September and October 2023 friendly matches (plans, speculation, rumours etc.)

[costarg]

8 hours ago, VinceA said:

We're getting smacked with Biello.

Watch him try out Adekugbe in a DM role. Or insist Bombito's real talent is as a #10.

So you mean continue with Herdman's tactics?

[Watchmen]

9 hours ago, vancanman said:

The first time we've failed to qualify.  For those who think Soccer Canada's a mess, the nincompoops at the top at Rugby Canada are killing the sport in Canada.  Japan hammered Chile (the team that knocked us out) by 30 points.

 

5 hours ago, DoyleG said:

Chile knocked the Americans out by one point to qualify.

The Americans lost on PD after giving up a last-second penalty to the Portuguese.

And Canada got knocked out (in part) when the coach decided not to call in his European based players initially for the Chile series.  He's the worst f*ng manager we've had, and they re-upped him.

[Obinna]

Rewatched the GC loss to the USA (2nd half onwards) and now watching the NL final. It's nice to watch again now that most/all the emotion has subsided. It's really incredible how far we have come and it's cool we are pushing the USA, who are a cut above Canada still. Has always been that way as long as I have followed the program, but the big difference now is that we are challenging them and will continue to be a thorn in their side for years to come. Feels so much better than being an afterthought and perennial 2nd rate CONCACAF team. There is a genuine top 4 in the region with Canada a solid 3rd and some mix of Panama/Costa Rica/Jamaica rotating in and out of that 4th spot. That's how I see the region at the moment.

What I really want to talk about though is the next friendly against Japan and what that may look like. They trounced Germany as we know, away from home. That is a massive result. I am really looking forward to how we fare against them. Win, draw or loss I am looking for us to perform well. 

Japan will have to deal with Alphonso Davies this time around, who is in great form for Bayern and his relationship with Harry Kane will be that much stronger come October. Davies should be flying high into this next Canada match.

David was impressive against Japan last time with his skill and intelligence and things continue to hum along at Lille for him. Larin however is a bit of a concern, having not scored yet for Mallorca. Should be interesting to see if that changes between now and the Japan game.

Eustaquio is another player who I believe missed the Japan game. He's playing a lot of minutes for Porto, again. I am looking forward to seeing how he does against a very good Japan that's full of players just as technical as he is.

Buchanan and Johnston are now on opposite sides of the injury equation. Johnston is back starting for Celtic once again. Buchanan though picked up a hammy issue we really hope is not major. It would suck for him to be out or just coming back ahead of this match.

I'd like to see St. Clair get the start, but I expect Borjan will once again be the guy for us between the sticks. He's dropped down a level, but he's still at a club playing in the Europa Conference League, and he's their starter. He'll probably be the number 1 ahead of Dayne and hopefully Sirois who needs to be brought in.

And speaking of players who need to be brought in, Choniere obviously needs to get a run out here and win his first cap. I doubt he starts but a nice 15 minute cameo in the 2nd half would be very nice and much deserved.

Ali Ahmed is back playing and is another player I want to see make this roster. If he doesn't see the field it's okay, but he should be part of our selections moving forward, so long as he keeps up his good play with Vancouver.

Here are my 23 players for the Japan match as of today:

GK - Borjan

GK - St. Clair

GK - Sirois

LB - Davies

LB - Adekugbe

RB - Laryea

RB - Johnston

CB - Miller

CB - Cornelius

CB - Vitoria

CB - McNaughton

M - Eustaquio

M - Kone

M - Osorio

M - Ahmed

M - Choniere

F - David

F - Larin

F - Ugbo

F - Buchanan

F - Schaffleburg

F - Millar

Tough call to leave out Hoilett, but he's the only one currently unattached. He may find a club between now and then, but even so it could be good for him to step back and get cemented into his new club. Hoilett will definitely play a role this cycle.

Kaye and Piette are two guys who could make a case for a recall. Especially Kaye. I am tempted to drop one of Millar and Schaffleburg because we probably don't need both. We already have a lot of firepower out wide. After seeing how Jacob has progressed for club and now country, it's hard not to include this guy. If anything I want him in there more than Millar, but Liam just made a great loan move to the English Championship leaders PNE. There's a real chance he's part of the rotation come October. Hard to leave a guy in that situation off the squad. So I have gone for both players and kept Piette and Kaye out for a while longer.

