Friendly - Canada vs Uruguay - Tuesday, September 27th - 12 pm Eastern / 9 am Pacific

[jonovision]

1 minute ago, InglewoodJack said:

Funny enough, I wish Canada could use him like Brugge does- play against softer opponents and let him cook, but against the big teams, you need someone who can actually make goals happen.

Who is that though?

[Ruud]

9 minutes ago, A.D.I.D.A.S. said:

Well then, may as well temper your expectations now. I just hope for at least 1 goal in Qatar 😐

+1 

[sose]

Adekugbe keeps impressing me.  Was solid in the back and didn't really put a foot wrong.  Also combined well with Davies in the 1st half.

Kone looked like he's going to be a star.

 

[VinceA]

Love Eustaquio but what a bad interview.

 

Possession and control means nothing if you can't do anything with it. If we lose 2-0 to Belgium but have control that and a pat on the back for the performance gets us 0 points.

[InglewoodJack]

Just now, jonovision said:

Who is that though?

That's the problem, there is no one. Maybe it's Ugbo, maybe it's Corbeanu in a couple years, I dunno. Larin is the best option we've got and he's gotten us this far, so no hate to him ever. Hell, Stefan Mitrovic might've been able to get something going.

[The Beaver 2.0]

Larin did not have his shooting boots on for sure, but he was excellent holding up the ball and coming back defensively. A lot of what he did in this game is going unnoticed...

Edited September 27, 2022 by The Beaver 2.0

[Pottsy3]

All in all, I don't think we see any change to the 11 due to this match. The guys who were injured will factor into the lineup, and Oso/Buchanan will naturally change our shape but I don't think anyone played themselves in or out of the lineup.

I liked Kone's performance, and I think this likely earned his spot on the plane but I don't think Herdman will see him as a starter. 

Johnston and Miller looked a lot better defending the counter attacks in the second half.

I liked Eustaquio talking about controlling the game. If we keep doing that, the goals should come. So long as we don't concede on the few opportunities as we did today.

[Gian-Luca]

Biggest negative for me was the largely uselessness on set pieces. Need to bring back the Ghost of Tony Waiters to devise some different strategies because just trying the same sort of nothing that we try every corner kick or free kick is too much of an opportunity to waste. Hungary demonstrated the other day that you can beat a team with a overall higher talent level by maximizing your opportunities on set pieces.

[P-O]

Just now, VinceA said:

Love Eustaquio but what a bad interview.

 

Possession and control means nothing if you can't do anything with it. If we lose 2-0 to Belgium but have control that and a pat on the back for the performance gets us 0 points.

I disagree.

It's a friendly. We work on things.

I am proud of our game today and the goal is still the same that it was 1 year ago when it was unbelievable to go to Qatar: Score a goal.

[jonovision]

2 minutes ago, VinceA said:

Love Eustaquio but what a bad interview.

 

Possession and control means nothing if you can't do anything with it. If we lose 2-0 to Belgium but have control that and a pat on the back for the performance gets us 0 points.

I know we all want Canada to get out of the group but it's not likely to happen. I would have put the chances at about 10%, and this game hasn't changed anything.

[Corazon]

Player Takeaways

Borjan - Had some great plays coming off the line but also looked nervous on the ball under pressure.  Also, positioning was off on the first goal.

Vitoria - Looked fairly confident aside from a terrible giveaway that Borjan was able to save him.  His lack of pace was not exposed once again.

Johnston - Thought he looked out of his element in the first half but a much better 2nd half.  Obviously quite clearly outjumped on Nunez header.

Miller - Thought he was solid all game.  I wouldn't have given the foul on the goal but I can see how it's called in the modern game.  Maybe he could save some goals for Canada instead of Montreal because his finsihing has been poor these two games in the couple chances he had.

Laryea - Terrible half.  Not much positive about his performance

Adekugbe - Quiet game from him.  Not a lot going forward but solid defensively.

Eustaquio - I thought he commanded the ball and play going forward and worked extremely hard all game.  Him and Piette struggled defensively together.  Perhaps a 3 man midfield was the key to stopping Uruguay that first half.

Piette - Did not do anything particularly wrong besides being caught a couple times.  He is just very limited to his capabilities when it comes to better competition.

Davies - I thought he had a fantastic first half but was abysmal in the 2nd half.  Continually making the wrong decisions and holding onto the ball too long.  Even his passes were quite off.

David - I thought he was the only decent attacker out there today.  Held the ball well and took his chances.

Larin - Definitely an off game for him.  Perhaps the quality of opponent made it difficult for him to settle in.

Hoilett - Unfortunately he is not our answer for RWB.  I appreciate his ability to play anywhere across the field but we need to figure out this position because Hoilett was near flawless in his appearances for Canada in qualfying.

Kone - Thought he was fantastic.  That's two games that I thought he matched up well with Eustaquio in the midfield.  He's going to Qatar regardless of Atiba & Osorio & Wotherspoon's health.

Ugbo - Quiet substitute appearance.

Corbeanu - Showed glimpses of skill but didn't get into the game like Tajon did.

Buchanon - A welcome site and a danger going forward in his short appearance.

[kingvikingstad]

2 minutes ago, Bertuzzi44 said:

Good wake-up call for some Canadian fans too I suspect. 

Remember, Belgium >> Uruguay...

