Jump to content

The last time Canada played Guatemala...


MikeD

Recommended Posts

...was in the 1999 Canada Cup and we beat them 2-0 despite going down to 10 men early in the match when Tony Menezes was ejected in the 33rd minute. Paul Stalteri put us ahead with a 42nd minute goal (his first for Canada) and Jason DeVos sealed the win in the 62nd minute.

Our lineup on that day was (Holger had us using a 3-5-2 in those days):

GK - Pat Onstad

SW - Tony Menezes (sent off 33')

RCB - Mark Watson

LCB - Jason DeVos

DM - Nick Dasovic

RM - Carl Fletcher (dropped back into D after Menezes' sending off)

LM - Jim Brennan

CM - Marc Bircham (moved to RM when Fletcher dropped back into D)

CM - Davide Xausa

ST - Paul Stalteri

ST - Garret Kusch

Interestingly, Holger didn't make a single sub in this match despite playing most of it with 10 men (which tires the players out more).

The unused subs were: Mike Franks, Jeff Clarke, Paul Fenwick, Ante Jazic, Brad Parker, Steve Kindel, Jason Bent

I think that, even with the injuries to Radzinski, DeVos, McKenna and Bircham and Hume's suspension, our squad will be better tomorrow than it was five years ago when we took care of the Guats quite handily.

Onstad will be the 'keeper tomorrow, as he was five years, and I certainly think he's better now than he was then. Far more experienced, looks more comfortable and in command of the box than he was then and doesn't seem to have lost any quickness.

Watson, Menezes and DeVos, all in their primes, might well have been the best defence we've ever put on the pitch from a purely defensive point of view. They weren't the greatest at transitioning from defence to attack, but they didn't need to be with Dasovic (also in his prime) as a DM and Brennan and Fletcher (in his prime) as wingbacks linking up with them.

Today, our back line is arguably a bit more vulnerable than it was then, but a bit better going forward. Of course, the wide defenders have to be better going forward in a 4-4-2. With DeVos, the centre will be guarded by two of Watson, Pizzolitto and Gervais. Not horrible, but certainly not up to the standard of Watson in his prime, DeVos and Menezes in his prime. Overall, then, I'd have to say that our defence is a little bit worse than it was in 1999. Not a lot worse, especially with the speed of Jazic and Stalteri on the flanks, but a bit worse up the middle.

Our midfield is clearly light years ahead of where we were then. Nowadays we're actualy capable of keeping possession. This is probably our biggest improvement area.

Up front, we're also better today, even despite the injuries to Radzinski, McKenna and Hume. Stalteri was extremely green back then and Kusch was a good target man but too one-dimensional. Even if you don't count Occean (which I'm not since I haven't seen the man play yet), Pesch and DeRo alone form a more potent strike force.

I guess all that remains to be seen is how much the Guats have improved since '99. Ruiz played against us five years ago but he hadn't matured into the potent threat he is today. Their midfield had some flair but lacked a cutting edge in the final third, which we'll see if they've improved since then.

32 hours, 49 minutes to go...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by Guatemala01

YOu brought it up not me....

Canada is even lower than HAITI???? right now, you probably had a better team back then....HAITI C'MON....

Guatemala

31 Posts

Posted - 08/17/2004 : 13:37:05 Show Profile Reply with Quote

1990 WCQ remember who knock you out???

I brought it up? Then what the heck is that post? Sheesh.

Have you started drinking a day ahead of time?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whatever happened to Brad Parker?

That's a good result, but, bottom line is that Holger's teams were boring to watch and largely ineffective going forward. Whatever else happens tomorrow, guarantee it'll be more exciting and Canada will get lots of scoring chances.

SQUAT THE QUATS!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Parker flaked out the national team (ie. chose club over country and no-showed for the Gold Cup qualifying tournament) in 1999. (Canada had to go through qualifying for the 2000 Gold Cup that we won. We haven't had to go through qualifying since.) Holger rightly never called him up again.

Parker's case is sort of instructive of what a bad idea it is to choose club over country like that. He never made it in the Netherlands just sort of fell off the face of the earth. If he'd stayed with Canadian national team program, it would have gotten him more opportunities to be noticed internationally and perhaps he could have resurrected his career by moving somewhere outside Holland.

The 2000 Gold Cup wasn't boring. Any style we play is fine with me as long as it's effective. :) I really think Holger had little choice but to play defensively in his first couple of years as coach because we didn't have the weapons up front or in midfield that we now have. Holger deserves a lot of credit for the behind-the-scenes work he did as the CSA's Technical Director, building up our U-20 and U-17 programs, which are now paying such great dividends.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Holger was always better suited to be a Technical Director than a national team manager. Bitter Irony is that player power gets him ousted and Frank Yallop is brought in becuase of better man management skills...and his first real game none of his players show up!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Canada's FIFA ranking has nothing to do with the quality of the team and everything to do with the fact that we don't play many games. Just because Guatemala can beat up on the likes of Surinam and St Kitts and Nevis and St Vincent and the Grenadines on a regular basis and get a higher FIFA Ranking doesn't mean that you are a better side. FIFA rankings are a joke, and they shouldn't be followed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If beating up on lower countries is all it takes, then I say we have a Euro base and start regular friendlies against Andorra, The Faroe Islands, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Malta (shhhh-don't bring THAT match up), Northern Ireland, Macedonia and all those 'stans' in the former Soviet region.

We'll be Number 3 in no time.

/sarcasm.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA! GUATEMALA!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...