Canada - Ecuador Game Thread [R]

[dr. killinger]

Finally, about the crowd, everything's been said. Disappointing, frustrating, embarassing... I feel for the players. Maybe it's high-time we started exploring options outside of Toronto and Montreal for friendlies?

Which Canadian cities a) would have a guaranteed pro-CMNT turnout, and have the facilities and resources to host such games?

[Lord Bob]

Funny people here bashing Toronto for away support for FRIENDLY game.

Look at the last time Canada played a competitive game in Toronto? They had a huge crowd support over Jamaica (there's way more Jamaicans in GTA than Ecuadorans)

So Toronto fans aren't interested in the national team but they are interested in glamourous competitions, is that the argument?

[Lurker]

Let's not forget that Ecuador has had their team together for longer and just got off a friendly with Mexico. Our guys have been together what? 3-4 days?

There's lots of positives to take from the game, a few negatives but I wouldn't draw to much out of them. Even on the 30 yard bomb to go 2-1, can we really blame De Guzman? That's a 1 in a 100 rocket. Anyways, 2-2, one way or another, I think this friendly accomplished exactly what it was suppose to.

[TFC07]

So Toronto fans aren't interested in the national team but they are interested in glamourous competitions, is that the argument?

They only show up when the games really matter!

[TFCRegina]

Let's not forget that Ecuador has had their team together for longer and just got off a friendly with Mexico. Our guys have been together what? 3-4 days?

There's lots of positives to take from the game, a few negatives but I wouldn't draw to much out of them. Even on the 30 yard bomb to go 2-1, can we really blame De Guzman? That's a 1 in a 100 rocket. Anyways, 2-2, one way or another, I think this friendly accomplished exactly what it was suppose to.

I'm sorry but you're playing at the world level. I don't care if you don't think he's going to pot that goal. You work your ass off and try to stop him from taking the shot FFS. These are players good enough to score goals like that.

[killgod]

So Toronto fans aren't interested in the national team but they are interested in glamourous competitions, is that the argument?

The argument is that Toronto (and really North American) sport fans do not understand the value of an exhibition match in soccer. In every other sport we are accustomed to, they are useless wastes of ****ing time that are tacked on to our already expensive season ticket packages and you can't get rid of them fast enough.

It's not quite the same in this sport, but the culture doesn't exist to understand that.

I think the CAN/JAM game proves that we are interested in watching the CMNT, but people don't see value in a friendly because they don't understand why they should IMO.

[TFC07]

Which Canadian cities a) would have a guaranteed pro-CMNT turnout, and have the facilities and resources to host such games?

Toronto and Montreal are the only cities that have soccer stadiums with grass in Canada right now.

[Lord Bob]

They only show up when the games really matter!

Well, they show up for Toronto FC regular season games and TFC hasn't played an important one of those in a while.

Listen, I don't mean to ream out Toronto too much. The Voyageurs who did show up were great: it was a real treat to see them and their energy which outhustled the entire Ecuador crowd. But if Toronto is just going to be a "big event" site for the national team; if we're going to get **** attendance for anything that isn't a major World Cup qualifier, then we should plan with that in mind.

[TFCRegina]

Well, they show up for Toronto FC regular season games and TFC hasn't played an important one of those in a while.

Listen, I don't mean to ream out Toronto too much. The Voyageurs who did show up were great: it was a real treat to see them and their energy which outhustled the entire Ecuador crowd. But if Toronto is just going to be a "big event" site for the national team; if we're going to get **** attendance for anything that isn't a major World Cup qualifier, then we should plan with that in mind.

Regardless of which city this was played in, the turnout wouldn't have been great. That's the story.

Canada needs to keep getting decent results.

That was the best game of football played at BMO in a LONG time.

[Saviola7]

In general we played a good game. I thought we played very attractive soccer in the first half. Like (seemingly) every match in the past 2 years, we came out flat in the second half. Then we evened up our efforts in towards the end of the 2nd.

I was really hoping for good showings from De Jong, De Guz, and Friend, and accordingly I followed them closely.

- De Jong played ok IMO and certainly wasn't a defensive liability.

- De Guzman was ok, not as bad as most people say, but didn't really impress himself on the game. He is also very hesitant. ~70% of his passes were immediate passes backwards. Dunfield definitely had a better game.

- Friend should've got something on two of those corners. There was also that point where he had the ball at the edge of the box and he looked very clumsy. On the other hand, I counted two instances where he was in a good position but the cross was poor or not there. The good news for the haterz is that he will likely not be starting in the Gold Cup as a result

[TFC07]

Well, they show up for Toronto FC regular season games and TFC hasn't played an important one of those in a while.

