Even though most people may think that the games against Dominica should be a piece of cake for the Canucks, in my opinion there is more than a shadow of a doubt about that.
Canada has better players on the paper, and the team has more international experience. The presence of several Canadian teams in the MSL is undoubtedly helping the development of talented young players, who are more accustomed to play in a much more competitive environment than the Dominican League, where the major part of the players of Dominica play.
However, in a two legged elimination game, I have witnessed one too many surprises to consider the games in June an easy task.
The expectation in Dominica is high. Canada is probably one of the strongest teams that will start playing in the Second Round of the CONCACAF qualifiers, and that is an extra motivation for any team. Back in Spain I remember the games of the Cup competition, where minor teams were able to beat and eliminate any of the big teams of the country, Real Madrid or Barcelona, even when the minor teams did not even have 11 professional players. When the ball starts moving, it's 11 against 11, and anything can happen.
For Canada in order to have a more pleasant second game, it is VITAL to score. Even if the national team cannot win the game, Benito Floro should be encouraging his players to play offense and get the most goals possible.
Winning in Roseau will be a huge asset to the options, but again, if the win is not possible, it is better a 2-2 tie than a 0-0.
In normal conditions, the second game to be played in Toronto should end with a Canadian win. Dominica has never succeeded when it comes to perform against teams that are better ranked than them, and I only give them options of doing so in the first game, and only because they play at home and have the extra motivation of playing against one of the favorite teams in the round.
Floro, who coached in Spain for several year, is a very talented and experienced coach. In his career, he has won a Spanish Cup and a Spanish Supercup. After promoting SD Albacete to Primera Division, he was hired by Real Madrid, where he won the mentioned titles. After a not very successful experience in Madrid, he also trained Sporting de Gijon, RCD Mallorca and SD Albacete again, before starting an international career that ended up with him leading the effort of the Canadian Team towards Russia 2018.
The experience of Floro, added to the experience of the Canadian players, should be enough to advance to the Round 3 of the qualifiers, where the real test for the Floro Project will be start.
