The Road to Qatar.

[SpursFlu]

17 minutes ago, ADP10 said:

How many players are we expected to call up with us potentially playing four game?

24 is pretty standard isn't it?

[TGAA_Star]

32 minutes ago, SpursFlu said:

Bummer, I was thinking the team would come out this morning but I forgot its the CSA we're talking about. We just have to rely on our social media super sluths as per usual 

Here's my 24

Cavallini, Larin, David, Davies, Hoilett, Corbeanu, Millar

Arfield, Atiba, Eustaquio, Osorio, Piette, MAK 

Gutierrez, Adekugbe, Vitoria, Henry, Ferreira, Cornelius, Laryea, ZBG

Borjan, Crepeau, Pantemis

Would like to include Wotherspoon but would have to drop a forward

If it is a forward that you have to drop, I would drop Hoilett

[CanadaFan123]

Gotta be Corbeanu or Millar who get dropped if it's an attacker. Talk of dropping Hoilett is just crazy. If the argument is that he should be dropped because he wasn't in Cardiff's plans then how can one possibly justify Corbeanu in the team?

[costarg]

6 hours ago, MtlMario said:

You would think "after what happened with Belize" they would beef up security.

 

That would mean assuming Security wasn't in on it.  These things are usually organized and coordinated. 

[SpursFlu]

41 minutes ago, TGAA_Star said:

If it is a forward that you have to drop, I would drop Hoilett

Balsy. I do think it would be Corbeanu or Millar but your not far off

Edited May 25, 2021 by SpursFlu

[Obinna]

16 minutes ago, CanadaFan123 said:

Gotta be Corbeanu or Millar who get dropped if it's an attacker. Talk of dropping Hoilett is just crazy. If the argument is that he should be dropped because he wasn't in Cardiff's plans then how can one possibly justify Corbeanu in the team?

Simple, you call him to integrate him, as he's on course to be a key player moving forward. Now, I don't agree with that logic, but that'd be one argument for justifying Corbeanu over Hoilett. I think Miller is the most likely of those 3 to be dropped, just off the basis of how the last window went. I think it's more likely that we find a way to call all 3 players, though.

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

On 5/22/2021 at 2:30 PM, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

For Haiti Steven Séance will be out injured but it looks like they may have recruited a new dual-national:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeppe_Simonsen
Jean Jacques Pierre will remain coach:
https://haititempo.com/foot-selection-un-accord-trouve-entre-jean-jacques-pierre-et-le-comite-de-normalisation/

Ex-Montreal Impact player Steeven Saba has COVID. We shall see if he recovers in time but I don't think he will be in their squad.

[ADP10]

24 minutes ago, SpursFlu said:

24 is pretty standard isn't it?

A lot of the European teams had called up more than that number when they played 3 games during the international break, but they did play them fairly compressed. I would not mind calling a few extra guys

Edited May 25, 2021 by ADP10

[Obinna]

52 minutes ago, SpursFlu said:

Bummer, I was thinking the team would come out this morning but I forgot its the CSA we're talking about. We just have to rely on our social media super sluths as per usual 

Here's my 24

Cavallini, Larin, David, Davies, Hoilett, Corbeanu, Millar

Arfield, Atiba, Eustaquio, Osorio, Piette, MAK 

Gutierrez, Adekugbe, Vitoria, Henry, Ferreira, Cornelius, Laryea, ZBG

Borjan, Crepeau, Pantemis

Would like to include Wotherspoon but would have to drop a forward

I like it, but it's been claimed by Wheeler that Arfield won't be there for this window. That could be your way to get Wotherspoon involved. Swap one Scot for another!

I also think Buchanan finds a way in this camp, even if it means extending the group to 25. We do have 4 games, potentially, so it's not a typical window. 

Finally, I like Pantemis, but I wonder if he's ahead of St. Clair. Would have been a crazy call to make at the beginning of the year, but Dane has lost his spot in Minnesota and Pantemis had a solid Olympic qualifying tournament, plus he's been around the senior team more, so it's not a crazy idea. 

[jtpc]

If playing our final group stage match in Chicago puts us in a better position travel-wise should we defeat Suriname, I'm glad someone thought ahead to plan all of that. Why not play where it's easier to get to Haiti, Nicaragua, or Belize from.

