Too little, too late, and the long wait continues.
Canada beat El Salvador 3-1 at B.C. Place on Tuesday night but it was not nearly enough.
The help from Mexico never came, either.
You can keep counting the years. Canada’s men last reached the Hex — the final round of CONCACAF qualifying for the FIFA World Cup — in 1998.
The Canadians needed to win Tuesday and needed Honduras to lose in Mexico. They also needed a six-goal combined turnaround to take second place in the group on goal difference.
It was a mountain, to be sure. But not impossible.
Mexico, so the theory went, would be hugely motivated at home, even though they had qualified for the Hex already.
And Canada, with everything on the line, in front of their fans, and against a very beatable El Salvador squad, could put up some goals.
There was hope early in the second half. Canada led 2-0, they were dominating, and El Salvador had a player sent off for a reckless tackle on Junior Hoilett.
And then it fizzled. Then fell apart.
Canada’s attack suddenly lacked ideas. And after the ref missed a clear handball against an El Salvador defender, the visitors struck the death blow in the 78th minute.
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Nelson Bonilla scored on a counterattack to make it 2-1. Meanwhile, it was still scoreless at Estadio Azteca. It was lights out.
Defender/midfielder David Edgar, on for a buzzing Hoilett in one of those mad-scientist substitutions from coach Benito Floro, added a third goal before the end but it was meaningless by then.
Was it Floro’s final sub as Canada’s coach? If so, it was a fitting one.
Judging by the handful of ex-Canadian internationals on Twitter taking their shots, the mood around the program is for change, and for a Canadian to take charge.
This was Craig Forrest, the hall of fame goalkeeper, on the Edgar switch: “Benito is protecting the lead. What in the wide world of sports is he doing?”
Floro stuck with four at the back, even when Canada clearly needed three or four more goals and with about 20 minutes to do so.
Samuel Piette, a defensive midfielder, replaced Nik Ledgerwood, who’d made it 2-0. Cyle Larin, who’d opened the scoring in the 11th minute, was switched for Marcus Haber. Then Hoilett came off.
Simeon Jackson, the Walsall attacker, remained on the bench.
You can pick apart the subs. You can pick through the missed first-half chances, too. Those hurt more on the night.
Larin, who was about five yards offside on the opener, missed from six yards as he redirected Marcel de Jong’s fine low cross over the bar.
Larin then missed the far post with a toe poke on a partial breakaway, and Tosaint Ricketts headed another wonderful de Jong cross wide.
Canada’s hunger couldn’t be questioned, but it should have been 2-0 or 3-0 at the break.
Ledgerwood did double the lead with a composed finish early in the second half after some good work from Hoilett, and Darwin Ceren was sent off three minutes later for a terrible challenge, but the 0-0 scoreline from Mexico remained grim.
Taken as a whole, though, this campaign sputtered in the second game of this qualifying round. Canada went to El Salvador, played to a scoreless tie, and looked too content in doing so.
Losing twice to Mexico was pretty much inevitable, so by tying in El Salvador, Canada created a scenario where they really had to get a tie in Honduras last Friday.
That was by far the tougher road game of the two.
They lost in Honduras, 2-1, which set up Tuesday’s improbable scenario for success at B.C. Place.
Judging by their 3-1 win, and the players on this roster, Canada was capable of a win in El Salvador. Should they have risked more there?
Floro’s defensive substitutions in Honduras on Friday, trailing 2-1, irked some. His decisions Tuesday didn’t appear to endear him to the locals, either.
Floro spoke after Tuesday’s game of the many “impediments” that Canada has compared to its CONCACAF rivals.
He’s repeatedly stressed the importance of having a Canadian league, in order to have more players in starting roles, more players close together for training camps, and to have more control over developing a system of play.
Hoilett is currently without a club, which is far from ideal.
But rightly or wrongly there is a general belief that this group was good enough to reach the Hex, and they’ve fallen short.
Canada 3 El Salvador 1
Goals: Larin 11’, Ledgerwood 53’, Edgar 90’; (SLV) Bonilla 78’
Cautions: (CAN) Larin 63’); (SLV) D. Ceren 18’, 56’, Bonilla 58’, Larín 90+2’, Mayen 90+2’
Ejections: (SLV) D. Ceren 56’
Canada (4-4-2): Borjan; Henry, Straith, James, de Jong; Ledgerwood (Piette 74’), Arfield, Hutchinson, Hoilett (Edgar 82’); Ricketts, Larin (Haber 74’)
Honduras (4-4-2): Arroyo; Tamara, Dominguez, Romero, Larín; O. Ceren (Garcia 64’), Barahona (Mayen 45’), D. Ceren, Alas; Bonilla, Punyed (Flores 45’)
Referee: Valdin Legister, JAM
Attendance: 20,726
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