Ok. Fine. Maybe we should tone down the hyperbole a bit. And maybe the only way we’re going to Russia is on a tourist visa. Still, that was a nice little win today.
Despite getting all kinds of CONCACAF thrown at them, a young and gritty Canadian team got the job done. A 1-0 win over Guatemala – Yes, it could have been 1-1 (it could have also been 2-0). But, it wasn't – is exactly the type of building block Canada needs and it should be enough to calm down those on the other side of the hyperbole continuum.
Maybe we aren't doomed against that powerhouse El Salvador in the Gold Cup. Maybe we should just get on with it and actually see what happens in World Cup qualifying. Maybe we have enough to get by (it appears) Dominica after all!
The shadow of that game isn't going to go away quickly. The momentum that was building at the end of the cycle was understandably stopped in its tracks. Canadian fans are going to need to start from the bottom again and build up the interest again. That’s fine. We’ve done it before, we’ll do it again. And, when they do break through the fight will have been worth it.
But, enough of the pep talk. Let’s look at today:
What went right? Well, first of all they scored. That hasn't been that easy since the end of 2014 qualifying. So, when Marcus Haber’s banging header found the back of the net it was a great relief for those that care about this team. It was a good goal too. Kyle Bekker whipped in the ball off a dead ball. And Haber made no mistake.
Julian de Guzman almost made it two minutes later in a twenty minute stretch that was pure dreamland for CanMNT fans.
It got closer after that. But, that leads to the second good thing they did today.
They didn't allow. That’s obvious in many ways, but they didn't give up a lot of chances and when they did Milan Borjan was there to save the day. A great scramble back to tip the ball over the bar off a tricky long shot that got caught up in the wind highlighted his game.
It wasn't perfect. We are Canada. Still, after the last couple years it was awfully nice to see a little bit of light at the end of what has been a very deep and very dark tunnel.
Allez les Rouge. On to Puerto Rico. On to World Cup Qualifying.
Ah, what the hell: On to Russia!