Lucas Cavallini

[Unnamed Trialist]

3 hours ago, Shway said:

Wicked penalty on so many levels.

Who’s here thinks he should be called up for Trinidad?

If we need a big body late, to grab a goal or to defend a set piece in the air. 

Or if we have a striker with a card and need him to lead the line, hold up and pressure for 10 minutes. It is also possible we could go into extra periods (not sure if it is 90-30 or straight to penalties, think it is the former). 

I am fine with it, I'd prefer him over Brym, if he is on form. 

[Obinna]

4 hours ago, Shway said:

Wicked penalty on so many levels.

Who’s here thinks he should be called up for Trinidad?

Put me down for that.

Cavallini has his attributes and usefulness, as @Unnamed Trialist mentioned, but furthermore if we get him confident and in goal scoring form, it's certainly the right call. Brym I don't see getting called for this and Ugbo would have to go on a goal scoring spree to get back into the conversation. I'll shout out Bair here for fun, but realistically he won't and shouldn't get called here. Russell-Rowe has gotten some good experience as of late and once again will probably be the Cavallini replacement in the event he is injured.

[Unnamed Trialist]

51 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Put me down for that.

Cavallini has his attributes and usefulness, as @Unnamed Trialist mentioned, but furthermore if we get him confident and in goal scoring form, it's certainly the right call. Brym I don't see getting called for this and Ugbo would have to go on a goal scoring spree to get back into the conversation. I'll shout out Bair here for fun, but realistically he won't and shouldn't get called here. Russell-Rowe has gotten some good experience as of late and once again will probably be the Cavallini replacement in the event he is injured.

The other little advantage is that he'd have the shortest flight of any of our players, his travel stress would be negligible. 

Thinking of which: now that we don't have players in Turkey, we actually have a better travel set-up than previously, we've cut hours off for many players. I think the furthest travel time would be Borjan's.

[Obinna]

23 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

The other little advantage is that he'd have the shortest flight of any of our players, his travel stress would be negligible. 

Thinking of which: now that we don't have players in Turkey, we actually have a better travel set-up than previously, we've cut hours off for many players. I think the furthest travel time would be Borjan's.

Great observation and something I hadn't considered. Porto, Munich, Lille, Mallorca, Milan, Glasgow, Preston is just about as ideal as you can get as far as CONCACAF Euro based players goes. It gets better if and when Davies moves to Madrid. Iberia and the UK is basically as far west as you can get, Milan then being the furthest away from America. 

Speaking of Milan, his flight from Bratislava would go down as being the longest, but how long will he be with Canada? Will he even be coming in March? Really feels like the time to rotate away from him is now. He's been a great servent, but at some point we have to freshen the goalkeeping position up, and we have some great depth waiting in the wings.  

[Watchmen]

Let's be honest, it's mostly Cavallini by default.  It still goes back to it being a one-off game and they're going to stick with what's got them (almost) there, players already familiar with each other.  If they want a 4th striker, that's where we can debate Ugbo/Brym/an in-form Bair.

[dyslexic nam]

2 hours ago, Watchmen said:

Let's be honest, it's mostly Cavallini by default.  It still goes back to it being a one-off game and they're going to stick with what's got them (almost) there, players already familiar with each other.  If they want a 4th striker, that's where we can debate Ugbo/Brym/an in-form Bair.

Thats where I am at.  Cav still has an extra something in terms of his compete level that makes him the 3rd striker until someone takes his place - and that simply hasn’t happened yet.   

[Unnamed Trialist]

On 1/20/2024 at 1:53 PM, Obinna said:

Great observation and something I hadn't considered. Porto, Munich, Lille, Mallorca, Milan, Glasgow, Preston is just about as ideal as you can get as far as CONCACAF Euro based players goes. It gets better if and when Davies moves to Madrid. Iberia and the UK is basically as far west as you can get, Milan then being the furthest away from America. 

Speaking of Milan, his flight from Bratislava would go down as being the longest, but how long will he be with Canada? Will he even be coming in March? Really feels like the time to rotate away from him is now. He's been a great servent, but at some point we have to freshen the goalkeeping position up, and we have some great depth waiting in the wings.  

Borjan has Conference League mid-February, to get into the round of 16 where Lille already is.

I can't imagine leaving a keeper playing in European competition off for a guy just starting the season in MLS. 

Besides that, my opinion is that the new coach has to make the decision, Biello should not. And I doubt he will, he won't do a thing to rock the boat.

[Obinna]

2 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Borjan has Conference League mid-February, to get into the round of 16 where Lille already is.

I can't imagine leaving a keeper playing in European competition off for a guy just starting the season in MLS. 

Besides that, my opinion is that the new coach has to make the decision, Biello should not. And I doubt he will, he won't do a thing to rock the boat.

So we should expect to see Borjan between the sticks come March. I think it's probably what will occur. It's a single game making such a change now is pretty risky, even if Crepeau is technically the better keeping at this point. Can't say Borjan won't be game sharp and ready.

Copa America, should we get there, will be interesting. Depending on who the new coach is we could see him out of the team entirely, as a new chapter begins. I don't think we'll have our ducks in a row to have a new coach by then. Biello will be the manager for Copa America, so he's kicking the can down the road if he doesn't make change now, one could argue.

Vitoria I understand, because of his profile and a genuine lack of an alternative. There are at least two alternatives to Borjan, possibly three, and we'd be doing ourselves a disservice not to trust one of them to play at Copa America.

[jordan]

Goal https://x.com/clubpueblamx/status/1753641105063583963?s=46&t=KtwBDROwUH8sPUlYu2GlIA

[nolando]

1 hour ago, jordan said:

Goal https://x.com/clubpueblamx/status/1753641105063583963?s=46&t=KtwBDROwUH8sPUlYu2GlIA

Nice video. Is it just me, though, or is the size of the crowd kinda pathetic?

