Nations League preview: Laryea in the spotlight as Canada takes on Suriname

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Toronto FC fullback Richie Laryea has always been there for the Canadian men’s team.

He has played in countless friendlies and qualifying matches of all sorts since making his international debut in 2019. He’s played in Concacaf tournaments such as the Nations League finals and the Gold Cup. And he’s played at the Copa América and FIFA World Cup.

In total, Laryea has featured in 58 of Canada’s last 64 matches going back for the last five years. He answered the call without hesitation whenever his country tapped him on the shoulder, even if it meant travelling to less-than-welcoming Concacaf outposts such as Port-au-Prince, San Pedro Sula and San Salvador.

Once again, Laryea will be at the forefront for Canada this month when the men’s team plays Suriname in an ultra-important playoff series, starting with Friday's game in Paramaribo and ending with next Tuesday's return match at Toronto’s BMO Field. The winner of the two-legged affair qualifies for the Concacaf Nations League finals next March in Los Angeles and for next summer's Concacaf Gold Cup.

For Laryea, a 29-year-old from Toronto, the games against Suriname represent a chance to further ingratiate himself with Jesse Marsch, who took over the head coaching duties in March. Of the 11 contests that Canada has played under the American coach, Laryea has appeared in all but one while also earning seven starts. He has underlined his importance to Marsch with his dangerous and probing runs in the final third, driving the team's attack forward at crucial times, including both contests against World Cup champions Argentina this past summer.

At the same time, Marsch has challenged the TFC fullback to become more of a leader within the Canadian team.

“He wants me to be more vocal on the pitch, off the pitch, and just to bring my energy and my enthusiasm out in sessions and games. He's really encouraged me to take that upon myself. He's okay with not only myself, but other guys making mistakes, while also trying to get us to be better leaders and better players. For him, it's all about the reaction, and how we adapt and improve from those situations,” Laryea told Sportsnet.

Marsch has also demanded more from Laryea and his Canadian teammates from a physical standpoint with the high-energy brand of football he professes.

“He's obviously challenged us a lot with the physical demands that we have to put in every day. I think you've seen guys adapt and perform really well under that. It's allowed us to believe we can go up against anyone,” Laryea offered.

“And if we're playing the way he wants us all to play, we're gonna have a chance against the best teams in the world, which I think you saw there in the two games against Argentina at the Copa América. ... He's just given the whole group a boost of confidence and it's showing on the pitch.”

With more Canadians playing their club soccer in Europe these days, competition for playing time with the national team is at an all-time high.

Under normal circumstances, that might spell trouble for an MLS player such as Laryea. But his versatility and ability to play a number of positions — whether it’s on the left or right flank — make him more valuable to Marsch.

“You look at our potential starting backline, Phonzie [Alphonso Davies], Derek [Cornelius], Moïse [Bombito], and Alistair [Johnston]. Certainly, when one of those guys isn’t available or isn’t ready, sliding Richie in is pretty simple. We used him even in the midfield because we felt like, given the kind of opponents we were playing against, what he could provide further forward would be a better benefit for us,” Marsch explained.

“So, even though if you were at home and writing down the potential lineup for when all the guys are healthy, Richie might not always feature, the fact he’s ready at any moment and is reliable means he’s necessary to have on the pitch because of his understanding of what games require. You could make a whole list of the valuable assets that he brings at any given time. He winds up being massively important.”

On paper, this two-game set against Suriname is a mismatch. Canada is No. 35 in the current FIFA world rankings, compared to the No. 136 Suriname. The nations have only previously squared off twice and both of them were wins for Canada, including a 4-0 victory in Chicago in a World Cup qualifier in 2021.

Canada got off to a nervy start in the last match and was let down by some sloppy play and unforced errors. Suriname was lively in attack, and it was a left-footed shot from outside the box by Tjaronn Chery that forced a fine save from Canadian goalkeeper Milan Borjan. Moments later, Sheraldo Becker's blast from inside the box beat Borjan but rattled off the crossbar.

Laryea played in that match and recalls how Suriname gave Canada a hard time.

“I remember that game being pretty tricky in the first 20 to 30 minutes with them hitting the woodwork. I'm sure they'll give us a difficult match. They're gonna be fired up for [Friday’s] match as well. … We have to be very prepared and not take them lightly,” Laryea said.

Indeed, Canada can’t afford to take Suriname lightly based on its recent history. Les Rouges came out on the wrong end of a two-legged series against lower-ranked Jamaica last November and failed to qualify for this year’s Concacaf Nations League finals.

Laryea and his Canadian cohorts will also be looking to make amends for its flat and uninspiring performance in a 2-0 loss to the United States in last year’s Concacaf Nations League final in Las Vegas.

“With it being the first final that the team had played together, I think there were a lot of learnings with the emotions that go along with playing in a final, some of the ways you have to play in a final, just little things like that,” Laryea said.

“I think it's almost similar to the World Cup. We learned a lot about ourselves at the World Cup. Yes, we could play well, but also there's things you need to change at that level to win games. And I think we also learned the same in the Nations League final with exactly what we need to do to be able to win championships.”

And winning tournaments is foremost on the Canadian players’ minds after they squandered a chance in last year’s Nations League final to win the team’s first trophy since the 2000 Concacaf Gold Cup.

Hoisting trophies would allow the team to gain some much-needed momentum and build upon its incredible Copa América success.

“These games [vs. Suriname] are important. We need to progress and get to the Nations League final. I think for us, it's a little bit of redemption. We were in the final last year and weren't able to fully accomplish what we wanted, which was to win a trophy. I feel like as a group, it's something we've always been determined to do — to win a trophy together. And this is another opportunity,” Laryea stated.

John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 25 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.

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