The Beaver 2.0 Posted November 27, 2023 Share Posted November 27, 2023 Great stuff, lads! Yes, to making Crepeau starting keeper now. Yes, to challenging guys like David, Staq, and a couple of others--Johnston?--to step into leadership roles. If we move on from some of the old guard, then that'll give guys like Staq room to show his leadership. Not yet convinced that Davies should be captain. Sure, he'll likely play a leadership role--hell, everyone in an organization has some sort of leadership role to play--but I feel that his play is already suffering from the (self-inflicted?) burden of carrying this team on his back, and making him captain--I fear--will only exacerbate this. Crepeau would also be an important leader going forward, but for my money Staq is our guy. Plays almost all our minutes, mostly plays within his abilities, grounded and mature and smart footballer, a bit older than the young guys, and playing at a quality club at a high level. YorkRegionFan, Corazon, Canuckia and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigi riva Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 4 hours ago, BearcatSA said: Regardless of the Borjan vs Crepeau debate, I feel that there is a sizeable gap between Crepeau and his Canadian MLS competitors. In particular, under a new head coach at his club, St. Clair needs to prove that he is a big part of the solution going forward and not part of last year's problem. Sirois going into a second season as a starter has to solidify his place also under a new head coach. Right Now my top 4 in order are Crepeau Borjan St Clair Sirois Not Bad if you ask me Corazon, Obinna, Canuckia and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertuzzi44 Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 Time to pass the torch. Max needs to start getting reps ahead of the World Cup 2026; that isn't too far away! If he slips up or someone else passes him, so be it. But Max has definitely earned the opportunity. Shway, costarg, nolando and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shway Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 Everybody says Staq for captain, but imo he looks as much as a leader as Davies does on the field. Who knows what goes on in the change rooms but all the videos we see, he doesn't strike me as the strong leader with presence and personality. Believe it or not, the guy who shows up and plays within his abilities, rarely messes up, leaves it out on the field, and fights for his players and the country is... Kamal Miller. The Real Marc, Canuckia, Obinna and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dyslexic nam Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Shway said: Everybody says Staq for captain, but imo he looks as much as a leader as Davies does on the field. Who knows what goes on in the change rooms but all the videos we see, he doesn't strike me as the strong leader with presence and personality. Believe it or not, the guy who shows up and plays within his abilities, rarely messes up, leaves it out on the field, and fights for his players and the country is... Kamal Miller. I don’t think that’s a bad take on things. He does seem like the kind of guy who can maintain a positive attitude and rally the troops a bit. Plus, he does have some solid experience at this point. And playing with Soccer Jesus probably doesn’t hurt him going forward either. I think a lot of people say Eustaquio because central midfielders can sometimes be the general when it comes to tactics and execution on the field. I guess it depends what we are looking for in a captain. Edited November 28, 2023 by dyslexic nam Corazon, Ivan, Obinna and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
costarg Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 1 hour ago, Shway said: Everybody says Staq for captain, but imo he looks as much as a leader as Davies does on the field. Who knows what goes on in the change rooms but all the videos we see, he doesn't strike me as the strong leader with presence and personality. Believe it or not, the guy who shows up and plays within his abilities, rarely messes up, leaves it out on the field, and fights for his players and the country is... Kamal Miller. Absolutely, his name has to be in there, as I mentioned in my earlier post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigandy Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 One of the main challenges we have with our leadership group is quality experience. We get rid of borjan and likely vitoria soon, oso, piette, and MAK are in the slightly older age group but arent really contributing on the field (hoilett is still class but hes not starting). So our next age group is adekugbe, larin, and laryea. These arent the strongest leaders and arguably all non starters in a 4-3-3. Theres really none of our experienced guys who are top quality. Yes david and davies are quality and have champs experience, but do they have the emotional maturity of vitoria and hoilett (obv not with how davies plays hero ball). My new captains order 1. staq - leads on the field by his play. He may not be super commanding but he plays within his limits and makes the squad so much better 2. Hoilett - Since hes not a starter, he would essentially act as the vice captain. A perfect role for his experience and not full responsibility to lead as hes not captain material. 