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South Africa vs Canada November 20 (confirmed)


loyola

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I suspect an offensive minded 4-5-1.

Friend as centre forward, Radz and DeRo working the wings and Hume possibly coming on as a substitute to change the pace of the game.

Hume may not like that role, but it seems that is what he does best, his energetic style has the ability to change the pace of a game and his finishing skills are crucial late in an even game, or coming from behind.

Other than that, on the roster front, I presume we will see McKenna again as that was arranged with FC Koln in exchange for him staying with them for the BMO friendly.

Any word on Tam Nsaliwa. Him and Kev would make a great CB pairing. I know it is a blurry citizenship issue, but what exactly needs to be done, and when can we expect it to be done. He is already cap´tied to Canada, so it would be in his best interest, as well as ours to get him back on the international scene. Dont underestimate what playing alongside with real quality at AEK may have done for him, and he was promising to begin with.

I think De Jong should get a call-up. He has a lot to prove to unseed JB and Jazic at left-back, but I dont know him well enought to speak on him.

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Guest Jeffery S.
quote:Originally posted by jonovision

If we continue with our 4-5-1/4-3-3, we're either looking for two names (and if I'm picking the team, those names are Radzinski and De Rosario), or none.

I agree, but it would be nice to have an alternative. Hume-Friend is fast and there is goal there, but in that case you would have to leave Radz out and use De Rosario as a mid.

Just think we should have the option to turn our 4-3-3 into a 4-4-2, there are times we have the talent to go up the middle or need to hold back a bit more, and then it is a decent option.

4-3-3 works best either when the outside attackers can turn in effectively 30 metres from goal and shoot on goal, or when one or both can get to the endline and centre in effectively. Our problem is that neither DD nor Radz are strong on the latter. So I say time to chew on it and not be so dogmatic about it.

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quote:Originally posted by Toronto MB

I think De Jong should get a call-up. He has a lot to prove to unseed JB and Jazic at left-back, but I dont know him well enought to speak on him.

Guaranteed starter all the way...:D

De Jong can take a good corner kick as well.

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Well, after being out of the country for two months I finally got to see our last match vs the Ticos on tape last night and I just have a few points to make as we prepare for the South Africa game:

- Bernier is the number one choice for the holding role job, with Imhoff as his deputy. It was the best match I've seen him play in a maple leaf shirt: he won a number of tackles, his possession was tidy (apart from one hiccup in the 69th minute) and provided rhythmn, and he was consistently involved in the build up. He had some good accurate forward passes but what most impressed when he played in front of the back line was on a couple of occasions when the Ticos pressured us, he didn't panic but instead sold the opposing strikers on the idea that he was going to pass back to our defenders, then simply carried the ball out of trouble leaving two CR strikers trying to intercept a pass that didn't happen. I don't think his competition for the holding job have the same composure on the ball.

- I find it interesting with this starting 11 that, back line excepted, our least likely player to make something happen in a 1 v 1 situation is our centre forward. Gerba is an industrious hard rock but he lacks the craft to go with the graft: he seemed to be missing that anticipatory half step that gets him into a position to be at the near post for a cross, for instance. It appears with this team that our centre forward role seems to be that of service provider for our talented attacking midfielders. With that in mind, I think Friend should start vs SA: for one, he's scoring regularly at club level but also as a classic target man I sensed that he and Hutchinson had a good chemistry in the matches I saw them play together (Venezuela friendly and CR at the Gold Cup) and I would like to see Hutch continue to be pushed up in a more offensive role, with DeGuzman given the roaming mid role and Bernier in the holding position.

- I think the SA match will be a better indication of Radz's performance as a flank player at this stage (the autumn?) of his career. DD isn't a natural winger, granted, but I do like him on the left side because he can track in land and be very dangerous with his right foot.

- the back line didn't have a whole lot to do but I think the centre back situation is still wide open: Hainault was indecisive on the CR goal and the jury is out on Serioux's emotional discipline. Will McKenna be recalled for the SA match? I didn't like how Stalteri got caught in possession in the 15th minute but he's sound positionally. However, neither he nor Brennan were able to provide much offensive influence from the flanks. Depending on his injury situation, I'm sure Stalteri will retain his place, but I can see Klukowski and/or Jazic in at left back.

- Hume: it's hard to say if we would be better off with him starting in a Kevin Phillips role along side the target man striker or as an energizing second half sub. He doesn't come across as a "hang off the shoulder of the central defender"/"diagonal run onto a through ball" type of striker, an offensive change of pace dimension which I believe we lack with our current selection of forwards, but perhaps the SA friendly is a good time for Mitchell to try the Hume/Friend (or Occean) partnership, sacrificing Radz.

