Bryan Rochez showed why Orlando City SC handed him a Designated Player contract with a two-goal performance Thursday to lead Honduras to a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Canada in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Rochez struck on either side of halftime, which along with a Dabirson Castillo goal, captured second place in Group B for Honduras and a spot in Saturday’s World Cup qualifying playoff.
For the already eliminated Canucks, their final match was much like their entire tournament: a mixed bag. They took a 2-1 lead into the locker room after goals from Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Marco Bustos and Toronto FC forward Jordan Hamilton (above) but then surrendered the second-half deciders.
Canada controlled large portions of the first half and struck first in the 18th minute when Bustos took a feed in the box off a slight deflection from a Honduras defender and fired past goalkeeper Roberto Lopez with his left foot.
Honduras answered five minutes later when a Canadian defender attempted to clear a Junior Lacayo cross from the left wing, but it deflected off the bar and straight to Rochez for the easy finish.
But Canada took a one-goal advantage before halftime when a long pass in the 40th minute deflected off a Honduras defender and straight to Hamilton for a sliding, right-footed finish.
Castillo nabbed the equalizer on a header off a Jhow Benavidez free kick in the 68th minute. And then in the 83rd minute, Rochez found space just beyond the penalty area and fired a right-footed missile to the upper corner past Canadian goalkeeper Marco Carducci, also of the Whitecaps, for the winner.
The Canucks were unable to produce any shots the rest of the way and wrapped up their disappointing tournament with a 1-4-0 record, their only win coming on a 3-1 victory over Haiti in the opener. Canada has failed to qualify for the U-20 World Cup since hosting the tournament in 2007.
