How are we better on paper?

[Elias]

Is it because all the Guatemalans (?) play in their domestic league, while all the Canucks play in the Norwegian 3rd Division?

THIS WAS (the outcome) COMPLETE B.S.

I'll admit, I don't know anything about soccer. I think I was brainwashed by people on this site into thinking that Canada had a shot at going to Germany. It's deja f-ing vu all over again.

People are posting things like Canada can play a million times better and all this stuff. Where do you people see this?

Onstad - completely useless, honeslty, why is he playing?

The back 4 were a complete joke. Granted, the first goal was clearly offside, and the 2nd would never happen had Devos been there.

The midfield was so horrible it's not even funny. They could't pass, they couldn't shoot, they couldn't even run for crying out loud (which I was and still am).

Pesch was completely invisble, but I guess that's how he always plays.

The only bright spots were that kid that came on in the end (Peters I think) cause he brought some energy and speed and some nice moves, although I strongly doubt he could last for anywhere near a whole game. And that other guy, Oceanic or something who seemed promissing.

I so hope these guys will prove me wrong.

[Timotas]

All Canucks play in the Norwegian 3rd Division? Last time I checked we had no one playing the Norwegian 3rd Division, let alone anyone on our national team playing in the Norwegian 2nd Division.

[CanadasBest]

"Onstad - completely useless, honeslty, why is he playing?"

Agree Completely. Add Watson in there too.

[Canuck Oranje]

Yes, we are better on paper. But what counts is how good we are on the field. To ensure that we are the best on the field, we need proper preparation.

It is the best team that wins; not the team with the best players. The Dutch have painfully learned this lesson over the years. The Portuguese are coming to grips with this at the moment with their Olympic team. Even, Brazilian and Argentian teams do have to face this fact occasionally.

I thought the whole point of having the Canadian National Team together prior to the Belize series was, in part, to build a core and a common understanding. Then in Vancouver, we have eight new faces and three new starters. I understand some was due to injury and suspension; but, any chemistry that had developed around the Belize series would have been eroded as a result. Then we expect new team organization to be put in place in effectly two or three days of practice and that is not even considering the jet lag issue yet.

No matter how good our players are, we will have a problem qualifying with this approach. But still keeping the faith here.

[Gian-Luca]

quote:Originally posted by Canuck Oranje

Yes, we are better on paper. But what counts is how good we are on the field. To ensure that we are the best on the field, we need proper preparation.

It is the best team that wins; not the team with the best players. The Dutch have painfully learned this lesson over the years. The Portuguese are coming to grips with this at the moment with their Olympic team. Even, Brazilian and Argentian teams do have to face this fact occasionally.

I thought the whole point of having the Canadian National Team together prior to the Belize series was, in part, to build a core and a common understanding. Then in Vancouver, we have eight new faces and three new starters. I understand some was due to injury and suspension; but, any chemistry that had developed around the Belize series would have been eroded as a result. Then we expect new team organization to be put in place in effectly two or three days of practice and that is not even considering the jet lag issue yet.

No matter how good our players are, we will have a problem qualifying with this approach. But still keeping the faith here.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

[Andrew W]

I agree with C.O. as well. Funny thing is Frank made his reputation in San Jose based on his willingness to stick with a cohesive unit and allow off-form players to play out of their funks. To me, that's what a "player's coach" does, he sticks by the players who have shown they can do the job. To me Brennan and Nsaliwa, among others, have shown this.

[footnsocc]

quote:Originally posted by Canuck Oranje

Yes, we are better on paper. But what counts is how good we are on the field. To ensure that we are the best on the field, we need proper preparation.

It is the best team that wins; not the team with the best players. The Dutch have painfully learned this lesson over the years. The Portuguese are coming to grips with this at the moment with their Olympic team. Even, Brazilian and Argentian teams do have to face this fact occasionally.

I thought the whole point of having the Canadian National Team together prior to the Belize series was, in part, to build a core and a common understanding. Then in Vancouver, we have eight new faces and three new starters. I understand some was due to injury and suspension; but, any chemistry that had developed around the Belize series would have been eroded as a result. Then we expect new team organization to be put in place in effectly two or three days of practice and that is not even considering the jet lag issue yet.

No matter how good our players are, we will have a problem qualifying with this approach. But still keeping the faith here.

I think this answers the question of why our young Canadian talent is exploring other international options. Until there is a firmly entrenched culture of soccer in this country along with a strong organization identity, players can shrug their shoulders and opt out of playing for Canada on the basis of "love of the game" ahead of "love of country." That was a very sad display of soccer this past Wednesday. Anybody's who's played this game plays for the love of the game and to have fun. I'm sure it was even less fun playing in that game than attempting to watch it. However, I don't believe this should give young Canadians a free pass to play for another country.

To make the analogy of college or university sports: The best teams in any one sport always seem to come from the same schools. Simply stated, a good program attracts good players. I think it's encouraging that this fan discussion exists and that expectations are a lot higher for this national team than they ever have been before. But, we are not going to become an international powerhouse overnight. And, if these young players really cared about the state of the game in their "home country" they would be sowing the seeds of soccer in this county. It's a catch 22. We need to build a stonger team identity, but we need the players to sign up first to help Canada gain respectability. On the other hand, we can't sign up the players without a strong team identity and program.