There are other players who I want to see in an ideal world. Brym for instance has had a great start and could be included. JRR is just 20 and continues his great season with the Crew. Zator is captain of a team in the Polish top flight. Kennedy is playing regularly in the Austrian Bundesliga. Nelson is a very important player for Rosenborg. McGraw is chugging along with Portland. I really like what I see from Saliba in Montreal. We can't call everyone though and this will be the A squad or close to it.

Looking forward to seeing the boys back in action.

[gigi riva]

1 minute ago, Obinna said:

Rewatched the GC loss to the USA (2nd half onwards) and now watching the NL final. It's nice to watch again now that most/all the emotion has subsided. It's really incredible how far we have come and it's cool we are pushing the USA, who are a cut above Canada still. Has always been that way as long as I have followed the program, but the big difference now is that we are challenging them and will continue to be a thorn in their side for years to come. Feels so much better than being an afterthought and perennial 2nd rate CONCACAF team. There is a genuine top 4 in the region with Canada a solid 3rd and some mix of Panama/Costa Rica/Jamaica rotating in and out of that 4th spot. That's how I see the region at the moment.

What I really want to talk about though is the next friendly against Japan and what that may look like. They trounced Germany as we know, away from home. That is a massive result. I am really looking forward to how we fare against them. Win, draw or loss I am looking for us to perform well. 

Japan will have to deal with Alphonso Davies this time around, who is in great form for Bayern and his relationship with Harry Kane will be that much stronger come October. Davies should be flying high into this next Canada match.

David was impressive against Japan last time with his skill and intelligence and things continue to hum along at Lille for him. Larin however is a bit of a concern, having not scored yet for Mallorca. Should be interesting to see if that changes between now and the Japan game.

Eustaquio is another player who I believe missed the Japan game. He's playing a lot of minutes for Porto, again. I am looking forward to seeing how he does against a very good Japan that's full of players just as technical as he is.

Buchanan and Johnston are now on opposite sides of the injury equation. Johnston is back starting for Celtic once again. Buchanan though picked up a hammy issue we really hope is not major. It would suck for him to be out or just coming back ahead of this match.

I'd like to see St. Clair get the start, but I expect Borjan will once again be the guy for us between the sticks. He's dropped down a level, but he's still at a club playing in the Europa Conference League, and he's their starter. He'll probably be the number 1 ahead of Dayne and hopefully Sirois who needs to be brought in.

And speaking of players who need to be brought in, Choniere obviously needs to get a run out here and win his first cap. I doubt he starts but a nice 15 minute cameo in the 2nd half would be very nice and much deserved.

Ali Ahmed is back playing and is another player I want to see make this roster. If he doesn't see the field it's okay, but he should be part of our selections moving forward, so long as he keeps up his good play with Vancouver.

Here are my 23 players for the Japan match as of today:

GK - Borjan

GK - St. Clair

GK - Sirois

LB - Davies

LB - Adekugbe

RB - Laryea

RB - Johnston

CB - Miller

CB - Cornelius

CB - Vitoria

CB - McNaughton

M - Eustaquio

M - Kone

M - Osorio

M - Ahmed

M - Choniere

F - David

F - Larin

F - Ugbo

F - Buchanan

F - Schaffleburg

F - Millar

Tough call to leave out Hoilett, but he's the only one currently unattached. He may find a club between now and then, but even so it could be good for him to step back and get cemented into his new club. Hoilett will definitely play a role this cycle.

Kaye and Piette are two guys who could make a case for a recall. Especially Kaye. I am tempted to drop one of Millar and Schaffleburg because we probably don't need both. We already have a lot of firepower out wide. After seeing how Jacob has progressed for club and now country, it's hard not to include this guy. If anything I want him in there more than Millar, but Liam just made a great loan move to the English Championship leaders PNE. There's a real chance he's part of the rotation come October. Hard to leave a guy in that situation off the squad. So I have gone for both players and kept Piette and Kaye out for a while longer.

