# Canadian Soccer Part II



## Halladay

Id like to see Canada in the Hex.

Previous thread.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1812203


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## DoyleG

should add "Let the purges begin" to the title.


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## Bures Elbow

Henry was awful...he contributes nothing as a fullback.

Julian De guzman was a non factor the entire match, couldnt manufacture one through ball, link play, or dispossess Herrera all night. All he did was that early cross which we missed a tap in on.

Larin did well at first and caused a lot of problems but tired after chasing and being sent long balls all night.

Hoillet should have scored a goal when he bullied his way into the 18.

CB's were a catastrophe...Jakovic and Straith are not better than Edgar and Vitoria(nowhere near good enough for Benfica but far better than a J league player and Straith)

I think what Benito was doing was keeping Vitoria-Edgar rested for AZTECA for damage limitation...but he should have gone for point here at all costs.


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## Hank Chinaski

Jakovic was absolutely awful and needs to be dropped for Tuesday's match. Terrible marking on Chicharito's goal, constantly slow to react to anything in his area, terrible passing. Straith wasn't much better.


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## SeawaterOnIce

Team formation wasnt bad and Canada had some brief good moments. Thing is...we lack talent. Severely lack talent.


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## Cucumber

SeawaterOnIce said:


> Team formation wasnt bad and Canada had some brief good moments. Thing is...we lack talent. Severely lack talent.




This x100

Also De jong sucks. to the post 2 or 3 ahead of me.

Wingers didn't impress me. I expected a loss and to be dominated. So the pain is minimum. 


Question though. Has Canada ever played against a bigger player than Chicharito in Canada?


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## Jeremy Hronek

Despite the loss I had a blast at the game. The Mexican team is so fun to watch, it seemed like they were able to effortlessly transition from defense to offense.


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## YogiCanucks

I was at the game too, it was damn fun to be at. It was seriously an amazing spectacle. But seriously, some of you guys (mostly from the previous thread) really need a reality check. This is Mexico, they are the class of of our region. When they're on form, they can hang with the big boys of the world. 

We had a couple players not perform well today for sure (JDG and Henry were the clear ones for me) but that being said, when Mexico sat back in the 2nd half we were actually able to move the ball around a bit and impose our game. Shows we have some quality on our side but when Mexico wants it, they get it and that's the way it's going to be for now.

Wish we'd kept the score line closer but all in all not a terrible performance. I look at our trip down on Tuesday as a great opportunity to pull off something special AND get a taste for the current squad for the hostile environment that will be Honduras in Match day 5


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## Pouchkine

Wow absolutely disgusting display. Most of our players look like hockey players who happen to play some soccer during summer...Borjan was great Arfield had some moments Hutchinson had an average game for his standard and De Jong was not so bad, the rest were all terrible.

Doneil Henry as I said before the game is a disaster, the worst defender I've ever seen in pro soccer. He has no idea what he's doing on the field. He was just like he was at TFC.

Jakovic is done Straith as well, Johnson is terrible and done, De Guzman as well Tosaint Ricketts did he play? Larin didn't make one good play all game, when playing against good players we see he is bad. Hoilett missed a tap in when it was 0-0 and apart from that was invisible. That game could have ended something like 7-1...And we had 0 organisation 0 shape on the pitch. 

The referee all around was better than your average mls referee. Could have given two yellows early in the game but apart from that was very good for concacaf level and the crowd was fantastic.

It's good that El Salvador drew yesterday but I wouldn't be surprise if we don't score a single goal in our next 3 games.

Since I follow the team, I've never seen it so bad, yesterday we had about 8 guys in the starting line up that haven't played a club game in 2016...


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## IHaveNoCreativity

Disappointed but it is Mexico that we played.


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## Pouchkine

Yes and they made us look like part time players...which we are for the most part. Take note of that : we won't score another goal in the next 3 games.


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## Pouchkine

54 798 that's a record for the renovated BC Place and the atmosphere was terrific.


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## TRG

K DEN said:


> This x100
> 
> Also De jong sucks. to the post 2 or 3 ahead of me.
> 
> Wingers didn't impress me. I expected a loss and to be dominated. So the pain is minimum.
> 
> 
> Question though. Has Canada ever played against a bigger player than Chicharito in Canada?




They tied Brazil in 1994, in Canada.


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## Rob

Cruyff said:


> Since I follow the team, I've never seen it so bad, yesterday we had about 8 guys in the starting line up that haven't played a club game in 2016...




 Damn


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## Pouchkine

Yes but the Brazil game was a friendly, the same year we also hosted Holland if I remember correctly.


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## Disclose

im sure chicharito is not even the best mexican player canadas ever faced.
a certain hugo sanchez comes in mind.

(cant confirm if he has, but being concacaf opponents im sure he did for 1990 or 94)


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## Fulham

Honestly ok with the result. We got well beaten by a better team. We didn't get slaughtered, or not have any chances. We had some good moments where we looked Dangerous. And If we play that way against El Salvador, and Honduras we should make it thru.

But as a CMNT supporter I've never seen a less talented player than Ricketts consistently play for us. 
In the First Couple of Minutes we had a 3v2 and he miss hit his cross by 30+yards...
I swear we could throw Luke Wileman in their and get better as a team


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## Moncherry

Overreaction from a lot of people here. If Mexico is on their game that's what's going to happen. The gulf in talent is too wide.


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## YogiCanucks

US isn't as good as they think they are but their team in the 2011 Gold Cup was still a solid #2 to Mexico. Go watch the highlights of the final, as soon as the Mexican team turned it on they torched the Americans. I think this Mexico team is better than that squad too.


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## IHaveNoCreativity

Some of Mexicos passes and shots were world class, like I thought we had a chance and I brushed Mexico off, but wow they're insanely good.


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## Tuggy

Fulham said:


> Honestly ok with the result. We got well beaten by a better team. We didn't get slaughtered, or not have any chances. We had some good moments where we looked Dangerous. And If we play that way against El Salvador, and Honduras we should make it thru.
> 
> But as a CMNT supporter I've never seen a less talented player than Ricketts consistently play for us.
> In the First Couple of Minutes we had a 3v2 and he miss hit his cross by 30+yards...
> I swear we could throw Luke Wileman in their and get better as a team




I agree. Obviously the better team won but Canada was not without their chances. 

We are still in decent position in the group.

Another draw tomorrow for Honduras/El Salvador would be really nice because I'm not expecting any miracles in Mexico.

Also need Mexico to win all their remaining games.


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## Pouchkine

Mexico played on auto pilot though, they knew Canada had nothing to hurt them, that's why we had a couple of great chances but overall if everyone buried their chances we would have lost like 9-2...And if Mexico played 100% we would lose easy 5-0 like tomorrow probably.

And yes Hugo Sanchez miles ahead of Hernandez.


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## Pouchkine

The thing is I just don't see much upside to this team. Half the guys are close to retirement and terrible, most of the "young" guys are beyond mediocre. Let's say Hutchinson gets hurt or picks up cards and misses one or both of the last two games, I wouldn't be surprised if we lose both of them.


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## Fulham

^Most Teams in Concacaf rely on 2-3 Quality Players and the rest of the Team is literally whoever is in the Best(or any) Pro environment.

Larin is the Key to Our CMNT Success moving forward. All we need to do is get better, at giving him the ball somewhere other than the halfway line. 

The Implementation of Fully Professional Second teams for the 3 MLS clubs is Massive. Canada Finally is Developing a pathway(not the best pathway, but its something) for our talented Youngsters who have proven they can compete and win against their peers from abroad. Its no Longer MLS or bust at 18


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## Hackett

Based on the class displayed by Mexico in Vancouver, I'm gonna guess they win at azteca 5-0, mostly in cruise control.

I liked what I saw from arfield though. Hopefully, he can get his back in form by the time Canada really needs him.


