Samuel Piette

[Obinna]

2 hours ago, Shway said:

Might be his last contract, as this one takes him to the age of 32. 

Does anyone think he’ll be around for the WC26?

I think he will be around and in general I think there'll be more holdovers from this cycle than people think.

That said, I don't know if Piette will make the 2026 squad, but I do think we take at least 1 of Osorio and Piette for the veteran midfielder role. I predict that Kaye will age out before Piette does, despite being the same age.

Eustaquio, meanwhile, could be our veteran midfielder and Osorio, Piette and Kaye could be finished, who knows. So hard to say at this time, but the thing making me lean toward Piette (and Osorio) sticking around is that I don't see anyone on the horizon (like Kone). I am not convinced the likes of Priso, Okello, Smith, Zouhir, Loturi, etc. will develop enough to overtake a 32 year old Piette or a 34 year old Osorio. I mean, hopefully they will and hopefully we have 4 or 5 unknown midfield studs come out of nowhere to join Kone and Eustaquio, but that may never happen.

[VinceA]

19 minutes ago, Obinna said:

I think he will be around and in general I think there'll be more holdovers from this cycle than people think.

That said, I don't know if Piette will make the 2026 squad, but I do think we take at least 1 of Osorio and Piette for the veteran midfielder role. I predict that Kaye will age out before Piette does, despite being the same age.

Eustaquio, meanwhile, could be our veteran midfielder and Osorio, Piette and Kaye could be finished, who knows. So hard to say at this time, but the thing making me lean toward Piette (and Osorio) sticking around is that I don't see anyone on the horizon (like Kone). I am not convinced the likes of Priso, Okello, Smith, Zouhir, Loturi, etc. will develop enough to overtake a 32 year old Piette or a 34 year old Osorio. I mean, hopefully they will and hopefully we have 4 or 5 unknown midfield studs come out of nowhere to join Kone and Eustaquio, but that may never happen.

I think Kaye's issue won't only be that he ages out (32 its not old at all! *sobs*) but he seems to be regressing as a player more and more and which will make him the most susceptible to getting usurped by a youngster.

[MauditYvon]

3 hours ago, Shway said:

Might be his last contract, as this one takes him to the age of 32. 

Does anyone think he’ll be around for the WC26?

He will sign another contract with the new CPL club in Laval. Coached by Dos Santos.

More seriously he will be 31 in 2026, probably have more than 100 caps for Canada and yes I see him in the picture.

Edited October 28, 2022 by MauditYvon

[Kadenge]

3 hours ago, Obinna said:

I think he will be around and in general I think there'll be more holdovers from this cycle than people think.

That said, I don't know if Piette will make the 2026 squad, but I do think we take at least 1 of Osorio and Piette for the veteran midfielder role. I predict that Kaye will age out before Piette does, despite being the same age.

Eustaquio, meanwhile, could be our veteran midfielder and Osorio, Piette and Kaye could be finished, who knows. So hard to say at this time, but the thing making me lean toward Piette (and Osorio) sticking around is that I don't see anyone on the horizon (like Kone). I am not convinced the likes of Priso, Okello, Smith, Zouhir, Loturi, etc. will develop enough to overtake a 32 year old Piette or a 34 year old Osorio. I mean, hopefully they will and hopefully we have 4 or 5 unknown midfield studs come out of nowhere to join Kone and Eustaquio, but that may never happen.

Well we didn't know Kone existed 1 yr ago and not many thought Tajon or Johnston would make our squad when preliminary WCQ started. I think we will continue to produce quality  forwards, mids, FBs and keepers. The issue  is our young CBs not developing and taking that next step up. I do agree that we will need some veterans on the team less we  look like Team USA

[Sal333]

3 hours ago, Obinna said:

I think he will be around and in general I think there'll be more holdovers from this cycle than people think.

That said, I don't know if Piette will make the 2026 squad, but I do think we take at least 1 of Osorio and Piette for the veteran midfielder role. I predict that Kaye will age out before Piette does, despite being the same age.

