Canada kicked off post-2018 World Cup qualifying on Thursday with a 4-0 friendly win over Mauritania in Marrakech, Morocco. How did the Canadian national team players perform in North Africa? Here are the player ratings from the match:
Simon Thomas (6.5) - Didn’t have much to do on the day, but did crucially stop a first-half penalty kick en route to his first clean-sheet victory for Canada.
Maxim Tissot (6.5) - (Pictured above) Sprightly and active at left back in his first Canada start since the 2015 Gold Cup; looped in a great cross on Canada’s third goal.
Doneil Henry (5.5) - Had mixed results in a return to his regular central defensive position; conceded an early penalty but made up for it with solid play later on.
Steven Vitoria (6) - Clobbered (and injured) an opponent in the first half, then scored his first national-team goal on a chest-to-foot volley in the second.
Jamar Dixon (5.5) - A largely uneventful 60-ish minutes at right back (a question-mark position for Canada in recent years) in his first national-team start.
Adam Straith (6) - A mostly solid evening of work in the holding midfield role; Mauritania rarely penetrated a clogged middle portion of the field.
Jonathan Osorio (6) - Didn’t play the creative dazzler in his long-awaited national-team return; instead, helped Straith provide structure in the middle.
Scott Arfield (6.5) - A decent day of set pieces, and continually put pressure on opposing defenders.
Junior Hoilett (6.5) - Put his attacking ability on display, taking every opportunity to run at Mauritanian defenders.
Tosaint Ricketts (6.5) - A great day to wear the captain’s armband for the first time ever; scored a brace to move to sixth on Canada’s all-time scoring list.
Marcus Haber (6) - Isolated for much of the game as a lone striker, but did quite well to get his head on the end of a Tissot cross for his third Canada goal.
Fraser Aird (5) - Came on at right back to replace Dixon, had a similarly uneventful time against an unthreatening left-sided Mauritania attack.
Anthony Jackson-Hamel (5) - Made his Canada debut as a late-game sub for Haber; had little influence aside from one partially-blocked shot towards goal.
Samuel Piette (5) - Came in for Osorio late in the second half in his traditional second-half midfield shutdown role.
Marco Bustos (5.5) - Replaced Straith late in the second half with the game already decided; a few promisingly incisive passes give him the half-point bump.
Karl Ouimette and Jordan Hamilton (5) - Late, late subs who had neither the time nor opportunity to do much of anything.