Agreed and get your point. At the same time I think Uruguay is a particularly tough opponent for us. We have trouble breaking down a set defense. Nevermind one this experienced, smart, and talented.

I'll be interested in seeing the approach Belgium takes against us. If they push people too high up the pitch, that's where we can really use our speed on the counter. 

[EJsens1]

2 minutes ago, Pottsy3 said:

Johnston and Miller looked a lot better defending the counter attacks in the second half.

This is a great observation. They really settled in. Feels like there were some early nerves but they played great after the second goal. Great measuring stick today and while the result wasn’t there, nobody would be disappointed in the overall effort/performance 

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

2 minutes ago, P-O said:

I disagree.

It's a friendly. We work on things.

I am proud of our game today and the goal is still the same that it was 1 year ago when it was unbelievable to go to Qatar: Score a goal.

It being a friendly and them being the first good team we have played out of CONCACAF, is a big deal to me. 

Japan will be a lot more important, we will know what players we have and the adjustment period with be done.

That is where I reexamined my expectation if I do. 

[Ally McCoist]

I'm looking forward to getting Football Manager 23 and making something out of Kone.

[DeRo_Is_King]

Appreciate Miller's words. He knows they can do better. Oliver and Andi were feeding him softballs, yet he kept saying they need to be better, so the same thing doesn't happen again. It's good to have confidence, but there's still work to do. Miller knows that. 

Edited September 27, 2022 by DeRo_Is_King

[Corazon]

More takeaways from these games this week:

Cornelius, Waterman & Kennedy are battling for Qatar.  0 combined minutes between these 3 this week.

I'd be shocked if Koleosho is in Qatar at this point

Brym, Corbeanu & Millar all getting minutes was a positive but could they be battling for a spot or two?

Ugbo is clearly rated ahead of Cavallini at this point.

Kaye?  Clearly Kone is ahead of Kaye at this point.  It will be interesting to see what happens if we are healthy heading into Qatar.

Borjan, Crepeau, St Clair, Miller, Johnston, Vitoria, Laryea, Adekugbe, Hoilett, Eustaquio, Piette, Kone, David, Larin, Davies, Kaye, Tajon & Ugbo are all likely on the plane to Qatar if healthy.  Add in the players currently injured.  Both Osorio & Hutchinson will be there, as will Henry likely.  Wotherspoon will likely be in the group battling for one of the last spots.  

Edited September 27, 2022 by Corazon

[frmr]

10 minutes ago, VinceA said:

Love Eustaquio but what a bad interview.

 

Possession and control means nothing if you can't do anything with it. If we lose 2-0 to Belgium but have control that and a pat on the back for the performance gets us 0 points.

It was a friendly, our first big opponent in forever, and preparation for the World Cup. That was not a bad interview. The boys should be proud they dominated possession. Two mistakes aside and more clinical in the final third and we would have dominated Uruguay and won the game. Fine margins.

[CanadaFan123]

Forget the score - that was a great performance by our guys. Anyone who says otherwise has no clue.

Similar to the loss in Costa Rica, we see that this team is for real. Over the years we’ve seen Canada get results in matches where they didn’t play half as well so this is promising.

This team showed they’re going to maintain their identity and be fun to watch in Qatar. 
 

Major issues:

- Davies hero style... gotta stop. 
- Set pieces are terrible.

 

[SpursFlu]

I think an all in Uruguay beats both Croatia and Belgium right now

[gator]

I think the only real questions left for our Qatar starting 11 are in the midfield which will depend on fitness, Herdman had a good look at Piette and Kone and should know they can play if needed, the back 3, 4 or 5 picks itself and David and Larin are going to start up front!

[Shway]

11 minutes ago, Corazon said:

More takeaways from these games this week:

Cornelius, Waterman & Kennedy are battling for Qatar.  0 combined minutes between these 3 this week.

I think Cornelius and Kennedy make it in just based on familiarity. Waterman can make a push depending on how far Montreal go. 

11 minutes ago, Corazon said:

I'd be shocked if Koleosho is in Qatar at this point

He could still be a surprise, as Herdman won't rotate anyways.

11 minutes ago, Corazon said:

Brym, Corbeanu & Millar all getting minutes was a positive but could they be battling for a spot or two?

I think these 3 are battling for 1 spot.

11 minutes ago, Corazon said:

Ugbo is clearly rated ahead of Cavallini at this point.

This is true. But Cavallini will be on the plane.

11 minutes ago, Corazon said:

Borjan, Crepeau, St Clair, Miller, Johnston, Vitoria, Laryea, Adekugbe, Hoilett, Eustaquio, Piette, Kone, David, Larin, Davies, Tajon & Ugbo are all likely on the plane to Qatar if healthy.

If healthy I'll say you forgot to add Hutchinson, Henry, Kaye, Osorio and Cavallini.

22 spots guaranteed. 
4 up for grabs.

Edited September 27, 2022 by Shway
Forgot about the guy!

[kingvikingstad]

Without saying he's frustrated with Davies. Herdman is frustrated Davies.

 

Everything he explained about too many touches, passing instead of shooting, etc., could have been said directly to Phonzie.

[trc2014]

Is AGR the most overly positive analyst of all time?

[Pottsy3]

1 minute ago, Shway said:

If healthy I'll say you forgot to add Hutchinson, Henry, Kaye, and Cavallini.

21 spots guaranteed. 
5 up for grabs.

Oso too