June 6th friendly v Netherlands

[dyslexic nam]

Yeah, I will bet anyone here some nice cards that we see our A team in this match.  The only way we see anything that resembles real experimentation is if we fall to T&T and the stakes in June are minimal.  But barring that, it is one big final tune up in advance of a huge tournament - and we wouldn’t do anything other than use it as prep for our A team. Maybe a tweak here or there - but that’s it.  If there is still the Copa to prep for, we won’t see anything more extreme than Crepwau for Milan, and maybe one experimental attacking sub.  

[Corazon]

12 minutes ago, Bigandy said:

What does this do for squad prep though. Managers often have preferred squad sizes they like to work with so its manageable and they can be more focused. Do we bring in an extra 6 guys who sit on the sidelines and watch as we work on tactics? Sounds like an expensive solution that creates more problems than value. 

I don't see an issue with bringing in a few extra bodies.  Doesn't even have to be 6.  I don't see what's wrong with it considering almost every major country does it for the friendlies leading up to a major tournament.  So I'm not sure where your information is coming from.  I doubt Canada will do it but it's absolutely not uncommon for countries to do this for prep before a major tournament.

For example, Scaloni and Argentina brought 28 players to their friendlies in the weeks leading up to the 2022 World Cup and 2021 Copa America if I'm not mistaken.

Edited March 7 by Corazon

[Sal333]

4 hours ago, Stryker911 said:

As a Dutch-Canadian with alot of family in the Netherlands I would genuinely be shocked if it wasn't done for that purpose. The love and admiration that they still feel for Canada is undeniable to any Canadian that has ever visited the country before.

The summer before going to university, 1974, myself and a couple of buddies traveled through Europe.  Netherlands was one of our stops. Amsterdam to be precise. I could not believe how people reacted when they learned we were Canadians. We couldn't buy drinks in bars, a wine bottle was sent to our table a couple of times. In a tobacco shop, the owner gifted me a pipe I wanted to buy. (Why I wanted a pipe, I don't remember. I don't smoke). Anyway, it was just unreal how much they loved and appreciated Canadians. We didn't tell them that we were 2nd generation Canadians and our folks were from Italy.

But that was in '74. I suspect the younger generations don't feel the same way.

On a side note, the Dutch are my third favourite team after the Italians and the REDS.

Edited March 7 by Sal333

[Sal333]

3 hours ago, maplebanana said:

I asked a couple of Dutch people at work about this, and they basically said that's only the older generation. People under the age of 40 seem to not care about Canada or our role in WW2. 

I also would point out that Amsterdam is the first time I got the following conversation:

(Me, with 4 canadian flags sewn to my backpack)

"Are you Chinese or Korean?"

"I'm Canadian"

"But Chinese?"

"No, I was born and raised in Canada"

"But Chinese?"

"No, I am from Canada. I speak English and French only. I played hockey on frozen back yard rinks"

"But Chinese?"

".... (sigh) Yes."

In fairness, I get this exact conversation about 5x a day in China. 

Do you look Asian or are people just fucking with you?

[SpursFlu]

27 minutes ago, Bigandy said:

I get what you're saying, but lets say we field a B team vs netherlands. We get crushed. Did we actually learn much about who gets picked for the 12-23 spots? Is one game against the netherlands sufficient enough evidence to warrant selection or not? 

We surely need to give opportunities to players to make a case, but I would argue that 20ish spots are pretty confirmed if copa was today. Club form does much more justice to including a new guy in the squad than a one off game against holland.  

We've been screaming that our A team needs experience against top teams. Now that its here, we want our B team to get that experience? It makes no sense. 

I'm not saying field a B team. I'm saying you can't make a decision on someone until you see him in person in camp competing against your players. Piette ain't getting better, Osorio ain't getting better, Vitoria ain't getting better, Cavallini aint getting better. If the logic is don't play a B team in this friendly then why bring these guys along? They are the B team. You already know exactly what you have in these guy and they're not going to play out side of 5 minutes when Netherland tosses out their experimental guys as well

Edited March 7 by SpursFlu

[maplebanana]

2 minutes ago, Sal333 said:

Do you look Asian or are people just fucking with you?

