Island sports fans usually head to Seattle to cheer on the Seahawks or Mariners.
Tonight provides a twist .
With a contingent expected down from the Island and Lower Mainland, sa国际传媒 can claim nominal home-team status against Mexico in the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer fixture at CenturyLink Field (8 p.m., Sportsnet World).
The Canadian team 鈥� with Victoria players goalkeeper Simon Thomas and defender Adam Straith on the latest 21-man roster 鈥� will need it.
Both teams are 0-1 and in need of a win. But that鈥檚 where the similarities end. Mexico is the traditional class of CONCACAF and sa国际传媒 far from that.
鈥淚n a sense, it will be like we are playing a wounded animal,鈥� said interim Canadian head coach Colin Miller.
鈥淢exico [2-1 losers to Panama in its opener] will be feeling the pressure and they know they will need to get a result. We know that any player that puts on a Mexican shirt will be of the utmost quality. Any time you get to play against Mexico it is a special occasion.鈥�
Straith, like twice-capped Thomas a 1990-born product of Bays United and Lower Island Metro, has 11 caps but did not play in the stunning 1-0 loss to non-FIFA member Martinique on Sunday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Milan Borjan started in goal Sunday ahead of Thomas and Lars Hirschfeld, with Miller not tipping his hand regarding the starting lineup ahead of tonight鈥檚 game.
sa国际传媒 will get even younger with veterans Simeon Jackson, Randy Edwini-Bonsu and captain Will Johnson having left the camp due to illness, injury or pro club tryouts.
The national team has already had a huge gap in the midfield the past year with 43-time capped Josh Simpson of Victoria out with a frustratingly slow-healing broken leg.
鈥淚t was not a comfortable group to be around after the Martinique game, as you can imagine,鈥� said Straith, last under contract to Energie Cottbus of Germany, and currently between clubs.
鈥淭he positive thing is that we already play again [tonight], and there鈥檚 no better way to forget about Sunday鈥檚 result than putting in a good performance against a very good Mexican team and beating them.
鈥淭he mood is a lot more upbeat now. The boys are all professionals and are able to put something like that behind us and focus again on what a huge game [tonight] will be. We鈥檙e all just looking forward to playing in what will be a great atmosphere and hopefully a very Canadian crowd.鈥�
Group play for sa国际传媒 concludes against Panama on Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver.
鈥淭hese are difficult three games for us, all against very different opponents,鈥� noted Straith, of Group A.
鈥淏ut to do well in a tournament you have to be able to win against a variety of different playing styles.鈥�
