I watched Canada v. Guadeloupe live last night. It was first time I’ve seen the men’s team play and wanted to share some impressions. I follow European club football very closely and rarely watch international games/tournaments. Consequently, don’t know almost any of these players.

  • BMO Field is a great stadium. Good view of the pitch from most seats, even the cheap bleachers behind the north-side goal. Atmosphere improved over the match, sound echoes and is amplified by the half-roof, and the regular supporters behind the south-side goal were great! Side note: also fun to see planes take off from the Island airport nearby.

  • Gold Cup security/organization was not great. I mean this sincerely: pre-match media and attempts to hype the game made me feel embarrassed to be there.

  • This was not a skilled game, but entertaining. The pitch was slick (rained for hours beforehand) so there were lots of slips and some unexpected chances.

  • The last-minute goal for Guadeloupe was heartbreaking and probably not deserved, on the balance of play.

  • Guadeloupe: 10-Phaeton and 9-Ambrose had very good chemistry, especially in the first half. They played defensively throughout the match, but Phaeton was really strong up the wing when he had the opportunity. They deserved their early goal.

  • Canada: 11-Millar was arguably Canada’s best player on the pitch. (22-Laryea also did well). Millar was often in “acres of space” on the wing in the first half, but rarely received service. Constantly looking to get behind defenders, but service to him was inexcusably bad. Tracked back defensively and made a few important recoveries/stops. It didn’t make any sense to substitute him early in the 2nd half, unless there was a fitness issue. 13-Shaffelburg was good from the moment he came on; unfortunately, had the same problem as Millar re: bad service. He also tracked back well and seemed to be a crowd favorite.

  • Canada: The midfield was very poor and, despite what post-match reports suggest, 20-Ahmed was possibly Canada’s worst player on the pitch. Tons of energy, but not much else. Poor passing and even worse decision-making, especially from midfield positions when Canada really needed to push up the field. Frequently lost the ball, both with and without pressure. Would often (unsuccessfully) try little give-and-go passes on the wing with 22-Laryea when surrounded by Guadeloupe players, rather than find the open man. I couldn’t understand why he returned in the second half and it was even more baffling that he played the whole match. Hometown bias, maybe?

If you also attended/watched this match, let’s talk about it!

(edited to fix formatting issues)