I am genetically 100% chinese, but I know exactly 4 chinese characters and 3 of those are my name, which I'm not 100% confident in either. 

[Sal333]

2 hours ago, TGAA_Star said:

But this friendly is a litmus test not just for Copa America but for the build up towards 2026 when we co host with USA and Mexico...so yes I wanna face top teams of the world like Netherlands, Italy, Belgium again, France, Spain, Brazil, etc

Did you just arrive from the past on a time machine?

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

12 minutes ago, Sal333 said:

The summer before going to university, 1974, myself and a couple of buddies traveled through Europe.  Netherlands was one of our stops. Amsterdam to be precise. I could not believe how people reacted when they learned we were Canadians. We couldn't buy drinks in bars, a wine bottle was sent to our table a couple of times. In a tobacco shop, the owner gifted me a pipe I wanted to buy. (Why I wanted a pipe, I don't remember. I don't smoke). Anyway, it was just unreal how much they loved and appreciated Canadians. We didn't tell them that we were 2nd generation Canadians and our folks were from Italy.

But that was in '74. I'm suspect the younger generations don't feel the same way.

 Similar experience to my grandfather, who was an engineer in the rebuild. 

 

That said and to go along with your last sentence, my club (English) has had "fun" with Dutch "ultras" in the last couple years. 

Edited March 7 by WestHamCanadianinOxford

[Kadenge]

When does the final squad list for Copa have to be submitted? Is it before or after this friendly? I also assume that there will be a new coach on board, well before June 6th. So a couple of factors that may or may not impact the squad makeup or size.

Edited March 7 by Kadenge

[Unnamed Trialist]

48 minutes ago, Shway said:

@Olympique_de_Marseille

do some work for the CSA, who else is available to play so we can have a two match window. 

There are a few teams available, because many teams going to Eurocup have opted for now to just do one friendly that window, perhaps because they prefer camps, and the competition starts quite shortly afterwards.

Then there are no official matches that window for teams who did not qualify for the Eurocup. 

Teams that are available for the 9th (pushing it maybe), 10th, 11th: Spain, Turkey, France (edit, not Italy), Northern Ireland.

The advantage of Turkey is that you could play in Germany in a stadium not being used for the Eurocup, and get a good crowd out (though there may be restrictions on that so close to the event). You may also get a decent crowd in a Swiss stadium.

We prefer to have a match were we are not paying to play, not losing our expenses, breaking even, ideally getting a fee, or at least revenue sharing.

 

Edited March 7 by Unnamed Trialist

[TGAA_Star]

19 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

There are a few teams available, because many teams going to Eurocup have opted for now to just do one friendly that window, perhaps because they prefer camps, and the competition starts quite shortly afterwards.

Then there are no official matches that window for teams who did not qualify for the Eurocup. 

Teams that are available for the 9th (pushing it maybe), 10th, 11th: Spain, Turkey, France (edit, not Italy), Northern Ireland.

The advantage of Turkey is that you could play in Germany in a stadium not being used for the Eurocup, and get a good crowd out (though there may be restrictions on that so close to the event). You may also get a decent crowd in a Swiss stadium.

We prefer to have a match were we are not paying to play, not losing our expenses, breaking even, ideally getting a fee, or at least revenue sharing.

 

Then I would definitely want to face Spain or France 

[Bigandy]

1 hour ago, Corazon said:

I don't see an issue with bringing in a few extra bodies.  Doesn't even have to be 6.  I don't see what's wrong with it considering almost every major country does it for the friendlies leading up to a major tournament.  So I'm not sure where your information is coming from.  I doubt Canada will do it but it's absolutely not uncommon for countries to do this for prep before a major tournament.

For example, Scaloni and Argentina brought 28 players to their friendlies in the weeks leading up to the 2022 World Cup and 2021 Copa America if I'm not mistaken.

I think you are referencing the games argentina played against jamaica and hondorous. These games were in septemebr and they took 28 players. The friendly against UAE the week before the world cup (which is the equivalent to the netherlands game) they had a 26 man roster but replaced 2 players with injuries for the final world cup selection. I believe most nations name alternatives and bring them along to train when they expect someone is injured. 

