We all had a bad feeling heading into the Canada-Honduras match in Montreal.
It began with rumblings that unlike the Jamaica match in Toronto, this would be a pro-Honduran crowd. It continued when we checked out the pitch earlier in the week to find it ruined.
For reasons nobody can explain it went from the best pitch in Canada to perhaps the worst. It would seem that a combination of heavy rain and heavy traffic was too much for the young roots on this new grass to grab hold, so there was the unbelievable scene a few hours before game time of stadium crew frantically laying down various sized pieces of sod to fill in the bad spots.
A band aid fix at best.
Our apprehension was confirmed when it became apparent several hours before kick off that Dale Mitchell's starting 11 were causing considerable consternation. All of this occurred during a heavy downpour for about an hour during which the Honduran supporters happily waited outside the gates.
They had arrived by noon.
Now to the game.
There's no doubt the players are feeling a rush of anger, bitterness, frustration and resentment in the wake of the disastrous 2-1 loss. I will join them in the resentment department. There was the shameful scene at the final whistle of several hundred Canadian supporters in one end zone, swarmed by a much larger and volatile throng of Honduran fans.
Yes there were fights.
I can't comment on who started it, as my vantage point was the broadcast booth. But the entire evening felt like Tegucigalpa. Yet this was Canada. There is no question that Honduran fans outnumbered Canadian supporters at Stade Saputo. It was shocking. Why can we not get beyond this? It would appear the only way to tackle the issue is with a concerted, determined, organized mobilization of hard-core Canadian supporters.
And it would also appear the only place capable of mounting such a charge is Toronto. So much for Montreal and the natural grass pitch at Stade Saputo being the dream home for Canada's national soccer team; that suggestion has been shattered and I join you in your resentment.
I join you with that sick feeling in your gut when you come to watch your national team play in front of a hostile crowd and they boo the home team as they enter the pitch in Montreal, Canada.
It would seem to me the venue of choice for Canada should be wherever the team has the best chance of winning, all factors considered. I don't know how you can argue with Toronto, artificial turf or not. Having said all that, the crowd, the pitch, the rain, whatever; the Honduras were clearly the better side.
It’s a real head-scratcher to determine where the so-called best midfield in CONCACAF has gone. There are no doubt grumblings behind closed doors within the Canadian camp. There will be finger pointing. And there will be questions asked. Did the players not perform?
Evidently.
Did the coach not coach? I don't know.
And it’s a very optimistic viewpoint to think that Canada can survive now. There is good news however. There are still 12 points available from Canada's remaining four matches. Those 12 points would not only see Canada through, but would likely win the group as that would mean two victories over Mexico.
I know. You're laughing out loud right now.
So much for the good news, because the reality is, it’s all bad.
Canada has only one home match remaining and that's against powerhouse Mexico. The other three are all in Central America. And the last time Canada won a World Cup qualifier south of the Rio Grande when Canada still had a chance to move on was in 1996.
