Canadians abroad: October 31 - November 6, 2008

[tarnado1555362291]

David Edgar played 90 minutes for Newcastle Reserves as they draw 1-1 with Hull City Reserves.

http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10278~1443970,00.html

[tarnado1555362291]

Adam Street started for West Ham United Reserves on Monday. They lost 2-0 away to Tottenham Hotspur. I know he's been on the bench a couple times this year but I believe this is his first start with the reserves.

Some Street related match commentary:

3min - A great low save by Adam Street after neat build-up play finished with a shot by Kevin Prince-Boateng. Corner to Spurs but Street clears.

21min - Spurs have the ball in the net but it is ruled out for offside. Adam Street spilled Gilberto's fierce shot and Charlie Daniels tapped in, only for the assistant referee to raise his flag.

48min - Ghaly forces a good save from Street.

54min - GOAL! - Corner to Spurs although the ball appeared to touch a home player last. N'Gala and Spence cannot get the ball away and Daniels is able to smash into the net from close range after Street's brilliant parry from Boateng's header fell into his path.

60min - GOAL! - Daniels smashes in his second of the night with a firm shot from the edge of the penalty area. Street could do little about that.

66min - Street saves well with his feet after Spence lost his balance on the sodden turf. Good reaction stop that.

http://www.whufc.com/page/News/0,,12562~1442855,00.html

[tarnado1555362291]

In another article about the Tottenham v West Ham reserve match they mention that Paul Stalteri started.

http://www.whufc.com/page/News/0,,12562~1442962,00.html

[BearcatSA]

quote:Originally posted by Keegan

He even has his own danish fan club on Facebook they are called Andrew Crew I think or something and they make banners and stuff for him pretty cool lol.

A reserve team player has a fan club?

[Guest Jeffery S.]

Atiba Hutchinson and Copenhagen visit Valencia in UEFA Cup tonight; in their group Bruges, with Klukowski, rests today.

Spurs take on Dynamo Zagreb at home, will be interesting to see if Stalteri can at least get on a squad and on the bench for a match soon.

[sstackho]

quote:Originally posted by Jeffrey S.

Spurs take on Dynamo Zagreb at home, will be interesting to see if Stalteri can at least get on a squad and on the bench for a match soon.

I started another thread regarding this:

http://www.canadian-soccer.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=18076

[Winnipeg Fury]

Canadian Onstad lives roller-coaster ride of soccer goalie

By Neil Davidson, THE CANADIAN PRESS

Canadian goalkeeper Pat Onstad has heard the criticism since giving up an unfortunate goal in World Cup qualifying. Now he gets to hear kudos in the form of induction into two halls of fame.

The 40-year-old Houston Dynamo 'keeper is headed to both the United Soccer Leagues Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, which is inducting the 1992 Canadian Soccer League Mita Cup champion squad of which he was a member.

Onstad will have to miss the Manitoba festivities on Saturday, however. He and the Dynamo have a previous engagement Sunday with the New York Red Bulls in the MLS playoffs.

A successful playoff run and the MLS Cup could spoil the USL Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Tampa on Nov. 21, when he is due to join Amos Magee and Mo Sheta. Magee has served as a player, coach and technical director of the Minnesota Thunder while Sheta is owner of the Northern Virginia Royals.

Magee and Onstad were chosen by a voting panel consisting of previous USL Hall of Fame inductees, receiving at least 70 per cent of the vote. Mo Sheta was inducted via the President's Selection.

"I didn't realize I was that worthy," Onstad joked in an interview Wednesday. "So I was kind of honoured when I got that letter."

On a more serious note, Onstad declined to talk about his reasons for no longer being involved with the Canadian national team. But coach Dale Mitchell, stressing he had no problem with Onstad, has said the big goalie had taken a lot of criticism back in Canada since knocking the ball into his own net on a frenetic corner during a 1-1 tie with Jamaica on Aug. 20.

While Onstad has stayed mum on his World Cup qualifying experience, Canadian teammates Jim Brennan and Dwayne De Rosario have spoken out negatively about Mitchell in the media. Onstad spoke up for the beleaguered coach in a letter to the Edmonton Journal on Oct. 20 and offered some of his own analysis for Canada's failed World Cup campaign.

In the letter, he took a reporter to task for erroneously stating he had left the national team because he was upset at criticism from the coaching staff.

"Any criticism levelled at me by the coaching staff was deserved," he said. "I made a horrible mistake in the first game and nobody felt worse than I did."

Onstad also suggested people look at the competition in Canada's qualifying group.

"As for our 'terribly early elimination' we were drawn into a group that included Mexico (No. 2 CONCACAF and No. 24 world), Honduras (No. 3 CONCACAF and No. 50 world), and Jamaica (No. 13 CONCACAF and No. 116 world).

