Surging Canada beat flat USA to take huge step towards 2022 World Cup

There can no longer be a shred of doubt — Canada have come in from the cold as one of the hottest teams in international football.

John Herdman’s side, 2021’s most-improved international team, have begun 2022 by making more history on their way to a first men’s World Cup berth since 1986. On a frigid winter afternoon, they scratched their biggest itch and dismissed their noisy southern neighbours at a raucous Tim Hortons Field.

Gregg Berhalter and the USA were fitful and frustrated as they found no answer to Cyle Larin’s ferocious seventh-minute strike and defender Sam Adekugbe delivered the dagger in injury time for a famous Canadian victory.

The US now stare into Wednesday night’s meeting with Honduras in Minnesota with apprehension, knowing they need to pick things up. For Canada there is only elation. By Wednesday their ticket to Qatar 2022 could be punched.

These really are times without modern precedent for Canada. Sunday marked the first competitive midwinter window on home soil since 1985. Herdman and Canada eschewed the option of playing indoors in Vancouver to keep things interesting outdoors, with logistics also a factor. Conditions weren’t as frigid as feared however, the mid-afternoon slot ensuring the mercury didn’t quite plummet as far as it had last November when Mexico were beaten on the night Edmonton became the Iceteca.

Managing the compressed Concacaf schedule has been as challenging as any environmental issues. Herdman’s cycling of his squad has been particularly impressive, coaxing his wide cast players through nine unbeaten games before Sunday when he was without Alphonso Davies. He tinkered again here making four changes to Berhalter’s three.

It was one of Canada’s newcomers who set the tone,