CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying [R]

[Canadian_Supporter]

Canada scores early in the second half.

1-0 Canada 50th minute (or so)

Apparently there were seven yellow cards in the first half. Quintanilla picked up his second yellow shortly after the Canadian goal... El Salvador down to 10 men.

Dunfield just missed a PK for Canada.

[Sandon Mibut]

Do we know how Honduras-Haiti ended yet?

[sidspaceman]

United States 4 St. Kitts & Nevis 0

David Testo had two goals and an assist to lead the United States to a 4-0 victory over St. Kitts & Nevis on Wednesday night in the second leg of a second-round CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying series.

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=ap-stkitts-ussoccer&prov=ap&type=lgns

[Canadian_Supporter]

2nd half just about over.

1-0 Canada

Looks like extra time. El Salvador picked up a few more yellow cards. A total of 11 yellow cards have been shown in this match. :eek:

[sidspaceman]

Is it snowing?

[JG]

Originally posted by Sandon Mibut
Do we know how Honduras-Haiti ended yet?

2-2, Honduras scored in the 89th minute and advances 3-2 on aggregate.

[CanuckFan2]

Not snowing. Storm blew through today. Golden goal time coming up.

[JG]

Trinidad/Tobago beat Grenada 3-0 today, 4-1 on aggregate.

[Canadian_Supporter]

Still in first half of extra time.

Another player sent off for El Salvador.

[Canadian_Supporter]

David Masciantonio ejected from the bench after receiving a second yellow card (this time from the bench) in the 2nd extra time period.

Canada still has a two man advantage on the field.

[Canadian_Supporter]

Off to penalty kicks

[hobbes]

I can't get into Voyageurs C_S, any updates? I think the server is full just as we go to PKs. I'm dying here!

We Believe! Si se pueda!

[Canadian_Supporter]

Originally posted by hobbes
I can't get into Voyageurs C_S, any updates? I think the server is full just as we go to PKs. I'm dying here!

We Believe! Si se pueda!

No updates on the Voyageurs board....

Seems like a long time to start penalty kicks...

[Sandon Mibut]

So, joining Mexico in Group B will be T&T in Jamaica with Costa Rica the likely fourth team given they have a 7-0 lead over Guyana.

In Group A, joining the already qualified Panama are the US and Honduras and... the winner of the PKs between Canada-El Salvador going on as I write this.

[Canadian_Supporter]

According to a post on the Voyageurs...

It is currently 3-1 Canada

[Captain Canuck]

Canada wins the shootout 5-4!!!!

On to the next round!

[Canadian_Supporter]

Canada wins 5-4 on penalty kicks.

Too bad this game wasn't on TV. I can't wait to read the match reports about this game.

[hobbes]

Cheers guys. I was getting through occassionally and occassionally I wasn't.

5-4! Well done.

cheers,
hobbes

[Pirrip]

15 yellows, 3 ejected...I can't wait to read the match reports.

[CanuckFan]

Canada beats El Salvador in penalty kicks at Olympic soccer qualifying


RUSS ULLYOT

Kelowna Daily Courier


KELOWNA, B.C. (CP) — Canada's Olympic soccer dream is alive and well and headed for Mexico.

The under-23 men's team defeated El Salvador Wednesday night on the frozen turf of the Apple Bowl in a penalty-kick shootout.

The game was forced to extra time and eventually penalties when Canada scored a 1-0 victory in regulation time.

A goal by Rocco Placentino, who plays for US Avellino in Italy, in the 47th minute put this two-game series on equal footing. El Salvador had won 1-0 in San Salvador on Saturday.

``I was just thinking of getting the ball in the box,'' said Placentino.

Placentino had gathered the ball at the half line and made his run down the left wing. When the defence backed up he continued towards the goal and eventually found himself face to face with Salvadoran keeper Luis Castro and found himself with a shooting opportunity.

``I just wanted to see the ball go between the three bars,'' said Placentino. I was just so happy. Happy to be a Canadian.''

After neither side was able to score in the remainder of regulation or the two 15-minute extra-time session, the Olympic aspirations of both countries moved to penalty kicks.

Kelowna native Rob Friend scored the decisive goal in the sixth round of kicks. He powered the ball low and hard past a diving El Salvador goalkeeper, Luis Castro, to give the Canadians the advantage.

Then Castro stepped up to try and equalize the score, his shot rang off the crossbar, and the sound warmed the more than 2,300 frosty fans.

Canada now moves on to play in Mexico in February, where they will compete in an eight-team tournament from which two teams will advance to the 2004 Athens Olympics.

As expected, the game was a tight-marking, physical affair. American referee Brian Hill had his hands full, issuing eight yellow and two red cards to El Salvador and five yellow and one red card to Canada.

The Canadian red card went to Canada's David Masciantonio for a verbal outburst on the sidelines during the first 15 minutes of extra time.

El Salvador was reduced to nine players when first Mauricio Quintanilla earned his second yellow in the 50th minute and Denis Alas was sent off for his second yellow in the 11th minute of the first 15-minute session.

Quintanella's red card came after he tripped up Canada's Atiba Hutchinson in the penalty area. Terry Dunfield was given the task of taking the penalty kick. He struck the ball to the right of Castro, who dove in front of it and took the ball of the chest.

``It was a very frustrating game,'' said Canadian head coach Bruce Twamley. ``(El Salvador) slowed the game down so much. It never got a flow.''

So many Salvadorans hit the frosty deck that the Canadian crowd started to boo each time play had to be halted. Castro was responsible for a half dozen play stoppages as each time he came in contact with a Canadian forward he was on the ground clutching his face.

At the other end of the field, the Canadian backline did a good job of keeping the Salvadoran strikers at long range. Canadian goalkeeper Andre Oliveiri was only really tested once. He made a diving finger-tip redirection of a ball struck from 18 yards out by El Salvador's most dangerous player on the night, Josue Galdamez, in the 81st minute.

El Salvador head coach Juan Ramone Paredes wasn't pleased with the way Hill called the game and even less pleased with the heckling his players received from the crowd.

``I can say many things,'' said Paredes, ``but what I will say is I am really proud of my men. We represented our country very proudly.''

In the penalty kick sessions, Canada took the lead when Olivieri blocked Ramon Sanchez grounder.

Things though would be put back on equal terms, when Dunfield missed his second penalty of the night, striking the ball wide left of the goal.

Tied at 4-4 after the first five rounds of kicks, the contest, hopes and dreams of both nations came to sudden death.

It was an opportunity that Friend wasn't about to let pass him by.

``I was not going to miss that shot,'' said Friend, who was playing for the first time in Canadian colours before his hometown. ``What a feeling that is. I was shaking out there.''

The entire Canadian team was shaking just moments later, jumping up and down in jubilation as their Olympic dreams continues to live.

``We are going all the way,'' said Pacentino.``There is nobody that's going to stop us.''

Canada last qualified for the Olympics in 1984, the last of three times the nation has played in the quadrennial tournament. Canada won the gold in 1904.


(Kelowna Daily Courier)