Mo Farsi

[K Edgar]

1 hour ago, Obinna said:

This is a Canadian reality. You can be a proud Montrealer, Torontonian, Calgarian, etc. AND be a proud "whatever your ethnic background is". Not saying I even agree with that, but it is the Mosaic mindset pushed on the citizenry of this Country. 

It is certainly CanPL reality as well.  Yes, CanPL has helped produce a few players for the CMNT.  But far more have played for T&T, Haiti, Guyana, St Kitts, Belize, Turks and Caicos, South Sudan, Somali, Liberia, Philippines, Burundi, Syria, Lebanon, among others. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

1 minute ago, K Edgar said:

It is certainly CanPL reality as well.  Yes, CanPL has helped produce a few players for the CMNT.  But far more have played for T&T, Haiti, Guyana, St Kitts, Belize, Turks and Caicos, South Sudan, Somali, Liberia, Philippines, Burundi, Syria, Lebanon, among others. 

That is true, but has more to do with what the level of those countries is, which means taking someone from CPL is good enough. It'd be like Canada taking someone from the Guatemala league, or Estonia, or second division Denmark, which I believe may be similar. We don't because it is not our level.

I just compared with Denmark and Sweden, in the 20s in FIFA ranking but maybe similar to us, in each case they have only 2 guys in their respective national leagues in recent core call-ups. But both those leagues are quite a bit stronger than CPL.

 

[The Real Marc]

9 minutes ago, K Edgar said:

It is certainly CanPL reality as well.  Yes, CanPL has helped produce a few players for the CMNT.  But far more have played for T&T, Haiti, Guyana, St Kitts, Belize, Turks and Caicos, South Sudan, Somali, Liberia, Philippines, Burundi, Syria, Lebanon, among others. 

I think this is a good thing. It shows the league is producing players of value but that our level is well above those countries.

If the CPL were populating a significant number of our MNT spots, we'd be in trouble.

[Obinna]

4 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

You are saying we should not judge him, but he's free to judge our entire country on the basis of a "bad" experience he had quite a few years ago? As a teen? That is immature.

We are fans, we have every right to judge those who shun representing our country. But in any case, you are trying to take a high ground I believe he doesn't deserve. Unless, of course, we find out what happened and it is so damning we are all forced to say, yeah, we are garbage, better to leave us (if that is what you are into).

At least in many other cases, with ignored or mistreated players, they had real possibilities to go elsewhere and took them when they came up, not like Farsi, who is just dicking around with his Algeria fantasy, while never having the remotest whiff from them. It's childish.

I didn't say we shouldn't judge or that he is free to judge. What I said was that we shouldn't be so quick to judge and what I was doing there was speaking to some of the posters who made comments like F this guy and such, as those were some pretty judgey stances in light of what @Footyeh was saying in regards to his so called bad experiences.

I don't know about you, but I can understand how a guy on the fence could be pushed off the fence by a bad experience. We talk a lot about courting players and treating them right and for the most part we have done that well by the sounds of things, but there should be room for criticism if we fail to impress a player based on our treatment of him, right? 

[The Real Marc]

Was the experience bad because he was maltreated?

Or was the experience bad because other players were chosen over him?

Almost no one ever admits that maybe they just weren't good enough. It's the few and far between that can channel that into motivation, for the rest the chip on the shoulder is the easier approach.

All in all, I think I get his decision - if he's going to be a long-shot, which he will be with us in his position, why not shoot for what he really wants.

It's the easier decision for him in the end, the fewest consequences - lower expectations and no loss either way, really.

Edited March 20 by The Real Marc

[sebdeserio]

Looking at our right wingbacks for 2026, Buchanan will have a 99% chance of being above him on the depth chart, Laryea a ~60% and that's the only wingbacks above him. Would be a loss for the program especially if we keep playing with wingbacks. Don't get where this is coming from unless Algeria has been flirting with him.