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## Pouchkine

Arfield seemed like a player with some talent I agree. The thing is Latin teams in the region even the weaker ones almost every player is comfortable with the ball that's something that our team at the moment lacks in almost every player. So anyone want to guess tonight's lineup or what they would like to see?


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## IHaveNoCreativity

Fulham said:


> ^Most Teams in Concacaf rely on 2-3 Quality Players and the rest of the Team is literally whoever is in the Best(or any) Pro environment.
> 
> Larin is the Key to Our CMNT Success moving forward. All we need to do is get better, at giving him the ball somewhere other than the halfway line.
> 
> The Implementation of Fully Professional Second teams for the 3 MLS clubs is Massive. Canada Finally is Developing a pathway(not the best pathway, but its something) for our talented Youngsters who have proven they can compete and win against their peers from abroad. Its no Longer MLS or bust at 18



Ligue 1 Ontario helps too, a few alums are going pro or NCAA.


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## SeawaterOnIce

Cruyff said:


> Arfield seemed like a player with some talent I agree. *The thing is Latin teams in the region even the weaker ones almost every player is comfortable with the ball that's something that our team at the moment lacks in almost every player.* So anyone want to guess tonight's lineup or what they would like to see?




Go to any minor local soccer game and see the tactics that managers/coaches will employ...it's a joke. We overly emphasize good sportsmanship and encourage youth to *evenly* distribute the ball so everyone gets a chance to play. 

That's fine and dandy, but it stifles creativity. I was in Italy for a year when I was a kid and enrolled on a soccer team when I was 9. I was scolded numerous times for breaking formation, and would always ***** about our central midfielder hogging the ball. He was phenomenal...and it came as no surprise when I found out he has been playing for a team in Serie A (Pescara). 

Our players are showing more promise but they just lack the skill and swagger.


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## Pouchkine

I know a lot about minor league soccer here or shall we say youth soccer that's why I have next to no hope for any improvement of the national team for many years still...People that think that TFC Impact Whitecaps academies will work magic are kidding themselves, the problem starts before this and is immense.


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## Cucumber

Cruyff said:


> I know a lot about minor league soccer here or shall we say youth soccer that's why I have next to no hope for any improvement of the national team for many years still...People that think that TFC Impact Whitecaps academies will work magic are kidding themselves, the problem starts before this and is immense.




This x1000000000000000

Yes, these academies might make a couple NT team players but if we want to be a consistent world cup qualifying team. Which should be the goal at this stage of Canadian soccer. We will need a lot more work in our youth system. 


Larin in a year or 2 should try to get Kaka to pull a few strings and play in a bigger league in Europe. Even if it's 2nd division in England, Spain or Italy, it will be better quality than MLS. He won't come close fulfilling his potential staying in MLS.


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## Cucumber

SeawaterOnIce said:


> Go to any minor local soccer game and see the tactics that managers/coaches will employ...it's a joke. We overly emphasize good sportsmanship and encourage youth to *evenly* distribute the ball so everyone gets a chance to play.
> 
> That's fine and dandy, but it stifles creativity. I was in Italy for a year when I was a kid and enrolled on a soccer team when I was 9. I was scolded numerous times for breaking formation, and would always ***** about our central midfielder hogging the ball. He was phenomenal...and it came as no surprise when I found out he has been playing for a team in Serie A (Pescara).
> 
> Our players are showing more promise but they just lack the skill and swagger.




Local youth coaches are much more strict. We have unlimited subs at most levels in youth soccer. In England at the age of 5, you only have 8subs all game and as the players grow the number go down. I believe it's 14 where the games in England allow only 3subs. Really makes the player focus on his fitness, skill ect... more so he gets to play. We care like you said about equal playing time, sportsmanship and stuff that may sound nice but is actually hurting our youth skill. 

A player who isn't as good should go down a level to a different team or fight for his place. Competition to earn a spot is much better. I see a couple times certain players do not get equal playing time. In Canada at least, it's down to the coach having biased towards his kids and his kid's friends.


Practices in the highest local teams for each age group are a complete joke and utter embarrassment. 

-Warm up

- 2 5-8man rondos with the circle/square way to large and kids joking around,
transitional play from defense to strikers with no pressure till the strikers and the defenders are the leftover players aka players who suck/coach's doesn't like them. The real back 4 defenders are simply passing the ball to the midfield. 

- a shooting/volley drill with no pressure on the shooters. The incredibly large number of shots missing the net from 15-18year olds inside/around the 18 is sad. Not to mention, everyone is in the shooting drill, is a big problem. A CB should be working more on positioning, being commanding, tackling in their training. Not if they can shoot an 18ish yard shot/volley past a gk. 

-Crossing/corner kick drill with no defenders. Again everyone is doing this drill even if you are among the short players on the team. I have seen a couple times a gk come out and punch or catch the ball and got told off by the coach for almost running into a player. If the gk had bad technique or comes out to far from his net, then fair enough but that wasn't the case that I saw. A very important part of being a gk is being brave and strong in the air. 

-Between the couple GK trainers at the local club, the number of different techniques is to much. One main difference is that one guy teaches gk's to guess on PKs and the other teaches the gk's to watch the ball.

-once every 2weeks is a 45min with guess trainers which makes the team do different sprinting drill and bodyweight exercises. Fitness training once every 2weeks is low and if the players are serious about soccer. They should be expected and going on runs/working/sprint training after school. 

-Then to finish off the practice usually a scrimmage with the coach(es) talking and having Tims. 

The coaches aren't really coaching 9/10 times, instead, they are simply telling the players what they are doing at training and talking to each other. 

Then in games


Most teams just play high pressing which causes both teams to kick it up and let the players run behind. It shows that 9/10 players aren't fit to last a 45min half nevermind a whole half. The one or two players each team that is fit do cross country/track and field. Youth soccer where the purpose is the development of the players. We should be teaching a more passing, attacking, skillful, creative style of play. Instead, we get a bunch of clueless parents who are coaching just so their kid can play. Some coaches who don't know soccer will have the guts to blame the team. 

Even worst the coaches who yell at players to sprint back 40-50yards in 3-5seconds after they just sprinted forward the same distance late in the game. Players who got injured, give the ball away a couple time and is worthless for a whole min or 2 till they catch their breath are super common. Coaches can't expect high energy soccer for 70-90mins without proper training. Not to mention nutrition, tactics, and players understanding what is expected from them. 

Most teams I see whether u11 or u18 have a rough time talking, the confidence on the ball is lacking on most players, the IQ of a player to find space is low. Most players will rely on their pace instead of both their brain and pace. Creativity is super low, and when a player makes a clever run and is a tiny bit creative. He meets a dumb teammate just running straight, who tells off his teammate making a looping run far post or something. Most players will then just run straight so they don't get told off again. Hockey tactics used while attacking like a drop/one timer pass, 3-4players go for a rebound. Wingers the number of times both wingers are on the touch line when in the final 3rd is disturbing and most players see nothing wrong. GK's are usually among the most unfit, short players on the team as well. Whatever they are teaching from age 5-10 is so pointless.


This thing which annoys me the most, these coaches think they are smart and know the game for watching a good team like Arsenal/Barca/Madrid/Bayern ect... 

Coaching is IMO the most important thing we need to fix in Canada's current system.


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## SeawaterOnIce

K DEN said:


> This x1000000000000000
> 
> Yes, these academies might make a couple NT team players but if we want to be a consistent world cup qualifying team. Which should be the goal at this stage of Canadian soccer. We will need a lot more work in our youth system.




You cannot do this without adequate funding- and this would have to either come from donors or the public sphere. You would need to revamp the education system and get knowledgeable soccer volunteers who have had experience in a structured setting. This all cost $$$, which I don't think Canadians are willing to invest in. My friend is currently coaching an elementary soccer team...they have 3 soccer balls for 15 players.


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## Pouchkine

The CSA is a wealthy organization but they don't want to invest the money in a quality grass roots structure and coaching. Plain and simple. Look no further.


