The Road to Qatar 2022 | Canada vs. El Salvador

It hadn’t been a full week yet since Canada began their Octagonal journey, and yet, here we were six days later back at BMO Field to watch them take on El Salvador.  In between these two matches, Canada picked up an additional point in Nashville with their surprising 1-1 draw against the United States.  I say surprising because the United States should have taken the win in this one, but sloppy defense in the 62’ led to Cyle Larin’s second goal of this third round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying.  But a point is a point, and we’ll take whatever we can get this early on.

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification - CONCACAF Third Round - Canada vs. El Salvador

Heading into this match, Canada was ranked at Number 59 in the FIFA rankings, and just sat above a few positions above El Salvador, who hadn’t qualified for the World Cup since 1982.  Like Canada, El Salvador was also heading into this match with back-to-back draws – both at home and with identical 0-0 scores against the United States and Honduras.  Both squads were coming into this match hungry for their first win in the Octagonal with additional pressure on Canada as hosts.

Per Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, capacity was capped to 50% of available seating again and masks were mandatory when not at your seat.  Otherwise, the Voyageurs section was full of die-hard fans waving Canadian flags and cheering their hearts out from the get-go – the only resemblance of “normalcy” in these strange times.  Speaking of “normalcy,” Canada jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with goals from Atiba Hutchinson in the 6’ minutes followed by Jonathan David’s 11’ tally.  Canada had a couple more scoring chances and were the more dominant team in this first half – a sign of the nerves slowly dissipating from the young squad. 

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification - CONCACAF Third Round - Canada vs. El Salvador

The second half saw more Canadian dominance as Jonathan David created a two-on-one opportunity that saw Tajon Buchanan put the game away in the 59’ with Canada’s third goal of the match.  By now, the stadium erupted in jubilant chants of “this is our house” knowing our first win of the Octagonal was well within our grasp.  El Salvador’s best chance during the entire match came at the 67’ minute when Milan Borjan made a fantastic reaction save while Richie Laryea’s last-ditch tackle stopped a clear chance.  When the final whistle blew, Canada stood victorious with a dominant 3-0 win and the much needed three points to close out this first window of the Octagonal.

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification - CONCACAF Third Round - Canada vs. El Salvador

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification – CONCACAF Octagonal Standings

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification - CONCACAF Third Round - Canada vs. El Salvador

After three matches, Mexico sits comfortably on top with 7 points from two wins and a draw in this first window.  Canada is currently in a three-way tie with the United States and Panama at 5 points each.  El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Jamaica round out the bottom half of the table.  With FIFA expanding this next World Cup to 32 teams, CONCACAF gets three guaranteed spots.  Thus, it’s crucial that Canada keeps pace with Mexico and the United States if we want to avoid an Inter-Continental Playoff for a ticket to Qatar.

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification - CONCACAF Third Round - Canada vs. El Salvador

Our next window of matches won’t begin for at least a month, but it will be our biggest test of the Octagonal.  Starting off in Mexico, we have our work cut out for us in the legendary Estadio Azteca where Mexico has only lost two World Cup Qualifying matches here throughout the stadium’s entire 55-year history.  Getting a draw against the United States in Nashville in this first window is one thing, but trying to replicate a similar result at Azteca would be anything short of a miracle.  We then round out the second window with an away match in Jamaica followed by a home match against Panama here at BMO Field.  Now we just sit back and wait to see what the Soccer Gods have in store for us!

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification – CONCACAF Third Round (Octagonal)
Match:  Canada vs. El Salvador
Stadium:  BMO Field – Toronto, ON
Date:  Wednesday, September 8, 2021
Kickoff: 7:30pm EST
Attendance: 14,926
Score:  3 – 0 (Canada)
06 ‘– CAN – Atiba Hutchinson
11’ – CAN – Jonathan David
59’ – CAN – Tajon Buchanan
Disciplinary:
CAN – Tajon Buchanan (Yellow Card – 18’)
SLV – Alexander Larin (Yellow Card – 33’)
CAN – Samuel Adekugbe (Yellow Card – 73’)

