COQ | Match Thread: Mexico U24 vs Canada U24 | March 28 @ 9:00pm Eastern 6:00pm Pacific

[Aird25]

Some gutsy defending but we clung to hopes of a draw in games we needed to win. Was this better than our previous cycle? 

[Yohan]

8 minutes ago, CanadaFan123 said:

You make your own luck. We could have given ourselves a chance to be lucky but that was just boneheaded by Pantemis and it deflated us. Who was he passing to? The CB surrounded by 4 Mexicans? Even if he got it... what?!

He has potential but his poor play out of the back finally cost us when it mattered.

 

Pantemis is a typical North American GK. Good shot stopper. Brave. 

Needs to work on his decision making. And for the love of God, a first touch and a short passing. 

Otherwise he'll never be more than a MLS back up. Or a starter in CPL.

[yomurphy1]

4 minutes ago, Corazon said:

I would say this take is pretty spot on.

I also think Tabla has redeemed himself in my eyes.  I would add him to the the list of players that could potentially contribute to the senior squad in coming years.

I find Ballou an interesting player. I once thought he was more promising than Davies (shows you what I know). Doesn't quite have the strength or speed to beat an outside defender and then get away. Maybe he moves inside where his footwork can better shine and becomes a passer.

[BrennanFan]

Well, there it is. So be it. 

Standouts from the tournament were Godinho, Buchanan and Cornelius. All three should be on the radar of the Men's team, if not for the June Qualifiers, for the Gold Cup which will probably be a B squad. 

Tabla, Baldisimo did well overall, and Pantemis and Norman, though inconsistent, had flashes or really great play. Will be tough for any to make the senior squad due to competition in their positions. 

Dias will assess his options. He has talent, if he can put it together he could be very special. Hope he makes the first team at Sporting sooner than later.  Perhaps he'll accept a Gold Cup call up this summer. 

ZBG redeemed himself with a pretty good game against Mexico. Bassong and Montgomery showed some promise, all should go onto good MLS careers. Metcalf as well. 

Bair and Brym were the main letdowns for me.  Raposo was ineffective as well. Daniels was a bit better but not by much. 

It was a weakened squad. They did what they could. 

[One American]

The full Canada U23 probably beats this Mexico team. 

[DavemTFC]

Stock up: Metcalfe, Godinho, Buchanan, Pantemis

Stock down: Bair, Brym, Brault-Guillard, Raposo

Based on the squads and the last few U23 concacaf tournaments, this all went exactly as planned really

Hopefully there isn't a plague during the next olympic qualifiers

[CanadaFan123]

Just now, One American said:

The full Canada U23 probably beats this Mexico team. 

I don’t think this is crazy at all. Likewise for the Americans of course. Canada and the USA would be Tokyo bound with full squads.

Mexico was missing a few players but imagine the damage we could do if we added our plethora of guys. 

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

Just now, One American said:

The full Canada U23 probably beats this Mexico team. 

Maybe the full USA U24 team too, and you guys didn't have WCQs that forced you to split your squad!  

 

[PopePouri]

Losing the TFC players definitely brought down the quality and balance. One wonders how far we would have gone with Fraser and co. 

The team needed a finisher. Lots of effective attackers but no one who could consistently find the net. I'm disappointed with Brym and Bair. Hopefully they can improve their decision making for the future.

 

 

Edited March 29, 2021 by PopePouri

[Free kick]

22 minutes ago, yomurphy1 said:

I find Ballou an interesting player. I once thought he was more promising than Davies (shows you what I know). Doesn't quite have the strength or speed to beat an outside defender and then get away. Maybe he moves inside where his footwork can better shine and becomes a passer.

Yes.  At one  point,  i thought they were on par with each other.   Barcelona must have thought so as well, so your impressions are not far fetched.  He always had pace,   But in addition to that, could still dribble and control the ball well in tight spaces.  Thats what i liked.   And still like.

Edited March 29, 2021 by Free kick

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

51 minutes ago, PopePouri said:

Losing the TFC players definitely brought down the quality and balance. One wonders how far we would have gone with Fraser and co. 

The team needed a finisher. Lots of effective attackers but no one who could consistently find the net. I'm disappointed with Brym and Bair. 

 

 

Fraser would really have helped but not having TMG was also a big blow - bigger than most realize I think.

Edited March 29, 2021 by Olympique_de_Marseille

[Aird25]

Does Ballou have a higher ceiling than Millar or Corbeanu?

[Free kick]

15 minutes ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

Fraser would really have helped but not having TMG has also a big blow - bigger than most realize I think.

I have been spending the last five minutes trying to figure out who the initial for TMG beling to.  Can you help me?😊
 

PS.:  i heard of TMZ.   

Edited March 29, 2021 by Free kick

[CanadaFan123]

10 minutes ago, Aird25 said:

Does Ballou have a higher ceiling than Millar or Corbeanu?

Millar, yes. Corbeanu, no.

