Striker Nelson Bonilla was stretchered off early in an early blow to El Salvador but his replacement Irvin Herrera managed to put Kenny Stamatopoulos under pressure in the 25th minute. Canada’s midfield sported an unfamiliar look with no Julian De Guzman, Jonathan Osorio, or Russell Tiebert as coach Benito Floro decided to go with Kyle Bekker and Samuel Piette who were not very effective as El Salvador took control of the game in the first half. But it was Cyle Larin clear on goal in the 35th minute with no defender in sight, the goalie dragged out, letting the hosts down with a dreadful blast that whistled nowhere near goal. That should have been the winner.
Canada was the better team in the second half as Floro introduced Marcus Haber and Tiebert but they were unable to finish off their chances. The hosts face an uphill climb facing Jamaica next before finishing against Costa Rica, both countries ranked higher than Canada. This was a missed opportunity.