Toronto (Canada), June 26 (EFE).- Canada kick off their Concacaf Gold Cup appearance on Tuesday with what should be a comfortable home game against French team Guadeloupe.

Guadeloupe, which is not part of FIFA because it is an overseas region of France and therefore does not occupy any position in the ranking of the international football organization, qualified for the phase Gold Cup final after beating Guyana 2-0 last week.

Tuesday’s game at BMO Stadium in Toronto will be the fourth meeting between Canada and Guadeloupe in their history. Canada has won twice. But the team from the small South American archipelago beat the North American team 2-1 in the 2007 Gold Cup.

On this occasion, Canada arrives as the big favorite, not only for the match against Guadeloupe but also to clinch first place in Group D of the Gold Cup, which also includes Cuba and Guatemala.

Despite losing 2-0 to the United States in the Concacaf Nations League final, the Canadian team is having the best moment in its history.

Last year, Canada played at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the first time they had advanced to a World Cup since Mexico 1986. And they did so after winning the octagonal qualifying championship and beating teams considered far superior, such as Mexico and the United States. Joined.

For Tuesday’s match against Guadeloupe, coach John Herdman will be without some of the players who catapulted Canada to Qatar, including Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Alistair Johnston and Ismaël Koné.

All of these players are part of European teams and were not included in Tuesday’s match in order to continue preparing for the season with their clubs.

These absences will allow Herdman to test new players against an opponent deemed inferior, such as Nashville SC winger Jacob Shaffelburg, Columbus Crew striker Jacen Russell-Rowe, Portland Timbers defender Zac McGraw, and midfielder of Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Ali Ahmed.

This is the first time that Russell-Rowe, McGraw and Ahmed have been called up to the Canadian senior team.

For his part, Guadalupe should appear at BMO with his main stars: Bordeaux goalkeeper Davy Rouyard, defenders Meddy Lina and Andreaw Gravillon and attackers Luther Archimede, from Sacramento Republic FC, and Jordan Tell, from French Grenoble.