I'm torn on whether I would rather see Haiti or Nicaragua emerge from Group E. Like everyone else, I wouldn't mind Gold Cup revenge. I know FIFA rankings aren't going to be really important in the short-term, but if we could win both legs, it would be nice to get the points that would come from defeating Haiti since they're ranked higher (1,290 vs. Nicaragua's 1,060). If it's Nicaragua, assuming we got the job done away, I like the confidence we would have going into the final round having won in Central America. Plus, they're ranked a bit lower anyway (lower than Suriname before their new influx of players) which would just be nice in itself should it happen. Either way, a Bermuda, Suriname, Haiti path or a Bermuda, Suriname, Nicaragua path to a WCQ final round sure doesn't present itself very often.

[N1ckbr0wn]

3 hours ago, Tyson M said:

pretty much. 

Confirmed list(more or less):

NONE

usually isn't there more rumours and things slipping from family members social media accounts? Where are the Voyeurs of the Voyageurs???

From my source it sounds like CF Montreal will be only sending Sam Piette. Looks like no Kamal,Joel Waterman, ZBG

Edited May 25, 2021 by N1ckbr0wn

[Shway]

8 minutes ago, N1ckbr0wn said:

From my source it sounds like CF Montreal will be only sending Sam Piette. Looks like no Kamal or Joel Waterman.

Meaning Miller is injured. Waterman is out because Henry and Kennedy are back in!

[Obinna]

4 minutes ago, Shway said:

Meaning Miller is injured. Waterman is out because Henry and Kennedy are back in!

ZBG misses out, which is somewhere between cruel and unsurprising. He's been very good this season, but he's also just returned from injury, while Johnston has been equally good and healthy, plus he was picked ahead of ZBG last camp. 

Even if ZGB never missed a few weeks with injury he'd still likely be unable to get a call, despite scoring and assisting on goals and landing on MLS TOTW on multiple occasions. Really speaks to depth at RB.

I suppose this also closes the door on Pantemis for the 3rd sting spot. Not too surprising, but worth mentioning. 

[SpursFlu]

If anyone can correctly pick the CBs that will be called, I'd be pretty impressed 

[Obinna]

My 24 based on Arfield and all Impact players not called Piette being out...

GK: Borjan, Crepeau, St. Clair

FB: Adekugbe, Johnston, Laryea, Davies

CB: Henry, Cornelius, Kennedy, Vitoria

CM: Piette, Eustaquio, Kaye, Hutchinson, Wotherspoon

Wing: Corbeanu, Buchanan, Millar, Hoilett

Forward: Larin, Cavallini, David, Akindele(Akinola)

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

On 4/25/2021 at 12:34 PM, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

Bermuda should get Nahki Wells back but their player Jaylon Bather is suspended from two yellow cards in two matches:
https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/matches/match/400136222/#match-lineups
https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/matches/match/400136223/#match-lineups
(Assuming I haven't messed up the yellow card rules again!)
https://img.fifa.com/image/upload/ytkbpnxyvcghx6bebesv.pdf

As @narduch mentioned, their captain Danté Leverock has retired.  Kane Crichlow is injured. 

https://www.royalgazette.com/soccer/sport/article/20210519/bermuda-coach-kyle-lightbourne-fulsome-in-praise-of-retiring-dante-leverock/

They also confirm Jaylon Bather is indeed suspended for their match vs Suriname.

Nahki Wells is saying yes to the Gold Cup but no to WCQs:

https://www.royalgazette.com/soccer/sport/article/20210525/nahki-wells-all-in-for-gold-cup/

 

------------

 

On 4/17/2021 at 10:31 AM, CanadianSoccerFan said:

Trinidad could be docked points for an ineligible player.

http://www.insideworldfootball.com/2021/04/16/trinidad-tobago-lose-world-cup-qualifying-points-fielding-player-agent/

 

On 4/17/2021 at 11:45 AM, gator said:

A bit of a joke saying they may be spared the points deduction because they were not aware of the rules!

This has officially come to nothing. Trinidad and Tobago broke English FA rules but not FIFA rules:

https://wired868.com/2021/05/22/fifa-dismisses-boucaud-protests-veteran-midfielder-cleared-to-continue-with-tt/

No sanctions or warnings to be applied.

 

------------

 

A teammate of Sturing's at Den Bosch has been called to World Cup Qualifiers. (Sadly it isn't the man with one of the most masculine names of all time: Jizz Hornkamp ) Curaçao has called his teamate called Kevin Felida.

The team will be coached by Patrick Kluivert once again because the illustrious Guus Hiddink has got the COVID.

Edited May 25, 2021 by Olympique_de_Marseille

[N1ckbr0wn]

It is worth noting that Herdman reached out to Montreal wanting more players but they only released Piette. That is all I know, don’t know why or how they stepped around it.

