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EDMONTON — A new city, stadium, turf and opponent could help Canada start fresh at the FIFA U20 World Cup.
The Canadians want to distance themselves from a deflating 3-0 loss to Chile to open the tournament Sunday in Toronto.
A win against Austria at Commonwealth Stadium on Thursday (CBC, 7:30 p.m. ET) might do it.
"If we would have stayed in Toronto, everyone would have went on about that game . . . so it's going to help for sure," goalkeeper Asmir Begovic said.
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Chile leads Group A with its three-point win over the host country. Austria and Chile each have a point after their 1-1 draw here Monday and Canada is still looking for its first point.
There are still six points out there for the hosts with two games remaining in group play. Canada meets Congo here Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the six groups plus the four best third-place finishers advance to the knockout round of 16, where Canada has gone once in three previous appearances in the tournament.
Head coach Dale Mitchell said Wednesday he had yet to make a final decision on possible changes to his starting lineup against Austria.
The Canadians need to be more confident on the ball under pressure. Longer possessions mean more time to generate chances on the Austrian goal.
The Chileans gave Canada no time or space Sunday. The hosts wore themselves out chasing the slick South Americans and managed only one shot on net in the 67th minute.
The Canadians had a day longer to recover from their last game than Austria, although they did have a four-hour flight from Toronto on Monday.
Canada held a players-only upon its arrival and Mitchell said that was news to him when asked of it Wednesday.
"There are some people who have been in this tournament before who can help the group to focus," he said. "You need big performances from your team, you need big performances from individuals and especially individuals who have been here before."
The Canadian players were pleased to move onto the natural grass pitch from the artificial turf in Toronto.
"It's just easier to play on," captain Will Johnson said. "Turf is new and guys are still getting used to it. Most of us don't ever play on turf except for the (Toronto FC) guys.
"Most soccer players in the world will tell you they would rather play on grass."
The temperature is predicting to hit 31 degrees Thursday afternoon.
Johnson had an ice pack strapped to his back and didn't participate in a full practice Wednesday, but the midfielder shrugged his ailment off as minor.
He doesn't expect the Austrians to press as much as Chile did.
"They're different in that they have a lot of big guys, instead of quick and fast guys, but it will be something that suits our style more," he said.
Erwin Hoffer is the Austrian player to watch as the 19-year-old is considered one of the country's most talented strikers.
The Canadians can expect as much if not more fan support than they had at Toronto's National Soccer Stadium.
A reported 25,000 tickets had been sold as of Wednesday — and this is a city that packed 60,000 into Commonwealth Stadium for the Canada-Brazil final of the women's world under-19 championship in 2002.
Edmonton also claims striker Tosaint Ricketts, who was subbed into Sunday's game just after halftime, and Begovic as native sons.
Begovic, who was one of the few bright lights in Sunday's match, lived in the city from age 10 to 16 before heading to England to ply his trade with Portsmouth.
"Getting to play in front of friends and family excites me and it doesn't happen every day," Begovic said.
Notes: — The Austrians are expected to be without midfielder Thomas Hinum due to illness . . . Three of the four officials scheduled to work Thursday's game, including head referee Hernando Buitrago, are Colombian.
