Michael Baldisimo

[CanadaFan123]

Do we think Balidismo is just "injured" now that he's getting a call to camp poutine? I'd bet on it.

[Obinna]

2 hours ago, Kent said:

It looked to me even at the time that he was just trying to pressure Michael. Give him one "last" chance and see what he does with it.

Heck, for all we know Balidisimo only accepted the call to keep the door open, and then was (wink wink) "injured" and couldn't make it.

Honestly this crossed my mind as well. He was on the bench up until Nov 8th when the season ended. Now he is suddenly injured? I mean, it's possible, but the timing makes me wonder. 

FWIW Matthew played as recently as Nov 7th against Cavalry. Is he truly injured as well? 

[Watchmen]

I need to know where the Philippines soccer forum is and if they're raging about this dual national decision by their coach. 

[baulderdash77]

To be honest Baldisimo could walk into the Philippines and perhaps be their best midfielder from day 1.

I don’t think he really fits very high on our depth chart but the Philippines isn’t going to get him to the World Cup.  If he wants to go there for the pride of the nation; then that’s great for him but they’re about where Canada was when we bottomed out in 2013.  

I hope he chooses well.

[CanadaFan123]

1 hour ago, baulderdash77 said:

To be honest Baldisimo could walk into the Philippines and perhaps be their best midfielder from day 1.

I don’t think he really fits very high on our depth chart but the Philippines isn’t going to get him to the World Cup.  If he wants to go there for the pride of the nation; then that’s great for him but they’re about where Canada was when we bottomed out in 2013.  

I hope he chooses well.

Looking at their Wikipedia they actually have a few guys with decent pedigree. 

[Greatest Cockney Rip Off]

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Azkals as my wife’s folks are from the Philippines. I own a few of their tops and my son is even eligible for them*.

Whether it is Canada or the Philippines, it will be a great experience to play international football so I wish him well. 

*Speaking of my son’s eligibility, he could also play for Canada and England and one time were we handed a flyer for a community club in north London. He is 2 1/2 years old and I still haven’t heard from Herdman or the CSA! What an utter disgrace. Sort yourselves out!

[ray]

^ That's on you. Time for a Twitter rant!

[Watchmen]

Baldisimo has had his option picked up by the Whitecaps.

Patrick Metcalf has not.

[Xavier.]

Starting today

 

[Dominic94]

Fun to see Berhalter there over Campagna and Habbibullah 

[red card]

Baldi showing his work rate isn't still up to par and hasn't bothered to improve his fitness. 

Knowing that, he shouldn't have been slotted as a lone defensive mid - he needs to be paired up with someone. 

[Northvansteve]

Unfortunately, Baldisimo is just not good enough as a 6. Especially as a lone 6.  He's not fast, or athletic, doesn't win enough tackles, and doesn't retain the ball well in a crowd. He's played as a 6 because he passes the ball very well from that deep-lying position. But opposing teams know that they simply have to press him and it suppresses his one skill. 

He's plays better in a double-pivot (as long as the other mid isn't the equally slow Teibert). One day a coach may try him further upfield as a 10, where is passing skill might be more useful. At the moment, he's becoming another Teibert minus the stamina. 

[BearcatSA]

He was very poor today.  No compete level and outmuscled too many times.  Too many forward passes were made by the back three and not by him, and that's not a good sign.  

[costarg]

I'll just state the obvious, I know he's got a lot of fans here and i appologize, but he's really annoying to watch, and he just leaves me with a "who does he think he is?" feeling every single time i watch him.  

It's just really annoying and comes off as incredibly arrogant.  I obviously don't know the guy, so I'm not accusing him, it's just the vibe i get.  A guy that age playing that way with that little effort really irks me.  Does he think he's at Pirlo and Ozil's level that he'll get away with it?

[Watchmen]

On 2/26/2022 at 11:52 AM, Dominic94 said:

Fun to see Berhalter there over Campagna and Habbibullah 

They signed Brienza to a 4 day MLS contract (and got him in the game at the end), which might tell you were they think Habbibullah is at.  In the pre-season intra-squad game just before the season started, Campagna barely played even on the U23 team.  Word is they're getting ready to loan him out, possibly to the CPL.

[Obinna]

On 2/27/2022 at 12:02 PM, costarg said:

I'll just state the obvious, I know he's got a lot of fans here and i appologize, but he's really annoying to watch, and he just leaves me with a "who does he think he is?" feeling every single time i watch him.  

