Soccer: Canada Beats Cuba In Opener of World Cup Qualifying

It wasn’t an ideal situation, but Canada produced an ideal result. Olivier Occean’s goal in the 54th minute propelled Canada to a 1-0 win over Cuba in CONCACAF qualifying group C for World Cup 2014 in Brazil.

Canada is not exactly a powerhouse on the international soccer scene. As of June 2012, the FIFA rankings have Canada in 77th place, between Latvia and the Cape Verde Islands. Cuba is even lower on the ladder at No. 145.

With three wins and a draw in four previous matches against Cuba, Canada looked to be the favorite going into this contest. But this was on Cuba’s turf, and every indication pointed to an uphill battle. Both teams had to contend with a hot and humid day in Havana: the temperature at kickoff was 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 Fahrenheit), with the humidex making it seem like 43 degrees (109 F!).Then there is the lumpy pitch at Estadio Pedro Marrero, where passing patterns go to die.

Men’s team head coach Stephen Hart called the grass at the multi-purpose Cuban stadium “very thick, very heavy and very long” and unlikely to be trimmed before the afternoon match. “It’s the traditional grass of the Caribbean. Nothing that we didn’t expect,” Hart said in a pre-match interview. “Every single country presents a different challenge in that respect.”

Canada had the best chance of the first half when DC United star Dwayne De Rosario rattled a shot off the underside of the crossbar just before halftime, but it bounced back out without fully going over the goal line. Then came Occean’s goal nine minutes into the second half on a header past Cuba keeper Odisnel Cooper after a precise cross by David Edgar.

Nine minutes after that, disaster struck as goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld was sent off for handling the ball outside the box, leaving Canada with 10 men. Milan Borjan substituted in the Canadian net, but he would see no action for the rest of the match.

Canada has not qualified for the World Cup since 1986, so getting those three points from its first match in the group will help set the pace not only with Cuba but with the other two countries in Group C, Honduras and Panama. Canada’s next match will see the side hosting Honduras at BMO Field in Toronto on June 12 and welcoming Panama on Sept. 7, then traveling to Panama on Sept. 11. Cuba will then play the return leg in Toronto on Oct. 12, with Canada visiting Honduras on Oct. 16.