Canada is back to the drawing board after another failed World Cup bid

VANCOUVER — After another failed bid to qualify for the World Cup, Canada Soccer is once again faced with the task of figuring out how to turn around its men’s program.

Canada was eliminated from the 2018 qualifying phase on Tuesday night despite a 3-1 win over El Salvador at B.C. Place. A Honduras-Mexico tie meant Canada finished third in its group, just one point behind second-place Honduras. 

First-place Mexico and Honduras advanced to the final qualifying round while Canada is once again on the outside looking as the years since its only World Cup appearance in 1986 continue to stack up.

“I obviously feel terrible to be out,” said forward Tosaint Ricketts. “But I’m proud of the guys and the effort we put out. We battled, we got goals and showed a lot of character and in the end that wasn’t enough. That’s how it goes sometimes. Football’s cruel.

“We just have to look to the future.”

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That future will likely start with determining the fate of head coach Benito Floro.

Hired in the aftermath of a disastrous end to qualifying four years ago — Canada was knocked out in a humiliating 8-1 loss to Honduras — Floro guided Canada through a transitional period and implemented a different tactical approach where a great deal of time was spent in national team camps with instruction on and off the field.

But after yet another exit at this stage of the competition — Canada hasn’t reached the final round of qualifying since the cycle for the 1998 World Cup — it seems change didn’t come fast enough, with many fans and commentators questioning Floro’s player selection and choice of substitutions.

Many players, however, would like Floro to stick around.

“I honestly hope that he’ll stay because we’ve seen a lot of progress in this program with him,” said midfielder Samuel Piette. “I really hope they’ll stay but we’ll see. It’s tough to see from the outside of the team of the progress but from the inside, there has been a lot and I hope it continues along.”

“I stand by him along with many others who have played for him and continue to play for him,” added veteran midfielder Julian de Guzman, who was injured but was still brought to camp to support his team over the final two games.

De Guzman confirmed that he had played his final game for Canada and will retire from after this season with the Ottawa Fury FC of the North American Soccer League.

“The critics are always going to be there,” he said. “You’re never going to run from them.”

Floro wasn’t tipping his hand about the future, choosing not to discuss that matter in his post-match press conference.

If Floro does leave, Canada Soccer doesn’t have much time to rebuild before more competitive games show up on the schedule.

Next summer’s Gold Cup represents 100th-ranked Canada’s best chance to move up the FIFA table.

Moving up the rankings ladder could mean a more favourable draw in the qualifiers for the next World Cup, set to take place in Qatar in 2022.

The 2018 World Cup will be held in Russia. The next round of qualifying begins later this year.

Gavin Day, The Canadian Press