It's just really annoying and comes off as incredibly arrogant.  I obviously don't know the guy, so I'm not accusing him, it's just the vibe i get.  A guy that age playing that way with that little effort really irks me.  Does he think he's at Pirlo and Ozil's level that he'll get away with it?

I get the criticism of his playing style, but I think you're reaching with the arrogance stuff. 

If you get that "vibe" without knowing the guy or having anything else to point to, why say anything at all? 

Tabla (you're going to love this @Unnamed Trialist) for example I accused of having a poor attitude. It was based on more than his game though, it was him skipping practice in MTL, then demanding a move to Barca B. It was coaches like Henry (love or hate him) calling him an enigma. There were things outside of his playing style to support the vibe I had.

Is there anything like that with Baldisimo? Thus far, I have not heard anything. I guess the most shady thing one could accuse him of is "leading on" the Philippians NT, but we don't even know the details surrounding that. It would be a baseless accusation. 

It's fair to have players who annoy you (Okello annoys the hell out of me, although he looked miles better over the weekend), but you seem to be saying he annoys you because he plays naively (fair) and that's down to arrogance (is it?).

By the way, I am actually very interested to hear your take on Corbeanu, if you'd like to share. Controlling the ball like that in his NT debut....pffff....who does he think he is, Ronaldo?  

[El Diego]

I didn't watch the Vancouver match but the stats sites and commentary agree he wasn't very good. I was initially very high on him, but with every subsequent viewing I got less and less excited by him (similar to Okello, though he was better on the weekend even if he currently doesn't have a real position).

[Obinna]

4 minutes ago, El Diego said:

I didn't watch the Vancouver match but the stats sites and commentary agree he wasn't very good. I was initially very high on him, but with every subsequent viewing I got less and less excited by him (similar to Okello, though he was better on the weekend even if he currently doesn't have a real position).

Ditto. I was initially a big fan. I've also come to his defense in the past. However, he needs to find ways to be more effective on the defensive side of the ball. I am not seeing any improvements in that regard, which is a little worrying. 

I made a post in the Awuah thread about Kwame not being NT material, partially due to his age. Baldisimo is 5 years younger, but if he doesn't step it up soon he may find himself in that category (if he's not already).

Edited March 1, 2022 by Obinna

[Aird25]

He's a luxury player in a position that is far from requiring luxury. 

[costarg]

1 hour ago, Obinna said:

I get the criticism of his playing style, but I think you're reaching with the arrogance stuff. 

If you get that "vibe" without knowing the guy or having anything else to point to, why say anything at all? 

Tabla (you're going to love this @Unnamed Trialist) for example I accused of having a poor attitude. It was based on more than his game though, it was him skipping practice in MTL, then demanding a move to Barca B. It was coaches like Henry (love or hate him) calling him an enigma. There were things outside of his playing style to support the vibe I had.

Is there anything like that with Baldisimo? Thus far, I have not heard anything. I guess the most shady thing one could accuse him of is "leading on" the Philippians NT, but we don't even know the details surrounding that. It would be a baseless accusation. 

It's fair to have players who annoy you (Okello annoys the hell out of me, although he looked miles better over the weekend), but you seem to be saying he annoys you because he plays naively (fair) and that's down to arrogance (is it?).

By the way, I am actually very interested to hear your take on Corbeanu, if you'd like to share. Controlling the ball like that in his NT debut....pffff....who does he think he is, Ronaldo?  

Regarding the bold section, really Obinna?  We've both been on here for years, reading that makes me think you just joined this forum this morning.  We all say things we don't know much about.  Arfield, Flores, people claiming Hutch was retiring 4 years ago, covid theories, i can go on.  We've got a while to go until the next CANMNT match, so we gotta fill these pages somehow, otherwise we'll have to find new hobbies!

Concerning Baldisimo and what annoys me, it comes down to effort. I'm not talking about off-field or practice. 

Corbeanu seems arrogant by the confidence he exudes with the ball at his feet while taking on defenders, this is a good thing, it's exciting, bold and entertaining.  He also shows effort. 

Baldisimo just doesn't show effort, never picks up speed either with the ball or without.  Too easily dispossessed, never hounds the opponent trying to win the ball back.  His arrogance seems to come from a stance where he doesn't appear to think he needs to put in the effort, that he's just there to pass the ball around. 

Pirlo and Ozil were often criticized for looking lackadaisical, however taking the ball from Pirlo was a lot more difficult than it seemed, and his offensive threat was just legendary.