The Road to Qatar 2022 | Canada vs. Honduras

Almost 18 months after the Covid-19 pandemic began, I finally attended my first Canadian Men’s National Team match during their World Cup 2022 qualifying cycle.  It’s been a very hectic and crazy time with the world literally shutting down for a novella virus that seems to be devasting the elderly and immunocompromised.  For many, it’s been a highly contagious illness that has caused some to experience severe symptoms impacting their respiratory system while others have experienced mild to no symptoms.  I’m sure years from now when we reflect on this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic that we’ll appreciate the efforts made to help reduce the spread of this disease.  But for now, let’s focus on the present and the task on hand for Canada. 

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification - CONCACAF Third Round (Octagonal) 

Due to the ongoing pandemic and the uncertainty that it still brings, CONCACAF ultimately decided to expand the final round of World Cup qualifying from six teams to eight to keep it fair for countries involved, including Canada.  As per the new format dubbed “the Octagonal,” the top eight CONCACAF teams will play a series of home-and-away matches from September 2021 through March 2022.  The top three teams will automatically qualify for World Cup 2022, which will be held in Qatar.  The fourth-place team will participate in a home-and-away Inter-Confederation playoff in June 2022 to earn one of the final spots in the tournament.

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification - CONCACAF Third Round - Canada vs. Honduras

Not since 1998 has Canada been this close to qualifying for their elusive second FIFA World Cup appearance.  All-in-all, Canada will face off against the United States, Mexico, El Salvador, Jamaica, Panama, Costa Rica, and Honduras over 14 matches during the next six months.  This will not be an easy task by any means!  And to kick it all off, Canada’s first match in the Octagonal would be a home match against the pesky Honduras squad.

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification - CONCACAF Third Round - Canada vs. Honduras

Oh, Honduras!  A team that still casts a shadow over the Canadian team some seven years after it’s infamous 8-1 drubbing in San Pedro Sula.  Not only did that eliminate us from World Cup 2014 qualifying, but it remains one of our worst defeats ever.  On the bright side, we’re playing at home where we’ve seen better days against Honduras.  Time to move forward and secure a quick win knowing the challenging schedule that lies ahead for us. 

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification - CONCACAF Third Round - Canada vs. Honduras

Due to Covid restrictions, BMO Field had significantly fewer fans than normal with an official attendance of 14,822 – about 48% of capacity.  Despite the lackluster attendance, the Voyageurs – Canada’s Supporters Group – made us heard right from the start.  This was much needed given Honduras took the 1-0 lead in the 40’ from an Alexander López penalty kick.  Heading into halftime, it felt like every other World Cup cycle previous where Canada was going to struggle early on against a team they absolutely need to beat to remain competitive later against the two CONCACAF Giants – United States and Mexico.  Plus, the likelihood of Canada earning a win in Honduras later in the Octagonal was slim at best as the conditions in Central America are much more difficult to play in with the humidity, hostile fan base, and subpar stadium conditions. 

2022 FIFA World Qualification - CONCACAF Third Round - Canada vs. Honduras

The second half began as we waited in anticipation for a response from Canada.  That moment finally came in the 66’ when the ref awarded us a penalty and Cyle Larin put the ball into the back of the net to tie the match up at one goal apiece.  After that, the momentum began to shift in our favour as Canada continued to press aggressively on the offense with a few near-miss opportunities from Jonathan David and Richie Laryea to give us the lead late in the game.  Compared to the first half, Canada had much better cohesion in these last 45 minutes of the match.  With the final whistle blown, Canada secured their first point in the Octagonal from the 1-1 draw against Honduras.  Not the result we wanted, but a result reflective of our performance today.  Next up for us will be the United States in Nashville on September 5, which will be our first major challenge in the Octagonal having last defeated the Americans on their home turf back in 1957 during a previous World Cup qualification.

