Canada vs Trinidad and Tobago: Key Insights from Copa America Qualification
Canada is heading to Copa America after a tense but ultimately deserved 2-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in a one-off play-in match. Cyle Larin scored in the 61st minute and Jacob Shaffelburg sealed the win in added time, but Canada barely did enough to put to bed a Trinidad and Tobago team that has a fraction of the quality that Canada does.
Canada had their chances and need to play to their capabilities to put up a fight against some quality opponents this summer, which will begin with Lionel Messi and Argentina in the Copa America opening match.
Canada’s quality only came in glimpses
First, the positives: Stephen Eustaquio rose to the moment in his first game as Canada’s new captain, pulling the strings and playing composed, smart soccer in the middle of the park for the entirety of the game. His challenges kept Trinidad and Tobago at bay and when Canada did have their chances, it was often because of Eustaquio’s smart passing and movement. Goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau left no doubt as to his capability as Canada’s new starter in a post-Milan Borjan era. He made multiple saves in tight and his distribution helped Canada’s wide game immensely.
But the negatives outweigh the positives, even after a win: Alphonso Davies has looked capable of winning games alone for Canada in the past, but his performance against Trinidad and Tobago wasn’t always sharp. Some of Canada’s attacking players, such as Ike Ugbo, never looked like they could test the opposition. And while Jonathan David showed glimpses of the goal-scoring prowess that has netted him 16 goals in Ligue 1 this season, more consistency is needed.
Nashville SC forward Jacob Shaffelburg’s full-throttle strike into the top of the net in added time showed why Mauro Biello wanted to turn the roster over to his younger players. Those kinds of sparks provide some optimism for the future, but the fact that this result looked in doubt until late in the second half for Canada speaks to how much more they’ll need from their best players in the future. The gap in quality between Canada and Trinidad and Tobago is massive, but didn’t always look like it in Frisco.
Larin’s opening goal
After a lengthy stoppage in play that saw Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Denzil Smith on the ground for minutes on end, Canada stayed focused. Not surprisingly, it wasn’t a set piece that allowed them their best chance on goal, but their best interplay of the game down the right flank between Cyle Larin and Tajon Buchanan. The one-touch passing and movement saw Larin have a clear chance on goal. He’d looked snake-bitten after a first half chance saw him from in close saw him put a soft shot directly at Smith, but in the 61st minute he made no mistake, coolly sliding a slow shot past Smith.
The goal was Larin’s 29th for Canada, adding to his tally as the team’s all-time leading scorer. There’s a mercurial element to his performances, yes, but he was still the top goalscorer though 2022 CONCACAF World Cup qualifying and he recently found the back of the net four times in six Copa Del Rey matches for Mallorca. It was Larin who said ahead of the match that patience and consistency were going to be paramount against Trinidad and Tobago, stating that Canada had to “never take our foot off the gas.” Larin showed why he is still a first-choice player for Canada.
Canada’s set pieces continually sluggish
Coming into the game, Biello asked his team to be “resilient in the right moments.” He knew they’d be tested by a Trinidad and Tobago team set up to stifle them by crowding their own box. “The mindset has to be strong that when there is a difficult moment, we have to be able to manage it,” Biello said.
Yet what was concerning was that many of those difficult moments ended up being self-inflicted. Once it became clear Trinidad and Tobago weren’t all that capable playing out of the back and could be forced into multiple corners, it felt like Canada might start getting dangerous set piece chances. And yet once Canada started taking corner after corner, the opposite proved true: Alphonso Davies struggled to put the ball into dangerous places near the goal, Canada’s lack of height up top hurt them, as did their creativity. That Canada had more than 10 corners in the first half and didn’t turn that into a single glaring chance? If you’re looking for an accurate summarization of a middling half, that’s it. Indefensible stuff from Canada to start the game.
Canada to kick off Copa
In a little under three months, Canada will face their stiffest competition in years, but the kind of competition they say they need nonetheless: Lionel Messi and the 2022 World Cup champions Argentina. With their win over Trinidad and Tobago, Canada gained entry into Group A of the 2024 Copa America and will open the tournament against Argentina on June 20 in Atlanta. Canada will then face Peru and Chile to round out their group stage, making for a difficult but necessary few games. Peru and Chile are ranked 33rd and 42nd respectively in the latest FIFA rankings.
For too long, Canada struggled to find high-quality opponents to test themselves. Their appearance in the 2022 World Cup, when they finished 31st of 32 teams, showcased why playing CONCACAF opponents alone isn’t going to provide the tactical awareness Canada need. Canada did enough to get past Trinidad and Tobago but they’re also welcoming a new, difficult reality. If they want to remain among the region’s best, improving their performances in Copa America is where they’re going to have to start.