ANALYSIS – Canada and Mexico both finished the September window with one win and one draw. This included the draw between the two national teams on Tuesday night at the AT&T Stadium.
Canada and Mexico Finishes Unbeaten in September
Dayne St. Clair Played Well
READ MORE: Dayne St. Clair: The Young and Promising CanMNT Goalkeeper
The purpose of these friendlies is to find out the depth of this team and how well they played. In the last game against the U.S., it was players such as Mathieu Choinière and Ali Ahmed that had a big game, and in this game, it was Dayne St. Clair. He was not busy, but he had to be alert and make key saves at certain points of the game.
St. Clair looked alert all game and was aware of the danger. He also has quick reflexes shown when he saved Roberto Alvarado’s shot.
Jesse Marsch was also very impressed with St. Clair’s performance, and had this to say about him (Source: OneSoccer X Account):
Alphonso Davies Played Well Defensively
Yes, as usual, Derek Cornelius and Moïse Bombito played well defensively. However, it is important to note that Alphonso Davies excelled defensively against Mexico. Some of these plays include:
- Davies made a good defensive play in the 36 minute of play.
- Most notable though, in the 89 minute of the game, Davies made a fantastic block, to prevent a clear-cut scoring opportunity for Mexico.
Davies by reputation is Canada’s best player and is the CANMNT’s captain. There is a lot expected from him and for him to make that play shows that he can is not afraid to put his body on the line to help the team get a result. He also saw some great things about the team as well, as he said this about the Canadian men’s national team (Source: Matthew Scianitti of TSN):
“I see a team that wants to win.”
Mexico Played Well Defensively
Despite Canada looking like the more dangerous team, Mexico only allowed them one shot on goal. That shot on goal was a header by Cyle Larin, which was spectacularly stopped by Mexican goalkeeper, Luis Malagón, which might have been save of the match.
However, when looking at some of the defensive plays in this game, Mexico was able to trouble Canada. Some examples of this includes:
- Emily Alvarado comes as a backup and steals the ball away from Liam Millar.
- There was a play when the Mexican number two player, Iván Vázquez, made two big blocks on Millar and Richie Laryea.
Other Factors: Mexico Was Very Physical
What was most noticeable was that the Mexican players were very physical during the game. They fouled a lot and tried to prevent Canada from advancing the ball forward. Even the CANMNT head coach, Jesse Marsch, noticed it as he stated this (Source: TSN):
“I think it’s a huge measure of respect in how far we’ve come as a team that an opponent like Mexico comes here with a totally pro-Mexican crowd and just tries to disrupt the game against us,” the head coach told TSN’s Matthew Scianitti on Tuesday night after the 0-0 draw with El Tri, comments he also made in his post-match press conference.
Now, this method might not be conventional, and it might not have worked well if VAR has around. However, the Mexicans took full advantage of this as they fouled Canadian players, who are more athletic and faster than the Mexican national men’s soccer team.
This can also be seen as a sign of respect by the Mexican national team. Just 10 years, a 2-0 losing effort against Mexico at BC Place was seen as a positive result, how things have now changed for the better for the Canadian men’s national soccer team.
READ MORE: The CANMNT September Roster Revealed – Analysis
Games Coming Up in October
READ MORE: Mexico v Canada: Both Look to Remain Unbeaten This Month
Both teams will host one game each in October. Mexico will host the U.S. at Estadio Azteca on October 15 at 10:30pm ET. Similarly, on the same day, Canada will host Panama at BMO Field on October 15 at 7:30pm ET. There seems no doubt right now that Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and Panama are the best teams in Concacaf right now as all four teams will start their 2024-25 Concacaf Champions League competition in November.
Marsch is really looking forward to playing in Canada at BMO Field in both October and November (Source: OneSoccer X Account):
Photo Credit: CANMNT X Account on September 10, 2024.