There are other players who I want to see in an ideal world. Brym for instance has had a great start and could be included. JRR is just 20 and continues his great season with the Crew. Zator is captain of a team in the Polish top flight. Kennedy is playing regularly in the Austrian Bundesliga. Nelson is a very important player for Rosenborg. McGraw is chugging along with Portland. I really like what I see from Saliba in Montreal. We can't call everyone though and this will be the A squad or close to it.

Looking forward to seeing the boys back in action.

With all the crap going on at the CSA which in itself is very annoying but not surprising . I am more interested to see the emergence or improving of guys like Ahmed, BOMbito, and Nimick

[Ottawafan]

8 hours ago, Obinna said:

Rewatched the GC loss to the USA (2nd half onwards) and now watching the NL final. It's nice to watch again now that most/all the emotion has subsided. It's really incredible how far we have come and it's cool we are pushing the USA, who are a cut above Canada still. Has always been that way as long as I have followed the program, but the big difference now is that we are challenging them and will continue to be a thorn in their side for years to come. Feels so much better than being an afterthought and perennial 2nd rate CONCACAF team. There is a genuine top 4 in the region with Canada a solid 3rd and some mix of Panama/Costa Rica/Jamaica rotating in and out of that 4th spot. That's how I see the region at the moment.

What I really want to talk about though is the next friendly against Japan and what that may look like. They trounced Germany as we know, away from home. That is a massive result. I am really looking forward to how we fare against them. Win, draw or loss I am looking for us to perform well. 

Japan will have to deal with Alphonso Davies this time around, who is in great form for Bayern and his relationship with Harry Kane will be that much stronger come October. Davies should be flying high into this next Canada match.

David was impressive against Japan last time with his skill and intelligence and things continue to hum along at Lille for him. Larin however is a bit of a concern, having not scored yet for Mallorca. Should be interesting to see if that changes between now and the Japan game.

Eustaquio is another player who I believe missed the Japan game. He's playing a lot of minutes for Porto, again. I am looking forward to seeing how he does against a very good Japan that's full of players just as technical as he is.

Buchanan and Johnston are now on opposite sides of the injury equation. Johnston is back starting for Celtic once again. Buchanan though picked up a hammy issue we really hope is not major. It would suck for him to be out or just coming back ahead of this match.

I'd like to see St. Clair get the start, but I expect Borjan will once again be the guy for us between the sticks. He's dropped down a level, but he's still at a club playing in the Europa Conference League, and he's their starter. He'll probably be the number 1 ahead of Dayne and hopefully Sirois who needs to be brought in.

And speaking of players who need to be brought in, Choniere obviously needs to get a run out here and win his first cap. I doubt he starts but a nice 15 minute cameo in the 2nd half would be very nice and much deserved.

Ali Ahmed is back playing and is another player I want to see make this roster. If he doesn't see the field it's okay, but he should be part of our selections moving forward, so long as he keeps up his good play with Vancouver.

Here are my 23 players for the Japan match as of today:

GK - Borjan

GK - St. Clair

GK - Sirois

LB - Davies

LB - Adekugbe

RB - Laryea

RB - Johnston

CB - Miller

CB - Cornelius

CB - Vitoria

CB - McNaughton

M - Eustaquio

M - Kone

M - Osorio

M - Ahmed

M - Choniere

F - David

F - Larin

F - Ugbo

F - Buchanan

F - Schaffleburg

F - Millar

Tough call to leave out Hoilett, but he's the only one currently unattached. He may find a club between now and then, but even so it could be good for him to step back and get cemented into his new club. Hoilett will definitely play a role this cycle.

Kaye and Piette are two guys who could make a case for a recall. Especially Kaye. I am tempted to drop one of Millar and Schaffleburg because we probably don't need both. We already have a lot of firepower out wide. After seeing how Jacob has progressed for club and now country, it's hard not to include this guy. If anything I want him in there more than Millar, but Liam just made a great loan move to the English Championship leaders PNE. There's a real chance he's part of the rotation come October. Hard to leave a guy in that situation off the squad. So I have gone for both players and kept Piette and Kaye out for a while longer.

