HOUSTON, Texas – Canada’s memorable 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup campaign came to an end on Thursday night with a narrow 2-1 semifinal defeat to Mexico.
While it ended in disappointment, Canada reached their first semifinal in 14 years and are ready to build on the display they showed this summer.
“I think we had great performances in all our games, even the two that we lost against the U.S. and Mexico. I think for large parts of those games we were the better team, so there are lots of positives to take,” said Osorio in an interview with Concacaf.com.
“I think this game is a big one because we were playing against so many things and we showed a lot of heart and character. We’re really proud and we’re really excited for what the future has in store for us,” added Osorio.
Part of that future includes the Final Round of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022 in which Canada will be seeking a return to the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1986.
Osorio and his teammates are eager to show that Canada can be one of the teams that punches a ticket to Qatar.
“I think teams know this now. With this Mexican team, we have respect for them, but we’re not scared of them. We’re not scared of anybody. I think we showed in this tournament that we’re ready to take the next step in football in this country. All of my brothers, we are all committed to this,” concluded Osorio.
