Mark-Anthony Kaye

[anthony7]

3 hours ago, Obinna said:

And Choniere had just 5 goals and 5 assists, yet some people act as if Oso getting picked ahead of him is some great injustice. Yes Choniere is on the come up and yes he had a career year and yes Oso had a challenging year despite the stats, but he also has 70 caps to Choniere's 1. I don't get the surprise and shock. 

I love that Mathieu finally broke out and got his cap. It was overdue by a few seasons, but he's still just 24. His best years are ahead and there is plenty of time for him to take over for Oso. I don't get why some people feel rushed over this happening immediately. It will happen naturally in due course. 

The stats don’t tell the true story. It’s the player overall. You mentioned Oso’s ball retention but for most of last season he would give the ball away. Rewatch Chicago Fire’s last minute goal due to Oso’s numerous giveaways. His body language is also very poor. Kerr(my myp cause Lareya left) would make a mistake and Oso would wave his arms and bitch. As if his passes or touches weren’t miles worse. Alot, of Oso’s goals are gifts like the ones presented to him against Cincinnati. Lastly, when Oso gets injured he tends to miss plenty of time but always seems ready just in time for Canada camp. Is that really a true professional who deserves a spot? You got an MLS all star in Choinere and Ahmed who are hungry and looking for an opportunity.

Ahmed was our MVP at the gold cup. Guy was a breath of fresh air. Running at players, taking players on 1v1 and just making things happen. Why is he not getting ANY minutes with the national team right now? We could start molding him into a number 10. Something that Canada does not have. Your logic that Choinere is only 24 and still has time is type of logic that is holding the country back and why we will never succeed.

Look at the U.S.A, you got 13-14 guys playing in tier 1 leagues and ALOT of them are in the age range of 20-23. Guys at young ages making there mark on the national team. The U.S.A are on the right path to win the World Cup in 2026. They got there number 9 in Balogun. As long they continue to grow and pick up young dual nationals along the way like Koleosho, they will be on track to succeed come 2026.

Guys like Vitoria and Borjan should have been phased out already. Those two will mostly cost us tomorrow. We got young guys with potential to go to Europe in Kerr, Ahmed and Choinere but are not being eased into the team. While guys like Oso who will never go to Europe is taking spots from young guys without earning it. It’s pathetic and why the only thing this country will celebrate is being 1st in World Cup qualifying. Which means nothing because 4th place gives you an opportunity to go to the World Cup as well.

Edited November 20, 2023 by anthony7

[RS]

19 minutes ago, anthony7 said:

Ahmed was our MVP at the gold cup. Guy was a breath of fresh air. Running at players, taking players on 1v1 and just making things happen. Why is he not with the national team right now?

At the risk of being accused of "dozing through a long detailed post" to "cough, bristle and shake off the frost" by another poster on here, Ahmed is 100% with the national team right now.

For someone making such impassioned arguments, you might want to get some basic facts correct.

[anthony7]

4 minutes ago, RS said:

At the risk of being accused of "dozing through a long detailed post" to "cough, bristles and shake off the frost" by another poster on here, Ahmed is 100% with the national team right now.

For someone making such impassioned arguments, you might want to get some basic facts correct.

Sorry, why is he not getting ANY minutes.

Edited November 20, 2023 by anthony7

[RS]

Just now, anthony7 said:

Sorry, why is he not involved minutes wise?

I actually agree he should have seen time in the match in Kingston. I even said as much in another thread.

What I managed to do was not denigrate multiple other national team players in the process.

[CanadaFan123]

5 minutes ago, anthony7 said:

Sorry, why is he not getting ANY minutes.

It’s been one match and we have a deep squad. Given that was his first CONCACAF away experience I can see why others were preferred. Expect him to get some time in the 2nd leg.