[phil03]

1 minute ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

That is true, but has more to do with what the level of those countries is, which means taking someone from CPL is good enough. It'd be like Canada taking someone from the Guatemala league, or Estonia, or second division Denmark, which I believe may be similar. We don't because it is not our level.

I just compared with Denmark and Sweden, in the 20s in FIFA ranking but maybe similar to us, in each case they have only 2 guys in their respective national leagues in recent core call-ups. But both those leagues are quite a bit stronger than CPL.

 

Honestly, Canada is actually a lot more like other countries then we first think in that regard: most national teams worth a damn take players from two or three clubs at home at most and draw most of their lineup from players playing abroad at a higher level. Said clubs are usually both significantly above anyone else in their own Soccer systems and measure their success in at least large part by how they do against clubs from other countries.

For all that Impact, TFC and VWC playing in MLS is unusual and only happened due to our pyramid being founded very late their role as flagship clubs of Canada's soccer system is not that different from the role other flagship clubs play in other countries, at least when it comes to their relationship with the national program.

[DeRo_Is_King]

Not the biggest loss.

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, The Real Marc said:

Was the experience bad because he was maltreated?

Or was the experience bad because other players were chosen over him?

Almost no one ever admits that maybe they just weren't good enough. It's the few and far between that can channel that into motivation, for the rest the chip on the shoulder is the easier approach.

All in all, I think I get his decision - if he's going to be a long-shot, which he will be with us in his position, why not shoot for what he really wants.

It's the easier decision for him in the end, the fewest consequences - lower expectations and no loss either way, really.

This resonates with me. It's a good point and it wouldn't be surprising if he overrated himself, considering he is clearly backing himself to have a career with Algeria.

I am not convinced he wouldn't ever get a cap, but at the same time it feels to me like a longshot, kind of like a CPL player holding out for a Canada call, when in reality they have a much better shot playing with Trinidad or Guyana or some nation of that level. Not saying the gap between the Caribbean nations and Canada is same as Canada to Algeria, but the analogy works regardless. There are a lot of players in Europe and France in particular with Algerian roots, and although I like Farsi I don't think he has a large enough body of work in MLS for Algeria to come calling, although maybe I am wrong. Sounds like we will find out.

[gigi riva]

Not a great loss  lets move forward

[scullion44]

We don't need more RWBs

[dyslexic nam]

I just don't feel the need to be rational about this.  It is a purely emotive response. 

You were born somewhere else but naturalized here through one pathway or another and now want to play for Canada?  Beauty.  Welcome friend.

You were born here but want to play for another country because of some parental ties?  So be it.  But fuck you - and don't expect me to sympathize with your motives because I honestly couldn't give a shit.  

And I don't really care if this is defensible position.  The whole thing is an irrational undertaking driven by passion, so not sure why, in this one area, we are supposed to set that passion aside and empathetically try to understand someone's justification.  I don't need to be happy for Morocco for beating us at the WC because of what it represented for their country.  And I don't need to be happy (or even okay) with Farsi's decision because of what it means to him personally.  This is one instance where I will happily adopt a "with us or against us" mentality.   

[Unnamed Trialist]

10 hours ago, Obinna said:

I didn't say we shouldn't judge or that he is free to judge. What I said was that we shouldn't be so quick to judge and what I was doing there was speaking to some of the posters who made comments like F this guy and such, as those were some pretty judgey stances in light of what @Footyeh was saying in regards to his so called bad experiences.

I don't know about you, but I can understand how a guy on the fence could be pushed off the fence by a bad experience. We talk a lot about courting players and treating them right and for the most part we have done that well by the sounds of things, but there should be room for criticism if we fail to impress a player based on our treatment of him, right? 

I am fine with that but cautious. Hargreaves came up with this iffy story about how the Canadian system treated him, and then basically lied his way through the rest of his career when anything about Canada came up. Oh, I was cut by a team, they didn't play me in the right position, the coach spoke to me harshly. None of that is really substantial. It happens at the clubs that are paying them and they shut up and put up because there's a salary in the middle. So they can handle a lot at some times, their skin can be thick as hell, like an armadillo---then when its convenient the skin layers shrink to a minimum and they are all raw sores and boils. 

