Canada's Loss to Mexico was a Reality Check

(photo courtesy of windsorstar.com)

Canada came into the men's Olympic qualifying match-up against Mexico as the heavy underdogs. That much can be said for the majority of games in Canadian soccer history; Canada isn't exactly the most prolific of nations. This year's Olympic hopefuls were making a real case for themselves though after last weekend's upset over the United States. Canada came out swinging in the opening minutes, briefly maintaining pressure on the Mexican goalkeeper. That faded away quickly, like so many hopes in the world of Canadian soccer, as Mexico began controlling the pace from then on out. Canada was scrappy, but simply outclassed by the Mexican squad. The score could have been much worse, as Mexico hit several posts and crossbars. It was fun to ride the week-long bandwagon, but Canada still has miles to go before they're a legitimate international threat.

Canada Stumbles Into Concacaf Cinderella Run

(photo courtesy of nationalpost.com)

Canada’s national under-23 soccer team is in an awkwardly opportunistic position. After a massive upset against the United States over the weekend, the Canucks found themselves unsuspectingly in the running to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. Nobody saw this coming, least of all the Canadians. All they needed to advance to the next round of their Cinderella run was a draw against Cuba Monday night. With 88 minutes down they were in position to actually win, but allowed an atrocious goal in the dying minutes, and escaped by the skin of their collective teeth. Much is made about a bungled chance at a better matchup, but Canada is outmatched by several teams in CONCACAF, so matchups be damned. If this team is going to catch lightning in a bottle, it’ll be with a little grit and a lot of luck.