Canada trumped by Martinique at CONCACAF Gold Cup
July 8, 2013
Canada is known as a sporting nation, with representative teams in the National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) in cities like Toronto, Edmonton and Montreal. However, its major soccer organization has suffered some major setbacks of late, the most recent of which came during its match with Martinique in Pasadena, Calif. Playing for the opening game of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football's Gold Cup on July 7, Martinique kept Canada from scoring and made a decisive goal at the end of the match. The defeat may have Canadian fans who attended the game calling home to reach friends and relatives using international calling cards.
According to Canadian Press, the loss of the match is especially significant in light of Canada's recent failure to qualify for the World Cup, slated to take place in Brazil in 2014. Colin Miller, interim head coach for the national team, spoke with regret about the loss and outlined some of what went wrong.
"I'm just devastated for our guys that we gave away a poor clearance and and we didn't defend the corner well," Miller said to the news source. "I'm very disappointed but well done to Martinique."
The team's goalkeeper, Milan Borjan, said that he believed the team's defense was sound but that the lack of a strong offense sunk Canada's chances in the end. No other players were available for comment.
CBC reported that in the wake of the loss to Martinique, Canada will most likely need to win against Panama or Mexico to have any chance of taking home the CONCACAF Gold Cup. This defeat will serve as a less-than-favorable introduction to the team for Benito Floro, who will be taking over as coach once the tournament is over.