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CMNT v Greece, Feb 9 - CONFIRMED


Lord Bob

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Good competition. Now let's see some European teams in Canada in the summer.

I second that! With all the complaining about poor attendance in Toronto, a decent Euro team would be a better sell IMHO! Peru were a real good side but lacked the glamour of their South American counterparts, that hurts attendance! Getting back to the thread, Greece will be good opposition for us, don't think we've played them since winning the Matthews Cup!

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I hope the CSA is still working on a November friendly but this is great news!

Duane posted something about this on the 24th min blog. He said someone from the CSA said forget about the November friendly, there won't be one....like I said in my previous post, it might get tough to find opponents when most of the Euro nations are already involved in ECQ.

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Most return flights between Vancouver and Athens run a shade under $1,500 right now on Expedia. You can do Toronto - Athens for just over a grand, and (this is the big one) Moncton - Athens for a touch below $1,300!

Are you saying the CSA, to save money, should call Gianluca Zavarise for an hypothetical friendly in Moncton?

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I have not been that impressed with the Greeks lately. They did withstand a 90 minute onslaught from Croatia in Zagreb, but they are just not a strong offensive team. Drawing Georgia 1-1 at home in their Euro 2012 Qualifying opener was a disaster.

http://canadasoccer.com/news/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=4460

They haven't had the sharpest start in qualifying but going to Zagreb and getting a point is not a terrible result. Furthermore, along with the other results, the Group is pretty wide open at the moment.

The other thing to consider is the arrival of Fernando Santos as head coach. After a 9 year reign by Otto Rehhagel, it will take some time for him to implement his vision and bring in some new faces which the team desperately needs. That's already begun, but it will take a little more time for him to really mould the team to his liking.

In any case, I think this is a good friendly for both sides. Looking forward to it!

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No sir Ed!

In fact, many people wanted him out after EURO 2008 and thought his departure was overdue. You can never take away what he did for the team and what he accomplished, with it all culminating at EURO 2004. Not to mention qualifying for 3 of the last 4 major tournaments. But by the end, his tactics had really gotten old and his player selection was, in many cases, questionable at best. Most Greek fans agree it's time for a new philosophy both on and off the field.

As for Santos, his biggest advantage is his knowledge of Greek football as he's coached Panathinaikos, AEK, and most recently PAOK, totalling about 8 years in Greece over the last decade.

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