[Obinna]

3 hours ago, nolando said:

Nice video. Is it just me, though, or is the size of the crowd kinda pathetic?

No I had the same thought as well. I was underwhelmed. It stood out in a bad way.

On the bright side though, great to see Cav getting into a nice rhythm. What was that, 3 goals in a half dozen plus games? Puebla aren't doing well, but it's a good league and goals matter.

Much as I like what Bair is doing, can't see a path into the team with Cav scoring in Liga MX. It's a better level and he's a veteran and big piece of this national team, and this is a very big game.

[jordan]

6 hours ago, nolando said:

Nice video. Is it just me, though, or is the size of the crowd kinda pathetic?

I think this view makes it look worse

https://x.com/ligabbvamx/status/1753647311853388233?s=46&t=KtwBDROwUH8sPUlYu2GlIA

[Stryker911]

Cav played 76 minutes in a 3-0 loss to Pumas today. They were actually scoreless when he was taken off.

I noticed that often Puebla loses the game after he is taken off. In the 6 games so far totalling 378 minutes his +/- is -1.  In the remaining 162 minutes that he has been off they are -7.

Edited February 12 by Stryker911

[nolando]

5 hours ago, Stryker911 said:

Cav played 76 minutes in a 3-0 loss to Pumas today. They were actually scoreless when he was taken off.

I noticed that often Puebla loses the game after he is taken off. In the 6 games so far totalling 378 minutes his +/- is -1.  In the remaining 162 minutes that he has been off they are -7.

I think he's good for up to 70 minutes for us, if we need him.

[Obinna]

5 hours ago, nolando said:

I think he's good for up to 70 minutes for us, if we need him.

It's arguable if he was DP worthy in 2023, but he sure put in a good shift at the Gold Cup. Wasn't a standout but was a solid piece that helped more than hurt us. I believe he will continue to factor in for Canada so long that he's playing regularly at Puebla and scoring. 

[MtlMario]

On 2/3/2024 at 2:11 AM, nolando said:

Nice video. Is it just me, though, or is the size of the crowd kinda pathetic?

I'm sure someone here could tell us exactly how many people are there.😆

[Obinna]

After a promosing start things seem to be going in the opposite direction for Cavallini. Puebla lost again, this time 4-0 to San Luis, and he remained on the bench. I believe that's now 3 games without a goal and 2 goals from 8 games on the year. After starting most of the games for Puebla, remaining on the bench is surprising. Is anyone following this closely? Is this a one-off? Nursing something perhaps? Otherwise, it seems like a worrying sign. 

We'll have to keep an eye on it in the lead up to the T&T game

I think he's got 3 match days remaining until the March window. What if he continues to be unused, or used sparingly? Is he a more deserving call up than Ugbo, should he remain hot? Do we prioritize familiarity or goals? And will Biello face some criticism for going with an out-of-form Cavallini? Will be interesting to see what happens.

Side note: Bair has now gone goaless in a few games, surprisingly. Is Ugbo leading the race for a cll up? Is there any point even giving an opinion or are we certain Biello will call upon Cavallini regardless of what he's doing at his club?

[narduch]

I don't think he should be called. He really hasn't done enough 

[CanadaFan123]

Regardless of form, Cavallini offers a different profile and big game experience. For a one off game he would 100% be my 3rd choice striker.

[Obinna]

1 minute ago, CanadaFan123 said:

Regardless of form, Cavallini offers a different profile and big game experience. For a one off game he would 100% be my 3rd choice striker.

What about if we win and advance to the tournament. Does this still apply for you assuming the trends at club continue?

[CanadaFan123]

Just now, Obinna said:

What about if we win and advance to the tournament. Does this still apply for you assuming the trends at club continue?

I’d re-evaluate taking Bair over him but I don’t think I’d consider Ugbo unless one of David/Larin was missing. The thought of taking Bair over Cavallini would be based on their profiles - apparently Bair is a bit more gritty now? That would win me over but if he has the same tenacity as before then no thanks, I’ll take Cava again. 

[Ottawafan]

We need to incorporate new talent into the fold.  Pass on Cav.

[narduch]

If we need a goal late, I would rather bring on Shaffelburg.

[Stryker911]

I posted the stats awhile ago, but the team stats with him on/off the field are wild. Through 9 games he has played 498 minutes or 61% of total minutes and the teams goal difference is -3. in the remaining 39% they are -14. he is pretty clearly making a difference for the team.

 

 

[Obinna]

37 minutes ago, Stryker911 said:

I posted the stats awhile ago, but the team stats with him on/off the field are wild. Through 9 games he has played 498 minutes or 61% of total minutes and the teams goal difference is -3. in the remaining 39% they are -14. he is pretty clearly making a difference for the team.

 

 

This is probably something the national team considers. Even if they don't measure it like this, I am sure they feel it and sense it. Cavallini is an impact player, goals or no goals. I like what Ugbo and Bair are doing, but if they aren't scoring what are they doing for the team? Are they impacting the game. Bair may have changed, but I am not sure Ugbo has. In truth, neither likely impacts the team the way Cavallini does.

I predict he will get called once again and some will lament the missed opportunity to get younger and/or bring guys in form. 

I think we see something similar with Brym but for different reasons. Cavallini impacts the game with his precense and physicality. Brym however gets by on his ability to link play and generate chances. It doesn't come off and he's not much of a finisher at the national team level, but I suspect he trains well and so he gets his calls and occassionally he gets chances to take what he shows in practice onto the field.