TORONTO 鈥� While the Pan Am Games soccer tournament taking place down the QE Way in Hamilton features the development teams from most of the participating nations, the real deal take to the pitch tonight at BMO Field.
Defender Adam Straith of Victoria and his Canadian teammates face a daunting must-win situation against 2014 World Cup quarter-finalist Costa Rica in their final group game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The Canadians would have been in a far better position heading to home turf if not for Saturday night鈥檚 deflating defensive letdown in injury time that allowed Jamaica to steal away with a 1-0 win in Houston. That ended a modest five-game Canadian unbeaten streak, mostly against lightweight nations, including the recent two-game sweep of Dominica that opened World Cup qualifying play for Russia 2018.
sa国际传媒 opened the Gold Cup tournament last week with a scoreless draw against El Salvador at StubHub Center in Carson, California.
鈥淥bviously, we are disappointed with the late result in Houston. But the group is still wide open and we still have everything to play for,鈥� said Straith, the 25-time capped graduate of Bays United and Lower Island Metro.聽
Jamaica meets El Salvador in the first fixture of tonight鈥檚 doubleheader, which denotes the first Gold Cup games ever hosted by sa国际传媒. That latter fact is not lost on Straith, who has become a dependable presence on the Canadian squad and played the full 90-plus minutes against Jamaica in a defensive midfield role.
鈥淲e have performed very well at home in the past, and feel that with the strength of the home support, we can get a positive result against a very good Costa Rica team,鈥� said the 24-year-old Islander, who plays pro with Fredrikstad of the Norwegian league.
That will be easier said than done against a World Cup quarter-finalist, which has proven a reliable CONCACAF performer on the level of the U.S. and Mexico. But sa国际传媒 鈥� ranked 109th in the world, which is the lowest of the 12 Gold Cup teams 鈥� has a plan.
鈥淲e want to make it difficult for them [Costa Ricans] to play . . . and to frustrate them,鈥� said Straith.
That means old-school, clog-them-up Canadian soccer, and make the most of the breaks you get on the counter-offensive.
鈥淚 see Costa Rica as the best team in CONCACAF right now,鈥� said Straith.
鈥淏ut if we come out the right way at home, anything is possible.鈥�
sa国际传媒, with Victoria midfielder Martin Nash, won the Gold Cup in a 2000 stunner. The biennial tournament is considered a big deal, with 2015 games taking place in venues such as MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, the Georgia Dome, Soldier Field in Chicago and University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
The playoff rounds will follow group play, with the championship game July 26 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
