'It's in the stars': Herdman's Canadian squad shifts qualifying focus to Sunday's game vs. Jamaica

Sometimes it's about the journey, not the destination.

Such is the case with Canada's 1-0 defeat in Costa Rica on Thursday night, a result that temporarily put its hopes of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup on hold, and provided a valuable lesson for coach John Herdman's side.

The loss was the Canadians' first in this final round of the CONCACAF qualifiers, snapping a six-game winning streak and ending a 11-match unbeaten run. They were also undefeated in their previous 17 qualifying contests since their campaign kicked off in earnest last March.

It had been pretty smooth sailing for Canada thus far in the qualifiers, with wins secured against the region's traditional heavyweights, and points earned on the road against the United States and Mexico. Thursday's game at Estadio Nacional in San Jose was supposed to be the crowning moment for Canada, a victory finally ending its World Cup drought after 36 years.

WATCH | Short-handed Canadian squad drops 1st qualifier to Costa Rica:

The Canadians have been the model of restraint through these qualifiers, keeping their cool and staying poised as they've dealt with a gruelling travel schedule, and the type of chicanery and gamesmanship from opponents that is typical in the CONCACAF region. But small cracks in their steely exterior began to appear on Thursday.

Buoyed by the fervent hometown crowd, Costa Rica made things very uncomfortable for Canada early on with its aggressive pressing style, and didn't allow the visitors to find their attacking rhythm.

Canada weathered the furious Costa Rican storm of pressure and started to find a foothold in the game, but things took a dramatic turn when midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye picked up a second yellow card for an off-the-ball foul