The Concacaf Gold Cup is down to its final four teams, but it’s the performance between the posts of the recently eliminated Canadian side that we’re most proud of at MNUFC. After coming in second in Group D behind Guatemala, the Reds took the USA to penalties in their quarter-final matchup, nearly completing the upset in extra time. The man of the match for the Canadians was unquestionably Dayne St. Clair, whose performance was pivotal in giving his side a fighting chance.
With several jaw-dropping saves and the type of impressive play that we’re accustomed to seeing at Allianz Field, St. Clair held the United States scoreless for the first 87 minutes of the match, registering seven saves by the time it was all said and done. Check out his best saves in the 68th and 104th minutes in the match highlights.
DSC played two full matches in the Gold Cup: first against Cuba in the group stage and last against the USA in the quarter-final. While Cuba’s lackluster attack didn’t give him much to do, he certainly had his work cut out for him against a highly motivated American side.
St. Clair has now made four appearances for his national team, with the first coming in a World Cup Qualifier against Aruba in 2021. The Reds won that match 7-0, giving DSC a clean sheet in his first competitive senior international cap. Outside of this summer’s Gold Cup, his only other appearance came in an International Friendly match against Bahrain during his side’s final World Cup prep matches.
Though he came into this camp as the second-choice keeper, the early exit of Milan Borjan gave St. Clair a chance to stake his claim on the starting position this time around. Borjan has been involved with the Canadian National Team since 2011, locking down the starting spot under current Head Coach John Herdman. He reportedly left camp to deal with an unspecified injury and prepare for his next season of club soccer in Slovakia.
Minnesota United’s keeper spent the last month with his national team as part of the rosters for both the Gold Cup and the Nations League, gaining valuable experience and proving that he has what it takes to play at the highest level.
Following Canada’s exit from the tournament, St. Clair will rejoin his Minnesota United teammates in the coming days to resume MLS play. In 16 league matches, the Loons’ keeper has already kept five clean sheets and will be hoping to take his positive momentum back to the Twin Cities in his efforts to add to that tally.