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## Fulham

The *MAIN*Big Picture Problem is not with the CSA, or the 3 Professional Academy's. One of Which is the Best Funded in the MLS by a considerable margin. 

Its with the Provincial Soccer Associations. None of them will listen to the CSA, they all have separate goals, league structures and rules. And have combative relationships with Private football Academys(such, as Sigma+others) and the Professional Clubs. 

Fun Fact During the 2014/15 MLS Season Robinson was the 4th Highest Paid Head Coach, in Greater Vancouver.


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## Fulham

Cruyff said:


> The CSA is a wealthy organization but they don't want to invest the money in a quality grass roots structure and coaching. Plain and simple. Look no further.




They can't do so directly. They do it via Funding Provincial Associations, none of whom are willing to cooperate. As they all know best in their eyes.


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## Cucumber

SeawaterOnIce said:


> You cannot do this without adequate funding- and this would have to either come from donors or the public sphere. You would need to revamp the education system and get knowledgeable soccer volunteers who have had experience in a structured setting. This all cost $$$, which I don't think Canadians are willing to invest in. My friend is currently coaching an elementary soccer team...they have 3 soccer balls for 15 players.




I could be wrong but I always thought that provincial/local government were in charge of giving schools the money for sports equipment.


I agree though that the change needed won't be cheap. People are willing to pay $500 for a rep team, other leagues are $2000+, add in private soccer academies, new cleats, driving cost, ect... I think a good number of Canadians want higher soccer training for their kids and future generations. I also think a good number would be willing to help fund. 

I believe I saw somewhere that more kids in Canada play soccer than anything else, including hockey. So there is definitely a big market for improving the quality.


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## Cucumber

Fulham said:


> The *MAIN*Big Picture Problem is not with the CSA, or the 3 Professional Academy's. *One of Which is the Best Funded in the MLS by a considerable margin. *
> 
> Its with the Provincial Soccer Associations. None of them will listen to the CSA, they all have separate goals, league structures and rules. And have combative relationships with Private football Academys(such, as Sigma+others) and the Professional Clubs.
> 
> Fun Fact During the 2014/15 MLS Season Robinson was the 4th Highest Paid Head Coach, in Greater Vancouver.




Is it Vancouver? 

I always thought DC had the highest funded academy tbh.


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## DyerMaker66*

Does Canada have to win tonight or would a draw be helpful?


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## SeawaterOnIce

K DEN said:


> [snipped]
> 
> This thing which annoys me the most, these coaches think they are smart and know the game for watching a good team like Arsenal/Barca/Madrid/Bayern ect...
> 
> Coaching is IMO the most important thing we need to fix in Canada's current system.




You perfectly outlined everything that is wrong. 

Some teams are evolving strategies and seeking out qualified individuals to coach but a lot of coaches are still trying to use strategies from football, ultimate frisbee and even hockey on a soccer pitch. 

I get why a coach wouldn't be so invested in a team. Most of the time, they are either volunteers or being underpaid. I sound awfully selfish but I certainly would not devote more than 12 hours a week like they do in Europe.



K DEN said:


> *I could be wrong but I always thought that provincial/local government were in charge of giving schools the money for sports equipment.*
> 
> I believe I saw somewhere that more kids in Canada play soccer than anything else, including hockey. So there is definitely a big market for improving the quality.




You are correct, I meant Canadians in general (varies from province to province). In BC, we are shutting down schools and there's not nearly enough money to invest in extra curricular activities. Hard to believe, but there are less sports offered in the public school system nowadays. Most grass pitches in Vancouver elementary schools have become sand pitches since it's easier to maintain. 

While more children are playing soccer, we sure as hell lack infrastructure. The 2015 Women's World Cup brought the *first public soccer pitch* at Empire Fields in Vancouver (with nets and painted lines) last year.




DyerMaker66 said:


> Does Canada have to win tonight or would a draw be helpful?




Ideally, a tie (they aren't winning in Mexico). A loss wouldn't be devastating but it would pretty much mean Canada would have to win the remaining games *or *win and draw the remaining games if El Salvador and Honduras draw tonight.


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## YogiCanucks

SeawaterOnIce said:


> Go to any minor local soccer game and see the tactics that managers/coaches will employ...it's a joke. We overly emphasize good sportsmanship and encourage youth to *evenly* distribute the ball so everyone gets a chance to play.
> 
> That's fine and dandy, but it stifles creativity. I was in Italy for a year when I was a kid and enrolled on a soccer team when I was 9. I was scolded numerous times for breaking formation, and would always ***** about our central midfielder hogging the ball. He was phenomenal...and it came as no surprise when I found out he has been playing for a team in Serie A (Pescara).
> 
> Our players are showing more promise but they just lack the skill and swagger.




Why would be be judging our player development on a random minor local soccer game. You could have watched my Silver 1 team play 10 years ago and gotten the idea we were far too focused on winning from skill development. Ignoring the fact that I bet a strong majority of the players in that league probably didn't even play at the college level, let alone any tier of professional. 

It's all about how the development is at the Selects level, how the youth academies are developing players. I think a lot has changed and the infrastructure put into place over the past 4 years has gone a long way. I think you'll see different types of players coming out of the system in 5-6 years with the likes of Alphonso Davies leading the charge.


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## Fulham

K DEN said:


> Is it Vancouver?
> 
> I always thought DC had the highest funded academy tbh.




Its Vancouver. They Have Setup Academy's Centre's in London Ontario, Nanaimo ,Victoria, Vernon,Kamloops,Saskatoon,Regina. and Of Course In Van. 

Due to Alberta Soccer Politics they were not able to secure backing to open one in Calgary.


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## Tuggy

Let's go boys! Shock the world! 

Honduras up on El Salvador 1-0 in the second half.


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## IHaveNoCreativity

Tuggy said:


> Let's go boys! Shock the world!
> 
> Honduras up on El Salvador 1-0 in the second half.




Dammit.

Ballou Talba and Alfonso Davies are going to be huge for us.


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## Natey

I hate Floro more than Therrien.


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## IHaveNoCreativity

Is Tomori cap tied to Canada ?


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## Tuggy

Natey said:


> I hate Floro more than Therrien.




Not sure what other lineup he could go with tonight.


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## Hank Chinaski

Henry


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## Natey

Tuggy said:


> Not sure what other lineup he could go with tonight.



Edgar is healthy. DAVID EDGAR. Easily the best CB we have. 

Henry is also hot garbage. 

If we're giving away the game, why is Hoilett playing?


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## Tuggy

Ugh penalty...


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## Natey

El Salvador needs to score in the next 4 minutes..


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## Natey

Short corners. 

I'm done with this crap for the night. We don't even want a result.


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## Tuggy

I do agree that Henry sucks. 

Honduras is going to win. Not a great result but not a deathblow to our chances.

Assuming Mexico wins all their games, then Canada can advance simply by not losing either of their next two.

I know what happened last time but they just cannot lose in Honduras.


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## Natey

Tuggy said:


> I do agree that Henry sucks.
> 
> Honduras is going to win. Not a great result but not a deathblow to our chances.
> 
> Assuming Mexico wins all their games, then Canada can advance simply by not losing either of their next two.
> 
> I know what happened last time but they just cannot lose in Honduras.



Honduras picked up an extra goal - that's huge. Puts our goal differential far lower. 

We need a result against Honduras. Simple as that. If we don't, we're done.

Edgar and Arfield are both in our best XI. And they're not playing. Ledgerwood is also playing wing... what? Play him where Henry is and use Henry as a sub.


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## varsaku

That hurts giving up that late goal


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## Hank Chinaski

Some sloppy work from the defenders on the second goal, but the worst offender was Will Johnson. Just stood around on the wrong side of the ball, daydreaming. You're away at Azteca, your first choice keeper is out of the game, you're moments away from the half; everyone behind the ball FFS!


