Adamo Marinelli
March 20, 2022
Canada’s Men’s National Soccer team is one win away from qualifying for their second World Cup in country history and their first appearance since 1986.
If Canada beats Costa Rica away from home on March 24, they will clinch a berth in the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
That would be a massive accomplishment for a talented Canadian side led by sensational manager John Herdman.
It will not be easy, however. Like in the third international qualifying window when Canada relied on their depth to win all three of their games without Alphonso Davies, they will be without Davies in the fourth international qualifying window too.
After recovering from mild myocarditis, which sidelined him during the January qualifying window, he is currently training with his club Bayern Munich but is not yet playing any matches.
They can even clinch a berth with a draw or loss depending on results elsewhere in CONCACAF, but Canada will not be settling for a draw. They will try to claim the maximum possible points.
Costa Rica has proven to be a tough opponent for Canada in the past. Canada has won six games, drawn nine games, and lost eight games against Costa Rica.
The last meeting between those two teams was a 1-0 win for Canada on November 12, 2021, in the second qualifying window. The match before that was a 2-0 win for Canada in the Gold Cup quarterfinal on July 25, 2021.
The current Canadian team has caused problems for Costa Rica and has proved to be better on both sides of the ball. This game will not be an easy victory for Canada but they should be able to get a victory and clinch their spot in the World Cup.
If they do, Canada’s final home game in Toronto against Jamaica on March 27 will be a wild one, with a lot of celebration and happy fans before and after the match.
In front of their home crowd, Canada should be able to come away with a victory, but it will be a tougher game after a 0-0 draw between these two teams on October 10, 2021. They are undefeated in 19 consecutive matches at BMO Field.
Canada will end their World Cup qualifying run with an away game on March 30 against Panama. Canada beat Panama 4-1 at home on November 13 and should be able to get a win in Panama too.
Canada currently sits atop the CONCACAF table with seven wins, four draws, and no losses for 25 points. If they win all three of their matches in this window, they will finish first in the table with a 10-4-0 record and would be unbeaten in qualifying matches, an unprecedented feat in CONCACAF.
The squad has been released and it will be a similar squad to the last international qualifying window, with a few minor changes. The main stars will be Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Tajon Buchanon, Liam Miller, Atiba Hutchinson, Jonathan Osorio, Stephen Eustaquio, Richie Lareya, Kamal Miller, and Alistair Johnson. Canada has plenty of quality depth on the bench they can rely on too.
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