[InBorjanWeTrust]

TMG stands for Thomas Meilleur-Giguere. Still don't understand why on earth we went into this tournament with only two centre backs. Figures they both got knocks as well

[SoccMan]

The US could have put together a nice little team if they would have qualified, if you look at all the Olympic age players they have playing in Europe, but Canada too with the likes of Davies and David, Millar and Theo plus the other players with the senior team right now and add on a few of the TFC players . Moreover, you add on three overage players and it would have been a nice looking team. Both countries will be lamenting an opportunity lost unfortunately.

[Free kick]

4 minutes ago, SoccMan said:

The US could have put together a nice little team if they would have qualified, if you look at all the Olympic age players they have playing in Europe, but Canada too with the likes of Davies and David, Millar and Theo plus the other players with the senior team right now and add on a few of the TFC players . Moreover, you add on three overage players and it would have been a nice looking team. Both countries will be lamenting an opportunity lost unfortunately.

There is still and there will always be the matter that this tournament is being held in March.  That means its mid season for Central american and mexican players and it off season for Canadian and american players.  European players are in mid season but  It has always been a challenge getting european players released for this tournament.  

Edited March 29, 2021 by Free kick

[An Observer]

My ratings of the players from this tourney. 

Pantemis. Great shot stopper.  Very confident in the box. And a good distributor including with his feat.  Just needs to cut down on the bonehead plays that probably will happen if he gets consistent playing time. Has potential for the National team for sure. 

godinho. Was a pleasant surprise.  Decent going froward and decent defending. Also has a good engine and is a competitor. At this level he stood out (also considering his age). Not sure he can make the next step though but we will see

Cornelius. Very commanding at the back. Very strong and as the goal showed he can be a threat on set pieces. Still not sure about his ability to play on the ball when under pressure 

Norman. A bit of a revelation. Good on the ball normally. Seems to be calm and composed.  Needs to bulk up and get more playing time at the position. As with others, not sure he has the pace to be a national team player. Would like to see how he does this year with the Cavalry 

Montgomery. Did well today I thought. A little tentative at times but only played a match and half due to injury so probably related to that. Would like to see how he does this year with Minnesota. Jury is out on him due to limited time he got. 

ZBG.  I think he got better as the tournament went on, probably as he got more into match form.  Strong defensively and has pace but needs to improve his awareness as goes to sleep a bit.  And needs to improve his ball skills when under pressure.  Has a higher upside in my opinion then Godinho.

Bassong.  He looked like a player that hadn’t played much in the last year.  A year ago against Iceland I thought he was one of the better players.  Hope he can get back into the swing of things with Montreal

Baldisimo. Of the players I was looking to see, he was the most frustrating.  He really never played the ball out of the midfield like we expect. Most long passes were over hit (possibly had issues with the altitude). And short ones weren’t much better.  Lost possession a lot as well. That being said you can see the potential.  Hopefully he learns from this and puts things right with the whitecaps this year by taking it up a level from last year

Metcalfe Impressed me and put in a good shift.  Could become a marky Delgado type for the Whitecaps.  I think his ceiling is pretty low though and doubt he will feature for the National team in the future  

Daniels. Meh. Nothing bad really but doesn’t have the talent to be a number 10. Likely a USL or CPL player in the future 

Dias. Clearly has immense talent.  Can beat players one on one and find space.  Good runs off the ball (that were not picked up).  I liked his passion and grit as well especially for someone with his skill level. Really hope he chooses us long term as definitely could be our 10. Showed his inexperience here though at times but can be unexpected of an 18 year old

Buchanan.  Clearly has talent and is strong on the ball. His two goals were well taken.  But has poor decision making when on the ball and needs to learn to pass better.  After watching him over 4 matches and given his age, I personally think a conversion to Rb makes the most sense as he can defend and learn that position over the next year or two, he has ability to get forward, beat a man and cross well into the box (remember the ball to Bala). and ultimately challenge Laryea and Johnston for that position.  I know people will scream but I don’t see him ultimately beating out Davies, Hoilet, Millar, Corbeanu, in the near future and we also have Nelson, Rutty and Assisi coming through in the next year or two. Plus David and Larin can play wing (which I could see happening some of the tine if Akinola commits). And don’t forget Dias and possibly Flores who could get minutes on the wing (especially if both commit). 

Tabla.  Got better as the tournament went on as probably was out of match fitness at the start (although provided a nice ball to Buchanan in Game 1 for his goal). I liked his heart in the last 20 minutes against Mexico and clearly showed his skill by beating his man (men) a few times.  Needs a big year at FC Montreal to get into the winger mix as log jam ahead of him (see above). Needs to play like he did in the last 20 minutes all the time.

Raposo. Meh. Didn’t stand out and did nothing to show me that his future is not a back up at MLS level.

