Match Thread: FIFA U-17 World Cup: Group B - Matchday 2 - Canada v Uzbekistan - November 13, 2023 - 7am ET / 4am PT (7pm local time)

[narduch]

Lol. VAR check for offside and we are down 2-0

[Unnamed Trialist]

Then Chukwu screws up the offside and they get their second after the VAR review.

We are playing for our country, it is not a charity.

[dyslexic nam]

Did we put a shot on goal during the first 7 minutes?  I have seen 3 efforts and we missed the net every time.  

[dyslexic nam]

In some games that’s a yellow. 

[Gian-Luca]

Anyone know why we are playing with no midfield? 

Edited November 13, 2023 by Gian-Luca

[P-O]

9 minutes ago, Gian-Luca said:

Anyone know why we are playing with no midfield? 

This, and our back 3 playing turtle speed passes.

Put a CB in the midfield!

Our tactics suck at youth level. It's incredible how we aren't playing as a team.

At some point, that TFC academy bias will have to be looked at. 

[dyslexic nam]

Damn it would be nice to pull one back before halftime….

[Ottawafan]

Another Canadian team eliminated from a FIFA competition at halftime of the second game. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

If I were coaching this team I'd train at a pace that corresponds to game pace, where you have a fire lit under your butt and it's clockwork, the lazy movement at the back, as noted, just lets the rival settle in every part of the field. 

Basically the CSA can go to hell and Olivieri as well, it is a disgrace to play this way.

[dyslexic nam]

Now we have just started taking shots from 30 yards out.  That is encouraging.  

[P-O]

Why not go back to a 4 & let Tahid play Deep Lying midfielder. Let him run with the ball through the middle & create havoc.

Awful display.

[Gian-Luca]

The entire left side of the team- Chuckwu De Montiny and  the left sided striker who can’t stay on side, needs to be replaced for the start of the second. Plus a formation change so that our other striker doesn’t have to play as a #6 just to get the ball

Edited November 13, 2023 by Gian-Luca

[CanSoccfan11]

This looks like a team that hasn't been able to properly prepare for the tournament.  No cohesion at all, just a bunch of individuals who don't really understand what their teammates are supposed to do.  Also our midfield is non existent.

[shorty]

21 minutes ago, Gian-Luca said:

Anyone know why we are playing with no midfield? 

Seems a cheap shot, but seriously.  The Uzbek coach is talking tactics with his assistant and they figured out under 10 minutes how to link through our midfield, whereas Olivieri is just fat Dad in a track suit.  Our guys are playing like kids with some talent, not like pros.

[An Observer]

We are so slow in possession and as UT says we frequently miss the easy pass to relieve pressure. But we are playing with no midfield or little movement when we have the ball. That’s on rhe manager

[blueseeka]

That was disappointing. I thought they played well in the first 5 minutes or so. A pretty dangerous chance early. And then it ended. Picked apart with quick passes

[El Diego]

There is no coherent plan when we have the ball and are building up. The back three just exchange passes, then one of the outside centre backs just pings it forward. Occasionally Omeze will run forward into space before losing the ball. Once in a while a midfielder will drop and the centre back activates into an advanced position -- this is clearly a planned strategy. But beyond that, there is no practical plan. No desire at all to play through the middle, it is remarkable in a way.

Out of possession is a mess, too. I try not to be too harsh on the kids, they are being given nothing to work with, but there have been a bunch of individual mistakes, too. Still, most of this is a problem with the way we are set up. Seriously, just playing a bog standard 4-4-2, 4-3-3, or 4-2-3-1 with no additional instruction would yield a much  better performance. I don't know what they are trying to achieve with this 5-4-1/3-4-3/4-4-2 weird asymetric hybrid system at u17 level?

[shorty]

No in game adjustments is on the manager as well.  Obviously it's the players that have to recognize and react, but that comes down to tactical preparation as well.  We are playing 1-D chess at a local gold U16 level

[shorty]

1 minute ago, El Diego said:

I don't know what they are trying to achieve with this 5-4-1/3-4-3/4-4-2 weird asymetric hybrid system at u17 level?

I don't mind this in principle if it's vertical alignment through the levels of CanMNT, but your staff need to have the tactical chops at every level to pull this off.  We don't.

[Ottawafan]

Not sure I buy into the narrative that these kids haven’t been given the tools to properly prepare. Bottom line here is they seem to be below the standard of play in the first game and a half. 

[shorty]

Two pro players off at half, Tahid and Tavernier.

[Gian-Luca]

And now he has taken Tahid off instead, the only player who has looked like he could score for us thus far 

[El Diego]

1 minute ago, shorty said:

I don't mind this in principle if it's vertical alignment through the levels of CanMNT, but your staff need to have the tactical chops at every level to pull this off.  We don't.

I get that's the idea, but I don't know, it's quite presumptuous to think these u17 kids will be playing the same system when they get to the senior team both in 1. how many players will actually make that transition and 2. what system we will be playing by the time they get there (whether we have the same current manager or not). I just don't see how this system serves the players in terms of developing or identifying them.

[Unnamed Trialist]

Just now, shorty said:

Two pro players off at half, Tahid and Tavernier.

Chukwu should not be playing. 

At least Tahid has some things we need to get the goals. 

Agree about Tavernier, he's been poor every minute he's played so far.

[shorty]

Is 14 Londono?  They do not use him at all, in possession.

(ok as soon as I say that they use him)

Edited November 13, 2023 by shorty