Canada returns to the scene of the crime in critical World Cup qualifier

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras – Canada’s men’s soccer team arrived Thursday for its massive World Cup qualifier and Honduras is ready to do its utmost to be as inhospitable as possible.

Just as it was four years ago, it will be an unofficial holiday when the teams take to the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano on Friday afternoon and tickets won’t be expensive, so there will be no reason why upwards of 40,000 fans won’t pack the stadium in what will be hot mid-afternoon conditions (5 p.m. ET, TSN).

The fans will arrive early. The horns will start honking early and considering how successful their tactics were four years ago in an 8-1 Honduran victory that ended the Canadian men’s last World Cup qualifying campaign and Stephen Hart's tenure as head coach, the partisan support will be encouraged to up their game.

Those Canadians who experienced that nightmare four years ago say they are ready for what awaits.

“It’s difficult, obviously, They’re a very good crowd but they also had a lot to cheer about last time,” said defender David Edgar. “If we score away or in any part of the game they can get on the home team’s back just as easily as they can get behind them so we know we can use that to our advantage.”

Since taking over in 2013, Benito Floro has yet to coach his Canadian team through what is quite possibly the most hostile atmosphere in CONCACAF. El Salvador was intense but didn’t have a massive crowd while Mexico had the numbers but was nowhere near the intensity that Canada faced four years ago the last time they visited Honduras.

Floro has spent much time in camps working on his team’s tactics and Friday will be the culmination of three years’ work where Canada will try to salvage at least a point in hostile territory against a side they beat 1-0 last November in Vancouver.

“It’s a special game because it is an official game and it is very important for both teams towards the qualification,” Floro said in a conference call on Wednesday. “But this is a game of soccer. There are two teams, a ball, a referee and a tactical plan. The matter is to understand perfectly what to do.”

While the attention around the Canadian team is tiny compared to whether they qualify for CONCACAF’s final six-team round – the Hex, as it’s known – Friday’s match is a massive deal in Honduras. The top two teams in the four-team group advance to the Hex, and unbeaten Mexico have already claimed one of those spots. That leaves Honduras and Canada scrapping for the other berth, level on four points with the Hondurans ahead on goal differential. Honduras travels to Mexico’s Azteca Stadium for its final group game Tuesday, while Canada goes home for a theoretically easier group finale against El Salvador.

Local television and newspapers are devoting plenty of time to their team and will likely be on hand when Canada arrives at the airport on Thursday. It will be something Canada really only experiences when it travels in these situations.

Floro has taken Canada in a different direction with their tactical preparation in his time in charge. In just about every camp, the Spaniard has talked about the importance of set-pieces, both defending and attacking, and has emphasized his team’s defensive shape and organization.

Those will all be tested on Friday.

While Canada has, historically, struggled in Central America, it’s fitting that the ultimate test of his leadership will come in the same place as one of its biggest disasters.

“You just have to go and play your game and see what happens,” said Edgar. “But we’re going to go with a game plan and hopefully implement that and get the three points, is the main thing. We’re looking for all three.”