Eustaquio, meanwhile, could be our veteran midfielder and Osorio, Piette and Kaye could be finished, who knows. So hard to say at this time, but the thing making me lean toward Piette (and Osorio) sticking around is that I don't see anyone on the horizon (like Kone). I am not convinced the likes of Priso, Okello, Smith, Zouhir, Loturi, etc. will develop enough to overtake a 32 year old Piette or a 34 year old Osorio. I mean, hopefully they will and hopefully we have 4 or 5 unknown midfield studs come out of nowhere to join Kone and Eustaquio, but that may never happen.

Did you see Buchanan coming 'round the bend two and a half years ago?

[Bison44]

1 hour ago, Sal333 said:

Did you see Buchanan coming 'round the bend two and a half years ago?

Well 3 years ago he was a a top NCAA player, GA pick and going to be a high draft pick that winter, rumored to go as high as #1 ala Larin.  A lesser extent for StClair and Kamal Miller that year, so yeah sometimes you can see them coming eh?  Comsia and Montgomery havnt panned out at all as of yet from that draft class so its still a crap shoot though.  

[Shway]

4 hours ago, Kadenge said:

Well we didn't know Kone existed 1 yr ago and not many thought Tajon or Johnston would make our squad when preliminary WCQ started. I think we will continue to produce quality  forwards, mids, FBs and keepers. The issue  is our young CBs not developing and taking that next step up. I do agree that we will need some veterans on the team less we  look like Team USA

Anybody who watched Tajon at the Olympic qualifiers and seen the season he was having at New England would’ve known he was going to be there. At least I did.

I remember getting crucified for saying he was better than a said player, and he overtook him with a few performances. 

Kone was the only surprise. We were still in the time of if you were performing/playing in MLS you were getting called up.

You gotta look at who those guys replaced for a better perspective.

Edited October 29, 2022 by Shway

[Jack1997]

7 hours ago, Obinna said:

I think he will be around and in general I think there'll be more holdovers from this cycle than people think.

That said, I don't know if Piette will make the 2026 squad, but I do think we take at least 1 of Osorio and Piette for the veteran midfielder role. I predict that Kaye will age out before Piette does, despite being the same age.

Eustaquio, meanwhile, could be our veteran midfielder and Osorio, Piette and Kaye could be finished, who knows. So hard to say at this time, but the thing making me lean toward Piette (and Osorio) sticking around is that I don't see anyone on the horizon (like Kone). I am not convinced the likes of Priso, Okello, Smith, Zouhir, Loturi, etc. will develop enough to overtake a 32 year old Piette or a 34 year old Osorio. I mean, hopefully they will and hopefully we have 4 or 5 unknown midfield studs come out of nowhere to join Kone and Eustaquio, but that may never happen.

I agree but I also belive Nelson will be a midfielder and I think he’ll be better than everyone you mentioned execpt Kone and Eustaqio 

[VinceA]

4 hours ago, Jack1997 said:

I agree but I also belive Nelson will be a midfielder and I think he’ll be better than everyone you mentioned execpt Kone and Eustaqio 

I hope so although Nelson's interview with Molinaro this week was interesting to read. His change to midfield was challenging for him because as a winger he could "switch off" for a bit but as a midfielder he can't. It also came off a bit as he preferred being out wide because of that.

Edited October 29, 2022 by VinceA

[Obinna]

18 hours ago, VinceA said:

I think Kaye's issue won't only be that he ages out (32 its not old at all! *sobs*) but he seems to be regressing as a player more and more and which will make him the most susceptible to getting usurped by a youngster.

I think you're right. With Kaye I see his regression as a player being linked to his inability to keep healthy. It hinders his ability to find a rhythm and thus maintain form. I see that becoming more of a problem as he gets older. 

15 hours ago, Sal333 said:

Did you see Buchanan coming 'round the bend two and a half years ago?

It became evident to me Buchanan would be a major upgrade for our team the moment he broke out during the Olympic Qualifers. And in the lead up to that tournament it felt like his CMNT call was overdue, as well. His play in MLS suggested he should contribute to our group, and he did just that (and much more).

