Canada ties 1-1 with Mexico in quest for Olympic berth

Canada's surprising 1-1 tie with Mexico on Wednesday night in its opener at the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament should smooth the way for it make the semi-finals next week and get a one-game shot at earning its first Olympic berth since the sport became a full medal event.   
 
Canada grabbed the lead three minutes into the second half when Will Johnson broke between two Mexican defenders to latch onto a ball from Andrazes Ornoch. Johnson blasted it into the roof of the Mexican net from 10 yards out.
 
The lead would last 21 minutes before Mexico levelled on a penalty shot from Luis Angel Landin. Canadian defender Andrew Hainault was whistled for bringing down Cesar Villaluz in the box.
Neither of Wednesday's goal scorers finished the match, however. Both received red cards in the second half. Landin was sent off in the 67th minute; Johnson exited 10 minutes later. Johnson will be suspended for Friday's match against Haiti. Canada's final round-robin match is on Sunday against Guatemala.
 
Canadian under-23 head coach Nick Dasovic had nothing but praise for Mexico, which is ranked 16th in the world. "They're a fantastic team," Dasovic said. "It's all about attacking patterns. As much as you want to stop them, it's very hard. I have the utmost respect for Mexico." Canada is ranked 62nd.