The Canada national team made it two wins out of two on Friday night with a second friendly victory over Barbados, dismissing their Caribbean opposition 4-1 in a match played in California.
Canada have opened 2020 with back-to-back victories over Barbados, winning another friendly by the same score back on Tuesday. This time, Charles-Andreas Brym, Russell Teibert, Amer Didic and Jayden Nelson scored for the Canucks, who will step up in class when they face Iceland in another friendly on Wednesday evening.
“The players are happy with the performance as it has been a quick turnaround between games with a lot of changing faces, but the group seem to be getting stronger as we build towards the Iceland match,” said Canada coach John Herdman. “We knew it was going to be a physical test and the players rose to that challenge. They maintained their commitment to attack and press which was pleasing given where many of them are at with their club seasons.”
Herdman's side will need every positive result possible as they try to climb above other Concacaf teams in the FIFA World Rankings.
As of December, Canada are No. 73 in the world and seventh in Concacaf, four spots behind El Salvador. The top six Concacaf teams in the rankings as of June will automatically qualify for the hexagonal round of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with three automatic bids on the line.
All other Concacaf teams will play in a separate qualifying tournament, with the winner to face the fourth-place hexagonal finisher, and the winner of that playoff heading to an intercontinental playoff with a World Cup berth on the line.
CANADA LINEUP
Maxime Crepeau (GK), Richie Laryea (Ashtone Morgan 62'), Derek Cornelius, Amer Didic, Zrhan Bassong; Samuel Piette (Shamit Shome 46'), Russel Teibert (Jayden Nelson 59'), Liam Fraser (Noble Okello 81'), Jonathan Osorio (Tristan Borges 70'); Charles-Andres Brym, Tesho Akindele (Jacob Shaffelburg 69').
