Sept. 4th 2010, Canada v Peru PRE- & IN-match [R]

[zeelaw]

Yea, let's criticize our players so they never want to make the 10+ hour trip from Europe again.

[gator]

^ Pretty fair analyses IMO! Peters has only played LB in emergencies at Ipswich, you knew crossing was going to be tough for him! He did show some good speed at times and was getting into forward positions!

[JoshieScores]

Jdot's experience is unfortunate but I have to say that thought occured to me as well.

Their anger shows they care about winning for Canada. It may seem unprofessional in the beginning but honestly, they should be pissed off in their performance.

I hope they can channel this anger and put it on the pitch when they go against the Hondurans.

No more bull**** and bring us a win on a fcking home soil.

[loyola]

I think I'd rather Hume and Hutchinson be in incredibly bad moods after that game than otherwise, to be honest.

No matter how you try to spin it, interaction between unhappy fans and unhappy pro players is always a dangerous thing and should be avoid. It can always become a PR nightmare with a camera and one player just putting his hand (like Jean Chretien on Bill Clennett) on the fan. I'm glad nothing serious happen but if the story is true, the CSA shouldn't be happy about players approaching an unhappy fan even if he deserved it.

Let's hope the players notice we aren't happy with our last results and give us a good show in Montreal.

[loyola]

Yea, let's criticize our players so they never want to make the 10+ hour trip from Europe again.

Sorry but I'm running out of patience with some of them. If I feel some players didn't have a good game I'll criticize them and don't feel bad about it one bit. If they start refusing calls for MNT games because of our criticisms they'll show us why they shouldn't have been called in the first place.

[gator]

Sorry but I'm running out of patience with some of them. If I feel some players didn't have a good game I'll criticize them and don't feel bad about it one bit. If they start refusing calls for MNT games because of our criticisms they'll show us why they shouldn't have been called in the first place.

I don't think there's anything wrong with expressing opinion on players' performance, negative or positive, that's why we have this forum! I just think some guys are pretty harsh with guys who are wearing the Maple Leaf, they all want to win, it's not like we're losing at home to Grenada or a team like that, Peru were a pretty good side! We REALLY need to win a game soon(Tuesday would be good) to perk everyone up!

[loyola]

I don't think there's anything wrong with expressing opinion on players' performance, negative or positive, that's why we have this forum! I just think some guys are pretty harsh with guys who are wearing the Maple Leaf, they all want to win, it's not like we're losing at home to Grenada or a team like that, Peru were a pretty good side! We REALLY need to win a game soon(Tuesday would be good) to perk everyone up!

I think the thing that irritates me the most is our "top" players or the players with the most experience are the one failing us right now with subpar or very average performances. You are right that a loss to Peru isn't the end of the world but I think it's not too much to ask better from SH and the players.

[loyola]

More from Dobson about the "Nanagate":

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2010/09/05/dobson_hart_tfc/

[BearcatSA]

I think the thing that irritates me the most is our "top" players or the players with the most experience are the one failing us right now with subpar or very average performances. You are right that a loss to Peru isn't the end of the world but I think it's not too much to ask better from SH and the players.

Big +1 on that, loyola!

[Wilfrid Laurier]

I think the thing that irritates me the most is our "top" players or the players with the most experience are the one failing us right now with subpar or very average performances. You are right that a loss to Peru isn't the end of the world but I think it's not too much to ask better from SH and the players.

Right on. So far Friend has gotten most of the flak but what about De Guzman, Hutchinson, and De Rosario? Three of the 'best midfield in concacaf' and our 'golden generation' as many of us were putting it before the last cycle. We are still relying on the same core that failed us so badly. Maybe it's time to bring in some promising youngsters in important positions. Like Holger did with Stalteri, betting that a 20 year old reserve with Bremen would turn out to be something.

[elricko]

I am so sick of all the nonsense spewed on here..I've watched Canada for over 36 years, and there's always one excuse or another.. let's face it at world sports Canada is really CRAP...just compare it's sports history AND heritage to Australia, which has far less residents.

These are grown men , and HAVE to take criticism , especially as they are playing a sport for a living, AND representing their country.

Recently in the UK, the travel industry issued an edict re. foreign visitors.............."Don't hug people from India, they do not like being hugged", and what did they say about Canadians...................."Don't be harsh with your words, as Canadians do not take criticism well"................well how damn true that is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Admin]

I am so sick of all the nonsense spewed on here..I've watched Canada for over 36 years, and there's always one excuse or another.. let's face it at world sports Canada is really CRAP...just compare it's sports history AND heritage to Australia, which has far less residents.

