The Canadian national team will prepare for the semifinal round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying with a tough clash against one of Africa's best, according to a report last week in French sports newspaper L'Equipe.
The report states that Canada will meet Ghana in an international friendly in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Oct. 13, presumably at RFK Stadium. Having booked a place in the next round of qualifiers with this month's 4-1 aggregate win over Belize, Les Rouges are seeking a useful test as they brace for a stout CONCACAF Group A assignment against Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador.
Currently 27th in the FIFA World Rankings, one slot ahead of the United States, Ghana will kick off their own World Cup journey later this year when they meet either Comoros or Lesotho in the second round of African qualifying.
While less familiar for Canada, both Ghana and RFK are well-known to US observers. The Black Stars knocked the US national team out of both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups before the Yanks finally took revenge with a dramatic victory in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup. The USMNT just visited D.C. for a comeback 2-1 friendly win over Peru on Sept. 4.
As Toronto FC fan site Waking the Red notes, an Oct. 13 meeting with Ghana could pose some challenges for the Canadian coaching staff. Head coach Benito Floro will also be leading the U-23 squad in the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament, which is scheduled to climax with the championship and third-place matches at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, on the same night.
