Canada's u20 team - what needs to be done for 2007

[Robert]

We have two years to prepare a team that will be worthy of competing with the best in the world when we host this tournament? Never mind the stadiums and the running of the tournament, let's just focus on the on-field product, because it will be a while before we get this opportunity again. First of all, there needs to be a budget committed to the development of the Canadian team by the CSA for the next two years. A modest $2,000,000.00 for team development, plus whatever money the team itself generates. The basis of the player pool that will be used in 2007 needs to be selected as soon as possible. Some players will fall-off and others will be added, but there should always be a pool of plus or minus 22 players (two full sides). These players should be full time Canadian, not North American, but Canadian based players. They should be signed to contracts tying them to the national team and free of any other committments untill the end of the 2007 WYC. The team should not have to leave Canada as the entire tournament takes place in Canada. During the winter months, they could be based out of Victoria or Vancouver, while the rest of the year they could play all over the country, especially in the venues that will be hosting matches in 2007. They should play a match a week against various different calibre teams, USL, universities & colleges, CPSL, PCSL, Metro, and every six months the CSA should invite two or three foreign teams for internationals. These guys should get to know eachother so well, on and off the field, that they can recognized eachother's smell with their eyes closed. They need to become a cohesive team, and that takes time and money. Is the CSA prepared to do this right, or are they going throw together a last minute team with 7th division European players? It's now, or never.

[An Observer]

I think your idea about a full-time based Canadian team is completely nuts. First, it doesn't take into account reality....for example, the five 87 players on this years U-20 are all European based. do you think that they are going to leave contracts with big clubs to come back to be based in Canada for two years. don't think so. And second, from the standard of play exhibited by players this time around, it is clear that the European players are miles ahead of the NCAA, etc. Having them back in Canada would be a backwards step in their development. And not having them in the side, would be suicidal for our teams chances.

The best would be to get the team together as much as possible to play friendlies and in tournaments whether in Europe or elsewhere. I would suggest to have the players who are not in Europe to be in some sort of academy in BC, etc. and to play as many games as possible in order that they play to as high a standard as possible so that the 3 or 4 who may make the side can contribute and not take away from the team such as Rosenland and Peetom this time around.

[sj]

Chemistry is everything in soccer

before the tournament Dale said that this team had a lot of chemistry

in three games chemistry level was next to zero.

the NCAA players on the USA squad is more than holding their own,

Ncaa provide the players and the US soccer federation give them the proper training to bring them to international level.

Robert's idea is great the US did the same thing prior to USA 94 and they never look back since, it was an investment into the future they decided to take the destiny of soccer in their own hands unlike the CSA that relies on European teams to identify and train the players for them so that they do as little as possible such as patch those together trow them on a soccer field and expect miracles by lining up all 11 of them infront of our 18 yrd box.

we could have sent our womens team instead they are pretty good at that too since they come from the same system

there is no need senmding unprepared teams overseas

those national squad has to prove that they can handily dominate and beat club teams in Canada on a regular basis before they are allowed at great expense to travel overseas.

we dont need to waste more air fares and hotels accomodation when all we are going to do is play bunker defense against better foreign opposition

Dale has to run this team as a club team if we want to acheive something in 2007 he need to get involve with the team on a daily basis

the garbage that we saw on display in Holland cant be a call a team

we put our keeper in danger when we play the ball backward and gave it to the opposition when we kick it forward thus putting our keeper busy again.

this team like most of CSA patch up teams was in complete confusion they look like they have not played together for months.

When Devos said that we should seriously rethink about the way we play the game he meant we should play as a team

a team that defend and attack as a unit

I prefer to have a product that is made mostly with canadian parts designed,assembled and tested properly than having a product with supposingly better European parts that has been put together in a hurry and end up completely fell apart so bad on the pitch that we dont have any choice than to put a defensive shield around it to limit the damage.

[dutcy]

Robert has the right idea but it seems to me that the CSA has been looking for band aid solutions by parachuting players from all over. We would not produce any results if we keep on with this mentality.