Thurs February 23, 2017--Canada Ends CONCACAF U20s on High Note (from uslsoccer.com)
Canada Ends CONCACAF U20s on High Note By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 02/23/17, 5:48PM EST Toronto FC II’s Hundal finds net in 2-0 win vs. Antigua & Barbuda SAN JUAN, Costa Rica – 2016 USL 20 Under 20 selection Shaan Hundal of Toronto FC II found the net as Canada took a 2-0 victory against Antigua & Barbuda to conclude its run at the 2017 CONCACAF U20 Championship at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa on Thursday evening. Canada held the upper hand early on, and was able to put pressure on the Antigua & Barbuda goal regularly in the opening 20 minutes as Kris Twardek had a shot tipped over the crossbar, and Diego Gutierrez shot just wide. That pressure told in the 23rd minute when a header by Hundaal from the penalty spot came back off the crossbar. Twardek was the first to react and drove home Canada’s first goal of the tournament. Hundaal hit the crossbar again with a header off a cross by Twardek in the 32nd minute, and then was denied three minutes later after being put in on goal as Canada took its one-goal lead to the break. Toronto FC II’s Liam Fraser, who was handed the captain’s armband for the game, hit the woodwork as well seven minutes into the second half off a free kick, and then again nine minutes later as Canada pushed for a second. Seattle Sounders FC 2 forward Javorn Stevens had the chance to level the game with 20 minutes to go, only for Canada goalkeeper Thomas Hasal to make the save, but Hundaal put the game away with a 90th-minute goal to give Canada a deserved win. Scoring: 23’ – CAN – Kris Twardek 90’ – CAN – Shaan Hundal (Tristan Borges) Three Things That Matter: •1. Canada ended its 2017 CONCACAF U20 Championship on a positive note, and the final score was a little deceptive for how often the side peppered the Antigua & Barbuda goal. The side hit the woodwork on four separate occasions, one of which by USL 20 Under 20 selection Shaan Hundal resulted in the opening goal of the game. Handed his first start of the tournament, Hundal put in a solid performance with four shots and completed 15 out of his 17 passes while playing as a lone striker, and was rewarded with a late goal that put the win away. He’ll now try to improve on his six goals in the 2016 USL regular season when he returns to Toronto FC II for the upcoming year. •2. Toronto FC II’s Liam Fraser played every minute of the tournament for Canada, earning the captain’s armband for Thursday’s game, and came close twice to giving his side the cushion it would certainly have liked with two shots ringing off first a post and then the crossbar early in the second half. Fraser also connected on 89 percent of his passes – of which he made almost 100 in the contest. After 22 appearances for Toronto FC II a season ago, recording a pair of goals, he can hopefully use this tournament as a platform for a successful 2017 in the USL. •3. Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 defender Kadin Chung got to see his first action of the tournament, and the 2016 USL 20 Under 20 selection put in a positive performance that saw him complete 25 of 27 passes and not commit a foul down the left flank. Chung’s presence in a number of build-up games for Canada made his absence in the opening two games surprising, but the 18-year-old will now return to Vancouver aiming to push on for a second strong season with the WFC2 as they look to return to the USL Cup Playoffs. Upcoming Games: •Canada – End of Tournament •Antigua & Barbuda – End of Tournament
.
.