The Canadian men's national team's 11-game unbeaten run in the final round of World Cup Qualifying came to an end Thursday night following a 1-0 loss at Costa Rica.
While the 10-man Les Rouges didn't earn a Qatar 2022 ticket, they remain in pole position atop the Octagonal standings and on pace to reach November's tournament as the March window winds down.
Here's how manager John Herdman's squad fared as they chase a first World Cup berth since 1986.
Canada Men's National Team Player Ratings
Borjan made a nice stop in the second half on a Joel Campbell breakaway, but struggled with his ball distribution this evening, almost ending up on the blooper reel in the first half.
The last club football Laryea played was back in November for Toronto FC, but the now-Nottingham Forest winger did not show any sign of rust, putting in a MOTM performance down the left-hand side. He led all players with 0.45 expected assists.
In a game where Canada needed a goal, Miller did not stand out too much. But that's not a bad thing when considering for the majority of the second half he was the only natural center back on the pitch.
It wasn't his best game in a Canada shirt, but Johnston once again held his own down the right flank for Canada. With Canada trailing, he was the first player to make way in what was ultimately a tactical substitution.
Hutchinson made a rare start at center back and fared well, all things considered. Plus, he didn't look his age (39) when chasing down Campbell on a breakaway, making things difficult for the Costa Rican striker.
Buchanan came closest to scoring for Canada, hitting the crossbar from point-blank range in the 73rd minute. He, along with Laryea, was the biggest threat going forward for the Canadians, as the former New England Revolution winger led all players with 0.58 expected goals + assists.
He started the match off slowly, but Eustáquio took his game up a notch or two in the second half with Canada down a man. Like he has been all World Cup Qualifying cycle, the FC Porto midfielder was a driving force in the middle of the park for Les Rouges, finishing with a game-high four key passes.
Sent off in the 34th minute thanks to a second yellow, it was a night that Kaye will want to forget. The Colorado Rapids midfielder was fortunate to escape an earlier challenge with just a caution and did not learn from his mistake, letting his frustration boil over en route to picking up his second caution in an off-ball incident.
Osorio came into the match in good form after a strong start to the MLS season. The Toronto FC midfielder picked up where he left off, connecting well in the middle of the park. He finished with a team-high completed passing percentage (98.4).
The Lille OSC striker came ever so close to helping Canada draw level in the final minutes, hitting the far post off a Laryea cross. David didn't have his most dominant match, but dropped deeper at times and connected well with his teammates.
Larin, who hasn't scored since the January international window, wasn't much of a threat in this one. With Canada needing a goal, the former Orlando City SC striker was subbed off in the 80th minute in place of Iké Ugbo.
It was the first slip-up for Canada and Herdman, who faced a steep uphill battle following Kaye's sending off. However, in the second half, despite being down a man and away from home, it was the Canadians that looked like the much stronger side. If it weren't for two goal posts, we could have been talking about the manager in a much brighter light.
Substitutes
Hoilett came on in the second half and was a positive contributor in Canada's build-up play. He'll likely get more of a run-out on Sunday against Jamaica.
We didn't see enough of Ugbo to make a fair evaluation, but it bodes well that he was called upon by Herdman with Canada pushing for an equalizer.
Making his debut for Canada, Koné showed flashes of quality in his 10 minutes on the pitch. It's likely we'll see more of the 19-year-old CF Montréal midfielder this qualifying window.
