With half of the final round of CONCACAF's qualification tournament for the 2022 World Cup now complete, Canada stands alone as the lone remaining undefeated team.
The Canadians' most recent result was a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica in Edmonton on Friday, with Jonathan David's 57th-minute strike the deciding factor. Now David and his teammates prepare for another game at Commonwealth Stadium, this time against Mexico on Tuesday.
The Mexicans head into the match having fell 2-0 to the United States last week, dropping them to second place behind the Americans and just a single point above Canada. Such is the closeness at the top of the group that the undefeated Canadians are only in third place, but a win against Mexico could see them take over the top spot with six matches to go.
One potential factor in Tuesday's contest is the play of Alphonso Davies, who played in his hometown for the first time as a professional in the Costa Rica win. Davies was clearly eager to take on the starring role in front of 48,806 fans on Friday, but that led to quite a few ill-advised solo forays that resulted in turnovers at inopportune times.
Given how influential the Bayern Munich star was in the reverse fixture against Mexico back in October, when he dished a line-splitting assist on Canada's goal in a 1-1 draw at the famed Azteca Stadium, Davies will be counted upon to be more selfless against the Mexicans when the situation demands it.
“The one thing the fans want is Phonzie on the board. The next thing they want is to see him dribble. I’ll never take that away,” Canada head coach John Herdman said. “For Alphonso coming home, he feels he has to perform at levels way beyond what he really needs to do. (Herdman told Davies), ‘We actually don’t need anything more from you. We don’t need superstar moments. Your maximum effort will be enough for us’
“I’ll never criticize Alphonso. He’s going to slowly learn and mature around moments when he should be dribbling, or (releasing) the ball. On a night like this, let him have his moment. I think against Mexico you’ll see a different type of performance.”
Here's everything you need to know about Tuesday's match.
Canada vs. Mexico: What time is kickoff?
- Date: Tuesday, Nov. 16
- Time: 9:05 p.m. ET
The match is scheduled for 9:05 p.m. ET at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.
Canada vs. Costa Rica: What channel is the World Cup qualifier on?
- TV: Sportsnet (O/E/P), OneSoccer (Telus ch. 980), RDS Info (French)
- Stream: OneSoccer.ca, SN NOW
Canada's remaining World Cup qualifying schedule
| Date | Time (ET) | Match |
| Nov. 16 | 9:05 p.m. | Canada vs. Mexico |
| Jan. 27 | TBD | Honduras vs. Canada |
| Jan. 30 | TBD | Canada vs. USA |
| Feb. 2 | TBD | El Salvador vs. Canada |
| March 24 | TBD | Costa Rica vs. Canada |
| March 27 | TBD | Canada vs. Jamaica |
| March 30 | TBD | Panama vs. Canada |