Quote:
Originally Posted by Trojan97
For those who have followed the Canadian team closely, how have we looked so far? I know there have been a few draws where people have felt the team was quite uninspiring but is this the best team we've had in recent memory?
Do we have a reasonable chance finishing Top 2 in our pool in Round 3?
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I would say we have an outside chance of finishing in the Top 2, but it's not an unrealistic goal. If anything, the draw to determine the pools has worked in our favour immensely. If we were in group A or B, not a chance we would get through.
IMO, the team is playing far too conservative a style right now. It's not just in the World Cup Qualifiers, but I saw the same in the Gold Cup. The team is far too content to just pass the ball along the midfield and play a possession game. Whether this is Stephen Hart's style of game, or whether the team knows it's just not that good, is another question. One big factor is that the team was missing Atiba Hutchinson in the midfield, so I think when he returns to the lineup, we can stretch our opponent's defenses more.
The best analogy I can think of this team is comparing them to the Florida Panthers. Sure, the team made it to the finals a while back, but they have sucked for so long, and the chance of getting to the playoffs is slim. There will come a time when the team gets back to the finals, but fans really don't know when, and apathy has largely kicked in amongst their potential fanbase.
Maybe this will change with Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and FC Edmonton having recently started academies to develop players. TFC's Academy has already produced Ashtone Morgan (starting LB in yesterday's game), and Matt Stinson, who was called up to the team but could not play due to injury. Also, FC Edmonton played Canadian players in over 75% of the teams minutes last year, which is an opportunity rarely given by the 3 MLS clubs.