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification - CONCACAF Third Round - Canada vs. Honduras

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification  – CONCACAF Third Round (Octagonal)
Match:  Canada vs. Honduras
Stadium: BMO Field – Toronto, ON
Date: Thursday, September 2, 2021
Kickoff: 8:05pm EST
Attendance: 14,822
Score:  1 – 1
40' – HON – Alexander López (P)
66’ – CAN – Cyle Larine (P)
Disciplinary:
HON – Rigoberto Rivas (Yellow Card – 47’)
CAN – Steven Vitória (Yellow Card – 62’)
HON – Carlos Pineda (Yellow Card – 81’)

Airport Eats – The Hearth by Chef Lynn Crawford

Once I had checked in for my flight to Chicago, I had almost an hour to get some breakfast before boarding.  I’ve already have had my fair share of Wahlburger’s by now and fancied something other than Twist, Apropos or Red Rocket.  So, I decided to eat at the Hearth for a change.  The breakfasts here are very hearty and healthy and come in decent sized portions.  I opted for the Farmer’s breakfast.  For $16, I ended up getting two pieces of Rye toast, two scrambled eggs (or any style of egg of my choice), sausage, and potatoes.  I also ordered a cup of coffee and a tomato juice just because I was in the mood for it.  It was a very filling breakfast as I only finished half of my eggs and potatoes due to the sausage being larger than I had anticipated.

The Hearth by Chef Lynn Crawford

The Hearth provides a very homely feel just like its name suggests.  It’s very clean and pristine with an open kitchen and decorative artwork of various vegetables adorning the walls.  It also has a front patio and a takeout section.  Bar service here is decent and the television sets are typically tuned into sports channels.  I was able to watch some of the 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-final match between England and New Zealand.  England was dominating the match with a decisive 30 point lead early in the second half.

Farmer's Breakfast – Rye Toast, Sausage, Scrambled Eggs & Potatoes  

Due to its relaxing, laid-back environment, it’s relatively easy to strike up conversations here with your fellow travelers.  Somehow I managed to meet a woman from Los Angeles who was on her way home after a scheduled business trip.  Deanna was a very lovely lady and well-traveled.  When I asked her what she did for a living, she told me she was a trainer and merchandiser for an adult novelty manufacturer.  Oh, boy!  I got a good chuckle out that for a while.  Anyway, this is the Hearth in a nutshell.  It’s definitely a “home away from home” if you are looking for something a little different at Pearson International Airport as far as restaurant options go.

The Hearth by Chef Lynn Crawford

The Hearth by Chef Lynn Crawford

Lester B. Pearson International Airport

Terminal 1 – After-Security – Near Gate F60

Hours of Operation: 7 days/week from 4:45am – 10pm EST

Phone: (416) 776-3100

Flight Report – AC 1677 – MCO to YYZ

After a few days of work and pleasure in Orlando, it was time for me to head back home.  For the ride to Orlando International Airport, I opted to take an Uber for a change.  What a great call on my part as not only was it a quick 25 minute ride, but my driver was one of the most memorable characters I have ever met.  Shelly and I had a great conversation for the majority of the ride.  We talked about how she works Uber full time and only daytime hours.  It turns out that I was lucky to even have Shelly as my Uber driver as she “don’t do civilians.”  Rather than deal with the headaches and stress of driving locals all over the place, especially after a night of debauchery at local watering holes, Shelly only accepts airport pickups and drop off requests now.

Leaving Mickey Mouse Country

Orlando is one of a handful of cities in America that are popular for conventions and trade shows because of its low cost and ease of access for business travelers.  While I understand her reasoning for going this route, I couldn’t help but notice that she was a rather attractive African-American woman and asked her how often she gets hit on by Corporate Executives.  Without missing a beat, she admitted to me that it happens every now and then, including a recent customer who was overly obnoxious with the pickup lines.  But for this street smart ex-New Yorker, she “don’t do Executives, either.”  We had a great laugh over that before having a more serious conversation about the “Me, Too” Movement, particularly Bill Cosby.  That part of the conversation didn’t go over as well as we were in disagreement as to whether or not Cosby’s alleged victims should have spoken up about their sexual assaults decades ago or not.  But we both agreed that we were severely disappointed and saddened by the man Cosby is instead of the beloved actor and comedian that we grew up with during the Eighties.  Fortunately, that part of the conversation only last a few minutes as we had arrived at the airport – just over three hours before my scheduled flight.