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## Pouchkine

Great points about the stupid politics of the provincial organizations as well that's why I say it's one big clusterfukk...

Henry is once again the worst, we are terrible tonight and all this will come down to the last game in Honduras...


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## Natey

Cruyff said:


> Great points about the stupid politics of the provincial organizations as well that's why I say it's one big clusterfukk...
> 
> Henry is once again the worst, we are terrible tonight and all this will come down to the last game in Honduras...



The only way it doesn't is if Mexico curbstomps them.

Ps. So stupid that Hoilett is still playing


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## Hank Chinaski

Good move to put Piette in for JdG.


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## varsaku

Cruyff said:


> Great points about the stupid politics of the provincial organizations as well that's why I say it's one big clusterfukk...
> 
> Henry is once again the worst, we are terrible tonight and all this will come down to the last game in Honduras...




Henry is played out of position and hasn't been playing great either. I don't get why floro keeps putting him in there.


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## varsaku

So many lazers


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## IHaveNoCreativity

Pretty happy with this game, both goals were top class. Preventable but top notch from Mexico.

We're going to get better, we've got some young attacking talent coming up, just going to need time.

Who are the top prospects in EDM, Ottawa and Toronto FC's academies ? 

I know Vancouver has Davies, Chung. Montreal has Talba but idk is that's all ? 

Someone want to help make a list of best U-20 and U-18 players ?

At the very least we have 3 potentially good keepers coming up.


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## Tuggy

Arfield was hurt but hopefully he'll be ready to go in September. 

Get at least a draw in Honduras and win at home against El Salvador and that would be enough. I don't see Honduras winning in Mexico.


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## Pouchkine

So we need 4 pts...it's gonna be really tough. If we draw Honduras we would have the better head to head with them so a draw and a win over El Salvador and we go through. The reality though will probably be much simpler...


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## Pouchkine

Is the first tiebreaker head to head result between the teams? It should be but with concacaf you never know.


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## Pouchkine

No looks to be goal differential...so we need a win in Honduras to control our destiny on the last matchday...


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## Tuggy

Cruyff said:


> So we need 4 pts...it's gonna be really tough. If we draw Honduras we would have the better head to head with them so a draw and a win over El Salvador and we go through. The reality though will probably be much simpler...




The easiest scenario is we win both our remaining games and we are through.

A loss in Honduras and we are virtually eliminated (we would need massive help in the final game).

A draw in Honduras is ok, as long as we don't lose to El Salvador at home and Honduras loses in Mexico.


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## Pouchkine

With a draw in Honduras we would depend on an already qualified Mexico helping us...that being Concacaf I wouldn't bet on that. So it's quite simple we need to win both games and we are in the final stage. Beating Honduras and El Salvador is very possible but then you look at our line up and our inept coaches...At least most of the guys should be in game shape in september.


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## DyerMaker66*

2-0 isn't as bad as I was expecting.


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## Cucumber

IHaveNoCreativity said:


> Pretty happy with this game, both goals were top class. Preventable but top notch from Mexico.
> 
> We're going to get better, we've got some young attacking talent coming up, just going to need time.
> 
> Who are the top prospects in EDM, Ottawa and Toronto FC's academies ?
> 
> I know Vancouver has Davies, Chung. Montreal has Talba but idk is that's all ?
> 
> Someone want to help make a list of best U-20 and U-18 players ?
> 
> At the very least we have 3 potentially good keepers coming up.




Next crop of players has a lot of potential imo.

u20 wise
gk wise we are doing pretty good in Carducci and Pantemis.
Defenders we have Tomori who is at Chelsea and is 18. Rest are on Canadian teams.
Midfield is where things get better, though. We have Josh Doughty who is at man Utd. He is 18 so I guess he is in u18s and going to u21s in the fall. Marco Bustos from Vancouver is among the best players in the USL. Also a 15 year old from Vancouver was called up for this international break. The rest I don't know much about but they are playing for north American teams. Most are playing in Canada though.
Striker wise we have Jordan Hamiton from Toronto and a guy playing in Scotland.

U20s just beat Rashford and the English u20s 2-0 or 2-1. 

U18 wise we have a midfielder at fulham, another midfielder in a midtable team in the Eredivisie and a defender on a team that just got promoted to Bundesliga 1. All 3players are in their team's u18s/u21s. None of them are legit 1st team players yet.

Also, Blasco another key player for WFC2 will probably play for Canada when he can. Since the chances of him getting called up to Spain is very low. He has youth experience in Barca, Cornella(they helped develop Alba), and Mallorca.


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

K DEN said:


> Next crop of players has a lot of potential imo.
> 
> u20 wise
> gk wise we are doing pretty good in Carducci and Pantemis.
> Defenders we have Tomori who is at Chelsea and is 18. Rest are on Canadian teams.
> Midfield is where things get better, though. We have Josh Doughty who is at man Utd. He is 18 so I guess he is in u18s and going to u21s in the fall. Marco Bustos from Vancouver is among the best players in the USL. Also a 15 year old from Vancouver was called up for this international break. The rest I don't know much about but they are playing for north American teams. Most are playing in Canada though.
> Striker wise we have Jordan Hamiton from Toronto and a guy playing in Scotland.
> 
> U20s just beat Rashford and the English u20s 2-0 or 2-1.
> 
> U18 wise we have a midfielder at fulham, another midfielder in a midtable team in the Eredivisie and a defender on a team that just got promoted to Bundesliga 1. All 3players are in their team's u18s/u21s. None of them are legit 1st team players yet.
> 
> Also, Blasco another key player for WFC2 will probably play for Canada when he can. Since the chances of him getting called up to Spain is very low. He has youth experience in Barca, Cornella(they helped develop Alba), and Mallorca.




GK wise we're kinda loaded:

Crepeau
Carducci
Roberts
Pantemis

At CB i know Tomori is good, hopefully he stays Canadian, I don't know who else we have.

Midfield, there's Davies, Chung, Ballou Talba, Bustos, Borges, Boakkai, Froese and I think a few more but of note is that I think all of these players have some attacking flair, something we as a nation have never had. There's also Laryea but I don't how good he is.

Striker
Larin still count ? Doughty ? Zanetta ? After that I don't know who else.

I've heard that Joey Cowlishaw is amazing but he's 14.


----------



## varsaku

I asked about TFC's prospects on reddit and got these two good replies.



> I'll order them by their potential in my opinion:
> 
> Molham Babouli
> Skylar Thomas
> Jordan Hamilton
> Jay Chapman
> Manella
> There's more but I'm not familiar with them. But I hear the Raheem Edwards guy should be good.






> 18 or under:
> Luca Uccello
> Liam Fraser
> Raheem Edwards
> Aidan Daniels
> all four have been impressive at various times for TFC2. Edwards came out of nowhere last year to get a camp invite with the big club this year. Uccello started 16 games last year for TFC2 and appeared in 22. Daniels played his first game yesterday for TFC2 and looked very strong in the midfield. Can't really remember seeing Fraser play last year so I can't comment on him.


----------



## Cucumber

2022/2026(if we don't host) is our best bets at going to the WC. 

Why doesn't Tiebert play more games for the NT? Him and Hutchinson would be a decent partnership in a 4231.


----------



## Hackett

Cruyff said:


> With a draw in Honduras we would depend on an already qualified Mexico helping us...that being Concacaf I wouldn't bet on that. So it's quite simple we need to win both games and we are in the final stage. Beating Honduras and El Salvador is very possible but then you look at our line up and our inept coaches...At least most of the guys should be in game shape in september.




Mexico is just a class above everyone in concacaf, and should beat anyone in this group at azteca whether they are motivated to do so or not.

I have more faith in Mexico running the table on this group than Canada being able to score a goal. 

Remember, the only goal Canada has scored in this round was from a broken play. So that is the bigger question to me, and it has not changed from the gold cup time.... Can Canada score?


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

varsaku said:


> I asked about TFC's prospects on reddit and got these two good replies.