There are other players who I want to see in an ideal world. Brym for instance has had a great start and could be included. JRR is just 20 and continues his great season with the Crew. Zator is captain of a team in the Polish top flight. Kennedy is playing regularly in the Austrian Bundesliga. Nelson is a very important player for Rosenborg. McGraw is chugging along with Portland. I really like what I see from Saliba in Montreal. We can't call everyone though and this will be the A squad or close to it.

Looking forward to seeing the boys back in action.

Really need to add a second game to give as many of the newer players an opportunity to get into the fold on the pitch.

[trc2014]

Is there zero chance we add a second October game?  I’ve held out hope but that might be a mistake.

[Obinna]

9 hours ago, gigi riva said:

With all the crap going on at the CSA which in itself is very annoying but not surprising . I am more interested to see the emergence or improving of guys like Ahmed, BOMbito, and Nimick

I am interested in that too, especially when it comes to Nimick, but the Japan friendly won't be the time for it, right? Who do you drop from that list? Vitoria perhaps? We need a lesser opponent than Japan if we are going to test out Nimick and (in my opinion) Bombito.

Of the three you mentioned, the only one who deserves a spot is Ahmed. Bombito we may see because of his potential and previous experience in the Gold Cup, but personally I think he needs seasoning with Colorado before he comes into a game against a Japan A side.

As I mentioned, you probably need to drop one of Schaffleburg and Millar if you want to bring Bombito and keep Ahmed, but at that point you're picking him over Kaye and Piette, which is arguably better for the future which I acknowledge. He's also not playing for one of the worse teams in MLS, while Kaye starts for one of the best teams and Piette captains a MTL team in the playoff hunt. 

I guess you could drop Vitoria for Bombito, but it's not a like for like if we're playing him in midfield. And if you pick Bombito ahead of McGraw (who I left off), you are basically saying I want to leave home a starting CB from Portland who is statistically a top CB this year for a guy who isn't playing because of "potential" - all the while Bombito is just 3 years younger than McGraw.

All of this is to say I don't think Bombito should be in the next roster. He's cap tied now and since he is young there is plenty of time to slowly integrate him into our national team.

[costarg]

10 hours ago, Obinna said:

Rewatched the GC loss to the USA (2nd half onwards) and now watching the NL final. It's nice to watch again now that most/all the emotion has subsided. It's really incredible how far we have come and it's cool we are pushing the USA, who are a cut above Canada still. Has always been that way as long as I have followed the program, but the big difference now is that we are challenging them and will continue to be a thorn in their side for years to come. Feels so much better than being an afterthought and perennial 2nd rate CONCACAF team. There is a genuine top 4 in the region with Canada a solid 3rd and some mix of Panama/Costa Rica/Jamaica rotating in and out of that 4th spot. That's how I see the region at the moment.

What I really want to talk about though is the next friendly against Japan and what that may look like. They trounced Germany as we know, away from home. That is a massive result. I am really looking forward to how we fare against them. Win, draw or loss I am looking for us to perform well. 

Japan will have to deal with Alphonso Davies this time around, who is in great form for Bayern and his relationship with Harry Kane will be that much stronger come October. Davies should be flying high into this next Canada match.

David was impressive against Japan last time with his skill and intelligence and things continue to hum along at Lille for him. Larin however is a bit of a concern, having not scored yet for Mallorca. Should be interesting to see if that changes between now and the Japan game.

Eustaquio is another player who I believe missed the Japan game. He's playing a lot of minutes for Porto, again. I am looking forward to seeing how he does against a very good Japan that's full of players just as technical as he is.

Buchanan and Johnston are now on opposite sides of the injury equation. Johnston is back starting for Celtic once again. Buchanan though picked up a hammy issue we really hope is not major. It would suck for him to be out or just coming back ahead of this match.

I'd like to see St. Clair get the start, but I expect Borjan will once again be the guy for us between the sticks. He's dropped down a level, but he's still at a club playing in the Europa Conference League, and he's their starter. He'll probably be the number 1 ahead of Dayne and hopefully Sirois who needs to be brought in.

