By Canadian Press

Canada to host French Guiana in Vancouver in CONCACAF Nations League qualifying

Nov 26, 2018 | 12:45 PM

Canada will entertain French Guiana on March 24 at Vancouver’s B.C. Place Stadium, wrapping up its CONCACAF Nations League qualifying schedule.

CONCACAF had originally listed the game as March 26 at Toronto’s BMO Field, which hosted the Oct. 16 game against Dominica. But Vancouver will play host instead.

“B.C. Place is always a great atmosphere when we pack that lower bowl,” said Canada coach John Herdman, who lives in the Vancouver area. “The fans here tend to come support the national teams … I think the fans will be treated to some real quality.

“It’s not very often you can turn up with Atiba Hutchinson, Scott Arfield, Junior Hoilett, Alphonso Davies. It’s exciting.”

The return of the 18-year-old Davies, a former Vancouver Whitecap now with Germany’s Bayern Munich, will be a draw for the locals.

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The four-match qualifying round sets the stage for a three-tier competition, complete with promotion and relegation, that kicks off in the fall of 2019 in the confederation covering North and Central America and the Caribbean

The Canadian men are currently ranked 76th in the world. French Guiana, while a member of CONCACAF, is not ranked because it does not belong to FIFA.

The March game is a rematch of their 2017 Gold Cup opener at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.Y., where Canada won 4-2 on the strength of two late goals by Davies.

Canada (3-0-0, goal difference plus-14) currently stands third in the CONCACAF Nations League qualifying table behind Curacao (3-0-0, plus-21) and Haiti (3-0-0, plus-17).

French Guiana (2-1-0, plus-5) is 11th.

A tie or win would suffice for Canada to qualify for the CONCACAF Nations top tier given there are six teams on nine points going into the final round of qualifying. There are eight teams on six points.

“It’s a big game for us,” said Herdman. “We want to make sure we keep moving forward as a team. We knew the teams would get tougher through Nations League (qualifying). Because of the way the seedings had worked, your last two games were always going to be the toughest.

“And French Guiana showed in the 2017 Gold Cup that they weren’t a pushover … I think it will be an exciting match. The fans will be treated because I think our boys are going to be motivated, but more importantly they’re going to be tested as well.”

Canada needed an 85th-minute goal by Davies to secure a two-goal cushion against French Guiana at the Gold Cup.

The top six countries from the 34 in qualifying play will slot into Group A of the CONCACAF Nations League alongside pre-qualified Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and the U.S. Those six skipped qualifying because they made the final round of qualifying head of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Those six will also qualify automatically for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which increases to 16 teams from 12, along with the top 10 countries from the CONCACAF Nations League qualifying.

In earlier qualifying play, French Guiana defeated Anguilla 5-0, lost 1-0 to St. Vincent & the Grenadines and beat Guyana 1-0.

The Canadians defeated the U.S. Virgin Islands (8-0), Dominica (5-0) and St. Kitts & Nevis (1-0).

French Guiana is located on the northeastern coast of South America. It is bounded by Brazil to the south and east, Suriname to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the northeast.

Including a 1-0 friendly win over New Zealand in Herdman’s debut as men’s coach in March, Canada’s record in 2018 is 4-0-0 without a goal conceded.

The Canadian men’s last game in Vancouver was a 3-1 World Cup qualifying win over El Salvador in September 2016. Canada’s record at B.C. Place is 3-2-1.

“Vancouver has played host to some of the most important matches in Canada soccer history that were some of the highest attended sporting events in Canadian history,” Steven Reed, president of the Canadian Soccer Association said in a statement. “We expect that this critical CONCACAF Nations League match will be no different and we look forward to seeing fans out in force to support this new generation of players on the men’s national team.”

Next summer’s expanded Gold Cup will be the largest in history, with 15 U.S. cities hosting games. There will be also be matches played in Costa Rica and an as-yet-to-be-announced Caribbean venue.

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Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press