BRADENTON, Florida – Canada Head Coach John Herdman was full of praise following his team’s 2019/20 Concacaf Nations League Qualifying 8-0 victory over the U.S. Virgin Islands on Sunday in Bradenton, Florida.
“It was a resilient performance to go out and get the record eight goals which was important for us,” said Herdman via Canada Soccer.
“We had a lot of chances and there were some quality goals through good build up. It was difficult for some players because they like to have room, but when you are playing in this heat and you have 10 players that are camped out within a 30-by-30 area, that's not easy,” added Herdman.
The Canadians’ quest for a 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup berth not only started with three points but some history was made along the way, as their eight goals were the most ever by a Men’s Senior National Team in international competition.
But perhaps the biggest takeaway for Herdman and his staff was the emergence of several young players, including 18-year-old Jonathan David, who scored a brace in his debut, plus 20-year-old defender Derek Cornelius, who also made his debut.
The performances of those two, along with fellow teenagers Liam Miller (18) and Alphonso Davies (17), has Herdman and the rest of Canada Soccer believing that the future is bright.
“I am proud of the lads. You see Jonathan David in his debut, one of the youngest players for Canada, he stepped on the field and scored two goals. Then you have Lucas Cavallini and Cyle Larin banging goals in, it just shows you what this team has now,” said Herdman
Canada will return to CNL action on October 16 versus Dominica.
