With one game remaining in this current round of World Cup qualifying, Canadian coach Stephen Hart is pretty much where he expected.
Facing a deciding game in Honduras.
"We always knew that it would probably come down to the Honduras game," said Hart. "So we have some days to do a little practice session, a little bit of discussion on our approach. And hopefully we'll get it right."
The good news is sa国际传媒 (3-1-1) is in the driver's seat after its 3-0 win over Cuba on Friday night at BMO Field and a 0-0 tie between Panama and Honduras in Panama City.
Hart's team and Panama (3-1-1) top Group C with 10 points, two ahead of Honduras (2-1-2). Cuba (0-5-0) has no points. The top two will move on after Tuesday's final round of play.
A tie or win Tuesday will move the 61st-ranked Canadians into the final round of qualifying in CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean.
The Canadians could even move forward with a loss in the unlikely event that Cuba shocks Panama in Havana and goal difference works their way.
sa国际传媒's win over Cuba was worth three valuable points but did little for the morale for a team that has had trouble in front of goal as one chance after another was squandered.
"We have a last game in Honduras that's going to mean everything," said midfielder Atiba Hutchinson. "So we have to let this [Cuba performance] go, be happy with it and just work on the finishing because that's going to be crucial for us."
At least sa国际传媒 remains a master of its destiny.
"It's in our hands," Hutchinson agreed. "We have to go out and defend for our lives. And if we can get any chances to score any goals, it will mean a lot to us. Yeah, the ball's still in our court. We have to be confident that we can go out there and get a good result."
Honduras, meanwhile, has to go for the win. The No. 66 Hondurans are 1-1-0 at home this round, defeating No. 146 Cuba 1-0 and losing 2-0 to No. 43 Panama.
The top two teams in the group will join four others in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying. After a home-and-away schedule of 10 games beginning in February, the top three teams will qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The fourth-place team with face the Oceania winner in an intercontinental playoff to see who joins them.
"You make it to that last round, it's there for you," Canadian midfielder Julian de Guzman said prior to the Cuba game.