If thats what you are getting at, then I am all for being prepared. I just dont think you bring unknown talents into the picture for the holland game to make a decision on who makes the squad in 2 days time. We will likely have to submit our Copa squad list right at the time of the camp so I dont think its entirely feasible for players to use the camp to get onto the list. 

However, I do see your point of adding a couple of alternatives. And if thats the general sentiment of what you meant, then i gotta apologize for misunderstanding. 

[RS]

1 hour ago, Watchmen said:

What's the over/under on the number of times we see/hear about Jonathan de Guzman during this match?

0.5

[Bigandy]

1 hour ago, SpursFlu said:

I'm not saying field a B team. I'm saying you can't make a decision on someone until you see him in person in camp competing against your players. Piette ain't getting better, Osorio ain't getting better, Vitoria ain't getting better, Cavallini aint getting better. If the logic is don't play a B team in this friendly then why bring these guys along? They are the B team. You already know exactly what you have in these guy and they're not going to play out side of 5 minutes when Netherland tosses out their experimental guys as well

It is quite bold to name the aging contingent with the argument "they arent getting better".  Piette and oso seem to be in slightly better form recently. Cav is by no means a guarantee for this squad let alone the copa team. Vitoria could retire before copa but hes currently within the top 2 Right centerback options which gives him a spot in the squad. Therefore theres no guarantee on any of your examples. 

However, lets assume they are on the copa squad. Whether player selection is correct or not, they are by definition the A squad. The Copa squad is the squad that needs to play vs netherlands. 

If youre simply saying that cav doesnt deserve a spot, then im with you. But it would be wild to have 2 different squads between the netherlands match and the copa squad. 

Imagine if our games against japan and uruguay pre world cup consisted of zbg, JRR, tiebert, james, ennin, JRR etc. It would have provided zero value for our very inexperienced teams at the world cup.  Same thing applies here. 

[SpursFlu]

5 minutes ago, Bigandy said:

It is quite bold to name the aging contingent with the argument "they arent getting better".  Piette and oso seem to be in slightly better form recently. Cav is by no means a guarantee for this squad let alone the copa team. Vitoria could retire before copa but hes currently within the top 2 Right centerback options which gives him a spot in the squad. Therefore theres no guarantee on any of your examples. 

However, lets assume they are on the copa squad. Whether player selection is correct or not, they are by definition the A squad. The Copa squad is the squad that needs to play vs netherlands. 

If youre simply saying that cav doesnt deserve a spot, then im with you. But it would be wild to have 2 different squads between the netherlands match and the copa squad. 

Imagine if our games against japan and uruguay pre world cup consisted of zbg, JRR, tiebert, james, ennin, JRR etc. It would have provided zero value for our very inexperienced teams at the world cup.  Same thing applies here. 

Well we can't keep kicking this can down the road. Eventually we need to find players who will make us better in 2026. That's what this is all about. Not now we have to beat Jamaica, not now we have to beat T&T, not now we have show well against Netherlands, not now we have to do well in Copa America. To me it just sounds like we're prolonging the inevitable looking for the perfect moment that will never come 

[Mihairokov]

Truthfully if we're carrying Borjan and Cavallini and Osorio and Hoilett into 2026 we'll have bigger things to worry about than squad selection. If we don't plan on having them around for that tournament then they need to be phased out of the squad so younger, better players can replace them, and those younger players need experience today so that they're better in 2026. I would far, far prefer that we lose matches with players like Koné and Ahmed on the field than the former players.

Edited March 7 by Mihairokov

[Obinna]

3 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I think you need to prep for Argentina, to be honest, if we don't screw up vs. T&T.

I don't want to see anyone or try anything remotely experimental.

Go into Rotterdam and compete Netherlands like we are competing Argentina.

If we qualify, it will be our second most important tournament after the WC, and third most important in history, and a great opportunity to do something we haven't done in the WC: get out of our group. 

Obviously if we fail in a few weeks it matters a lot less and I am not even sure I'll be that keen about watching those buggers.