I really like Edwards.

Just heard about Ucello today.


----------



## Bures Elbow

Tie Honduras away and beat El Salvador at home.

That's what we need, and with our full strength squad we might be able to do it.

Why is Edgar benched for Jakovic??!


----------



## Rob

I noticed that in June the team is travelling to Austria to play a single game against Azerbaijan. Seems like a waste of resources.


----------



## Fulham

Rob said:


> I noticed that in June the team is travelling to Austria to play a single game against Azerbaijan. Seems like a waste of resources.




If we assembled, and flew in a team, for a camp in canada, then flying to Azerbaijan would be a waste of resources.

But this will be our "Call Up Fringe Euro Guys game" So expect a random roster. Like Cebara, Both Traffords, Dixon, +any youngsters like Tomori+Paton+that ManU kid


----------



## theaub

Feel like this topic will be a factory of sadness so I'll read it later. Here's some pics (and a vid) from Azteca.


----------



## Tuggy

Great pics. Just a little different than going to a match in Canada.


----------



## Rob

So visiting fans at Azteca have to protected by riots police at all times?


----------



## Basement Cat

Rob said:


> So visiting fans at Azteca have to protected by riots police at all times?




yes.


----------



## theaub

Yup, full riot police escort up the ramps, in the stadium and on the way out. Pretty much looked like the above, and considering we are obviously far less of a rival (and far less relevant) than the US that shows how seriously they do take it down there.

We also got a full motorcade escort back to our hotel in an armored police van which was pretty awesome.


----------



## varsaku

theaub said:


> Yup, full riot police escort up the ramps, in the stadium and on the way out. Pretty much looked like the above, and considering we are obviously far less of a rival (and far less relevant) than the US that shows how seriously they do take it down there.
> 
> We also got a full motorcade escort back to our hotel in an armored police van which was pretty awesome.




That sounds scary and fun.


----------



## theaub

Mexican fans were pretty chill - before the match they all just wanted to take pictures with us so the police just were around the perimeter and it was fine. Even after the match it was just a few stray beers getting thrown at us (aka no batteries or worse). But better to be more protected than less (especially when its like 50 v 75,000)

There was also a guy just below our section who was wearing, for some unknown reason, an early 2000's Phoenix Coyotes jersey. We kept trying to get him to turn around but he definitely had no idea what he was wearing.


----------



## Disclose

theaub said:


> There was also a guy just below our section who was wearing, for some unknown reason, an early 2000's Phoenix Coyotes jersey. We kept trying to get him to turn around but he definitely had no idea what he was wearing.




i bought 5 hockey jerseys (flyers, preds, sabres, stars, coyotes) for 1000pesos (100$) last time i was in mexico......... 
they definitely have no clue of what its worth or what it is.

(i sold the preds jersey in montreal for 50$ to some fan...............)


----------



## Fulham

Tosaint Ricketts is Training with TFC and is apparently due to sign for the Club in the next week or so. 

Probably has TFC2(USL) Quality but he has pace......


----------



## Rob

theaub said:


> Mexican fans were pretty chill - before the match they all just wanted to take pictures with us so the police just were around the perimeter and it was fine. Even after the match it was just a few stray beers getting thrown at us (aka no batteries or worse). But better to be more protected than less (especially when its like 50 v 75,000)




Did you feel safe going to the bathroom?


----------



## theaub

Rob said:


> Did you feel safe going to the bathroom?




We had our own concession stands and bathrooms guarded by police so it was pretty much better than Vancouver haha


----------



## YogiCanucks

theaub said:


> We had our own concession stands and bathrooms guarded by police so it was pretty much better than Vancouver haha




Your trip sounds like it was an amazing experience! Do you have any pictures you wouldn't mind posting?

EDIT: I don't know how I missed the pics before!! My mistake. Looks amazing!!


----------



## varsaku




----------



## Fulham

varsaku said:


>





Adekugbe had a very successful 3 week trial last summer at LFC and holds a english passport. Id imagine its him.


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

The Adekugbe from Vancouver ?


----------



## theaub

U-23 roster for a couple friendlies in the Caribbean

CANADA
1- GK- Marco Carducci | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps
2- FB- Chris Serban | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps II
3- FB- JÃ©rÃ©my Gagnon-LaparÃ© | CAN / FC MontrÃ©al
4- FB- Jordan Murrell | USA / Pittsburgh Riverhounds
5- CB- Luca Gasparotto | SCO / Glasgow Rangers
6- CM- Louis BÃ©land-Goyette | CAN / FC MontrÃ©al
7- M- Chris Mannella | CAN / Toronto FC II
8- M- Ben McKendry | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps
9- F- Jordan Hamilton | CAN / Toronto FC II
10- F- Caleb Clarke | GER / SpVgg Unterhaching
11- M- Ben Fisk | ESP / Deportivo La CoruÃ±a B
12- M- Richmond Laryea | USA / Orlando City B
13- M- Mark-Anthony Kaye | USA / Louisville City FC
14- F- Raheem Edwards | CAN / Toronto FC II
15- CB- Skylar Thomas | CAN / Toronto FC II
16- CM- Manuel Aparicio | Unattached
17- CB- Brandon John | USA / Seattle Sounders II
18- GK- Maxime CrÃ©peau | CAN / FC MontrÃ©al


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

How does one end up in Seattle lol ?

When did Fisk move ?


----------



## Tuggy

Couple of friendly matches against Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan on June 3 and 7, coming up.


----------



## Tuggy

1-1 against Azerbaijan 
2-1 against Uzbekistan


----------



## Rocko604

CSA refs gift their favourite team with an extra minute in ET, on top of 4 minutes of unwarranted extra time, to give them the Voyageurs Cup over Vancouver.

...not that Ousted and Waston had anything to do with the collapse whatsoever. Nope. None whatsoever...


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Any other duals we can recruit ?


----------



## theaub

Hopefully we avoid more naturalised guys


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Alfonso Davies is making some noise..


----------



## bardown88

IHaveNoCreativity said:


> Alfonso Davies is making some noise..




Cap tie him in September before he spurns us for Liberia  sort of


----------



## bardown88

IHaveNoCreativity said:


> Any other duals we can recruit ?




Bryan Cristante (Italy) is one as well as some youth players like Josh Doughty (US/England) and Fikayo Tomori (England) Cistante is similar to a guy like Vitoria in that he may play for Canada eventually but its predicated on him not being good enough to be called up to Italy


----------



## theaub

Davies doesn't even have Canadian citizenship yet so he's still not eligible for Canada at the senior level (believe he has been called to youth squads).


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

theaub said:


> Davies doesn't even have Canadian citizenship yet so he's still not eligible for Canada at the senior level (believe he has been called to youth squads).




Hopefully he has his citizenship soon.

As for Christsnte I've heard he wants to play for Italy, and we should get Doughty and Tomori, but we'll need some luck.


There's also Joey Cowlishaw...

Is Caniggia Elva any good ?


----------



## theaub

Tomori just played for England U-19's. 

Elva is 20 years old and still hasn't played above 3.B so I wouldn't get carried away with him either.


----------



## Mathew

not confir.ed but Larin to Benfica


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Mathew said:


> not confir.ed but Larin to Benfica




Ohhhhh **** really ?


----------



## Mathew

IHaveNoCreativity said:


> Ohhhhh **** really ?




portuguese source, usually accurate ill post link when i get home but lokr i daid not confirmed


----------



## Mathew

basically Benfica says its a done deal, Orlando said its not true and has no contact with benfica


----------



## Tuggy

That would be great for Larin.


----------



## theaub

Women's tourney kicks off for Canada in about 35 mins or so

Starting Tancredi and Matheson though lmao


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Sinclair is unreal


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Are Davies and Ballou the best young offensive talents we've produced ?


