Patrice Bernier: Who from the CONCACAF region will shine at the 2022 World Cup?

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Here we are, the biggest event in the world! Next Sunday, the 2022 FIFA World Cup will start, which will be held in November for the first time in history.

Four teams from CONCACAF will participate in this 21^e world edition. This is the third time in five World Cups that a region has exceeded its allotment by 3.5 places to qualify. Fourth in the standings, Costa Rica played an additional qualifying round to reach the World Cup, which is a positive sign for the region.

The Canada Meanwhile, the old guard jockeyed for control of the Octagon remarkably. With only 2 losses and 28 points scored, the Canadiens finished in first place and turned regional customs on their head.

The organizers of this meeting, and United StateThe Mexico and the Costa Rica They are still there as representatives of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Who will best represent CONCACAF during the tournament? Here is my analysis.

Mexico

L’You don’t see He is set to appear in his eighth consecutive World Cup, which would take him to 17 appearances in the 21 tournaments held since 1930.

In the last World Cup, they upset defending champions Germany 1-0. The talents of Carlos Vela and Chicharito allowed them to surprise, but this time they are among the absentees.

Tata Martino and his team have yet to convince the Mexican public that they have the tools to repeat the surprise of 2018. Since qualifying in March, the Argentine-born coach’s men have shown a record of four wins, four defeats and three draws, and did not enter the tournament confident after losing 2-1 to Sweden. at recent days.

Within their group, they will face Argentina, Poland and Saudi Arabia. It will be a difficult task, but they can believe in the second place. The duel against Poland will be essential before facing Argentina in the next match.

Canada

This will be Canada’s second World Cup appearance. The Canadians present themselves as the least experienced team in CONCACAF. They dominated the region with their quick transitional play and solid defense during the qualifying stage, conceding only 7 goals in 14 games, the best performance among all of the region’s opponents.

Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David bring creativity and productivity up front, but the Reds haven’t had much success on their record against opponents outside CONCACAF. It’s a young team to struggle with BelgiumThe Croatia and the The Kingdom of Morocco in a tough group.

However, I have a feeling they could create an upset in this group, which would be reminiscent of the one created by Mexico against Germany in 2018. The Canadian in me is full of hope and wants to believe in a second box. Especially since a positive score against Japan in a preseason game this week may have given the Canadiens a huge boost.

But more bluntly, striving for third place and gaining meaningful experience for 2026 is much more realistic.

The first game will be key for Canada. Belgium will miss Romelu Lukaku in this duel, so Eden Hazard has a few minutes on his legs. Belgium’s successes often depend on the magic of Kevin De Bruyne.

United State

Our neighbors to the south are back on the big stage after missing out on the 2018 tournament. Before the collapse, they were on a streak of seven straight World Cup appearances.

Expectations are high in the US, but it is in the midst of a new cycle with young talents such as Christian Pulisic, Weston McKinney and Brendan Aronson. These players play regularly among the elite, in the big leagues, and for some in the biggest clubs, but they only have one player with World Cup experience: DeAndre Yedlin. They are missing the American top scorer of international caliber. They will return to FC Dallas’ Jesus Ferreira, who has scored just one goal in six qualifying matches. This puts pressure on Pulisic to deliver the goods, as Chelsea are running out of minutes and he is no longer a crucial player at this point in his career.

The good thing about the Americans is that they are in the group withEnglandThe Gaul and theIran. Second place can be achieved, but recent results are disappointing: a 2-0 loss against Japan, and a goalless draw against Saudi Arabia last September.

The lack of offensive realism is troubling. Something tells me it’s going to be tough for Greg Berhalter’s guys. I expect third place in the second group for them.

Costa Rica

Let’s finish with the Costa Ricans, who were not newbies at the dawn of the World Cup. It will be their third consecutive and fifth participation in the last six editions of the World Cup.

They beat New Zealand for last place which allowed them access to the World Cup. They landed in the most difficult group, while they will have to contendGermanyI’Spain and the Japan. They will count on experienced players like Keylor Navas and Bryan Ruiz. It will be the last course for them and it is expected to be the hardest. They are expected to finish fourth in Group E.