Soggy stage for Canada-Uzbekistan pre-World Cup friendly in Edmonton

The Canadian and Uzbekistan men's teams have been practicing in the rain, which is expected to continue during Monday's friendly match.

It’s soccer match day, and a wet one at that.

In a tune-up ahead of the world’s largest sporting event, the Federation Internationale de Football Association’s (FIFA) World Cup, Canada is hosting Uzbekistan on Monday night at Commonwealth Stadium.

A near-sellout crowd of 54,000 is expected for the international friendly at the Edmonton venue 10 days before the start of the FIFA World Cup, with up to 35 millimetres of rain forecast over the day and the temperature hovering around 10 C.

Despite the wet conditions, the match will go ahead.

Jesse Marsch, the head coach of the Canadian Men’s National Team, says his squad will “be OK” in the rain.

“We’ll be prepared to pivot if the pitch is a little bit soggy, but I think both teams are in the same boat,” Marsch told media on Sunday after his team practised on the grass field installed at Commonwealth for the match.

Canada Soccer said on Friday that 46,000 tickets had been sold. About 2,000 seats for the game were still available for sale at noon Monday via Ticketmaster.

Canada is co-hosting the nearly six-week-long tournament, held every four years, with the United States and Mexico.

Monday’s game is the first of two friendlies Canada is playing on home soil in the June 1-9 international window before the 48-team tournament starts June 11 in Mexico City and runs through July 19.

Canada’s first World Cup match is June 12 at Toronto against Bosnia and Herzegovina before playing Group B games at Vancouver against Qatar and Switzerland.

Who’s out

Star captain Alphonso Davies, an Edmonton native, won’t play in the Monday game as he recovers from a hamstring injury. Marsch said Sunday he believes Davies will be able to play in the World Cup but that it’s unlikely the 25-year-old will be ready to play in the men’s national team’s opener.

Davies will be at Commonwealth Stadium for the match, however. He arrived in the city last night from Germany, where he’s been recovering from the injury he suffered in early May during his pro club Bayern Munich’s UEFA Champions League semifinal with Paris Saint-Germain.

Canada found out Sunday it will be without Marcelo Flores for the tournament after the midfielder injured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Saturday playing for his pro club, Mexico’s Tigres UANL, in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final.

The 22-year-old Ontario native born to a Mexican father had switched FIFA nationalities in February, joining the Canadian roster from Mexico’s.

Last time in Edmonton ...

Canada played Mexico amid sub-zero temperatures and a foot-and-a-half of snow before 44,000-plus attendees at Commonwealth, which was dubbed ‘Iceteca’ because of the frigid conditions, a play on the name of Mexico’s national stadium, Estadio Azteca. The Nov. 16, 2021, game ended with a 2-1 Canada victory, its first over Mexico in World Cup qualifying since 1976.

Know before you go

• Public transit — via LRT, bus or park-and-ride — is the recommended way to get to the stadium, which has no on-site parking available for spectators;
• Bags that are not clear plastic and are larger than 12x12x6 inches are not permitted in the stadium;
• Glass bottles, cans, containers with a capacity larger than one litre, umbrellas larger than 16 inches or with a point, beach balls, coolers, air horns, megaphones, whistles and pets are not permitted, either;
• Lung-power noisemakers, small strollers, sealed plastic bottles one-litre in size or less, empty thermoses and personal water bottles are allowed;
• Outside food is not permitted unless it’s small, individual serving-sized snacks except peanuts in the shell; and
• Cigarettes and vapes are allowed in designated areas.