- speaking of tactics, I was disappointed during the CR match that Mitchell chose to replace the injured Hutchinson with Imhoff: he looked a fish out of water in that role. It would have been a good opportunity to bring on Issey to DD's left mid spot (or the right mid, with Radz shifting to the left) and then DD moved into a more central attacking role to support Gerba. Oh well, so much for the second guessing.

Finally, it's great to be back on the forum. I'm looking forward to this upcoming friendly!

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According to the following website (http://www.kickoff.com/tournaments/bafana/index.php?LeagueVar=37#fixture) and the SAFA website the date has been changed to November 20th and will be played in ABSA stadium in Durban. This stadium is not a WC venue but is pretty awesome nonetheless. That one stand is so steep that just looking at it is giving me vertigo.

durban_absa1.jpg

ABSA2.jpeg

More pictures here: http://www.fussballtempel.net/caf/RSA/ABSA.html

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quote:Originally posted by Daniel

Funny to see a non-World Cup stadium blow all of ours clean out of the water...

It is also strange that with all the gnashing of teeth about whether South Africa's stadiums will be ready for the World Cup that they have World Cup class stadiums like this that are not even being used. A new 70 000 seat stadium is being built next door to this stadium. There has been some controversy about this as some people claim the new stadium is a waste of money when they already have a good, large stadium in the city. It seems to me, especially given the financial difficulties South Africa has had in funding stadium construction, that the money would be better spent renovating this stadium than building a new one. A city of 3 million with two 50 000 plus stadiums right next to each other seems odd. Plus, I like the look of this stadium better than any of the stadiums that are going to be used. It might be like Kaiserslautern, in my opinion the best venue of the last World Cup, a great looking real soccer stadium compared to all the sterile modern stadiums used in the last World Cup.

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Ahem....Canada is going to SA....in order to scout all the good eating spots, cheapest souvenir vendors, quickest photo developers; how to get to local lost-and-founds, where the bus and train stations are and finally to practice signing autographs in the SA heat (is it hot there in Nov.?) because they WILL be there in 2010. Ye can't plan too early, that's what I always say.

I thought a little un-Canadian-like confidence in the stew was needed.

(...is it 2010 yet?)

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quote:Originally posted by kidlibra

Ahem....Canada is going to SA....in order to scout all the good eating spots, cheapest souvenir vendors, quickest photo developers; how to get to local lost-and-founds, where the bus and train stations are and finally to practice signing autographs in the SA heat (is it hot there in Nov.?) because they WILL be there in 2010. Ye can't plan too early, that's what I always say.

I thought a little un-Canadian-like confidence in the stew was needed.

(...is it 2010 yet?)Consulate of Canada in Durban, South Africa

Contact Information

Address, phone, fax, email

Hours of Operation

After-hours emergency contact information

Services offered at this Consulate

Statutory holidays

Address, phone, fax, email

Street Address

Consulate of Canada

213 Stamfiord Hill Road

Durban, 4001, South Africa

Postal Address

Consulate of Canada

P.O. Box 712

Durban, 4000, South Africa

Telephone:

General: (011 27 31)303 9695

Fax:

General: (011 27 31)312 1989

Email: vnaidu@digitot.com

so ..if you have trouble do it before the consulate closes..which brings to mind ..what will the consulate be doing to enhance the Canadian presence ?

Any reception ..or advetising tie ins .. ?

What has the CSA done to make any contacts ..or is left up to no one to do the preparation work ?

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quote:Originally posted by Grizzly

According to the following website (http://www.kickoff.com/tournaments/bafana/index.php?LeagueVar=37#fixture) and the SAFA website the date has been changed to November 20th and will be played in ABSA stadium in Durban. This stadium is not a WC venue but is pretty awesome nonetheless. That one stand is so steep that just looking at it is giving me vertigo.

durban_absa1.jpg

ABSA2.jpeg

More pictures here: http://www.fussballtempel.net/caf/RSA/ABSA.html

Yikes. Those upper decks are freaky! Jeeeeeezzzzzssshhhhhhhhh.

db

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quote:Originally posted by kidlibra

Ahem....Canada is going to SA....in order to scout all the good eating spots, cheapest souvenir vendors, quickest photo developers; how to get to local lost-and-founds, where the bus and train stations are and finally to practice signing autographs in the SA heat (is it hot there in Nov.?) because they WILL be there in 2010. Ye can't plan too early, that's what I always say.

I thought a little un-Canadian-like confidence in the stew was needed.

(...is it 2010 yet?)

Remember that South Africa is in the southern hemisphere, so the seasons would be reversed. A November in the southern hemisphere would be more like a May in the north. That said, South Africa probably has much warmer average temperatures than us.

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