Then if you are only Canadian and have no other options, but want to play international football, you put your damn head down and work your butt off for it, regardless of these little details the guys with multiple options get to whine about.

He is leveraging a non-existent option, Algeria, to continue to obsess over an incident which happened many years ago, when I am sure he has seen much worse for clubs, in training, with a club coach, and has easily moved on. 

[Obinna]

40 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said:

I just don't feel the need to be rational about this.  It is a purely emotive response. 

You were born somewhere else but naturalized here through one pathway or another and now want to play for Canada?  Beauty.  Welcome friend.

You were born here but want to play for another country because of some parental ties?  So be it.  But fuck you - and don't expect me to sympathize with your motives because I honestly couldn't give a shit.  

And I don't really care if this is defensible position.  The whole thing is an irrational undertaking driven by passion, so not sure why, in this one area, we are supposed to set that passion aside and empathetically try to understand someone's justification.  I don't need to be happy for Morocco for beating us at the WC because of what it represented for their country.  And I don't need to be happy (or even okay) with Farsi's decision because of what it means to him personally.  This is one instance where I will happily adopt a "with us or against us" mentality.   

I mean yeah I agree with you to a point about fandom being an irrational undertaking driving by passion. It's just kind of funny how Farsi, a player who at best is a 3rd RWB option is drawing out this level of ire and discontent. I find it hard to get fired up about this personally. 

[DeRo_Is_King]

47 minutes ago, Obinna said:

I mean yeah I agree with you to a point about fandom being an irrational undertaking driving by passion. It's just kind of funny how Farsi, a player who at best is a 3rd RWB option is drawing out this level of ire and discontent. I find it hard to get fired up about this personally. 

Exactly this. It's always disappointing when a dual chooses the other option, but at 24 and with the competition in his position, I think the ship has sailed for him to start or even make the bench for us. I'm not happy with the decision, but I'm also not surprised. 

[DeRo_Is_King]

1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

It happens at the clubs that are paying them and they shut up and put up because there's a salary in the middle. So they can handle a lot at some times, their skin can be thick as hell, like an armadillo---then when its convenient the skin layers shrink to a minimum and they are all raw sores and boils. 

Sad, but so true. It's psychological. Money should not dictate how much gratuitous abuse players are willing to take. We probably have been there ourselves at some point (low pay, better environment / high pay, deplorable environment). It's not always like this, but the truly best organizations balance the two because success hinges on staying strong mentally. 

[zeelaw]

Very sad.  Not so much to lose him but the lack of appreciation for our structure which helped him.  Very weak reasoning with "Algeria called me while Canada talked to my agent." Lol. 

I tend to never forget guys who do this, even those who come back and do play for us.

Edited March 20 by zeelaw

[blueseeka]

Mo Farsi is a very good player but we get so upset when someone has a preference other than Canada. Even bring up the Canadian soccer pyramid.

Santiago Lopez, born and raised through the Mexican system chose to play for Canada in the u20's. We all applauded him. Farsi is no different. Perhaps Lopez ends up on the Mexican team in the future and perhaps Farsi ends up with Canada.

The situations are pretty close to identical

[shermanator]

10 years ago I would have been incensed at this. Today I'm at the point where I just don't give a shit if a dual national chooses another nation. The game in this country has much bigger problems than a depth fullback (as of typing this) choosing Algeria over Canada.

[Ottawafan]

14 hours ago, Footyeh said:

Take this for what you will, but from someone close to his team, apparently he had a poor experience with the Canada staff during the Olympic qualifiers a couple years back.  I'm guessing the communication hasn't been there with him and Biello and he's probably still got a bad taste (or even bitter) from that past experience.

I don't agree with it.  I also think it's much more difficult to crack Algeria than it is Canada, but I also think damn... we really need a permanent coach and we need some sort of person in a role above to manage relationships with current and prospective players so that we can enhance our chances with other dual national that are trending towards a top level.  

