Canada defeated Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 at Toyota Stadium in Dallas, TX on Saturday afternoon. A goal from Cyle Larin gave The Reds the lead in the second half and Jacob Shaffelburg’s stoppage-time strike sealed the deal.
Canada, as expected, played a large part of the match in control of the ball (ending the match with 62% possession). Their narrow attacking line in a 3-4-3 was problematic for Trinidad & Tobago who sat in a low block for most of the contest in a 5-3-2, relying on counterattacking play. Canada’s main threat, however, came from their wide men. Alphonso Davies and Tajon Buchanan were often isolated in 1 v 1 situations and sparked most of Canada’s attack in the final third.
After an early corner, Davies found himself on the right flank where he created the first chance for Canada. He cut inside the left wingback and ran across the box until he laid it off for Buchanan, but his shot went wide of the bar.
Trinidad & Tobago had been waiting for their moment to exploit Canada on a counterattack and their first chance came in the 17th minute. A sharp one-two between striker Levi Garcia and midfielder Jay Fortune put Garcia through against the keeper, but his shot went across the face of goal and just wide of the post.
Wide play was the continuous theme of the match and it finally paid off for Canda in the 61st minute. Buchanan cut inside from the right and found Ike Ugbo before a layoff to Larin. Mallorca’s main man made no mistake with a neat left-footed finish to the bottom corner of the goal.
J.J. Garcia gave Trinidad & Tobago their best chance to level the match with just minutes left in regulation. Another one-two chance came about, but this time, with Real Gill. With space just inside the box, the USL League One attacker’s attempt went straight to goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau. The Canadian’s save was just his second of the day. A few minutes later, Canada found themselves in a 4 v 2 on a counterattack with the clear focus of adding to their goal tally. Their plans were upended by a sliding Garcia, whose last-ditch effort kept his side in the match.
Just into stoppage time, the match was sealed for Canada after Jacob Shaffelburg’s goal. A well-worked counter saw them move the ball from end to end. Jonathan David was given the ball in open space and had loads of time to lay the ball off to Shaffelburg. The MLS man fired a rocket past goalkeeper Denzil Smith to secure Canada’s spot in this summer’s Copa America tournament.
With the 2-0 victory, the Canadians will face the heavy task of toppling World Cup Champion Argentina in Atlanta this summer as the opening match of CONMEBOL Copa America 2024. After today’s match, Honduras looked to upset Costa Rica to earn the final spot in the Copa America but were upended 3-1 by Los Ticos. Their victory will see them face Brazil in this summer’s tournament.
The Concacaf Nations League final will have the USA taking on Mexico tomorrow, Sunday, March 24, at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, TX. For coverage of tomorrow’s final, be sure to check here.
-Andre F.
Edited by Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of Concacaf.com