Canada Pre-World Cup "friendlies" thread: news, gossip and speculation.

[narduch]

8 hours ago, TOCanada115 said:

Maybe I heard it wrong, but after the draw, Herdman spoke to James Duthie. I remember him asking about friendlies, and John saying 1 in June, and a Europe camp in September to play 2 friendlies. But when he asked about getting a friendly in before the tournament, he said no because he only has 8 days with them to prepare for the World Cup, and needs all of them. 
 

Did anyone else hear this interview? Maybe I’m making shit up, I don’t know 🤷‍♂️ 😂

If that is the case we probably end up playing a closed door friendly against some other qualified team while in Qatar. 

I guess Herdman's plan is to get to Qatar and get as comfortable as possible as soon as possible. Which isn't the worst idea.

[narduch]

8 hours ago, Gian-Luca said:

For European-based players, yes. Although it is worth noting that the MLS season ends October 9th and the MLS Cup final is November 5th, so our NA-based players can gather before the 14th that if the CSA chooses.

Should we be hoping that our Canadian MLS teams all miss the playoffs so that it will benefit the preparation of the World Cup team?

This is another interesting dilemma. It actually sort of mimics the January window where our MLS players went a few months without playing.

I think we should actually be hoping that all Canadian MLS players make the playoffs and go as deep as possible (obviously that is a dream).

Based on this info we should have a domestic pre-World Cup camp. Perhaps it could culminate with a friendly on say November 12 in Toronto. Afterwards the players and staff going to Qatar can fly straight there from Toronto and meet up with the Euro based players.

[Califax]

I hope the friendlies pick up over the next few years in general. The nations league draw solidified how little I care about curaçao after being drawn to play Belgium in primetime. Another game in Canada is alright, but christ if it's just gonna be Honduras and closed camps, it's a pretty disappointing World Cup primer. 

It's probably just cause the tournament is inaccessible and terribly placed, but it makes me hope that we finally get to see Canada play some fun teams in places we weren't previously invited. 

8 hours ago, Gian-Luca said:

Should we be hoping that our Canadian MLS teams all miss the playoffs so that it will benefit the preparation of the World Cup team?

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that I hope Montreal misses the playoffs. 

Edited April 5, 2022 by Califax

[Cblake]

BREAKING: Uruguay will reportedly play friendlies against the USMNT and Mexico in June. The games will be in the US. (via ESPNUruguay). 

[Gian-Luca]

For the second World Cup in a row (albeit 36 years apart) we weren't drawn against any South American opponents (and we also can't play any in the round of 16 if we have one eye on that). So from our perspective at least, not playing Uruguay makes sense (and they are often an unpleasant team to play against anyway), but hopefully we have someone else lined up since I'd rather play against Uruguay than nobody at all in a friendly.

Mind you, the US doesn't have any South American opponents in their group either. For Mexico this makes pretty good sense since they are coming up against Argentina.

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

1 hour ago, Cblake said:

BREAKING: Uruguay will reportedly play friendlies against the USMNT and Mexico in June. The games will be in the US. (via ESPNUruguay). 

https://www.espn.com.uy/futbol/mundial/nota/_/id/10165595/uruguay-agenda-partidos-con-estados-unidos-y-mexico-y-analiza-oferta-de-camerun-qatar-2022

The interesting thing about that article is 

“Están avanzadas las gestiones para tener algún partido en Norteamérica. La idea es tener dos y se puede llegar a tener un tercer partido en Uruguay si aprovechamos bien las fechas que tiene esa instancia de fines de mayo y principio de junio”

which seems to hint that Uruguay is also trying to schedule a 3rd friendly at home earlier in the window. Maybe a fluent Spanish speaker can tell me if I'm reading too much into this.

if so, this would indeed imply that for the USA (and likely for Canada too) that the CONCACAF Nations League matches will be first on the schedule and a friendly later on in the window.

[TGAA_Star]

But then if Canada can only play 2 friendly matches maximum then if I'm the Canadian Soccer Association I try to book friendly matches against the world champions France (Les Bleus) which also match up with Belgium and against Tunisia which match up with Morocco

[Califax]

23 minutes ago, TGAA_Star said:

But then if Canada can only play 2 friendly matches maximum then if I'm the Canadian Soccer Association I try to book friendly matches against the world champions France (Les Bleus) which also match up with Belgium and against Tunisia which match up with Morocco

We also have to look at what's good for opponents. There isn't much incentive for France to want to play us. 

I wonder if Switzerland would be a good mutually beneficial fixture?

Edited April 5, 2022 by Califax

[TGAA_Star]

14 minutes ago, Califax said:

We also have to look at what's good for opponents. There isn't must incentive for France to want to play us. 

I wonder if Switzerland would be a good mutually beneficial fixture?

Switzerland works too because they too also play similarly to Belgium but then so do Germany and Netherlands 

[Unnamed Trialist]

On 4/4/2022 at 4:59 PM, Califax said:

I want this narrative to go away so we can focus on getting to the knockouts. 

There are 31 other brotherhoods that are going to prepare their ass off without sacrificing the best possible fixtures.

Very smart post, congrats.

