Mexican striker Javier Hernandez. (Photo : Getty Images)
The CONCACAF 2018 World Cup qualifying tournament continues this month as contending squad Canada (1-0-1, 4 points) takes on Group A's current leader Mexico (2-0-0, 6 points) in a matchday 3 encounter at the BC Place in Vancouver on Friday, March 25th.
It was the first meeting of the two powerhouse North American teams in the group stage of the said qualifiers as both will look to gain berths in the Hex to earn a spot in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Canada opened the Group A competitions with a 1-0 win against Honduras, but had settled for a goalless draw with El Salvador in matchday 2 at the Estadio Cuscatlán in San Salvador, El Salvador on Nov. 17th of last year, as reported by the MLS' official website.
It was a struggle for the Canucks to play in the stadium of La Selecta and head coach Benito Floro was reportedly "modestly pleased" that the team was able to come away with a point in the overall standings.
Orlando City striker Cyle Larin had a couple of good opportunities to score goals late in the first and second halves, but both of his shots did not find the back of Salvadoran goalkeeper Henry Hernandez' net.
Meanwhile, Mexico is at its usual dominating self, winning its first two matches in the group stage quite convincingly.
El Tri trounced El Salvador, 3-0, in their opener at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City before blanking a hard-fighting Honduras eleven, 2-0, at the Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras in matchday 2 to so far remain unbeaten, as per ESPN.
Unlike in their opening match against El Salvador, Honduras was able to keep the game scoreless in the first half and stay at par with head coach Juan Carlos Osorio's boys for at least the first 45 minutes.
However, it was only a matter of time before the goals start rushing in as wingers Jesus Corona and Jürgen Damm scored one goal each in a span of five minutes, at the 67th and 72nd-minute marks respectively, to turn back the gritty Los Catrachos.
The predicted result is a 3-1 win for Mexico. Just like Honduras, Canada will be able to compete in the first half of the match, but El Tricolor's world-class players, such as Bayer Leverkusen's Javier "Chicharito" Hernández, will eventually prevail.
Canada starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Borjan; Jakovic, Ouimette, de Jong, Straith; Johnson, de Guzman, Hutchinson; Hoilett, Ricketts, Larin
Mexico starting lineup (5-3-2 formation): Talavera; Marquez, Aguilar, Moreno, Reyes, Layun; Guardado, Aquino, Herrera; Hernandez, Jimenez
