Tajon Buchanan and Canada catapulted into first place in Concacaf World Cup Qualifying on Tuesday night, claiming a memorable 2-1 win over Mexico amidst frigid conditions at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. Buchanan once again went the full 90 minutes - just as he did in Canada's 1-0 victory over Costa Rica last Friday - while former Orlando City SC forward Cyle Larin scored both goals to earn the Canadians a third straight triumph.
Now more than halfway through the Octagonal, Canada (4-0-4, 16 pts.) remains the only unbeaten side in the region, and they leapfrogged both the United States (4-1-3, 15 pts.) and Mexico (4-2-2, 14 pts.) into top spot on Tuesday.
The standings shakeup was possible due in part to the U.S. Men's National Team's 1-1 draw at Jamaica, where Tim Weah scored early to push the Americans in front, only for Michail Antonio to respond with a long-range thunderbolt later in the first half. Matt Turner was on the bench as Zack Steffen was handed a third straight start in goal.
Rounding out recent international action was ArnĂ³r Traustason, who played the final 12 minutes of Iceland's 3-1 loss to North Macedonia this past Sunday to claim his 41st international cap. Iceland (2-5-3, 9 pts.) finished fifth in Group J of UEFA World Cup Qualifying, ending their quest to claim a place at next year's FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Buchanan, Turner, and Traustason will all now rejoin the New England Revolution as they prepare to begin the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs on Tuesday, November 30, at Gillette Stadium. Kickoff of that Eastern Conference Semifinal will be at 7:30 p.m. ET, against the winner of this Sunday's first-round match between New York City FC and Atlanta United FC.
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