Game Thread, Lineups - Canada vs. Jamaica

Canada vs. Jamaica

6:30 PM Eastern

BBVA Compass Stadium - Houston, Texas

Sportsnet 360 & World

The Headliner: Building Momentum

If we're lucky, the match against El Salvador was an aberration - a game to move past. The lack of creativity and desire in the attacking third and some unpunished mistakes at the back made Wednesday's match hard to watch. Against Jamaica, Canada finds a stiffer test than El Salvador. The Reggae Boyz surprised many when they managed a 2-2 draw against Costa Rica, though neither team looked especially good in that game.

Jamaica's team is littered with MLSers, many of whom will be a thorn in Canada's side. Giles Barnes and Darren Mattocks lead the line, while Jermaine Taylor, Kemar Lawrence, Alvas Powell, and Andre Blake handle the defensive side of things. In the middle of the park, Jamaica have savvy veterans in Rodolph Austin and FC Dallas' Je-Vaughn Watson.

Key to the Match: Finding Creativity

It was tough to see Larin miss such an open chance, but it was just as bad seeing how little inventiveness Canada had going forward. With Osorio and Teibert starting on the bench again, Floro's team will need to find ways to create chances off the feet of DeGuzman, or down the wings from Ricketts and Akindele.

Of course, the attacking impetus needs to balanced with a strong defense. Jamaica are athletic and have speed to burn down the wings - both in wide midfield and overlapping fullbacks. Ledgerwood and de Jong need to be at their best.

The Lineup:

#canMNT Starting XI: Stamatopoulos; Ledgerwood, Edgar, Jakovic, de Jong; Straith, Piette, de Guzman (c), Akindele, Ricketts; Larin

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) July 11, 2015

In goal Kenny Stamatopolous will look to build off of his strong performance against El Salvador. Julian De Guzman takes the captain's armband and Bekker's place in central midfield. Floro sticks with an otherwise unchanged lineup.