Soccer - Canada misses World Cup preliminary qualification

SAN JOSE (AP) — Canada’s national football team missed out on World Cup qualification in a 0-1 draw against Costa Rica.

After a loss with one man, the table leaders in the final group North and Central America are losing only one more point for participation in the second World Cup in their history. Marc-Anthony Kaye got a second yellow card in the 34th minute, with Celso Borges scoring the winning goal just before half time.

Costa Rica moved up to fourth on the table with a home win and kept the hopes of a trip to Qatar alive. The top three teams from the continental confederation CONCACAF qualify directly for the World Cup final at the end of the year, with the fourth-placed teams going into the playoffs against a team from Oceania.

The teams from the United States and Mexico, which fell 0–0 in a straight duel, are still in second and third places. Both teams are three points behind Canada and three points ahead of Costa Rica, with 22 points each. There are still two days left of the game.

Canada meets Jamaica on the day of the final match on Sunday. The United States face Panama, which slipped to fifth place after a 1–1 draw with Honduras, but still has the potential for direct World Cup qualification. Honduras is at the bottom of the table and hosts Mexico in the final qualifiers.