Jump to content

Canadian All-Time XI


Recommended Posts

Was thinking about an all-time XI for our nationals, but I'll admit I know very little about the national team pre-2000, so I'll need the Voyageurs' help on this one. Here's a starting point:

EDITED thanks to suggestions:

<center>Craig Forrest

Colin Miller - Bruce Wilson - Bob Iarusci - Jason de Vos

Bob Lenarduzzi

Erroll Crossan - Julian de Guzman - Lyndon Hooper

Alex Bunbury - Dale Mitchell

</center>

I think JDG is at the stage where he can be considered, though like I said, I'm no expert on the history of the Canadian game. And yes, I'm including Corazzin on the strength of 1 bicycle kick, 1 header and 2 penalties at some tinpot tournament a few years back. [8D]

Our "all-time XI" has a lot of depth at defenders, it seems, with Colin Miller, Mark Watson, and Frank Yalop all left off this list... couldn't think of any wingers (Radz?) so I went with 3 forwards. Also not too sure about a lot of the classic defenders and whether or not they could play fullback, so I threw in Staltz and de Vos.

I'm confident that in the coming years, any list like this will be more and more dominated by guys like JDG, Big Kev McKenna, Hutch, Issey and Rob Friend.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wes McLeod, Alex Bunbury, Bob Iarusci, Branko Segota, The Duze, Buzz Parsons

Topic already covered in this thread

http://www.canadian-soccer.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7799

and these

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249044

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=244481

A little trivia

All-Time NASL Scoring Leaders (Top 100)

Player / Teams Seasons Games Goals Assists Points

1. Giorgio Chinaglia 8 213 193 81 478 NY 76-83

2. Karl-Heinz Granitza 7 199 128 101 357 Chi 78-84

3. Alan Willey 9 238 129 48 306 Min 76-81, Mon 81-83, Min 84

13. Branko Segota 6 147 73 49 195 Roc 79-80, FL 81-83, GB 84

23. George Best 6 139 54 54 162 LA 76-78, FL 78-79, SJ 80-81

30. Carl Valentine 6 165 44 59 147 Van 79-84

50. Bobby Lenarduzzi 11 288 31 57 119 Van 74-84

56. Dale Mitchell 6 106 43 30 116 Van 77-78, Port 79-82, Mon 83

66. Wes McLeod 8 188 34 36 104 TB 77-84

91. Trevor Francis 2 33 36 18 90 Det 78-79

92. Pele 3 56 31 25 87 NY 75-77

92. Johan Cruyff 3 53 25 37 87 LA 79, Was 80-81

96. Franz Beckenbauer 5 105 19 47 85 NY 77-80;83

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by themodelcitizen

<center>Craig Forrest

Paul Stalteri - Bruce Wilson - Randy Samuel - Jason de Vos

Nick Dasovic - Lyndon Hooper

Julian de Guzman

John Catliff - Dale Mitchell - Carlo Corazzin

</center>

Not a bad starting point.

I'd place Bunbury ahead of Dasovic, and maybe Ian Bridge ahead of Stalteri on the back line.

Pretty weak at forward, but 'twas ever thus.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by themodelcitizen

Was thinking about an all-time XI for our nationals, but I'll admit I know very little about the national team pre-2000, so I'll need the Voyageurs' help on this one. Here's a starting point:

<center>Craig Forrest

Paul Stalteri - Bruce Wilson - Randy Samuel - Jason de Vos

Nick Dasovic - Lyndon Hooper

Julian de Guzman

John Catliff - Dale Mitchell - Carlo Corazzin

</center>

De Vos has always played in the centre of the Def. Though Wilson and Samuel are good choices, you cannot exclude Lenneaduzzi. As far as Corrazin ? Yikes!!!!! You still have a chance to ammend your post :D

Corrazin never played a high level in europe, to my recollection he played in the english third division. As one american pundit once quipped ( regarding Corrazin and where he played in england), " you cant get much lower than that". You are probably going by the fact that he scored six goals at the GC and won the golden boot. But after that he had trouble hitting the side of barn. Maybe one slowest strikers I ever saw. I take you werent there at Varsity in November 2000 when we played Mex in WCQ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by Free kick

De Vos has always played in the centre of the Def. Though Wilson and Samuel are good choices, you cannot exclude Lenneaduzzi. As far as Corrazin ? Yikes!!!!! You still have a chance to ammend your post :D

Corrazin never played a high level in europe, to my recollection he played in the english third division. As one american pundit once quipped ( regarding Corrazin and where he played in england), " you cant get much lower than that". You are probably going by the fact that he scored six goals at the GC and won the golden boot. But after that he had trouble hitting the side of barn. Maybe one slowest strikers I ever saw. I take you werent there at Varsity in November 2000 when we played Mex in WCQ

changed the post already. :D I'll fit in 'Duzzi. And yes, I was actually there at Varsity in 2000 when Luis Hernandez was strutting his stuff...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

F: Bunbury Radzinski Mitchell

M: Brennan deGuzman Miller

D: Klukowski deVos Samuel Stalteri

G: Forrest

I know many will not agree with Brennan and Stalteri, but when he was younger and the top of his game (around the time he was with Nottingham and first moved to Norwich) JB was incredible and easily our best offensive player. Stalteri, for a a year or so with Bremen, was truly world class. Other Canadians from earlier generations have not attained those levels. Klukowski is more of an extrapolation, he will prove himself in this wcq cycle and move to a top team.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

F - I like your front line a lot but I'd replace Dale with Branko Segota. That guy had bags of talent even if he was never totally able to replicate his club form with the nats.

MF - Colin Miller was a servicable midfielder but I'd not put him at or near the top of my list. I'd probably take Mike Sweeney over Colin.