And speaking of players who need to be brought in, Choniere obviously needs to get a run out here and win his first cap. I doubt he starts but a nice 15 minute cameo in the 2nd half would be very nice and much deserved.

Ali Ahmed is back playing and is another player I want to see make this roster. If he doesn't see the field it's okay, but he should be part of our selections moving forward, so long as he keeps up his good play with Vancouver.

Here are my 23 players for the Japan match as of today:

GK - Borjan

GK - St. Clair

GK - Sirois

LB - Davies

LB - Adekugbe

RB - Laryea

RB - Johnston

CB - Miller

CB - Cornelius

CB - Vitoria

CB - McNaughton

M - Eustaquio

M - Kone

M - Osorio

M - Ahmed

M - Choniere

F - David

F - Larin

F - Ugbo

F - Buchanan

F - Schaffleburg

F - Millar

Tough call to leave out Hoilett, but he's the only one currently unattached. He may find a club between now and then, but even so it could be good for him to step back and get cemented into his new club. Hoilett will definitely play a role this cycle.

Kaye and Piette are two guys who could make a case for a recall. Especially Kaye. I am tempted to drop one of Millar and Schaffleburg because we probably don't need both. We already have a lot of firepower out wide. After seeing how Jacob has progressed for club and now country, it's hard not to include this guy. If anything I want him in there more than Millar, but Liam just made a great loan move to the English Championship leaders PNE. There's a real chance he's part of the rotation come October. Hard to leave a guy in that situation off the squad. So I have gone for both players and kept Piette and Kaye out for a while longer.

There are other players who I want to see in an ideal world. Brym for instance has had a great start and could be included. JRR is just 20 and continues his great season with the Crew. Zator is captain of a team in the Polish top flight. Kennedy is playing regularly in the Austrian Bundesliga. Nelson is a very important player for Rosenborg. McGraw is chugging along with Portland. I really like what I see from Saliba in Montreal. We can't call everyone though and this will be the A squad or close to it.

Looking forward to seeing the boys back in action.

Great list and detailed explanation.  Hard to argue with any of it.  I'd love to see MacGraw in one of the CB slots, but totally aligned with your thinking.  Corbeanu is probably in the discussion as well.  

[narduch]

Ahmed hasn't played a lot post Gold Cup.

I doubt he gets called.

Hell you can probably make the same argument for Bombito 

[Obinna]

26 minutes ago, narduch said:

Ahmed hasn't played a lot post Gold Cup.

I doubt he gets called.

Hell you can probably make the same argument for Bombito 

Ahmed and Bombito are similar in that respect, but their reasons for not playing are quite different. Ahmed was not playing because he picked up an injury at the Gold Cup. Bombito is not playing because of coaches choice.

As far as I know, Ahmed is now getting regular looks but that can change between now and the Japan game.

Likewise, maybe the coaching change in Colorado leads to more minutes for Bombito.

In both cases, we are dealing with players at the tail end of the squad, if they make it at all. By now I have shared my opinions on both players and which one I would prefer for this game, but yes for sure we could easily see both or neither in Japan. Both are definitely in the mix I am sure.

[InglewoodJack]

11 hours ago, Obinna said:

Rewatched the GC loss to the USA (2nd half onwards) and now watching the NL final. It's nice to watch again now that most/all the emotion has subsided. It's really incredible how far we have come and it's cool we are pushing the USA, who are a cut above Canada still. Has always been that way as long as I have followed the program, but the big difference now is that we are challenging them and will continue to be a thorn in their side for years to come. Feels so much better than being an afterthought and perennial 2nd rate CONCACAF team. There is a genuine top 4 in the region with Canada a solid 3rd and some mix of Panama/Costa Rica/Jamaica rotating in and out of that 4th spot. That's how I see the region at the moment.

What I really want to talk about though is the next friendly against Japan and what that may look like. They trounced Germany as we know, away from home. That is a massive result. I am really looking forward to how we fare against them. Win, draw or loss I am looking for us to perform well. 

Japan will have to deal with Alphonso Davies this time around, who is in great form for Bayern and his relationship with Harry Kane will be that much stronger come October. Davies should be flying high into this next Canada match.

