Canada's MNT in the UK

[nolando]

Imagine if Canada's full, current MNT roster (ie. sans Owen) was playing week-in week-out as a single side in the UK. Where do you think the side would land in terms of division and table??

Personally, I think that Canada has a team that would be easily as good as half the teams in the CCC, so I'd say they would be a mid to upper table CCC team. Half of our team is playing there as it is. If you added our best from the rest of the world, it could really be something.

What do you guys think?

[Cheeta]

With the CCC's biggest budget? Well it's fun to speculate.

Playoff positioning from begining to end of the season I'd say. No, that might be a bit generous. But upper half of table for sure and guaring against injuries top of table.

I just don't know if we could put a big enough squad together of high enough quality to be able to run the CCC marathon. To me at least, there's a bit too much of a gap between the 1st team players and everybody else for my likeing.

[youllneverwalkalone]

I recently picked up a copy of FIFA 2006 and immediately transfered all the Canucks to QPR. The expectations of the board were to win the league. For what that's worth.

The biggest crock of ****e in the game however is that Atiba's ranked 54/100, while players like Bernier and Friend are ranked in the 70s. Either his agent needs to get him out of Sweden or EA needs to hire some Swedes to research.

[nolando]

If even half of the praise about our young upcoming stars is true, then we would have a hell of a reserve squad. But Cheeta's right, for various reasons the depth might be a little thin (or young) to last an entire gruelling season.

[bettermirror]

hmmmmm, that's a good idea You'll Never Walk Alone - as much as i hate to applaud a scouser! - i think i'll make myself a Canadian Team - it's gotta be a red/white team though doesn't it!!!! see if i can make em euro champs without adding players from other countries!

ya, i noticed atiba's poor ranking, i'd have to adjust the lads to be more realistic - and add a number of players surely eh?

[Guest Dave]

I will go out on a limb and say that, with a good tactical coach (probably not Yallop) and with a full squad and lots of time together, the MNT could stay in the Prem most years. It would always be a struggle to avoid relegation, but I beleive we have the players to do it. I mean, if you consider a starting 11 of:

Lars/Sutton (?Fernandes?)

Stalteri Nsaliwa DeVos Klukowski

DeGuzman

Hutchinson (Brennan or Grande)

DeRosario

Jon DeGuzman Radzinski

I think that this would be comparable to a lower table Prem side. Really, the only question marks would be keeper, central D, and L-mid, as I think most of the others could fit in at this level.

At central D, I will make the rather bold statement that JDV could hold his own in the Prem. Not be a standout, but hold his own. I like Nsaliwa to compensate for JDV's lack of pace, but if he is not up to the task, we could slot in Klukowski and move Brennan to LB. Or even give Edgar a shot... that kid has talent to burn and may be almost ready.

At left-mid, I am not certain that either Brennan or Grande is really Prem class, and this may be a problem. In fact, a better option might be to give DeJong a shot.... or else push Stalteri to mid and take a gamble on Bircham at the back (I think Birch has the bite and the smarts to pull it off... sort of a younger, quicker Mark Watson). At any rate, I don't see potential weakness at one midfield position as being a catastrophic problem... there are always options.

Which leaves the biggest question mark... keeper. No doubt this team would often be under prolonged pressure against Premiership sides, so our keeper will need to be able to pull of the odd spectacular save. No room for weakness here, we need a darn good keeper. Who knows, maybe one of our current crop could rise to the challenge, but I have seen no evidence of this yet. Which leads me to a radical solution. (Remember that the hypothesis is that we can call on anyone who is eligible for Canada, regardless of other factors.) In all honesty, I believe that CRAIG FORREST may be the missing piece of the puzzle. Sure, Craig has had health problems, but sometimes I wonder whether his retirement was more for insurance purposes than a real necessity. Obviously this is just idle speculation on my part, or perhaps wishful thinking. Assuming that Forrest is healthy enough to play, and since we are ignoring such mundane realities as financial security, then allow me to speculate on Forrest returning to the Prem. He is the one Canadian keeper who has proven beyond doubt his ability to play at this level... plus he always seems to be especially motivated when wearing the Canada shirt. In my opinion, he could make the difference, and allow our side to absorb pressure for long periods, play for the counter, and steal just enough points to remain in the Premiership.