Brym.  Frustrating.  You can see the skill and looks a player but seems to lack drive and grit.  And very poor decision making on the ball.  That being said, I liked him a lot against Iceland so like Bassong it’s maybe a case of just not playing much in the last year which has undermined his confidence.  Possibly if he gets himself in an environment where he can play full time he may have a higher upside than we think 

Bair.  Really really frustrating. Showed absolutely nothing. Couldn’t hold the ball up.  Didnt use his size. Didn’t make runs.  Didn’t pass the ball well.  Didn’t pressure the Defense.  Was essentially a waste of a player.  I can only hope it was a confidence / out of season issue. Otherwise, I see his next stop being the CPL.

Anyway, my thoughts on the players individually 

 

[SpursFlu]

I thought Tabla was our best player today. Interesting thought which kinda speaks to where Canada is at the moment. When you consider.. Davies, David, Corbeanu, Millar and anyone else I might be missing.  Even with a strong career, does Tabla or Buchanan ever really break in to the cmnt?

I'll leave Dias out because his age but does anyone we saw on this team ever make a dent in our national team? And I dont mean that as a slight. Im just saying that's where our national team is at. Cornelius and Pantemis really only come to mind 

I've always been a defender of Bair but once again he just doesn't make an impact at CF

Edited March 29, 2021 by SpursFlu

[dyslexic nam]

8 hours ago, Aird25 said:

Does Ballou have a higher ceiling than Millar or Corbeanu?

I don’t know think anyone can answer that honestly.   Ballou had some good touches and I liked his play but the other two made a pretty positive impact at the senior level.  Corbeanu certainly seems to have some great technical skills and good movement so I don’t see a reason to think that Ballou has any sort of higher ceiling.  Hell, at 18 he is somewhat close to breaking into an EPL team.   And Millar wasn’t as flashy as Theo, but subbing him into the game seemed to result in us being more dangerous, not less.  Would Tabla have had that kind of impact?   Hard to say, but on the evidence available I don’t think so - and I say that as someone really hoping he continues growing into his potential (I just bought his autographed rookie card...).  

[Floortom]

Wrong thread 

Edited March 29, 2021 by Floortom

[ag futbol]

8 hours ago, An Observer said:

My ratings of the players from this tourney. 

Spot on. Agree with all of these.

Bair looks like Jordan Hamilton part II to me. Tall, and perhaps temping for coaches to play centrally even if that’s not where he wants to be. But my god, he really needs to put more effort in and try to impact the game rather than waiting for it to come to him.

[DeRo_Is_King]

Canada did much better in the first half than I think anyone would have anticipated, especially without Cornelius. It was a solid defensive effort for the first 55 minutes. I suppose, overall, the result isn't surprising, but there were some real positives to take away from this match. Like the Honduras game, we just couldn't keep up for the full 90.  

As far as individual performances go, and like many have said, Buchanan, Godinho and Pantemis (minus the gaff yesterday) all had a solid tournament. Tabla showed promise, particularly with his work on Buchanan's first goal against El Salvador. He also played with some much-needed urgency against Mexico. I just wish he would pass a bit more. I also felt ZBG played much better against Mexico than he did against Honduras. 

Tough break for the ball to come off Montgomery on Mexico's second goal. I thought he played well. I wouldn't hesitate to see Norman and or Bassong dress for us again either. It was really difficult to gauge what Dias could do for us since he didn't play that many minutes, so I'd like to see more of him. I'm not going to bash Biello like many others have, but subbing off Dias against Mexico when we needed a goal was a strange move. That said, I probably wouldn't have changed too much about the starting 11 yesterday. 

All in all, Canada now has a tremendous amount of depth compared to the past. It will be very interesting to see who can impress on a consistent basis at the senior level. 

[DigzTFC]

Lots of positives.  A lot of them are structural rather than individual.

1) Biello has professional experience.  Not often we have a U23 coach with any type of experience.

2) Our "B team" had all professional players.  Think about that in the context of the past 20 years or so.  Our A teams usually had NCAA players and unattached all over them.

3) Our "B team" had to go up against in season competition with the final game against Mexico with players who play on their Senior Men's National Team.

4) We played very composed against the two best teams in the tournament - Mexico and Honduras

5) Norman playing CB for the first time and playing with two different CB partners and not losing a step should be considered the player of the tournament.  What a player.  Calvary has a gem if he continues at CB.

6) We overcame serious structural advantages. COVID Isolation Periods, Out of Season Players with maybe 2 weeks of training, Dozens of Players Unavailable Last Minute, Injuries and Mexico having no problem getting players at home.

This was an extremely positive tournament.  It was ugly at times.  It worked for the most part.  Even the USA telecast is complaining that their team hasn't qualified since 2008.  All of their players play in MLS with the exception of 2 players.  

Edited March 29, 2021 by DigzTFC

[Kadenge]

11 hours ago, Aird25 said:

Does Ballou have a higher ceiling than Millar or Corbeanu?

Ballou needs to play and play a lot this season. If not at Montreal, then loaned out where he wil play. He has played very few minutes  in the last 2 years. The last time he was playing consistently, it appears,  was at Barca B in 2018.  If this happens, lets revisit in a year