"We are ranked No. 5 in CONCACAF and No. 84 in the world. Yes, we should have hung on until the last couple of games, but the games have shown that we are not at that level yet and when players 'obviously underachieved horribly' it makes it impossible to advance.

"I find it hard to believe that one man is completely responsible for our failure to advance, just as I would find it hard to believe one man could be responsible for advancement."

Onstad played for Canada 56 times from 1988 to 2008, tied with Craig Forrest for the Canadian record for a 'keeper.

The six-foot-four 215-pounder had club stops in Toronto, Montreal, Toronto again and Rochester from 1994 to 2002 in the A-League, which went on to become the USL First Division.

Onstad enjoyed the most success in Rochester, helping lead Raging Rhinos to the championship and U.S. Open Cup. He also earned all-league honours and was named Goalkeeper of the Year in the A-League.

"It was a lot of fun," Onstad said of his time in Rochester. "We had a great group of guys, a great coach, good ownership. It was a really enjoyable part of my career."

In 2003, Onstad made the jump to the MLS, starring first with San Jose and then Houston. He has twice been named MLS goalkeeper of the year. His career goals-against average in the MLS is a stingy 1.07.

[Guest Jeffery S.]

Watched Valencia-Copenhagen tonight with Atiba going 90 on the left side of the midfield. Ended 1-1, great result for the Danes, who played well, very concentrated, and a few scoring chances, vs a Valencia that only pushed a bit mid 2nd half to get their goal but relaxed as Copenhagen tied it late.

Atiba was very locked into his position, but as they play he can go forward to help the attackers up his side, as a false wing, or even pressure up high on defense, or just as well drop back as the left back fell into the middle. He is a strong tackler, anticipates well, you can see he has played on the back line. Good ball handling and paced passing, though I found him discreet in some ways on the pitch, almost invisible for stretches. Had one fine long pass putting one of his strikers through all alone mid-2nd half but the Valencia keeper came out well. On corners he does not go into the box, stays at the top, which I found odd, as he is not that short.

First half had a bit of problems with Miguel coming forward for Valencia, but 2nd half he was solid and Valencia ended up attacking up the other side with Vicente.

You realize watching these games that Mitchell hadn't a clue how to play him, how to get the best out of him, all you need is to watch how they shine with their clubs and you get the picture. Problem with Dale not spending time watching these guys with their clubs.

Otherwise, when you make something up that has little to do with their weekly reality, you waste the player and force all these guys to change for just one or two games when everything is on the line on the other side of the world. Too much to ask when if the coach does his job he helps them to do their best in the way they are most used to doing it. Atiba is not a dominant player, but an important piece in the puzzle who is very competent at what he does. All you need is eleven of those, working together, and a bit of persistence. Is that too much to ask?

Watched part of Standard Liege-Sevilla (1-0) and just want to reiterate that the Belgians impress, are very solid, not just the national team but you can see they are cocky and bold on a club level too. Some interesting changes--improvements--happening there and that says all the more about Klukowski being with a side leading the Belgian league.

[BearcatSA]

quote:Originally posted by Jeffrey S.

You realize watching these games that Mitchell hadn't a clue how to play him, how to get the best out of him, all you need is to watch how they shine with their clubs and you get the picture. Problem with Dale not spending time watching these guys with their clubs.

Otherwise, when you make something up that has little to do with their weekly reality, you waste the player and force all these guys to change for just one or two games when everything is on the line on the other side of the world. Too much to ask when if the coach does his job he helps them to do their best in the way they are most used to doing it. Atiba is not a dominant player, but an important piece in the puzzle who is very competent at what he does. All you need is eleven of those, working together, and a bit of persistence. Is that too much to ask?

I think you have touched on many points with which I agree and have argued in the past about putting MNT players in positions where they are both familiar on a weekly basis as well as where they have thrived at their respective club levels. It's interesting that on his MNT resume Hutchinson, I don't believe, has ever been used as a flank midfielder, regardless of tactical formation. I value your observations about his recent performance; obviously, I haven't seen this match but in the past I have never felt he was the best tackler in one of those gritty, physical 50-50 confrontations, but rather being better at anticipating a play and making a timely interception or dispossession in conjunction with a fellow defender. That said, I see your point about his being more of a support player than a dominant force. Deep down, I have always felt he was better in a more advanced role offensively yet still being able to free range the pitch to support the defence: he seems to have an instinct for playing off the striker, making a quick dribble and sliding through a well-weighted and accurate pass or having a quality strike at goal (something I saw from him a number of times during last year's Gold Cup run but I don't believe I saw once during this recent WCQ)

[Guest Jeffery S.]

