The 2022 World Cup in Qatar has officially kicked off, with Ecuador rocking Qatar's world and walking to a 2-0 win. Boasting 53% of the possession and outclassing the hosts every step of the way, Ecuador were utterly dominant from start to finish, against the shaky Qatar defense that looked perplexed and out of solutions in handling the energy from Gustavo Alfaro's men. Here is our analysis of the opening match to this 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and how Ecuador easily beat the tournament hosts.
Canada has officially announced the squad for their first World Cup since 1986, and fans of Canadian soccer will be happy to hear that all of the big names have made the cut. Doneil Henry serves as the only major omission after his latest injury set-back, but even he appears to be set to join the squad in Qatar from the sidelines. So with that, we break down John Herdman's squad heading into a historic World Cup, and what to expect from the Canadians in Qatar.
On March 27, 2022, Canada qualified for the World Cup, for the first time since 1986. The likes of Jonathan David and Alphonso Davies evidently played their part, but perhaps no man was more key to Canada's success in the lead-up to World Cup Qualification than the beating heart in Herdman's midfield - Stephen Eustáquio. Now an FC Porto regular playing week in and week out in the Champions League, the 25-year-old will be integral to Canada's success at the upcoming tournament. Here is our analysis of Stephen Eustáquio, and why he's prepared to play a pivotal role for Canada at the 2022 World Cup.
Leading up to both the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020 (which famously took place in 2021), a common commentary surrounded Nick Pope, and the potential reasons for Southgate's favouritsm toward Jordan Pickford. "Pope's distribution isn't as good," was said on repeat, almost as though all the pundits of the English game together as one big monster blob out to slight Nick Pope and find justifications for something that few were willing to admit made little sense. Despite Nick Pope's heroics at Burnley for the past five years, and the potential that he will keep them in the Premier League almost single-handedly for another season, Pickford remains England's firm number one.
After thirteen long, hard-fought games, Canada's Men's National Team has officially qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1986. With 8 wins, 4 draws and just 1 loss in the final stage of qualifying, John Herdman's men sealed their spot with a game to spare, after thumping Jamaica by a smashing score-line of 4-0. In the final stages of the competition, Canada smartly stuck by a 4-4-2 formation, maintaining consistency and chemistry en route to an impressive run to the finish line. Here is our analysis of how Canada used the 4-4-2 to success, and stood strong to stand on guard for thee.
hursday night could have been the night that Canada clinched glory in World Cup Qualification, for the first time since 1986. But with a disastrous red card early on in the match and a few missing figureheads, it wasn't meant to be for the Maple Leafs, succumbing to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of a defensively robust Costa Rica. Here is our match analysis of the Canadian team against Costa Rica.
Unbeaten in ten matches in the final round of World Cup Qualifying. If you had said that to me a year ago - that Canada were going to reach these impeccable heights, I would not have believed you. Our men's team hasn't qualified for a World Cup since 1986, and has only beaten the States one other time in the past 37 years. The miracles under John Herdman keep coming true, and we are now one step closer to qualifying for our first World Cup in over thirty years. Here is my tactical analysis of Canada's 2-0 win over the US.
TheMastermindSite 