These are grown men , and HAVE to take criticism , especially as they are playing a sport for a living, AND representing their country.

Recently in the UK, the travel industry issued an edict re. foreign visitors.............."Don't hug people from India, they do not like being hugged", and what did they say about Canadians...................."Don't be harsh with your words, as Canadians do not take criticism well"................well how damn true that is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know exactly what happened, I wasn't there.

However, there is a difference between criticism, which this forum is not short of and antagonizing players into a violent response.

[nolando]

More from Dobson about the "Nanagate":

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2010/09/05/dobson_hart_tfc/

"I'm told his name was on the team sheet in error and that it was simply a coach's decision not to start Attakora. Hart told me Attakora wasn't feeling his best. Not a physical thing apparently, but more a mental thing, whatever that means."

WTF is going on here?

[Lord Bob]

"I'm told his name was on the team sheet in error and that it was simply a coach's decision not to start Attakora. Hart told me Attakora wasn't feeling his best. Not a physical thing apparently, but more a mental thing, whatever that means."

WTF is going on here?

That's a really good question.

"Attakora, Nana - OUT: sad"

[Ivan]

Geez. Last time I heard something like that it was keeper Alim Karim having a breakdown in El Salvador (or some other central american country), never to be heard from again!

[Macksam]

Overall I had a blast with you guys at the pre-game and at BMO. Just too bad about the result. The guys who watched this on TV seem to think we were awful. I was actually impressed with the first half. We held the ball well, and kept our shape. It was the first time I'd ever seen Hart's Canada live. On TV it always looked like they were playing a 4-5-1, but as Hart says (in the first half at least) it was a true 4-3-3 with De Ro and Simeon on the flanks with Friend in the centre.

Simeon was great on the wing, the final ball wasn't quite there but he had the beating of his man throughout and was getting into good positions. Friend's movement up top was good in the first half, he was pulling defenders in all sorts of directions, his first touch was as good as ever. The only problem for Friend like it has always been is poor service from the wings. Neither De Ro or Jackson are natural wingers and it showed. Both provided a threat going forward in the first half but neither were getting balls into the box.

The three midfielders in Johnson, De Guzman and Hutchinson did a good job of guarding the back four in the first half and keeping possession, but the start of the second half was when it all started to go wrong. We lost our shape as the two wingers and midfielders collapsed and the two fullbacks were very exposed. Poor Peters had a very poor game coming on for De Jong, just didn't look comfortable and was at fault for one of the goals. McKenna and Straith were guilty of some questionable marking which led to several Peruvian attacks. You could feel the goals coming and it was no surprise when they did.

After the two goals went in Canada did a decent job recovering and created a few half-chances towards the end of the match. All in all I think there were a lot of positives to take from this match on the pitch. Sure there were twenty or twenty-five horrendous minutes in there, but the first half especially looked good.

Of course as expected the attendance was low and more infuriatingly filled with "Peruivans". Saw no youth teams there, the CSA and OSA really missed the boat on that one. When I was at the Canada - United States women's game last year at BMO the place was filled with girls teams. Tonight - nothing.

On the street car back I met Josh Simpson's dad and had a nice chat with him about the national team and the Voyageurs, which he says he reads. Always good to know people involved in the team are reading and know that despite how it may look on nights like tonight they have people supporting them. He said he really appreciated the support from the south end though and that we sounded good throughout.

There was a lot to be learned tonight for the team, for the CSA, for the Voyageurs and it's all part of Mission: 2014, we're underway and I can't wait to do it all again Tuesday in Montreal!

I agree with all of this, especially the part about the first half being good.

I was also suprised, not that it's a terrible showing for the game, I just can't really picture BMO empty, for a home team playing in red.

But then I only realy see TFC games on tv from the West Coast, but with the what seems to a very strong and consistent crowd. I assumed there would be more.

Canada's first game at BMO against Costa Rica was the same.

[canucker]

I just watched the game on my PVR, I thought the Voyageurs sounded and looked great on TV. I personally didn't even notice that there were many Peru fans there until they scored the first goal and they showed a bunch of them. I thought we played alright and kept up well with a team ranked 39th in the world - that is except for a 20 minute span where they started attacking us and we made panicky mistakes that they made us pay for big time.

I thought Jackson was our most dangerous player and Johnson controlled his part of the pitch well. I think our vets - JDG, Hutchinson, and DeRo let us down with some terrible passing when play was going forward and even worse crosses. Straith made some small mistakes but did very well for a 19 year old. Sucks that Nana did not get time. I look forward to the Honduras game where our younger players will be relied on more and hopefully there will be something positive to leave these home matches on.

