Kyle Hiebert

[PiedPilko]

27 minutes ago, Shway said:

While Kennedy is good. 
I think he's a little overhyped here as some guys are quick to treat him like he's the automatic heir to the CB throne.

The reality is we've only seen him in a 8 games for Canada. We've seen equal or better results from Cornelius who has played in more games, plays in a better league and is a starter for his team.

At this rate, it's possible that Heibert could leap frog the lot on merit alone.
 

Sure, Malmo > Regensburg, but Allsvenskan > 2. Bundesliga? 

Kennedy's been very solid for us.

[Shway]

11 minutes ago, PiedPilko said:

Sure, Malmo > Regensburg, but Allsvenskan > 2. Bundesliga? 

For sure it's questionable....and I would be a hypocrite if I said otherwise because I've compared Swiss League to Erestedivise. However it's safe to go with the first division...right?

I would hate to mention CV's, but Derek has continually played at better levels playing against better attackers. 

11 minutes ago, PiedPilko said:

Kennedy's been very solid for us.

...and so has Derek, and Miller when called upon. Both those guys have double, quadruple the amount of games for Canada, which to me paints a bigger picture. 

If Heibert has a solid showing, will he be the new heir just based on two games? 

Edited March 21, 2023 by Shway

[Shway]

Interesting fact. 

We have 4 CB's who are born in the same year (1997), and are all left footed. 

[Floortom]

4 minutes ago, Shway said:

For sure it's questionable....and I would be a hypocrite if I said otherwise because I've compared Swiss League to Erestedivise. However it's safe to go with the first division...right?
 

It's not questionable at all - there is no way in hell Allsvenskan > B2. The entire bottom half of that league are super small clubs that would be ok B3 clubs and the top of the table is no stronger or more deep. 

Allvenskan is similar to Israel or Hungary. Low level first tier leagues with a few decent clubs. 

[jonovision]

1 hour ago, CanadaFan123 said:

Called up. Wonder if this means that someone is injured or if St Louis is content with Bartlett and Parker for this weekend and want him to come. 

 

1 hour ago, dyslexic nam said:

(I hope Kennedy hasn’t tweaked something.   He has had a rough patch when it comes to injuries) 

I think most know, but I haven't seen it mentioned yet in this thread: Miller is out, opening the spot for Hiebert.

[El Diego]

42 minutes ago, sebdeserio said:

Disagree with that. From the games Kennedy's played not only has he shown that he brings something unique to the pool with his combination of pace and passing range, but he's been reliable and I can't remember any big blunders from him. The biggest issue for him is staying healthy.

I like Kennedy, but I thought he was poor in the 1-1 game vs the US in Nashville, including what I would classify as a blunder leading to the US goal.

 See at 2:40, though I think Davies deserved a fair share of the blame on that play.

Don't want to slag him too much, that's an away game versus the 2nd best team in CONCACAF. I do think he's been quite good in all his other NT appearances.

[PiedPilko]

26 minutes ago, El Diego said:

I like Kennedy, but I thought he was poor in the 1-1 game vs the US in Nashville, including what I would classify as a blunder leading to the US goal.

 See at 2:40, though I think Davies deserved a fair share of the blame on that play.

Don't want to slag him too much, that's an away game versus the 2nd best team in CONCACAF. I do think he's been quite good in all his other NT appearances.

Yeah that was his only real bad game imo...

Mind you that came right after Miller's worst game vs Honduras. 

[BearcatSA]

Congratulations to Kyle for his first call up!

[Obinna]

59 minutes ago, PiedPilko said:

Yeah that was his only real bad game imo...

Mind you that came right after Miller's worst game vs Honduras. 

And furthermore, aside from the play leading to the goal, he wasn't that terrible. I recall a few shaky moments on the ball, but he also used his speed and strength well during the match.

Let's keep in mind too this was away to arguably the most talented team in the region. Scott is playing B2 and this would have been the first time in his career facing that level of competition. The biggest game I can think of before that one just in terms of opposition talent would have been against Werder Bremen in the DFB Pokal.

I don't think @Shwaywas trying to tear down Kennedy here, but just to say that it's an open competition right now at CB and that's my view as well. And yes, for all we know Hiebert could leapfrog Kennedy, Cornelius or even Miller, who is the incumbent at the moment, but let's see what happens. In my view, all of these guys are close in terms of ability, so may the best player get the lion's share of minutes this cycle. 

Side point - all 4 of these guys are 25 right now, so they'll be in their prime when we host and should all be around for the next world cup too, or at least they should be in contention. If any of them age like Vitoria they could even make the 2034 world cup, which would be wild. 

