The Canadian men's national team will be happy with nothing less than a victory in a home World Cup qualifier against El Salvador on Wednesday night. The Salvadorans are defensively stout, but they are one of the weaker teams in the final round of qualifying in the CONCACAF region. Canada simply has more talent, even without Alphonso Davies who is back in Germany following a knee injury, and now needs to show it on the field.
Canada sits in third place in the qualifying standings after two matches and a five-point haul from the opening three matches would be considered a success if Les Rouges can beat El Salvador. The Salvadorans are coming off two 0-0 draws at home to start their campaign, so it will be no surprise that they will come out in a defensive stance and look to frustrate Canada. A road draw would be a success for El Salvador.
MORE: CONCACAF World Cup qualifying results & standings
There are a total of eight teams involved in CONCACAF regional qualifying and each will play a total of 14 matches. The top three teams in the CONCACAF octagonal will advance to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The fourth-place team will play in an intercontinental playoff with a ticket to Qatar on the line.
Sporting News is following the event live and providing scoring updates, commentary and highlights as they happen throughout the night.
Canada vs. El Salvador live score
| 1H | 2H | Final | |
| Canada | — | — | — |
| El Salvador | — | — | — |
Goals:
(All times Eastern)
6:45 p.m.: Canada manager John Herdman addressed the controversial Alphonso Davies social media post that had everyone talking in the lead-up to the match:
"We'll never risk the jewel in our crown's health." 👑
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 8, 2021
John Herdman checks into our pre-game show to talk about the absence of Alphonso Davies ahead of #CanMNT vs. El Salvador
WATCH (FREE) 🔴 https://t.co/VZfktXPW6g pic.twitter.com/2cnIqm6G2j
6:42 p.m.: It should be an interesting atmosphere in Toronto:
There are a *lot* of El Salvador fans around BMO Field tonight.
— Joshua Kloke (@joshuakloke) September 8, 2021
Canada vs. El Salvador starting lineups
John Herdman shuffles his lineup once again with star forward Cyle Larin getting a breather after two straight starts and Jonathan David regaining his spot in the starting lineup. The knee injury Alphonso Davies picked up against the USA means he's out of the El Salvador match , and while it will be hard to directly replace his specific skill set, Canada has other dangerous fill-in options. Richie Laryea will take up the Davies wingback position.
El Salvador switches up its front line and brings in three fresh forwards who have seen limited time in the two previous qualifiers.
Canada starting lineup (3-5-2, left to right): 18-Milan Borjan — 4-Kamal Miller, 5-Steven Vitoria, 2-Alistair Johnston — 22-Richie Laryea, 21-Jonathan Osorio, 7-Stephen Eustaquio, 13-Atiba Hutchinson, 11-Tajon Buchanan — 20-Jonathan David, 10-Junior Hoilett
Canada subs (11): 1-James Pantemis-GK, 16-Maxime Crepeau, 3-Samuel Adekugbe, 15-Doneil Henry, 23-Scott Kennedy, 6-Samuel Piette, 12-Liam Fraser, 14-Mark-Anthony Kaye, 8-David Wotherspoon, 9-Lucas Cavallini, 17-Cyle Larin
El Salvador starting lineup (4-4-2, left to right): 1-Mario Antonio Gonzalez-GK — 13-Alexander Larin, 5-Ronald Gomez Rodriguez, 4-Eriq Zavaleta, 21-Bryan Tamacas — 15-Alex Roldan, 6-Narciso Orellana, 20-Enrico Duenas, 10-Amando Moreno — 9-Walmer Martinez, 8-Joshua Perez
El Salvador subs (11): 22-Kevin Carabantes-GK, 23-Melvin Cartagena, 2-Lisandro Claros, 3-Roberto Domingues, 16-Eduardo Vigil, 7-Darwin Ceren, 19-Harold Osorio, 12-Marvin Monterroza, 11-Joaquin Rivas, 14-Erick Rivera, 17-Jairo Henriquez
How to watch Canada vs. El Salvador
- Date: Wednesday, Sept. 8
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: Sportsnet
- French-language TV: RDS
- Stream: OneSoccer.ca
The match will be broadcast in Canada on Sportsnet (English) and RDS (French) with the stream available on OneSoccer.ca.
The event will be held at BMO Field in Toronto in front of a sellout crowd of 15,000.