The Canadian Men's Soccer Team Thread

[Weitz]

With all the talk of one soccer the last while I thought this was interesting.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1536747282695069696

[shermanator]

Originally Posted by dash_pinched

How can you even take that game seriously tonight? Horrible conditions with a terrible ref.

Horrible conditions with a terrible ref is the norm in CONCACAF. It's been that way for decades. This team is supposed to be talented enough and prepared enough to deal with that. They puff out their chests every time they talk about going to Haiti and playing in the intense heat and humidity and gutting out a result last year. But this calm and composed Canadian side we saw throughout World Cup qualifying was nowhere to be found last night.

If you're looking for a positive, the pitch will be nothing like last night in Qatar, and Honduras will be nowhere near the tournament. Hopefully they are able to line up some better friendlies in the September window in Europe...

[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by shermanator

Horrible conditions with a terrible ref is the norm in CONCACAF. It's been that way for decades. This team is supposed to be talented enough and prepared enough to deal with that. They puff out their chests every time they talk about going to Haiti and playing in the intense heat and humidity and gutting out a result last year. But this calm and composed Canadian side we saw throughout World Cup qualifying was nowhere to be found last night.

If you're looking for a positive, the pitch will be nothing like last night in Qatar, and Honduras will be nowhere near the tournament. Hopefully they are able to line up some better friendlies in the September window in Europe...

That was my biggest worry from the game last night is that a Canadian player was going to tear an ACL or Achilles tendon and not be available for the World Cup later this year. That pitch last night was unsafe, in my opinion and I'm just glad nobody appeared to suffer an injury.

I was happy to see the goal late from Jonathan David as it was a nice build-up and fine finish by David. Let's see what happens in this September window which I think will be a better gauge for this Canadian team.

Lastly shermanator, I really appreciate your posts and updates, keep up the great work.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by shermanator

Horrible conditions with a terrible ref is the norm in CONCACAF. It's been that way for decades. This team is supposed to be talented enough and prepared enough to deal with that. They puff out their chests every time they talk about going to Haiti and playing in the intense heat and humidity and gutting out a result last year. But this calm and composed Canadian side we saw throughout World Cup qualifying was nowhere to be found last night.

If you're looking for a positive, the pitch will be nothing like last night in Qatar, and Honduras will be nowhere near the tournament. Hopefully they are able to line up some better friendlies in the September window in Europe...

just watch the Australia-Peru highlights and Costa Rica-New Zealand today to see what pitch Canada will play on in November. They are playing Belgium in the stadium.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

I get married and go on a honeymoon and come back and see all hell broke loose in Canadian Soccer!?

Can anyone give me a TLDR of the last couple weeks? Thanks!

[shermanator]

Honeymoon eh? Congrats! A quick summary.

• The CSA schedules a friendly against Iran. There is some very vocal backlash about the opponent. The CSA cancels the friendly against Iran, losing ticket sales of 60000.
• The CSA schedules a replacement friendly against Panama.
• The CSA proposes an insulting offer to the MNT for the upcoming World Cup. The players go on strike and refuse to play against Panama, screwing over tens of thousands of supporters who were going to the game at the last minute.
• The players put out a statement regarding their demands, supposedly in conjunction with the WNT, but they had not actually talked to the WNT before doing so. MNT states they want equal percentages of revenue for both teams. WNT states they want equal dollars for both teams.
• MNT beats Curacao. Many MNT players refuse to acknowledge the supporters after the game as they had done in the World Cup Qualifiers, angering more supporters.
• MNT goes to Honduras and puts up a pitiful display on a waterlogged pitch with poor officiating, which is the standard set of circumstances for playing in Central America.
• MNT may or may not have been banging on the doors of the officiating after last night's match.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

That is… not good

I saw they had canceled the Panama match just as I was leaving.

So the CSA angers the players and the players take it out on the fans? Where are the leaders?

And poor pitch and officiating in Central America is par for the course. I thought they’d be used to it by now and embracing it.

Hopefully all parties involved get their act together. I missed a good week to be out of the loop as I am sure many of you have been very frustrated!

[Jimmy Stang]

^ The match last night was so Concacaf. The pitch was atrocious, Canada adapted poorly, the refereeing was terrible and got worse as time went on, etc. It was the icing on this poopcake of an international window.

[shermanator]

Yup. The pitch and officiating were both terrible. But the players weren't exactly playing well either. Some examples....

- Laryea gets in the Honduras penalty and does well to get to the touchline but sends his cross completely over the penalty box which Honduras then picks up near the halfway line.
- Eustaquio sailing a free kick over the penalty area into touch.
- Davies trying to do stepovers on a waterlogged pitch.
- Davies running the ball 60 yards right into Honduran defenders when he has options wide.
- Buchanan constantly shoving Honduran defenders, who obviously will go down and get a foul.
- Hoilett not being able to make a 5 yard pass on the area of the pitch that isn't waterlogged.
- Miller getting the ball near half with no pressure. No movement on the ball so he gives it right back.