So did I see it coming? I would say I am surprised just how important he is for Canada, but I am not surprised he's won so many caps. Clearly he was always a major prospect for us, even back in his days at Syracuse when he was one of the top players in the NCAA. It's not as if Buchanan was a surprise out of nowhere. I think his call to the National team was just overdue and could have came sooner than it did, but it just didn't for whatever reason.

Edited October 29, 2022 by Obinna

[Kadenge]

But we are looking at 4 yrs from now re 2026. Hard to predict how some 14/15/16 yrs olds will  progress. Tajon's rise didn't happen 5 yrs ago it happened within the 4 yr period leading up to 2022 which is my point. Don't think anyone predicted after his first MLS season and perhaps 2nd that he would be a starter for Canada.  Johnston's brother is supposed to be rated as a mid..perhaps he steps up or not. Just hard to project over 4 yrs that's all.

[Kadenge]

Btw Tajon's thread started in January 2019 🙂

[Obinna]

13 minutes ago, Kadenge said:

But we are looking at 4 yrs from now re 2026. Hard to predict how some 14/15/16 yrs olds will  progress. Tajon's rise didn't happen 5 yrs ago it happened within the 4 yr period leading up to 2022 which is my point. Don't think anyone predicted after his first MLS season and perhaps 2nd that he would be a starter for Canada.  Johnston's brother is supposed to be rated as a mid..perhaps he steps up or not. Just hard to project over 4 yrs that's all.

I do agree that it's hard to project over 4 years. That's why my perogative is to expect the current guys to keep going unless there's a realistic prediction to be made about someone specific. I know there could be another guy, like Kone, who literally comes out of nowhere, but not only is that not common - it is also not guarenteed. I find it hard to expect another gift like Kone to just magically come around. 

At current, I really do not see many midfielders to get excited about, and I voiced this concern before. It leads to me expecting Piette to contine. The bearish outlook for our midfield makes the Jayden Nelson transition to midfield all the more important for Canada. We really need him to succeed.

As for some other players, Justin Smith's loan is proving he's still got work to do, Okello won't be back with TFC, Priso needs to prove he can recapture his TFC rookie form, and Fraser needs to find a better club level before he can be considered, etc. Will any of these players leapfrog Piette, Osorio and Kaye next cycle? The jury is out for me and I am not convinced of it. Therefore, unless we get a gift in the form of any of our soon-to-be-pros taking a giant leap, or someone like Lucas Dias figuring it out, making the Sporting first team, and commits to us, I am not optimistic.

Before Buchanan was a pro, he was projecting to be more than a pro, as that was a foregone conclusion. He was projecting to be CMNT starter quality. It was the same for Larin in his day. Who is projecting that way today, coming from the NCAA or elsewhere? I know there was hype around Jesse Costa with Wolfsburg U-19, but I was not overly impressed with him for Canada. He could be another Tristan Borges for all we know (with all due respect to him).

That's why I bet on the seasoned vets to keep going, at least some of them. Nelson is most likely to take a spot from someone I would guess, and it would probably Kaye if and when it happens.

Furthermore, four years may seem long, I know, but it's not really. I don't see much rotation until after Gold Cup 2023, and after that we have 3 years until summer 2026, so it's more like 3 years in my mind.

I really don't expect Herdman to hit the reset button immediately following the World Cup, because there'll be silverware up for grabs in June, and again in July. Canada hasn't won anything since 2000 and Herdman and group will fancy themselves and will go for both, I predict, so I expect as close to full strength teams for both as possible.

I also predict the only player guarenteed to be phased out after Qatar is Hutchinson. Even Vitoria, I think, will be part of the NL team, the GC team, or both, unless he decides to call it a career, which I suppose could happen. I don't get the sense we have a viable replacement (hope Waterman steps up).

I often ponder which big clubs our hypothetical 6-8 youngsters (currently unknown) will be playing at come 2024, 2025, and 2026, but the interesting thing is that since nobody is on the horizon right now, it's probably more likely we don't see any of these hypothetical youngsters until 2025 and 2026, if we see them at all. Anyone breaking in before that, I believe, is most likely going to be someone we already know, not someone who is currently not a professional right now. The team is stronger than ever, so the job to break in will be harder than ever also. 