 

You can do this and bring Colyn over Ahmed or Choniere, for instance. It's players 1-14 who need the reps against Netherlands if we are prepping for Argentina. That's our A squad.

Now, the guys from 15-23? They are basically interchangable. I certainly don't mind if we rotate some of them out to take a look at a Colyn or Bair, for example.

It's rare we play in Europe, so logistically it's easy to bring them in. Shorter flights and less travel means more time spent together, not to mention the benefit of cost savings, which is a reality for us. Putting the costs aside though, I think the benefit of having them spend a few extra hours together is worth it alone. 

Now, if this was our only tune up, then fine give me the guys like Ahmed and Choiniere. They are pushing into the team and must be integrated ahead of the tournament. I am basing my opinions here on the assumption we get another game on this side of the pond. 

[SthMelbRed]

Okay, so whom else did we liberate from Nazi tyranny 8 decades ago? It's finally time that we're cashing in our chits!

It wouldn't surprise me if we see the PM, G-G, and other dignitaries at the game for pre-game ceremonies. It'll be a big thing.

[Obinna]

6 minutes ago, SthMelbRed said:

Okay, so whom else did we liberate from Nazi tyranny 8 decades ago? It's finally time that we're cashing in our chits!

It wouldn't surprise me if we see the PM, G-G, and other dignitaries at the game for pre-game ceremonies. It'll be a big thing.

I mean, he certainly likes to have a say in who the CanMNT plays in friendlies, let's get him on the horn for ideas!

.....And given the theme, I am sure he has more contacts with first hand experience 

 

[SpursFlu]

22 minutes ago, SthMelbRed said:

Okay, so whom else did we liberate from Nazi tyranny 8 decades ago? It's finally time that we're cashing in our chits!

It wouldn't surprise me if we see the PM, G-G, and other dignitaries at the game for pre-game ceremonies. It'll be a big thing.

Don't ask our House of Commons. They're under the impression we were fighting against Russia at the time

Edited March 8 by SpursFlu

[SpursFlu]

Trudeau still can't believe we dropped the ball at Stalingrad.. oh well Surfs Up!

Edited March 8 by SpursFlu

[Obinna]

4 hours ago, dyslexic nam said:

Just to update, things aren't looking great for a June trip to Europe.

If this is related to your blood pressure cuff, your wife is doing you a solid.

[Mihairokov]

2 hours ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

 Similar experience to my grandfather, who was an engineer in the rebuild. 

That said and to go along with your last sentence, my club (English) has had "fun" with Dutch "ultras" in the last couple years. 

Holland is a different beast these days. Even watching footy in Flanders is different than watching it in Wallonia. Belgian League in rural Flanders is an experience! 😛

[An Observer]

5 hours ago, johnyb said:

Wow! CSA is on the ball! You my boy Blue!!!!

 

The amazingly thing is that he hasn’t even started yet.  What’s he going to do once he starts? Looking forward to the end to the Israel-Hamas conflict. 

[costarg]

4 hours ago, Sal333 said:

The summer before going to university, 1974, myself and a couple of buddies traveled through Europe.  Netherlands was one of our stops. Amsterdam to be precise. I could not believe how people reacted when they learned we were Canadians. We couldn't buy drinks in bars, a wine bottle was sent to our table a couple of times. In a tobacco shop, the owner gifted me a pipe I wanted to buy. (Why I wanted a pipe, I don't remember. I don't smoke). Anyway, it was just unreal how much they loved and appreciated Canadians. We didn't tell them that we were 2nd generation Canadians and our folks were from Italy.

But that was in '74. I suspect the younger generations don't feel the same way.

On a side note, the Dutch are my third favourite team after the Italians and the REDS.

For whatever it's worth, I spent 2 years in Amsterdam in 2007-2008, I was mid 30's.  Outside of the Dutch, my friends, coworkers and buddies were 3 South Africans, 2 Americans, a Greek and a Brit.  I was by far one of the quieter ones of the bunch.  Being Canadian seemed to get me a lot of attention and more invites into Dutch homes.  I felt singled out pretty regularly, never asked, but assumed it might've been due to our history.  Mind you, I generally feel Canadians are well appreciated in most countries.  So tough to say.