Obinna

Which is good. Maybe they'll have enough sense to right their wrongs before play resumes (though I doubt it). It's too bad because it is the players, the fans and the game that suffers in the end. T&T have been on the decline but they are still a respectable concacaf side. Our confederation is relatively weak, so we definitely don't want any of the half-decent teams sitting out.

Sucks for Telfer. Also, I see the ban won't be lifted until the TTFA comply with FIFA's request to remove their decision to contest the normalization committee issue with the local T&T courts? What a circus! Who knows how long this will drag on.....

I am shocked to find out he actually went on to have a decent career: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Vitti 2 goals in 5 games for Queretaro (presumably in Liga MX), 13 in 38 for LCD Quito (big Ecuadorian club) and also played for Tigre as well (not UNAL...the Argentine club where Janson came from). Not bad for someone who is remembered as a terrible signing! How many of these players only had a terrible time once they were in Toronto I wonder?

Gaitan is long gone FYI. He left Chicago for Lille last season and is now with Braga.

I think Ager Aketxe could have been a good player for TFC. He was on a lot of money but it was not outrageous. He is clearly a good player. He has gone on to score 4 goals in 33 games for Cadiz in the 2018-19 season (they narrowly missed out on the playoffs), and last year he scored 7 in 35 games for Deportivo La Coruna (who were sadly relegated). Maybe the fit wasn't right for him in Toronto, but you win some and you lose some. Either way, Aketxe is not someone I would put in the worst signing category and same goes for Gallardo for that matter, even though the Venezuelan has been a massive disappointment.

I personally didn't think he was noticeably worse than anyone else tonight. Did he lose a few battles to Bryan Rodriguez? Yeah sure, but he also made some nice tackles on a few players too. In a game where Vancouver couldn't string passes together, he looked relatively comfortable and dependable on the ball. Those little faints to create space are in his DNA. You don't see that on the other side with Nerwinski, who treats the soccer ball like a hot potato. I am of the opinion he is the kind of player who will play better with better players, whereas a guy like Jake Nerwinski (I don't mean to pick on him, just makes for a good comparison) strikes me as the type of player who's already stretched to the max of his ability as it is.

Speaking of balance, are the USA imbalanced? We know they have some fantastic young players, but sometimes I feel they are lacking a veteran presence. Are we more balanced in this regard? Canada Youth: Davies, David, Cornelius, Brault-Guillard, Miller, Eustaquio Prime: Osorio, Kaye, Adekugbe, Laryea, Larin, Cavallini, Piette, Henry Vets: Arfield, Hoilett, Hutchinson, Vitoria, Borjan USA Youth: Pulisic, Reyna, Dest, Sargent, Adams, McKennie, Cannon, Prime: Steffan, Morris, Boyd, Roldan, Yedlin, Brooks, Long Vets: Altidore, Zardes, Bradley, Ream Now trying to be fair and not cherry-pick, I selected the best players for each country. I started with us and chose who think of as starters, or at least debatable starters. I never gave too much mind to position, but I did pick one goal keeper for each. I then did the same for the USA. So what to make of the results? The first thing which is clear is that almost all of their best players are in the youth category. They are going to be scary good in a few years, but right now they have talent without experience. That won't last for long, but experience in a team is critical. Youth players need Vets to lead them, but in order to lead you must still be effective. You must be a pillar of the team. Being a "bench" leader only counts for so much. This is where I think the USA may struggle for this cycle. Look at their vets. Bradley is just about past it at this level with all due respect. Altidore is not far behind. I love both of these players, but this is true. Zardes is having a career year in MLS and Ream is a steady eddy, but are these guys who Pulisic, Adams, Dest and co. are going to be motivated by or inspired by? Who is going to drag the team to victory when the going gets tough? The best players. However, if the best players are the young players, the moment may prove too big. They don't have the reference points when push comes to shove. This is where you need leaders with experience. We have a much better outlook in this regard. Hutchinson is still playing at a high level. When he shows up he plays a key role for Canada. He never just comes in to round out the numbers. Same goes for Arfield and Hoilett. These are not "fringe" vets, these are core players for Canada. They command respect with their play. I am not even saying they are better players than their USA counterparts (though you can argue they are), but I am saying in the context of our team they are big players. The USA vets are not the big players, their youth are the big players. In fact, I would say the 6 most talented players from that USA group are arguably what I call Youth. For Canada, I think of out of our top 6 we have 2 from the Youth, 1 in their Prime and 3 who are Vets. I mean, it's all subjective but you know what I am getting at. Basically I think the USA will go through growing pains before they become the juggernauts some people expect.

Just having a bit of fun!

And Jakovic has scored. What a night!

There are more Canadians starting tonight in the Vancouver - LAFC match than Americans.

Certain rules can vary depending on competition. Perhaps that is the case here?

I notice they have fans at the Orlando-SKC game. Also, Tesho has 1 of the goals for Orlando. So 2 positive developments tonight.

Was wondering today what this kid was up to. Would be nice to see him catch on somewhere and get his career going.

I think it'd be a case of not letting a player slip away. Gutierrez is still pretty young and is showing promise. I don't think Chile are going to want a player like that defect. Even if they have no immediate plan for him they're likely whispering sweet nothings into his ear, trying to keep him close. From their perspective there's not much to lose in trying to get him to commit, and with him playing and living in the country trying to pry him away the timing makes sense. Furthermore, Canada has done this already with Cordova, so the possibility of losing him is real for Chile.

Yes.....I am sure everything is what it seems. Nothing to see here.