Canada-Dominica Game Thread (R)

[aloyol]

10 hours ago, Vancouver Fan said:

I believe that playing counter attacking football suits this team more,given the players we have at our disposal.  Obviously couldn’t play that way tonight. Had a tough time breaking down the 9 Dominica defenders at times. I’m happy that the new players enjoy putting on the red jersey. I’m happy that we have Atiba to bring along the youngsters and that we’ll be able to benefit from his leadership through the Gold Cup.I’m not so sure about Heardman though. Not a fan of the way speaks to media. I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. As long as the players want to play for him, I guess that’s what matters most. 

I was quite surprise to hear that JH had said that they were looking to beat the most goals scored at home record. I thought that was odd and could've backfired against him had we won 1-0 or even in the unlikely case of a tie. I have no problem with a confident manager but you shouldn't disrespect your opponent before the game.

[Obinna]

2 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

This is the difference between some developmental systems and others. 

Davies will have the sloppiness beat out of him in 3 weeks.

Millar plays in a context where they really do not give a damn about such things, all power to them.

Yeah, I don't know how much playing out of position was a factor, but Tabla was much smarter on the ball than Davies or Millar. How many misplaced passes came from Tabla? Hard for me to recall any. How many came from Davies and Millar? At least 5 each I would say.

That could be down to the environment they play in daily, which is what you seem to be suggesting here, or it could be just an off day for Davies and Millar, or it could be them out of position as I said before. We'll need to see more, especially when it  comes to Davies because I would describe his showing as very uncharacteristic. Even in the All star game he played in the same role and never put a foot wrong. 

[kingvikingstad]

3 minutes ago, aloyol said:

I was quite surprise to hear that JH had said that they were looking to beat the most goals scored at home record. I thought that was odd and could've backfired against him had we won 1-0 or even in the unlikely case of a tie. I have no problem with a confident manager but you shouldn't disrespect your opponent before the game.

Normally I'd completely agree, but I think there's something to be said for having a brashness that we've never approached the sport with before at the men's level. We need that confidence to permeate through the group and I'm especially happy Herdman is instilling this identity into the younger players we have.

[Obinna]

1 minute ago, kingvikingstad said:

Normally I'd completely agree, but I think there's something to be said for having a brashness that we've never approached the sport with before at the men's level. We need that confidence to permeate through the group and I'm especially happy Herdman is instilling this identity into the younger players we have.

Agreed. I like it. So far I have been impressed with Herdman. He gets full marks from me.

[jonovision]

26 minutes ago, Obinna said:

That could be down to the environment they play in daily, which is what you seem to be suggesting here, or it could be just an off day for Davies and Millar, or it could be them out of position as I said before. We'll need to see more, especially when it  comes to Davies because I would describe his showing as very uncharacteristic. Even in the All star game he played in the same role and never put a foot wrong. 

Didn't Davies set up 3 of the goals?

[aloyol]

41 minutes ago, kingvikingstad said:

Normally I'd completely agree, but I think there's something to be said for having a brashness that we've never approached the sport with before at the men's level. We need that confidence to permeate through the group and I'm especially happy Herdman is instilling this identity into the younger players we have. 

No problem with the confidence aspect. We need this confidence to get results during WCQ in Central America.

But at home against a weak opponent, I'm not sure it's the place for such comments. I found it a bit childish.

Anyways, we've played 2 games and I can't say I learned anything about the players or the tactics because our opponents were so weak. I think that away at St-Kitts will be a tougher test for us.

 

[dyslexic nam]

Man, lots of complaining. I get that there were times of sloppy play, but we got the win, got +5 on goal differential, and got three potentially important players committed fully to the system. Ballou, Busti, and ZBG are great additions and we have all been clamouring to get them capped. Mission accomplished. 

Maybe it is just the lingering buzz of being in the stands but I am pretty content. 

[Gian-Luca]

37 minutes ago, jonovision said:

Didn't Davies set up 3 of the goals?

I thought he and Osorio linked up well. In MLS terms I think they both would been awarded assists on those three goals. It seemed to me  (watching from the stands) that Davies and Tabla have quite the bond.

Teibert was good in terms of moving into space but did less with the ball than I would have liked - however, not sure that playing him in the right side is really his best fit.

Jay Chapman played well last night too - only in was in his other sport, baseball, as he made a game-saving diving catch in extra innings and then the game-winning RBI for the Dodgers. Very impressive for him to fly so fast from BMO Field to Dodger stadium for the night game (barely even time to put on his Dodger jersey - they keep mis-spelling his last name as "Bellinger" for some reason).

