French Guiana vs Canada - Post Match Thread

[BenFisk'sBiggestFan]

2 hours 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.  Unfortunately Crepeau (or any other option we have) isn't as good.

 

To be fair, if Crepeau would have played the whole game it probably would have been 4-1 as well... He is a sold keeper, and it is unlike him to spill the ball. Just look at his save on the hard shot later on in the game. The ball was skipping in the rain and he trapped it very well. It was unfortunate he had to come in cold.

[BearcatSA]

A great start but let's face it:  the rubber really hits the road in the next two matches.

[Keegan]

6 minutes ago, BenFisk'sBiggestFan said:

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!!

Our defence definitely isn't the same as it was. We've been unlucky though, having Edgar would have made me a lot more confident

[Yoginess]

10 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....

Davies certainly didn't make the same runs int he final 20 minutes he was making in the first 70. But this is the first time I've seen him able to keep his work rate up decently high for 90 minutes. Maybe we can start calling him, almost-17-year-old Davies now

[BearcatSA]

27 minutes ago, Keegan said:

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.

Compare this starting midfield and attacking six to those for the first two matches (vs ES and Jamaica) from last time around, both in terms of skill set and mind set.  Hopefully, we can continue with success in the next two matches. 

[Yoginess]

Anyone else love how excited all the subs got when Davies got his first. That high energy from those young guys is something to covet. 

[Keegan]

As a lifelong Blackhawks fan this is a little déjà vu.. for years we had guys we thought were the next players like Kyle Calder, mark bell, Ruutu etc who I would equate to guys like Osorio, aleman and teibert then all of a sudden you get a top player like Kane and even after one game you knew this was different and a new level of youth. 

[MtlMario]

10 minutes ago, Keegan said:

As a lifelong Blackhawks fan this is a little déjà vu.. for years we had guys we thought were the next players like Kyle Calder, mark bell, Ruutu etc who I would equate to guys like Osorio, aleman and teibert then all of a sudden you get a top player like Kane and even after one game you knew this was different and a new level of youth. 

At least I'm not the only Blackhawks fan here. Been a fan since the 60's.

[Big_M]

Cavallini better than Larin

You don't make a keeper who hasn't played higher than usl your #2 keeper when there are options such as Leutwiler and Chencinski

de Jong back to good performances

Bernier should start the next game on the bench as he wouldn't be able to do the running needed if he starts the next two

More needs to be seen of Petrasso at rb to see if he should be the #1 there

Arfield to lead Canada to a gold cup final in this edition or next and to the hex 

[Keegan]

I was surprised to see crepeau come in too over leutwiler but to be fair he did look good against the USA in 2016 and tfc last week and we were up 3 0 I thought it was just a chance for an opportunity for the young guy but I'm sure leutwiler is our true #2.

[DannyFromToronto23]

12 minutes ago, Big_M said:

Cavallini better than Larin

You don't make a keeper who hasn't played higher than usl your #2 keeper when there are options such as Leutwiler and Chencinski

de Jong back to good performances

Bernier should start the next game on the bench as he wouldn't be able to do the running needed if he starts the next two

More needs to be seen of Petrasso at rb to see if he should be the #1 there

Arfield to lead Canada to a gold cup final in this edition or next and to the hex 

I agree crepeau cannot catch the ball witch lead to the second goal 

if you watched both legs of the CanChamp final crepeau couldn't catch the ball

leutwiller would've been better 

[Floortom]

I can't imagine Crepeau is actually the #2 over Leutwiler. Oz probably saw the 3-0 scoreline and figured it was good chance to get Max 30 minutes of time.

i expect Leutwiler to start the next two matches.

[rob.notenboom]

I was really impressed by Borjan in the Montreal game because I got to watch him a little more closely and live, and what was impressive was how athletic he is and what a great judge of balls into the box he was. Several times in the Curacao game, a cross would be whipped in and I would immediately judge it to look dangerous. But there was Borjan coming out with perfect judgement and up above everyone to pick it out of the air. Crisis averted. 

Having said that, he's not always so perfect. But on TV, this ability is not nearly so clear as it seemed in real life. But now I recognize those contributions much more easily, and there were several in this game where he was Mr. Reliable. I hope he heals quickly.

(Speaking of Borjan, one of the funniest things I've seen post-match was him bending down to pick up a guy's spilled smokes from the grass in front of the supporters section in Montreal. Someone bent down to give him a hug and his cigarettes spilled out of his pocket all over the place. Borjan kindly retrieved them all and handed them back to him. We all howled.)

The intensity of Arfield is something to behold. He brings that top-level-competitive-edge to games like that. Loved watching how dialled in he was from start to finish. Great example for the young kids too. 

Cavallini and Hoilett put in good shifts. Hoilett has a tendency to dribble into trouble, but he made several solid defensively plays hustling back. Nice to see. Cavallini has a lot of class. Shields the ball incredibly well. 

DeJong and Petrasso were solid. Let's hope they are similarly solid vs tougher competition if they start. 

[nolando]

3 minutes ago, Floortom said:

I can't imagine Crepeau is actually the #2 over Leutwiler. Oz probably saw the 3-0 scoreline and figured it was good chance to get Max 30 minutes of time.

i expect Leutwiler to start the next two matches.