[Obinna]

18 minutes ago, anthony7 said:

The stats don’t tell the true story. It’s the player overall. You mentioned Oso’s ball retention but for most of last season he would give the ball away. Rewatch Chicago Fire’s last minute goal due to Oso’s numerous giveaways. His body language is also very poor. Kerr(my myp cause Lareya left) would make a mistake and Oso would wave his arms and bitch. As if his passes or touches weren’t miles worse. Alot, of Oso’s goals are gifts like the ones presented to him against Cincinnati. Lastly, when Oso gets injured he tends to miss plenty of time but always seems ready just in time for Canada camp. Is that really a true professional who deserves a spot? You got an MLS all star in Choinere and Ahmed who are hungry and looking for an opportunity.

Ahmed was our MVP at the gold cup. Guy was a breath of fresh air. Running at players, taking players on 1v1 and just making things happen. Why is he not with the national team right now? We could start molding him into a number 10. Something that Canada does not have. Your logic that Choinere is only 24 and still has time is type of logic that is holding the country back and why we will never succeed.

Look at the U.S.A, you got 13-14 guys playing in tier 1 leagues and ALOT of them are in the age range of 20-23. Guys at young ages making there mark on the national team. The U.S.A are on the right path to win the World Cup in 2026. They got there number 9 in Balogun. As long they continue to grow and pick up young dual nationals along the way like Koleosho, they will be on track to succeed come 2026.

Guys like Vitoria and Borjan should have been phased out already. Those two will mostly cost us tomorrow. We got young guys with potential to go to Europe in Kerr, Ahmed and Choinere but are not being eased into the team. While guys like Oso who will never go to Europe is taking spots from young guys without earning it. It’s pathetic and why the only thing this country will celebrate is being 1st in World Cup qualifying. Which means nothing because 4th place gives you an opportunity to go to the World Cup as well.

You lost me when you said USA are on the right path to win the World Cup in 2026.

Even the most optimistic of USA fans wouldn't say that. On paper they are stronger than ever, but most serious analysts of the USMNT would say QF is the expectation in 2026.

Honestly dude, at this point it just sounds like you have chosen Osorio to be your whipping by (for whatever reason).

A lot of your criticisms of him are valid, such as the poor league play (for his standard) and (at times) the negative body language (I noticed that too), but your claims that he isn't a true professional are just sour grapes and can't be taken seriously at all (no offense).

Think about it, if Osorio is missing plenty of time with his club and still getting called into Canada, obviously he has value to the team. And how is that his fault for being selected? Why would that put his professionalism in question? I don't follow your logic here. 

And his goals are nothing but gifts....yet he obviously had to be in the right place at the right time to put the ball in.

Again, I am all for Ahmed and Choniere getting more looks, but both have gotten capped this year already, so maybe consider putting your pitchfork back down and taking a deep breath?

[anthony7]

46 minutes ago, RS said:

I actually agree he should have seen time in the match in Kingston. I even said as much in another thread.

What I managed to do was not denigrate multiple other national team players in the process.

Sorry, but how is spitting facts denigrating? 

Edited November 20, 2023 by anthony7

[Obinna]

Just now, anthony7 said:

How is spitting facts denigrating? 

 

1 hour ago, anthony7 said:

Lastly, when Oso gets injured he tends to miss plenty of time but always seems ready just in time for Canada camp. Is that really a true professional who deserves a spot? You got an MLS all star in Choinere and Ahmed who are hungry and looking for an opportunity.

 

 

[rkomar]

On 11/19/2023 at 4:45 PM, anthony7 said:

What will be interesting is Herdman’s relationship with Osorio. Oso has not been good enough for TFC this year and did not deserve to be called up for the Nations league in the summer. Specifically, in the final, he got absolutely torched by Reyna and bullied by Weah. Yesterday, against Jamaica he was poor as well. He is presumed to be TFC’s captain next season. Will Herdman be as blunt with Oso or will he show favouritism? Oso is too slow to be the main man in TFC’s midfield. He especially doesn’t deserve Canada call ups. Look on social media and you’ll see the displeasure of most fans with his inclusion. lt’s pure favouritism at this point. Guys like Ahmed & Choiniere have had great seasons and are more influential but get no recognition.

