The Canada MNT was playing a friendly against Iceland at BMO Field in Toronto. However, calling it friendly doesn’t seem accurate. This seemed more like a dress rehearsal.
29th-ranked Canada faced 74th-ranked Iceland, a notoriously tough team defensively despite not qualifying for the upcoming World Cup. Canada aimed to sharpen their performance ahead of the tournament, with several Canadian players eager to showcase their abilities and earn spots on the final roster.
This was a lively one. The Canadians looked down, but they weren’t out of the game. A draw is acceptable, but there are still areas for improvement.
First half: Poor from Canada MNT
Canada MNT dominated possession. But Iceland’s low block was hard to break down.
It took two mistakes for Canada to go down early. Orri Óskarsson struck first for Iceland just nine minutes into the game. Kamal Miller makes an absolute blunder on the back pass to Dayne St. Clair. That wasn’t a good look for Miller’s World Cup hopes. Perhaps Ralph Priso would’ve been a better option for the back line.
Just over ten minutes later, Óskarsson struck again. The Iceland captain and Real Sociedad forward beat St. Clair with a clean strike. Niko Sigur got turned in the midfield, and Joel Waterman did a poor job of marking Óskarsson. This was not the start Canada wanted in front of their home fans.
Canada MNT’s attack struggled to create opportunities against Iceland’s low block. Jonathan David and Ali Ahmed were active but could not break through, and Cyle Larin often found himself isolated up front, unable to link with the midfield or receive effective service.
However, as the game went on, Canada were slowly starting to find their rhythm, but they only managed two shots on Iceland’s goalkeeper, Elias Olafsson. None were considered big chances. It felt like Canada MNT was too one-dimensional and had no other ideas.
Sigur, Waterman and Miller struggled defensively, and Mathieu Choinière and Nathan Saliba also had their struggles in the midfield.
Yes, Canada MNT was missing key starters such as Alphonso Davies, Stephen Eustaquio, Moise Bombito and Alistair Johnston. But injuries aren’t an excuse. Many players needed to step up, and many of them haven’t. It was just a bad half for Canada.
Second half: Much Better, but a Red Card Ruins Momentum
Strangely, Canada’s head coach Jesse Marsch did not make a single halftime sub.
Canada MNT continued with their press. Tajon Buchanan looked dangerous down the right wing, and so did Richie Laryea on the left flank. But the passes were missing everybody in the box, or Iceland continued to use their defensive tactics.
The biggest chance for the Canadians came in the 58th minute. Ahmed found David in a pocket of space, which started thanks to Buchanan charging down the right. But Olafsson made a great save off the Juventus striker. It could also be argued that the ball should’ve been drilled into the net by David.
It didn’t take until the 64th minute for Marsch to make changes. Marcelo Flores and his dyed red hair came on and made his Canada MNT debut. He, Daniel Jebbison and Jonathan Osorio came on for Ahmed, Larin and Chonière.
The 67th minute was when Canada finally broke the ice. Buchanan was taken down in the box, and David scored from the spot. That was David’s first goal for Canada MNT in five games and the 38th of his international career. That was also David’s first goal for club and country since February 1st, when he scored in Juventus 4-1 away win at Parma in Serie A.
This was a no-nonsense penalty from David. Game on.
That goal seemed to light a fire under Canada. Buchanan and Laryea were leading the attack, and Canada MNT looked lively and more fluid. Flores impressed, too. He showed a lot of tenacity, which is something Canada needed more of. Jebbison was taken down in the box in the 75th minute, and that set up another penalty for David.
The 25-year-old beat Olafsson in the exact same way as his first penalty, and BMO Field erupted. Call an ambulance, but for Canada!
Canada’s press was very active in the second half, and this half was much better than the first. Buchanan was arguably Canada MNT’s best player down the right wing. But in the 80th minute, he decided to do a hockey-style elbow. Whether it was intentional or not, you can’t elbow another player in the face. This really sucked because that just ruined the momentum Canada had. Iceland were just content to play keep away.
A 2-2 draw was all she wrote from Toronto.
Stat of the match
Yeah, this is not great. Canada MNT still has a discipline problem.
Tweet of the match
With the physicality in the game, it did feel like a CONCACAF game.
Wrap-up
Canada was bad in the first half. The back line was a problem. They also need to be more creative in the attack.
The second half was a lot better, and the creativity they were lacking in the first half was shown. It was nice to get two goals from the penalty spot, but there obviously needs to be more from open play.
It was a tale of two halves. Canada MNT still has a lot to work on.
They’ll get back to it on Tuesday as they face Tunisia at BMO Field. Kickoff for that game is at 4:00 pm Pacific. Perhaps they can get a better start in that game.
