CANADIAN NATIONAL TEAM
Various pictures from Team Canada's recent triumph at Gold Cup 2000 in the U.S.
The August FIFA rankings are now out and Canada has dropped one spot to 56th. Despite the drop, they continue to be among the top 3 movers this year along with the Netherlands and Australia. This drop can be attributed to a couple of poor results in the past month (a 2-0 loss at the hands of Trinidad & Tobago at Varsity Stadium, and a nil-nil draw at Panama).
After their first two games of qualifying in this semi-final round, Canada has found themselves in a very deep hole, and it may already be too late to dig themselves out. In order to advance to the final round of qualifying, Canada must now basically win 3 of its 4 games, 2 of which are against Mexico, and might even need a draw in its other game. Only time will tell.
If Canada don't end up making it to the next round of qualifying, it will obviously be a huge disappointment after their glorious run at the Gold Cup 2000. However, their success at that very tournament has drawn invitations to the 2001 Confederations Cup to be held in Japan/South Korea, and the 2000 Copa America, two very prestigious tournaments that would see Canada face some real competition for once (Brazil, Argentina, etc.) But we still must hope that Canada can make it through at least to the next round, or we will once again have to hang our heads in shame.
Click here to meet the players that make up the Canadian National squad.