I remember a couple of years ago when Herdman was running the show that the team had a system where the formation could be changed on the fly based on signals from a few "generals" on the field.  The generals had to be smart enough to recognize what formation was needed, and trusted to get it right.  Oso, Atiba and probably Vitoria were a few of those generals.  It's a complicated job that needs some serious studying and confidence to pull off.  So, you can't just slot anybody into those positions.  That's why we still see these players on the field, even though many here think they are washed up and should be replaced by some newbies.  Until their replacements are also trained and trusted to be the generals, we are going to keep seeing them or regress to a more static system.

[jonovision]

Osorio at this stage of his career is a frustrating player to watch because his physical attributes are beginning to desert him. But he still has loads of talent and skill. You will recall that he was key in two of the most important goals in qualifying (scoring at Azteca, deft pass to set up the first goal vs USA in Hamilton). He is no longer the kind of player that can press for 90 minutes, but work rate and fitness were never his strengths. Lots of top players aren't the fittest.

What Canada coaches have to assess is what is the game situation where the chance of a moment of brilliance is worth the risk of a player with his obvious shortcomings. For me, the calculus won't be in his favour much longer.

[anthony7]

2 hours ago, Obinna said:

 

 

 

How is this wrong. Oso has done this shit many times. When you’re on 1.4 million a year and you decide to come back to work when it’s convenient isn’t the sign of true professional. Oso should have given up his spot to someone more deserving like Choinere, an MLS All Star something Oso has never been in his 10 year MLS career. If Oso’s not in good form or fit, he should not be selfish. Look at Doniel Henry, giving his World Cup spot to Waterman who was more deserving. That is an example of being a true professional. Putting the team’s best interests ahead of your own.

Edited November 21, 2023 by anthony7

[anthony7]

2 hours ago, jonovision said:

Osorio at this stage of his career is a frustrating player to watch because his physical attributes are beginning to desert him. But he still has loads of talent and skill. You will recall that he was key in two of the most important goals in qualifying (scoring at Azteca, deft pass to set up the first goal vs USA in Hamilton). He is no longer the kind of player that can press for 90 minutes, but work rate and fitness were never his strengths. Lots of top players aren't the fittest.

What Canada coaches have to assess is what is the game situation where the chance of a moment of brilliance is worth the risk of a player with his obvious shortcomings. For me, the calculus won't be in his favour much longer.

It shouldn’t be in his favour at all anymore. This idea of keeping a player for ‘a moment of brilliance’ is stupid. It’s the same logic Alex Ferguson used when removing Berbatov(my favourite player of all time) from the UCL final squad in 2011. Berbatov was the top scorer in the epl and in his prime but Ferguson opted to place Owen on the bench for ‘a moment of brilliance’ even though he was completely washed.

Edited November 21, 2023 by anthony7

[Obinna]

41 minutes ago, anthony7 said:

How is this wrong. Oso has done this shit many times. When you’re on 1.4 million a year and you decide to come back to work when it’s convenient isn’t the sign of true professional. Oso should have given up his spot to someone more deserving like Choinere, an MLS All Star something Oso has never been in his 10 year MLS career. If Oso’s not in good form or fit, he should not be selfish. Look at Doniel Henry, giving his World Cup spot to Waterman who was more deserving. That is an example of being a true professional. Putting the team’s best interests ahead of your own.

Where do I start?

First, this idea of Oso being selfish and unprofessional is your own personal opinion, backed up by nothing concrete. Meanwhile, the preponderance of coaches and players he's worked with have nothing but good things to say about him. Has anyone gone on the record saying Oso is unprofessional and selfish? If so please share. If not, excuse me if I don't take you seriously. You didn't even know that Ahmed was on the squad and you claimed the USA are on the path to win the world cup. You aren't exactly winning me over (or anyone else) with compelling arguments.

Secondly, why would a healthy Osorio give up his spot to Choniere or anyone else? This is the national team, not a charity. 

Thirdly, the coaching staff (in their infinite wisdom) decided they wanted Oso instead of Choniere. It is what it is.

Choniere has very limited experience and we are playing matches where experiencing is being prioritized over potential. And so far it is working. We are on track to qualify.