Edited March 1, 2022 by costarg

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, costarg said:

Regarding the bold section, really Obinna?  We've both been on here for years, reading that makes me think you just joined this forum this morning.  We all say things we don't know much about.  Arfield, Flores, people claiming Hutch was retiring 4 years ago, covid theories, i can go on.  We've got a while to go until the next CANMNT match, so we gotta fill these pages somehow, otherwise we'll have to find new hobbies!

Concerning Baldisimo and what annoys me, it comes down to effort. I'm not talking about off-field or practice. 

Corbeanu seems arrogant by the confidence he exudes with the ball at his feet while taking on defenders, this is a good thing, it's exciting, bold and entertaining.  He also shows effort. 

Baldisimo just doesn't show effort, never picks up speed either with the ball or without.  Too easily dispossessed, never hounds the opponent trying to win the ball back.  His arrogance seems to come from a stance where he doesn't appear to think he needs to put in the effort, that he's just there to pass the ball around. 

Pirlo and Ozil were often criticized for looking lackadaisical, however taking the ball from Pirlo was a lot more difficult than it seemed, and his offensive threat was just legendary.

I am not saying don't share your opinion on the player. That's all we are doing here, giving our opinions as we see fit. Criticize or praise his game all you want. No problem with that, at all.

I actually agree that he seems to switch off on the defensive side of the ball. I just think it is kind of ridiculous to chalk that up to arrogance though. It's just a lack of mental discipline in my eyes. Sorry to disagree with you here. 

Had there been an interview, instance, or comment from a coach about his arrogance, I would side with you, but is there? Otherwise it just comes off as jumping the gun.

And yes, people have jumped the gun here all the time in regards to Flores, Arfield, Covid, Hutch, Davies, etc., and in each instance someone else jumps in and argues, debates, or pushes against the point. That's par the course around here, isn't it?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Theo though. I do agree with you on him.

Cheers

Edit: Maybe the fairest thing we can say is that he lacks maturity? That would explain his lack of effort and him coming off as though he's just there to just pass the ball around.

Edited March 1, 2022 by Obinna

[Unnamed Trialist]

For me it is not "effort" or other attitude bs people are talking about here. 

It is objective quality. He doesn't have it, and we've hardly ever seen it. 

But really, they lose 4-0 play garbage from start to finish, pretty well everyone is mediocre to bad. Maybe the whole damn team has to come up, and then maybe he doesn't look so bad. 

But objectively, my opinion is that he does not have the quality to play in MLS; along with a few other players for Caps who are weak at their position (Nerwinski), you have a few of those dotted in a starting 11 that is poorly coached, and there's the result.

[Obinna]

3 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

For me it is not "effort" or other attitude bs people are talking about here. 

It is objective quality. He doesn't have it, and we've hardly ever seen it. 

But really, they lose 4-0 play garbage from start to finish, pretty well everyone is mediocre to bad. Maybe the whole damn team has to come up, and then maybe he doesn't look so bad. 

But objectively, my opinion is that he does not have the quality to play in MLS; along with a few other players for Caps who are weak at their position (Nerwinski), you have a few of those dotted in a starting 11 that is poorly coached, and there's the result.

I don't rate Nerwinski, but there's something comical about saying a player who featured over 100 times in MLS doesn't have the quality to play in MLS.

Take that statement however you'd like. 

Opinions are not objective by the way, they are subjective. 

Regarding Baldisimo, I suspect he'd look better in a better team. Typical for luxury players, I suppose. 

[Floortom]

I think he showed some promising skills his first year - I had a few encouraging posts on his performances early in this thread. Unfortunately he has not developed at all since then. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

31 minutes ago, Obinna said:

I don't rate Nerwinski, but there's something comical about saying a player who featured over 100 times in MLS doesn't have the quality to play in MLS.

Take that statement however you'd like. 

Opinions are not objective by the way, they are subjective. 

Regarding Baldisimo, I suspect he'd look better in a better team. Typical for luxury players, I suppose. 

I can appreciate not being a Whitecaps fan you've never really paid attention. 

I have, I have also seen Nerwinski walking around with his girlfriend in the same neighbourhood as where my mom lives. It is not like I don't know who he is (only ever said "Let's go for it, Nerwinski" from my bike or whatever, I'm shy).

At no point was he ever highly rated by fans. He has always been just a decent cover for a position where he has rarely done anything special. But if you think doing that for 4-5 seasons is an accomplishment on what has been a rather disastrous team all that time, except for the last half last season, then fine. 

Nerwinski maybe is not a liability, but he does not add anything to help make you a winning club. 

Edited March 1, 2022 by Unnamed Trialist