CBC-Sports

Don't blame the refs for Canada's Gold Cup exit

July 20, 2009 12:38 PM | Posted by   John Molinaro  

The first course of business is stating the obvious: the penalty decision given against Paul Stalteri in Canada's 1-0 loss to Honduras in the quarter-finals of the Gold Cup was criminal.

There's no way it was a foul and Canada has every right to feel aggrieved over yet another horrendous call by incompetent CONCACAF officials.

But to suggest, as some have, that the decision by Salvadoran referee Joel Aguilar cost Canada a place in the semifinals is simply absurd.

Make no mistake about it, Aguilar's phantom interference call in the penalty area late in the first half gift-wrapped an early advantage to the Hondurans.

But let's also be perfectly clear about something: Canada sealed its own fate by failing to finish off a bunch of goal scoring chances.

It's convenient to point to Aguilar's horrendous call as the reason why Canada was eliminated, but it was the Reds' lack of killer edge in front on goal that cost them against Honduras.

Canada out-chanced Honduras 14 to seven overall and had nine corners compared to zero for the Central Americans.

Canada also had plenty of scoring opportunities to tie the game in the second half, but couldn't get the equalizer.

Simply put, if you don't score, you can't win.

Also ridiculous are suggestions that Canada deserved to win on the balance of play. That was hardly the case.

To be sure, Canada dominated possession and put in a competent performance, but it was hardly one that was awe-inspiring, and it certainly didn't match any of their admirable efforts in the first round when they defeated Jamaica and El Salvador, and battled Costa Rica to a 2-2 draw.

Canada struggled to contain Walter Martinez, who was a one-man dynamo for the Hondurans on the counterattack, firing shots, spreading the defence, springing teammates free with accurate passes.

That being said, Stephen Hart is to be congratulated for his fine work, as are the Canadian players who did their reputations no harm with a solid and respectable run at the Gold Cup, especially when you consider it was achieved without Dwayne de Rosario and Rob Friend.

If Hart can somehow manage to figure out how to inspire his team to play such glorious attacking soccer when the next round of World Cup qualifiers roll around, Canada could very well stamp its passport for Brazil in 2014.

But one valuable lesson that Canada has to learn is how to find a way to win even in the most dire of circumstances.

The mark of true greatness is the ability of a team to rise to the occasion, overcome adversity, and win games in spite (not despite) of poor officiating.

In short, great teams don't find excuses - they find answers.

Canada didn't do that, and that's why it went home early.

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