3. Davies - Im not sure he makes players around him better. He creates space for him but thats slightly different to how staq makes us better. Hes not captain material IMO but guys like crepeau, miller, oso, laryea, are the only other options (david is in the same boat as davies) and no one is guaranteed to start or obv captain material. Obinna and Corazon 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 2 hours ago, Shway said: Believe it or not, the guy who shows up and plays within his abilities, rarely messes up, leaves it out on the field, and fights for his players and the country is... Kamal Miller. If anyone has read the book The Captain Class, Miller probably would be a prime example similar to the team captains they highlight in it. Shway 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 (edited) Who should captain Canada. That's an interesting topic... Davies - The most talented player at the highest club level can sometimes captain your side on the strength of those things alone, but I could see it going both ways with Alphonso. It could galvanize him and push him to a new level with the National team and drag the team along by extension, or it could put too much pressure on him and bring his worst qualities out. I am split 50/50 on this, but leaning towards NO because already there is uncertainty around how we use him? What his best position is? And I think everyone would agree we don't consistently get the best out of him - so putting the armband on him? I think it just putting the cart before the horse at this point. Figure out where and how to use Davies first and once that is settled maybe then he could grow into the Captain role. Eustaquio - My gut reaction is always YES YES YES. He's playing at one of the higest levels and is the heartbeat of the team, so again that makes him an obvious candidate. He doesn't have to bark at the guys, just lead by example and give the lads a boost. These are all things in his favour. Unlike Davies, I don't think anything changes with Stephen whether you declare him captain or not - he's a mature player in his prime who knows what he is - I just don't see it affecting his game negatively and maybe it gives him a slight boost, but honestly I feel like this player is already at his ceiling for club and country. I think we could do worse than Staq as captain, but let me consider who else may be an option... Johnston - If you asked me this last year I would have probably said he's a front runner. Supposedly he has a world class mentality, which I don't doubt if you can pull yourself from League 1 Ontario to MLS and then to Celtic, but I do have some doubts. Firstly, is this a guy who is a locked in starter? Right now I would say no and last year I would have said yes. I think someone who doesn't always start can be an alternative captain, or a stand in captain, and maybe that should be bestowed on him, but you want the guy who is THE captain to be starting matches consistently and personally I think Laryea offers more than Johnston at the moment, depending on the opponent and such. Laryea was fantastic over the past two matches and Johnston was decent. Not outstanding, but decent. Miller - I like what @Shway is saying there about him upthread, but I don't know if I am sold on the idea. What it could do is help Miller elevate his game to another level and maybe find some consistency. As good as he can be on the ball and in the tackle, he still seems to have a mistake in him. Maybe the responsibility of wearing the armband would help him stay dialed in, because the lapses with Miller are obviously mental. On the other hand, there are bigger factors than just who will benefit most from wearing the armband. Do the players see Miller as a leader? Does Miller see himself as a leader? These are things that are required and things I have questions around. Hoilett - This is the one guy who has actually worn the armband so not much to break down here. He was seemingly the 3rd captain after Atiba and Borjan, so maybe he is the number 2 right now until Borjan goes and maybe with Milan possibly out of the door he is THE captain. The players are going to respect him on and off the field, respect his talent and his career and contributions, even as he enters his twilight. I can see him being like Atiba - defacto captain on and off the field - but obviously has to be on the field to wear it. Is there anyone else? Vitoria? Kind of like Hoilett, no? Here is how I will sum it up starting today: Borjan Hoilett Vitoria Eustaquio And when Borjan and Vitoria are phased out: Hoilett Eustaquio Davies (maybe Johnston or Miller) I think Davies as a vice captain or assistant captain could prevent him from putting too much pressure on himself, but give him enough responsibility to affect things positively. Regardless the players will look up to him no matter what. Edited November 28, 2023 by Obinna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narduch Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 David just