Waiting for the tram to take me to Terminal B

Despite the extra time that I had, I had to wait for almost 30 minutes before Air Canada was able to check me in as they had flights to Halifax, Montreal, and Toronto all within 45 minutes of each other.  Because the Toronto flight was the last one of the day, the passengers heading to Halifax and Montreal were given first priority.  Following check in, I spent close to another 30 minutes waiting in line to go through TSA Security.  That was a complete chaotic process as there were clusters of people just randomly standing in line instead of listening to the TSA Officers who were trying to organize all of us in five different lines.  Overall, it took me about an hour to check in and go through security leaving me with 90 minutes to kill before boarding.

The galley on Air Canada Flight 1677

Since I had plenty of time to grab something to eat, I headed over towards Bahama Breeze for some dinner.  I’ll save the details for a later date, but I essentially picked it because it was the only restaurant near my gate that seemed lively and the tropical theme was really appealing.  Following dinner, I headed to Gate B94 where I had a few minutes to spare prior to boarding.  Nothing of significance to note for this flight as it was pretty similar to my Air Canada flight down to Orlando only a few days earlier.  However, I ended up losing my window seat to a five year old child due to a booking mishap his family had when they made reservations for this flight.

Air Canada Flight 1677

His father explained to me that Air Canada had accidentally separated his entire family of four, and because both of his children were under the age of seven, the Air Canada agents paired the father and son together in my seat while the Mother and Daughter were sat a few rows up on the other side of the plane.  No one told me about the change in seating planes when I boarded the flight, but given my history with Air Canada, I wasn’t surprised, either.  The father apologized for the confusion, but how could any reasonable person be upset given this situation?  I was just unsure where I would now sit as it was full flight.  Fortunately, the Father’s original seat was actually right beside me in the middle row, thus saving me the trouble of asking one of the flight attendants to help me find a new seat.

Toronto Pearson International Airport

With an estimated arrival time of 1am EST, I decided to take a nap during the flight.  Toronto has a noise by-law which prevents flights from departing between Midnight and 6am and arriving between 1am to 6am.  So, it was eerily quiet by the time we arrived at Pearson International Airport as we were one of the last arrivals for the day.  On the bright side, Canadian Customs wasn’t as busy as a result, so I was able to grab my luggage and head home all within 20 – 30 minutes of arriving.  Since this will be my last business trip for an indefinite period of time, the only thing I could think of while I headed for home was when and where my next flight would be.  And more importantly, when would I return to Orlando again?

An eerily quiet Toronto Pearson International Airport

AC 1670 – MCO to YYZ 

Operated by: Air Canada Rouge

Aircraft:  Boeing 767-300 (twin-jet); Seat: 46A                                                   

Departure: 10:26PM EST – Orlando International Airport (MCO) – Gate B94

Arrival:  12:58am EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F69

Flight Time: 2:32; Non Stop Flight – 1090 Miles/1754 Kilometers; Date: March 20-21, 2019

Spring Training Fever in Orlando - Saying Goodbye to Champion Stadium

As America’s favourite pastime, baseball has been a big part of its culture for over 150 years.  Every year, Major League Baseball teams head to the warmer climates of Arizona or Florida for six weeks of Spring Training in preparation for the regular season that starts around the end of March or early April.  While I have been to my fair share of baseball games in the past, I have never once been to a Spring Training game.  That all changed for me while I was in Orlando and realized that the hotel I was staying for an upcoming conference I had to attend was less than 10 minutes away from Champion Stadium – the Grapefruit League home field for the Atlanta Braves.

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex - Home of Champion Stadium

Champion Stadium is officially located on the Walt Disney World property at their ESPN Wide World of Sports location.  Not only was I about to attend my first Spring Training game ever, but this would be my first time ever visiting this section of Walt Disney World.  Opened in 1997, Champion Stadium was initially intended to be a neutral stadium for Grapefruit League games when necessary, but ultimately ended up becoming the home field of the Atlanta Braves like I said.  Surrounding the ballpark were other baseball diamonds that saw young kids playing in a weekend baseball tournament.  There was also a weekend cheerleading competition going on at the same time inside the HP Field House right beside Champion Stadium.  Already it felt more like I was in a small town about to go to watch a minor league baseball game instead of two Major League Baseball teams.