[guppy]

It's funny cuz Friend scored a cool goal for Hertha last week... (30 sec mark of vid). Get the ball to him properly in the box and he scores. But he can't pass it to himself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yciW0-GirMw

At the end of the vid looks like an opponent gets yellowed carded for diving, and then red carded! How cool is that?!

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

Canada's first game at BMO against Costa Rica was the same.

...while there was a much better turnout for the World Cup qualifier against Jamaica. Although people like to think everything has suddenly been transformed by the arrival of TFC things are really not that different with the CMNT from the way they were at Varsity Stadium 15 to 20 years. Key World Cup qualifiers like the game against Mexico and high profile friendlies like Germany and Holland in the build up to the 1994 World Cup finals could sell out no problem with genuine interest in the home as well as the away team but friendly games against smaller countries were always a tougher sell and often mainly attracted a first generation crowd backing the opponent.

Even at the club level it was the league that folded in the shape of the NASL in the mid-80s not the Blizzard so TFC are arguably just a case of getting things back to where they used to be a generation earlier with the collapse of the NSL in the intervening years making it easier to get everybody solidly behind one team and the building of BMO Field providing a much more suitable stadium this time around with no conflict with Canadian football and/or baseball.

[BearcatSA]

The only problem for Friend like it has always been is poor service from the wings. Neither De Ro or Jackson are natural wingers and it showed. Both provided a threat going forward in the first half but neither were getting balls into the box.

I watched my match recording again and DeRo was anywhere but on the left wing most of the time: seemed like he was freelancing and popping up wherever. We got one cross in from the left when Johnson was advanced down there and cut back to hit it in right footed. That was it from the left; most of the attacks came up the right with Jackson or played through the centre. In a way it reminded me of the Honduras QF last year but reversed, where the left side with Simpson tried to make things happen but there was no threat coming down the right side.

[BearcatSA]

I thought Jackson was our most dangerous player and Johnson controlled his part of the pitch well.

Johnson's got some go stuff on the go. He's got a knack for some quick passing combined with some intelligent running and he was involved with a couple of good build up plays. But though he's hustles hard and is defensively responsible he doesn't have real speed nor strength (he got licked for pace on one first half defending play and he got knocked flying a couple of times). He's a good linking player with an underrated shot from distance. I'm guessing he, Hutchinson, and Bernier will make up the midfield three, with Simpson on the left wing.

[Macksam]

...while there was a much better turnout for the World Cup qualifier against Jamaica.

Yeah, like I have stated other times, WCQ will draw big as people will see them as big games. I think the biggest change for supporting Canada will be seen during the next qualifying cycle.

[TOcanadafan]

I really don't understand why they didn't sell tickets at a very reduced rates to soccer clubs to get youngsters and their parents out to the game. They could have charged $5 for tickets in the upper stands... they could make money off of $10 beers and $7 slices of pizza, but not sure how concessions work so maybe CSA wouldn't get a cut there. But still, these are the opportunities to get the youth on board with the national program.

[gator]

...while there was a much better turnout for the World Cup qualifier against Jamaica. Although people like to think everything has suddenly been transformed by the arrival of TFC things are really not that different with the CMNT from the way they were at Varsity Stadium 15 to 20 years. Key World Cup qualifiers like the game against Mexico and high profile friendlies like Germany and Holland in the build up to the 1994 World Cup finals could sell out no problem with genuine interest in the home as well as the away team but friendly games against smaller countries were always a tougher sell and often mainly attracted a first generation crowd backing the opponent.

Even at the club level it was the league that folded in the shape of the NASL in the mid-80s not the Blizzard so TFC are arguably just a case of getting things back to where they used to be a generation earlier with the collapse of the NSL in the intervening years making it easier to get everybody solidly behind one team and the building of BMO Field providing a much more suitable stadium this time around with no conflict with Canadian football and/or baseball.

I bring this up with younger TFC and Canada fans, when the Blizzard moved to Varsity from Exhibition Stadium, they developed a great following, there was atmosphere at those matches, too bad the league folded while the Blizzard were one of the strongest franchises! The CMNT games there would be well attended but I think we were largely outnumbered no matter who the opponent was!

[paul-collins]

I really don't understand why they didn't sell tickets at a very reduced rates to soccer clubs to get youngsters and their parents out to the game. They could have charged $5 for tickets in the upper stands... they could make money off of $10 beers and $7 slices of pizza, but not sure how concessions work so maybe CSA wouldn't get a cut there. But still, these are the opportunities to get the youth on board with the national program.

Seems they're trying that with the OSA for the women's friendly.

For a school night.

:?