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End is near for Lenarduzzi
The game means nothing because both Canada (1-5-3) and Costa Rica (2-4-3) have already failed to qualify for the World Cup finals in France next summer.
"It is still an opportunity -- I guess for want of a better expression -- of closure," Lenarduzzi said from his team's Florida training base.
"There's a number of them (players) that are at that stage, where this could be their last game.
"That being the case, it's a swansong. We'd all like it to be under different circumstances but unfortunately that's not the case."
Lenarduzzi, the only man born in Canada to coach the national team, might include himself in that group.
The longest-serving coach (he was hired in February 1992) among the six in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying, Lenarduzzi says he will make his plans known after the round ends this weekend.
His contract runs through the end of the World Cup in July, but look for him to step down next week. He may resurface with the new-look Vancouver 86ers of the A-League.
National team coaching changes are common in soccer. Costa Rica and El Salvador both went through three coaches in attempting to qualify for this World Cup.
The Canadian team Lenarduzzi will take to Costa Rica is a stripped-down version of the one that started the round. There are just 16 players, two less than the team is allowed to dress.
Goalkeeper Craig Forrest is still in England, preparing for a League Cup tie with West Ham. Nick Dasovic and Carlo Corazzin are also with their British clubs.
Tomasz Radzinski and Paul Peschisolido are elsewhere in Europe, having spurned the national team one more time.
Canadian soccer fans won't be able to see Sunday's game. TSN, which aired all nine previous Canadian games this round, and the Canadian Soccer Association elected to not to bother showing it. Instead TSN will show the NAPA 500 NASCAR race.
So what went wrong? There is no shortages of places to point fingers at.
--With no domestic professional league, Canada had little or no control over its players, many of whom were forced to endure pressure from their European club sides to stay and, if they did leave, were forced to travel vast distances to play for the national squad. "I could go around the world and I don't think there's another national team program that has the complications we have to deal with as players," captain Randy Samuel said.
--Canada was the victim of high expectations after doing so well in the preliminary round of qualifying. While the Canadian team remained static, others teams added fresh talent. Jamaica, for one, reloaded with four players of Jamaican descent from England.
--Canada had its share of bad breaks. A tough schedule forced the team to start on the road against Mexico and the United States. And its lone win against Costa Rica was followed by a lengthy layoff, killing any momentum. But what really killed the Canadians was the inability to win at home.
--Lenarduzzi let the dispute over whether to call up Vancouver striker Domenic Mobilio simmer too long. And he lost points in some quarters for recalling Mobilio after a spirited campaign by Vancouver media. In reality, Mobilio was out of shape in the early going and didn't deserve to be on the squad.
--Peschisolido's ejection against El Salvador cost the team dearly. Languishing at 0-2 after losses to Mexico and the United States, the Canadians were put behind the eight-ball in their third game when the mercurial forward was sent off for bone-headed retaliation midway through the first half. FIFA then suspended him for two additional games.
--Pechisolido's and Radzinski's lack of commitment to the national team hurt morale and consistency. Fernando Aguiar's public outburst after the first U.S loss didn't help the image of the squad either.
--The team never found a style of play that worked. Again, this goes back to the lack of infrastructure.
--Lenarduzzi had few player options. Most of the Canadian under-20 players weren't ready for this level. Others, like forward Paul Stalteri, had no place to play after the A-League season. (Stalteri is now with Werder Bremen in Germany).
--Compounding all of the above, the team simply did not play up to par.
The failure to qualify will cost the Canadian Soccer Association the $1 million US a game it would have earned in France.
It will likely also cost Lenarduzzi his job.
NEXT ROUNDS: Round of 16 || Quarter-finals || Semi-finals
GROUP A: Brazil, Morocco, Norway, Scotland
GROUP B: Austria, Cameroon, Chile, Italy
GROUP C: Denmark, France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
GROUP D: Bulgaria, Nigeria, Paraguay, Spain
GROUP E: Belgium, Holland, Mexico, South Korea
GROUP F: Germany, Iran, United States, Yugoslavia
GROUP G: Colombia, England, Romania, Tunisia
GROUP H: Argentina, Croatia, Jamaica, Japan