The Canada men's national team gets their 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup campaign underway on Sunday with a Group B showdown against Martinique at Children's Mercy Park, the home of Sporting Kansas City.
There's plenty of buzz surrounding Canada's chances, especially after they just advanced to the Octagonal stage of Concacaf World Cup qualifiers. Head coach John Herdman's team is looking to pronounce that they've arrived and are here to stay as a force in the region.
Those efforts start against a Martinique squad that's itching to get back on the field, over a year removed from their last competitive match. Although Canada must contend with a key absence (more on that below) that's altered the Gold Cup's entertainment factor.
Here's how to watch and stream Sunday's match, as well as everything you need to know as their confederation championship efforts begin.
When
- Sunday, July 11 | 6:30 pm ET
Where
- Children's Mercy Park (Kansas City, Kansas)
How to watch & stream
- FS1, FOX Sports App, Univision, TUDN, TUDN App
What you need to know: Canada
The excitement surrounding Canada decreased Friday due to some unfortunate injury news, with Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies ruled out for the tournament and returning to Germany after suffering an ankle injury in training. Davies, a former Vancouver Whitecaps FC homegrown, is arguably the top player in Concacaf.
That's the bad news. The good news is that Canada still have plenty of talent at their disposal, headlined by forward Cyle Larin and a healthy contingent of MLS players that includes LAFC midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye, Toronto FC midfielder Jonathan Osorio, New England Revolution winger Tajon Buchanan, Nashville SC defender Alistair Johnston and more. Houston Dynamo FC attacker Tyler Pasher, who's enjoyed a strong start to the 2021 season under Tab Ramos, is another MLS name to watch.
What to know: Martinique
Going into their third consecutive Gold Cup appearance, Martinique are a Group B underdog. As a non-FIFA member, they haven't played a competitive match since 2019. Compounding that, they've won only one out of nine matches under manager Mario Bocaly against teams that qualified for this year's tournament. Les Matinino will also be without Mickaël Biron, their top striker.
That leaves Canada in the driver's seat, but maybe this Caribbean island nation can pull off the upset and earn a tone-setting result.
