Mission accomplished: Canada top Gold Cup group, quarterfinals next

Former CF Montréal midfielder Mathieu Choiniére sliced the tension in a single pass.

With inches of space, he found Jonathan David, who caressed the ball into the side netting for a breakthrough goal. Shortly after, former New England Revolution star Tajon Buchanan added a second for the eventual 2-0 win over El Salvador at Houston Dynamo FC’s Shell Energy Stadium.

Mission accomplished. First place in Group B secured.

While they had to fight for it in a match that saw El Salvador reduced to nine men, Canada secured a quarterfinal matchup with Guatemala and bounced back from a disappointing draw against Curaçao.

“Typical Concacaf,” David told TSN post-match Tuesday night. “I think it was a bit chaotic and there were a lot of fouls, but we know we expected this, so we're just ready for it.”

Marsch returns

It wasn’t the match head coach Jesse Marsch would have hoped for in his return from a two-match suspension. Instead of the free-flowing and high-pressing play for which his CanMNT have become known for, things descended into classic Concacaf chaos.

When the final whistle sounded, the teams had combined for 30 fouls, seven yellow cards and two red cards. El Salvador finished with just 73 passes compared to Canada’s 428, and Les Rouges held 80 percent possession.

“We knew that El Salvador was going to be very physical and make it hard on us,” Marsch told reporters. “Right now, I really don't care about the spectators as much as winning the group and moving on... I'm happy with the concentration and the discipline that we showed and the fact that we got the win.”

Even with the stop-start contest, winning under pressure was a vital step. It indicated the CanMNT can adapt, a quality they struggled with against Curaçao and at last summer's Copa América.

“We were organized and disciplined, and we were the aggressor for most of the match,” Marsch added. “Our team showed awareness and experience and discipline, and then we got a lot of guys to play minutes.”

Midfield options grow

Canada’s midfield options also continued to develop against El Salvador, with the double-pivot of Choiniére and 21-year-old Niko Sigur standing out.

For Sigur, it was his first minutes as a central midfielder for the CanMNT, finally getting the chance to play the position he excels at for Hajduk Split in Croatia. While Sigur's poise has helped him thrive at right back, the former Vancouver Whitecaps academy player brought it to midfield and perfectly set up Buchanan for the second goal, adding to the goal he scored against Honduras.

“There was a little more fighting than football being played, but that’s okay,” Sigur told TSN. “[Midfield] is something I enjoy playing, as well as getting on the ball as much as I can.

“Maybe this game, I wasn't able to showcase as much as I'd like, but at the end of the day, it’s three points and we can move on.”

While Choiniére has carved himself a key role, the Gold Cup group stage showcased Canada’s depth at the position. Sigur and Montréal’s Nathan Saliba have impressed, while former CFMTL homegrown player Ismaël Koné has also returned to form.

The internal competition will also continue to intensify with veteran midfielder Stephen Eustáquio set to join the CanMNT after FC Porto were eliminated from the FIFA Club World Cup.

“El Salvador was tough to break down in some moments, but when we got the first, and then we got the second, and we kind of calmed down,” Sigur added. “In these kinds of games, it's tough to keep your head, but in the end, we did, and then we move on to Guatemala.”

Knockout stage next

Although Canada would have preferred nine points, winning the group for the first time in 16 years was their primary goal, and they will be the favorites against Guatemala, the No. 106-ranked team in the current FIFA World Rankings.

That's especially after landing on some lineup decisions following the group stage.

In particular, the backline of Toronto FC’s Richie Laryea, Luc de Fougerolles, Derek Cornelius and Alistair Johnston appears to be the route going forward, an essential clarity after three different starting backlines in as many games.

“That’s a good backline for us. I think we'll be counting on it as the tournament continues,” Marsch said. “We didn't extend ourselves too much physically, so I think we should be able to be ready for another tough match against Guatemala.”

Should they advance past Guatemala, they would face either a heated rivalry matchup against the United States or a skilled and determined Costa Rica in the semifinals as they continue the hunt for the program’s first trophy since 2000.

“I think today it was about character,” Laryea said, reflecting on the group stage. “[We had] three very different games, but I think all equal and good situations for us to prepare for the quarterfinals.”