CANADA vs Martinique - July 7th - 2:30pm PST (R) Game Thread

[Grizzly]

http://canadasoccer.com/miller-we-need-to-regroup--p154474

Here's what really pisses me off. Colin Miller: "I don't think its fair to put Kevin Aleman or other young players in that game where it could go either way. We have to honest about where we are right. Some guys aren't ready to play at this level"

IF THEY'RE NOT READY DON'T CALL THEM.

He basically said that Kevin Aleman won't be playing despite the teams already apparent tank.

If he starts Ricketts over Jackson again....

Nice guy. He's got the voice for commentating. He should start applying to Sportsnet.

I'll watch to see what he does for the rest of the tournament. He's very lucky most analyst in this country know him personally.

3 or 4 people have called him a nice guy on this thread already. Lets put a stop to that crap. Sure he is good for a couple of witty quotes and sharp sarcastic remarks about others but that does not make a nice guy. A nice guy doesn't call out players that are in contract negotiations/disputes with his club team when he is the national team coach. A nice guy doesn't not only cut an all-star player because he has a replacement but then try and cover his own ass by running the player down in the media and making it harder for that player to get another contract. I could go on but I will leave it at that. Miller can put on all the Scottish charm he wants but it will not hide the fact he is a ****ing prick. And an incompetent ****ing prick at that.

I have all the praise in the world for the CSA for hiring Floro but I am disgusted that Miller was chosen again even as an interim despite the poor job he did in other matches and the unethical behaviour and comments he made. The only good I can see in this and the game results is maybe it is good for Flores to see all the warts of Canadian soccer right at the beginning so he really has a clear picture of what is wrong and what has to be done to fix it. And coaches like Miller are a very big part of what is wrong in the sport here.

[BearcatSA]

What we need now is a blend of a couple hard physical players in the centre (spine) of the team, with speed and skill on the outside. we are starting to produce the skilled players like Tiebert, Osorio and Aleman - now we need some guys to protect them.

A guy who could win the ball 1 v 1 like Laba would be great IMO. I'm not talking about bringing back Kevin Harmse (who I've never rated) or the immobile pairing of Miller the player and Aunger during the WCQ for 98. Like you, I've felt that we have been vulnerable in that area of the pitch defensively and the way it was dealt with tactically by Hart (and Fonseca) was to pack the central area with three mids shielding the CBs.

[jpg75]

I honestly think we could make do with just Johnson and Hutchinson in the middle of the park. The biggest concern for me has always been the lone striker getting hung out to dry, if we go with 2 in the middle we can add a second striker and give them a fighting chance at finding the net.

Something like:

---------Cavallini---Jackson------

Porter/REB----------------Teibert

---------Hutch---Johnson--------

[redhat]

I honestly think we could make do with just Johnson and Hutchinson in the middle of the park. The biggest concern for me has always been the lone striker getting hung out to dry, if we go with 2 in the middle we can add a second striker and give them a fighting chance at finding the net.

Something like:

---------Cavallini---Jackson------

Porter/REB----------------Teibert

---------Hutch---Johnson--------

+1. Why it's so clear to us and not the coaching staff is a mystery to me.

[starbucks22]

Canada's lack of success is due to poor youth development. We are a country of 30+ million with soccer being the most popular sport played by youth players but cannot develop a solid pool of players that we can take to a tournament and compete. We need to stop blaming Collin Miller. Yes, he did make poor decisions against Martinique but you cannot blame him for the lack of players to select from. The pool of talent is too small. I've been following the national team for 10+ years and can comfortably say that at this moment in time, we have no more than 50 players to choose from that can compete on the national level. That is 2.5 players per position that we can select to represent Canada on the national stage. No wonder we loose 8-1 in World Cup Qualifying.

We lack technique. No player can pass without a bounce or spin on the ball. This fundamental skill is the result of our poor play in midfield, lack of scoring chances and slow counterattack transition. Martiniques midfielders were able to make 15-20 yard passes as if they've putted a golf ball and made them consistently and with conviction. We need to learn to pass. We've also relied on the English game of kick and run for way too long and its obvious that the system does not work, in Canada or in Britain. We praise too many players for the wrong reasons and do not focus on developing their flaws. Piette is young and an average players at best but he's also way to fat to be an athlete and has played zero minutes for a professional team. Bekker is a washed up 23 year old that played college soccer, too slow and can't get minutes at club level. He is good at freekicks and corner kicks, but he will not win games. We need to develop players that can score from open play (like De Rosario used to). Henry has a gods gift of a body, but he has no brains nor the technique to be an excellent player. We raised an athlete not a soccer player. Attributing his flaws to age is not an excuse. Go watch U20 World Cup and tell me if he is anywhere close to the quality of Italian, Spanish or French players. Haber is a defender converted to a striker. He plays alone and is often left to hang to dry. He needs a supporting cast but is too stupid to make a play for others. He needs to learn to play his role and not trying to nutmeg defenders near the corner flag. Best players on the field were Jackson and Borjan. Johnson was ill but played better than most players. Tiebert played well but the players around him can't play and as result brought down his overall performance.