David was impressive against Japan last time with his skill and intelligence and things continue to hum along at Lille for him. Larin however is a bit of a concern, having not scored yet for Mallorca. Should be interesting to see if that changes between now and the Japan game.

Eustaquio is another player who I believe missed the Japan game. He's playing a lot of minutes for Porto, again. I am looking forward to seeing how he does against a very good Japan that's full of players just as technical as he is.

Buchanan and Johnston are now on opposite sides of the injury equation. Johnston is back starting for Celtic once again. Buchanan though picked up a hammy issue we really hope is not major. It would suck for him to be out or just coming back ahead of this match.

I'd like to see St. Clair get the start, but I expect Borjan will once again be the guy for us between the sticks. He's dropped down a level, but he's still at a club playing in the Europa Conference League, and he's their starter. He'll probably be the number 1 ahead of Dayne and hopefully Sirois who needs to be brought in.

And speaking of players who need to be brought in, Choniere obviously needs to get a run out here and win his first cap. I doubt he starts but a nice 15 minute cameo in the 2nd half would be very nice and much deserved.

Ali Ahmed is back playing and is another player I want to see make this roster. If he doesn't see the field it's okay, but he should be part of our selections moving forward, so long as he keeps up his good play with Vancouver.

Here are my 23 players for the Japan match as of today:

GK - Borjan

GK - St. Clair

GK - Sirois

LB - Davies

LB - Adekugbe

RB - Laryea

RB - Johnston

CB - Miller

CB - Cornelius

CB - Vitoria

CB - McNaughton

M - Eustaquio

M - Kone

M - Osorio

M - Ahmed

M - Choniere

F - David

F - Larin

F - Ugbo

F - Buchanan

F - Schaffleburg

F - Millar

Tough call to leave out Hoilett, but he's the only one currently unattached. He may find a club between now and then, but even so it could be good for him to step back and get cemented into his new club. Hoilett will definitely play a role this cycle.

Kaye and Piette are two guys who could make a case for a recall. Especially Kaye. I am tempted to drop one of Millar and Schaffleburg because we probably don't need both. We already have a lot of firepower out wide. After seeing how Jacob has progressed for club and now country, it's hard not to include this guy. If anything I want him in there more than Millar, but Liam just made a great loan move to the English Championship leaders PNE. There's a real chance he's part of the rotation come October. Hard to leave a guy in that situation off the squad. So I have gone for both players and kept Piette and Kaye out for a while longer.

There are other players who I want to see in an ideal world. Brym for instance has had a great start and could be included. JRR is just 20 and continues his great season with the Crew. Zator is captain of a team in the Polish top flight. Kennedy is playing regularly in the Austrian Bundesliga. Nelson is a very important player for Rosenborg. McGraw is chugging along with Portland. I really like what I see from Saliba in Montreal. We can't call everyone though and this will be the A squad or close to it.

Looking forward to seeing the boys back in action.

Only swap I make is Corbeanu for Shaff. If it's a 27 man lineup, I take your lineup + Brym, Corbeanu, Nelson, and Saliba, though Saliba is more of a homer pick, I think Kaye, JRR, Hoilett or even Tom McGill are probably more likely calls.

[Obinna]

6 hours ago, costarg said:

Great list and detailed explanation.  Hard to argue with any of it.  I'd love to see MacGraw in one of the CB slots, but totally aligned with your thinking.  Corbeanu is probably in the discussion as well.  

 

4 hours ago, InglewoodJack said:

Only swap I make is Corbeanu for Shaff. If it's a 27 man lineup, I take your lineup + Brym, Corbeanu, Nelson, and Saliba, though Saliba is more of a homer pick, I think Kaye, JRR, Hoilett or even Tom McGill are probably more likely calls.

Theo definitely deserved mention in my list, if not being included in it. Considering his play for Grasshoppers I think he's right there with Schaffleburg, Millar, and maybe Nelson. All of these guys are deserving but obviously not all can or will be called this October.

One thing for us to keep in mind is that Millar will be playing with the best club in the best league of the four wingers. He's got the most national team experience and also the only one who made the World Cup squad, so all that may work in his favorite.