Hopefully Ahmed gets minutes tomorrow and hopefully we can get another camp before March so players like Choniere can get more seasoning.

Cheers!

[SoccMan]

1 hour ago, anthony7 said:

How is this wrong. Oso has done this shit many times. When you’re on 1.4 million a year and you decide to come back to work when it’s convenient isn’t the sign of true professional. Oso should have given up his spot to someone more deserving like Choinere, an MLS All Star something Oso has never been in his 10 year MLS career. If Oso’s not in good form or fit, he should not be selfish. Look at Doniel Henry, giving his World Cup spot to Waterman who was more deserving. That is an example of being a true professional. Putting the team’s best interests ahead of your own.

Henry was injured he did not just give up his spot on the World Cup team , where are you getting this stuff from , stop making shit up ! The coaches will eventually know when a player is no longer an asset to a team , however , unfortunately for you Osorio is still a player with value to TFC and our national team , and again saying that Osorio was faking an injury and only came back to TFC when he wanted to and not because of an injury is total BS , like I said stop making shit up please !

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, anthony7 said:

It shouldn’t be in his favour at all anymore. This idea of keeping a player for a moment of brilliance is stupid. It’s the same logic Alex Ferguson used eliminating Berbatov(my favourite player of all time) from the UCL final squad in 2011. Berbatov was the top scorer in the epl and in his prime but Ferguson opted to place Owen on the bench for ‘a moment of brilliance’ even though he was completely washed.

@rkomar said it best. Oso, Vitoria and Borjan are part of the leadership group in this team. If you have played with any competitive senior team you'll know it can be a mix of old guys on their way out and young guys breaking in. The young guys (or guys in their prime) often carry the team but the old heads guide the team on and off the field and set the team culture. That's team sports in general and it's not limited to the pro game or the game of soccer.

Again, these guys will be transitioned out soon enough. Have more patience it will come soon.

[El Hombre]

4 hours ago, anthony7 said:

The U.S.A are on the right path to win the World Cup in 2026.

#FreezingColdTake

 

[dyslexic nam]

17 hours ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

We really need them, so I am desperate for both Ahmed and Choniere to get chances and push on.  Beyond the big two (or the big 1.5, considering Kone's club struggles) Loturi and Paton are the only central midfielder in Europe. Correct?

(Is it crazy to try Laryea in there?) 

I will say, however, we do suffer from a common thing in football when your team is struggling a little - the less a guy plays seemingly the better he gets.

I am not as down on our midfield depth as some - I think it is in pretty decent shape.  Staq is absolutely elite and is probably around for at least 2 more cycles - and possibly more given his ridiculous fitness levels.  And despite not being everyone’s favourite, MAK will be around for one more cycle and will likely be a perfectly fine mid for us.  Kone is obviously around for multiple cycles and I am confident he will continue to evolve and improve.  I see Choiniere as a natural replacement for Oso - even insofar as he may continue to prove that a high levels MLS midfielder can be an effective international player.   I honestly think he can be everything that Oso has been for us.  Ahmed is showing signs that he will be able to play at this level effectively.  Loturi is still quite young and could absolutely become a solid player for us.   I don’t follow Paton much but I see him mentioned in the mix so he at be another option as well.  Hell, even Sam Piette is still around for 2026 consideration and has always been there when we needed him.   

They may not have the collective pedigree of our attacking players but for me, those are solid options.  It isn’t like our CB pool where going forward we are largely scraping together an assembly of middling MLSers - there is genuine quality in the mid pool   One absolutely elite player, a couple of MLs veterans, and a couple young(ish) prospects who seem to be on track for better things - along with a supporting case of possibilities.   That is a pretty solid group IMO, and only looks dubious when we compare it to the unparalleled quality in our current attacking group.  
 

[Obinna]

4 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said:

I am not as down on our midfield depth as some - I think it is in pretty decent shape.  Staq is absolutely elite and is probably around for at least 2 more cycles - and possibly more given his ridiculous fitness levels.  And despite not being everyone’s favourite, MAK will be around for one more cycle and will likely be a perfectly fine mid for us.  Kone is obviously around for multiple cycles and I am confident he will continue to evolve and improve.  I see Choiniere as a natural replacement for Oso - even insofar as he may continue to prove that a high levels MLS midfielder can be an effective international player.   I honestly think he can be everything that Oso has been for us.  Ahmed is showing signs that he will be able to play at this level effectively.  Loturi is still quite young and could absolutely become a solid player for us.   I don’t follow Paton much but I see him mentioned in the mix so he at be another option as well.  Hell, even Sam Piette is still around for 2026 consideration and has always been there when we needed him.   

They may not have the collective pedigree of our attacking players but for me, those are solid options.  It isn’t like our CB pool where going forward we are largely scraping together an assembly of middling MLSers - there is genuine quality in the mid pool   One absolutely elite player, a couple of MLs veterans, and a couple young(ish) prospects who seem to be on track for better things - along with a supporting case of possibilities.   That is a pretty solid group IMO, and only looks dubious when we compare it to the unparalleled quality in our current attacking group.  
 

Yeah I think we are quietly building depth in this part of the field, which is great. The only thing I would nitpick here is your comment about our CB pool and how we are scraping together an assembly of middling MLSers.

We have Heibert, Waterman, McNaugton, Miller, and McGraw - plus Cornelius, Zator and Kennedy. If we want to call those first 5 players middling MLSers I am fine with that. Miller is on the higher end, Heibert is on the lower end, but all of them are starters for the most part, so middling MLSers is probably fair if we want to classify them on the whole. 

My contention would be that Osorio, Piette, Choniere, Ahmed and Kaye are the same class of MLSer, just in a different position (at least for me). I don't see a big difference.

They actually compare quite well...

Choniere got an All-Star nod in 2023. Miller got an All-Star nod in 2022. Both were commissioner picks IIRC

Oso, Piette and Kaye are MLS veterans. Waterman, McNaugton and McGraw are more green, but all start for their clubs, at least most of the time. Ahmed is an occassional starter with a very high ceiling. Heibert is a more regular starter but often is shifted to LB. 

All of this is for me to say that our CB pool is (almost) in just as good shape as our CM pool - in terms of depth.

We have two high end players in the CM pool with Eustaquio and Kone, although Kone needs to find more consistencey. At CB we have no high end players, although LDF could maybe get there. I also forgot to mention Fraser here who is part of the CM pool too.

Both positions are still our weakest, but depth is slowly building in both and the outlook looks less grim than even a year ago with players like Ahmed and McGraw basically coming out of nowhere. Choniere and MacNaughton stepping up a level. And then Paton was able to salvage a career that was headed for derailment. Fast forward a year and we are in a much better spot. 

[grigorio]

33 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said:

I am not as down on our midfield depth as some - I think it is in pretty decent shape.  Staq is absolutely elite and is probably around for at least 2 more cycles - and possibly more given his ridiculous fitness levels.  

The issue here is he's also sort of injury prone and when he's not available for an international window, we're pretty well rudderless. Especially given Atiba's retirement. If say Staq isn't available, Kone is in a rough patch, Oso/MAK are fading we're paper thin in a hurry and can't hang in games of any substance. 

[Obinna]

4 minutes ago, grigorio said:

The issue here is he's also sort of injury prone and when he's not available for an international window, we're pretty well rudderless. Especially given Atiba's retirement. If say Staq isn't available, Kone is in a rough patch, Oso/MAK are fading we're paper thin in a hurry and can't hang in games of any substance. 

This is where I think we need Hoilett (who I forgot in my last post). Like Oso and MAK he's fading and he's older than both. But I also think he's going to outlast both of them in terms of his usefulness. So smart on the ball with tons of experience. Obviously he's a placeholder like the others, not a long term solution, but for me the best of the bunch.

[dyslexic nam]

28 minutes ago, grigorio said:

The issue here is he's also sort of injury prone and when he's not available for an international window, we're pretty well rudderless. Especially given Atiba's retirement. If say Staq isn't available, Kone is in a rough patch, Oso/MAK are fading we're paper thin in a hurry and can't hang in games of any substance. 

I don’t think if Staq as particularly injury prone and I think MAK still has a full cycle left so I am not worried abbot him fading yet (in the same way we are seeing it happen with Oso - with all due respect to the player).  

You are essentially saying that if all 3 of our first choice CMs are not available/performing, we are in a bit of trouble.  I think you can do that exercise anywhere on the field and come to the same conclusion.  Up front take Larin, David and ?? out of our striker pool and see what we have left.  Would you want Cav, Ugbo and Brym as your core attacking players going into an important game?  Take Vitoria, Miller and Cornelius out of our CB pool and I am way less confident in our starting defensive lineup.  It is only out wide, where we have an unprecedented abundance of riches that we are still in decent shape if you take Davies, Tajon and Richie out of our attacking, and even then you have Millar, Adekugbe and a few others like Nelson etc that are still relatively unproven.   

[dyslexic nam]

50 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Yeah I think we are quietly building depth in this part of the field, which is great. The only thing I would nitpick here is your comment about our CB pool and how we are scraping together an assembly of middling MLSers.

We have Heibert, Waterman, McNaugton, Miller, and McGraw - plus Cornelius, Zator and Kennedy. If we want to call those first 5 players middling MLSers I am fine with that. Miller is on the higher end, Heibert is on the lower end, but all of them are starters for the most part, so middling MLSers is probably fair if we want to classify them on the whole. 

My contention would be that Osorio, Piette, Choniere, Ahmed and Kaye are the same class of MLSer, just in a different position (at least for me). I don't see a big difference.

They actually compare quite well...

Choniere got an All-Star nod in 2023. Miller got an All-Star nod in 2022. Both were commissioner picks IIRC

Oso, Piette and Kaye are MLS veterans. Waterman, McNaugton and McGraw are more green, but all start for their clubs, at least most of the time. Ahmed is an occassional starter with a very high ceiling. Heibert is a more regular starter but often is shifted to LB. 

All of this is for me to say that our CB pool is (almost) in just as good shape as our CM pool - in terms of depth.

We have two high end players in the CM pool with Eustaquio and Kone, although Kone needs to find more consistencey. At CB we have no high end players, although LDF could maybe get there. I also forgot to mention Fraser here who is part of the CM pool too.

Both positions are still our weakest, but depth is slowly building in both and the outlook looks less grim than even a year ago with players like Ahmed and McGraw basically coming out of nowhere. Choniere and MacNaughton stepping up a level. And then Paton was able to salvage a career that was headed for derailment. Fast forward a year and we are in a much better spot. 

For me it is the addition of Staq and Kone that makes things pretty different to the CB situation.  One is an elite player that I could see eventually at the very highest level.  The other is still, IMO, going to develop into a mid playing in a top 5 league.  He has all the tools.  For me that is a significant difference from the CB pool where we just don’t have that quality.  

If LDF gets capped and becomes the player we are all hoping for it changes things up but at this point I am still viewing him as an untested prospect.   That is the same in every part of the field where a player growing into his potential (or a dual nat committing) can change things quickly.   
 

[El Hombre]

1 hour ago, dyslexic nam said:

I am not as down on our midfield depth as some - I think it is in pretty decent shape.  Staq is absolutely elite and is probably around for at least 2 more cycles - and possibly more given his ridiculous fitness levels.  And despite not being everyone’s favourite, MAK will be around for one more cycle and will likely be a perfectly fine mid for us.  Kone is obviously around for multiple cycles and I am confident he will continue to evolve and improve.  I see Choiniere as a natural replacement for Oso - even insofar as he may continue to prove that a high levels MLS midfielder can be an effective international player.   I honestly think he can be everything that Oso has been for us.  Ahmed is showing signs that he will be able to play at this level effectively.  Loturi is still quite young and could absolutely become a solid player for us.   I don’t follow Paton much but I see him mentioned in the mix so he at be another option as well.  Hell, even Sam Piette is still around for 2026 consideration and has always been there when we needed him.   

They may not have the collective pedigree of our attacking players but for me, those are solid options.  It isn’t like our CB pool where going forward we are largely scraping together an assembly of middling MLSers - there is genuine quality in the mid pool   One absolutely elite player, a couple of MLs veterans, and a couple young(ish) prospects who seem to be on track for better things - along with a supporting case of possibilities.   That is a pretty solid group IMO, and only looks dubious when we compare it to the unparalleled quality in our current attacking group.  
 

In addition to what you wrote, we do have some coming through the pipeline:

Nathan Saliba - we'll see next season if he continues to get playing time or if he was just a Losada favorite, but he's the one I am highest on.  He had a helluva season this year.  He's also just a 2004.

Rida Zouhir - did quite well in the USL and was even up for an award.  Hopefully he can translate that into MLS minutes next year.

Gabriel Pellegrino - another 2004 who looked good with our youth team nut not sure how he's progressing with Freiburg these days.

Damiano Pecile - I had high hopes for him because he also looked great on the youth teams but is kinda lost in the Finnish wilderness.  A 2002 so there's still time to find a groove somewhere.

Then there are the unknowns like Lucas Dias, Jesse Costa, Bruno Davidson.

We don't yet have an heir apparent to Eustaquio's midfield general but they might appear over the next four years.  But we do have some quality coming through.

[InglewoodJack]

20 hours ago, Obinna said:

And Choniere had just 5 goals and 5 assists, yet some people act as if Oso getting picked ahead of him is some great injustice. Yes Choniere is on the come up and yes he had a career year and yes Oso had a challenging year despite the stats, but he also has 70 caps to Choniere's 1. I don't get the surprise and shock. 

I love that Mathieu finally broke out and got his cap. It was overdue by a few seasons, but he's still just 24. His best years are ahead and there is plenty of time for him to take over for Oso. I don't get why some people feel rushed over this happening immediately. It will happen naturally in due course. 

Not to mention, the decisions that look good on paper don’t always translate to the best roster making decisions in real life. We’re talking about Osorio over Choiniere being this great injustice, and sure- if things ended up differently and they picked Choiniere over Oso, I wouldn’t complain, but the reality is that Osorio is one of the team vets and Choiniere has played all of once for Canada. You don’t just prioritize a new guy over a team leader unless the gap between them is massive, which as much as people want to argue- it’s not. Choiniere took a big leap this year and Osorio isn’t at his peak, but the difference isn’t wide enough to make that swap. Same with Ahmed. Looked awesome at the gold cup, lots to be excited about, but he’s a guy who scored two goals, 1 assist this year, came off the bench 9 times, played for a much better team than MC and JO mind you. I just think you need to not only be better but a lot better than another starter to take his spot. Look at how Kone had to look to lock in that starting spot. 
 

This isn’t like Canada hockey where you can plug in any player that’s in good form because we have the most stacked talent pool in the world- we’re less privileged in soccer and that being the case means that you have to take into account roster construction and maintaining a relatively stability between windows so the team gels well together. The time for Choiniere and Ahmed will come, that I am certain of. It’s not now though.

 

Also, Oso is at 70 caps? Wouldn’t have thought it was that much, but that definitely makes sense. Just looked and Borjan is at 79, Oso at 70 and Piette at 67. I wonder who becomes our second 100 cap player. Borjan would have to be our permanent starter for another 3 years, so I’m inclined to think Osorio. 

[Obinna]

22 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

Also, Oso is at 70 caps? Wouldn’t have thought it was that much, but that definitely makes sense. Just looked and Borjan is at 79, Oso at 70 and Piette at 67. I wonder who becomes our second 100 cap player. Borjan would have to be our permanent starter for another 3 years, so I’m inclined to think Osorio. 

Great post btw but wanted to quickly talk about this part. I think about this often, actually. IF you asked me a year ago I would have said Osorio too, but lately I feel like Oso won't get to 100 period, let alone being the second player to get there.

Honestly, I think it's going to be Larin. He's already at 63 64 caps - just 7  6 behind Oso.

Edited November 21, 2023 by Obinna