quote:Originally posted by BearcatSA

I think you have touched on many points with which I agree and have argued in the past about putting MNT players in positions where they are both familiar on a weekly basis as well as where they have thrived at their respective club levels. It's interesting that on his MNT resume Hutchinson, I don't believe, has ever been used as a flank midfielder, regardless of tactical formation. I value your observations about his recent performance; obviously, I haven't seen this match but in the past I have never felt he was the best tackler in one of those gritty, physical 50-50 confrontations, but rather being better at anticipating a play and making a timely interception or dispossession in conjunction with a fellow defender. That said, I see your point about his being more of a support player than a dominant force. Deep down, I have always felt he was better in a more advanced role offensively yet still being able to free range the pitch to support the defence: he seems to have an instinct for playing off the striker, making a quick dribble and sliding through a well-weighted and accurate pass or having a quality strike at goal (something I saw from him a number of times during last year's Gold Cup run but I don't believe I saw once during this recent WCQ)

To his credit even after they got their goal around m. 80 he was still pushing up at times to support the strikers, but was also coming back to help the defenders. Not at all a conservative attitude from their coach playing away to one of the Liga's top sides. All his play down his wing, and he is a right footer being played on the left side.

We had a choice between a 4-3-3 with Radz and DeRo flanking whoever was centre striker (Friend, Gerba); or a 4-4-2 with someone linking in with the aforementioned strikers (Radz, Hume, or both of them together even, more what Friend is used to), with a midfield with Atiba on the left, Bernier/Imhof centre left or better holding, Julian centre right or in front of the holding, and a right side mid with a more attacking role, like DeRo.

[Guest Ed]

I've asked this before but it bears repeating. Has Mitchell ever scouted our players in Europe. I can't recall hearing about it. Absolute minimal effort on his part. Picks f*ing ex-Caps and TFC fringe players as he is familiar with them but keeps Bundesliga starters on the bench and plays many of our European based players out of position.

[Guest Jeffery S.]

quote:Originally posted by Ed

I've asked this before but it bears repeating. Has Mitchell ever scouted our players in Europe. I can't recall hearing about it. Absolute minimal effort on his part. Picks f*ing ex-Caps and TFC fringe players as he is familiar with them but keeps Bundesliga starters on the bench and plays many of our European based players out of position.

I believe that Yallop did indeed go to England at least a few times (and back then we had more players in England), and Holger as well.

In a well chosen 2 week trip with European games midweek or English lower division playing midweek, you could get in a good six matches, meet a few coaches or club board members and say hello, do PR and spread good will, and learn a bit about your key half dozen players. With an assistant that would cost less than ten grand, basic expense money.

[BearcatSA]

quote:Originally posted by Jeffrey S.

We had a choice between a 4-3-3 with Radz and DeRo flanking whoever was centre striker (Friend, Gerba); or a 4-4-2 with someone linking in with the aforementioned strikers (Radz, Hume, or both of them together even, more what Friend is used to), with a midfield with Atiba on the left, Bernier/Imhof centre left or better holding, Julian centre right or in front of the holding, and a right side mid with a more attacking role, like DeRo.

I was always under the impression that this formation we came to use had as it's advantage a certain level of tactical flexibility: 4-3-3 to 4-5-1 and then back again, depending on the rhythmn and momentum of the match. I always envisioned a midfield with a designated defensive, ballwinning, holding and/or distributing component (Imhoff/Bernier, though had Grande got into form earlier in the year, I would have considered him in the mix for that spot), with Hutchinson given more license to push up in attacking support, and DeGuzman given the box to box free role. This left DeRosario plying his trade more on the available spaces of the flanks (where I believe he is more effective than in congested central areas), along with Radzinski. As I have said before, I felt we kind of shackled the potential of Hutchinson by having him play in that deep-lying holding position. Or maybe he is better suited as a flank midfielder in the 4-4-2, as you have suggested, I don't know.

[BearcatSA]

quote:Originally posted by Jeffrey S.

We had a choice between a 4-3-3 with Radz and DeRo flanking whoever was centre striker (Friend, Gerba); or a 4-4-2 with someone linking in with the aforementioned strikers (Radz, Hume, or both of them together even, more what Friend is used to), with a midfield with Atiba on the left, Bernier/Imhof centre left or better holding, Julian centre right or in front of the holding, and a right side mid with a more attacking role, like DeRo.

I was always under the impression that this formation we came to use had as it's advantage a certain level of tactical flexibility: 4-3-3 to 4-5-1 and then back again, depending on the rhythmn and momentum of the match. I always envisioned a midfield with a designated defensive, ballwinning, holding and/or distributing component (Imhoff/Bernier, though had Grande got into form earlier in the year, I would have considered him in the mix for that spot), with Hutchinson given more license to push up in attacking support, and DeGuzman given the box to box free role. This left DeRosario plying his trade more on the available spaces of the flanks (where I believe he is more effective than in congested central areas), along with Radzinski. As I have said before, I felt we kind of shackled the potential of Hutchinson by having him play in that deep-lying holding position. Or maybe he is better suited as a flank midfielder in the 4-4-2, as you have suggested, I don't know.