Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — The Canadian men’s national soccer team has one last kick of the ball before reconvening for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in November.
Canada will play Uruguay (noon ET, OneSoccer) at the Stadion Tehelne pole here, in its final exhibition game before head coach John Herdman has to select his 26-man roster for the World Cup.
Canada defeated Qatar 2-0 on Friday in Vienna, Austria, in the first of two exhibition games in this current international window. Qatar did not put up much of a challenge and was flattered by the score.
Uruguay is on a completely different level.
“As a player, you want to go up against some of the best players in the world,” said Canada midfielder Sam Adekugbe on Monday. “We’re not naive, we see what kind of players they have on their team, and so to go up against players who are playing in Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool, it’s a huge step up. But this is something we want to go into with confidence and take it all in stride.”
Barring injury, the majority of the roster has been selected, but with nearly 40 players called up to the national squad during the arduous qualifying process, many players who helped Canada get to Qatar, won’t be at the World Cup.
The game also represents a true test of what to expect in Qatar, as Uruguay is one of the top teams in South America with the capability of going deep in the tournament.
“It’s a very important test, one that we’re looking forward to and we know the importance of, because of having Qatar so close,” said Canadian center back Steven Vitoria on Monday. “There are a lot of (famous) names on that team, but we don’t want to go down that road. We’re just going to focus on ourselves, and test our limits against some of the best opposition in the world.”
Uruguay are two-time World Cup champions and 15-time South American champions. They are currently ranked 13th in the World and will be competing at its 13th World Cup tournament.
Four years ago in Russia, Uruguay made it to the quarter-finals, before losing to eventual champions France. In Brazil 2014, Uruguay made it to the second round, and in the World Cup tournament prior to that, it got to the semifinal.
“I think since I’ve been here, it’s probably the best team we’ve ever faced, definitely top three,” said Canada midfielder Stephen Eustaquio. “I think it’s going to be a good test for us and probably the perfect test for us before we go to Qatar.
“They’re on a high level and I think we’re on a high level as well, so I think it’s going to be a good game.”
Uruguay boasts world class talent in strikers Luis Suarez, who has returned to play at home for Nacional after an outstanding career in Europe, Darwin Nunez of Liverpool, midfielder Federico Valverde of Real Madrid, midfielder Rodrigo Bentacur of Tottenham Hotspur and longtime goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, who has been at Galatasaray in Turkey for more than a decade.
“I believe the way our players are and the way we are approaching this game, we’re going to have a very good game,” Eustaquio said. “I think it’s going to give us some insight on where we are and what we need to do to prepare to the World Cup.”
Canada has not faced an opponent of this calibre since being invited to Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2010 to provide the opposition for Diego Maradona’s men in their send-off to the World Cup in South Africa.
It did not go well for Canada as they stuck to the script, providing little resistance for Argentina in a 5-0 loss.
That edition of the Canadian national team was probably one of the worst ever fielded, while the current one is the best.
“Uruguay provides a massive test for the group, it’s probably one of our biggest games to this day,” said centre back Kamal Miller. “It’s a team that has a lot of experience and has played in a lot of major tournaments. They have a lot of experienced and veteran players; a lot of guys who are playing at top clubs, so overall it’s a good test for us.
“It’s going to be a much different test than Qatar. They’re a team that’s very physical, they’re a team that always plays at 100 per cent and battles very hard, so overall it’s going to be a very good test for us.”
Herdman hopes Uruguay gives his team a semblance of what to expect when it comes to face Belgium in its opening game of the World Cup on Nov. 23 in Al Rayyan, Qatar. Canada will also play Croatia on Nov. 27 in Al Rayyan and conclude Group F play against Morocco on Dec. 1.
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic will be in attendance to watch Canada play Uruguay. Croatia defeated Austria 3-1 in Vienna on Sunday in a UEFA Nations League game and are in the vicinity.
“For us, I think it’s all about preparations this entire week, leading into the Qatar game, coming out of it and then leading into this game against Uruguay,” Miller said. “I think the preparation has been good and we’re just confident and the chemistry is higher than ever and we’re just looking at putting it together on the field.”
Email: dvandiest@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @DerekVanDiest
Post a Comment