Canuck who recently has been seeing the pitch more and pushed wide to right back stood out penetrating deep and delivered several good crosses, most importantly the one off the set piece to create Simeon Jackson’s insurance goal.
One last area of note is that both subs that came on scored for Canada. Moving forward through the Second Round and into the Third, for all the talk about not being able to finish chances, both Simeon Jackson and Tosaint Ricketts were potent in the time they were on the pitch. This will prove to be valuable as it finally gives Stephen Hart some options in the attack not just for starters but to keep an ace up his sleeve to inject an x-factor late into close matches.
The key to the ratings, as seems to be the logic on a scale of 1-10, is not to view it as a “grade”, as in a 6 would be a 60 or a C. The formula is that each player begins the game with a 5 and is the equilibrium from which their performance either improves or degrades moving in increments of .5.
Here is the breakdown of the starting XI:
Lars Hirschfeld – 5.5
Puerto Rico did their homework and tried their best to send anything towards goal, but for the full ninety minutes Hirschfeld looked game. Did not appear to have any issues getting past the goal surrendered against St. Lucia and while Puerto Rico rarely tested him directly, looked to be well positioned and on point for everything that came close.
Mike Klukowski – 5.5
Good to see little rust from Klukowski whose season is still waiting to start. Is a tough player to replace at left back so a good outing from him was much needed. Was good technically linking up with Simpson and working down the left side and his influence grew as the match progressed.
Andre Hainault – 5.5
Looked good in the Gold Cup moving into the middle and continues to prove himself as Canada’s most versatile defender. Was good on the ball for the most part, had good positioning and at no point looked to be out of sorts from whatever Puerto Rico had to offer.
Kevin McKenna – 6
McKenna continues to be the rock on the back line delivering leadership by example and once again having a solid outing in red and white. Had well timed tackles, pushed the ball forward well out wide or through the middle and was composed for the entire game.
David Edgar – 6
A great performance to see from a player who has struggled to get minutes at club level and as a result not had the chances internationally to prove himself. Went a long way in doing so tonight as he was very effective down the right side putting in strong crosses, winning battles 1v1 and was clinical on the free kick that led to Simeon Jackson’s insurance goal.
Terry Dunfield – 5.5
Looked good on this night, but likely will be the casualty when Hutchinson is fit as Dunfield at times just looks half a step slower than his teammates and in CONCACF quickness and speed are essential to compete. That said, his experience and calmness on the ball is an asset and will be a valuable depth player through this stage and the next round when Canada advances.
Julian De Guzman – 6
It might be easy to criticize parts of this outing from a handful of errant shots well wide, but De Guzman continues to progress towards looking like the player many knew from 2007/08. For the most part was sharp passing, quick on his feet and good delivering pressure to cause turnovers.
Will Johnson – 5.5
Canada’s grinder put out his usual display of hard work and tenacious effort at both ends of the pitch. Was influential on the opener to create space for Hume but was disappointing to see him not make his mark later in the game with a couple of opportunities to deliver balls that would have made the win more convincing.
Josh Simpson – 5.5
So much expected from Simpson who has the ability to do it all himself, and when he doesn’t it can feel like a sub par outing. However, Simpson had his hands full down the left side against Rivera and overall did very well being double teamed and taking advantage of his 1v1s to create some chances.
Dwayne De Rosario – 5.5
A bit of a tough outing for De Ro who could not quite find that final ball to put his exclamation on the game. Had a hand in the opener by taking a hard shot to get a head on the ball that ended up on Hume’s feet, and remained a potential threat throughout the game.
MOTM Iain Hume – 6
A solid performance from the long time Canadian International who never stopped with endless energy to create important pressure that was rewarded with turnovers and a coolly slotted home winning goal that was much deserved. His work in the first half was essential in the victory and this performance is likely the start of what he has to offer through this qualifying campaign.
Subs
Simeon Jackson – 6
Tosaint Ricketts – 6
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