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Can Canada give Mexico cold shoulder?
Still, the sub-zero temperatures, a cold west wind and an occasional skiff of snow didn't seem to bother Bob Lenarduzzi's troops as Canada's national soccer side continued preparations for Sunday's World Cup qualifying match against Mexico.
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
This is the side from the Great White North. The lads are used to it, right?
Been there, done that, said former Edmonton Driller Nick DeSantis.
``Once you get going and the blood starts pumping, you kind of forget about it,'' shivered DeSantis, who appeared for yesterday's intrasquad game wearing a toque and thick sweats.
``If it's cold for us, then it must be twice as cold for the Mexicans. I think we'd rather be playing in this cold than in the heat in Mexico.
``I think I can clearly say it's an advantage for us. Yeah, this is cold but most of the guys who play in Europe have had to deal with it.''
Ah yes, but it's a dry cold according to keeper Paul Dolan.
``I played in the winter in Vancouver when I was younger,'' he recalled. ``It was mostly rain but there were cold days and it was wet. We haven't played in snow but we've trained in it.
"I think it would be a gas to play in snow. I'd really enjoy that, especially considering the team we're playing. It's not as if we're playing a European team that might also be used to it. We've got to take this as our one advantage.''
Forward Alex Bunbury, who fled the sunny climes of Portugal to don the Maple Leaf, knew he wasn't in for a day at the beach when he showed up at the Faculte Saint-Jean pitch yesterday afternoon.
COLD IS COLD ...
"Cold is cold, it doesn't matter where you are,'' Bunbury said. "When it's cold, it's cold and you've got to try and keep yourself warm. It's not going to be any different for us because we're Canadians. It's cold and we have to accept that fact. What we have to do is play our game and play within our capabilities.
``If we do that and work the way I think we're going to work, anything is possible. We've done it before in cold weather and I'm a firm believer that you can't start thinking about that.
"If you start doing that, you start putting negative things into you mind. You've just got to keep focused and go out and do your best.''
If the current weather pattern continues, tromping around the pitch Sunday might be a lot like standing on Jasper Avenue after Christmas clad only in boxer shorts and a t-shirt.
Is there no provision in the rule book that might allow for both sides to wear something other than the mandatory shorts? Sort of, says Dolan.
"They wear long underwear under their shorts in Germany sometimes,'' he said.
NEXT ROUNDS: Round of 16 || Quarter-finals || Semi-finals
GROUP A: Brazil, Morocco, Norway, Scotland
GROUP B: Austria, Cameroon, Chile, Italy
GROUP C: Denmark, France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
GROUP D: Bulgaria, Nigeria, Paraguay, Spain
GROUP E: Belgium, Holland, Mexico, South Korea
GROUP F: Germany, Iran, United States, Yugoslavia
GROUP G: Colombia, England, Romania, Tunisia
GROUP H: Argentina, Croatia, Jamaica, Japan