Canada ready to face USA in decisive Concacaf Nations League away match

Canada are ready to face their Concacaf rivals and North American neighbours USA in a crucial Friday night competitive clash in 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League. At stake in this second of a home-and-away series is first place in Group A of Concacaf Nations League and a spot in the Final Four in the inaugural season of the competition. The Friday 15 November match also offers valuable points on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings which will determine Canada’s pathway to the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™.
 
The away match kicks off at 19.00 local at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, USA and will be broadcast live across Canada on Bell, Rogers, SaskTel, Telus and OneSoccer.ca. Bell subscribers can watch live on Bell Satellite on CH 832 in HD and 399 in SD, Fibe TV on CH 994, Aliant Fibe TV on CH 549, and MTS Fibe TV on CH 1801. Rogers subscribers can watch live on Digital TV on CH 348 in HD and CH 350 in SD, and on Ignite TV on CH 499. Telus subscribers can watch live on OPTIK TV on CH 997. SaskTel subscribers can watch live on CH 605 in HD and CH 602 in SD.
 
Extended match day coverage is featured across Canada Soccer’s digital channels including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Fans are encouraged to follow Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team every step of the way by using their social media handle, #CANMNT.
 
“The players are focused and clear on what they need to do,” said John Herdman, Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team Head Coach. “They have come out of that win over USA with not only a level of confidence, but a real belief going into this game that they can compete. It is not bravado, it is not talk, it is genuine belief because they lived it.”
 
Canada are in first place perfect with nine points from three matches while USA are second with three points from a win and a draw in two matches.
 
The away match provides Canada with an opportunity to strive for consistency in their performances as they continue to build towards qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™. Since 2018, Canada have 10 wins and just two losses and have set a Men’s National Team record by scoring at least one goal in 12 consecutive international matches. Following the home victory on 15 October, Canada moved into a Concacaf top-six spot on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings, which is where they need to be in June 2020 to ensure a spot in the Concacaf Hex for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Qualifiers.
 
“The USA have their motivations for this match, but for us it is another cup final, another game that could decide our fate for qualification to the Hex, so we will give absolutely everything we have to move this country one step closer to achieving that goal,” said Herdman.
 
After back-to-back wins over Cuba in September and then the historic 2:0 home win over USA in October, Canada have already qualified for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup as well ensured their spot in League A of the next edition of Concacaf Nations League.
 
Canada’s October victory over USA was the first in an international “A” match since 1985 and the first in a competitive match since FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 1980. Only once have Canada won back-to-back home-and-away matches against USA in competitive “A” football (FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 1957) while two other times Canada have come away with a win and a draw (FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 1972 and 1980).
 
Against USA this decade, Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team have posted one win, two draws and two losses in five international matches, including being unbeaten in the two most recent home matches with one win (2019) and one draw (2012). The upcoming Concacaf Nations League match on Friday 15 November will be the first-ever USA-Canada international match played in the city of Orlando.
 
CONCACAF CHAMPIONS
Canada are two-time Concacaf champions, having won the Concacaf Championship in 1985 and the Concacaf Gold Cup in 2000. In winning the 1985 Concacaf Championship, Canada qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico™; in winning the 2000 Concacaf Gold Cup, Canada qualified for the FIFA Confederations Cup Korea/Japan 2001.

CANDADA SOCCER’S MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM: https://canadasoccer.com/men-s-national-team-p144311

Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Youth Teams, meanwhile, have won two Concacaf titles: both the 1986 and 1996 Concacaf Men’s Youth Championships. Canada have qualified for eight editions of the FIFA U-20 World Cup and seven editions of the FIFA U-17 World Cup including the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil.

CONCACAF NATIONS LEAGUE
At stake in 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League is a spot in the Concacaf Hex for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Qualifiers. After the June 2020 rankings, 35 Concacaf nations will be divided onto two pathways to Qatar 2022: the top-six nations in the Concacaf Hex (from which three nations will qualify for Qatar 2022) and the other 29 nations in series of group stage and knockout phase matches (from which one nation will face the fourth-place finisher from the Hex after which that winner will represent Concacaf in a FIFA intercontinental playoff for a spot at Qatar 2022).