A player like Niko Sigur, who is on the phone with him and making sure he feels wanted?

Atiba would be perfect for that role.

[Bigandy]

The timing of this couldnt be any better for farsi to make a big international appearance. He could cement himself as our #2 rwb/rb option with laryea out. Play at Copa and compete for a spot at the next 2 world cups. 

For Algeria, Atal is clearly ahead of him and will likely be his whole career.
-Guitoun/van den kerkof is in ligue 1.
-andi - older but can play RB from villarreal. 
-Zeffane - older but with clermont
-Leris with stoke
-loucif in the swiss league

Algeria is well stocked. I cant see farsi ever making it to a big tournament with them. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

53 minutes ago, blueseeka said:

Mo Farsi is a very good player but we get so upset when someone has a preference other than Canada. Even bring up the Canadian soccer pyramid.

Santiago Lopez, born and raised through the Mexican system chose to play for Canada in the u20's. We all applauded him. Farsi is no different. Perhaps Lopez ends up on the Mexican team in the future and perhaps Farsi ends up with Canada.

The situations are pretty close to identical

Farsi has never lived in Algeria, probably may have visited some holiday, and has never had a call or a whiff from their national program. So it is different.

[Unnamed Trialist]

20 minutes ago, Bigandy said:

The timing of this couldnt be any better for farsi to make a big international appearance. He could cement himself as our #2 rwb/rb option with laryea out. Play at Copa and compete for a spot at the next 2 world cups. 

For Algeria, Atal is clearly ahead of him and will likely be his whole career.
-Guitoun/van den kerkof is in ligue 1.
-andi - older but can play RB from villarreal. 
-Zeffane - older but with clermont
-Leris with stoke
-loucif in the swiss league

Algeria is well stocked. I cant see farsi ever making it to a big tournament with them. 

What is he thinking, he is going to play Africa Cup of Nations in January because they'll love that he's in his MLS offseason?

That they'll pay to have him fly to away WC qualifiers in Botswana (which is where they play this window)?

Anyways, as you have pointed out very well, there is depth. There are probably even other younger guys in France, with French passports, who could also play for Algeria, I'd imagine the pool is enormous. The day one of those at age 20 signs for a Ligue 1 team he could be ahead of Farsi.

[InglewoodJack]

2 hours ago, Obinna said:

I mean yeah I agree with you to a point about fandom being an irrational undertaking driving by passion. It's just kind of funny how Farsi, a player who at best is a 3rd RWB option is drawing out this level of ire and discontent. I find it hard to get fired up about this personally. 

To be fair, at least speaking for myself, this is a message board, and this is the topic of the day. Personally, I’ll move on to whatever the next story is, and by the time that Farsi actually plans for Algeria, I’ll have all but forgotten about him. Not a topic worthy of a month long discussion, but we’ve been talking about him for years, it’s only right to discuss his rejection of canada, but I don’t think it’s something I’ll lose much sleep over. 

[archer21]

2 hours ago, Obinna said:

I mean yeah I agree with you to a point about fandom being an irrational undertaking driving by passion. It's just kind of funny how Farsi, a player who at best is a 3rd RWB option is drawing out this level of ire and discontent. I find it hard to get fired up about this personally. 

It might not make a huge difference because we have other players to fill the position, but it’s not a surprise that it irks people on this board. It would be more understandable if he was born, grew up, or developed there. But he’s been born and bred Canadian his whole life, minus a short, unsuccessful stint at a pro club over there.

It would even be more understandable if Algeria offered a significantly better path that would help his career. But we’re as good as Algeria (or close to it) and have a home World Cup to entice dual nats with.

Without any real professional reason, or close connection to the other country (such as being born and/or raised there), it seems like a slap in the face to Canada to choose not to represent us. The whole idea that Algeria speaking to him directly while we talk to the agent seems like a silly excuse too, considering we’re actively trying to call him into camps, while Algeria is not.