Listen, I don't mean to ream out Toronto too much. The Voyageurs who did show up were great: it was a real treat to see them and their energy which outhustled the entire Ecuador crowd. But if Toronto is just going to be a "big event" site for the national team; if we're going to get **** attendance for anything that isn't a major World Cup qualifier, then we should plan with that in mind.

Isn't TFC attendance down these days? Don't assume all TFC fans are Canadian soccer fans. Some of them prefer to root for their birth country over Canada. I am sure this applies to all Canadian cities as well.

EDIT: Also, don't assume all Canadian fans in Toronto are TFC fans.

[killgod]

Regardless of which city this was played in, the turnout wouldn't have been great. That's the story.

Canada needs to keep getting decent results.

That was the best game of football played at BMO in a LONG time.

I agree. I don't think there's a single city in this country that would get excited over a "friendly" vs "ecuador" in "soccer". Sorry, but you're just hating on Toronto if you think this is true....especially on opening night of the Stanley Cup finals featuring a Canadian team.

[dr. killinger]

Look, I'm proud we got the draw too. But we should have won. A certain sub for Terry Dunfield was not good enough to be with the CMNT. We need to start looking at Bourgault.

Not sure Bourgault is the answer. He doesn't seem to be skilled enough to excel at this level. Doesn't Johnson usually play as holding mid for RSL? I could see him being a sub for Dunfield, and Issey taking over the wide midfield role.

[TFC07]

Let's not forget that Ecuador has had their team together for longer and just got off a friendly with Mexico. Our guys have been together what? 3-4 days?

There's lots of positives to take from the game, a few negatives but I wouldn't draw to much out of them. Even on the 30 yard bomb to go 2-1, can we really blame De Guzman? That's a 1 in a 100 rocket. Anyways, 2-2, one way or another, I think this friendly accomplished exactly what it was suppose to.

Agreed...I think people here are forgetting about this fact.

[Lord Bob]

Firstly, this game should have been in Toronto even if nobody was going to show up because it's close to Detroit and best for the players.

Second, I think this game could have drawn a good pro-Canada crowd if you'd played it somewhere where international soccer was a novelty. Put it at a CFL stadium in Saskatchewan or Winnipeg, say, and I bet they do okay. It's before CFL season and it's something those cities never see.

[Soju]

Forget the crowds. Unless we bar away supporters or Canada starts really kicking ass consistently and for a long time, it's not gonna change.

The important question is, did the Canadians in attendance have fun? What was our supporters section like?

[killgod]

The important question is, did the Canadians in attendance have fun? What was our supporters section like?

It was quite exciting, positive and an absolute blast.

I don't think any Canadian in our section didn't have an excellent night. After both Ecuador goals, we were still in song, still going at the Ecuador supporters in 111 (SHOW US YOUR PASSPORTS!!!, IF YOU LIKE RUNNING WATER CLAP YOUR HANDS!!!) still behind the boys till the very end and it paid off. Before the free kick to score the tying goal, Borjan was trying to pump us up and we responded loudly and we're off the rails once the ball was in the net.

Most of the players had ear to ear smiles when they applauded our efforts, it was a great experience for the Canadian fans in the South stands.

[phil7777]

Honestly, I thought we played better against Greece, Ukraine and Belarus. Our fist touch tonight was awful and we had no finesse and cohesion. I know this team can do better, and they will after a week of practice.

For the attendance argument, I say we can do two things:

1) I don't have a problem with trying other cities once an a while.

2) I think that when the CSA organizes friendlies, they should choose venues in the city that is less likely to have massive opposing fans. For example, if you play against Honduras, organize the game elsewhere than Montreal. If you play Ecuador, oganize the game elsewhere than Toronto. If you play China, organize the game elsewhere than Vancouver, etc. With the amount of immigrants in Canada, it's never going to be perfect, but the CSA should organize events in the best interest of the team, not ticket sale. Furthermore, I do beleive that more canadian fans will come if they know they will not be overwhelmed by opposing fans.

[Soju]

^Awesome. Wish I was there.

[Kurt-MTL]

Which Canadian cities a) would have a guaranteed pro-CMNT turnout, and have the facilities and resources to host such games?

Well, I don't really see a way of guaranteeing a pro-CMNT turnout anywhere until we actually try out that location. We might PREDICT that there would likely be a more pro-Canada crowd if the game were played somewhere more "remote". As for the facilities, I guess that depends on whether the game absolutely HAS to be played on grass or not? If not, why not have a game at Empire Field? Didn't the CMNT play a game in St John's one time against Honduras or something? Is that facility still available/usable? What about Commonwealth? I realize it's a mammoth of a stadium but couldn't the CSA just tarp off the upper sections (ala Seattle)?