captained Lille on the weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 1 minute ago, narduch said: David just captained Lille on the weekend I thought of that - but I would like to see it more before I give any thoughts on it. Could be worth considering in this conversation though, certainly. PastPros and narduch 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narduch Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 1 minute ago, Obinna said: I thought of that - but I would like to see it more before I give any thoughts on it. Could be worth considering in this conversation though, certainly. Ya. I'm not even sure who it should be. One thing I don't like is having a keeper as captain. I like it to be a field player Canuckia, Unnamed Trialist and Obinna 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corazon Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 At this point it feels like none of the players want to step on Davies toes. Eustaquio would be my guy but I’d all be for Kamal Miller as well. Love a Center back as captain as well but I think the fear is that Kamal has hit his ceiling in MLS and that in general we hope to have Center backs playing at higher levels than MLS which means Kamal would be pushed to the bench. FWIW I’d have no problem with Kamal being captain while playing in MLS. I think Ream is solid captain material. My only fear is that if Miami is the height of Kamal’s career, and he will be surpassed in coming years. I like Kamal, Johnston and Eustaquio as captains but it really it’s going to also come down to our next head coach. With formations and preference, both Johnston and Kamal are not sure starters whereas Eustaquio is a sure starter for the foreseeable future. Jack1997 and Obinna 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBR Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 3 hours ago, Shway said: Everybody says Staq for captain, but imo he looks as much as a leader as Davies does on the field. Who knows what goes on in the change rooms but all the videos we see, he doesn't strike me as the strong leader with presence and personality. Believe it or not, the guy who shows up and plays within his abilities, rarely messes up, leaves it out on the field, and fights for his players and the country is... Kamal Miller. except for long balls over his head.... and picking up his man quickly on scrambles in front of the net If he got better at those two aspects of his game...he would have my vote. Obinna and Corazon 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beaver 2.0 Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 (edited) Herdman--wisely, I feel--used a leadership group during the last WCQ cycle, with guys like Vittoria, Hoillet, Borjan and the likes forming the core group. (I know one of the high performance consultants who worked with Herdman during this time.) Part way through the campaign, Staq was invited to join this group. He's a very serious dude, and he was deeply honored to be brought into the leadership team. Sorry for the hockey reference, but he's more like a Jonathan Toews kind of captain than he is some gregarious rah-rah guy like Borjan. He would make a great captain, and I feel he is respected by the lads and he's got all the right tools to lead. But, quiet leaders need their charismatic deputies, and guys like Miller and Johnston would be excellent, with David being his closest adviser. Phonsie has the charisma, but he's like Mbappe to me, and I would never make Mbappe the captain of my team. Maybe a part of the leadership group, especially if that will help Davies understand that putting the team on his back with every frickin touch of the ball is NOT going to work. Edited November 28, 2023 by The Beaver 2.0 gigi riva, Obinna, GasPed and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestHamCanadianinOxford Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 50 minutes ago, The Beaver 2.0 said: Herdman--wisely, I feel--used a leadership group during the last WCQ cycle, with guys like Vittoria, Hoillet, Borjan and the likes forming the core group. (I know one of the high performance consultants who worked with Herdman during this time.) Part way through the campaign, Staq was invited to join this group. He's a very serious dude, and he was deeply honored to be brought into the leadership team. Sorry for the hockey reference, but he's more like a Jonathan Toews kind of captain than he is some gregarious rah-rah guy like Borjan. He would make a great captain, and I feel he is respected by the lads and he's got all the right tools to lead. But, quiet leaders need their charismatic deputies, and guys like Miller and Johnston would be excellent, with David being his closest adviser. Phonsie has the charisma, but he's like Mbappe to me, and I would never make Mbappe the captain of my team. Maybe a part of the leadership group, especially if that will help Davies understand that he putting the team on his back with every frickin touch of the ball is NOT going to work. Agree with all of that. I think it needs a strong, probably not a "one of the guys" type, coach to stamp roles and authority on the leading players. The Beaver 2.0 and Corazon 