ANALYSIS – The CanMNT did just enough to earn themselves a draw and therefore, advance to the 2024 Copa América quarterfinals stage at the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Canada scored only one goal in the group stage of the 2024 Copa América competition, but it was just enough for Canada to stay alive in this competition.
The CanMNT Did Just Enough For a Copa América Quarterfinals Berth
ANALYSIS – The CanMNT did just enough to earn themselves a draw and therefore, advance to the 2024 Copa América quarterfinals stage. Canada scored only one goal in the group stage of the 2024 Copa América competition, but it was just enough for Canada to stay alive in this competition.
The CanMNT Did Just Enough For a Copa América Quarterfinals Berth
Richie Laryea Had An Excellent Game For The CanMNT
Richie Laryea used his speed and troubled Chile’s defence for most of the game. This included playing a big part in Gabriel Suazo getting a second yellow, and a red card. This resulted in Canada being a man-up from the 27-minute onward. There were also other plays including:
- Laryea earned his team a corner.
- Laryea was a pass away from potentially assisting a game-winning goal but was stopped by a Chile defender.
Laryea, along with other players like Cyle Larin, played a big role in Canada earning so many corners during the game. They will look to take some of that aggressiveness into the Copa América quarterfinals. Also, the red card forced Chile to play more defensive, meaning that Maxime Crépeau did not have to have a busy night like when the team went against Peru or Argentina.
Maxime Crépeau Made Some Key Saves Late In The Game
Crépeau did not have much to do compared to his other two games. Still, he had to make four saves in this game, and he had to be alert. Two heads-up plays from Crépeau included:
- Grabbing the cross from Sanchez into the box with one hand.
- He made a good save in the 74-minute and was alert to the danger in the 87-minute.
The Most Valuable Player of the Copa América tournament so far for Canada is Crépeau. While he was not required to do as much as the previous two games, he came up big for Canada when it was needed.
Chile’s Defence and Goalkeeping Played Well
While one can say that many of Canada’s runs were not timed well, Chile did defend Canada very well. This was a big reason why the game remained scoreless, despite Chile being a man-down for most of the game. Some of these plays included:
- Paulo Diaz prevented a big scoring chance for Canada as Richie Laryea’s pass was blocked.
- Mauricio Isla and Chile played good defence, in general, to make Alphonso Davies and Jacob Shaffelburg uncomfortable with the ball.
Chile respected Shaffelburg’s game after his game against Peru. Not to mention, some of the big stops the Chile goalkeeper, Gabriel Arias, had to make including stopping a shot from Stephen Eustaquio just before the first half ended.
Other Factors: Alistair Johnston Had A Good Game
READ MORE: CanMNT Gets First-Ever Win in Copa América
One other thing to note is that Alistair Johnston and Cyle Larin both had great games as Johnston delivered accurate crosses and Larin played a big role in Canada’s earning corners. There was also Tajon Buchanan, who came in as a substitute and made a difference in the game, almost resulting in a goal by Tani Oluwaseyi, before the goal was called off for offside.
Still, Canada got the job done, as they finished runners-up to Argentina in Group A of the competition (Argentina defeated Peru 2-0 in the other Copa América game). They will now play the winner of Group B, who will be either Ecuador, Mexico, or Venezuela. A significant reason for that was their ability to keep clean sheets, as CanMNT head coach, Jesse Marsch, said this (Source: Alex Kirkland of ESPN FC):
“When I took the job, I knew the group,” Marsch said on Saturday. “I knew the task at hand was going to be difficult. But we’ve played five matches and had clean sheets in eight of the 10 halves.
This is what Crépeau said about what it meant to advance to the quarterfinals stage of the 2024 Copa América competition (Source: True North Football X Account):
Crépeau did not go to the FIFA World Cup in 2022 because of an injury he suffered in the 2021 MLS Cup Final, in which he won the MLS Cup for the very first time with Los Angeles FC.
How to Watch the Game
READ MORE: CanMNT vs Chile: Copa América Quarterfinal Within Reach
The CanMNT will play at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas at 9:00pm ET. As mentioned before, they will face either Ecuador, Mexico, or Venezuela, with Venezuela most likely right now as they have two wins heading into Sunday’s games. That game will be televised nationally on TSN/RDS.
Photo Credit: CanMNT X EN Account and the CanMNT X FR Account on June 29, 2024.
