Canada's dreams of reaching Russia 2018 took a hit on Friday, as the North American nation suffered a 2-1 loss on the road to Honduras in a CONCACAF World Cup Qualifier on Friday.
Playing in the same stadium in which they suffered an embarrassing 8-1 loss to Honduras in 2012, the Canadians put forth an improved performance and even had the lead temporarily. Unfortunately for Benito Floro and his men, they were second-best to Honduras in most departments and could do little to prevent the home team from rallying to victory.
Here are the player grades for Canada following the 2-1 defeat to Honduras:
Milan Borjan (8). Single-handedly prevented the game from getting out of hand with at least three massive saves. Couldn’t be individually faulted on either goal.
Marcel de Jong (5.5). Started slow but gained confidence as the game went along.
Dejan Jakovic (4). Had trouble keeping pace with the Honduran attack.
Manjrekar James (7). Had a few cringe-worthy moments (including committing a foul that could have been whistled for a penalty kick), but made plenty of solid interventions and scored Canada’s goal.
Doneil Henry (5). As per the universal rule of player ratings, he ended up neutral—had a few troublesome moments but also made a few important defensive plays.
Junior Hoilett (5). Largely neutralized by the Honduran defense in his first game for Canada in San Pedro Sula.
Atiba Hutchinson (6.5). It wasn’t his first rodeo in Honduras (it was his fourth), and he showed his customary calm control on the ball in most situations.
David Edgar (5.5). A decent performance in an unfamiliar central midfield role.
Scott Arfield (6). Good set piece delivery throughout the game, including on the Canadian goal.
Tesho Akindele (5.5). Had good early possession and caused some issues for the Honduran defense. Subbed out early in the second half.
Cyle Larin (5). As usual, found himself isolated up top. Couldn’t do much to make his impression upon the game.
Subs:
Tosaint Ricketts (5). Full of running—as is his wont—but unable to turn the attack tides for Canada after coming on as a second-half sub.
Adam Straith (5). Came on as an injury substitution for James; didn’t stand out for either positive or negative reasons in his time on the field.
Nik Ledgerwood (5). A baffling late sub for striker Cyle Larin, he presumably played his part (insofar as Honduras didn’t score any additional goals after he came on).
