French Guiana vs Canada - Post Match Thread

[Scorpion26]

Didn't get to watch the game had plans, but I am quite glad to see a result which Canada was meant to get. Now CR & Honduras is a different situation, but I do think Canada can get results against both. Good and positive style game was it seemed to be. Hopefully it keeps going because Canada does have the attacking talent right now. 

[BenFisk'sBiggestFan]

So Davies is just a super sub right? He doesn't play with enough energy or have the finishing touch to be a starter. I don't know what OZ was thinking....

[Ansem]

Cavallini is a more complete player than Larin, he's a much bigger presence too. He gave hell to Davies for his first half miscues. If Cavallini plays like that against Honduras and Costa Rica, in my mind, he's an upgrade on Larin who I always found uni-dimensional

[BearcatSA]

Lots of positives (as mentioned) from this performance but I'm still not convinced of our back line's defensive capabilities.  The first goal we conceded from the corner was quite poor because the scorer really didn't move ("static," if you will, since that seems to be the mot du jour) and Vitoria and De Jong were equally static on that play, especially Vitoria because he looked in the best position to step forward and clear.  As it was, Cavalini coming from behind ended up unsuccessfully challenging for that ball and really shouldn't have been.  I'm left to wonder if Vitoria may have been shaping up for it but Cavalini gave a shout so he held his zone instead.  Regardless Zambrano and his staff need to get this corner marking sorted out over the next few days.

As for the second goal, I know this is going to sound sacrilegious but I felt that Davies muffed the play by not sticking with the RB after he passed and thus afforded him a free return pass,  with plenty of time and space to deliver that ball into the box.  I know that seems harsh but a top manager would point that out to him in the debrief in order to push him to be better.

[GuillermoDelQuarto]

3 hours ago, lazlo_80 said:

 

I get the "it's not crepau's fault" take, but when a defense falls off after a GK switch that has to be partly blamed on the keeper. A good keeper holds his defense's ass to the fire, I just wonder if the defense lost concentration because Crepeau wasn't holding them up to the standard the way Borjan did.

I'm not bagging on Crepeau either but the way Ingham has been playing for FC Edmonton, I'd like to see him get a cap at some point

[ditty]

My thoughts:

• The attacking mindset Canada started with was definitely noticeable and welcome. When I saw Petrasso pencilled in at RB, I thought that was a statement in and of itself. It told me that Octavio wanted to attack and that's what happened.
• Arfield makes a huge difference because of the kind of engine he has and his quality to boss a game like he did tonight. 
• Cavallini, Hoilett, Davies and Arfield were as dynamic an attacking 4 for Canada as I've seen in recent memory. Lots of pace and ability to go 1v1. I'm really interested to see how they do on Tuesday.
• Cavallini up front is very helpful because he doesn't require a lot of space to be effective, which I feel Larin does need. He's strong on the ball and has a welcome guile to his game.  He's crafty and combines well.
• Lots of debate on this thread about how good/bad French Guiana are. Whatever the truth may be, I'm just glad we clearly rose above them tonight. We were definitely the better side and that hasn't often been the case when playing lower-level opposition. 

[Coramoor]

5 hours ago, harrycoyster said:

American announcers on FS2 just threw some serious shade at Canada for the attendance of the game compared to the Costa Rica/Honduras one.

let's be honest, if you're going to take time off work to go see Canada play, you're going to do the Texas double over the one match in NYC

[afun]

What a breath of fresh air the coach's tactics were! Can't say enough about the young teenage phenom. I am guessing Floro would not have allowed Davies to be so aggressive or even start him. Really excited about Zambrano's squad selection and coaching so far.

[harrycoyster]

5 minutes ago, afun said:

What a breath of fresh air the coach's tactics were! 

Most impressive part was how he overcame @lazlo_80 's best efforts to jinx the team into oblivion.

[lazlo_80]

Just now, harrycoyster said:

Most impressive part was how he overcame @lazlo_80 's best efforts to jinx the team into oblivion.

hahaha. Well Played. I will never speak during a game thread again.

[Bertuzzi44]

For the first time since 2007/08 GC when we had prime JDG, Hutchinson, and Gerba, I feel confident Canada is a threat going forward.

But then, as soon as we get that sorted our back line looks shaky as F. No proper RB. Not sold on Jakovic in the centre of defense, and De Jong's best years are definitely behind him.

Perhaps Canada's most important fence sitter isn't Tabla or Cristante, but Ferreira. Born and raised in Canada - please come and help our defense!!

[Complete Homer]

The good - 

4 gold cup goals, 3 from open play. Not going to complain 

Davies looked fantastic, though I hope he is moved to the middle eventually. He has so many great skills, but crossing is not one (at least at this point) 

The bad - 

Our defence. This is the price we get for Zambrano (and a general decline in quality in the CB department), but the change is still a net positive 

The ugly - 

Completely collapsing defensively briefly after the GK switch. Could easily have been 3-3 and FG could have parked the bus if Davies hadn't taken advantage of FG pressing hard

[shamrock]

3 minutes ago, Complete Homer said:

The ugly - 

Completely collapsing defensively briefly after the GK switch. Could easily have been 3-3 and FG could have parked the bus if Davies hadn't taken advantage of FG pressing hard

Honestly I don't get why he chose Crepeau over Leutwiler. Especially knowing the backline was already the weakest link. That was a gamble that nearly cost them. 