The only starters I didn't really have issue with were Ugbo (who can't be faulted for not getting any service) and Johnston. I turned the game off after it became 2-0 and apparently I missed a bunch of stuff too

[GirlySports]

CONCACAF doesn't invest in countries outside of US and Mexico where the money is. Every Gold Cup is a cash cow. Hence infrastructure everywhere else (including Canada) sucks. Other confederations rotate their tournaments to develop the game.

[shermanator]

CONCACAF has nothing to do with the infrastructure in Mexico or the US being better. That's all public or private investments in stadiums, something which we just don't do in the game in this country.

Also Canada hosted games at the 2015 Gold Cup. They were the worst attended games of the tournament, except for the 3rd place game.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by shermanator

CONCACAF has nothing to do with the infrastructure in Mexico or the US being better. That's all public or private investments in stadiums, something which we just don't do in the game in this country.

Also Canada hosted games at the 2015 Gold Cup. They were the worst attended games of the tournament, except for the 3rd place game.

Better is one thing, non-existent is another. Central American and the Caribbean have non-existent infrastructure. Just saying that CONCACAF could invest more there even at a loss. I mean the AFC are running their U23 championship in Uzbekistan right now. Yes, there are zero fans but that's not the point.

[browna]

Same story as it has for decades playing in third world nations, but if FIFA wants legitimacy with these Nations Cup tourneys, some basic levels of conditions and refereeing should be upheld.
Do you want think the Germans or Brazilians would’ve played that match with those conditions? They wouldn’t have got off the bus.

That said, the men have to suck it up. It’s fantastic they stepped up there when it mattered in qualifying, but two losses in three vs non World Cup opponents is not ideal.
And have to worry about some attitude creeping in…there were comments I think from players in the lead up to some matches in qualifying or after qualified, that they basically said they won’t have to play a meaningful game in Honduras or Panama in conditions such as they have had, for 6 or 7 more years until 2030 qualifying. 3/4 of the players on this team are unlikely to be on that team, so mentally they checked out of this last game before it started because they may believe they are above matches like that in conditions like that.

(And, Canada used semi extreme cold weather to have favourable conditions as well for a much more important match, so let’s not get too uptight about a soggy lumpy field)

Yes there won’t be a blade of grass out of place in Qatar. And the team deserves to be there and have some swagger, but they also have to watch their attitudes on what got them to this point because they are a long way off from being a player on the world stage.

Doesn’t help that, without playing a quality opponent, while all their group opponents in the WC have played a decent fellow WC opponent. It is key that the CSA (and I assume the CSB) get a proper friendly opponent lined up, one that played Croatia or Morocco or Belgium in qualifying or recently…a proper test is vital.

I still have this feeling the CSA and CSB would want to bring in a team like Italy, to appeal to the Italian Canadians and 1/2 of the CSA board, and also make a ton of money, while the players play against a useless and an unmotivated Italian side, happy for a overseas holiday, while Canadas WC opponents prepare properly with another well organized opponent.

[Yoho]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1537551220054925314

[GirlySports]

Monterey gets a masked wrestler.

Dallas gets Dak Prescott.

We get a drab mayor. THAT is classic Toronto

[browna]

Not a lot of surprise. Kansas City maybe.
John Helm has to do games in Guadalajara...go back to 1986 and even 1990 and 1994, he seems to be enamoured with the city of just saying the name of it.

No disappointment about Edmonton not in. It has capacity, and that's it. BMO Field will have temp seating to get to that same capacity. McMahon to 50k capacity wouldn't have been cheaper to do than Edmonton who wanted to tie permanent renos to Commenwealth, paid for by us, to the successful bid.

Regardless, a 11h drive or 13.5h drive to watch World Cup matches, or, 4 venues within a 4h plane ride, really can't be beat in the middle of summer, when spending some time in any of those areas is better than the dreadful day trip up the QEII.

[GirlySports]

FIFA have approved 26 man squads for the WC, up from 23. So this gives Herdman more options.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by browna

Not a lot of surprise. Kansas City maybe.
John Helm has to do games in Guadalajara...go back to 1986 and even 1990 and 1994, he seems to be enamoured with the city of just saying the name of it.

No disappointment about Edmonton not in. It has capacity, and that's it. BMO Field will have temp seating to get to that same capacity. McMahon to 50k capacity wouldn't have been cheaper to do than Edmonton who wanted to tie permanent renos to Commenwealth, paid for by us, to the successful bid.

Regardless, a 11h drive or 13.5h drive to watch World Cup matches, or, 4 venues within a 4h plane ride, really can't be beat in the middle of summer, when spending some time in any of those areas is better than the dreadful day trip up the QEII.

I agree, I think hotels would have really been a challenge for Edmonton. I feel like they might be for Kansas City, too. I guess we'll see.

[browna]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

FIFA have approved 26 man squads for the WC, up from 23. So this gives Herdman more options.

All guys that should be on the club in 4 (3.5) years please and or players you want to cap for Canada going forward. The roster outside of the top 11 plus maybe a few (4) subs, is about it.

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

I agree, I think hotels would have really been a challenge for Edmonton. I feel like they might be for Kansas City, too. I guess we'll see.

Kansas City will get the bottom of the barrel for group matches. Probably not a travelling fans to make the 6 connections from Peru, the UAE or Iceland.

[CroFlames]

I've never been, but I heard KC is a crazy good soccer town. From people who live there.