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Two weeks to go.


Cheeta

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So Sportsnet is broadcasting the match live in all their zones.

Kickoff is 7 PM sharp Vancouver time so I'm guessing that'll be 9 PM Winnipeg time and 10 PM out Ontario way.

Already getting nervous. No, anxious. Nervous and anxious? Yeah, that's about right.

Lucky me I don't start work until 10 these days but I'm still thinking about seeing if I can beg thursday off (yeah right, good luck).

Roster should be out next week. Hopefully.

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quote:Originally posted by Cheeta

Roster should be out next week. Hopefully.

I was thinking all along that the names of "The convocated ones" would have been announced this week. Players usually leave their clubs close to a week before the matches. So it would only make sence to have it announced as soon as every player ( and club )has been contacted, which should be done by now. Delays, I would imagine, would not be fair to those who are on the bubble.

Its very strange that there are no prep matches announced when the rivals are very busy in this area. I knew all along to expect injuries and suspensions along the way. But with Hume out, and possibly Bircham, devos and McKenna ( if I am not mistaken), this is becoming something to challenge Yallop from the start. I thought that we would at least start off with a full squad as was the case in 2000. I wouldn't be surprised if anywhere from 22 to 27 different players end up getting called for at least one match throughout the semi final round.

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Well, that's the challenge with World Cup Qualifying...all the injuries over a 14-16 months period. We should still be able to be competitive against Guatemala though, but hopefully we get some of these guys back in time for Honduras and Costa Rica.

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Yeah, I guess I'm more nervous than I thought. I dreamt last night that we tied Guatemala 1 - 1. Of course, I was playing up front and didn't recognize a single Canadian player, so I don't think we can put much stock in my dream. And, I am getting married next Saturday, so I think the anxiety-dreams have a more likely source than Canada's result on August 18th. Actually, come to think of it, I AM more nervous about our game on the 18th than my wedding.

I'll be on my honeymoon in Tofino--Long Beach, Vancouver Island--watching the game in some pub with my new bride.

Vive le Canada!!

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Congrats on your wedding, Beaver. Actually I'm more excited rather

than nervous about our game against Guatemala. But look at our depth!

I haven't seen a Canadian MNT with this much depth and promise. These

guys are playing at a higher level (EPL, Bundesliga, etc) and look

at our offense! Compare that to 2000 (Corrazin, Pesch, Kusch, Dasovic) and now (Radzinski, De Rosario, Pesch, De Guzman, Occean,Hume), I feel a lot better.

No doubt that injuries may be a concern, but bigger concerns would be

the officiating or if Tomek doesn't show up. (Doubt that.)

I hope Guatemala prepared itself for our B team, cause that's not the one that will show up ... [}:)]

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quote:Originally posted by The Beaver

I'll be on my honeymoon in Tofino--Long Beach, Vancouver Island--watching the game in some pub with my new bride.

Vive le Canada!!

Congrats on the wedding and choice of honeymoon locale.

I guess you will be in the Weigh West or the Orca unless Shelter has a TV in their lounge.

Great spot. We are heading out there in the Fall.

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quote:Originally posted by Free kick

Players usually leave their clubs close to a week before the matches.

FYI, it was already announced that DeVos and Pesch (I think) will leave for Canada after their Saturday matches. I am expecting that most, if not all, of our Europe-based players will end up doing this - depending on the timing of their club matches.

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Bmac and Redhat, thanks for the wedding wishes. (Yes,the west coast of Vancouver Island is an amazing place. I sort of wish we were heading there AFTER the 18th, but I will be heading to Edmonton to watch the lads take on Honduras and will let Krammerhead and the rest of you guys cheer on our boys in my home-turf).

Truth of the matter is that I am excited about the prospect of a team with this sort of depth, but I am a bit worried about how quickly they will gell again. A prep game together would be great. Not sure if one is in the works, but my fingers are crossed. We need a game or two to really make our rising crop of talent work well together. The willingness is there, the spirit is there, but will we have enough time together prior to the first game. I am always hopeful, and I love our guys, but I wouldn't predict a lop-sided score at all. If we win, then we'll do it by a goal.

Vive le Canada

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quote:Originally posted by The Beaver

Truth of the matter is that I am excited about the prospect of a team with this sort of depth, but I am a bit worried about how quickly they will gell again. A prep game together would be great. Not sure if one is in the works, but my fingers are crossed. We need a game or two to really make our rising crop of talent work well together. The willingness is there, the spirit is there, but will we have enough time together prior to the first game.

Yeah this is really beginning to worry me. If I were to choose between a talented but unprepared team and a well organized prepared team low on talent I'll take the organized team every time. I'm not sure we are more talented than Guatemala, I certainly think we are, but I know for sure that they are far more prepared. There can't possibly be a friendly between now and August 18th without anything having been announced by now, so I guess we will bring our talented players, throw them out there and hope for the best. I see these first two semi-final qualifyers as must win games, because it's going to get so much harder visiting Central America, but with the lack of preparation it'll take huge individual efforts and some luck to pull this off.

Regardless, I'll be glued to the TV August 18th and screaming for Canada. Come on boys, win this one and start building some momentum! I think a huge point in our favour will be Radz, Pesch and de Vos, guys for whom this is their last chance to get there and who see it as their best chance to make it too.

