Final Score: Canada 2-2 Guadeloupe
Goalscorers: Cavallini 49′, Lina 71′ (O.G.); Ambrose 9′, Russell-Rowe 90+3′ (O.G.)
2023 Concacaf Gold Cup

Match in a minute or less

The Canadian men’s national team’s 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup group stage campaign began Tuesday night with a frustrating 2-2 draw at Toronto’s BMO Field against Guadeloupe.

After an opening 20 minutes that saw plenty of Canadian pressure in and around the penalty area, Guadeloupe actually found the net first, as Thierry Ambrose found his way in around Steven Vitória in the box and scored to give the visitors a lead. Canada thus went into halftime a little stunned, trailing 1-0.

It didn’t take long for the hosts to get back in it after the break, though; about a minute into the half they thought they’d won a penalty as Junior Hoilett was tackled in the box, but VAR overturned the initial decision. Not deterred, though, Canada came immediately back down the pitch and Lucas Cavallini sent Hoilett through out wide; Hoilett flicked a perfect ball across goal with the outside of his foot for Cavallini to score with a sliding finish.

Twenty minutes later, Canada found themselves back in the lead as Ali Ahmed put a good ball in toward Richie Laryea, and Guadeloupe defender Meddy Lina’s attempt to clear it behind the net ended up tricking his keeper and rolling in for an own goal. However, Guadeloupe would have the final laugh: deep in stoppage time, a free kick across the box landed for Ambrose, who brought it down and passed back toward the goal, where a sliding Jacen Russell-Rowe couldn’t keep it out and instead knocked it into the net for Guadeloupe’s late equalizer.

Three Observations

Not quite enough at either end for Canada in disappointing draw

Coming into this Gold Cup, the opening match at home against the lowest-ranked team in Group D was one Canada will have looked at as one they should win — not one they’d take for granted, but one where they’d be favoured.

As anticipated, the hosts had a heavy advantage in possession (55.5 per cent) and shots (17 to nine), but they certainly did not make the most of the upper hand. They had some very dangerous chances and some electric passages of play got fans out of their seats on more than a few occasions — one first-half set-piece in particular would’ve been an outstanding moment — but the finishing was lacking, with most of the better opportunities ending up missing the frame or deflected away.

At the other end, the defending was not quite up to scratch for Canada. After being perhaps the best defensive team in Concacaf throughout World Cup qualifying, they were leaky in this match, with two of the back three — Kamal Miller and Steven Vitória — having been part of the starting group throughout qualifying and the World Cup.

There’s no doubt there were tired legs in the side for Canada, with most of their key veteran players coming off very long club seasons plus the two exhausting Nations League matches, but they’ve undoubtedly put themselves in a tough position now going forward in this tournament.

The next two matches will likely be more difficult — Guatemala in particular pose a major challenge — and the travel to Houston and short turnaround mean there won’t be much time to recover from this. The expectation for Canada remains to win both the last two games and top the group, and they’ll be hoping for a lengthy knockout round campaign as well.

However, the margin for error is thinner and there’ll be less opportunity for rotation or rest in the next two games. Herdman did say, however, that he still expects to be able to rotate his squad and move some players around for the remaining group games.

“You want that experience when you’re balancing with fatigue,” Herdman said.” There’s no doubt players are getting fatigued at this level, and we’ll get fatigued through the tournament. … The energy piece is a big part of the tournament, and coming in the heat of Houston against a Guatemala team that can run for three years, and we’re going to have to have a rotation, that’s for sure.”

Guadeloupe counter-attack proves dangerous against Canada possession

This was never going to be the pushover match that some fans may have expected, but Guadeloupe made life difficult for Canada in the first half especially.

Thierry Ambrose, who currently plays in Belgium for KV Oostende but has prior experience in both the Eredivisie and Ligue 1, was a menace for the visitors playing a primarily vertical role as a number nine. With Canada dominating possession, they often had heavy numbers forward, which gave Ambrose ample opportunity to run at the backline and take on defenders.

Guadeloupe seemed to target the left side via Ambrose and Jordan Leborgne; although Canada’s Ali Ahmed and Richie Laryea were dangerous attacking down Canada’s right flank, their tendency to get forward occasionally left some open grass in behind. Zac McGraw, making his Canada debut on the right of the back three — a position he’s not necessarily used to — had his hands full going backward, and Guadeloupe managed to find a way in between him and Steven Vitória several times.

Ambrose deserves a great deal of credit for his attacking performance, running all over the pitch in search of channels and beating a number of different defenders with his deceptive movement and deft footwork.

John Herdman pointed out postgame that Guadeloupe’s squad has far more quality than a Concacaf minnow:

“I think one thing we do suffer with is the analysis that goes into Concacaf. I think people hear a name like Guadeloupe but don’t realize, it’s all French nationals who play in the French league or the Belgian league. It’s a different kettle of fish. … Ambrose was a very, very good player tonight, we struggled against it. That’s got to be one of our fixes going through this tournament.”

Five debuts for Canada including CPL-developed Zator

With a host of new or inexperienced faces in the squad for this tournament, John Herdman made seven changes to the lineup that started last Sunday’s Concacaf Nations League final against the United States — all seven of the exiting players having departed the squad after that competition.

Herdman handed national debuts to three players: defenders Zac McGraw and Moïse Bombito, and Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Ali Ahmed — making his first appearance on the pitch since a scary injury against Pacific FC in the Canadian Championship.

McGraw and Bombito were handed very difficult assignments; both natural centre-backs, the two are more used to playing centrally in a back four. In this setup, McGraw played as the outside defender on the right of a back three, while Bombito was deployed as a number six at the base of midfield. Both players showed on several occasions just why Herdman wants to integrate them into his team — Bombito’s footwork and dynamism made him stand out throughout the first half, and McGraw showed how well he uses his six-foot-four frame defensively.

Ahmed, however, was the standout of Canada’s debutants. The 22-year-old, representing his country for the first time in his hometown of Toronto, was perhaps the best player on the pitch for the home team, bringing an entertaining spark in midfield as one of two number eights alongside Jonathan Osorio. Ahmed looked confident on the ball all game, willing to attempt ambitious passes — and often able to complete them to dangerous areas.

The Whitecaps youngster won 10 out of 13 duels and made 88.9 per cent successful passes, and his connection with the vastly more experienced Richie Laryea — a rival at club level in MLS — was electric.

Two more players made debuts off the bench for Canada: Columbus Crew striker Jacen Russell-Rowe and Korona Kielce defender Dominick Zator.

The latter’s addition just before second-half stoppage time was a particularly special moment; Zator, who began his professional career in the Canadian Premier League with Cavalry FC, has developed exceptionally over the past few years and has now been in the national team setup for some time. Though he didn’t play a huge part over the course of the match, he’s a player whose work over four years in the CPL at Cavalry and York United has led him to a breakout 2023 season in Poland, and now an opportunity with the national team.

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Ali Ahmed, Canada

The Whitecaps midfielder introduced himself to the national team emphatically on Tuesday with an outstanding performance on the right of Canada’s midfield trio. He may not get credit for an assist on the own goal, but it was his excellent ball that set up the scuffed clearance. Ahmed’s connection with Richie Laryea was an incredibly bright part of Canada’s overall game.

What’s next?

Canada’s quest to win Group D continues this Saturday, July 1 at Houston’s Shell Energy Stadium against Guatemala (9:30 p.m. ET).

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