[Craig11rm]

So before we were frustrated with the players always playing the safe pass and that our players were afraid to try things. I know this wasn’t the best team but it is hard to play against any team that puts every player in the 18 yard box. I think our personnel suits a counter attacking style of play where our players can utilize their speed. Tabla is probably used to breaking down teams that bunker because that’s the Barcelona way... where as Davies has played with a team that gets most of its goals from counter attacks and set pieces. It was frustrating to see wayward passes when players had zero pressure on them, especially when moving the ball from side to side quickly is the key to breaking teams like this down. 

[trc2014]

Any word on the knock that Arfield picked up in training?  Was he sitting on the bench last night (I couldn’t see him from the stands).

[aloyol]

6 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said:

Man, lots of complaining. I get that there were times of sloppy play, but we got the win, got +5 on goal differential, and got three potentially important players committed fully to the system. Ballou, Busti, and ZBG are great additions and we have all been clamouring to get them capped. Mission accomplished. 

Maybe it is just the lingering buzz of being in the stands but I am pretty content. 

I really don't get the complaining. We did what we had to do, created a lot of chances and scored on some of them while not really letting Dominica threatening our goal.

I'm not sure why some fans are expecting our players to be flawless in these sort of games. With 80 % of possession, you have to expect some sloppy passes along the way. I'll repeat myself, but there's very little you can learn in thèses games, so let's just be happy with the confident win.

[devioustrevor]

Glad to see we got all our dual-natioanl teenagers capped.

It was a decent game for Canada, I feel we should've scored more goals.  I felt we didn't use our pace down the wings enough, very few killer balls to spring our wide players.  I was so disappointed that Brault-Guillard didn't score on that amazing ball from Atiba, because that was the type of play I felt we were lacking last night.

Hoilett and Osorio were amazing going forward all night, constantly being threats to Dominica.  But the player that left me most impressed was Teibert.  We was all action all over the field and constantly sticking his nose in when Dominica had the ball near him to disrupt any attempt they made to cleanly move the ball forward.  He also made several nice runs forward.  Really my only, ever so slight, complaint about him last night is there was an opportunity late in the game (I want to say about 75-80 minutes in) where he was all alone a couple yards outside the box where I thought it was a great opportunity to let loose a hard shot at net, and he instead pulled the ball back in and sent it over to Brault-Guillard near the corner.

Alphonso Davies made some great runs and created some goals off those runs, but he also seemed to give the ball away far too easy, especially in the first half.  Against any of the hex teams or the likes of Jamaica, Haiti or El Salvador those sorts of giveaways can be punishing.

I don't know why we took so many short corners.  When our corner takers actually put the ball in the air and into the box, we constantly looked threatening.

Something I felt the team was lacking, especially in the second half when Dominica played with a big 10-man box, was a big, strong, target man that we could whip crosses into.  A guy like Rob Friend or Oliver Occean.

 

Something non game-related.  I was thoroughly pissed off with all the late arrivals and early leavers in the stands that caused people to constantly be standing up while those asses were going to or from their seats.  My friends missed two of the first half goals because of people standing up in front of them, blocking the field of play.  We were sitting in a portion of Section 108 where the tickets were almost $60 apiece.  Why spend $60 on a ticket to show up 15, 20, 25 minutes late?

[Gian-Luca]

7 minutes ago, trc2014 said:

Any word on the knock that Arfield picked up in training?  Was he sitting on the bench last night (I couldn’t see him from the stands).

I looked for him on the bench (I was sitting about 13 rows behind it) but didn't spot him.

[RS]

1 hour ago, Obinna said:

Yeah, I don't know how much playing out of position was a factor, but Tabla was much smarter on the ball than Davies or Millar. How many misplaced passes came from Tabla? Hard for me to recall any. How many came from Davies and Millar? At least 5 each I would say.

That could be down to the environment they play in daily, which is what you seem to be suggesting here, or it could be just an off day for Davies and Millar, or it could be them out of position as I said before. 

Or it could be the fact that they played 90 minutes and Tabla only played a little over 30. Plus, his position was more tucked in, allowing him to combine more with the likes of Osorio and others.

And yes, as @jonovision points out, Davies directly assisted two goals and was involved in a third.