----------



## theaub

lol what

They've both accomplished nothing in their careers so far


----------



## Fulham

^ Cyle Larin is a generational Player from a CMNT standpoint. We've never had a young striker as prolific as him in a Good league Since Radzinski. 

I would Consider Davies a class above anything we've produced. Potential Wise obviously. He's going to end the season with 10+ MLS appearances and has been dynamic not for his his age but this level when he's played so far. And he's 15 till October


----------



## John Price

Labbe plays locally here for the Washington Spirit (as well as Diana Matheson). Wishing her the best of luck this Olympics.


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Fulham said:


> ^ Cyle Larin is a generational Player from a CMNT standpoint. We've never had a young striker as prolific as him in a Good league Since Radzinski.
> 
> I would Consider Davies a class above anything we've produced. Potential Wise obviously. He's going to end the season with 10+ MLS appearances and has been dynamic not for his his age but this level when he's played so far. And he's 15 till October




Yeah, and in a spurt where we really produced few talents, maybe Osorio, Morgan and Henry ? Really not much came for that age group.

We need to cap tie Ballou and Davies, I don't think we're ever had players with their creative abilities. They can unlock the D.

The future is starting to look bright.

How's Hanson Boakkai doing ? He's another attacking talent to watch.


----------



## Fulham

IHaveNoCreativity said:


> Yeah, and in a spurt where we really produced few talents, maybe Osorio, Morgan and Henry ? Really not much came for that age group.
> 
> We need to cap tie Ballou and Davies, I don't think we're ever had players with their creative abilities. They can unlock the D.
> 
> The future is starting to look bright.
> 
> How's Hanson Boakkai doing ? He's another attacking talent to watc
> 
> I Agree that the future is looking bright. These USL-Pro teams are proving vital to our next wave of youngsters. We Added 30+ Full time professional opportunities with their CAN Quota.
> 
> Boakkai is officially a bust... on trial in 3rd Div Sweden but won't sign( As FC Edmonton is demanding a development fee) He had a Move to a Hadjek Split's Feeder team scuppered for similar reasons


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Fulham said:


> IHaveNoCreativity said:
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, and in a spurt where we really produced few talents, maybe Osorio, Morgan and Henry ? Really not much came for that age group.
> 
> We need to cap tie Ballou and Davies, I don't think we're ever had players with their creative abilities. They can unlock the D.
> 
> The future is starting to look bright.
> 
> How's Hanson Boakkai doing ? He's another attacking talent to watc
> 
> I Agree that the future is looking bright. These USL-Pro teams are proving vital to our next wave of youngsters. We Added 30+ Full time professional opportunities with their CAN Quota.
> 
> Boakkai is officially a bust... on trial in 3rd Div Sweden but won't sign( As FC Edmonton is demanding a development fee) He had a Move to a Hadjek Split's Feeder team scuppered for similar reasons
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well he's only 18, and he looked good at the Pan Am games last summer.
> 
> Once the Canadian league is up and running it will help a lot.
Click to expand...


----------



## Suiteness

Just read that Boakkai is 5'4"?!? Unless he's supremely skilled (Like Xavi skilled) that won't cut it in Europe.


----------



## Fulham

^5"5 and under is doable if you have supreme talent, or a tireless and fearless mentality. He has neither


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Canadian women in the semis at the olympics is huge.


----------



## Tuggy

Just about two weeks away from a huge match for us.

Everyone healthy I hope?


----------



## Tuggy

JDG likely out for the qualifiers:


----------



## Tuggy

Roster is being announced today.


----------



## theaub

No Will Johnson apparently which is baffling


----------



## theaub

http://www.canadasoccer.com/canada-...for-crucial-fifa-world-cup-qualifiers-p159839

No Johnson. No Osorio. But an unattached English League One striker and a guy from Jacksonville Armada.

They should just leave Floro in Honduras if we lose.


----------



## Tuggy

Hoilett was going to be included.

At least Arfield is healthy and Larin is in great form.


----------



## theaub

Tuggy said:


> Hoilett was going to be included.
> 
> At least Arfield is healthy and Larin is in great form.




Haber, not Hoilett.

This is an atrocious roster (9 CB's lmao) but I mean hey its either hex or out of a job for Floro so he's sticking with his guns


----------



## Tuggy

theaub said:


> *Haber, not Hoilett.*
> 
> This is an atrocious roster (9 CB's lmao) but I mean hey its either hex or out of a job for Floro so he's sticking with his guns




Ah right, my bad.


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Some surprises


----------



## Tuggy

Just a reminder of the time on Friday, early start time. Of course they are playing at the hottest time of the day in Honduras. Temps are likely to be in the mid 30's feels like 40+. Tough conditions. I believe it's a 3PM local time start in San Pedro Sula.


----------



## Bures Elbow

Lineup will apparently be:

--------Vitoria----James----------
Dixon----------------------De Jong
-------------Edgar--------------------
----Piette---------Hutchsinson------
Rickets------------------------Hoilett
------------Larin-------------------------



Um......

I'm slightly concerned here


----------



## Tuggy

No Arfield?


----------



## theaub

While very possible, that's just speculation

Either way its amazing how much more nervous I get for this than any other sporting team.


----------



## Tuggy

Weather still looks brutal. 36c, feels like 40c.


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Arfield needs to be in the lineup if we're going to do this.


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Tuggy said:


> Weather still looks brutal. 36c, feels like 40c.




I'm really wondering why they scheduled a game for 3pm in Honduras, in one of the hottest cities. 

Canada should just schedule future games in Winnipeg/Edmonton in November/March.


----------



## Live in the Now

Home team schedules the game to make it as hard as possible for the away team.


----------



## Tuggy

Live in the Now said:


> Home team schedules the game to make it as hard as possible for the away team.




Yup. The weather conditions will be tough and it will be a very hostile environment. It's gonna be crazy there. Craig Forrest talked about being hit with bags of urine playing there.


----------



## Tuggy

Arfield is starting and so are Akindele and Henry.


----------



## Tuggy

Very nervy start but Canada has settled in.


----------



## Tuggy

Oh almost fell to Larin!


----------



## Deku

**** me what a save


----------



## Tuggy

Wow huge save Borjan.


----------



## Natey

That save was insane. 

Ps. Henry over Ledgerwood and anyone over Will Johnson is baffling to me.

I don't think Floro has ANY idea what he's doing with this team. He goes from benching players to starting them. He has absolutely no idea who he likes best. And that's worrying considering he's been with the program for four years now.


----------



## Tuggy

Woah close to a penalty.


----------



## Deku

Looked like we got away with one there


----------



## Natey

That was really, really risky by James. Right call by the referee, but I wouldn't have blamed the referee for giving a penalty there. Wow.


----------



## Tuggy

**** yeah!!!!!!!!!!

James!!!


----------



## Deku

OMG I took a piss and missed the goal!! Noooo!

but yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## DoyleG

Deku Scrub said:


> OMG I took a piss and missed the goal!! Noooo!
> 
> but yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!




James. LOL!!


----------



## Tuggy

I'm tired of people complaining about Will Johnson. He isn't good and there is no one out there he should replace.


----------



## DoyleG

Tuggy said:


> I'm tired of people complaining about Will Johnson. He isn't good and there is no one out there he should replace.




But he's a TFC player.


----------



## Jeremy Hronek

Is the game on tsn ?


----------



## DoyleG

funky11 said:


> is the game on tsn ?




tsn1,3,4,& 5


----------



## Tuggy

funky11 said:


> Is the game on tsn ?




Yup.


----------



## Tuggy

Oh man....


----------



## Scandale du Jour

We are leading, but god we suck.


----------



## Jeremy Hronek

Thanks guys, on my way home.


----------



## Tuggy

Holy **** what a save


----------



## Tuggy

****


----------



## Scandale du Jour

This game is going to end 4 or 5 to 1.


----------



## Natey

Really frustrating goal to give up. Outplayed horribly and to be frank, really stupid plays by the team when we had possession. 

