Canada have a crucial away Concacaf Nations League Qualifying match against rivals St. Kitts and Nevis this Sunday, November 18. Both nations are sitting inside the top six at the top of the Concacaf table with hopes of extending their undefeated record in the third of four qualifying matches in this 2018-19 competition.
At stake are spots in the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup and 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League Group A. From 34 nations, the top 10 will qualify for the biennial Concacaf Gold Cup while only the top 6 will qualify for Group A of the inaugural Concacaf Nations League, joining already qualified nations Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and USA.
Canadian fans can watch the important away match from Warner Park in Basseterre live on Concacafgo.com this Sunday at 5 p.m. PT. Fans can also follow the team across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, including additional behind-the-scenes coverage throughout camp.
“Given our history in this venue, we know it is a tough place to get a result, but we are clear on our approach and the players will be ready,” said John Herdman, Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team Head Coach. “The importance of this match is qualification for Concacaf Nations League Group A. That is our primary target.”
Amongst 34 qualifying nations, Canada are in third place on goal difference after an away 8:0 win over US Virgin Islands and a home 5:0 win over Dominica. The qualifying campaign runs through March 2019, after which the top nations will be ranked on points (three points for a win, one point for a draw), goal difference, goals scored, away goals, and then fewest yellow/red cards accumulated.
This will be just the third all-time meeting between the two nations, with Canada having won a 2011 home match 4:0, but drawn 0:0 away at Warner Park in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. In 2018-19 Concacaf Nations League Qualifying, St. Kitts and Nevis won their home match 1:0 over Puerto Rico in September and then their away match 10:0 over Saint Martin in October.
Canada will look to both their experience and youth to come out on top against their Concacaf rivals on Sunday. From Canada’s first two matches in Concacaf Nations League Qualifying, Cavallini and Larin lead the way with three goals each. Junior Hoilett, meanwhile, has two goals and two assists.
“This is going to be a tough opponent for us and that is exactly what we want,” said Herdman. “We classify this opponent as a genuine Tier 2 national team in Concacaf. From what we have seen, they are well organised, they have recruited a new coach and recruited some good young players from around the lower leagues in England. We know we are coming up against a hungry group of players.”
CONCACAF NATIONS LEAGUE QUALIFYING
Amongst 34 qualifying nations, Canada are in third place on goal difference after an away 8:0 win over US Virgin Islands and a home 5:0 win over Dominica. The qualifying campaign runs through March 2019, after which the top nations will be ranked on points (three points for a win, one point for a draw), goal difference, goals scored, away goals, and then fewest yellow/red cards accumulated.
The 18 November match against St. Kitts and Nevis will be just the third all-time meeting between the two nations, with Canada having won a 2011 home match 4:0, but drawn 0:0 away at Warner Park in FIFA World Cup™ Qualifiers. In 2018-19 Concacaf Nations League Qualifying, St. Kitts and Nevis won their home match 1:0 over Puerto Rico in September and then their away match 10:0 over Saint Martin in October.
In their last nine home matches at Warner Park since 2016, St. Kitts & Nevis have posted a record of six wins, one draw, and two losses while posting five clean sheets.
For Canada, their 2018 record features three successive wins with clean sheets against New Zealand (1:0), US Virgin Islands (8:0), and Dominica (5:0). Those two wins and 13 goals in Concacaf Nations League place them in third place behind leaders Curaçao (+15) and Haiti (+14). The top-10 nations all have back-to-back wins with fourth to 10th place rounded out by Cuba (+13), St. Kitts and Nevis (+11), Jamaica (+10), Dominican Republic (+8), Nicaragua (+8), Martinique (+5), and El Salvador (+4).
The 18 November match will close out Canada’s 2018 season with a chance to go perfect 4-0-0 for the first time in Men’s National Team program history.
