Canada's under-20s bow out of World Cup qualifying
Fall 4-2 to Americans in one-off CONCACAF decider
By QMI Agency
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  Daniel Cuevas (R) of the US vies for the ball with Doneil Henry (L) of Canada, during their 2013 FIFA Under-20 Concacaf World Cup qualifier football match in Puebla State, Mexico, on February 26, 2013. (AFP) |
The Canadian under-20 men’s national team came up short in its bid to return to the under-20 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday, falling 4-2 to the U.S. in Puebla, Mexico, during the quarterfinal stage of CONCACAF’s qualifying tournament.
Despite watching Canada take an early lead through Dylan Carreiro in the 23rd minute, the heavily-favoured Americans bounced back to score four unanswered before the hour mark.
Canadian midfielder Samuel Piette provided a glimmer of hope when he cut the U.S. lead to two in the 64th.
But it wasn’t enough in a rivalry match that saw tempers flare a minute before full-time, when first-half replacement Manjrekar James was sent off for headbutting an American player.
As the top four finishers in the CONCACAF Championship earn a spot to the World Cup in Turkey this June, Tuesday’s loss saw Canada fail to make an under-20 World Cup for the second straight time since hosting the event in 2007.
