Canada coach picks Dayne St. Clair to start in goal in Gold Cup quarterfinal

CBC

2 days ago

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Dayne St. Clair has earned the starting job in goal for 30th-ranked Canada against No. 106 Guatemala in Sunday's quarterfinal at the Concacaf Gold Cup.
St. Clair started in the 6-0 win over No. 75 Honduras and 1-1 draw with No. 90 Curacao while Maxime Crepeau was in goal for the final Group B game, a 2-0 decision over No. 81 El Salvador on Tuesday in Houston.
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Prior to Sunday, St. Clair and Crepeau had each started 10 games under coach Jesse Marsch. In choosing St. Clair for the knockout round, Marsch has elevated the Minnesota United 'keeper in the pecking order.
"(Dayne) has been, I think, outstanding in the tournament and clearly, in training also, very, very strong," Marsch told a news conference Saturday. "That being said, I want to also say this has never been an easy decision and our belief in Max is at the highest level as well. And he's trained really well and been really sharp
"I think Dayne has done enough to earn this opportunity. And in this knockout stage, we're trying to put what we think is the team that is the most prepared and most ready for what these matches will be. And for right now for me that's Dayne."
St. Clair was the lone Canadian named to the Major League Soccer all-star team earlier this week. The 28-year-old from Pickering, Ont., is tied for the MLS lead in shutouts with eight and has made 43 saves in 16 matches.
St. Clair has kept six clean sheets in 14 appearances for Canada. The 31-year-old Crepeau, a native of Candiac, Que., who plays for the Portland Timbers, has eight shutouts in 26 Canada appearances.
Guatemala, meanwhile, has lost goalkeeper Nicho Hagen, a backup with the Columbus Crew, to injury.
Sunday's game will be played on a temporary grass surface at the 73,000-capacity U.S. Bank Stadium, home to the NFL's Minnesota Vikings.
"I think the quality of replacement pitches that we have now is much, much better than when I played," said the 51-year-old Marsch, a former U.S. international.
Canada is 10-2-2 all-time against Guatemala and unbeaten in the last five meetings (4-0-1), dating back to a 2-0 loss in August 2004 in World Cup qualifying in Burnaby, B.C. The teams played to a scoreless draw the last time they met, in group play at the 2023 Gold Cup.
"I know we're not the favourite team," Guatemala coach Luis Fernando Tena said through an interpreter. "We understand that. We know the stakes — they're very high right now, specifically for Canada. But, well, surprises always come in soccer. So we have faith in us."
Canada had hoped to get influential midfielder Stephan Eustaquio back, with Portugal's FC Porto out of the FIFA Club World Cup. But Marsch said Saturday that Porto, which failed to advance out of the group stage at 0-2-1, had gone back on its word and refused to release him.
Canada previously lost Toronto FC midfielder Jonathan Osorio and Vancouver Whitecaps winger Ali Ahmed to injury, leaving its tournament roster at 23 instead of 26.
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The Canadian men, who won the tournament in 2000, are in the quarterfinals for the fifth straight edition.
Canada survived a physical affair with El Salvador, which had two players sent off. Marsch said he did not expect the same kind of physicality from Guatemala.
"They've got some speed and creativity up front and some strong defensive players on the backline," he said.
"I think they're athletic, maybe a little bit more athletic than El Salvador but I think more disciplined," he added. "I don't think we're going to see such a wild performance as what El Salvador delivered. But at the same time I think it will be very spirited. And they will try to set the tone early, that it's not going to be an easy day for us."
Guatemala finished runner-up to No. 33 Panama in Group C, beating No. 63 Jamaica 1-0 and unranked Guadeloupe 3-2 and losing 1-0 to Panama.
Guatemala looks to reach the tournament semifinals for just the second time, following 1996 when it lost 1-0 to eventual champion Mexico. The Guatemala roster features four MLS players including Hagen and 18-year-old CF Montreal midfielder Olger Escobar.
Sunday's winner will face either the 16th-ranked U.S. or No. 54 Costa Rica in Wednesday's semifinal in St. Louis.
Tajon Buchanan and Nathan Saliba lead Canada with two goals apiece. Acting captain Jonathan David, meanwhile, has seven goals in seven appearances at the tournament and leads Canada in all-time Gold Cup scoring.