Official World Cup 2014 Qualifying Thread (Blame It On RIO)

[St. Pats]

Originally Posted by Arsenal14

Bull****. Begovic was officially cap-tied to Canada under the old rules as he had played for us at the U20 World Cup. Then FIFA changed the rules so that only World Cup or Confederation Championship games or qualifiers would count and he took the chance to bolt. You can't blame that on anybody but the player. Similarly there can be no argument that guys like Jonathan de Guzman or David Hoillett don't know that Canada wants them. They just don't want to be a part of developing our program or leading the way for the next generation and instead want to step in once the team has "proven itself worthy of them". Tomorrows headlines will likely include the news that de Guzman no longer has any interest in us (again) and the Hoillett has chosen to play for Jamaica.

And Canada's men's team will continue to suck and future players will continue to use our suckage as an excuse not to play for us and on and on the cycle goes.

Can you blame them though? Our top athletes in virtually every sport have to go elsewhere. There is no opportunity to play elite sport here. They see a better opportunity with another country then hey they should take it. Nobody outside of few diehard fans like us even cares anyway.

[Matty81]

Yep should have phrased that differently... what I was getting at is that there was no new blood in that squad. Definitely stand corrected on the age. Haineault was already in the starting 11 that cycle and Johnson, Ledgerwood and De Jong had all been in the program anywhere between 1-3 years. All those players except Gbeke were already in the twenty something man pool being used before elimination. They basically just shifted more to their reserves/sub bench.

Bottom line, I think Canada needs to use a bigger pool of players on an ongoing basis and cap players strategically as often as possible. Include a promising teenager who is in form in every 23 man squad and run them out now and again. Call a player like Kevan Aleman or Fraser Aird up to the senior team or give a couple of the stars of the young FC Edmonton team like Hamilton and Saiko a look once in a while. Was very happy to see Piette come into the side but I think Canada has a long way to go when it comes to building depth and succession planning.

[shermanator]

Originally Posted by Matty81

Yep should have phrased that differently... what I was getting at is that there was no new blood in that squad. Definitely stand corrected on the age. Haineault was already in the starting 11 that cycle and Johnson, Ledgerwood and De Jong had all been in the program anywhere between 1-3 years. All those players except Gbeke were already in the twenty something man pool being used before elimination. They basically just shifted more to their reserves/sub bench.

Bottom line, I think Canada needs to use a bigger pool of players on an ongoing basis and cap players strategically as often as possible. Include a promising teenager who is in form in every 23 man squad and run them out now and again. Call a player like Kevan Aleman or Fraser Aird up to the senior team or give a couple of the stars of the young FC Edmonton team like Hamilton and Saiko a look once in a while. Was very happy to see Piette come into the side but I think Canada has a long way to go when it comes to building depth and succession planning.

Having a club like FC Edmonton around (and Ottawa in 2014) is great for the development of young players like Hamilton, Saiko and Porter. Unfortunately the level of competition in the NASL is nowhere near what is needed to succeed at the international level.

But it's a start. And one that 4 years ago was not around.

[browna]

Unmitigated disaster.

Sets things back 3 years or more. Mental game wasn't there from anyone. Going down 1 ok. 2 Ugh. 3. Oh no. 4?
And then lay down for 4 more goals? Completely embarrassing and shameful.

Makes one wish the DeRosario was there on the field to calm things down a bit. May not have helped in the end, but no way they get the doors blown off by 7. Plus, he may have been able to finish some goals in the past 2 or 3 games and change the result.

Don't think how Hart can come back from that loss. Team was not prepared for adversity when it struck, and there wasn't enough mental capacity or experience to put a halt to the momentum against them.

Among other things, one would hope that such a lambasting would change things at the CSA for the road to 2018...they won't though. The red tape, political struggles for power and finger pointing will rule the day to day operations and nothing will get done except complaining and feeling sorry for themselves and coming up with some half baked development plan that is more of the same rubbish they've been pumping out since the days of passing over guys like Owen Hargreaves. Good players will get turned off, some will get turned away by the system. No one wins.

After a loss like this, only a World Cup birth can ever rectify this disaster...but its not like this group of players can re-tool and get back on the horse and get back to this point next year....3 more years. Plus, hope that they get a favorable draw then again and avoid the US and Mexico in the semi final round like this time etc. This was as a good a moment in time as any to make it to that last 6, to come up with a single result on a single day against a highly beatable team, and they got destroyed.

