Gerry Dobson: Wary of Guadaloupe

[Winnipeg Fury]

Wary of Guadaloupe

As Canadians we love to see the summer sun.

But under the oppressive heat and humidity of South Florida this time of year, cloud cover and rain are to die for. Fortunately that's what you get on a daily basis. Couple that with the opening match win against Costa Rica and Canada is two-for-two in the wish department. It rained again Friday, hard in fact. The players are hoping it does so Saturday during the match. A little relief from the heat goes a long way.

Some changes: Houston 'keeper Pat Onstad started against Costa Rica but he flies back to Houston now to join his MLS mates for a weekend league match. Greg Sutton has recovered from a mild concussion and is good to go, backed up by Robert Giacomi. Striker Rob Friend is struggling, he's got a hip problem which could be serious. He was quite worried about it Friday and an MRI should tell the story. Less worrisome is a groin injury to Gabriel Gervais, although he could miss some time. Other than that, all is good. But they are wary of Guadeloupe. Head coach Stephen Hart and some of the players watched the 1-1 draw with Haiti. Big, strong, disciplined and well organized was the consensus. And don't be misled by the fact this island is not even a country, only a French protectorate, and has no FIFA standing. That might lead you to believe this game is a walkover. But watch out. Eight players on the roster play in France. Two play in the Netherlands and two more in England. How good they are we don't know; but they're probably better than what we think.

[redhat]

Okay, it's good to be cautious. But the eight players that play in France, most

play in the French 3rd division, with 3 in Ligue 1. The two in the Netherlands play for

Utrecht, and the two in England: one for Sheffield U (relagated to the CCC) and the other

for Tamworth in the Conference. They are quite skilled and organized, but we should not

underestimate them nor fear them.

If we play our game, we'll get our result. My concerns are mainly on the injury situation,

the yellow card situation (for the next game), the kind of refereeing we may (normally) get,

and our ability to finish.

[youllneverwalkalone]

That's bad news about Friend. Gerba looks like his fitness is there. Hopefully he can be effective if Friend is out.

[Winnipeg Fury]

Doesn't sound good about Friend. I hope he's fine. This guy is world-class. He deserves to have scored 5 goals for Canada by now.

I watched the Haiti-Guadaloupe match, and Guadaloupe won't be a push-over. They looked better than T&T, Guatemala and El Salvador in that one match.

As long as we stay focused and play hard, we will prevail.

I say Canada wins 3-1.

[JamesW]

It does stink that Friend is out, but I think this may be a good time to go to the 4-4-2 and get Hume in. I get the feeling he is someone that will play his heart out who ever the opposing team is. And that might just be what we need in a game like this.

[jpg75]

quote:Originally posted by Jamit

It does stink that Friend is out, but I think this may be a good time to go to the 4-4-2 and get Hume in. I get the feeling he is someone that will play his heart out who ever the opposing team is. And that might just be what we need in a game like this.

HUUUUUUMMMMEEEE!!!

[Mobiiiiiiiilio]

quote:Originally posted by Winnipeg Fury

Wary of Guadaloupe

Couple that with the opening match win against Costa Rica and Canada is two-for-two in the wish department.

So far Sportsnet is ohhhhh for one if you're keeping score...let's hope they can improve their record........