Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Terry Dunfield scored his first goal for the Canadian men’s national team on Wednesday in a 2-2 draw against Ecuador at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario.
Dunfield, 29, from Vancouver, BC, received a short pass from fellow BC native and Manisaspor midfielder Josh Simpson in the 23rd minute and pounded a wicked right-footed strike into the top right-hand corner that beat Ecuadorian goalkeeper Maximo Banguera for Canada’s opening goal of the match.
Exuberant after scoring for his country, Dunfield immediately ran to the Canadian fans to celebrate with the rest of his teammates following close behind. "I've been waiting and dreaming of that day for 29 years, so it's pretty special," Dunfield said. "The fans were going crazy over there and I wanted to go over and celebrate with them. It's a great feeling having 10 other guys follow you in as well."
Dunfield, who earned his third cap for Canada, also took home ‘Man of the Match’ honours in 45 minutes of action. His strike ignited a fury of aggressive play for Canada, as a minute later, Simpson beat two Ecuadorian players on the left flank and crossed a dangerous ball into the 18-yard box that found Real Salt Lake forward Will Johnson. Unfortunately for the Reds, Johnson failed to finish.
In the second half, goals from Christian Benitez and Michael Arroyo gave Ecuador the lead, but a strike in time added on from Tosaint Ricketts rounded out the scoring.
In his limited time playing with Canada at the senior level, Dunfield has already made meaningful contributions when called upon, having never lost a match while donning national team colours. In previous appearances, Dunfield played 74 minutes in a 2-1 win over CONCACAF rivals Honduras during a friendly in Montreal, Quebec, in September 2010. Just over a year ago, he helped Canada play to a 1-1 draw in Venezuela.
Canada begins their campaign in this year's CONCACAF Gold Cup against hosts United States on at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, next Tuesday at 5 p.m. PT.
