TORONTO - Peru made sure Canada's soccer homecoming was miserable in more ways than one Saturday.
Jose Carlos Fernandez and Jean Tragodara scored to lead the 39th-ranked Peruvians to a 2-0 victory over a Canadian men's soccer team playing its first home game in nearly two years — but one that felt like anything but thanks to a pro-Peru crowd.
The Canadians played with poise through a strong first half, but a sluggish second half proved costly, the loss stretching Canada's winless streak to eight games.
"I thought when I saw how we approached the first half that we were doing quite well, possession-wise and we created a couple of chances, but in the second half, we certainly became careless with the ball and we seemed to die physically," said Canadian coach Stephen Hart. "The Peruvian team speeded up their play. I thought the first goal was preventable and the second goal of course changed the whole outlook of the game."
Canada has been outscored 16-3 since their last win, a 1-0 victory over El Salvador in July 2009 at the Gold Cup, and has dropped to No. 101 in the FIFA rankings, and Hart had hoped this pair of friendlies — Canada hosts Honduras on Tuesday at Montreal's Saputo Stadium — would help the team inch its way up the ranks.
It wasn't to be though, as the Canadians became increasingly bogged down in the midfield and were unable to penetrate, leaving striker Rob Friend isolated up front with few opportunities.
Fernandez finally ended the scoring drought in the 68th minute heading in a chip from just outside the 18-yard box from Reimando Manco, bringing the largely pro-Peru crowd at BMO Field to its feet.
The visitors doubled their advantage in the 72 minute when Tragodara snuck through Canada's back line to fire a shot from 10 yards out past Canadian 'keeper Lars Hirschfeld.
"Overall quality of our passing deteriorated in the second half, we made a lot of mistakes and when you play a team of the calibre of Peru, the game is based a lot on counterattack, and you give away the ball, you're going to pay the price," Hart said.
As much as the loss was a disappointment for Canada's team, the turnout was as well for a squad making its first appearance on home turf since a World Cup qualifying match versus Mexico at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium on Oct. 15, 2008.
The announced attendance was 10,619 but it appeared far less as there were yawning expanses of empty red seats in a 22,000-seat BMO Field stadium normally jam-packed for Toronto FC's Major League Soccer games. The north-side stands were completely vacant, as well as all but the first couple of rows of the west grandstand.
Even Toronto Mayor David Miller was perturbed by the turnout, posting on his Twitter feed: "Canada/Peru are off. Feisty, but small crowd. Hey Soccer Canada: some marketing, eh? Our lads deserve a full house."
"It's not what I'm used to on the weekends, but it was pretty much expected to see a lot of the oppostion's supporters come out today," said Julian de Guzman, a midfielder for both Canada and Toronto FC.
Hart has stressed the importance of playing at home, but Canadian teams — be it the men or the women — often draw as many or more fans cheering for the opposition. Saturday was no different as Peru supporters poured into the stadium clad in their white Peruvian jerseys.
A rowdy south grandstand of Canadian supporters, including the "Voyageurs" fan group who hoisted a huge banner that read "2014" — Canada's quest to get to the 2014 World Cup — salvaged what would have been an otherwise embarrassing homecoming for Canada.
"We gave all the credit to the Voyageurs group, they made noise, but there was still a huge Peruvian crowd there tonight. I guess that's something we have to live with being in multicultural Canada," Hart said. "People said you have to start getting results and people will come in. Fair comment."
Playing its first game since a 1-1 tie with Venezuela in a friendly in late-May, Canada's defence was sloppy at times, keeping Hirschfeld busy. The team also lost left back Marcel De Jong to a suspected broken shoulder in the 30th minute.
The Canadians were fortunate Peru didn't score earlier as a couple of defensive miscues led to a goalmouth scramble in the 62nd minute. But Kevin McKenna, flat on his back in front of the net with two Peru forwards draped across him, managed to poke the ball out of danger.
"The first half we got off to a good start, gave Peru a tough time going forward, and on the ball I think we did really well as well," de Guzman said. "Going into the second half we started sluggish, there was five or 10 minutes when we just fell asleep and conceded two goals and it was a chase from there."
The Canadians showed glimpses of promise. Hart experimented with Simeon Jackson on the right wing and the Norwich City forward showed some blistering speed. But when Canada did create chances, shots were soaring over the goal including one by Dwayne De Rosario in the 25th minute when the unmarked Toronto FC star chipped a long left-footed shot that bounced off the top of the net.
"(We need) more games, this is my second game this year for Canada," de Guzman said. "Just being able to spend more time playing these types of games and getting more comfortable going forward."
Peru's Jefferson Farfan, a forward for FC Schalke, was troublesome for Canada all afternoon, his crafty play leading to both goals.
"He was finding space between the midfield and the backline and of course when the ball came to him technically, he didn't give it away, he never lost it even when the space was tight," Hart said.
The one highlight of an otherwise disappointing afternoon: Canadian captain Paul Stalteri tied Randy Samuel's record with his 82nd cap Saturday and will break Samuel's mark Tuesday if he plays in Canada's friendly Tuesday. (Christine Sinclair holds the overall Canadian record at 138 caps and counting).
On the same night Toronto FC was playing in Dallas, and still in the hunt for an MLS playoff spot, Hart started both Toronto FC mainstays De Rosario and de Guzman. Nana Attakora had originally been in the starting lineup but 19-year-old Adam Straith was a last-minute substitution.
De Rosario, de Guzman and Attakora won't play for Canada on Tuesday against Honduras and will join their Toronto FC teammates in Chicago on Sunday.