Arfield has been our best player. Edgar has been good too, IMO.

I hate how we scored and decided to go #100percentFloro


----------



## Natey

Tuggy said:


> I'm tired of people complaining about Will Johnson. He isn't good and there is no one out there he should replace.



He is good. I've seen him play in multiple Canadian matches. He's always one of our best players. 

Maybe the rest of our players don't step up like Will Johnson does. I don't know. I don't really watch TFC, so maybe he's brutal there. But as far as wearing the Maple Leaf? He's one of the best, no question.


----------



## Hank Chinaski

Borjan has been outstanding, could easily be 3-1 Honduras if not for his heroics.


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Scandale du Jour said:


> This game is going to end 4 or 5 to 1.




No ****, but there isn't much Canada can do here. They look totally lethargic and that's mostly due to the conditions. **** FIFA for allowing host nations the ability to allow where and when games are hosted. 

Canada should schedule fall/winter/spring games in the Praries next time.


----------



## Scandale du Jour

The field indeed looks like **** and it seems unbelievably hot and humid.


----------



## Natey

SeawaterOnIce said:


> No ****, but there isn't much Canada can do here. They look totally lethargic and that's mostly due to the conditions. **** FIFA for allowing host nations the ability to allow where and when games are hosted.
> 
> Canada should schedule fall/winter/spring games in the Praries next time.



Canada has done that before numerous times. 

They don't really allow "when and where." 

It's in Honduras... and it's on this day. Rain or shine.


----------



## Hank Chinaski

SeawaterOnIce said:


> Canada should schedule fall/winter/spring games in the Praries next time.




They've done that a few times. Actually picked up a couple of draws vs. Mexico when they played them at Commonwealth in the fall.


----------



## Scandale du Jour

Flop party has started...


----------



## Natey

De Jong is not good. 

Arfield is ****ing good.


----------



## Tuggy

Well I guess there is always 2022


----------



## Scandale du Jour

What kind of defending was that? Holy **** we are bad tactically.


----------



## Natey

And that's game. Let's hope we can keep this close and Mexico can crush Honduras. We also need to crush El Salvador.

Hopefully we'll have a new bench boss by then. I went through this crap for awhile with Kenny ****ing Jackett. We ditch him this year and it's a whole new team with similar players. Zenga.


----------



## Scandale du Jour

Tuggy said:


> Well I guess there is always 2022




We will never go anywhere until we get proper structure.

Rich country with millions of kids playing shouldn't suck that bad. CSA is a sad joke. Elite soccer is badly organized in Canada.

But hey, you guys all know that.


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Looks like we have to wait another 4 years.


----------



## saskriders

The draw in El Salvador hurt a lot too. What confederation will 4th in the hex play next time? Or is that decided at the draw?


----------



## Natey

If Floro is still coaching this team Tuesday, I'm done with them until he's replaced. 

Down 2-1 in a must-result game.. and we sub in Ledgerwood (who I think is great, but not now).. for our striker (yes, gassed.. but put in a striker). 

What a ****ing joke. Floro is literally one of the worst coaches I've ever witnessed. He's far worse than Hart.


----------



## Natey

saskriders said:


> The draw in El Salvador hurt a lot too. What confederation will 4th in the hex play next time? Or is that decided at the draw?



99% sure it's at the draw.

It was winnable this year.


----------



## DCantheDDad

It sure would be great if our boys could win a 50/50 ball. Honduras just wants it more every time. Our country is pathetic at soccer.


----------



## Scandale du Jour

We can't possess the ball and thay is not because Honduras is applying pressure... 

No ball support, no offensive structure. Trully a badly coached side. We have limited talent, sure, but we shouldn't look that lost on the field. Very painful to watch.


----------



## Tuggy

Well that's that. 

We need a miracle on Tuesday. Win by like 3+ and Mexico to do the same.


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Canada has been pretty much eliminated. Better than last time around but that's not saying much.

The issues run deep. Not just the CSA.


----------



## Blender

Every time I watch this team play I can never even figure out what their game plan is. Such a terribly coached squad.


----------



## Natey

Thanks for capping Arfield & Hoilett (who is terrible now that he doesn't play ever), Floro. 

See you later (I hope!).


----------



## Bures Elbow

We have poor players bar a couple.

I mean one of our starting centrebacks is a bench player on a Japanese team, and Ledgerwood plays for FC Edmonton...

We arn't qualifying for the world cup with garbage like that.

Then you have Henry getting beat by his man to the far post on plays any defender should mop up.

No possession, no skill, no tactical culture.

Larin was a ox today who couldnt even hold up simple balls.


----------



## Natey

SeawaterOnIce said:


> Canada has been pretty much eliminated. Better than last time around but that's not saying much.
> 
> The issues run deep. Not just the CSA.



Better than last time??

We had 10 points last time. We'll finish with 7 at the most this time. 

Last time, we had one really bad game.


----------



## Natey

Bures Elbow said:


> We have poor players bar a couple.
> 
> I mean one of our starting centrebacks is a bench player on a Japanese team, and Ledgerwood plays for FC Edmonton...
> 
> We arn't qualifying for the world cup with garbage like that.
> 
> Then you have Henry getting beat by his man to the far post on plays any defender should mop up.
> 
> No possession, no skill, no tactical culture.
> 
> Larin was a ox today who couldnt even hold up simple balls.



Many of our players don't even play on their club team. You could tell that Hoilett and Henry were gassed. I don't think either have played this season. 

Akindele shouldn't have been gassed, as much as he plays. Surprising actually, but it is what it is. 

Arfield, Edgar, and Borjan were great. Hutch was alright. No way Johnson doesn't out perform most of that team tonight. A joke that he wasn't there. 

And subbing Larin out for Ledgerwood......................... BAHAHAHAHA. Why not Simeon Jackson, who plays in a better league than most of our guys (English League One) and has potted 3 goals in the last couple of weeks. Nah, let's through in Ledgerwood and play to lose.


----------



## Moncherry

They're done, it's very possible that Mexico thrashes Honduras but Canada couldn't score more than one goal if their lives depended on it.


----------



## saskriders

If Canada and Honduras are tied in points and goal differential Honduras will advance.


----------



## Natey

saskriders said:


> If Canada and Honduras are tied in points and goal differential Honduras will advance.



No. The team that scores the most goals would advance. Honduras has scored 6 and we've scored 2. If we won 4-0 (which is unlikely, but somewhat possible) and Mexico won 1-0.. we'd advance based on scoring more away goals between the tied clubs.


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Very disappointing, death blow to Floro.


----------



## Natey

IHaveNoCreativity said:


> Very disappointing, death blow to Floro.



I hope you're right. I'll gladly take the loss happily if this is true. Floro coaches the type of soccer I hate.


----------



## Rob

As if the coach is the problem. We just aren't good enough.


----------



## Dr Pepper

Hey, at least they didn't get annihilated this time around. 

Baby steps, right? 

It still amazes me, how our women's team can be top five on the planet, while the men's team has been more or less spinning its' tires for the better part of the last three decades, providing very little aside from disappointment.

What gives?


----------



## Moncherry

Rob said:


> As if the coach is the problem. We just aren't good enough.




Definitely, but having such a small time, negative manager doesn't help. Subbing out Larin for Ledgerwood was pretty pathetic.


----------



## Rocko604

Why is it that men in this country absolutely suck at any sport that involves a ball? Seriously sick and tired of this. 

Would like to see a crowd of less than 10,000 at BC Place vs El Salvador, just to make a statement to the CSA, but they'll in turn will just move all the games to Toronto, have other countries' supporters fill 3/4 of the stadium and be proud of the ticket sales and say soccer is great in this country.


----------



## Suiteness

Even if Pep Guardiola was the coach of this team, what the hell could he do with a bunch of players with horrible technique, minimal soccer IQ and very little tactical nous?

The players are not good enough, period.

