Jump to content

Bermuda friendly in late march?


loyola

Recommended Posts

Thanks to mcruic at BigSoccer:

"General secretary David Sabir (Bermuda Football Association) also revealed that the Canadian football association had contacted them about the possibility of arranging matches in late March"

http://bermudasun.bm/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=203&ArticleID=32508&TM=35141.59

"What do you know about the proposed matches with Canada?

Only that they are interested in visiting Bermuda for training and that we may be able to play them during their visit."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by Sigma

I think the FIFA date is March 24th.

So we can call in the Euros and thrash Bermuda. Actually, we'll have to since MLS kicks off 2 weeks later. TFC should be in Charleston, South Carolina playing in the Battery Cup at that time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's the point? Fly across the atlantic to play slightly less quality team than an CPSL all-star team? Get serious CSA! How about England, Holland, Spain, Italy? Do they not realize that whatever they charge to play Canada would be more than make up for it at the gates and in training?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pretty much all the big teams are playing in the Euro 2008 qualifying on those dates, not sure we can play a big opponent. You're talking like it's easy for the CSA to book a game with Italy......get real JesseDart.

They're nothing definitive in this, only a rumour and this quote let me believe that the CSA is looking at Bermuda as a possible place for a pre-GC training camp:

"What do you know about the proposed matches with Canada?

Only that they are interested in visiting Bermuda for training and that we may be able to play them during their visit."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If we are going to go there for training we may as well play against Bermuda even if they are not a top team. It is better than our Florida camps where we are not playing any friendlies and will at least help our FIFA ranking. We may have to play against Bermuda or similar teams in WCQ so there is a value in having this experience. It is good to have some experience playing against teams that are going to play 11 men back and counter because we may have to do this in WCQ where goal differential may be a factor and possibly against some opposition stronger than Bermuda like Cuba.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Jeffery S.
quote:Originally posted by Sigma

I think the FIFA date is March 24th.

24th and 28th, so that means a chance to meet on a midweek and be together until the following midweek, up to 6-7 days training.

28th I am hoping to watch Andorra slaughter the Owen Hargreaves Try Hard and Play Alike Contest winners in the Olympic Stadium here (England duh).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are two FIFA dates here so the MNT could get 5-7 days together and play Bermuda twice. Bermuda is closer to Europe than most of North America, and TFC will be playing exhibition matches in the Carolinas (only ~600 miles away), so it would be easy to assemble a team.

Bermuda may not have much of a team, but as I wrote in another thread about Canada's ranking, we need to play more friendlies, and occassionally massacre a small country's squad, to inflate our FIFA ranking. Other countries, particularly CONCACAF squads like Cuba, do this all the time. We will want to be one of the top ranked teams in CONCACAF when they draw the groups for WCQ.

You get points for a win - even against the lowest ranked squads - and for every goal you score. The visiting team automatically gets points as well. Unless Bermuda wins those games and runs up the score ("The temperture in Hell is dropping rapidly . . ."), Canada's ranking would benefit. So, Canada should have a nice mini-camp in Bermuda, and play the locals twice to gain some points.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hopefully we can play at least 1 full international vs Bermuda. If not Bermuda, perhaps we could play one of the other countries from the area. Ideally, 2 games.

This will be our last chance to have a new coach in place if he wants any meaningful input prior to the Gold Cup. There is a good chance that we may hear something in the next 5 weeks, so there may be a new coach at the helm for this camp.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, as recently as the end of January, they have been telling applicants to the coaching position that they want to have the new coach in place by March 1. The time frame for this camp fits.

Bermuda as a location is as good a location as there is to get all potential team members together.

Let's see what happens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why not a few club teams in T&T

their top club team were good enough playing with 10 men to beat Chivas (Mex) in the Concacaf club competition.

CSA should arrange multiple games when training in those countries

how many players can a coach have a look at in only one game.

never mind how the rest of the world does it Canada has to come up with some innovative Ideas of their own to improve.

since we are in the country already why not take the opportunity to play more games.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by Canuck Oranje

Well, as recently as the end of January, they have been telling applicants to the coaching position that they want to have the new coach in place by March 1. The time frame for this camp fits.

Bermuda as a location is as good a location as there is to get all potential team members together.

Let's see what happens.

The quality of opponent and timing of all this reminds me exactly of when the CSA announced Yallop as coach right befor the friendly against Barbados in '04.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Jeffery S.
quote:Originally posted by sj

Why not a few club teams in T&T

their top club team were good enough playing with 10 men to beat Chivas (Mex) in the Concacaf club competition.

CSA should arrange multiple games when training in those countries

how many players can a coach have a look at in only one game.

never mind how the rest of the world does it Canada has to come up with some innovative Ideas of their own to improve.

since we are in the country already why not take the opportunity to play more games.

I remember suggesting this to Morgan in the latter Holger years, and the reply was that they did not want to play games vs. non-Fifa sides at the time. I was trying to convince them to do a friendly vs. one of the Spanish regions that regularly invites Fifa sides to play, at Xmas or at the end of the season, often with all costs covered.

Perhaps Holger felt that with so few games, it was better to work on the ranking as that benefitted players getting permits in England.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's a good news. We're already sure that we'll play one more game than last year. I hope for one or two more games prior to the GC. I wonder what kind of players we'll see in Bermuda, I don't think the MLS players will be available at that time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by loyola

That's a good news. We're already sure that we'll play one more game than last year. I hope for one or two more games prior to the GC. I wonder what kind of players we'll see in Bermuda, I don't think the MLS players will be available at that time.

Since it is between FIFA dates, they should be able to get just about anybody. TFC will be doing the exhibition tournament in the Carolinas (Cary) with two other MLS teams and the USL1 hosts. This is only around 600 miles from Bermuda, so it would not be hard to get them. I hope it is mostly Europe-based, non-U20 guys though.

It will be interesting to see if TFC guys get called. They will be available, and close by, but soccer "politics" might keep them out. I doubt MoJo would want to get the club-country relationship off to a bad foot by trying to block call-ups, TFC being "Canada's Team" and all. The new MNT coach, however, may decide that since he will likely be depriving TFC of a few players for almost the entire month of June, he will play nice with MoJo and leave them out of the friendly and let them work on cohesion with TFC's tournament.

This is the problem with having so many potential MNT players on one team. It won't be as bad once there is 2-3 Canadian MLS clubs and more players in Europe. Since the GC should bring the A Squad, I imagine that only a few TFC guys (Sutton/Brennan/Pozniak perhaps?) will be called. Of course, Lombardo and any other U20s that are signed could be away from TFC for most of June and July!

I would have scheduled this Bermuda game for the end of the FIFA break (28th? 29th?), as that would allow for more training days before the game. Why not play them again on the 28th?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think we'll see the U-20's since they'll be playing 2 games against Scotland at that time in BC.

Playing Bermuda twice in 3 days isn't something I'm looking for, better playing once and practicing the others days. Playing another team would've been a good idea if possible but I guess it imply travel cost. I think we can continue practicing after march 25, we've done it a few times before having a game in the midle of training camp.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

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

×
×
  • Create New...