If you watch the highlights against Martinique, you'll see that we had 3 chances on goal - off headers. Martinique, on the other hand, had at least 7 shots, with the foot, on goal. WTF. I have no doubt we'll get destroyed by Panama and Mexico and go home with our tails between our legs. Miller needs to go back to Scotland. We need a new system and a new mentality of coaching and developing youth or else we'll be here for the next 20 years writing the same BS we've all been churning for the past 20 years.

I am looking forward to the remaining games and hope Benito brings the axe on August 1st.

[Michael Crampton]

We need to learn to pass. We've also relied on the English game of kick and run for way too long and its obvious that the system does not work, in Canada or in Britain.

If there's any meme around Canadian football I could kill with a wish it'd be this one. We've been trying to learn to pass for more than a decade (at the senior Men's national team level) and gave up "the English game of kick and run" when we hired Holger. Anyone who watched Canada in the 90s - when, at a different level of development in CONCACAF, we were actually pretty decent by our current standards - would ever compare the way we play now to the actual English game we played back then.

It's not that our players don't want to pass, or "keep it on the ground", or play possession. They're just really, really bad at it and that's not gonna change overnight, Colin Miller or no Collin Miller.

Actually, we'd probably do better in the short term if we gave up on trying to win over the critics by out-passing opposition we don't have the technical ability to break down and just concentrated on strong, organized defense and quick counters to fast, athletic forwards. It'd be ugly but we might get a result here and there against teams who we can't beat playing their game. Hell, I wouldn't even be surprised if Floro recognizes that himself and the senior team plays that way even if he continues the long-term project to improve the technical fundamentals through our youth teams.

[SchteveTown]

The way people talk about the "English Game" you'd think they still use a 2-3-5 in England and lump it up to a big ass number 9 a la Wing Commander Reep. England may be poor right now, but even they don't play 'the English game' that people describe. It has become this trope for crap football.

[dhawk11]

Can we all agree Piette should sit down for the rest of the tournament? Or go for a jog somewhere else and shed some pounds?

well said, he's just being an 18 year old punk,

[dhawk11]

After watching this game, I have to ask if this is the best Canada has to put forth, I mean I think we could go to each major city in Canada pluck a great kid or guy from a team and honestly put together a better team than this!!!!!

[canadianfoot]

watching Haiti-Honduras, we would get demolished

[youllneverwalkalone]

If there's any meme around Canadian football I could kill with a wish it'd be this one. We've been trying to learn to pass for more than a decade (at the senior Men's national team level) and gave up "the English game of kick and run" when we hired Holger. Anyone who watched Canada in the 90s - when, at a different level of development in CONCACAF, we were actually pretty decent by our current standards - would ever compare the way we play now to the actual English game we played back then.

It's not that our players don't want to pass, or "keep it on the ground", or play possession. They're just really, really bad at it and that's not gonna change overnight, Colin Miller or no Collin Miller.

Actually, we'd probably do better in the short term if we gave up on trying to win over the critics by out-passing opposition we don't have the technical ability to break down and just concentrated on strong, organized defense and quick counters to fast, athletic forwards. It'd be ugly but we might get a result here and there against teams who we can't beat playing their game. Hell, I wouldn't even be surprised if Floro recognizes that himself and the senior team plays that way even if he continues the long-term project to improve the technical fundamentals through our youth teams.

We needlessly concede possession in the attacking third time after time. Sometimes the floating crosses are poor technique, but often they are floating crosses to no one. That's poor mentality and poor instructions from the manager. We could play much better down the flank, hold the ball, win throw-ins, win corners, drive to the box when possible. If Floro is the set-piece mastermind that's been described, this is a way forward.

[jpg75]

Funny, but after we played the States in 2011 their fans were remarking that the guys had decent technique, but lacked athleticism. Now we apparently have athletes with no technique. The obvious answer is that the team appears the way they are coached. You have a guy who covets possession for the sake of possession and absurdly patient build-up you're going to get passing robots who don't move much. You have a guy who has no clue other than to work hard, you're going to get headless chickens kicking the ball to no one. Of course i am slightly exaggerating, but you get my drift...

[Addona]

Funny, but after we played the States in 2011 their fans were remarking that the guys had decent technique, but lacked athleticism. Now we apparently have athletes with no technique. The obvious answer is that the team appears the way they are coached. You have a guy who covets possession for the sake of possession and absurdly patient build-up you're going to get passing robots who don't move much. You have a guy who has no clue other than to work hard, you're going to get headless chickens kicking the ball to no one. Of course i am slightly exaggerating, but you get my drift...

I was thinking about the 2011 GC game vs. the U.S. just the other day. We lost 2-0, but after that game, I didn't feel awful ... Lars let in a bit of a howler, and if not for Howard we easily could have had 1, perhaps even 2 goals. A 2-1 scoreline would not have been out of the question at all, and we actually threatened them on several occasions. That's what was different about the Martinique match, and some other recent ones; we didn't look like we knew what we were trying to do going forward, AT ALL.

