ORLANDO, Fla. – It wasn't the start to 2015 the Canadian national team had hoped for, but head coach Benito Floro was still able to find some positives in their 2-1 international friendly loss Friday to Iceland at the University of Central Florida.
“In my opinion, we played well,” Floro said. “We had several chances at goal. And we must consider that many of our players are very early in their season, so it is a fitness issue.”
Floro’s optimism was not without cause, as his side was a bit shorthanded with a handful of players in Jamaica for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship and several veterans unable to report for duty due to club commitments.
In particular, Floro had some kind words for Cyle Larin, taken No. 1 overall by Orlando City SC in Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft, who is with the U-20 squad.
“[Larin’s] already been with us and is one of our forwards of the future,” Floro said. “He helps to create the moves, and he supports other players. He’s young, but he sometimes seems like he is more experienced, and he learns quickly. We believe he will be a very good player for us.”
With the Gold Cup and World Cup Qualifying on the horizon, Larin will certainly play a role with the senior team.
More pressing for Floro, though, is the fact that six members of Canada’s squad that faced Iceland are currently without a club. That includes former MLS MVP Dwayne De Rosario and veteran Kyle Porter.
“Yes, it’s a big problem,” Floro said. “It’s not their age, they are in good condition. But if they are not training, it’s a problem.”
For his part, De Rosario, who bagged Canada’s lone goal on a 70th-minute header after he came on as a second-half substitute, agreed that is was a solid 90 minutes of soccer for the young team.
“We played some good football,” De Rosario said. “Two plays where we lost a little bit of focus, and we got scored on. It’s just being aware and paying attention to details. If we can do that, we’re looking good.”
The two sides will face off again Monday, and De Rosario sounded optimistic for the rematch.
“[Tonight] was something to build on for sure,” said the 2011 MLS MVP. “Hopefully come Monday, we can limit their opportunities and capitalize on ours.”
