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Mauro Biello Looking For ‘Historic Win’ For Canada In Jamaica
By The Canadian Men’s National will attempt to beat Jamaica on the host’s patch of turf for the first time in 35 years.
When Mauro Biello met the media on Thursday afternoon, he brought out the history book as Canada prepares to face Jamaica in Kingston on Friday night.
“We are attempting to win in Jamaica for the first time in 35 years. This is a much-improved team,” Biello said matter-of-factly
The last time these two nations met was back on March 27, 2022, at BMO Field in Toronto with Canada winning 4-0 to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 36 years.
“If you look at their roster, it is a bit different. They have good players playing in the Premiership, so we are expecting a tough opponent in difficult conditions, and preparing in the right way.”
Canada has been training in Florida and training in unpredictable weather, most recently playing in the pouring rain. They will travel to Kingston later today.
“We know it’s going to be a difficult place to play in ,so for us it’s understanding that we will be facing a difficult opponent. We know what we are capable of doing.”
Biello was asked if he feels the pressure of winning with the fact that he is trying to remove the interim tag from his position and playing for a spot at the Copa America next year.
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“This is an extremely important match. We know what to expect and for us, it’s going to get the win and the qualification. Our fans are expecting us to advance, and we want those higher standards, to reach them, and even surpass them.”
Biello feels the team needs to be more compact defensively which was a major issue in the last window against Japan.
“It starts with a tight team and you’re able to stay nice and compact, you can close spaces and break play. That’s the most important thing. This week there has been a lot of work defensively.”
I was able to ask Biello if he feels playing the second game at home is an advantage and he didn’t agree.
“I wouldn’t say we have the advantage. For us, it’s about getting the result, and playing at home is something the players love doing…. that 12th man will be critical. It will be a tough game in Toronto.”
Biello confirmed to the media that everyone is ready to go and healthy ahead of the game on Friday night. He was also asked about the biggest challenge of playing in Jamaica.
“This is Concacaf, and every stadium away from home is difficult. We have experienced that and you need to be able to adapt quickly, and you need to be strong mentally to deal with the conditions and stay focused. That will give you the best chance to win.”