Edited May 25, 2021 by N1ckbr0wn

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

Just now, N1ckbr0wn said:

It is worth noting that Herdman reached out to Montreal wanting more players but they only released Piette. That is all I know, don’t know why or how they stepped around it.

It's a FIFA date! They can't really refuse...?!?

I think this means that Sturing gets the call again. I also think the ZBG not getting called means we see Alistair Johnson and Tajon Buchanan and Richie Laryea. This also increases the chances of Juan Córdova but I'm not sure we see him.

[N1ckbr0wn]

1 minute ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

It's a FIFA date! They can't really refuse...?!?

I think this means that Sturing gets the call again. I also think the ZBG not getting called means we see Alistair Johnson and Tajon Buchanan and Richie Laryea. This also increases the chances of Juan Córdova but I'm not sure we see him.

From what I gathered it was a mixture of injured players not being released, and the fact that some of the requested players were called up for Gold Cup prep and were not actually going to be apart of the WCQ. roster

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

1 minute ago, N1ckbr0wn said:

From what I gathered it was a mixture of injured players not being released, and the fact that some of the requested players were called up for Gold Cup prep and were not actually going to be apart of the WCQ. roster

Makes sense. Herdman said he was trying to call a larger squad. ZBG and Waterman will certainly be in the Gold Cup 60-man preliminary roster but probably didn't make the cut to the final 23 for WCQ.

[trc2014]

54 minutes ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

Makes sense. Herdman said he was trying to call a larger squad. ZBG and Waterman will certainly be in the Gold Cup 60-man preliminary roster but probably didn't make the cut to the final 23 for WCQ.

This means no Miller, I guess the injury is not day to day.  I wonder who we start at CB - Henry/Vitoria, Henry/Cornelius? I just can’t see you get Sturing or Kennedy into the most important soccer game since the not to be mentioned game in Honduras with 1 and 0 caps, respectively, no matter how well they are playing at club. 

[Obinna]

29 minutes ago, trc2014 said:

This means no Miller, I guess the injury is not day to day.  I wonder who we start at CB - Henry/Vitoria, Henry/Cornelius? I just can’t see you get Sturing or Kennedy into the most important soccer game since the not to be mentioned game in Honduras with 1 and 0 caps, respectively, no matter how well they are playing at club. 

Vitoria and Cornelius for some of that Nations League BMO magic? Maybe we even see a few more stepovers from Steven lol

Edited May 25, 2021 by Obinna

[Tyson M]

I prefer the Vitoria & Henry combo, even though I love Cornelius. Cornelius hasn't played much recently. 

Either way it will be Vitoria plus someone. Unfortunate we can't squeeze a bit of time for Kennedy in one of these matches.

[trc2014]

1 minute ago, Tyson M said:

I prefer the Vitoria & Henry combo, even though I love Cornelius. Cornelius hasn't played much recently. 

Either way it will be Vitoria plus someone. Unfortunate we can't squeeze a bit of time for Kennedy in one of these matches.

I think it’s more likely Henry plus someone, he’s ahead of Vitoria form wise at club. 

[Obinna]

20 minutes ago, trc2014 said:

I think it’s more likely Henry plus someone, he’s ahead of Vitoria form wise at club. 

Henry hasn't played for Canada since 2019, which was the 4-1 loss to the USA (goal by Vitoria) and honestly didn't look great. The match before that he was sent off. 

Vitoria plays at a midlevel club in Portugal, a league that's stronger than the K-league. Even if we want to treat their individual clubs as comparable, Vitoria is the captain of his club and has scored 8 league goals for them across two seasons. 

The only thing Henry has going for him ahead of Vitoria is more playing time recently (as in the last month or so), but Vitoria not playing much for his club down the stretch doesn't bother me whatsoever. The club was firmly midtable with nothing to play for, and Vitoria is a veteran player. I don't know the entire story around his lack of game time, but it's easy to imagine it wasn't entirely down to just being out of favor. 

If all that isn't reason to pick Vitoria over Henry, consider the blunders that Doneil has committed in the past. 

I've said it before, and I will say it again: Henry can be the best or the worst CB we have, depending on the day. I get extremely anxious thinking about him starting this do-or-die match. If we are up by a goal in the 2nd half, it would be great to get him in the match, but it's too important to roll the dice on Henry from the start, in my opinion. He's just way too inconsistent and we have no margin for error.

Edited May 25, 2021 by Obinna