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Canada won their second match in their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign on Tuesday night by defeating Puerto Rico by a score of 3-0.

Gameplan: Keep it Simple

Despite an apparent struggle to overcome a hapless St. Lucia on Saturday, the Canadians arrived with confidence knowing these hosts weren’t likely to offer much of a challenge.

Still, Puerto Rico’s 0-0 draw against St. Kitts on Saturday was a mild statement that they could at least play an organized enough game to keep their opponents from scoring.

Canada’s task was simple: keep the ball, keep it simple, find a goal or two, and steer the ship home.

Match Details

In their previous match, Canada started with an attack minded 4-3-3 formation, but struggled to find consistency in the first half. It wasn’t until Dwayne De Rosario, Canada’s best player, started concentrating his play further away from the goal that some fluidity in the Canadian attack developed.

Against Puerto Rico, they employed a more conservative and conventional 4-4-2 with De-Ro and Iain Hume playing up front.

The muggy weather had a clear effect on the Canadian side, as they were slower and more methodical than they normally would be.

How The Game Went

To call a spade a spade, the game was dull.

Eventually Canada’s steady efforts broke through when Mike Klukowski connected with Hume whose third goal in his 30th appearance for Canada gave them the early lead.

In the second half, goals were scored by Simeon Jackson, who plays for Norwich (EPL) and Toissaint Rickets of FC Edmonton (MLS).

On the other end, the Puerto Ricans were kept mostly to the perimiter.

Next Up: More of the Same

Next game: Canada hosts Puerto Rico in Toronto, October 11th.

-Post written by Patrick Johnson (@risingaction)