2019 Grapefruit League Spring Training - Atlanta Braves vs. Houston Astros

Making my way to the box office, I was a bit shocked that the most expensive tickets happened to be in the upper deck behind home plate!  Usually, upper deck seats are some of the cheapest tickets you will find throughout all Major League Baseball stadiums.  This wasn’t the case here at Champion Stadium, but for about $45 US, I felt like it was still reasonably priced compared to other professional sports games I have been to.  Once inside the stadium, however, I quickly understood why they were that expensive.  Compared to regular sized Major League Baseball stadiums, the upper deck at Champions League is really the equivalent to the lower 200 level/high 100 level section.  Without a doubt, this section has the best unobstructed view of the entire stadium.

My view during the Atlanta Braves game

Champion Stadium itself was just very impressive.  Much like the architecture one would find in Florida, the stadium incorporates Venetian Gothic Revival, Mediterranean, and Spanish influences with yellow-painted stucco, green-tile roofs, towers, and arches.  Down towards the third base line, palm trees line up along the grassy knolls where fans can sit and watch their favourite Major Leaguers play as if they were at community ballpark in rural America instead.  A much larger grassy knoll area is located out in left field for fans to sit while several flag poles dot the landscape with stadium sponsors in the form of pennants instead of typical billboard signage.  Down the first base line are more bench seats and a small beer garden for fans to sample local craft brews.  Such a unique, intimate vibe here at this marvelous stadium.

2019 Grapefruit League Season - Atlanta Braves vs. Houston Astros

By the time I had found my seat, the game had already started.  I was anticipating this to be a fun, competitive game to watch.  The Houston Astros won their first ever World Series back in 2017, so their championship team was still relatively intact.  And while the Atlanta Braves have struggled a lot since their heyday of the early-to-mid 1990s, they acquired Josh Donaldson during the off-season to help bolster their offense.  Furthermore, it was St. Patrick’s Day.  With the Atlanta Braves donning green home jerseys for the occasion, it certainly helped to put the fans into a festive mood.

Fans enjoying the game on the grassy knoll out in Left Field

Robinson Chirinos opened up the scoring at the top of the 4th inning for the Houston Astros with a double hit into left field that brought Josh Reddick home.  The Astros then added to their lead in the top of the 6th with runs batted in coming from Tyler White and Nick Tanielu to make the score 4-0.  The energy at Champion Stadium was completely deflated at this point with a deafening silence until Freddie Freeman answered back for the Atlanta Braves.  Freeman’s three run homerun fly ball over right field pulled the Braves within one run at the end of the sixth inning.  Unfortunately, this was about as good as it would get for the Braves as the Astros exploded for three more unanswered runs off singles from Alex De Goti and Ronnie Dawson at the top of the 9th to secure the 7-3 win.

And just like that, my first experience with Spring Training was over.  But what an experience it was to see the Atlanta Braves play one of their last remaining games here before they head off to their new stadium for the 2020 season.  Although the game itself wasn’t memorable, Champion Stadium certainly will be for me in the years to come.  It’ll be interesting to see what future Spring Training games I find myself at and see how those stadiums compare.  But for now, it was time for me to head to downtown Orlando to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

A salute to the fans as the Atlanta Braves leave the field following the game

2019 Spring Training – Grapefruit League

Teams:  Atlanta Braves vs. Houston Astros

Score:  7 – 3 (Houston Astros)

Winning Pitcher:  Framber Valdez (HOU)

Losing Pitcher:  Julio Teheran (ATL)

Home Runs:  Freddie Freeman (ATL)

Weather:  21° Celsius

Wind:  8 mph – in from Left Field

First Pitch:  1:08pm EST

Time:  2:54

Attendance:  6351

Venue:  Champion Stadium

Date:  March 17, 2019