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shway Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 1 hour ago, JBR said: except for long balls over his head.... and picking up his man quickly on scrambles in front of the net If he got better at those two aspects of his game...he would have my vote. So Staq is your vote, who got easily picked off the ball, and made countless errors over the two games against Jamaica? You can nitpick at any player, if he was flawless he would be at United. Overall Miller has been as solid and consistent as anyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unnamed Trialist Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 2 hours ago, narduch said: Ya. I'm not even sure who it should be. One thing I don't like is having a keeper as captain. I like it to be a field player A field player, and not a striker. Strikers are often logically into scoring, their headspace is not conducive to being the one to speak to the ref, which is the basic function. All other functions can be done in a shared capacity, such as when the locker room needs to sit down and talk. You can't demote captains until they are off the team, but I don't mind seeing Hoillet and Eustaquio. Then Osorio and Piette if they are on the field. Obinna, Corazon, GasPed and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestHamCanadianinOxford Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 1 minute ago, Shway said: Overall Miller has been as solid and consistent as anyone else. I can't agree with that. He gives what he can but remember against teams better than Jamaica, he struggled mightily. I think we have better at LCB. They could use his confidence and communication certainly, he is not quick enough to be as small as he is. HochelagaFC and The Real Marc 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBR Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 1 minute ago, Shway said: So Staq is your vote, who got easily picked off the ball, and made countless errors over the two games against Jamaica? You can nitpick at any player, if he was flawless he would be at United. Overall Miller has been as solid and consistent as anyone else. I honestly have never thought of Kamal as a leader. He still seems very raw to me and if you watched any Inter Miami games this year, it seemed like he was on the receiving end of a lot of animated feedback from the vets on the team. Personally, I think he is reasonably consistent and has the talent to improve on the areas I criticized. As someone just mentioned, he's pretty slow when moving the ball up the field which is frustrating. IMO Staq is more of a leader because he seems more vocal and cerebral ( he was on some strategy committee leading up to Qatar). . I agree, he was ineffective overall against Jamaica x 2. Corazon and Obinna 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack1997 Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 This NT needs a new coach and some serious changes but not making Davies captain would be a mistake no matter who makes the decision. He is the most famous, best, biggest in media and has the biggest ego on the team, not making him captain would presumably make serious locker room problems. I’d like to belive Davies, David, Eustaqio could have a Atiba, Borjan, Vitoria type leadership where it’s obvious that those 3 are all basically the captain. Obinna 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmen Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 (edited) If some of the concern is keeping Davies in line (and I'm not saying it is), then the only players who can really hold that kind of sway are ones playing close to his level. If we're eliminating David and Larin for being strikers, that would leave us with Buchanan (who I think at times suffers from some of the same issues as Davies), Staq, and maybe Johnston (big club, though smaller league). So I think in my mind it's Staq almost by default. Anyone from MLS would have to be absolutely exceptional and I don't think any of them are. Edited November 28, 2023 by Watchmen GasPed, nolando, Corazon and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norrin Radd Posted December 3, 2023 Share Posted December 3, 2023 Another shutout tonight as LAFC move on to the MLS Cup final. narduch, MCa, Aird25 and 15 others 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unnamed Trialist Posted December 3, 2023 Share Posted December 3, 2023 10 hours ago, Norrin Radd said: Another shutout tonight as LAFC move on to the MLS Cup final. Just saw the highlights, had one very good stop especially on a break in close, from an angle, first half. Stops or no stops, he's anchoring them, and getting shutouts in the playoffs. Final next Saturday at 4pm in Columbus (for whom Farsi was subbed out just before they began their 2nd half and extra time comeback vs. Cincy). Kadenge and Canuckia 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king1010 Posted December 3, 2023 Share Posted December 3, 2023 He needs to be our number 1 going forward Unnamed Trialist, dyslexic nam, K Edgar and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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