With one especially surprising result, Group B in the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament began Wednesday at The Home Depot Center. Canada earned an unexpected 1-1 draw versus Mexico, while Guatemala made sure the one goal they managed to score held up, as they defeated Haiti 1-0.
Marvin Avila scored for Guatemala in the first match, who now leads the group with three points. Will Johnson scored for Canada and Luis Angel Landin for Mexico, who are tied with one point apiece.
Guatemala managed the majority of possession throughout the game, but it was an opportunistic counterattack that launched Avila alone on goal in the 27th minute. He looked to be a bit offside, but no whistle blew. Goalkeeper Johnny Placide came out, but Avila won the individual dual by slotting the ball low and hard to the 'keeper's left.
Though Haiti's athleticism earned them a few chances against the wily Guatemalans, their direct approach was regularly thwarted.
"We did not use the width of the field often enough and there wasn't enough shooting," Haiti coach Wilmer Etienne acknowledged.
It didn't help that Haiti lost a player, Olrish Saurel, to injury in only the 22nd minute.
"It was difficult to have to substitute a player so early," said Etienne. "We substituted another player in the first half for strategic reasons, to try to get more attack into out game. But that left us few options in the second half."
Guatemala, meanwhile, spurned a number of opportunities to seal the match. Avila admitted his responsibility.
"I could have scored three goals, and I should have," said Avila.
Though he admitted that his squad could have played better, Guatemalan coach Rodrigo Kenton understood the value of the result.
"Three points is three points. That's what we came for, and even if we could improve, that's what we got," Kenton said. "We're looking ahead to the next game now."
In the second match, Mexico fought back from an early goal to tie Canada. Both teams had a player expelled and the atmosphere was heated, with Mexico's many fans urging the team on in the stands.
Canadian coach Nick Dasovic was pleased with the draw. However, Mexican coach Hugo Sanchez wasn't.
"We wanted the three points," said Sanchez. "We had many clear opportunities at the goal, and we deserved to win."
Canada's players were more relieved than triumphant.
"When the guys came into the locker room, they weren't celebrating," said Dascovic. "It was like they were coming in from a war."
It was Will Johnson, a former Chicago Fire player, who took a pass from Andraze Ornoch and hammered it into the roof of the net to open the scoring.
"We dominated the game," said Mexico's Cesar Villaluz. "In the first few minutes, we lost a concentration a little bit, and that cost us the goal."
Edgar Castillo played impressively all game long, providing Mexico with the best attacking opportunities via his runs down the flank. The equalizer fell when Landin played a give-and-go combination with Villaluz that sprung him into the area, where he tangled up with defender Andrew Hainault. The referee signaled for a penalty, and Landin put the spot kick away.
"They're a fantastic team," said Dasovic. "It's all about attacking patterns. As much as you want to stop them, it's very hard. I have the utmost respect for Mexico."
Still, Dasovic thought his squad had a tiny advantage over their North American neighbors from the start. "We have pressure as a Canadian team, but the pressure on Mexico is that much greater, because they are a footballing country," he said.
In the second half, Mexico looked as if it would score at any moment, as the team's tricky combinations had the Canadians backpedaling. However, in the 67th minute, Landin lost the ball and charged after it, making the crucial error of lifting his foot up too far as he tried to tackle the ball. The referee issued a second yellow card (Landin had earned one in the 55th), and suddenly the momentum that Mexico had been building was stopped cold.
Canada didn't really take advantage of having an extra man. Weariness was likely to blame.
"Tired legs. There is no two ways about it," Dasovic said, pointing out that many of his players were either out of shape in the college offseason, or jetlagged from flying out to join the team from Europe. "One guy flew 30 hours to get here."
Mexico meanwhile, kept dominating nearly every area of the field.
"I was proud of how our team kept attacking, even when we were a man down," said Sanchez.
Mexico's fortunes improved when Johnson was whistled for a tackle from behind and shown a red card.
With equal numbers on either side, Mexico quickly took over the game again, though their players were continuously stymied in their attempts on goal. Castillo nearly won the match in injury time when his shot trickled wide of goal despite having bested goalkeeper Josh Wagenaar.
Ultimately, the result held, leaving Mexico in the unexpected position of having to beat Guatemala on Friday to take over the group lead; Canada takes on Haiti to begin the doubleheader. But Sanchez dismissed criticism that Mexico should have been able to defeat Canada easily.
"Soccer isn't math. We knew that this would be a difficult match, even though some people didn't believe that," he said. "All these games aren't easy."
Andrea Canales is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
