Canada vs. England Match Thread

[Bertuzzi44]

I read this thread from the start only after watching the game, and this post made me laugh (in a good way).

You can in the UK, but we can't in Canada.

Yeah, Seaman immediately came to my mind as well.

I'm working on the full match, but I thought there might be interest in a quick video of just the goals:

All Goals (45MB)

Or in an even quicker video of just one goal (to watch ten times in a row like I did ):

Goal by Quillan Roberts (10MB)

Thank you, and thank you in advance!

[ditty]

My observations:

1. This is the most athletic and technical team I've seen us produce. The most promising thing for me is that we are quick. We're quick on the ball and in a sprint. This speaks to a couple of things. One, our coaching and development structure (the "skills academy" approach) at the early competitive youth level (what I call U-11 - U14) is producing generally technically proficient players. Also, we have athletes on this team. I can't see this trend doing anything but continuing. Soccer is far less of a weak sister to hockey than it was even 10 years ago when it comes to attracting athletes.

2. I think this performance and, especially, result speaks to how enthusiastic many of us were after losing against Uruguay. We actually created more chances against Uruguay. However, our shape was better at the back tonight and we matched up well with England in the sense that, though their wide players got to the byline quite often, we were able to protect the channels. Their two goals were well taken, the first from a FK and the second from a strong individual goal in open play.

3. We are very much a "possession without penetration" team the last two games. We're quick getting the ball from the back into midfield but in the final third, our attacker on the ball is almost always very isolated. This speaks to the biggest problem we face in developing players in this age group (U15 - U17); COMPETITION. Our pool of players is small compared to the countries we've faced so far and the "hubs" of our talent (southern Ontario, Quebec, West Coast, maybe Alberta to a degree) are so geographically isolated from each other. U11 - U14 is about learning so that you can compete. This age group needs to compete to learn. I'm hoping the 3 "pro" academies are/will make this a priority. Our boys need high level games, week in, week out. High level games present more problems to solve.

[The Ref]

Question to those on the know. What position did Sean Fleming used to play in his days? and did he ever see in person, before this competition, how Uruguay plays?

[Soju]

Highlights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdlYo1b2Vlk

[ray]

A well-earned result!

I still have concerns about Canada creating offense but the guys did well to keep the ball away from the English and again not give away too much. England started off taking the game to Canada and it looked bad for a while. However, Canada found their way into the game even if they didn't threaten. The heat and altitude may have leveled the playing field following the Canada's first goal. The English seemed content to let Canada push the ball around.

In the end, Canada were a bit lucky but they deserve credit for staying within reaching distance of their fancied opponents. It was a good name against which to take our first-ever point. I would hope there will be some attention-grabbing headlines in the national media as a result. Now Fleming has to ready the team for Canada's first-ever win or we're heading home.

[Califax]

The Highs and lows of being a CMNT fan.

I'd would be interesting to see if Roberts ever makes it onto the big stage (i've seen him play a few CSL games with Portugal FC and he has showed some good stuff) as I would love for this to follow him around for the rest of his career. (yelling shoot everytime he handles it outside the 18) I'll think of this one the next time I watch a minnow meltdown and need comfort.

A well earned point by the lads. Perhaps the metaphor is very timely, just as I was ready to write off anyone with male genitals who kicks a soccer ball in this country, The present is cloudy at best, the future shows signs of clearing up.

[jpg75]

This was a great result, maybe we didn't deserve it the way we played in the 1st half, but the boys matched the Engish in the 2nd and got the point which is all that matters.

Thought Alderson and Aleman had a bounce back game, they looked more composed today then against Uruguay. Essa didn't play as well as he did on Sunday. Stanese looked great, can't wait to pair him up with Henry for the next U20's.

Gasparotto looks like a perfect Italian CB, slow as molasses. Luckily the English forward shot into the side netting on that run. He'll need to bulk up and become a crafty defender to make it to Serie A.

Thought Roberts should have done better on the first goal, shouldn't the goalie play the cross honestly and not cheat on anticipating the deflection? Anyways, he made some good saves after that so it's a decent showing by him.

I really hope we don't get overconfident after this result and have a letdown game against Rwanda.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Both England goals were preventable. The first was terrible positioning by Canada to let a long shot like that through and the second while a great strike was savable as even JDV said in his commentary. The ball went in the centre of the net, Roberts was out of position.

I thought they passed much better than in the first game although again struggling in the final third. As for the first goal it was a good goal. A well struck, difficult shot barely saved by the goalie and a professional finish on the bounce by Jalali. That finish is what was missing by Petrasso vs Uruguay who had several opportunities in that game.

Roberts was solid, not quite as spectacular as Crepeau but hey the guy fluked one from beyond centre what more can you ask. There was an omen of that goal at 51 minutes where the English keeper almost blew something similar.

I'm missing the point on Aleman. He still looks like Dero in business for himself. Alderson looks like the next JDV and even JDV noticed his skillset. Stanese seems very steady and Piette had a better game.

Two things from the commentator. When Max Clayton subbed in for Nick Powell he called Max - Adam. Adam Clayton Powell?

