VANCOUVER — Is there a more Canadian way to win a soccer game?

A chilly BC Place set the stage for a scrappy, wonderful, cathartic, and important victory for the Canadians over Honduras on Friday night, powered by a Will Johnson header that was aided into the net by a sprawling Cyle Larin in the first half. It was all the attack Canada needed to dispatch a Honduran side that was both figuratively and literally frozen on the night. 

The decision to leave the retractable BC Place roof open to allow for the brisk November air to fill the stadium was more symbolic than practical — the game wasn't ever going to be decided by making the Central Americans shiver a little bit. But what it did was to set the tone that, finally, Canada was not going to be too accomodating toward its opposition. All too many times — while contending with a laundry list of shenanigans while visiting other CONCACAF nations — the classic Canadian hospitality would come to the forefront.

In most walks of life, that's not a bad thing. But in the hyper-competitive world of international soccer, hospitality could almost turn into a disadvantage. While the opposition and its fans would do everything to make Canada uncomfortable over the years, it seemed that the opposite was the case whenever CONCACAF sides paid a visit to the Great White North.

That all ended on Friday.

And while the cold air wasn't enough to throw off the Hondurans, it made for an uncomfortable night that just got worse for the Central Americans as the game wore on. A scrappy opening quarter-hour that saw both teams give as well as they took eventually led to Canada growing into the match and fighting tooth-and-nail to gain the upper hand. It got to the point where there only seemed to be one team looking likely to score, especially given that Honduras didn't register a single shot on target until the second half.

So when Junior Hoilett delivered an inch-perfect cross for Johnson to nod into Larin's torso for the eventual goal in the 38th minute, it felt like there was nothing that the Hondurans could do to salvage the game. And despite coming close, it was never to be for the visiting side.

It's ugly as hell, but who cares? #CanMNT — Rudi Schuller (@RudiSchuller) November 14, 2015

Three points were in Canada's pocket after matchday one in the fourth round of CONCACAF's marathon World Cup qualification tournament, but perhaps more important was that the healing process after that 8-1 game back in 2012 was now in full swing. A trip back to San Pedro Sula still beckons, but the Canadians will head back to the Lion's Den next year knowing that they did what they needed to do at home against an opponent that had become the Bogey Man of Canadian soccer.

All it took was an open roof, a moment of brilliance by a newly capped player, and the most Canadian of goals.