[Unnamed Trialist]

2 hours ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

https://www.espn.com.uy/futbol/mundial/nota/_/id/10165595/uruguay-agenda-partidos-con-estados-unidos-y-mexico-y-analiza-oferta-de-camerun-qatar-2022

The interesting thing about that article is 

“Están avanzadas las gestiones para tener algún partido en Norteamérica. La idea es tener dos y se puede llegar a tener un tercer partido en Uruguay si aprovechamos bien las fechas que tiene esa instancia de fines de mayo y principio de junio”

which seems to hint that Uruguay is also trying to schedule a 3rd friendly at home earlier in the window. Maybe a fluent Spanish speaker can tell me if I'm reading too much into this.

if so, this would indeed imply that for the USA (and likely for Canada too) that the CONCACAF Nations League matches will be first on the schedule and a friendly later on in the window.

You are quite right: that quote is from the President of the Uruguay Federation, Alonso. Remember that often in Spanish, Norteamérica could just be the US, there is often ambiguity there, or a lack of recognition of Canada. In any case, he says, basically:

“Negotiations are well on their way for matches [literarlly "some match"] in North America. The idea is to have two and we could have a third in Uruguay if we make good use of the dates in this window from late May into early June." 

[footballfreak]

I don’t buy the logic that playing teams from the same confederation as our opponents somehow makes us better prepared. How does playing Serbia’s 352/3421 prepare us at all for Croatia’s 433/4231? What good is playing Algeria or Egypt if they don’t actually play a similar system to Morocco? First and foremost we should be finding teams that play similar systems with similar profile players. Those teams can come from anywhere.

If Argentina, Uruguay or Peru play like Croatia or Belgium or Morocco, then we should be playing them.

Ex: For Belgium, we want a team that plays a possession based 3-4-2-1, preferably with a world class central midfielder to shut down, and a big unit up top. Etc.  (Serbia wouldn’t be a bad shout, but they’re prep for Belgium, not Croatia.)

[Bertuzzi44]

Yeah we should definitely look to plan friendlies that help the team prep for matches against their World Cup opponents, not just flashy friendlies vs high profile opponents.

[narduch]

Based on reports out of Honduras (thanks @Olympique_de_Marseille), it looks like our Nations League games will be at the end of the June window.

Speculating we will play Curacao at home on Friday June 10.

So maybe it would make sense to play the big WC prep friendly on Sunday June 5 in Vancouver at BC Place, followed by the Nations League game in Langford on June 10.

 

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

28 minutes ago, narduch said:

Sunday June 5 in Vancouver at BC Place, followed by the Nations League game in Langford on June 10.

 

I was thinking Saputo and TD Place

[TOcanadafan]

I don’t understand how we can play any friendlies against European team as Europe has to play Nations League in both the June and September window, and now the report is we won’t play a friendly the week before the tournament starts.

[narduch]

14 minutes ago, TOcanadafan said:

I don’t understand how we can play any friendlies against European team as Europe has to play Nations League in both the June and September window, and now the report is we won’t play a friendly the week before the tournament starts.

The only shot is to play a team that will have their Nations League games canceled due to the final World Cup playoff or a team with Russia in their group

[Shway]

21 minutes ago, narduch said:

The only shot is to play a team that will have their Nations League games canceled due to the final World Cup playoff or a team with Russia in their group

Iceland, Israel, or Albania.

[Shway]

Russia might end up in Asia, the same way Israel is in UEFA.

[narduch]

20 minutes ago, Shway said:

Iceland, Israel, or Albania.

I was hoping Netherlands 

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

Thank you to Mourad Aloulou on the V's Facebook page for bringing the news to our attention.

We are amongst several federations that have reached out to Tunisia for friendly match requests.

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/sport/رونالدو-في-تونس-مع-المنتخب-البرتغالي؟-الجريء-يوضح

Some sources say we have reached out to Algeria too.

https://ar.lesiteinfo.com/sport/تحضيرا-لمواجهة-المغرب-كندا-تخطط-لملاق-638953.html

 

[Califax]

17 minutes ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

Thank you to Mourad Aloulou on the V's Facebook page for bringing the news to our attention.

We are amongst several federations that have reached out to Tunisia for friendly match requests.

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/sport/رونالدو-في-تونس-مع-المنتخب-البرتغالي؟-الجريء-يوضح

Some sources say we have reached out to Algeria too.

https://ar.lesiteinfo.com/sport/تحضيرا-لمواجهة-المغرب-كندا-تخطط-لملاق-638953.html

 

VS Algeria in France would be outstanding. I'd love that. Legit away atmosphere and a good opponent 

Edited April 6, 2022 by Califax

[narduch]

25 minutes ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

Thank you to Mourad Aloulou on the V's Facebook page for bringing the news to our attention.

We are amongst several federations that have reached out to Tunisia for friendly match requests.

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/sport/رونالدو-في-تونس-مع-المنتخب-البرتغالي؟-الجريء-يوضح

Some sources say we have reached out to Algeria too.

https://ar.lesiteinfo.com/sport/تحضيرا-لمواجهة-المغرب-كندا-تخطط-لملاق-638953.html

 

Hmm.

Play an African side in south France in June and then play Curacao in Montreal maybe.

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

5 minutes ago, narduch said:

Play an African side in south France...

13 minutes ago, Califax said:

VS Algeria in France would be outstanding. I'd love that. Legit away atmosphere...

You can play in northern France too.

The Algeria vs Colombia friendly sold VERY well at Lille's stadium prior to COVID.

 

[narduch]

4 minutes ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

You can play in northern France too.

The Algeria vs Colombia friendly sold VERY well at Lille's stadium prior to COVID.

 

Playing in Lille is a good idea.