The Canadian Men's Soccer Team Thread

[Addick]

Originally Posted by scottish_flame

Claudio Reyna, Tim Howard, Brad Friedel and it looks like Michael Bradley could have a Serie A medal this year. All class players.

They have had their moments but are they players that would walk onto CL clubs in the best leagues?

Originally Posted by scottish_flame

Hargreaves is English and I wouldn't rate him as being better than any of the players I've mentioned. He was lucky to be part of squads that were successful

Howard is the only player on your list that was sought by SAF. While he and Hargreaves shared a similar fate at Old Trafford, I think a healthy Hargreaves could have cut it. If anything, the kid was unlucky.

[scottish_flame]

Originally Posted by polak

Psshh well if we're turning this into a pissing match betwen the minnows then Poland beats both in top talent

Ahh Poland... Aka Germany reserves

[wpgflamesfan]

It's really sad that Canada isn't winning this game already. I mean they're playing a country with a population of 2 million and essentially facing their 2nd team.

[scottish_flame]

Originally Posted by Addick

They have had their moments but are they players that would walk onto CL clubs in the best leagues?




Howard is the only player on your list that was sought by SAF. While he and Hargreaves shared a similar fate at Old Trafford, I think a healthy Hargreaves could have cut it. If anything, the kid was unlucky.

Reyna played in the champions league with great players and didn't look out of place. Actually played better than the players he was around.

Canada are looking very poor can't make simple passes

[shermanator]

0-0 vs Slovenia at halftime. By all accounts on Twitter the game is actually pretty even. Here is some feedback on the game so far:

Ben Rycroft‏@callitfootball5m
Even on shots, even on shots on goal, ahead on corners. Odd #canmnt

Jason deVos‏@jasondevos11m
0-0 at the half. A much better performance from #canMNT

Duane Rollins‏@24thminute20m
Here's the thing. This pair of games has been the best all year. There is slight improvement happening. Play a minnow in Feb to get result.

Jason deVos‏@jasondevos35m
A decent opening 20 minutes from #canMNT. Despite Slovenia just hitting the bar.

[polak]

Originally Posted by scottish_flame

Ahh Poland... Aka Germany reserves

So true its not even funny. Im surprised they kept the all of the big dortmund 3.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

Originally Posted by scottish_flame

ahh poland... Aka germany starters

fyp

[shermanator]

So, a 1-0 loss to Slovenia. Sounds like we were better at the back but still lacked any sort of creativity up front.

What we need to do is start developing better strikers as a nation. I can only name 2 Canadian strikers being developed in the MLS, that is Caleb Clarke and Kyle Porter, and only Porter is getting regular minutes.

[wpgflamesfan]

Originally Posted by shermanator

So, a 1-0 loss to Slovenia. Sounds like we were better at the back but still lacked any sort of creativity up front.

What we need to do is start developing better strikers as a nation. I can only name 2 Canadian strikers being developed in the MLS, that is Caleb Clarke and Kyle Porter, and only Porter is getting regular minutes.

I wouldn't put too much stock into the defensive performance today. Slovenia was without a lot of their better midfielders and strikers (Novakovic, Matavz, Koren, Kampl)

[Bill Bumface]

Canada really misses Edgar out there. He is great at bringing the ball up from the back and doing something with it. Our midfield usually looks like they are just trying to not lose posession before hoofing a horrible cross rather then creating and attacking. Ossorio has really dropped off. He looks a lot better playing with Mattias Laba.

That said, Bekker, who I normally can't stand to watch, actually had a decent game. When he actually gets himself an open opportunity he's got a rocket shot.

[Jets4Life]

Canada needs to do something about it's soccer program. If you took 20 Canadian athletes and pitted them against 20 American athletes, we would destroy the Americans in soccer. There is no justification for us not coming close to qualifying for the World Cup.

PS...Just realized this is my 1,000th post!

[The Big Chill]

How do you possibly figure that we would destroy them?

[MillerTime GFG]

Originally Posted by The Big Chill

How do you possibly figure that we would destroy them?

If it were 20 professional Canadian athletes vs. 20 division 3 NCAA college soccer players, he'd be right!

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

Canada needs to do something about it's soccer program. If you took 20 Canadian athletes and pitted them against 20 American athletes, we would destroy the Americans in soccer. There is no justification for us not coming close to qualifying for the World Cup.

PS...Just realized this is my 1,000th post!

Not a chance. For fun, let's make these teams?
I can choose anyone right? If I put Kobe Bryant and Calvin Johnson on the team, that alone would kill you.

I want Sebatian Janakowski as my keeper


NFL Corners = fullback
NBA Forwards = center backs
NFL Linebackers = central midfielders
NBA Guards or MLB Basestealers = wingers
Kobe Bryant's my #10
NFL Wide receivers = forwards

[The Big Chill]

Our best hope would be to flood the pitch and freeze it before the game. I bet Kobe is an ankle skater.

[Jets4Life]

Originally Posted by MillerTime GFG

If it were 20 professional Canadian athletes vs. 20 division 3 NCAA college soccer players, he'd be right!

Sorry, I meant if you took 20 random Canadian athletes vs 20 random American athletes, we would destroy them at soccer. Canadians are simply better at soccer than America. I know this because I was on the provincial team in the 90s, and we played the American team, and used to destroy them 20-1, 15-0, 17-3, etc.

The problem is Canada lets it's star players like Owen Hargraves play for other coutries, but America imports much of it's talent from the 3rd world.

[The Big Chill]

So your youth team won some games and that makes us better?

Haven't we had this conversation before? The USMNT is almost entirely made up of players who were born and raised in the US. Which Canadian stars represent other countries?

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by scottish_flame

Reyna played in the champions league with great players and didn't look out of place. Actually played better than the players he was around.

Canada are looking very poor can't make simple passes

Bit harsh on Hargreaves. He didn't just fit in, or look out of place.

He played in a Champions League Final as the youngest player in the match as a 20 year old central midfielder. He played the full 120 minutes, didn't concede an open play goal, and they won.

[Jimmy Stang]

Obviously Canada has a problem with losing some talented players to other countries. Hargreaves, De Guzman, Hoilett (probably), would have all helped Canada a fair amount. It really is a chicken and egg thing though. These players could help the program if they played for Canada, but the program can't get better when so many Canadians hold two passports because their parents are born somewhere else. Heck, even I can skip the customs lines at Heathrow because of where my folks are from.

As much as I'm a proud Canadian, I have to give the Americans credit with what they have done there in the past 20 years. They are just better than Canada at soccer - there's not even an argument.

I did a quick scan of players with "regular" minutes from the USA's World Cup Qualifying campaign, and somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but there was only one foreign-born player: Mikkel Diskerud. He's a Norwegian dual citizen because his mother is American.

Canada has equivalents in Milan Borjan and Simeon Jackson who were not born in Canada. The argument that the USA has constructed their team by importing foreigners is just not true.

[shermanator]

Canada is hosting Jamaica at BMO on Sept 9, and will travel to Panama on Nov 18 for friendlies. This is their first friendly in Central America in 27 years...

http://canadasoccer.com/canada-mnt-t...n-2014-p155987

Also, looks like we may have a stud joining the MNT team soon. 17 year old Canigglia Ginola Elva of Calgary SW United is currently on trial at Arsenal, and has attracted interest from Barcelona, Benfica and Stuttgart (who have already offered him a contract). Was born in St. Lucia, currently looking to get his passport and play for Les Rouges.

http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/02/26...nds-arsenal-fc