Player Ratings | Canada vs. Panama | March 30, 2022

Having already earned a berth in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Canada fell to Panama 1-0 on Wednesday night to close out the final round of World Cup Qualifying.

After an uneventful opening 45, Panama struck early in the second half, leaving Canada to play from behind the rest of the match. And although they came close on a few occasions – and had a goal called back after a Video Review check – the red-and-white could not find an equalizer.

Here are the player ratings for manager John Herdman's squad.‍

Player Ratings

GK – Maxime Crépeau (6.5/10) | A rare start for the LAFC keeper, Crépeau didn’t look out of place. He wasn’t asked to do much, but made a few nice saves down the stretch and had no chance on Panama’s lone goal

RWB – Tajon Buchanan (7.0/10) | Asked to do more defensively than perhaps other matches, Buchanan was Canada’s liveliest player in the first half. He was sound behind the ball and was willing to take players on, drawing three fouls – including one on a wonderful run that led to a dangerous free kick. What a player he has become. 

RCB – Alistair Johnston (7.5/10) | Mr. Reliable. Arguably the best player on the pitch and certainly the best defender, Johnston had another strong performance for Les Rouges, leaving the match in the 73rd minute with a team-high three tackles – all of them crucial interventions. The CF Montréal man won nine of his 11 duels and even registered one key pass. He’s evolved into Canada’s best defender, and he showed why once again tonight.

CB – Atiba Hutchinson (6.0/10) | Asked to play centreback once again, Hutchinson achieved what was asked of him: acting as a steady distributor out of the back. When you’re flanked by Kamal Miller and Alistair Johnston, lasering into that role becomes much easier as the 39-year-old midfielder completed 88.6 per cent of his passes.

LCB – Kamal Miller (6.0/10) | Don’t have much to say about Miller after this match, and that’s probably a good thing considering the role that the CF Montréal defender is being asked to play. John Herdman wants to see Miller playing at a higher level this summer.

LWB – Sam Adekugbe (5.5/10) | After a run of brilliant performances, Adekugbe came back down to Earth a bit tonight. With Canada hemmed into their end for the majority of the first half, when the 27-year-old did find some room to go forward, he didn’t capitalize like we’ve seen him do ever so well in the past.

CM – Ismaël Koné (4.0/10) | After his nerves eased up, Koné settled into the game and got better as the first half wore on but was taken off at halftime for Jonathan Osorio. It was great to see 19-year-old the CF Montréal midfielder make his first career start and there’s no doubt he has a bright future ahead of him, but tonight was a performance he’ll want to quickly put behind him.‍

CM – Stephen Eustáquio (7.0/10) | The maestro in the middle of the park, everything was going through the FC Porto man, and once again, he impressed. He’s grown into a real leader for this men’s national team, and throughout this entire qualifying run, it’s safe to say that Eustáquio was probably Canada’s best player.

CM – Mark-Anthony Kaye (5.0/10) | After Thursday’s dismissal, it was nice to see MAK get a start tonight in Panama, though it wasn’t the Colorado Rapids midfielder’s best 61 minutes of work as he didn’t really offer much going forward. He’s a player that can really open up a defense with a single through ball, but he finished with 0 key passes.

ST – Lucas Cavallini (4.5/10) | A disappointing game for the Vancouver Whitecaps forward and a disappointing window overall for the big striker. He had a real opportunity to potentially cement his place in Qatar these past three matches, but he didn’t do himself any favours.

ST – Jonathan David (6.0/10) | He should have scored after being set up by Cyle Larin in the second half, however, David was still solid overall. His versatility was on full display by dropping deeper at times to link up with his teammates, and it’s worth mentioning that the 22-year-old striker looked a lot better next to Larin than Lucas Cavallini.

Head Coach: John Herdman (5.0/10) | The way Canada started this match may have cost Les Rouges, but you still have to appreciate the way that they finished the game. This might have been the manager’s lowest score in the past year – a testament to how great he is.

Substitutions

CM – Jonathan Osorio (5.0/10) | He was brought on to settle the game for Canada and they conceded in transition shortly after he came on. It certainly wasn’t his fault, but it’s tough to sing the Toronto FC midfielder’s praise tonight like we have after past performances.

LW – Junior Hoilett (6.0/10) | Hoilett may have been Canada’s standout performer this window and he once again showed his quality off the bench tonight, swinging in a wicked left-footed cross on the goal that was called back. He’s a game changer.

ST – Cyle Larin (7.0/10) | Probably the best player on the park in his 30 minutes of action tonight. Larin, of course, had his goal taken away after he was offside by a sliver, though it wasn’t just his called back tally that was impressive. The Beşiktaş man changed the game when he came on and was an immediate threat, linking up well with Jonathan David.

RWB – Richie Laryea (N/A)

ST – Iké Ugbo (N/A)

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