Canadian men's soccer roster set for final 3 World Cup qualifying games

In July 2019, Canada coach John Herdman chose to see the glass half-full as CONCACAF revamped its road to the World Cup.

The Canadian men were faced with qualifying the hard way — slogging through the second tier of teams in North and Central America and the Caribbean to get to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

"If we look at it the right way, it just could be one hell of a story," Herdman said at the time.

"I don't think anyone wants it to end. We've really enjoyed the experience," Herdman told reporters Sunday from Florida after naming his roster for the final three qualifying games.

"If you'd asked was I enjoying it as I was entering the stadium in Haiti, no," he added with a laugh. "But when you look back, there's been some amazing moments that, I think, have shaped the team. As a staff, as a coach, as a player group, we've grown. We've grown massively through this period."

With three games remaining, Canada (7-0-4, 25 points) has a four-point cushion over No. 12 Mexico and the 13th-ranked U.S. (both 6-2-3, 21 points) in the eight-team final round of CONCACAF qualifying. No. 63 Panama (5-4-2, 17 points) stands fourth, with No. 42 Costa Rica (4-3-4, 16 points) fifth.

The top three countries will represent CONCACAF in Qatar. The fourth-placed finisher will face an Oceania team in an intercontinental playoff to see who joins them.

The Canadian men play Costa Rica on Thursday in San Jose before hosting No. 62 Jamaica next Sunday in Toronto. They then wrap up qualifying play against Panama on March 30 in Panama City.

While a win in Costa Rica will seal qualification for Canada, so will a draw if Panama fails to beat Honduras.

While this international window presents another demanding travel schedule, Herdman says it also