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Congrats Beaver, Tofino/Long Beach/Uculet's a great spot for a honeymoon.

Cheeta> I'm glad I'm not the only one terrified of this game. Everyone seems too bloody calm. It's the biggest game in four years and the bloody Guatemalans drive me crazy and they keep playing friendlies, like every week it seems and we've got the worst referee in the world coming to officiate and yeah I'm supposed to be there and I can't go and I'm freaking out.

It's a good thing WCQ only happens once every four years, I think I'd have a coronary if we did this more often.

cheers,

matthew

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All those years of dissappointment will drive anyone nuts.A win against Guatemala will relieve everyones anxiety at least for a couple of weeks.These feelings we have are what WCQ is all about.We've been waiting for this for quite sometime.Belize was really just a warmup and Guatemala will be a true test for us.

It's going to be ride and we can just sit back and enjoy the highs and try not to get too disheartened if we faulter.This is a lot better than waiting months for a friendly that we have to get a bootleg copy of video to see.

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You wouldn't know it but I'm a pretty laid back sort fellow who likes a good laugh and can see the humor in most anything but I'm getting down right erritable and nervy.

Keep looking at the calender at work. Like the dates will magicaly change after five minutes and the match will be on that evening. Very strange.

Is 10 points the safe number? Maybe 9?

That's where I get nervy. We need six points (I feel) in these three matchs to reasonably get to 9/10. Great we're at home for the first two against sides we should beat but like others have written, we're always going to be the less familiar side.

And there's the rub. We need to WIN these home matchs. Right off the hop or we could be sunk because players are going to be getting harder to get as this tourny drags on.

Too easy to get behind the 8 ball in this group. Still think if we get rolling we'll tear through this group unscarred, but if we get rolling the other way, we could be all crying in our beers come late autumn. And you know what? Bad **** always happens to me.

And so, I'm nervy.

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quote:Originally posted by matthew

Cheeta> I'm glad I'm not the only one terrified of this game. Everyone seems too bloody calm.

Calm? Who the hell is calm?? No-one who is psychotic enough to visit these boards on a regular basis anyway. Whenever one of us gets that little mental tic that thinks about Canadian soccer, we come here to get our little crack hit.

We're all pumped, excited, nervous, and counting down the days...

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quote:Originally posted by sstackho

Calm? Who the hell is calm?? No-one who is psychotic enough to visit these boards on a regular basis anyway. Whenever one of us gets that little mental tic that thinks about Canadian soccer, we come here to get our little crack hit.

We're all pumped, excited, nervous, and counting down the days...

Damn, I love you guys. It's nice to know that I'm not the only hopeful bastard getting anxious about this first game. My gut tells me that we'll get the result--but my head tells me that it will not be easy.

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quote:Originally posted by Gordon

Hey Beaver! Congrats. Follow the link and memorize. Practice and use liberally. Consider it a gift:D

http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/high_fidelity_soundtrack/high_fidelity/john_wesley_hardingim_wrong_about_everything/

Gordon, thanks for the pre-wedding gift. I actually own the soundtrack, so the lyrics are locked-safe in the walnut upstairs.

Cheers-- The Beaver

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Perhaps I am in the minority, but I am really not nervous about this semi-final group, or any specific game at all. From my perspective, right now at least, we appear to have a coach who is having Canada play the game the way I's like to see us play - attacking with possession. I think we have the best group of players at our disposal - top to bottom - that we have ever had. Indeed, I think this team is capable (but not guaranteed) of taking all the points in every venue they will play in this round, including Saprissa. If they - horror of horrors - loose the first to Guatamala, I don't think we are automatically out of it the way we were after loosing to T & T the last go round. The ball is round, and maybe they will go out at this stage, but if they do, I am pretty confident it will be going out playing well and a bit unlucky. At the end of the day, I can live with that.

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I'm somewhat with Gordon on this - the only thing that tempers my optimism and makes me feel a bit un-easy is the usual crap - our opposition being better prepared and their players being less tired after a long flight to Canada (somewhat ironic given that it is our home match, not theirs).

In retrospect, we really ought to have played the two Belize matches in Burnaby and this match in Kingston, if only to reduce the flight time of most of our players.

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I think 10 will be enough. I'm assuming enough teams will drop points so that one team isn't too far behind everyone else. 10 points last time left Costa Rica and Guatemala tied in their group and forced a playoff.

Realistically three home wins and a road tie would do it. If we drop points at home, we're suddenly looking at needing a road win. Not impossible, but not something I'm realishing. despite it's reputation, I think our best chance for that is to face Guatemala and hope they're already eliminated by that point.

I'm glad I'm not the only one counting the days. I took the day of and the day after off because I knew I'd be no use to work the day of the match. I think I'm getting worse and not better as I get older.

Of course this is the fun part of following Canada. The highs and lows and the excitement of chasing the dream.

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I believe we will dominate the first 2 home games (probably all 3) and this time we will score a few goals and get the wins. In all honesty, we have never had a better pool of players

quote:Originally posted by Andrew W

Personally, I believe we have to go for it at home and ensure we get all nine points, in particular the first two games. If we come out of those with six points, I smell the hex.

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