sa国际传媒 nicked a crucial point on the road against a world top-10 team Sunday in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.
鈥淚 asked for heart. I asked for each man to bring a level of intensity and to show they are brothers,鈥� Canadian head coach John Herdman said following the 1-1 draw against the U.S. before more than 45,000 fans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.
鈥淲e had to make sure the U.S. never got comfortable,鈥� Herdman said.
鈥淲e knew a lot of pressure was on them. I think we were able to control without the ball a lot of the game.
鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of the lads. They executed and at the same time they showed that heart, that really Canadian heart and spirit. Game by game we鈥檙e getting tighter and getting more chemistry. We鈥檙e showing that this is a talented squad, from one through 23, that is desperate to go to a FIFA World Cup.
鈥淭his is a tough grind,鈥� Herdman said. 鈥淓very game is an absolute battle. It鈥檚 like a 14-game war that we鈥檙e going through.鈥�
It continues Wednesday at BMO Field in Toronto against El Salvador, which has begun with draws against the U.S. and Honduras. sa国际传媒 opened the final round of CONCACAF qualifying with a disappointing 1-1 tie last week at BMO Field, the first home game for sa国际传媒 in nearly two years, after two 2020 national team games scheduled for Starlight Stadium in Langford were cancelled due to the pandemic.
The draw against Honduras felt like a loss while the draw against the U.S. felt more like a victory of sorts by FIFA world No. 59-ranked sa国际传媒 against the world No. 10 Americans.
鈥淲e were tactically sound, we knew what our game plan was coming into the match, and we think we executed it well,鈥� said Canadian midfielder Sam Adekugbe.
鈥淲e thought we could have got the three points, and are disappointed not to get them. We will take this point, but that鈥檚 not the mentality of this group.
鈥淲e felt we had the better chances. I think the national anthem and the way that we sing, it shows the passion that we bring to the field.鈥�
Brenden Aaronson gave the U.S. the lead at 55 minutes before Alphonso Davies of Bayern Munich set up Cyle Larin from the left side for the equalizer at 62 minutes. It was sa国际传媒鈥檚 second come-from-behind draw in as many matches.
鈥淟ike Sam Adekugbe said in the press conference: 鈥榃e鈥檙e building a culture here where mentally we鈥檙e getting stronger every game,鈥� said Herdman.
鈥淭he previous sa国际传媒s might not have recovered from those moments [rallying after falling behind]. It鈥檚 a testament to what these players have created here. They have created something pretty special. I think it will only get better as they have more time together.鈥�
About the draw, Herdman said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e content, but not happy.鈥�
U.S. head coach Gregg Berhalter was far less than that.
鈥淲e鈥檙e disappointed with the performance,鈥� Berhalter said.
鈥淭he performance wasn鈥檛 up to what we expect. We knew it was going to be a difficult road. We knew there were going to be tough games. And we鈥檙e getting into it. And we鈥檙e finding out they are tough games.鈥�
The two North American teams last met in the CONCACAF final round in 1997 with the U.S. victorious 3-0 at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby. sa国际传媒 is 9-16-12 all-time against its continental rival.
sa国际传媒 has not qualified for the World Cup since it was propelled into the 1986 planetary showcase with a team that included four players from the Vancouver Island Soccer League. This is sa国际传媒鈥檚 first appearance in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying since the tournament for the 1998 World Cup in France.
The final round of CONCACAF qualifying for World Cup Qatar 2022 runs through March 30.
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