The Canadian men’s national team opened Concacaf Nations League qualifying with an emphatic 8-0 win over US Virgin Islands on Sunday afternoon in Florida, setting a new record for the most goals scored by Canada and their largest margin of victory in an international match.
Jonathan David (KAA Gent), Lucas Cavallini (Puebla FC), and Cyle Larin (Besiktas JK) each scored two goals for Canada, with Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC) and Junior Hoilett (Cardiff City FC) also finding the back of the net.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s Alphonso Davies, who played the full 90 minutes, recorded a pair of assists on the afternoon, setting up both of Larin’s second half tallies with crosses from the left.
Davies was one of three Whitecaps FC players to appear in the match.
Doneil Henry also started and played the full 90 minutes, his first appearance for Canada since 2016, while Marcel de Jong played the final 29 minutes.
Canada head coach John Herdman trotted out an attacking-minded 2-5-3 formation for the Nations League qualifier, featuring Davies as a left wingback and Henry as one of only two natural defenders in the starting XI.
Scott Arfield (Glasgow Rangers FC) wore the captain's armband for Canada.
Also of note, it was the first competitive senior international outing for David, centre back Derek Cornelius (FK Javor Ivanjica) and Liam Millar (Liverpool FC U-23), who played as a right wingback. All three players are now cap-tied to Canada.
At stake in 2018-19 Concacaf Nations League qualifying is a spot in the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup as well as the classification groups in Concacaf Nations League. From 68 qualifying matches, the top 10 nations will qualify for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup while the top-six nations will additionally qualify for CONCACAF Nations League "A".
Next up for Canada in Concacaf Nations League qualifying is a home match against Dominica in Toronto on October 16, followed by matches against St. Kitts and Nevis on November 18 and French Guiana on March 26, 2019.
For more information on the Concacaf Nations League, visit Canada Soccer’s FAQ.
