Octavio Zambrano

[BuzzAndSting]

6 minutes ago, SpecialK said:

Petrasso is playing well, the Right back  position pool is getting better. We got Juan Córdova, Marcus Godinho, Fraser Aird, Zachary Brault-Guillard and Will Johnson has show he can play well at right back. Also if someone could  convince Michael Smith to come play for canada that would be huge because he could allow our young players to grow and develop,  not just thrown into them fire right away . I believe Canada's right back problem is no more. 

I want to believe that too, Cristante would be an massive upgrade to a central field and he's young too. You would think Ferreira would be easier to  convince because he was born in Canada, grew up and played in Toronto. Cristián Gutiérrez would be a huge upgrade at LB. De Jong has served Canada well but he's getting old. 

Canada needs to Win the gold cup or as least get the Finals.

I haven't watched enough of Cristante play, maybe @masster can chime in, but where would he play? Obviously not where Arfield has been playing so in the role that Bernier or Piette has played recently?

[SpecialK]

 Cristante would  definitely take Bernier or Piette spot. He's played a lot on the right side of CM or CDM with Atalanta. When he was with Milan he was  categorized as a Pirlo type player. But I haven't seen take him any corner kicks. He's very good on free kicks and he's good in the air, most of his goals this year came from headers. 

The one thing I worry about Cristante is he's speed. 

Having Arfield, Cristante and Hutch would be a DREAM! 

Edited July 13, 2017 by SpecialK

[Club Linesman]

I think Hutch is done playing serious games for Canada - maybe a one off in Toronto in a friendly or something.  Getting Cristante and Ferreira would be huge and we would probably line up in with Davies Cavallini or Larin and Hoilett up top, then Arfield, Cristante Piette, followed by LB, Vitoria, Ferreira and Petrasso or RB.  Very solid line up that I think would get us into the hex and more.

[Gian-Luca]

http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/video/zambrano-we-need-to-finish-the-job~1167227

 

[SpecialK]

I don't know, I think there is a chance. Look at  Bernier he's 37 years old and he took a break from Canada and now he's back. Hutch maybe just needs a break. Also if Canada keeps playing amazing and we keep getting  high calibre guys, it might set off a  spark in Hutch to come back.

[Club Linesman]

I think the Wiz wanted Bernier to come back because he is playing well right now and I am sure he wanted his leadership with the multiple newcomers he brought into the fold.  It also doesn't hurt that if/when we are successful at the Gold Cup he will return to Montreal and let young Tabla know that the team is on the rise and ...

[matty]

OZ is officially the MNT's Best Coach this decade and he's only been on the job for 5 months~

[The Ref]

1 minute ago, matty said:

OZ is officially the MNT's Best Coach this decade and he's only been on the job for 5 months~

And he is from South America, Ecuador to be more precise.

[nolbertos]

7 minutes ago, matty said:

OZ is officially the MNT's Best Coach this decade and he's only been on the job for 5 months~

Its sad that it took us this long to find a competent coach again after Osieck.  We may all have different opinions about the man, but he got us a trophy and continental championship.

Edited July 15, 2017 by nolbertos

[GimliJetsMan]

I couldn't bring myself to watch this team until tonight. The WCQ run was just too painful.

Tonight reinforced a lot of hope. Canada was the better side tonight, and actually looked for the win late with aggressive subs. A welcome change, and with Davies emerging, I can almost say I have hope.

At this point, I don't even care about results, I honestly believe quality will show no matter what our ranking is in WCQ, so I don't really care. It's all about approach and positive play at this point.

[koolvid]

GOAT

[afun]

I really like Zambrano so far. Compared to his predecessor his ranking is off the charts.

However, two things I do not agree with:

1. M.A Kaye selection and his playing time. His play looks like a deer lost in the headlights and so does the expression on his face. There are much better options than him imo.

2. The zonal marking defending on set pieces. It isn't working. I hope he will make adjustments to this tactic as it is very obvious after 3 games that we are giving up way too many opportunities here despite us generally being the taller, more aerially inclined team.

Aside from this the greatest change from the Floro era is that Zambrano believes in his players and allows them to express and enjoy themselves, which in turn makes the players play like they can.

[baulderdash77]

I agree on both fronts.  MA Kaye isn't good enough of a player to be playing at this level right now.

 

What I really like about Zambrano's tactics is that it's offensively aggressive and he's letting our players use their natural athleticism to their advantage.  We are playing really well right now and I think it's in large part to Zambrano's attacking minded gameplan.

[Gian-Luca]

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/07/15/patrice-bernier-reflects-new-look-canada-under-octavio-zambrano

[A_Gagne]

On 7/15/2017 at 3:22 AM, afun said:

I really like Zambrano so far. Compared to his predecessor his ranking is off the charts.

