Suriname v Canada: Injuries Are a Problem for the CANMNT
PREVIEW – Suriname v Canada will face each other in the 2024-25 Concacaf Nations League competition. Both teams are coming into the competition on a high as Canada turned their team around with Copa América and Suriname has made the Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals stage for the first time.
The rankings below are of the FIFA rankings, losses and/or wins in penalty shootouts count as draws for the last five games. ?
Suriname v Canada: Two Teams Meet Each Other For the First Time In Two Years
Suriname (3-1-1, Ranked 136th in the world)
READ MORE: Suriname November Roster
Suriname qualified for the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals stage with a 2-1-1 record. In particular, the margin of victory against teams against Guyana twice and the draw at home against Costa Rica were big reasons why Suriname made the quarterfinal stage of the competition. The margin of victory in the two matches against Guyana proved crucial as Guatemala had the same number of points as Suriname, but Suriname qualified as the runners-up of Group A, allowing them the chance to face either Canada or Mexico.
Suriname is also known to have a big influence on Dutch players on the team, who play in the Dutch league as MLS soccer staff explained below (Source: MLS soccer staff of MLS):
Canada (2-2-1, Ranked 35th overall)
READ MORE: Canada November Roster
The CANMNT, who played very well in the 2024 Copa America competition, have continued that momentum with a 2-1-0 record, which included wins against Panama and the U.S., and a draw against Mexico in a neutral venue.
Focusing on Canada’s last competitive game against Panama, both star strikers, Cyle Larin and Jonathan David scored wonderful goals to give the CANMNT the hard-fought 2-1 win over Panama. This is what Jesse Marsch
“I think we have the speed and power and size and physicality and athleticism to do that, whoever the opponent is, and so I I've been challenging them through all the different matches and all the different experiences to know that that side of the game.
This includes travelling to Suriname on November 15 and experiencing a different culture as Suriname is located in South America and even borders Brazil. It will be a great game to gain experience for the national team as they look to get a result in Suriname.
Players to Watch Out for With Both Teams
For Canada, the obvious player to watch out for is Jonathan David. He is a player on fire, as he scored 13 goals and dished out two assists when counting both the Ligue 1 and the UEFA Champions League competitions. This includes scoring against big clubs internationally such as Juventus Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid.
This is what Lille OSC head coach, Bruno Génésio, said about David after scoring a hat-trick in a Ligue 1 game:
Another player to watch out for is Alistair Johnston, who is performing at a very high level for both the CANMNT and his club team, Celtic, in Glasgow, Scotland. This is what Jesse Marsch said in response to my question about him:
“Yeah, Alistair is a huge part of what we're doing. He is performing at an incredibly high level with his club team becoming an attacking threat, which I think will be something that we will use as well as here.”
Marsch also stated that how Canada uses Johnston is slightly different than Celtic but feels like that “there's enough continuity that and understanding of the flexibility tactically that we will still be able to, I think use them as a benefit in the attacking part of their pitch.”
As for Suriname, as mentioned above, there are a lot of Dutch influence on the national team and in general, across Europe. This includes several players playing in the top league of Netherlands called the Eredivisie.
The potential that Suriname has is limitless, especially with some of the players with Surinamese ancestry, who have a lot of players playing in Netherlands. This is what Marsch said about that in the post-game conference. ?
“I would say, you know, especially coming down here, we see what the strong Dutch influences on this country in and their football, it's a heavy influence. And so, you know, you get some athletic players, you get some tactically intelligent players,” Marsch said. “You know, also it's, it's hot down here, so we'll, we're prepared for that, but the heat will also be part of the factor.”
Head-To-Head Matchups
Both Suriname and Canada have faced each other only twice in their national team’s history, both in FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Canada won the first game in 1977 2-1 against Suriname.
However, the game most soccer fans of both sides remember was the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying game between Canada and Suriname in the first stage of FIFA World Cup qualifying. Both teams came into the match with three wins collected, with both teams needing a result to get to the next stage of FIFA World Cup qualifying. It was Canada though that prevailed, with David, who is in top form right now, scoring three of Canada’s four goals.
This match was probably remembered by a lot of Surinamese soccer fans and players as this loss meant that they would not qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This means that this game will have a lot of emotion, at least on the Suriname side of this two-legged match with Canada.
This is also a game that Canada will not underestimate, as Marsch said about the game back in 2022:
“And you know, we already spoke to the team and said that the last time they played, even though it was four-nil in Chicago during COVID, that the first 20 minutes, 25 minutes, that Surinam was pushing the game hard and hit the crossbar, and it could have been a very different outcome if the team wasn't prepared.”
How To Watch the Games on November 15 and 19
Canada is dealing with some notable injuries, notably in the absences of both Derek Cornelius and Alphonso Davies. Davies is Canada's captain, and Cornelius has arguably been the most if not the most valuable player for Canada in the backline.
The winner of this tie will be the team with the better aggregate over the two legs. Furthermore, the game is on November 15, and it will take place at Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion in Paramaribo, Suriname. The time of the game will be 8:30pm EST (6:30pm local time in Suriname).
Both teams will then meet up for the final time on November 19 at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at 7:30pm EST.
The November 15 game will mark the first time Canada has ever played a competitive game in Suriname, while the game on November 19 marks the first time Suriname has played against Canada in Canada since 1977, when they played at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta.
Both games will be shown live on OneSoccer for both games.
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Men's National Training
7 November 2022 - Hamad Town, BHR
Canada Soccer
Photo Credit: Alistair Johnston Headshot