He also called the pack of red shirts Canadian Wolves. Now that is a great identity for our NTs

These past two games give me hope again after the dismal Gold Cup.

[Gian-Luca]

Gasparotto looks like a perfect Italian CB, slow as molasses. Luckily the English forward shot into the side netting on that run. He'll need to bulk up and become a crafty defender to make it to Serie A.

Yeah, just like Baresi, Scirea, Nesta, Cannovaro were in that respect......oh wait a minute....

To be fair to him, he was up against a very speedy English striker on that play and I think he was caught flat-footed on the play. But otherwise he and Stanese were very solid back there and read the play well and they both look promising. I can see why AC Milan is interested in the kid, whether he eventually makes it to Serie A or not (and frankly, he doesn't necessarily have to get to in order to play one day for the Nats).

[ray]

I'm missing the point on Aleman. He still looks like Dero in business for himself.

I'd agree with that. A couple of times in the first half Aleman had the ball, was too slow to make a pass to an open Canadian and ended up losing the ball. But he did have a good shot to create our opening goal. I'm still hoping to see the type of skill from him that had everyone calling him "one to watch" from the CONCACAF qualification.

I liked what I saw from Nanco in his few minutes on the pitch. Seemingly confident and willing to try things on the ball. That's the kind of skill and self-assuredness Canada needs in the future. Hope he'll be injected into the game earlier in the next match.

[jpg75]

Yeah, just like Baresi, Scirea, Nesta, Cannovaro were in that respect......oh wait a minute....

To be fair to him, he was up against a very speedy English striker on that play and I think he was caught flat-footed on the play. But otherwise he and Stanese were very solid back there and read the play well and they both look promising. I can see why AC Milan is interested in the kid, whether he eventually makes it to Serie A or not (and frankly, he doesn't necessarily have to get to in order to play one day for the Nats).

Though the comment was in jest, alot of Italian CB's do get by on grit and footballing IQ, and are not always the most mobile.

[terry7m]

Well done by Roberts!!! As a first generation Canadian with English blood, I have to say what a draw for Canada!! Well done lads!!

[ThiKu]

Beautiful!!! hahaha, love the luck, love it.

I've only seen the match highlights at CBC.ca and the match stats. Seems we were comprehensively outplayed. Looking forward to watching this game after work tonight. Huge props to CBC for archiving the full match.

Stanese does indeed seem to be one for the future. Here's hoping he is brought along and in 3 years we can see him near or in the Whitecaps first team. Same for Alderson of course....

Worth noting - JDV stated during the Uruguay match that should Alemann not catch on with a pro club after the tourney the Whitecaps are ready to sign him. Is this even possible with MLS rules?

[youllneverwalkalone]

Seems we were comprehensively outplayed.

Not sure about that. It looked to me like countless England matches we have all seen where they close down hard and appear to be winning the run of play by pressing. But then they eventually get tired (must have been hot in Pachuca) and then blow the match on a keeper error.

What was very different in my opinion -in spite of how the tying goal unfolded- was the way we were able to stick to our style of building from the back (can't believe I just wrote that). Roberts himself played many long balls, but the back 4, Piette, and Alderson really tried to keep the ball on the ground and played with patience. It was a hard task as England are very good at winning possession, but I thought we did okay all things considered. We didn't have many opportunities, but neither did they inspite of the 25 odd shots at goals. I believe the final possession was 48-52, for England.

[TFC07]

Beautiful!!! hahaha, love the luck, love it.

I've only seen the match highlights at CBC.ca and the match stats. Seems we were comprehensively outplayed. Looking forward to watching this game after work tonight. Huge props to CBC for archiving the full match.

Stanese does indeed seem to be one for the future. Here's hoping he is brought along and in 3 years we can see him near or in the Whitecaps first team. Same for Alderson of course....

Worth noting - JDV stated during the Uruguay match that should Alemann not catch on with a pro club after the tourney the Whitecaps are ready to sign him. Is this even possible with MLS rules?

If Whitecaps want to sign him, then they need to compensate Toronto FC since they own Aleman's MLS rights.

[ThiKu]

Thanks YNWA and TFC07 - looking forward to watching the game.

[loyola]

Thought Roberts should have done better on the first goal, shouldn't the goalie play the cross honestly and not cheat on anticipating the deflection? Anyways, he made some good saves after that so it's a decent showing by him.

Roberts isn't to blame for that first goal unless you question his commanding of the box. Like JdV said, someone need to tell Alderson to back a little on that play. Witha couple of step back I think Alderson could've cleared the ball.

On the play itself, it's impossible for Roberts to cut the cross and he did well to stay on his line prepared to react. He couldn't react quickly enough but that was a speedy ball coming in plus a deflection.

My 2 cents on the first goal.

[red card]

On the second goal, I believe Alderson also slipped up a bit and let the English player a bit more space to take that type of shot. Alderson then got cramps later; so, in hindsight, the slip looked like a tired player covering a fresh guy who was just subbed in.

First goal was bad set piece positioning and Essa losing his cool to make up for a bad first touch.

