Standing 1.77m, Stephen Eustáquio isn’t the most menacing presence on the pitch, but there isn’t any doubt as to how much John Herdman relies on the 25-year-old.
The English head coach, who gave Eustáquio his Canada debut, has handed the midfielder 26 caps to date, and will assumedly start the Ontario native when the side runs out against Belgium on November 23.
Now, as we approach the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, we ask if Eustáquio is key to Canada’s chances of finding success on the biggest stage in soccer.
Stephen Eustáquio: Canada’s Catalyst
Through 26 games for Canada, predominantly in a defensive midfield or central midfield duo, Eustáquio has put up three goals and three assists.
All three of his goals and one assist came in his biggest games for Canada so far. At the 2021 Gold Cup, the midfielder scored in three of the four games that he played, including a goal and assist against Costa Rica.
Still, the man of Portuguese heritage isn’t utilized as a goal-threat, but rather a player who can be trusted in possession, to find open players, and to play at full-throttle box-to-box throughout 90 minutes.
Make that 3⃣ for Porto who are taking a big step towards qualification 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/IPWWsxGkvr
— DAZN Canada (@DAZN_CA) October 26, 2022
It’s his ability to snuff out opposition attacks with deft interceptions and tackles, as well as advance the play forward with pin-point passes, that makes Eustáquio such a core component of this Canada team.
Most of the attention will be going to the superstar prodigies, Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David.
It’s predominantly the presence of these two and their play this season that has experts giving Les Rouges a shot at making it to the quarter-finals at +1400 when betting online.
Head coach Herdman has demonstrated that he’s happy to be pragmatic with his attacking deployments, even shifting Davies into a central attacking position in recent games.
Eustáquio, however, is all but guaranteed to be given a central midfield role, trusted to pick up and keep the ball with those in Canada shirts.
Still Herdman’s First Choice in the Middle of the Park
In the two outings prior to the World Cup warm-ups – against Qatar and Uruguay – Herdman mixed up the formation significantly and changed out a couple of starters.
In both games, which ended in a 2-0 triumph and 2-0 defeat, Eustáquio performed superbly well, with the game flowing through him at all times.
Partnered with Samuel Piette to start both games, when attacks are on the table, Eustáquio makes the plays that allow the forward talents to create chances.
When up against stiff competition, he still managed to get on and keep the ball, being the main reason in both games why Canada came out with the majority of possession.
The main question will be who starts alongside the star Canadian. Recently, it’s been CF Montréal captain and standout Piette. When not injured, however, Jonathan Osorio will be played and has often featured alongside Eustáquio.
Equally, Mark-Anthony Kaye has proven to be a great complimentary piece to the FC Porto midfielder, and Osorio can just as easily play well higher up the pitch.
STEPHEN EUSTAQUIO REACTION:
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) September 27, 2022
"We had our platforms very organized and I felt we controlled the game for 75 minutes. In World Cup Qualifying we would have take one of those chances. Hopefully we're saving those goals for Qatar."#CANMNT #WeCAN pic.twitter.com/d7jA9wFOPI
Eustáquio Coming into the World Cup Hot
Over the summer, Eustáquio landed a huge move from FC Paços de Ferreira to Portuguese titans FC Porto. It took a few games for him to complete the step up at Estádio do Dragão, but he’s now a regular starter.
His breakthrough into Porto’s starting XI came just in time to showcase his skills in the UEFA Champions League. The Leamington lad started each of the first five group games, only coming off against Club Brugge after he scored in the 4-0 revenge rout.
Drawn in a tough group featuring Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, and Club Brugge, FC Porto weren’t given much hope of going far. However, three wins and two losses have them through to the next round – ahead of Atlético and Leverkusen.
The fact that FC Porto is still at +6600 to win the Champions League in the soccer odds demonstrates how tremendous the feat was to get out of Group B, and Eustáquio was key to this achievement.
In Liga Portugal, the Canadian regularly plays in a two-person central midfield with Colombian veteran Mateus Uribe.
His hot streak of six consecutive starts did hit a speed bump against league leaders SL Benfica, with the Canadian getting sent off 27 minutes in for a mistimed challenge to land a second yellow card.
In the next game – a very disappointing 1-1 tie with CD Santa Clara – Bruno Costa filled in alongside Uribe, but didn’t last the full 90. So, it doesn’t seem like Eustáquio will lose his starting place before the 2022 World Cup.
After Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, Eustáquio is the highest-calibre player at Herdman’s disposal. He’s integral to Canada’s game, and his performance in Qatar will undoubtedly underpin any potential success.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 2nd November 2022