Speaking of which, by the time we start getting into 2025, some of our veteran midfielders, such as Piette, Osorio and Kaye (if he's still around) will have further cemented themselves in the team. They will have gone to battle together in more big games, and will have rooted themselves further in the team culture, possibly leading to the same intangibles that keep Henry in the team today. Considering the loyality Herdman gives his players, that could make it very hard to drop someone like Piette, especially in the lead up to the WC Canada will host. Piette already has 64 caps, he could be pushing for Hutchinson's record as 2026 nears. He'll only be 31.

 

[VinceA]

There will be players for sure we don't know about who will emerge. That's always the case. 

[VinceA]

8 minutes ago, Obinna said:

I do agree that it's hard to project over 4 years. That's why my perogative is to expect the current guys to keep going unless there's a realistic prediction to be made about someone specific. I know there could be another guy, like Kone, who literally comes out of nowhere, but not only is that not common - it is also not guarenteed. I find it hard to expect another gift like Kone to just magically come around. 

At current, I really do not see many midfielders to get excited about, and I voiced this concern before. It leads to me expecting Piette to contine. The bearish outlook for our midfield makes the Jayden Nelson transition to midfield all the more important for Canada. We really need him to succeed.

As for some other players, Justin Smith's loan is proving he's still got work to do, Okello won't be back with TFC, Priso needs to prove he can recapture his TFC rookie form, and Fraser needs to find a better club level before he can be considered, etc. Will any of these players leapfrog Piette, Osorio and Kaye next cycle? The jury is out for me and I am not convinced of it. Therefore, unless we get a gift in the form of any of our soon-to-be-pros taking a giant leap, or someone like Lucas Dias figuring it out, making the Sporting first team, and commits to us, I am not optimistic.

Before Buchanan was a pro, he was projecting to be more than a pro, as that was a foregone conclusion. He was projecting to be CMNT starter quality. It was the same for Larin in his day. Who is projecting that way today, coming from the NCAA or elsewhere? I know there was hype around Jesse Costa with Wolfsburg U-19, but I was not overly impressed with him for Canada. He could be another Tristan Borges for all we know (with all due respect to him).

That's why I bet on the seasoned vets to keep going, at least some of them. Nelson is most likely to take a spot from someone I would guess, and it would probably Kaye if and when it happens.

Furthermore, four years may seem long, I know, but it's not really. I don't see much rotation until after Gold Cup 2023, and after that we have 3 years until summer 2026, so it's more like 3 years in my mind.

I really don't expect Herdman to hit the reset button immediately following the World Cup, because there'll be silverware up for grabs in June, and again in July. Canada hasn't won anything since 2000 and Herdman and group will fancy themselves and will go for both, I predict, so I expect as close to full strength teams for both as possible.

I also predict the only player guarenteed to be phased out after Qatar is Hutchinson. Even Vitoria, I think, will be part of the NL team, the GC team, or both, unless he decides to call it a career, which I suppose could happen. I don't get the sense we have a viable replacement (hope Waterman steps up).

I often ponder which big clubs our hypothetical 6-8 youngsters (currently unknown) will be playing at come 2024, 2025, and 2026, but the interesting thing is that since nobody is on the horizon right now, it's probably more likely we don't see any of these hypothetical youngsters until 2025 and 2026, if we see them at all. Anyone breaking in before that, I believe, is most likely going to be someone we already know, not someone who is currently not a professional right now. The team is stronger than ever, so the job to break in will be harder than ever also. 

Speaking of which, by the time we start getting into 2025, some of our veteran midfielders, such as Piette, Osorio and Kaye (if he's still around) will have further cemented themselves in the team. They will have gone to battle together in more big games, and will have rooted themselves further in the team culture, possibly leading to the same intangibles that keep Henry in the team today. Considering the loyality Herdman gives his players, that could make it very hard to drop someone like Piette, especially in the lead up to the WC Canada will host. Piette already has 64 caps, he could be pushing for Hutchinson's record as 2026 nears. He'll only be 31.

 

For the midfielders, this is why I'm hoping Johnston is a prophet and his brother is actually as good as he claims he is.