However, two things I do not agree with:

1. M.A Kaye selection and his playing time. His play looks like a deer lost in the headlights and so does the expression on his face. There are much better options than him imo.

2. The zonal marking defending on set pieces. It isn't working. I hope he will make adjustments to this tactic as it is very obvious after 3 games that we are giving up way too many opportunities here despite us generally being the taller, more aerially inclined team.

Aside from this the greatest change from the Floro era is that Zambrano believes in his players and allows them to express and enjoy themselves, which in turn makes the players play like they can.

Well put.

Re: Kaye, I'm actually a little impressed at how he's coped with the jump from USL to this level, but at the same time it surely must be obvious to Zambrano when reviewing the game tapes that far too often the play simply dies at his feet. 

But one experiment I do fully support is Petrasso at RB, if he continues to impress there that solves some serious issues for us.

Edited July 16, 2017 by A_Gagne

[BearcatSA]

On ‎7‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 3:43 AM, A_Gagne said:

But one experiment I do fully support is Petrasso at RB, if he continues to impress there that solves some serious issues for us.

If Stalteri is on the coaching staff, Petrasso has the benefit of the mentorship from a quality defensive fullback.  Paul really excelled at positioning and reading the play from that position and understanding how to work with his CB.  I think that is invaluable even for the remaining time in this tourney and hopefully Petrasso can carry this forward at club level should he be converted into an RB full time.

Edited July 18, 2017 by BearcatSA

[Rheo]

Apologies if this was posted somewhere already (wasn't on here much this weekend) but nice to see the program drawing some attention outside of the usual places

https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/soccer/soccer/2017/07/16/new-era-canadian-soccer

[Levi Oakey]

Zambrano has been very good, but I would have to agree with other posters and question his substitutions along with figuring out what we are doing on corners.

Not sure he is a great in-game manager, but he has definitely made players believe.

[Rheo]

1 minute ago, Levi Oakey said:

Zambrano has been very good, but I would have to agree with other posters and question his substitutions along with figuring out what we are doing on corners.

Not sure he is a great in-game manager, but he has definitely made players believe.

Agree with the corners for sure but I don't think it's fair to criticize his in-game managing at this point.  This is a small sample size of games and he's not always putting out the best team.  The first three games have been about seeing what the program has among the guys he selected.  He's rotating, giving almost everyone a chance to play, looking at it in the long term for the program.  Winning while important and awesome isn't the most important thing here.  

I think he should be given more than four games before he's labeled as a poor manager in game.

[kingvikingstad]

I'm extremely pleased so far. It's evident we play differently. He's man managed impressively - both game-to-game and in-terms of motivation. He says the right things in the media and seems determined that players need to earn the right to play. It's hard to find fault at this point outside of the aforementioned corner problems. If that's the biggest problem for us presently, I'd say we are doing just fine.

[Joe MacCarthy]

^Amen

[ted]

On 7/12/2017 at 11:02 PM, dsqpr said:

I'm a bit surprised that nobody seems to be gushing over OZ. I happen to think he is off to a fantastic start. Inspired team selection, good sustitutions, and excellent results!

Perhaps we are feeling hesitant after being burned before.

IMO this is THE BEST CMNT squad ever and all the Wizard of OZ memes are well-deserved.

[Keegan]

6 minutes ago, ted said:

Perhaps we are feeling hesitant after being burned before.

IMO this is THE BEST CMNT squad ever and all the Wizard of OZ memes are well-deserved.

We finished 2nd in our group.. let's temper expectations here.  Blow out Jamaica by 2+ and you might be onto something but we haven't beat anyone of significance as we did in 07 and 09 for example.

[BenFisk'sBiggestFan]

2 hours ago, kingvikingstad said:

I'm extremely pleased so far. It's evident we play differently. He's man managed impressively - both game-to-game and in-terms of motivation. He says the right things in the media and seems determined that players need to earn the right to play. It's hard to find fault at this point outside of the aforementioned corner problems. If that's the biggest problem for us presently, I'd say we are doing just fine.

This is a great thing! But unlike some coaches, he gives them a chance to earn their playing time. Some coaches will say "you need to earn your playing time", but won't ever give them a chance to play. Thankfully OZ realized that Canada has enough depth to rotate the players and he had the confidence to do it. When a coach shows faith in his players like this the team will prosper. Almost every player that either started or subbed in impressed. the only Exception being perhaps Kaye. But even he performed better than my expectations. To sum up, i think every player will be motivated by this tournament. The only exception being maybe Edwards, but nobody really knows how OZ handled that. OZ obviously brings out the best in each player.

[Shakmur]

I'm really loving OZ so far. He's taking the bull by the horns with our NT.

Finally we get a coach who beleives in the talent of his players... Finally a coach that has us play soccer!