Conversely, none of these four is likely more important to their team than Corbeanu and there's something to be said for players who are "the guy" for their team.

My early prediction is Millar and Schaffleburg, but Corbeanu can definitely be a call up here. Nelson is more of an outsider based in part on how seldom he was used at Gold Cup. I was disappointed we didn't play him more and didn't even pick him for the original squad.

[InglewoodJack]

56 minutes ago, Obinna said:

 

Theo definitely deserved mention in my list, if not being included in it. Considering his play for Grasshoppers I think he's right there with Schaffleburg, Millar, and maybe Nelson. All of these guys are deserving but obviously not all can or will be called this October.

One thing for us to keep in mind is that Millar will be playing with the best club in the best league of the four wingers. He's got the most national team experience and also the only one who made the World Cup squad, so all that may work in his favorite.

Conversely, none of these four is likely more important to their team than Corbeanu and there's something to be said for players who are "the guy" for their team.

My early prediction is Millar and Schaffleburg, but Corbeanu can definitely be a call up here. Nelson is more of an outsider based in part on how seldom he was used at Gold Cup. I was disappointed we didn't play him more and didn't even pick him for the original squad.

Shaff played well enough for Canada to get another call, absolutely, but I think club form-wise, corbeanu clears significantly; he’s one of the best players in Switzerland currently.

There are rumours on Twitter that Tajon may miss 4-6 weeks with a hamstring issue, so unfortunately, one of the two may take his spot and we’ll see both. 

[kacbru]

17 hours ago, Obinna said:

There is a genuine top 4 in the region with Canada a solid 3rd and some mix of Panama/Costa Rica/Jamaica rotating in and out of that 4th spot. That's how I see the region at the moment.

This is where I think there is a bit of room for debate.  There is a clear top 2 in Concacaf and I would throw us in with the Panama/Costa Rica/Jamaica group battling for 3/4th spots.

For reference, our record since the start of 2022 WCQ - 24W 10L 8D.  I would argue that 11W 2D of that was against Concacaf minnows (the two draws only coming in the last gold cup).  Our record against teams in the final 8 - 11W 6L 7D.  Still impressive, but I don't think there is as clear gap between 3/4.

[Obinna]

28 minutes ago, kacbru said:

This is where I think there is a bit of room for debate.  There is a clear top 2 in Concacaf and I would throw us in with the Panama/Costa Rica/Jamaica group battling for 3/4th spots.

For reference, our record since the start of 2022 WCQ - 24W 10L 8D.  I would argue that 11W 2D of that was against Concacaf minnows (the two draws only coming in the last gold cup).  Our record against teams in the final 8 - 11W 6L 7D.  Still impressive, but I don't think there is as clear gap between 3/4.

I could definitely entertain that. Let's consider the teams:

Panama - don't know what their record was in qualifiers, but it would have been similar enough to ours, including the minnows. The difference was we finished a top the table and they couldn't hold on to make the Intercontinental WC playoff. Advantage Canada in that regard. From there, we beat them to qualify for the NL finals. Advantage Canada. However, they made the GC final and won their knockout against the States, which we couldn't do, albeit with a rotated selection. They had their A selection. Regardless, the results have seen them nearly match our FIFA rankings. Final verdict? They are hot on our heals for 3rd.

Costa Rica - Out performed us at the World Cup with arguably a tougher group. Advantage Ticos. Following that, they failed to make the Nation's League Semi-final, so we bested them there. Then in Gold Cup they made it no further than we did, also with a rotated squad, though it seems they rotated a bit less then we did. Someone with better knowledge of the Ticos pool could say with more accuracy than I. At any rate, they like Panama basically have the same FIFA ranking and like us they earned a buy to the 23-24 NL league A quarters by virtue of being ranked 4th in CONCACAF. We are 3rd by a whisker. Verdict? One could argue they are the number 3 team by virtue of their superior WC performance, but within the region we have done better and on paper we have more top end players, fwiw. Both are extremely close overall, but there is a perception we are rising and they are sinking. That's just narrative though..