[gator]

First of all that was a great evening, it was so nice to meet up with old friends and meet lots of new ones, we can't wait for the next match in March! There are so many different opinions on individual play, we were sloppy at times but overall we were quite decent considering they parked the bus, I'm  wondering whether JH should have changed things around a bit in the 2nd half! Three players cap tied is a real positive, Cav looks like a real handful and seems to ooze confidence, what a cheeky penalty! The depth we have and the competition for places will serve us we'll moving forward! The Voyageurs Section was lots of fun, I think we created a good atmosphere! 

[BenFisk'sBiggestFan]

2 hours ago, Obinna said:

Yeah, I don't know how much playing out of position was a factor, but Tabla was much smarter on the ball than Davies or Millar. How many misplaced passes came from Tabla? Hard for me to recall any. How many came from Davies and Millar? At least 5 each I would say.

That could be down to the environment they play in daily, which is what you seem to be suggesting here, or it could be just an off day for Davies and Millar, or it could be them out of position as I said before. We'll need to see more, especially when it  comes to Davies because I would describe his showing as very uncharacteristic. Even in the All star game he played in the same role and never put a foot wrong. 

All offensive players miss passes. To make a play, you have to be riskier in passing. Considering the number of passes attempted by Davies, I think we can give him a break. I don’t think I would complain about A 17 year old running our offence and making a few mistakes. I am happy he is making those mistakes, he needs to learn.

[Markoaleks]

So impressed by Cavallini - love his strikers arrogance and confidence 

The penalty and his overall swagger too 

Tabla looked good too- great addition and ZBG could have scored late but his second touch let him down 

Easily could have scored more goals, keeper made some saves and some were shot right at him too

3 points 

3 cap ties 

and bona fide competition for places on the 11 going forward on this time 

all great problems to have 

[Obinna]

53 minutes ago, RS said:

Or it could be the fact that they played 90 minutes and Tabla only played a little over 30. Plus, his position was more tucked in, allowing him to combine more with the likes of Osorio and others.

And yes, as @jonovision points out, Davies directly assisted two goals and was involved in a third.

Not sure that was a factor. If anything Davies and Millar got better as the match wore on. Most of their mistakes were in the first half.

I chalk it up to overexuberance by the way. They are young and there is a lot of hype around them and the team and they are eager to impress. It is all understandable. 

[Obinna]

20 minutes ago, BenFisk'sBiggestFan said:

All offensive players miss passes. To make a play, you have to be riskier in passing. Considering the number of passes attempted by Davies, I think we can give him a break. I don’t think I would complain about A 17 year old running our offence and making a few mistakes. I am happy he is making those mistakes, he needs to learn.

Nice to see those stats, but they don't show where in the field those mistakes were made.

My problem is that most of those misplaced passes were in our own third or the middle third of the field. 

That can't happen against better teams. I think we'd all agree with that. 

[apbsmith]

2 hours ago, Obinna said:

Yeah, I don't know how much playing out of position was a factor, but Tabla was much smarter on the ball than Davies or Millar. How many misplaced passes came from Tabla? Hard for me to recall any. How many came from Davies and Millar? At least 5 each I would say.

 

Sat in left corner 2nd half, had a true bird eye's view.

No disrespect at all, but I thought Tabla was very poor in his final decision making. No denying his athleticism, skill set and ceiling/potential.....

Perhaps it was a bit of nerves,  learning the system or lack of playing/game time, but he is not a starter for me in our starting 11, obviously this can quickly change.

I really hope Herdman and/or the Barcelona coaching staff break down his play from this game in the study room, and of course he takes it seriously.    He really does need to improve that final decision making; knowing when to cycle the ball, how long to hold the ball, make his off the ball runs, when/where to pass, and his general final decision making. 

This could just be related to game time(the past 6 months) and game script (possession play not counter attacking), as there is no denying his ceiling. 

In a counter attacking environment/tactics, everything in my opinion I mentioned above could drastically change as the game script would be much different, including his play/IQ at a higher pace.

 

[apbsmith]

48 minutes ago, BenFisk'sBiggestFan said:

All offensive players miss passes. To make a play, you have to be riskier in passing. Considering the number of passes attempted by Davies, I think we can give him a break. I don’t think I would complain about A 17 year old running our offence and making a few mistakes. I am happy he is making those mistakes, he needs to learn.

Thank you for sharing this.

[Obinna]

2 hours ago, Craig11rm said:

So before we were frustrated with the players always playing the safe pass and that our players were afraid to try things. I know this wasn’t the best team but it is hard to play against any team that puts every player in the 18 yard box. I think our personnel suits a counter attacking style of play where our players can utilize their speed. Tabla is probably used to breaking down teams that bunker because that’s the Barcelona way... where as Davies has played with a team that gets most of its goals from counter attacks and set pieces. It was frustrating to see wayward passes when players had zero pressure on them, especially when moving the ball from side to side quickly is the key to breaking teams like this down. 