[Kadenge]

I like both Cornelius and Kennedy. We sorely lack pace among our CBs and I'm not sure if Derek is faster than Miller but Scott is for sure. We gave up 2 goals in the WC vs Belgium & the 2nd goal vs Morocco that should have been straightforward to defend  but got beat for speed. There were 2 other goals in WCQ that we conceded due to a lack of CB speed that I remember. The other area of weakness, excluding Vitoria, is aerial defending. Both Derek and Kennedy are strong in that regard. I'm excited to see how either of them perform alongside Vitoria over the 2 games

[Jack1997]

I think we’ll see a 3 in the back 1 game and 2 in the another, Vitoria starts both, Johnston on the right of the 3, Kennedy and Cornelius split games at LCB so unless maybe for a late sub appearance I doubt we see Heibert and as I said earlier I don’t like this, what’s the point? If he’s barely gonna play and is fighting to keep a roster spot at the club level why would you risk him losing that spot, I would’ve much rather Waterman who definitely won’t lose his spot or even Macnaughton who truly has nothing to lose.

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

2 hours ago, Shway said:

Interesting fact. 
We have 4 CB's who are born in the same year (1997), and are all left footed. 

Interesting indeed.

10 minutes ago, Kadenge said:

I like both Cornelius and Kennedy.

I generally like what I have seen from all 4 '97s but is their profile all too similar?

Are they all fighting for the same spot in a sense?

We need a solid Vitória replacement or two to play alongside one of them.

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

4 minutes ago, Jack1997 said:

Johnston on the right of the 3

For match #2 in Toronto?

What about in Curaçao?

[trc2014]

Cornelius is also a scoring threat - which I can’t say for Miller or Kennedy.

Edited March 21, 2023 by trc2014

[Kadenge]

2 minutes ago, trc2014 said:

Cornelius is also a scoring threat - which I can’t say for Miller or Kennedy.

Kennedy has scored on set pieces for his club. His height is an asset in the box, but I agree that Derek  is a scoring threat as well

[Soccerpro2]

I'd rather he stay with St Louis and cement his spot.

[Bison44]

Happy for him, and I hope he soaks up some valuable experience from the older guys and gets a good taste of the CMNT brotherhood.  Maybe he'll come back to StLouis even more dedicated to raising his game, becoming a top MLS defender earning a roster spot in WC26.  It sure seems like a lot of our guys really take these first call ups to heart and are changed for the better.  

[Obinna]

51 minutes ago, Soccerpro2 said:

I'd rather he stay with St Louis and cement his spot.

Tough call for me.

He goes away to CanMNT camp and soaks up that experience, but the chance of him actually earning minutes is likely remote. It will just be about him getting familiar with the guys, more than likely. 

Joakim Nilsson will eventually be fit and ready to be integrated. When that time comes in a few weeks, or a month (not sure the timeline), will the missed game matter in that regard? Probably won't make or break things either way. 

I guess the question is: Is going to camp worth missing the game this weekend? I am a soft yes, I suppose.

Why I am a soft yes instead of a hard yes? Because St. Louis is on an absolute role right now and he needs to be part of that! With each week the belief and identity of the group strengthens. Hard to see him pulled out of that, but obviously great to get him in the mix. 

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

3 hours ago, Soccerpro2 said:

I'd rather he stay with St Louis and cement his spot.

Maybe that was Herdman's plan until Miller couldn't join the camp.

[rydermike]

Even getting features in Quebec papers now. He's Canada's favourite soccer player right now

https://www.lapresse.ca/sports/soccer/2023-03-21/kyle-hiebert/un-secret-devoile-au-grand-jour.php

[Obinna]

45 minutes ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

Maybe that was Herdman's plan until Miller couldn't join the camp.

Miller officially ruled out?

EDIT - just saw the news on One Soccer. Miller out, Hiebert in. 

Edited March 22, 2023 by Obinna

[phresh]

1 minute ago, Obinna said:

Miller officially ruled out?

 

[An Observer]

Well, he's definitely a late bloomer.  Congrats to the kid.  Hopefully, he becomes our Ryan Nelson.

[Kent]

For the people who would rather see him not called so he can cement his spot with St. Louis.

First off, I am more concerned with Canada than St. Louis. Yes obviously I want him to have a good career, but we've got 2 competitive games coming up and we need results in these games. They aren't meaningless friendlies, and only Panama has won 2 consecutive games in League A this season, so it will be tough to win these games.

Secondly, sooner or later the roll that St. Louis is on will end. If St. Louis loses while he is away, that could further cement his spot.

As for losing his spot when Nilsson gets healthy, if 4 solid-to-great games (I haven't seen any of them, just going off of what people are reporting here) isn't enough to keep a spot on the team, why would 5 make much of a difference? Especially if that 5th game happens to not be as good as the first 4.

[CanadaFan123]

If you read his story he’s not a traditional “late bloomer”.

He’s dealt with adversity his entire career. First having to earn a scholarship out of Manitoba, then with 2 season ending injuries in his first 2 years of university. Then he gets back on his feet, plays through pandemic adversity, dominates to the point he is one of the best defenders in the nation and yet goes undrafted. Finds a team that will give him a shot, takes it and here we are. 

So he went from being a top player in Manitoba to being a top player in NCAA to being in the MLS Next best XI to being a starter in MLS. So his entire career has been a constant upward trajectory, he just had a few bumps that delayed him. Will be interesting to see how much further he can climb.

I also read he’s two footed, which is a dream for a CB.