On a personal note, probably the end for the last two guys I have ties to/have played against (over a decade ago) on the MNT, at least as far as their World Cup dreams go; captain Kevin McKenna and Lars Hirschfeld. Not the way any soccer player wants to end any season or tournament, certainly if it may be their last of this magnitude (may or may not).

Both have done themselves and Alberta proud, some of the first guys to finally break through the CSA political BS that has/does/will pick youth players first from Ontario, BC, and Quebec, in that order, solely based on the directors of those provinces having more pull then this province, rather then the player's abilities dictating selection.

Represented the country well, and flourished in spite of the system in this country, not because of it.

[Trojan97]

How is Stephen Hart regarded in soccer circles?

Brunt seems to think it's a no-doubter that he's finished. Is that how it works in international soccer, is there a one cycle to qualify or bust mentality? Is Hart just an average manager?

If it comes down to him just not being great at his job, why is this? was he considered an up and comer with lots of potential when he was initially hired? is it a matter of the budget not being there to bring in a bigger name from Europe?

Is there an obvious early favourite in the Soccer Canada pipeline if Hart is fired/steps down?

I'd love to learn more..

[moon]

Originally Posted by St. Pats

Can you blame them though? Our top athletes in virtually every sport have to go elsewhere. There is no opportunity to play elite sport here. They see a better opportunity with another country then hey they should take it. Nobody outside of few diehard fans like us even cares anyway.

As mentioned before you certainly can blame a guy like De Guzman who is going to another country but doing sweet f all for them because he isn't close to good enough to play for Holland. Fair enough for a guy like Hargreaves who makes England but hard to understand De Guzman holding out for a Holland spot that he won't get or even Hoillet not deciding at all and playing for nobody.

[NBC]

Words fail me.

[polak]

Any comments from the team or CSA yet?

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by polak

Any comments from the team or CSA yet?

I think words fail them too.

Give them time.. for the team it's pretty crushing, must fel like two(?) years work down the drain in about 20 minutes of the first half.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by St. Pats

Can you blame them though? Our top athletes in virtually every sport have to go elsewhere. There is no opportunity to play elite sport here. They see a better opportunity with another country then hey they should take it. Nobody outside of few diehard fans like us even cares anyway.

What other sports would those be? Rugby?

There are certainly some sports in which there are better opportunities overseas, but the 'virtually every sport' stuff is nonsense.

[NBC]

Tennis and boxing come to mind.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by NBC

Tennis and boxing come to mind.

Are you posting from 1994?

[polak]

Poland and England is on fyi

[polak]

Man if Poland could ever get set someone at a similar level as Lewandowski to set him up, they'd be killer.

[NBC]

Originally Posted by valo403

Are you posting from 1994?

I did not realize that there was a statue of limitations on this discussion.

[Ozy_Flame]

Rugby, Tennis, Cricket, Soccer, Football (NFL specifically). Heck, even baseball and basketball are hard sports to make a living in in Canada unless you play for the Blue Jays or Raptors, at which point there is a slim chance you could play for these teams unless team management wants you.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by polak

Man if Poland could ever get set someone at a similar level as Lewandowski to set him up, they'd be killer.

It amazes me sometimes how countries manage to produce one stellar talent that outshines all the rest.

[troutman]

Honduras gets the hex with a feast of goals to Canada
http://www.laprensa.hn/Secciones-Pri...a#.UH7Oa2fbNEM

Taking advantage of Canada and was a team that had run out of legs, Honduras did not cease their attacks and in the 82nd minute Bengtson scored his third goal, the seventh of the afternoon, while at 87 Costly became the eighth ended with historical feast of Hondurans.

The beating could be higher today against the Canadians, who proved to be a caricature Honduras Team.

For the "friend" in this medium said Canada was "football powerhouse"!
I hope, take my advice! ... Read! Learn! Opine then!
And do not misunderstand, I'm not saying that Honduras is football power. Just your comment about Canada was peterico!

[polak]

MOD EDIT: No swearing, please.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by troutman

http://www.laprensa.hn/Secciones-Pri...a#.UH7Oa2fbNEM

Festival of goals.