However, the ultimate decision on who to play for rests with the individual player. And, I think it is just an indication of the selfish world we live in that most young Canada talent is opting for the quick spoils rather than lining up to help secure Canada's place in this game once and for all. It's the much uglier of the two career paths, but it's the only path that will eventually lead Canada to respectability in the world's beautiful game. And, it's a damn shame, because one would think it would be a much more satisfying experience lifting your country amongst the world elite in the game you truly love than becoming a mere footnote in a foreign lands soccer history.

[footnsocc]

quote:Originally posted by Canuck Oranje

Yes, we are better on paper. But what counts is how good we are on the field. To ensure that we are the best on the field, we need proper preparation.

It is the best team that wins; not the team with the best players. The Dutch have painfully learned this lesson over the years. The Portuguese are coming to grips with this at the moment with their Olympic team. Even, Brazilian and Argentian teams do have to face this fact occasionally.

I thought the whole point of having the Canadian National Team together prior to the Belize series was, in part, to build a core and a common understanding. Then in Vancouver, we have eight new faces and three new starters. I understand some was due to injury and suspension; but, any chemistry that had developed around the Belize series would have been eroded as a result. Then we expect new team organization to be put in place in effectly two or three days of practice and that is not even considering the jet lag issue yet.

No matter how good our players are, we will have a problem qualifying with this approach. But still keeping the faith here.

I think this answers the question of why our young Canadian talent is exploring other international options. Until there is a firmly entrenched culture of soccer in this country along with a strong organization identity, players can shrug their shoulders and opt out of playing for Canada on the basis of "love of the game" ahead of "love of country." That was a very sad display of soccer this past Wednesday. Anybody's who's played this game plays for the love of the game and to have fun. I'm sure it was even less fun playing in that game than attempting to watch it. However, I don't believe this should give young Canadians a free pass to play for another country.

To make the analogy of college or university sports: The best teams in any one sport always seem to come from the same schools. Simply stated, a good program attracts good players. I think it's encouraging that this fan discussion exists and that expectations are a lot higher for this national team than they ever have been before. But, we are not going to become an international powerhouse overnight. And, if these young players really cared about the state of the game in their "home country" they would be sowing the seeds of soccer in this county. It's a catch 22. We need to build a stonger team identity, but we need the players to sign up first to help Canada gain respectability. On the other hand, we can't sign up the players without a strong team identity and program.

However, the ultimate decision on who to play for rests with the individual player. And, I think it is just an indication of the selfish world we live in that most young Canada talent is opting for the quick spoils rather than lining up to help secure Canada's place in this game once and for all. It's the much uglier of the two career paths, but it's the only path that will eventually lead Canada to respectability in the world's beautiful game. And, it's a damn shame, because one would think it would be a much more satisfying experience lifting your country amongst the world elite in the game you truly love than becoming a mere footnote in a foreign lands soccer history.

[G-Man]

How many French National team players play in the French league? How many Norwegians and Swedes play for their nationalities?

A domestic league would not change anything. You need your players playing for the TOP club teams. We have 1. The rest play for midpack crap. And it matter not that those teams are based in England, Scotland, the MLS or Canada.

[Lord Bob]

I do agree that a 'culture of soccer' is important, but Canada simply hasn't got the base to establish a powerful home league, or to raise the A-League to that point. You can't draw top staff and players when your best teams are drawing 4500 fans and don't have the prospect of increasing that much. Frankly, unless Canada's mens team plays out of their boots for a consistent period and really, really increases the profile and love of the game in this country, then we're just going to have to be content applying to the Owen Hargreaves' out there with patriotism instead of an actual world-class program.

[Joe05]

quote:Originally posted by G-Man

How many French National team players play in the French league? How many Norwegians and Swedes play for their nationalities?

A domestic league would not change anything. You need your players playing for the TOP club teams. We have 1. The rest play for midpack crap. And it matter not that those teams are based in England, Scotland, the MLS or Canada.

A domestic league seemd to help the US quite a bit

[Canuck Oranje]

I will agree that high-quality home-based players are needed in Canada. There are not many countries that would require Euro-based players to travel across more than 8 time zones for national team games and also, not have a professional league at home. Canada is probably the only one in the Western Hemisphere with a large European contingent and no significant domestic league.

In this case, Brazil and Argentina cannot even be used as examples. Most people here probably don't realize that during the winter months (end of Oct to end of March), Sao Paulo and Rio are only 2 hours (4 hours in our summer) behind London. I suspect Buenos Aires is the same. And they have domestic leagues too.

At the same time, I would never consider a young Canadian to be selfish if he chose to pursue a professional career in Europe. That decision needs to be considered the same as having to relocate for work. I am sure that there are many people on this board who had to relocate for work reasons. Bottomline, when you are a professional, you go where the money is and where the career opportunity lies. I hate to say it but right now Canada is not the place to go for a professional soccer player, unfortunately. We as fans cannot expect our players to forgo professional opportunities anymore than we would ourselves.