Final Score: Bahrain 2-2 Canada Goalscorers: Al-Humaidan 13', Helal 67' (pen.); Koné 6', Haram 81' (OG) International Friendly​

Match in a minute or less​

The Canadian men's national team took on Bahrain in a pre-World Cup tune-up friendly on Friday, playing to a 2-2 draw. Canada kicked things off quickly, as Ismaël Koné brought down a long ball from Kamal Miller and knocked it forward to himself, coming in on goal alone and finishing well to make it 1-0 just six minutes in. Less than 10 minutes later, however, Bahrain drew level as they found a gap in Canada's defence and Mahdi Al-Humaidan struck from inside the box. The hosts went ahead of Canada in the second half, as an Alistair Johnston foul on the edge of the box drew a penalty kick for Bahrain, and Abdulla Yusuf Helal converted to make it 2-1. Ultimately, though, the Canadians did manage to find an equalizer, as Koné found the ball on the right flank and sent in a low cross which deflected off Lucas Cavallini and a Bahrain defender before finding the net to make it 2-2 -- a result which would stand until fulltime.

Three Observations​

Rust apparent in out-of-season Canada players building match fitness​

The main reason for Canada to play this friendly was to help the squad's Major League Soccer-based players get back into form after spending the past few weeks or even months without game action. For John Herdman, the greatest triumph of this match will be seeing so many players that will be key contributors in Qatar -- Jonathan Osorio perhaps more than any other -- playing solid minutes. Of the 16 players who saw the pitch for Canada, only nine had played a match within the last month. That much was, of course, evident in Canada's performance on Friday; their possession play was sloppy at times and movement with the ball wasn't quite as synchronized as Herdman would have liked. Canada's defending was a little rash at times too, with a handful of missed or mistimed tackles that either provided a chance for Bahrain to attack or gave away a foul in a dangerous area. Indeed, that's how both of Bahrain's goals came about -- the first, a few defensive errors in transition let the opposition into the box too easily, and the second was a hasty tackle from Johnston that gave up a penalty. All of that was, undoubtedly, to be expected, and in fairness some of the poor possession and misplaced passes can also be attributed to the uneven, slow pitch surface in Bahrain. Nonetheless, it's unlikely Canada will be able to learn much from this performance, knowing that above all this match's value was in getting players on the pitch in a match situation. The main concern, in fact, will not be that the performance was subpar; rather, two potential injuries are perhaps the story of the day. Doneil Henry reportedly picked up an injury of some kind in warmups and had to be replaced in the starting XI by Joel Waterman, while Kamal Miller pulled up during the second half and couldn't finish the match. Both Henry and Miller will (depending on injury severity, of course) undoubtedly be in the 26-man World Cup squad, and Miller might be expected to start every match for Canada -- he played in 12 out of 14 matches in the final round of World Cup Qualifying, starting nine of them. There's still no word yet on what exactly was troubling either Henry or Miller, but their status will be the only major concern for Herdman after this Bahrain match.

Canada show promise with long switches of play, direct balls out wide​

Bahrain aren't necessarily on the level of the opposition Canada will face at the World Cup, but this game did give Les Rouges an opportunity to work with the ball and try to refine some combinations they might attempt in a higher-stakes match. Playing against a Bahrain side that were compact and quite well-organized in defence, Canada identified early on that there would be space in behind their high defensive line. So, Canada seemed to become quite deliberate in their way of building from the back, with the back three spreading wide and looking for opportunities to send long play-switching passes across the pitch to attacking players or wingbacks. Raheem Edwards in particular, out on the left flank, received the ball a lot in such positions, as did Richie Laryea on the right. Again, the individual rust may have prevented Canada from turning those bright transitional moments into more dangerous attacking chances consistently, but they did well spotting an area to exploit and going about attacking it. It's unlikely Canada have nearly as much of the ball against Belgium or Croatia as they did in this match (62 per cent possession), but when they do win it they'll need to be decisive and quick. Morocco may in fact leave similar space behind their wingbacks and defenders, and although it's more likely to be Stephen Eustáquio trying to find Alphonso Davies or Tajon Buchanan with those long switches, the tactical mindset should extend to all players in the squad. Three of Canada's back five -- Laryea, Miller, and Johnston -- are likely to play heavy minutes in Qatar, so having them get back into the rhythm of how Canada want to play out of the back is also crucial, especially considering it's likely Miller and Johnston are the ones starting such moves, with Steven Vitória holding down the fort centrally.

Individual performances stand out more than full team showing​

Although on a team-wide level this wasn't a performance to write home about, several individuals stood out in a very encouraging way for Canada. Most importantly, Toronto FC midfielder Jonathan Osorio started and played the full 90 minutes of a difficult match in the heat, despite having played just 18 minutes since the end of August. Osorio actually hadn't appeared for the national team since the end of World Cup Qualifying in March, so getting him re-integrated into the squad was perhaps the greatest triumph for Herdman and co. on Friday. Osorio will undoubtedly be a key player for Canada in Qatar, whether he's starting or coming off the bench; there isn't really another player with his profile in the player pool, who can provide a creative spark from the middle. On Friday his quality was evident, and despite being perhaps the least match-fit player in the squad he was actually one of Canada's sharpest, keen to take on defenders on the dribble and pick out dangerous passes into the box. Lining up next to Osorio in attacking midfield was Ismaël Koné, who likewise was excellent for Canada. He scored the first goal with a remarkable first touch and finish, and he helped create the second with his low cross into the six-yard box. Koné popped up in a variety of spaces around the left side, particularly the half-space where he was able to combine with Raheem Edwards quite well. Koné is, by now, essentially a lock to be on the plane to Qatar next week, but just how pronounced his role might be at the World Cup was unclear. After this excellent performance, as well as very good showings in the last window against Qatar and Uruguay, Koné seems to have shown Herdman that he can be trusted to contribute when Canada need a spark late in games. The 20-year-old still might not have the experience to start a World Cup match, but it's becoming more and more likely that he will see the pitch at some point. Finally, recognition is due to Joel Waterman and Lukas MacNaughton, who both made their national team debut on Friday. Waterman started the game as a last-minute amendment to the lineup when Doneil Henry was hurt in warmups, and MacNaughton came on in the second half when Kamal Miller couldn't continue. Those two players' inclusion was particularly significant with both players being products of the Canadian Premier League; Waterman's first professional minutes were with Cavalry FC in 2019 after they picked him from Trinity Western University in the CPL-U SPORTS Draft, while MacNaughton played his first three years as a pro at Pacific FC after playing U SPORTS soccer for the University of Toronto.

CanPL.ca Player of the Match​

Ismaël Koné, Canada The CF Montréal midfielder scored Canada's first goal and assisted the second, playing in a slightly advanced attacking role. He was bright and confident on the ball throughout the 90 minutes, proving to Herdman and co. that he belongs in the World Cup squad.

What’s next?​

Canada will now head to Dubai, where they'll take on Japan in one final pre-World Cup friendly on Thursday, Nov. 17 (8:40 a.m. ET/5:40 a.m. PT). After that, it'll be off to Qatar to kick off the World Cup itself. Watch Canada vs. Japan live on OneSoccer. In addition to its website and app, OneSoccer is now available on TELUS channel 980 and on Fubo TV. Call your local cable provider to ask for OneSoccer today.

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