[Complete Homer]

23 minutes ago, shamrock said:

Honestly I don't get why he chose Crepeau over Leutwiler. Especially knowing the backline was already the weakest link. That was a gamble that nearly cost them. 

I don't think it's entirely on Crepeau. The defence collapsed around him

[CanSuffer]

I'm ecstatic with a GC win and some run of play goals. I'm happy with a more offensive minded approach. But ... Let's not forget that defence wins championships. Unless, maybe you're the Gretzky/Coffee/Messier Edm Oilers level of overwhelming fire-power on offence.  We looked sloppy at times on defence and that's not going to cut it long-term and/or against better opposition. Hoping the Wizard of Oz and staff can bring along and maintain some of what Benito taught us about defence. Yes, Benito was a bit too Nazi on defence, but, in my mind, the jury is still out on who is closer to the right mix of offence-defence balance.....

Nevertheless : Great game Canada and we've got a real positive mindset going into the next two games

 

[LSM]

9 hours ago, dsqpr said:

Wizard of Oz would give us lots of song options. (We might want to tinker with the words a bit though!)

How about Zardoz?

"Zardoz speaks! The Attack is good. The Turnover is evil. The Turnover results in goals against, poisoning the Team with a plague of defeat, as it once was. But the Attack scores goals and purifies the Team of the filth of Losses. Go forth, and Attack! Zardoz has spoken!"

Plus, new uniforms:

(Moustaches mandatory.)

[Gian-Luca]

7 hours ago, BearcatSA said:

 

As for the second goal, I know this is going to sound sacrilegious but I felt that Davies muffed the play by not sticking with the RB after he passed and thus afforded him a free return pass,  with plenty of time and space to deliver that ball into the box.  I know that seems harsh but a top manager would point that out to him in the debrief in order to push him to be better.

Not sacreligious, I thought the same thing as well, although Crepeau also needs to push that ball out for a corner IMO (but it was pouring down from the heavens on the play, so I might cut some slack for that).

[Guest]

8 hours ago, BenFisk'sBiggestFan said:

So Davies is just a super sub right? He doesn't play with enough energy or have the finishing touch to be a starter. I don't know what OZ was thinking....

Except he had the energy to score 2 goals in the final third of the game...

[LSM]

(I think BF'sBF was being sarcastic.)

[baulderdash77]

Honestly if Borjan didn't get hurt I think this would have been a 4-1 win.  Borjan really is an unsung hero for us and one of our top 4 players.  Unfortunately Crepeau (or any other option we have) isn't as good.

 

I'm really happy with how we played in the midfield and attacking phases of the game.  

Bernier, Piette and Arfield are a very good center midfield combination and combined better than we've seen in some time.

Arfield played a quality that would normally be man of the match worthy.

Piette has really developed into a solid solid CM and Bernier continues to be a steady player as he ages.  Teibert came on and although he isn't as composed as Bernier, his energy did help against a tired defense.

Hoilett and Davies look like the most dangerous wide midfielder combination we've had as long as I've been watching this team (only last 12 years).  Guiana completely built their shape around slowing these 2 down and it still didn't work.

I really can't believe how advanced Davies is for a 16 year old.  He's truly a phenom and was the best player out there all night.  He's already special now but I think he has a chance to mature into a game changing player for Canada.

I liked what I saw from Cavalini.  He was solid, commanding and tactical out there. I disagree with those who think he's better than Larin.  He's different and class but that undersells how good Larin is.  With the kind of service we're going to generate from Davies, Arfield and Hoilett I think Larin could be dominant.

Most of all I love how this team has transitioned to the next generation of players in the Midfield and Attacking phases of the game.  The future is bright for Soccer in Canada and I think we have a golden generation coming.

 

[Guest]

47 minutes ago, LSM said:

(I think BF'sBF was being sarcastic.)

I guess that flew over my head

[BearcatSA]

8 hours ago, afun said:

What a breath of fresh air the coach's tactics were! Can't say enough about the young teenage phenom. I am guessing Floro would not have allowed Davies to be so aggressive or even start him. Really excited about Zambrano's squad selection and coaching so far.

I'm pretty sure in a do-or-die match that Zambrano isn't going to have 4 CBs on the field at full time.

[Keegan]

It's crazy how much better we are than the last two gold cups.. the difference is we have players who want to make a difference out there, they just happen to be young. In 2013 v Martinique the only two quality players I saw were Teibert and Johnson and now we see teibert not even in the XI.  

 

Also how nice is it that absolutely no one is keying in on our true star player in arfield.  The media completely glances over him and hoilett.. I like it.  Davies is going to have a tough time against Costa Rica as they surely test the youngster but that means it's time for the veteran stars to take over. 

[BearcatSA]

1 hour ago, baulderdash77 said:

Honestly if Borjan didn't get hurt I think this would have been a 4-1 win.  Borjan really is an unsung hero for us and one of our top 4 players.

Not an unsung hero for me:  he's been in my top two or three for V's player of the year for the last several years.  I wasn't sure about him when he first came on board because he always looked prone to a brain cramp/morale sapping error but he has really risen above my expectations. 

[BenFisk'sBiggestFan]

I love that we finally have some talent going forwards! It is incredibly hard to win 1-0 games in Concacaf. The other countries just don't let you play that style. Canada can finally fight in a scoring game.

It is funny how everyone is saying how our defensive players used to be our best and they are wondering what happened. Our defence is the same as it was. Our other players got better! Now we don't have to score first every game!!