It was raining most of the time and people were wearing light jackets in the stands; so, it wasn't that hot but more Cdns got cramps today than on Sunday.

[TheKottonmouthed1555362307]

Wow, wish i could of seen this match.

Very proud of Canada in this match can't believe Roberts scored during live play.

Is he the first Canadian goalie to net a goal in a match for Canada.

[Gian-Luca]

I've seen a lot of criticism in other areas of the English keeper on both goals we scored. If I was an England supporter I'd be more inclined to pin the 2nd goal on the mistakes of the outfield players for (a) letting Roberts waltz up the field that far to kick the ball (it has been reported in some places that he scored on a free kick - this was not the case, it came from open play and in fact I think we passed the ball back to him, but nobody from England decided to challenge him - I think people assumed it was a free kick because you usually don't see keepers kicking the ball from there in open play) and ( the defenders letting the ball bounce in the first place - to be fair to the guy he went up for the challenge thinking that Jalili was going to head the ball and they both missed it, but I wonder if he had looked at the ball instead of the man that he would have been in position to head it out. As for the first Canada goal, I don't get the criticism that the keeper shouldn't have let out a rebound - he was at full stretch just to even get a hand on what was an excellent low, hard shot from distance from Aleman. Not sure how he could have caught the ball in that situation or have any control over where it was parried.

Haven't seen any coverage of the game in the local papers here or their respective websites as yet - which is unacceptable.

[Keegan]

People say that only 3-4 players u17 players max will ever win NT caps but I think this is a different generation

[ray]

Haven't seen any coverage of the game in the local papers here or their respective websites as yet - which is unacceptable.

True, given how much things English (especially football) are respected in these parts, it is a bit surprising the fact we tied them is not being played up. If we had lost our 14th match in a row at the U17s, I'd bet we'd see it in some paper. But anyway, I'm hoping the Quillan Roberts' goal will make some highlight packages tonight.

[jpg75]

People say that only 3-4 players u17 players max will ever win NT caps but I think this is a different generation

Alot of it has to do with who is ahead of them in the MNT pecking order, if there is a major void of talent - and there is - in the age groups directly ahead of them then there may be greater opportunity for these kids to get promoted to the MNT. These kids are going to get domestic professional opportunities those before them never got so in a way they've got a built in advantage. They represent the rising tide of development in this country and I wouldn't be surprised if 5 or 6 of these kids go on to play for the MNT.

The obvious prospects would be Crepeau, Stanese, Alderson, Aleman, etc. Chances are that a few of these guys will hit it big and the others will miss, and history would tell you that atleast a couple of the less heralded kids will make it big.

[Havoc88]

Yeah don't forget at one point Pablo Vitti was rated ahead of Messi and Aguero! If you really dug I'm sure there's dozens or over a hundred players from U17/U20 that were supposed to be something big but never came close to making it.

[Grizzly]

Roberts isn't to blame for that first goal unless you question his commanding of the box. Like JdV said, someone need to tell Alderson to back a little on that play. Witha couple of step back I think Alderson could've cleared the ball.

On the play itself, it's impossible for Roberts to cut the cross and he did well to stay on his line prepared to react. He couldn't react quickly enough but that was a speedy ball coming in plus a deflection.

My 2 cents on the first goal.

I think he is at fault (though maybe not the only one at fault) because he didn't seem to track the ball well and lost sight of it. Yes it is hard to follow the ball with all the bodies running around in the box but that is exactly what keepers are trained to do. Also I agree with others that the 2nd goal was stoppable even though it would have required an excellent save. I think these are both saves that Crepeau would have made. Yes that is speculation but he made similar saves against Uruguay. That being said, although Roberts was not as impressive as Crepeau as a keeper (ie. disregarding the amazing goal which will obviously not be a regular occurence) I still think he played well and took away some worries I had about having the backup starting. He was still the better of the two keepers on the pitch and is by no means a weak link on the team. It is only that we went from probably having one of the best if not the best keeper in the tournament to probably an average level keeper for this tournament. In the long run maybe the injury to Crepeau is a blessing in disguise since he appears to be not very seriously injured though I am a bit worried that he may have less chances to sign with a big club because of this. However, we need keeper depth and the experience gained by playing in a tournament like this will probably do a lot more in developing Robert's skills than Crepeau's. Playing in a tie with England and scoring to boot will surely do a lot to give Roberts confidence and motivation.

I don't really agree or understand people calling the result lucky. Yes there was luck/keeper error involved in the tieing goal but I would argue the first goal was similar and also resulted from a lucky bounce. We scored the only unstoppable goal on which it was a great save by the keeper just to get a hand on the initial shot. Possession was even and the run of play was even. The English took a lot more shots but most were from far out and at least 10 feet away from the net. Even the first 15 minutes of the first half were balanced somewhat by the last 15 of that half where we had most of the possession though we could have been more dangerous using it. It is also good to see a Canadian team that is able to withstand the initial onslaught of an opponent without giving up a goal. I think the 2-2 scoreline was indicative of the run of play and that a 2-1 England victory would have been a lucky result for England.