Jamaica - On paper they have the most talented squad and have recently made some very interesting additions. Off the top of my head, they now have 4 Prem players, 5 Championship players, one of the top (if not the top) keeper in MLS, a Ligue 1 forward, and a supporting cast of MLS players. Oh and Damari Gray (in Saudi now). That's a strong team. They also weren't really close in the Ocho and didn't make the NL semi-finals - but with their new additions they made the GC semi, one step further than us. They are ranked about 10 spots below is, which is not that far away. Verdict? Feels like they are the fourth team in this group of challengers (inc. Canada), but with a squad that could rise very quickly to the top of the list. I am putting them fourth for now..

CONCACAF?

1. USA

 

 

2. Mexico

3. Canada/CR/Panama/Jamaica

(But note the order)

[kacbru]

Yeah - I'd buy that.  Our record since start of 2022 WCQ is 2W 2L vs CR, 2W 1L vs Panama and 2W 1D vs Jamaica.  Based on that alone, we have the upper hand, but it feels like the order could shift based on team selection, injuries, luck, location, etc.

[costarg]

1 hour ago, kacbru said:

This is where I think there is a bit of room for debate.  There is a clear top 2 in Concacaf and I would throw us in with the Panama/Costa Rica/Jamaica group battling for 3/4th spots.

For reference, our record since the start of 2022 WCQ - 24W 10L 8D.  I would argue that 11W 2D of that was against Concacaf minnows (the two draws only coming in the last gold cup).  Our record against teams in the final 8 - 11W 6L 7D.  Still impressive, but I don't think there is as clear gap between 3/4.

I've been meaning to ask this very question about Jamaica and to an extent CR and Panama.  I feel we've been underestimating Jamaica, and very possibly the other two as well.  We have not looked good in quite some time and need to turn that around.  I'm not falling for this automatic 3rd stuff until i start seeing some results again.  

Jamaica looks really solid and downright scary on paper.  

[red card]

Japan with another 4 goals in a 4-2 win over Turkiye. Reims winger Nakamura with 2 goals.

Decent crowd given it was played in Belgium.

 

Videos may be taken down if watching later on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5xY4fBjqAI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFW0tdMv62Y

 

 

[nolando]

3 hours ago, red card said:

Japan with another 4 goals in a 4-2 win over Turkiye. Reims winger Nakamura with 2 goals.

Decent crowd given it was played in Belgium.

 

Videos may be taken down if watching later on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5xY4fBjqAI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFW0tdMv62Y

 

 

A little worried what a full-strength Japan would do to us atm. That's the pity about not having a second, less formidable opponent lined up; you can't really throw out an experimental side with a tonne of pups to a team of lions firing on all cylinders. 

[VinceA]

Someone keeps fucking with the wiki page now it lists us playing Russia. Which 100% ain't happening lmao

[Watchmen]

1 hour ago, VinceA said:

Someone keeps fucking with the wiki page now it lists us playing Russia. Which 100% ain't happening lmao

I mean, let's not be too hasty.  The ruble is trading at .014 CDN, so a training camp there might finally be within the CSA's budget.

Edited September 16, 2023 by Watchmen

[Obinna]

Well come to think of it the Yen is down 20% on the CAD year over year so maybe that explains the October camp?

[MtlMario]

I checked the FIFA site for the time of Canada-Japan game and it says 6.35. Does anyone know what time it will here on One Soccer?

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

30 minutes ago, MtlMario said:

I checked the FIFA site...

They still list matches on FIFA's website?

Where?

31 minutes ago, MtlMario said:

...for the time of Canada-Japan game and it says 6.35.

The JFA lists it as 7:35pm local time.

So 6:35am Eastern / 3:35am Pacific would be correct.

Another #CanMNT breakfast match on a lucky Friday the 13th.

[MtlMario]

11 minutes ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

They still list matches on FIFA's website?

Where?

The JFA lists it as 7:35pm local time.

So 6:35am Eastern / 3:35am Pacific would be correct.

Another #CanMNT breakfast match on a lucky Friday the 13th.

On the Fifa site click at the top "Match Centre" and pick the date you want.