I'd place Gerry Gray above Brennan.

D - My back four is Lenarduzzi, DeVos, Samuel and Wilson

GK - Good choice on Forrest.

quote:Originally posted by BrennanFan

F: Bunbury Radzinski Mitchell

M: Brennan deGuzman Miller

D: Klukowski deVos Samuel Stalteri

G: Forrest

I know many will not agree with Brennan and Stalteri, but when he was younger and the top of his game (around the time he was with Nottingham and first moved to Norwich) JB was incredible and easily our best offensive player. Stalteri, for a a year or so with Bremen, was truly world class. Other Canadians from earlier generations have not attained those levels. Klukowski is more of an extrapolation, he will prove himself in this wcq cycle and move to a top team.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

De Rosario has got to be in there. Our team alone now should make up most of the all-time XI but we only have De Guz there?

Some guys to consider are Radzinski, De Rosario, Stalteri, Hutchinson all should be in there in the future. Many of the guys listed didn't have club careers near those players I listed

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by Keegan

De Rosario has got to be in there. Our team alone now should make up most of the all-time XI but we only have De Guz there?

Some guys to consider are Radzinski, De Rosario, Stalteri, Hutchinson all should be in there in the future. Many of the guys listed didn't have club careers near those players I listed

You have to judge the generations that came before differently as it was much harder for Canadians to play in Europe, or even Europeans to play in different countries on their own continent. Which is why Bunbury and Forrest would have to be up there in the top three Canadians of all-time.

I do agree with what you're saying, but let's let these guys reach their full potential and qualify us of 2010 before DeGuzman, Hutch, and Klukowski start making the list.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by youllneverwalkalone

You have to judge the generations that came before differently as it was much harder for Canadians to play in Europe, or even Europeans to play in different countries on their own continent. Which is why Bunbury and Forrest would have to be up there in the top three Canadians of all-time.

Agreed. I find it too hard to compare players of different decades in general. That said, Forrest and Bunbury would also be in my top two of all-time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agreed. You've got to remember that Bunbury was named the TOP FOREIGN PLAYER IN PORTUGAL one season. Nobody Cdn is likely to duplicate that feat in the near future in any decent European league.

Forrest was MVP of the Gold Cup and won it for us. Julian shares the MVP honours but hasn't won one yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by Free kick

Corrazin never played a high level in europe, to my recollection he played in the english third division. As one american pundit once quipped ( regarding Corrazin and where he played in england), " you cant get much lower than that". You are probably going by the fact that he scored six goals at the GC and won the golden boot. But after that he had trouble hitting the side of barn. Maybe one slowest strikers I ever saw. I take you werent there at Varsity in November 2000 when we played Mex in WCQ

You obviously never saw big John Catliff !!

All he ever seemed to do was swing his right leg like a windmill. Seemed to work, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by BearcatSA

Agreed. I find it too hard to compare players of different decades in general. That said, Forrest and Bunbury would also be in my top two of all-time.

I also find hard to come up with such a list given the number of times we actually got to see some these players. For those who think we dont get to see our teams on TV today, you might be shocked to know that we are spoiled today compared to the eighties and seventies where you might be lucky to see our MNT on TV once a year. There just weren't the the number of TV channels and information that there is today. Therefore, I suspect most people here are going by anecdotal evidence and second hand infomation.

There are other things to consider. Concacaf was a very different region at the time. There was civil war and political unrest throughout central america and though Canada may have seemed like a power in the region several notches below Mexico, that was likely more as result of weakness in the region than our actual strength. The US was nothing and had nothing in the game to offer.

I saw all the games on TV that were on at that time. Including, the three games at the WC in 86 and the game in St Johns where we qualified. Basically we bunkered in Mexico looking not to get humiliated with result being that we didn't get very many shots and chances. The leash was loosen a little by the third game.

Hence comparisons across eras are practically impossible. I recall Branko Segota being often touted as the best that we had from offensive standpoint but not being available for the WC because of contract obligations to his indoor team. I noted that Lennarduzzi was standout defensively, that Samuel was the Canadian who most impressed the managers overseas since he was the only one to land an overseas contract in the top Dutch league, Lettieri was superb and flamboyant in goal and won a title in the NASL with Minnesota, and that Dale Mitchell was a prolific scorer.

In the nineties there was Bunbury at forward who excelled at Maritimo but the club game in Portugal is not what it is today and there is a huge difference between Maritimo and Benfica say. Radzinski wa a bust in our WCQ in 98 but that was probably due to the tactics we played. Unfortunately he played his best soccer when he was exiled from the team. Specifically, his exploits in the champions league and his first season at Everton.

So here goes my attempt at a list. I have taken liberties when it come to back line in regards to distinguishing between half backs and full backs. I also took into account club career and accomplishments as much as international. I put Mitchell in MF since I recall he played a more of withdrawn role rather than out and out striker. Left out a D mid because honnestly you need to see these guys ( who play this role) a lot in order to pass judgement.

GK: Tino Lettieri

FWD: Radzinski Bunbury, Segota

MF: Deguzman, DeRosario, Mitchell,

Def: Samuel, Lenarduzzi, Wilson, De Vos

I dont recall having anyone who could so what we have seen Julian Deguzman do today. I cant think of fourth guy to put on Def. Thinking about Stalteri, but I fell his play has tailed off since Yallop moved him there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by michaeltfc91

Whose been the single best Canadian ever??

Craig Forrest?

Up to now I'd say Radzinski. He has impacted at Champions League level and been top striker in a Premiership side. In his thirties he is a respected and successful striker in Greek's top tier. That's a career.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

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

×
×
  • Create New...