MATCH PREVIEW: Canada vs. Trinidad & Tobago — Copa América Play-In Match

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2024 Copa América Play-in Match Canada vs. Trinidad & Tobago March 23, 2024 at 3 p.m. CT/4 p.m. ET Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas Watch Live: OneSoccer​

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It's now or never for the Canadian men's national team, who have one final opportunity to qualify for the 2024 Copa América on Saturday when they take on Trinidad and Tobago down in Texas.

This one-game playoff will see the winner advance to the group stage of the Copa, where they'll slot into Group A -- and the tournament's opening match in Atlanta against World Cup champions Argentina. That's the kind of opportunity that could lift a team pretty tremendously, especially if that team is preparing to co-host a World Cup in two years. Canada find themselves now with their second chance to book a place in Copa América, having failed to do so in November when they lost a Concacaf Nations League quarter-final to Jamaica. Although they took a 2-1 lead in the away game of that two-legged tie, a second-half collapse at BMO Field handed the Jamaicans a win on away goals. Now, Canada must win this one-and-done game in Frisco if they're to secure the high-profile competitive matches they need to play in the build-up to 2026.

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RELATED: Can CanMNT learn lessons from recent past in Copa América play-in vs. Trinidad & Tobago?

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Interim head coach Mauro Biello named a bit of a new-look 23-man Canada squad for this game, with a handful of veteran players left at home in place of fresher faces. Just 14 players (after Jonathan Osorio dropped out with injury) return from the group for the Jamaica tie, with nine players who weren't part of that devastating defeat. There are no players in this Canadian squad above the age of 30, as Biello turns more dramatically to the future than ever before. Regular stars like Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David and Stephen Eustáquio are joined by players less experienced on the international stage, like Mathieu Choinière, Theo Bair and first-time call-up Jonathan Sirois. Of course, this being a single-match international window with incredibly high stakes, it's unlikely Biello will be experimenting all that much with how he sets up his team, but there's surely value in taking such a step toward the future with a group that's most likely to be part of that future. There's no overstating how much is on the line for Canada in this game. Playing in Copa América is an absolute necessity for this program; should they fail to qualify, they'll be left without any opportunities to challenge themselves in real competition before 2026 since they'll have no World Cup Qualifiers. The U.S. and Mexico might continue to pull ahead in the Concacaf region if that were the case, leaving Canada stagnant. For Canada, appearing in Copa América would mean playing in front of millions of eyes, against the best player in the world and the reigning World Cup champions. If they're to do well when they welcome the world to Canada in 2026, they'll need to be comfortable on the global stage before then. Stephen Eustáquio, who has been named captain for Canada heading into this game, was firm on his expectation in prematch media comments on Friday. Asked just how disappointing a loss to Trinidad would be, he was clear. "We have to make sure that doesn't happen," he said. "There's no room for disappointment, there's just room for improvement. We're going to qualify tomorrow." This might just be the highest-stakes single game this team has ever played. Now, the challenge is theirs to rise to the occasion.

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3 THINGS TO WATCH​

• Beware dangers of overconfidence: Some of Canada's biggest stumbling points in recent years have been games where they went in with a clear expectation of winning, even by a significant margin. They fell apart and squandered an aggregate lead against Jamaica, and dropped what should've been comfortably won points at home to Guadeloupe. In similar fashion, Canada are heavily favoured against Trinidad and Tobago; they're 46 spots ahead in the FIFA World Rankings and have more high-profile players from European clubs. However, Trinidad can be a very plucky side, and a spot in a Copa América could be a massive boost to their program's fortunes. They beat the United States at home in November, and held Jamaica to a 0-0 draw in their most recent game (on March 3).

• Selection questions for Biello: With several veterans -- Borjan, Vitória, Kaye -- not in the squad, and a few other regulars -- Laryea, Osorio -- out with injury, Mauro Biello has some key spots in his lineup to fill. He's likely to play a fairly attacking side against Trinidad, which probably means all four of Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Tajon Buchanan starting somehow, but the question is how to deploy them. If Davies and Buchanan are wingbacks in a 3-5-2, who plays in midfield alongside (likely) Stephen Eustáquio and Ismaël Koné? And who plays in defence? Derek Cornelius and Kamal Miller feel like locks but with Laryea and Sam Adekugbe not here, Alistair Johnston is the only natural fullback; even he might be an odd man out if Biello wants three centre-backs, which could mean Moïse Bombito or Joel Waterman.

• Trinidad have ways to hurt Canada: The Soca Warriors may not have as many players in top European leagues or Major League Soccer as Canada do, but they nonetheless have some threats to keep an eye on. That list begins with Levi Garcia, leading scorer for defending Greek champions AEK Athens. He'll be the main dangerman for Trinidad, as he's capable of scoring against strong opposition (as he's done in the Europa League against Ajax and Lyon), as well as creating. A couple of Trinidad's likely starters also have some familiarity with Canada -- Halifax Wanderers captain Andre Rampersad is entering his sixth year in the Canadian Premier League. Meanwhile, up top, recent Pacific FC addition Reon Moore is another finishing threat, having scored against the United States for his country in the Nations League quarter-final. "If you look at [Trinidad's] blueprint against the U.S., you saw how they were able to sit in a low block," Biello added. "We have to be ready to unbalance a low block and be able to spread them out, then exploit some of the gaps as they start to adjust. We've got to be ready for their counter attacks."

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