[Bison44]

1 hour ago, Kadenge said:

Btw Tajon's thread started in January 2019 🙂

Isnt their a rule about individual threads for players that arent pro?? Ie you get your PP slapped if you create one.  There was lots of talk in 2018 about StClair, Montgomery, Buchanon, Miller, hell even Rapaso in the CDN in NCAA thread.  MLS GM's were hot for Tajon, even if he did stall out his first year in new england.  

Malcolm Johnston is still highly rated (senior) at maryland and Levonte Johnson (F-Syr) are prob the top CDN NCAA prospects and the NCAA tournie is right around the corner.  Syracuse has 6 CDN on its roster as per usual, HAHA.  

[PegCityCam]

7 hours ago, Obinna said:

I do agree that it's hard to project over 4 years. That's why my perogative is to expect the current guys to keep going unless there's a realistic prediction to be made about someone specific. I know there could be another guy, like Kone, who literally comes out of nowhere, but not only is that not common - it is also not guarenteed. I find it hard to expect another gift like Kone to just magically come around. 

At current, I really do not see many midfielders to get excited about, and I voiced this concern before. It leads to me expecting Piette to contine. The bearish outlook for our midfield makes the Jayden Nelson transition to midfield all the more important for Canada. We really need him to succeed.

As for some other players, Justin Smith's loan is proving he's still got work to do, Okello won't be back with TFC, Priso needs to prove he can recapture his TFC rookie form, and Fraser needs to find a better club level before he can be considered, etc. Will any of these players leapfrog Piette, Osorio and Kaye next cycle? The jury is out for me and I am not convinced of it. Therefore, unless we get a gift in the form of any of our soon-to-be-pros taking a giant leap, or someone like Lucas Dias figuring it out, making the Sporting first team, and commits to us, I am not optimistic.

Before Buchanan was a pro, he was projecting to be more than a pro, as that was a foregone conclusion. He was projecting to be CMNT starter quality. It was the same for Larin in his day. Who is projecting that way today, coming from the NCAA or elsewhere? I know there was hype around Jesse Costa with Wolfsburg U-19, but I was not overly impressed with him for Canada. He could be another Tristan Borges for all we know (with all due respect to him).

That's why I bet on the seasoned vets to keep going, at least some of them. Nelson is most likely to take a spot from someone I would guess, and it would probably Kaye if and when it happens.

Furthermore, four years may seem long, I know, but it's not really. I don't see much rotation until after Gold Cup 2023, and after that we have 3 years until summer 2026, so it's more like 3 years in my mind.

I really don't expect Herdman to hit the reset button immediately following the World Cup, because there'll be silverware up for grabs in June, and again in July. Canada hasn't won anything since 2000 and Herdman and group will fancy themselves and will go for both, I predict, so I expect as close to full strength teams for both as possible.

I also predict the only player guarenteed to be phased out after Qatar is Hutchinson. Even Vitoria, I think, will be part of the NL team, the GC team, or both, unless he decides to call it a career, which I suppose could happen. I don't get the sense we have a viable replacement (hope Waterman steps up).

I often ponder which big clubs our hypothetical 6-8 youngsters (currently unknown) will be playing at come 2024, 2025, and 2026, but the interesting thing is that since nobody is on the horizon right now, it's probably more likely we don't see any of these hypothetical youngsters until 2025 and 2026, if we see them at all. Anyone breaking in before that, I believe, is most likely going to be someone we already know, not someone who is currently not a professional right now. The team is stronger than ever, so the job to break in will be harder than ever also. 

Speaking of which, by the time we start getting into 2025, some of our veteran midfielders, such as Piette, Osorio and Kaye (if he's still around) will have further cemented themselves in the team. They will have gone to battle together in more big games, and will have rooted themselves further in the team culture, possibly leading to the same intangibles that keep Henry in the team today. Considering the loyality Herdman gives his players, that could make it very hard to drop someone like Piette, especially in the lead up to the WC Canada will host. Piette already has 64 caps, he could be pushing for Hutchinson's record as 2026 nears. He'll only be 31.

