It’s a bit of a mis-match on paper, Canada vs. Martinique.
But the Reds maintain they won’t be taking the Caribbean country lightly when they meet Sunday in Pasadena, Calif., in their opening game at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Martinique is Canada’s easiest opponent of its group, which also includes Panama and Mexico. While Martinique is unranked by FIFA, Mexico is No. 20, Panama is 51st, and Canada is 88th.
Programming alert: Watch every game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup live on Sportsnet World and Sportsnet World Online | Match & TV schedule | Tournament preview
Historically, the tiny Island nation has struggled at the Gold Cup, posting one win in eight games (with two draws and five losses) and has been outscored 20-5.
But throughout Canada’s 10-day training camp in California ahead of the tournament, interim coach Colin Miller has drilled it into his players’ heads not to look past Martinique.
“We’ve hammered it home every day here, our total focus to this point has been on Martinique and that will remain so until after the game and then our focus will be on Mexico,” Miller said.
It’s clearly sunk in with the players, including veteran midfielder Julian de Guzman, who said the Martinique match will set the tone for Canada’s Gold Cup campaign.
“This is the most important match. It will also probably be the hardest. We know what Mexico and Panama bring to the table. Martinique is a tricky team to deal with, especially in the opener. It’s important we get a win here,” de Guzman stated.
Defender David Edgar suggested that games against an opponent like Martinique are the ones that Canada has to worry about the most.
“There’s no looking past them. That’s been our focus since the start of camp. We haven’t even spoken about the Mexican game,” Edgar stated.
After Sunday’s contest, Canada faces off against Mexico in Seattle (July 11) and Panama in Denver (July 14). The top two teams from each of the three groups, plus the two highest-seeded third-place teams, will advance to the quarter-finals.
A win against Martinique is crucial for Canada if it has any hope of moving on to the next round, especially with more difficult tests ahead against Panama and Mexico.
De Guzman suspects Martinique will try to park as many bodies behind the ball when not in possession to try to thwart the Canadian side, and then break out on the counter-attack when the chance presents itself.
“They’re very athletic and very fast. They’re the type of team that we have to be very disciplined against, and be patient. If they make one mistake, we have to punish them – that’s one way of breaking these kinds of teams down,” de Guzman said.
More on the Gold Cup: De Guzman living in the moment | Big opportunity for Edgar at Gold Cup | Silver linings at Gold Cup | Bernier not bitter about Gold Cup omission | Canada duty could hurt TFC’s Osorio
With Canada in rebuilding mode, it’s hardly surprising that Miller put together a young team featuring no less than eight players with limited international experience, many of whom haven’t even earned their first cap for Canada.
Canada is taking a long-term view, trying to give its young prospects playing time in order to give them experience and allow them to develop in time for the next World Cup qualifying cycle.
That being said, Miller has no intention of throwing his young bucks to the wolves at this tournament, suggesting that they will have to earn their place on the field with strong performances in training camp.
“There’s an assessment being made every day in training to see how the young guys are handling this environment. They’re coming from their own club environment where they’re fairly comfortable, now they’re coming into a national team environment where it’s a step higher obviously,” Miller stated.
“So to throw a full team of young lads into a fixture against Martinique wouldn’t be the right way to do it.”
Some veterans did not earn an invitation to play for Canada this time around, most notably Dwayne de Rosario, Canada’s all-time leading scorer, and Patrice Bernier, regarded as one of the top midfielders in MLS.
But de Guzman retained his place, and with 63 caps to his credit, he is the most experienced player on the team, and will be looked upon to mentor the youngsters.
“It’s an eye opener to be one of the few veterans, but at the same time I’m really pleased to still be a part of this team at this stage in my career,” de Guzman said.
“I really enjoy being a part of the new look team, and helping in the development of the young guys in camp. It’s a huge honour for me.”
NOTES: Striker Randy Edwini-Bonsu is questionable for Sunday’s match because of a knee injury… Canada has replaced San Jose Earthquakes defender Nana Attakora with D.C. United striker Kyle Porter on its 23-man roster. Attakora did not report into camp due to an ongoing injury concern… Canada has one win and two draws in three all-time meetings versus Martinique dating back to 1993… Canada won the Gold Cup in 2000 and made it to the semifinals on two other occasions (2002 and 2007). It failed to advance beyond the group stage at the last Gold Cup in 2011.
Sportsnet World Online: Now you can watch all the best international soccer from wherever you are live on your computer. Sportsnet World Online is a new online only service that you can subscribe to, and there are many different subscription options. For more details and to subscribe, CLICK HERE