Canada went fishing for a pivotal win Monday in the CONCACAF Under-20 men’s soccer championship, but despite earning a 2-2 tie they ended up talking about the big one that got away.
Canada let two one-goal leads slip against the United States, but still earned an important point in their four-team pool that includes Cuba and St. Kitts and Nevis.
Lowell Wright of Canada opened scoring with a goal in the 15th minute, but Jack McGlynn notched the equalizer in the 53rd minute. Canada went up 2-1 in the 69th minute when Michael Halliday got credit for an America own goal. That lead only stood up for three minutes as Cade Cowell scored for the U.S.
The U.S. outshot Canada 18-5, and had the ball 62 per cent of the time.
Group leaders Cuba, meanwhile, defeated Saint Kitts and Nevis 4-0.
Canada currently sit third in the group on one point, trailing Cuba with six points, the U.S. has four points and sit ahead of Saint Kitts and Nevis with 0 points. The results today mean that Canada will advance from the group to the CONCACAF Round of 16 with a win or a draw against Saint Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday.
From 20 remaining nations at the CONCACAF Under-20 men’s soccer championship, the top four nations will qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2023 while the top two nations will qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.