Canada v. Mexico. Winner gets an Olympic spot, loser goes home.
A game of that magnitude really doesn't need much additional hype. So when speaking to the media on Friday, the day before the showdown, Canadian head coach Tony Fonseca kept his cards relatively close to his chest. But he was clear about one thing: Canada fully believes it can gain a result on Saturday night.
"It's like playing the lottery," said Fonseca. "You're in it to win it."
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Interesting choice of analogy, since some observers are putting the young Canadians' chances at about as likely as hitting the jackpot. But Fonseca, as expected, pointed to the win against the U.S. -- and respectable showings against El Salvador and Cuba -- as evidence of the team's potential.
"People thought we were going to be easy, we were going to be the easiest team in the tournament," he said. "It shows they don't have any belief in what we're doing."
Still, Fonseca is under no delusions about what his side will come up against in the do-or-die match.
"Obviously we are very aware of what Mexico can do, and we're going to try to prepare for that," he said, brushing off suggestions that recent positive results by Canadian teams against Mexican sides -- including Toronto FC's draw against Santos Laguna on Wednesday -- could bode well for his team.
"We don't focus too much on the past, to be honest; the past belongs in museums. It's about the present, it's about what we should be doing and what we can do."
He said that after playing three games in five days, with "a high level of stress", his young team was "drained", but that the players have "recovered well": "Now, I feel the squad is strong again and ready to compete."
With the attention of fans focused so keenly on the team after the American upset, Fonseca is well aware of what's at stake, beyond just the Olympic spot.
"We want to do our best," he said. "We know how important this is to the program."
He declined to offer much insight into his tactical or squad-selection approach as it relates to the Mexico match, but considering the way the roster has been rotated in Canada's three group-stage matches, there is plenty of room for speculation as to how things will line up for the all-important semifinal.
So let's get some of that speculation going! What do you think, folks?
Does Michal Misiewicz pull another rabbit out of a hat? Where does Russell Teibert fit into the line-up? With Edwini-Bonsu and Sodade out, who gets the start up front? Will Canada bunker and counter-attack, or go for it from the opening whistle?
And once all the questions have been asked, we'll await our answers... Canada v. Mexico kicks off at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) on Saturday, on Sportsnet and sportsnet.ca.
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