“Today was about the past, the present and the future,” said Foothills coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “And the crowd dictated that they’re here to watch local talent. They’re here to invest in Canadian rivalries. It’s hard to strike up a rivalry, as you guys know, with Miami and Puerto Rico. But if you say Calgary’s coming up for an Al Classico, and suddenly everybody wants to see the rivalry. I thought it was a brilliant response from the Edmonton community.”

Going into a game against a powerhouse like Mexico, you know Canada’s going to have precious few chances — so, to have any hope at all the conversion rate has got to be decent. Canada had three very good looks; Boakai misplayed the ball, Petrasso hit a poor penalty and Thomas's effort was close, but high.

Through the two most recent games, Larin has become the favourite for minutes, even though Hamilton’s returns have been better. For sure, Hamilton may have needed some rest against El Salvador — hence why he didn’t come into that game till the 81st minute — but Larin had a chance to prove something in that game, and didn’t come up with a finished product.

But, in his first camp as the national-team coach, the Spaniard has made it clear he wants to look at as many players as he can, both young and old. So, veterans such as Iain Hume, Julian de Guzman, Dwayne De Rosario and Atiba Hutchinson will be making the trip, as will youngsters such as the Vancouver Whitecaps’ Residency’s Jackson Farmer and the Montreal Impact Academy’s Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare.