Obinna Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Well oh well ... looks like the race for striker call-ups is certainly heating up! This weekend Ricketts has scored... REB has scored... Cavallini had a brace...... and Tesho had a Hatty! Now when you factor in Jackson-Hamel (who is looking quite good despite not scoring) and everyones favourite young striker prospect - Jordan Hamilton - who is already earning minutes in Portugal's second tier, we certainly have the makings for some exciting call-up predictions up front! Here are things as I see them: STRIKERS Akendele - We GOT to get this guy in camp. I don't think anyone here disagrees. He now has 7 goals in 16 games and is on pace to win MLS rookie of the year! Cavallini - This brace along with his pre-season scoring should put to rest any unease after his disappointing loan last season. I don't know what has changed with him or Fenix, but he looks poised to replicate his form at Juventud which saw him pot 10 goals in 25 matches. I'd say now is the perfect time for Floro to bring him back into the mix! Ricketts - Normally I am not too high on this guy, but lets face it - he deserves a call this time around. His move to Israel does not appear too impressive at first glance, but Hapoel Hafia has won a championship as recently as 09-10, and he isn't the only international in the squad. That means nothing if he is not scoring, but his cup goal suggests he his scoring exploits in the Turkish second flight will continue in Israel. Oh, and he's super fast. REB - Again, speed kills and we could certainly use some against the likes of Jamaica. The cup goal against BVB Dortmund aside, he has been getting some pretty good minutes during his time at Stuttgarter Kickers. Playing in the German Liga 3 is not ideal, but we all know his ceiling is higher. I am much more inclined to bring him in right now than Simeon Jackson, who really needs to get himself sorted out. Jackson-Hamel - Between him, Hamilton, and Larin, I am going with this guy. We have only seen him in MLS a few times but he has looked very dangerous by all accounts. Larin has already had a taste of the CMNT and Hamilton's time will come, he is only 18 after all. MIDFIELD Osorio - No brainer for me. The kid is a starting midfielder on a play-off quality MLS team. He can play in multiple positions and his propensity for penetrating balls is a quality we sorely lack. There has been no sophomore slump with this kid and I think we can expect him to either be a starter, or a first option off the bench moving forward. Hutchinson - Easily our most talented player. Not much to really say that we all don't already know. If we are calling an A team he needs to be a part of it. Although he is 31 he will play a big role in 2018 WCQ. Teibert - Quietly having another decent season even if he is not filling up the stat sheet like last year. Like Osorio he is young, has a good engine, and has great feet. He is even more versatile than Osorio if you ask me, since he can play as a deep lying midfielder or as a wingback if need be. He gives us flexibility and I see no reason why he won't be called in. De Guzman - As far as defensive midfielders go, he remains one of our best options, despite the fact that he has exited his prime several years ago. I expect he will play a small part in our next qualifying campaign, filling in the gaps if/when needed. For now though, he will be very important in bridging the gap as he brings tremendous experience to the group. Johnson's absence makes him particularly important for this date. Petrasso - I think it is time to bring this guy into the fold now. He is 19 and looks set to embark on a third loan spell in England's league one. Certainly he is one of the most experienced and talented teenagers in our pool, and he has the qualities we need - namely the ability to beat players out wide on the flanks. Arid - I haven't seen much of him, but from what I have read his skill set is very similar to Petrasso's. Again, I am all in favour of bringing in young energetic wingers, especially when they are still 19 and getting minutes for Rangers FC. Calling him will give us an idea of where he stands. Before we know it GC will be here so let's get him integrated now (if he wants to play). Issey - I debated between him and Aleman but in the end I opted for experience. I don't know what is going on with him lately, but he certainly started the MLS season well. Issey brings some flair to the wings and gives us a different look than Petrasso or Arid or REB if he drops into a wide midfield role. Aleman hasn't played for his club in Costa Rica yet, so lets see what he can do there (and in CCL) first. DEFENSE De Jong - Should be our starting LB with Morgan's meteoric fall from grace. When healthy he is more than respectable in comparison to other CONCACAF left backs. He is in his prime and needs to be a part of the group moving forward. Edgar - It's still early but he just might find himself as one of Birmingham City's starting CM this season. That being said, I think for us he will be best in his customary CB role. That is his natural position and we need his leadership qualities back there. However, it is good to know we can slot him into a DM role if required. Henry - For me this should be Edgar's partner in the back. He provides the mobility and athleticism and also the offensive threat off corners. I also think Edgar will have a "Caldwell" affect on him back there. Hainault - has been getting some pretty consistent minutes at the 2.Bundesliga level for a while now, and as long as he is getting game time as a CB I think he deserves to be in our squad. I would be okay with him paired with Edgar but I would feel less secure with a Hainault - Henry pairing for two reasons - distribution and leadership. Andrew is not terrible at either but surely these are not his strengths if you ask me. Jakovic - Has pretty much been a J-league starter all season, which merits a call up all on it's own. Throw in the fact that he's been playing RB all year and I think his case strengthens. Furthermore he can effortlessly slide into CB. I want him in the squad. Ledgerwood - Our defacto starting RB who strangely seems to only play CM at the club level. He has been unspectacularly adequate as a right back for us, but the fact that he has been our RB for so long I cannot see him not getting called in. If Jakovic can steal that RB from him all the better, but it is his to lose. I would feel pretty good about having an experienced player like him as our back up RB moving forward. Tissot - Has had a great MLS season so far despite not earning a starting role yet. He has managed to pot in a few goals and get involved in the attack for Montreal and has even played further up field. With Morgan lacking any game action and Adekugbe still being 19, my vote is for Tissot as de Jong's back up. Besides, he hasn't been called by Canada at any level, so it's time for him to get involved. Ouimette - A month ago I would of felt a lot better about including him but I reluctantly do so now. He had a nice run of starting at CB this MLS season, but has moved from starter to bench to not dressing it seems. Is he healthy? If so bringing him in to get more CMNT experience would be great. If not, than I would imagine Stanese or Straith would be next in line. KEEPER Lars - yes he is 35 and yes he lost his starting job in Norway but he has been our number 1 for so long and I think we can still use his experience. Borjan - we all wait until the day he takes the no. 1 shirt once and for all. He has the distribution, shot stopping ability, and charisma between the pipes that we all love, but the fact remains that he is currently without a club. I was hoping the Blackpool or Wigan links would go somewhere but they never. Could be a good time for him to come in and stay fit at least. Stama - seems to be our Nick Rimando. Older experienced third choice keeper type. We could call one of our young promising teenage keepers, or perhaps Roberto Stillo, but I actually think that over the last 6 months or so, he has been getting the most minutes of any keeper in our program. He might just be the starter for this one based on sharpness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bully Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 What I expect to see: -------------------Edwini-Bonsu-----------Akindele-------------------------------- Issey-----------------Hutch-----------------Osorio--------------------------Teibert De Jong------------Edgar-----------------Henry-------------------Ledgerwood ------------------------------------Borjan--------------------------------------------- What i'd like to see: --------------------Cavallini-------------Akindele-------------------- Petrasso-----------Hutch---------------Osorio--------------Hoilett De Jong------------Edgar---------------Henry-----------Ledgerwood ---------------------------------Borjan--------------------------------- Sub in Teibert, Aird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruffian Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Jackson-Hamel - Between him, Hamilton, and Larin, I am going with this guy. We have only seen him in MLS a few times but he has looked very dangerous by all accounts. Larin has already had a taste of the CMNT and Hamilton's time will come, he is only 18 after all. I would add Caleb Clarke into this group as an option for striker, but I believe he may be injured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruffian Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 One person missing from this list was Simeon Jackson. I guess he had no team so that potentially takes him out of contention, but now I just read he has been signed by Coventry City. Probably still isn't in good enough form to play for the National team. He also doesn't have the distinction of being in a top league any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addona Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Was someone reporting that Atiba is injured?! I can't find anymore info on this anywhere ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I am hoping to see at least one of Hoillet, Vitoria or Ferreira. BTW, I watched Ferreira play vs. Benfica yesterday. Looked okay considering the opposition. The announcers said he was a good prospect. Vitoria didn't play for Benfica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David C. Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Given that this is a single match, I wonder how Florio will approach his selections. I may be wrong but don't see him bringing in a lot of players from overseas, for just one match, especially those who he saw in May (and are with new clubs this Fall). I see a North American/MLS heavy lineup, maybe with a few others that didn't participate in the May friendlies added in for a look-see. I also suspect that we'll see an obvious/senior starting-11 called, with young/U-23/U-20 players brought in to fill the bench, similar to what he did in May. I really liked that approach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFC07 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 What happened to Will Johnson? Is he done with Canada? I predict we will see heavy presence of MLS players and couple of players overseas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 I never considered Caleb Clarke in that list of young strikers because he is injured. Otherwise I would have. For Simeon Jackson it is too little too late this time around. In the lead up to next camp he might be playing well and scoring and earn his way back on. For now though I would rather reward Ricketts who presumably had a full preseason at Hapoel. He also scored in our last match against Moldova. Regarding Hoilett/Ferreira/Vitoria, there is no indication that either wants to play for us, so I am not expecting anything. If the soccer gods want to surprise me then great, but otherwise I am filing these three under "fantasy". Ditto for Ethan Finlay btw. Hutchinson? I hope he is not injured. That would be too bad. Johnson is not done with Canada but he has some sort of family commitment and already declared himself unavailable for this match in an interview. I believe his wife is expected to give birth on that day or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruffian Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I am hoping to see at least one of Hoillet, Vitoria or Ferreira. I do not think we should ever call up Steven Vitória. It is much too late in his career to change allegiance to Canada. He chose Portugal and he has had a decent career there. He is not even getting much playing time at Benfica. He has only made one appearance in over a year, so he is not really in a position to be considered for starting on the national team. He would have been a good CB for the Canadian team if he had chosen us, but since he will be nearly 32 when the next world cup comes, I think he is not an option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 ^ I used to think this way, but we need all the help we can get. Sure, Vitoria has not seen much action for Benfica and needs a move, but he was a good player at Estoril. Good enough to be bought by Benfica. He will be 31 in 2018 and in his prime. Is he a sure starter? No, but he could certainly help us in case of injury or lack of development of Henry, Farmer and Gasporotto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 Disregarding the philosophical reasons not to call him for a second, we should recognize that he is good enough to be an option if we're being honest. He only has 1 appearance for Benfica but lets see what happens this season. Brazilian centre back Sidnei played for Benfica B and was subsequently loaned out to Espanyol in La Liga. Recall that he did generate interest from clubs like Deportivo when he was at Estoril. That being said, I am happy with our CB options and I don't think we need to beg such a guy to play for us. Even if he decided to join I don't know if he'd be ahead of Edgar, Henry or Hainault to be honest, but certainly he'd be in the mix. He is the same age as Edgar by the way and a year younger than Hainault, so by 2018 he will be in the tail end of his prime as Ivan points out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruffian Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I think Atiba Hutchinson will have to be removed from the list for this game. It seems he has been injured according to Turkish Reports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmonte Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 For all we know, they've rang Vitoria's phone almost every time, and he finally just said "okay, know what? Just do me a favor and lose my number" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpg75 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I am hoping to see at least one of Hoillet, Vitoria or Ferreira. BTW, I watched Ferreira play vs. Benfica yesterday. Looked okay considering the opposition. The announcers said he was a good prospect. Vitoria didn't play for Benfica. Noticed on zerozero that Ferreira has been loaned out to Pacos de Ferreira. The Portuguese have a couple of really good CB prospects ahead of him for this U23 cycle so he may eventually get discouraged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shermanator Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Sounds like Akindele is on the radar.... Daniel Squizzato@DanielSquizzato1 hr For those wondering about Tesho Akindele vis-a-vis #CanMNT, he *is* in the team’s plans for this fall, I’ve been told. Daniel Squizzato@DanielSquizzato1 hr But keep in mind, FCD has crucial conference games on Sept. 6 and 13 (no MLS break for friendly), so that may affect Sept. 9 #CanMNT game. Daniel Squizzato@DanielSquizzato1 hr @KCJonze Ha, glad I could be of service. Note my next tweet though, re: Sept. 9 game. Either way, Floro has eyes on the kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrennanFan Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Kid should be dying to earn his first cap for his country in a home friendly. If he rejects a call up because of an FC Dallas regular season game, I would be very disappointed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruffian Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Kid should be dying to earn his first cap for his country in a home friendly. If he rejects a call up because of an FC Dallas regular season game, I would be very disappointed. Sometimes it is not his choice. He can get a lot of pressure from his club team to stay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red and White Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I'd be disappointed if he isn't there, but Dallas will have two key games at that time, as they fight for playoff positioning. We'll be playing a friendly which, beyond FIFA rankings, isn't significant. As tough a choice it is, he would have more incentive to help his club finish the season strongly. He seems to have established himself well with Dallas, but why risk losing your position with the team for a friendly? It's better for Canada if he continues to perform with Dallas anyway. As long as he's committed to us, missing this friendly is disappointing, but understandable to me. Cases like this are exactly why MLS needs to respect the FIFA calendar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpg75 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I thought after the game in Vancouver it had been established (from Akindele's own mouth) that the CSA was in contact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 The problem I see with Akendele is that he plays Saturday night in Salt Lake, then Sunday morning he'd have to fly out to Toronto. He will then miss NT training on Sunday but should be okay for training on Monday, the day before the game. Will Benito want to call him in considering he will only have 1 day with the group before the game? He will almost surely come off the bench considering all of this. The next FCD game is at home the following Saturday against Vancouver. How many training sessions will he really miss? One maybe? Two at the most. Dallas would probably resume training on Monday, then he would arrive in Texas on Tuesday and likely miss that session as well, but Wednesday training should be no problem. On the flip side, Je-Vaughn Watson has the exact same issues to deal with. I believe he is a starter with FCD also no? If he plays at BMO and we don't see Tesho I am not gonna be too happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnyb Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Kid should be dying to earn his first cap for his country in a home friendly. If he rejects a call up because of an FC Dallas regular season game, I would be very disappointed. I'd give him a pass on this one. Rookie of the year candidate missing a friendly to play two important games for his Club. As ruffian said their would be alot of Pressure to stay. I'll definetly be nervous about losing him until he's capped though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 I'd give him a pass on this one. Rookie of the year candidate missing a friendly to play two important games for his Club. As ruffian said their would be alot of Pressure to stay. I'll definetly be nervous about losing him until he's capped though. He technical should have no problem playing either club game as I pointed out in the post above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoccerJedi Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I'd give him a pass on this one. Rookie of the year candidate missing a friendly to play two important games for his Club. As ruffian said their would be alot of Pressure to stay. I'll definetly be nervous about losing him until he's capped though. For what it's worth, FC Dallas coach Oscar Pareja is on record basically saying the CSA would be crazy not to call him up in September. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red and White Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 He technical should have no problem playing either club game as I pointed out in the post above. Wouldn't fatigue from travel and extra training / game time be an issue? If he can pull it off, great. It would be amazing for us to have him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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