Again, these are just suggestions and I'm not really sure if any are viable but if the CSA is going to insist on staying in Toronto and Montreal for friendlies, then I think they will have to re-think their ticket-allocation strategy just a tad. Maybe working with TFC and the Impact on offering their season ticket holders reduced prices on tickets or having their games included in ticket packages? Or perhaps offering discounts directly to RPB, NEE, U-Sector, UM02, etc.?

[Marc]

Choose countries that have no immigrants in Canada. For example. Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Malaysia, Botswana, Swaziland, Madagascar, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Russia (not in Winnipeg), and probably a few others.

Not Russia or Thailand or Malaysia in Toronto, that's for sure.

I'm kind of surprised about some of the Toronto crowd comments. Not that they are inaccurate, but why the surprise? It's been like this for at least 15 years while the organized Canada support has increased 100 fold

[Patrick from Toronto]

First time poster on the board, and a first time supporter at a Canadian national game.

Just want to say that I had an absolute blast at the game tonight, as the Voyageurs and the entire Canadian sections were bringing their A-game.

The singing, the chanting, the national anthem repeated on many an occasion, it was epic tonight.

The place went bonkers when that penalty kick went in, and didn't stop until WELL after the players saluted us after the game.

It may not have been a majority Canada supporter crowd, but it certainly was a step in the right direction. There is something to build on, something to expand upon.

As a first timer, I got hooked, and will definitely be back!

[killgod]

Well, I don't really see a way of guaranteeing a pro-CMNT turnout anywhere until we actually try out that location. We might PREDICT that there would likely be a more pro-Canada crowd if the game were played somewhere more "remote". As for the facilities, I guess that depends on whether the game absolutely HAS to be played on grass or not? If not, why not have a game at Empire Field? Didn't the CMNT play a game in St John's one time against Honduras or something? Is that facility still available/usable? What about Commonwealth? I realize it's a mammoth of a stadium but couldn't the CSA just tarp off the upper sections (ala Seattle)?

Again, these are just suggestions and I'm not really sure if any are viable but if the CSA is going to insist on staying in Toronto and Montreal for friendlies, then I think they will have to re-think their ticket-allocation strategy just a tad. Maybe working with TFC and the Impact on offering their season ticket holders reduced prices on tickets or having their games included in ticket packages? Or perhaps offering discounts directly to RPB, NEE, U-Sector, UM02, etc.?

Empire Field isn't grass...I could be wrong, but I don't think it is. Besides, could you really see Vancouver ditching the Canucks tonight?

I don't think soccer support in this country is any stronger than it is in the main cities where the CMNT play. Again, how many Newfoundlanders will make the trek out to see Canada play in a "exhibition" match vs a not that big of a deal side? I know many people live off the match where Canada qualified for the World Cup in NFLD, but that game was extremely relevant in a time where TV wasn't what it is today...

[jpoma]

My random thoughts:

1. Overall, Ecuador did play better, but a 2-2 draw was a fair result.

2. I was worried about only getting 1 in the first half because of the gusty winds. Canada had the wind in their favour, and I was worried this was going to be a real problem in the 2nd half.

3. Thankful to be in the Canadian supporters section. It would have been a long and lonely game had I sat anywhere else.

A general statement about crowds in Toronto: Fans of the visiting teams use soccer matches as a social outing. It's not just a soccer game. It becomes a way to reconnect with their heritage, where for most nations in this world, soccer and their local culture are intertwined. It's a 'perfect storm' at the expense of a pro-Canadian crowd. It's a shame, but the only way to overcome this is for Canada to get results.

Lastly, thanks to the work of the voyageurs for ticket availability. It was a fun night. My friends and I will be back again.

[killgod]

First time poster on the board, and a first time supporter at a Canadian national game.

Just want to say that I had an absolute blast at the game tonight, as the Voyageurs and the entire Canadian sections were bringing their A-game.

The singing, the chanting, the national anthem repeated on many an occasion, it was epic tonight.

The place went bonkers when that penalty kick went in, and didn't stop until WELL after the players saluted us after the game.

It may not have been a majority Canada supporter crowd, but it certainly was a step in the right direction. There is something to build on, something to expand upon.

As a first timer, I got hooked, and will definitely be back!

Glad you had fun. I brought 8 people who had never seen int'l soccer before with me and all of them cannot wait for our WCQ's in the fall (as I assume one home match will be at BMO).