 

Thanks for this! I find this stuff fascinating and would be so pumped if there was somewhere I could go to for info about youngsters coming up in Canada. I used to scrounge the internet for anything basketball related back when we were just starting to see some young Canucks getting hype and attention. A site called Northpole Hoops was a fantastic source on guys as young as 13. This was also when everyone and their mother started pumping out YouTube vids of their skills and whatnot. Of course some guys progressed incredibly, even getting drafted to the NBA while others lagged and fizzled out in college...or earlier. Excited for the day when we'll be able to access a "Who's Who" of youngsters coming up in the game. Perhaps Obinna will get the ball rolling...🤷‍♂️

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

On 10/28/2022 at 9:05 PM, Shway said:

Anybody who watched Tajon at the Olympic qualifiers and seen the season he was having at New England would’ve known he was going to be there. At least I did.

I did as well. However, I had absolutely no idea that he would progress to that level when I saw him play for New England in February 2020. I don't remember his play at all from 2019.

For some players I can truly say that I saw that they were going to move on to big things from the beginning but I cannot honestly say that I predicted Tajon's rise from his University and early MLS days.

10 hours ago, Kadenge said:

Btw Tajon's thread started in January 2019 🙂

8 hours ago, Bison44 said:

Isnt their a rule about individual threads for players that arent pro?? Ie you get your PP slapped if you create one.

@Bison44 I am not exactly sure what your point is as 2019 is when Tajon joined MLS.

Edited October 30, 2022 by Olympique_de_Marseille

[Bison44]

2 hours ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

 

@Bison44 I am not exactly sure what your point is as 2019 is when Tajon joined MLS.

My point is..that Tajon was known before 2019 even, he could have easily had his own thread in 2018 based on what he was doing in college, but we talked about him in the CDN/NCAA thread.  Not that anyone predicted this kind of heights for him then.  

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

Nice RDS hype video featuring Piette:

http://www.facebook.com/RDS/videos/2259456670881741/

One more cap and he will pass Alex Bunbury to become the most capped player from Quebec to play for the #CanMNT.

[top cheese]

On 10/29/2022 at 12:19 AM, VinceA said:

I hope so although Nelson's interview with Molinaro this week was interesting to read. His change to midfield was challenging for him because as a winger he could "switch off" for a bit but as a midfielder he can't. It also came off a bit as he preferred being out wide because of that.

Wasnt Nelson training with anderlecht last year, i suspect hes going to europe soon

[gator]

I am still wondering whether Sam might be a good option in a 3 man central midfield in this first match where we no doubt have to soak up some pressure from the world's #2?

[costarg]

10 hours ago, gator said:

I am still wondering whether Sam might be a good option in a 3 man central midfield in this first match where we no doubt have to soak up some pressure from the world's #2?

yes and i hope there will be 3 in that midfield with only one striker.

[Moldy9]

Sucks for the bulldog. I remember seeing this young pup at the hotel in Havana 10 years ago prior to the kick off Vs Cuba for 2014 Brazil WCQ, so green and eager to prove himself, just to finally make it the grandest of stages and not get a single bloody minute. As much as Hutchinson is shown respect for his service and getting in on all three matches when having only played a few minutes this season, you have someone that always gives his 100 like Sam, played all season long with a team that finished 3rd overall in MLS and get done like the bulldog he is - doggy styled.

[An Observer]

4 hours ago, Moldy9 said:

Sucks for the bulldog. I remember seeing this young pup at the hotel in Havana 10 years ago prior to the kick off Vs Cuba for 2014 Brazil WCQ, so green and eager to prove himself, just to finally make it the grandest of stages and not get a single bloody minute. As much as Hutchinson is shown respect for his service and getting in on all three matches when having only played a few minutes this season, you have someone that always gives his 100 like Sam, played all season long with a team that finished 3rd overall in MLS and get done like the bulldog he is - doggy styled.

I suspect that he would have played if we were ever in the lead or even tied at the 60 minute mark. We were always behind so his skill set wasn’t needed. Plus the fact Herdman (mistakenly in my view) always played with a two man midfield that as many on here said previously is not his strength.  
 

that being said, considering the time he got in the last few friendlies, I was surprised at the end of the group stage when someone pointed out he hadn’t played. But then I thought, there wasn’t a point during the competition where I thought they should put on Piette