Now, who threatened the U.S. in that GC match? From what I recall, it was mostly Gerba, Simpson, and DeRo. So, that explains some of the difference. But Miller has to be blamed for the seeming lack of an offensive plan aside from "kick it far".

[grigorio]

apparently CSA to announce shortly that Jackson is leaving the Gold Cup to finalize a contract with a club (according to Gavin Day). No clue why this can't wait a week... Or be done over the interwebs? Who does this leave in camp then up front?!

[ted]

apparently CSA to announce shortly that Jackson is leaving the Gold Cup to finalize a contract with a club (according to Gavin Day). No clue why this can't wait a week... Or be done over the interwebs? Who does this leave in camp then up front?!

Oh fer ****sakes. He was the best player on the pitch against Martinique.

[madmonte]

apparently CSA to announce shortly that Jackson is leaving the Gold Cup to finalize a contract with a club (according to Gavin Day). No clue why this can't wait a week... Or be done over the interwebs? Who does this leave in camp then up front?!

what the...? Link?

Edit: Found this article from yesterday. Just a rumor.

http://www.football-rumours.co.uk/bournemouth-rumours.php

[Keegan]

apparently CSA to announce shortly that Jackson is leaving the Gold Cup to finalize a contract with a club (according to Gavin Day). No clue why this can't wait a week... Or be done over the interwebs? Who does this leave in camp then up front?!

Just ****ing lovely.

The circus continues, not like this is a continental championship or anything. Even countries like Haiti, Belize and Martinique wouldn't have something like this. Is there no way that the club can fly someone out with a contract? Does Jacko really need to fly half way around the world?

[youllneverwalkalone]

Did Porter get called in, or did I imagine this?

[grigorio]

Just ****ing lovely.

The circus continues, not like this is a continental championship or anything. Even countries like Haiti, Belize and Martinique wouldn't have something like this. Is there no way that the club can fly someone out with a contract? Does Jacko really need to fly half way around the world?

Confirmed via CSA twitter that Jackson and Edwini-Bonsu have both left the team due to contract and injury. Our two biggest offensive threats. Wicked. Porter is with the team in Seattle and available for upcoming games.

[madmonte]

Did Porter get called in, or did I imagine this?

I read that he is meeting the team in Seattle, but that was to replace REB.

[grigorio]

So from my understanding, Edwini-Bonsu has managed to sneak out of this train wreck without getting cap-tied. Guess there's no choice but to play and cap Aleman now.... right? right??

[Lord Bob]

So from my understanding, Edwini-Bonsu has managed to sneak out of this train wreck without getting cap-tied.

Don't even worry about that. Randy is solid.

[Addona]

So from my understanding, Edwini-Bonsu has managed to sneak out of this train wreck without getting cap-tied. Guess there's no choice but to play and cap Aleman now.... right? right??

Well, at this point, we should play Aleman because there aren't many warm bodies left up front ... LOL, this is getting silly. But, honestly, we need to just be willing to write this tournament off and see it as a way of: 1. Identifying a few bright spots in terms of individual players and 2. Cap tying a few new guys.

[ag futbol]

Well, at this point, we should play Aleman because there aren't many warm bodies left up front ... LOL, this is getting silly. But, honestly, we need to just be willing to write this tournament off and see it as a way of: 1. Identifying a few bright spots in terms of individual players and 2. Cap tying a few new guys.

There are more than a few ways we should be able to find offensive punch. I would think swapping Osorio for Piette would be a no-brainer. That should help us move the ball around more. I'd also consider swapping in Kyle Porter for Ricketts, since Porter has actually shown he can get in a decent ball or two at club level.

Of course, knowing Miller we'll probably continue to play in the same manner that hasn't gotten us anywhere.

[Keegan]

There's no reason Ricketts should be in the starting lineup Thursday. The Mexicans will have him for lunch.

I was also thinking about what Benito Floro said to James Sharman, about how playing for the national team is a "feeling". Well I'll tell you what I don't think there were many guys "feeling" it Sunday..

Do they not realize that their international career are on the line? Do they not realize they're in a continental championship? Do they realize they're playing for CANADA?

I think guys like De Jong, De Guzman etc. are far too comfortable. They know that Canada can't afford to drop them because we don't have players with their pedigree to replace them. So they come here, figure hey we'll walk around Martinique and show all of our friends back in Europe all the cool places we went in Hollywood.

But guess what? If you're gonna play like it's a ****ing training match and without "feeling" then what good are you? We wonder how inferior teams make our guys look like amateurs.. it's because they have FEELING. It's because from the national anthems those guys have fire in their eyes and they're ready to snap a leg for the chance at making something happen and being a hero for their COUNTRY. Can someone sit these guys down and tell them how to belt out our national anthem? That's where it starts... PASSION.

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. That should have been posted on the locker room wall prior to the Martinique match because it was embarrassingly obvious at times.

There could have been multiple teams of Canadians put together that would have beat the team we put out there Sunday. That's all you need to know.