I'm hoping you are right. Leutwiler has played a lot of first team football against a lot of rough and tough players in a lot of rough and tough leagues. I expect these next two matches to be quite nasty and we need a big experienced guy in there. Plus, what is the point of going to so much trouble to secure a multi-national like him to not give him a  chance when the moment comes, as it has this tournament.

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, BearcatSA said:

Compare this starting midfield and attacking six to those for the first two matches (vs ES and Jamaica) from last time around, both in terms of skill set and mind set.  Hopefully, we can continue with success in the next two matches. 

I was worried ahead of this match, but I think this group has a "2007" feel to them.

Not scared of Costa Rica. Bring it on.

[Obinna]

4 hours 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.  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.

 

I think having Cavallini around will take pressure off Larin and I think we'll see a better Cyle for Canada and ultimately we are now "2 players of starting quality" deep at CF. Plus we have a solid 3rd option of AJH as a sub.

[Addona]

I didn't realize Arfield got a yellow ... damn, we absolutely NEED him if we advance to the quarters.  If we can get a point in the 2nd match, I would rest him in the Honduras match, even if a higher group finish is possible with him.

[BearcatSA]

3 hours ago, Obinna said:

I think having Cavallini around will take pressure off Larin and I think we'll see a better Cyle for Canada and ultimately we are now "2 players of starting quality" deep at CF. Plus we have a solid 3rd option of AJH as a sub.

I actually think the opposite:  Cavallini's presence and performance will put the pressure on Larin to rise his game if he wants to start, or even to secure a move to a bigger league.  That's what having competition for starting places is all about.  Jackson-Hamel's sub presence puts pressure on Ricketts; Davies still has Edwards and (fingers crossed) Tabla hungry for his spot.

This is what this program has needed all along.  Cut down on the default caps for guys who haven't earned them.

 

[jonovision]

3 minutes ago, BearcatSA said:

I actually think the opposite:  Cavallini's presence and performance will put the pressure on Larin to rise his game if he wants to start, or even to secure a move to a bigger league.  That's what having competition for starting places is all about.  Jackson-Hame'sl sub presence puts pressure on Ricketts;, Davies still has Edwards and (fingers crossed) Tabla hungry for his spot.

This is what this program has needed all along.  Cut down on the default caps for guys who haven't earned them.

 

If Ricketts makes a sub appearance in this GC, my guess is he replaces Davies or Hoilett on the wing rather than the central striker like AJH did yesterday.

[dyslexic nam]

56 minutes ago, Obinna said:

I was worried ahead of this match, but I think this group has a "2007" feel to them.

Not scared of Costa Rica. Bring it on.

I am still uber happy about roughly 88 minutes of our play last night, but CR still makes me extremely nervous.

[Ruffian]

5 minutes ago, dsqpr said:

There are two ways to approach a contest. The first is to go for the glory of victory. The second is to be nervous about the ignominy of defeat.

Winners embrace the former. I'm not nervous about playing Costa Rica. On the contrary, I am excited about the prospect of possibly beating a very good team. I think they should be nervous as we are a potential banana skin for them.

I agree with this. Canada has nothing to lose. Everybody else expects CR to beat Canada. This is evident from the opinion of the US broadcast from last night's CR v HON match. And even if we lose we still might make it through to the next round.

[Ngravs]

I remember when we played CR at the Gold Cup 2015 we played them very tight and should've scored a couple goals. Different conditions (the game benign Toronto) but it was a game where they needed a result as well. Our lineup has changed since then too.. Game ended 0-0 and I don't think our defence is any worse than it was. Tissot vs Petrasso (similar) Jankovic probably worse now (speed wise), Vitoria over Ouimette and De Jong is as good if he's on his game. Now our Mids and Striker are much better IMO AND WE CAN ACTUALLY SCORE

 

 

 

 

 

[Floortom]

1 minute ago, Ngravs said:

I remember when we played CR at the Gold Cup 2015 we played them very tight and should've scored a couple goals. Different conditions (the game benign Toronto) but it was a game where they needed a result as well. Our lineup has changed since then too.. Game ended 0-0 and I don't think our defence is any worse than it was. Tissot vs Petrasso (similar) Jankovic probably worse now (speed wise), Vitoria over Ouimette and De Jong is as good if he's on his game. Now our Mids and Striker are much better IMO AND WE CAN ACTUALLY SCORE

 

 

 

 

 

That lineup was pretty terrible but we were very strong defensively that entire tourney due to Floro's tactics. I do remember being surprised at how terrible CR looked but they only needed a draw so were content to keep it scoreless 

[BrennanFan]

We are further ahead than in 2015, but only individually and on paper.

We'd been working with Floros system for 1.5 years and at least everyone was on the same page tactically.

This will be our 3rd game w OZ and our first against a tough team.  Conversely Costa Rica is a well oiled machine, their core has been together for years and they had the GC qualifiers to gel, not to mention their hex games.    

We are far from a finished product, and definitely we're big underdogs, but we always seem to play CR tough in the Gold Cup and I expect a close game.

 

[dyslexic nam]

30 minutes ago, dsqpr said:

There are two ways to approach a contest. The first is to go for the glory of victory. The second is to be nervous about the ignominy of defeat.

Winners embrace the former. I'm not nervous about playing Costa Rica. On the contrary, I am excited about the prospect of possibly beating a very good team. I think they should be nervous as we are a potential banana skin for them.

I am excited too.  I have just had my heart ripped out enough times to be fairly cautious with my optimism.