I was frustrated because Davies and Millar passed the ball straight to the other team in our own half. That is not trying something that doesn't come off.

I really like how forward both players got last night. It was a treat to watch, but the giveaways are a blemish on their performances.

[Obinna]

43 minutes ago, apbsmith said:

Sat in left corner 2nd half, had a true bird eye's view.

No disrespect at all, but I thought Tabla was very poor in his final decision making. No denying his athleticism, skill set and ceiling/potential.....

Perhaps it was a bit of nerves,  learning the system or lack of playing/game time, but he is not a starter for me in our starting 11, obviously this can quickly change.

I really hope Herdman and/or the Barcelona coaching staff break down his play from this game in the study room, and of course he takes it seriously.    He really does need to improve that final decision making; knowing when to cycle the ball, how long to hold the ball, make his off the ball runs, when/where to pass, and his general final decision making. 

This could just be related to game time(the past 6 months) and game script (possession play not counter attacking), as there is no denying his ceiling. 

In a counter attacking environment/tactics, everything in my opinion I mentioned above could drastically change as the game script would be much different, including his play/IQ at a higher pace.

 

There was some good and some bad, but I expect we'll see more good than bad with time. 

That was true of many players last night and I don't think Tabla stood out in this regard.

It's just an issue of building cohesion in the way we attack. It will come together.

[Ansem]

5 minutes ago, Obinna said:

I was frustrated because Davies and Millar passed the ball straight to the other team in our own half. That is not trying something that doesn't come off.

Well, Millar was playing out of position but I agree, Davies needs to be better at that position. Remains to be seen what Bayern decides for Davies.

[apbsmith]

Was at the game last night (1st half midfield, 2nd half left corner).... the V's did a great job! well done!

I brought my 6 year old, my 71 year old grandpa and 3 friends visiting from France, one of who is a professional soccer coach, was a great learning experience from a soccer IQ perspective. I consider my footy IQ above avg, but his was clearly a level above mine, will share some thoughts.

*** biggest thing I/we noticed was the lack of a true #10 in the middle to dominate game*** -REALLY made me appreciate us having Arfield in just how much he helps us dominate and control the game in the middle of the park. When you back Arfield up with the lawnmower Piette, this will go a long way against tougher competition.

Cav - incredible workrate, ruthless and relentless, love it.

David - class, didn't deserve to be subbed.

Millar - VERY VERY confident on the ball, that stood out for me, especially impressed playing out of position. I don't watch him as much as some of you,  for me he has continually improved the last 3-6 months, and I hope he stays on this current trajectory path and injury free. He can and should be VERY VERY good for us for a VERY long time.

JH - the accuracy of his toe pokes are pretty impressive lol, he is a class above most of the squad and this was not even his best match.

Osorio - quality, excellent complimentary player to Arfield, could eventually become an amazing #10 for us.

Teibert - forgot how great his left foot is, excellent workrate, did not under impress at all like some keep posting on here, maybe we watched a different game. For me, he's clearly jumped WJ on our midfield depth chart. I feel if he gets 90 mins week in and week out he will only get better.

HUTCH - not much to say except so glad he is on the squad for 100+ dif reasons.

Davies - No denying his offensive talent, always impressive and it's getting better but can't be giving the ball away in our own end.

James - Physical beast, seemed quite confident,  passing out of the back has improved, hard to truly judge vs this opponent.

Cornelius -strong & physical & confident, happy to see that, again hard to truly judge vs this opponent.

Busti - not tested, his footwork impressed me and his ball delivery, hard to say much more.

Subs

Larin - nice finish, so awesome to have two quality strikers or 4 if you include David and Millar there! crazy! all so young!

Tabla - great skill and athleticism, very poor final and faster decision making needed, multiple occasions 3-4 different players essentially had there hands up like...uuuummmm what's going on here (not in a bad way, just in a game flow type of way)...only for a few secs later the ball turned over, went out of bounds, or a pass to the wrong player happened, maybe just needs more game time.

ZBG - quality tackle! great run on a near goal for a RB! did his job in his limited minutes, exciting future for us, fingers crossed.

 

I will take the 5-0 win, wish it was more (I would never have said that 6 months ago!), onwards and upwards! should be a fun 36 months!