After a lengthy absence, the Canadian men’s team is finally returning to Vancouver.
The Canadian Soccer Association announced Monday that the men’s side will host Honduras at Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium on Nov. 13 in a World Cup qualifying match.
The men’s team hasn’t played a World Cup qualifier in Vancouver since it dropped a 3-1 decision to Costa Rica on Oct. 13, 2004 before 4,728 fans at Swangard Stadium. Canada has played the majority of its home qualifying games in Toronto in recent years.
The showdown with Honduras is Canada’s opening match of the semifinal round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Canada will travel to face El Salvador on Nov. 17, and plays the remainder of its semifinal round games by next September.
“Our soccer fans in Vancouver can get behind our Canadian team as they continue their journey to the 2018 FIFA World Cup,” CSA Victor Montagliani said in a news release. “Home support plays such a big role in international soccer, especially when facing an opponent like Honduras—one of our fiercest rivals dating back to the early 1980s.”
Canadian coach Benito Floro added: “We are glad to play in Vancouver, especially since each time I see a match from inside this modern stadium or by television, I realize how people support the home team.”
The CSA also announced Monday that the men’s team will face Ghana in an friendly on Oct. 13 at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC.
Canada, ranked 102nd in the world, is in Group A with Mexico (No. 26), Honduras (No. 81) and El Salvador (No. 107). The top two teams at the end of the round robin move on to the final CONCACAF qualifying round known as “The Hex.”
Group B features Costa Rica (No. 39), Jamaica (No. 52), Panama (No. 59) and Haiti (No. 87), while Group C consists the U.S. (No. 28), Trinidad and Tobago (No. 54), Guatemala (No. 98), and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (No. 116).
The top three teams in the hexagon automatically qualify for the 2018 World Cup. The fourth-place side will meet an Asian team in a two-game playoff with a World Cup berth at stake.
Canada had a bye in the first round of qualifying before beating No. 172 Dominica 6-0 on aggregate and No. 128 Belize 4-1 on aggregate to get to this point.
The Vancouver game is a chance for Canada to earn a bit of payback.
The Reds crashed out of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup following a humiliating 8-1 loss to Honduras in San Pedro Sula in October 2012. Coach Stephen Hart lost his job in the aftermath of that humiliating loss.
Canada has appeared in just one World Cup, in 1986 in Mexico. In fact, Monday marked the 30th anniversary of Canada qualifying for that tournament.
To read all about that Canadian team’s amazing journey, CLICK HERE.