Canada favoured in Copa America qualifier, but Trinidad and Tobago no stranger to upsets

The numbers favour the Canadian men in Saturday's high-stakes Copa America qualifier with Trinidad and Tobago in Frisco, Texas.

Canada is ranked 50th in the world, compared to No. 96 for Trinidad. And the Canadians' all-time record against Trinidad is a commanding 7-2-2.

But the Soca Warriors have broken Canadian soccer hearts before.

On Sept. 3, 2000, before a sun-drenched crowd at Port-of-Spain's Queen's Park Oval, Trinidad thumped Canada 4-0 to end its bid to qualify for the 2002 World Cup. Current Trinidad coach Angus Eve provided the final nail in the Canadian coffin, scoring in the 90th minute to complete the rout.

The World Cup qualifying elimination, with two games remaining, came just six months after coach Holger Osieck's team shocked the soccer world by winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The game was front-page news in Trinidad with fans packing the stadium hours in advance. It was a cultural event as much as a sporting one.

Twenty-four years later, Trinidad midfielder Andre Rampersad is hoping to trigger more celebrations back home.

"If we can get through this game on Saturday, it's going to be huge for Trinidad and Tobago football, putting Trinidad and Tobago on the map," he said.

Rampersad, who is captain of the CPL's Halifax Wanderers, says a 2-1 win over the United States in November was a "big confidence-booster" for his team.

"Going into this game against Canada, of course now we know we can actually beat a big team. So yeah, that's going to help us, for sure."

"Everyone is ready to go. Everyone is excited," he added. "I think guys are confident."

The Soca Warriors are led by midfielder Levi Garcia, who plays in Greece for AEK Athens.

"He's a great leader," said Rampersad.

He pointed to Garcia's performance