At least that's the way I see it :-)

[Natesta]

Premier league?

Come on now, we have what 2-4 Premier calibre players?

In England, with our current squad, I think we'd be a mid level league 1 side at best.

This place cracks me up sometimes.

[redhat]

If this were real and our MNT was playing REGULARLY in a league, and probably coached

by someone else, I think a place in the CCC is a possibility. If our off-season B team

can beat Millwall or tie Hearts, I can see our A squad do well in the CCC.

Again this is assuming that this could be real. It's not. But then again, like Northern

Ireland upsetting England, never underestimate a determined team ... Can our MNT beat

Fulham? We'll never know.

[Guest Jeffery S.]

Before reading most of the posts here I came to a similar conclusion, we'd be in the upper part of CCC, with the odd year up in EPL, depends on runs of strikers, how the team gels etc.

Of course this would be true probably of the Panama national team, sorry to say, or Guatemala, leaving aside the cultural differences in play.

Another fun exercise would be to create a world first division of teams, whether national or club, in a single table. Ignore the fact that a Ballack plays for Germany and Bayern, just rate the team overall without considering overlapping of players.

How many nations and what clubs would be in a 20 team first division? I personally think that it would cut pretty well down the middle, the ten best nations and the ten best clubs. With perhaps a slight edge for countries. In no particular order:

Brazil

Argentina

Mexico

Germany

Italy

Holland

England

Spain

Portugal

France

(maybe the US, Turkey, Czechs)

Chelsea

Arsenal

Real Madrid

Barça

La Juve

AC Milan

Bayern Munich

(maybe Liverpool (that from a fan), Lyon, Inter, Ajax, Bremen, Boca and River, Corinthians)

Clearly there is more consistency in the block of strong nations than in the clubs, where an Oporto or Monaco could come and go, where you could see a PSV or Roma or Leverkusen come in and out, where the stronger S American sides would alternate as well)

[nolando]

"Of course this would be true probably of the Panama national team, sorry to say, or Guatemala, leaving aside the cultural differences in play."

As someone who almost universally agrees with you, when I first read your post I thought you had written "would not be true of the Panama national team..."

I disagree with you on this one, Jeffrey. I think the vast majority of the troubles that we have against a Panama or a Guatemala in qualifying is that the majority of any given latin american team (espec. the lower-mid level countries) play on 2-3 local clubs that see each other every weekend and know how each other play. This disadvantage that Canada faces in real life would suddenly be Canada's advantage if we played as a single entity club. The Panamanians and the Hondurans and the Guatemalans that we see vs Canada in qualifying to a large extent already benefit from the advantage and thus would only be getting slightly better if they played together as a single entity. Canada would be a vastly better team if this guys could play with each other more than a handful of times a year.

[Rupert]

Since I watch Coca-Cola Championship football all season, and have watched Canada five or six times in the past three or four years, I can hazard a guess here. I'd say Canada have the players of the appropriate skill level or higher (eg Stalteri). But could they handle the relentless pace and physical pressure of the CCC? I'm not sure.

We don't have any Canadians at Plymouth now, but we do have current Hungarian and Northern Ireland internationals. They often say how much slower and more refined international football is. And that's playing in Europe, not CONCACAF.

[Guest Jeffery S.]

quote:Originally posted by nolando

"Of course this would be true probably of the Panama national team, sorry to say, or Guatemala, leaving aside the cultural differences in play."

As someone who almost universally agrees with you, when I first read your post I thought you had written "would not be true of the Panama national team..."

I disagree with you on this one, Jeffrey. I think the vast majority of the troubles that we have against a Panama or a Guatemala in qualifying is that the majority of any given latin american team (espec. the lower-mid level countries) play on 2-3 local clubs that see each other every weekend and know how each other play. This disadvantage that Canada faces in real life would suddenly be Canada's advantage if we played as a single entity club. The Panamanians and the Hondurans and the Guatemalans that we see vs Canada in qualifying to a large extent already benefit from the advantage and thus would only be getting slightly better if they played together as a single entity. Canada would be a vastly better team if this guys could play with each other more than a handful of times a year.

Fair enough, that is probably their strength. I know I am totally speculating on Panama holding their own in the English 2nd tier, but since most here think Canada would, why not Panama?

They at least have had, until recently, a more proven striker for international competitions than we have.