Territorial Canada Spoiling for a Fight
Craig Forrest knows now that it was not the right thing to say. Not even close, in fact.
But he said it and probably meant it. And because he did, the Edmonton Journal printed it. And because it did, Craig Forrest is not going to be starting in goal today when Canada plays the United States in a World Cup ’98 qualifying game.
He won’t even be in the country.
What Forrest, Canada’s top goalkeeper, said was this:
“There’s probably a fine for this, but it’s obvious: FIFA does not want a Canadian team in the World Cup. There are big-money guarantees for teams like the U.S. and Mexico.
“You walk out there [onto the field] and see the big FIFA banner saying ‘Fair Play.’ You’d like to think that means the same rules for both sides, but there was no sign of that.”
What sparked this outburst was Canada’s most recent qualifying game, against Mexico in Edmonton on Oct. 12. The Canadians, astonishingly, were leading, 2-1, with less than four minutes to play when Mexico’s Ramon Ramirez beat Forrest to tie the score.
The 2-2 result all but eliminated Canada from contention for a place in France ’98. A victory would have put it back in the race and made today’s 1 p.m. game at Swanguard Stadium in suburban Burnaby doubly meaningful.
Instead, if the U.S. (2-1-5) wins today, it clinches a berth in the World Cup, assuming Jamaica (3-2-3) also ties or defeats El Salvador (2-3-3) in San Salvador and Mexico (4-0-4) either ties or defeats Costa Rica (2-4-2) in Mexico City. But for Canada (1-4-3), about all that is left is the spoiler’s role.
The Canadians apparently relish that option, as the Toronto Globe and Mail pointed out Friday.
“Those who might expect an insipid game should think again,” the newspaper said. “Many of Canada’s players feel that the United States Soccer Federation has quietly but deliberately made sure they couldn’t find jobs in Major League Soccer. . . . So players have been quietly telling friends that their mission for this weekend is to ensure that the United States doesn’t clinch its ticket to next summer’s tournament in France on Canadian soil.”
Then there is the matter of Bob Lenarduzzi, Canada’s beleaguered coach.
Lenarduzzi was a leading player on the Canadian teams that reached the quarterfinals of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and qualified for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
But since taking over as coach of the Canadian national team in early 1992, Lenarduzzi’s fortunes have tumbled. Canada has failed to qualify for the ’94 World Cup in the United States, the ’95 Pan American Games in Argentina, the ’96 Atlanta Olympics and, now, the France ’98 World Cup.
Canada ends its qualifying campaign on the road in San Jose, Costa Rica, so today’s sold-out match probably will be Lenarduzzi’s last home game in charge of the team. With a 21-23-15 record, he has hinted strongly that he will resign before being fired.
So, in Canadian eyes, there are three motivating elements for Canada’s players today: FIFA’s alleged indifference to Canadian qualification, the MLS conspiracy theory (there is only one Canadian player, Tampa Bay defender Frank Yallop, in the league) and the popular coach’s last hurrah.
Canada was never going to be a pushover for the U.S. anyway. Despite their lack of success, the Canadians are unbeaten at home in qualifying games for France ’98. They might be abysmal on the road with three lopsided losses, but they have a victory and three ties at home.
Complicating matters for the United States team, which arrived in Vancouver on Friday afternoon after training all week in Portland, Ore., is the fact that it will be missing four starters.
Midfielder Tab Ramos underwent knee surgery for a torn ligament Monday and will be sidelined for at least six months. Goalkeeper Kasey Keller is recovering from a dislocated thumb. Team captain John Harkes received a second yellow card in the 1-1 tie against Mexico last Sunday and is suspended, as is defender Jeff Agoos, who was ejected from that game.
Agoos’ red card earned him a $1,000 fine from Coach Steve Sampson.
“We cannot put ourselves in this situation if we want to get to France,” Sampson said of the fine, the first he has levied in his 2 1/2 years as U.S. coach.
A fifth starter, forward Ernie Stewart, is listed as doubtful because of a calf strain.
All the same, the U.S., which defeated Canada, 3-0, at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto on March 16, is expected to be on the offensive throughout the game, which is being televised live on Channel 34 and on tape delay by ESPN2. The U.S. does not want to go into its final qualifying match, against El Salvador in Boston on Nov. 16, needing to win to get to France.
“What we’ve been saying all week is that the World Cup is [today],” Sampson said. “It’s not next June, it’s this weekend. . . . We must beat Canada, or at least get a tie, before going into the El Salvador match.
“We want to get it done this weekend and we also would like to finish second in the group. We don’t want to finish third. We’re a much better team than that.
“I think it’s pretty clear that Mexico is going to finish first. We would like to think of ourselves as the best in CONCACAF [soccer’s North and Central American and Caribbean region], but I think Mexico has proven over the last two years that it is the leader of CONCACAF right now. The last thing we want to do is slip farther behind. We want to at least be second.”
Today’s game will be markedly different from last Sunday’s. Then, there were 114,400 fans in Guillermo Canedo Stadium; today, bleachers have been erected to boost seating capacity to 8,000. Then, Mexico was heavily favored; today, the U.S. has the edge. Then, the heat and altitude played a role; today, cool temperatures and rain are likely. Then, a tie was a victory for the U.S.; today, a tie is a setback.
Canada has several players who cause Sampson some concern.
“[Alex] Bunbury [of Portugal’s FC Maritimo] is an outstanding player, probably their most dangerous striker,” Sampson said. “[Garret] Kusch tends to do all the hard work and allows Bunbury to get isolated and do something spectacular.
“Canada is the ultimate blue-collar team. They work very hard for each other, all the way down to the last second, especially playing at home. Even when they lost, 4-0, to Mexico in the first game, they came into Stanford thinking they could beat the United States. That is just the mentality that is driven into the Canadian players. We have to respect that.
“Outside of [Bunbury], there really aren’t any spectacular players. I think Jason Bent is a great young player. He’s 20 years old playing in the second division in Germany [with FSV Zwickau]. I thought he played exceptionally well against Mexico [in the 2-2 tie].”
As for Forrest, he will be back in England with his Premier League team, West Ham United. In his place, veteran backup Paul Dolan will start in goal for the Canadians.
Sampson, like others, was unimpressed by Forrest’s comments about FIFA.
“I think those kinds of statements are so ill-advised and he gains nothing by making them,” Sampson said. “I think Canada would be better served by qualifying for a World Cup and putting the resources into their program so that they can do that.”
But before looking ahead to Japan/South Korea 2002, the Canadians today are intent on being a speed bump on the United States’ road to France ’98.
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
Facts and Figures
* What: World Cup ’98 soccer qualifying match.
* Who: Canada vs. United States.
* Where: Swanguard Stadium, Burnaby, Canada.
* When: 1 p.m. today.
* TV: Channel 34 (live); ESPN2 (tape delay 5 p.m.).
* At stake: U.S. can clinch ’98 World Cup berth with victory.
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
World Cup ’98
CONCACAF Standings
*--*
Country W L T GF GA Pts *Mexico 4 0 4 20 4 16 Jamaica 3 2 3 5 10 12 U.S. 2 1 5 10 7 11 El Salvador 2 3 3 7 10 9 Costa Rica 2 4 2 7 8 8 Canada 1 4 3 4 14 6
*--*
*Clinched a berth in World Cup ‘98, to be played in France.
REMAINING GAMES
Today
Canada-USA, El Salvador-Jamaica; Mexico-Costa Rica.
Nov. 16
USA-El Salvador; Jamaica-Mexico; Costa Rica-Canada.