The smartest investment the CSA could make would be to pony the cash to have 2 or 3 hundred coaches across the country work full time in obtaining UEFA coaching licenses. No individual in Canada with the title of 'Coach' should be doing so without an UEFA license, ESPECIALLY those working with kids.

People keep pointing out the huge number of kids playing in this country but never mention the people coaching these kids. Potential is great but if you don't have individuals who can identify, unlock, develop and nurture that potential, you might as well not be in the business altogether.

I've said this many times before but if Xavi had been Canadian, he probably would have been phased out of the game by the time he was 13. Not big enough, not fast enough, blablabla. 

Secondly, we desperately need some kind of identity. What the hell is Canadian football supposed to be? Physical players who can run hard? Terrible and clearly not good enough. Figure out what we would like to be and implement it from the u-14 to the senior level.

If I was in charge, no single player under the age 13 would play a second of football on a pitch or turf in this country. Futsal year round from 6 to 13 years old. Then and only then do you start breaking them in on grass. 10 to 15 years of this and we would no longer see so many mediocre players with brutal first touches and poor ball control on our senior side at the very least.


----------



## LemmyUlanov55

Natey said:


> Many of our players don't even play on their club team. You could tell that Hoilett and Henry were gassed. I don't think either have played this season.



Doneil Henry seems to be very injury-prone. He played well during his loan at Blackburn but got injured again after a handful of games. Still under contract for 2 more years at West Ham and currently on a 4 month loan in Denmark.
HeÂ´s earning around 15.000 Â£ per week, so I guess heÂ´ll stick around as long as possible. Good for his bank account, pretty bad for his development and the canadian national team.


----------



## theaub

Modo said:


> Hey, at least they didn't get annihilated this time around.
> 
> Baby steps, right?
> 
> It still amazes me, how our women's team can be top five on the planet, while the men's team has been more or less spinning its' tires for the better part of the last three decades, providing very little aside from disappointment.
> 
> What gives?




No one cares about women's soccer so its easier to be good at it.



Suiteness said:


> Even if Pep Guardiola was the coach of this team, what the hell could he do with a bunch of players with horrible technique, minimal soccer IQ and very little tactical nous?
> 
> The players are not good enough, period.
> 
> The smartest investment the CSA could make would be to pony the cash to have 2 or 3 hundred coaches across the country work full time in obtaining UEFA coaching licenses. No individual in Canada with the title of 'Coach' should be doing so without an UEFA license, ESPECIALLY those working with kids.
> 
> People keep pointing out the huge number of kids playing in this country but never mention the people coaching these kids. Potential is great but if you don't have individuals who can identify, unlock, develop and nurture that potential, you might as well not be in the business altogether.
> 
> I've said this many times before but if Xavi had been Canadian, he probably would have been phased out of the game by the time he was 13. Not big enough, not fast enough, blablabla.
> 
> Secondly, we desperately need some kind of identity. What the hell is Canadian football supposed to be? Physical players who can run hard? Terrible and clearly not good enough. Figure out what we would like to be and implement it from the u-14 to the senior level.
> 
> If I was in charge, no single player under the age 13 would play a second of football on a pitch or turf in this country. Futsal year round from 6 to 13 years old. Then and only then do you start breaking them in on grass. 10 to 15 years of this and we would no longer see so many mediocre players with brutal first touches and poor ball control on our senior side at the very least.




The wheels are already in motion for this, but its not like you just snap your fingers and a golden generation shows up. The CSA was in absolute shambles until say...2011 so its been five years and a true LTPD system has just been started to be implemented which means at least another 20 years before you truly see the results of it (if it goes well). Of course, you shouldn't need a full fledged LTPD system to beat El Salvador's C-team on the road (or if we want to be honest, to knock five past a totally disinterested El Salvador team on Tuesday but I digress). 

The general problem with the men's team is barring an absolute miracle on Tuesday, its another 3+ years until they play another meaningful match (lol Gold Cup). So everyone stops caring about the MNT and then they drop back in for a couple of months etc


----------



## Wee Baby Seamus

theaub said:


> No one cares about women's soccer so its easier to be good at it.




I think it's actually even more specific than that: it's no coincidence that, with the exception of Brazil, all of the women's soccer powers are very highly developed countries. From what I can tell, women's soccer gets funding when there's money to burn. Because women's soccer is globally treated as secondary to men's, less developed countries don't prioritize it, so more developed countries such as Canada, which are absolute garbage in the men's game, are able to become big players in the women's because they can devote the infrastructure. And it helps that, because of this success, you get girls being inspired by people like Christine Sinclair, which continues a cycle of investment, both fiscal and emotional, in women's soccer.


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Youth soccer is still being hampered by inept coaching. The local youth team got their 3rd coach in 9 months. My friend quit after he realized how in over his head he was... The boys have pretty much adopted the long ball strategy anyways. They desperately tried to get me to coach since I at least know the basics but I declined since it was a volunteer position with long hours.

What you saw 20 years ago in youth soccer is what you see now. It's bloody terrible to watch. I never sugarcoated it...my friend should have never been a coach. His experience was playing FIFA 12.


----------



## littleD

SeawaterOnIce said:


> Youth soccer is still being hampered by inept coaching. The local youth team got their 3rd coach in 9 months. My friend quit after he realized how in over his head he was... The boys have pretty much adopted the long ball strategy anyways. They desperately tried to get me to coach since I at least know the basics but I declined since it was a volunteer position with long hours.
> 
> What you saw 20 years ago in youth soccer is what you see now. It's bloody terrible to watch. I never sugarcoated it...my friend should have never been a coach. His experience was playing FIFA 12.




It will take decades for youth soccer in Canada to rid itself of long ball "strategy."


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Jason DeVos will help change this


----------



## Suiteness

theaub said:


> The wheels are already in motion for this, but its not like you just snap your fingers and a golden generation shows up. The CSA was in absolute shambles until say...2011 so its been five years and a true LTPD system has just been started to be implemented which means at least another 20 years before you truly see the results of it (if it goes well).




What I saw from the LTPD was an intention to tackle the symptoms instead of attacking the disease. The entire nonsense about not keeping track of scores in tournaments or games or whatever is a great example. Why is there such a focus on scores in u-7 soccer? Well if you're a coach who doesn't have a clue on how your players are progressing, why they're not progressing and what needs to be done for them to progress, you will think that winning games is a way to measure progress. So instead of working on developing the technical aspects of the game with your players (which is what youth soccer should be all about), you focus on winning games. Youth soccer suddenly becomes hoofing long balls to bigger, stronger, faster kids who score a ton of goals. Case and point...



> Youth soccer is still being hampered by inept coaching. The local youth team got their 3rd coach in 9 months. My friend quit after he realized how in over his head he was... The boys have pretty much adopted the long ball strategy anyways.
> 
> What you saw 20 years ago in youth soccer is what you see now. It's bloody terrible to watch. I never sugarcoated it...my friend should have never been a coach. His experience was playing FIFA 12.




There you go. It's complete nonsense that volunteers with zero knowledge of the game can end up coaching teams.

UEFA certification should be the absolute minimum to coach the game ESPECIALLY with kids. Until you resolve that issue, we're going nowhere.


----------



## EchoesoftheEighties

IHaveNoCreativity said:


> Jason DeVos will help change this






Quality


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Suiteness said:


> There you go. It's complete nonsense that volunteers with zero knowledge of the game can end up coaching teams.
> 
> UEFA certification should be the absolute minimum to coach the game ESPECIALLY with kids. Until you resolve that issue, we're going nowhere.




Exactly. At age 8, kids should be learning the fundamentals. Games should be more competitive yet structured (coaches have to always be interactive). Refs and linesmen need to be better trained to call offsides and infractions. In the two games I filled in for as coach...it was frustrating to see the one linesman ignore blatent offsides. 

I mentioned this before but I spent some time in an Italian youth soccer team (coached by a former Serie B player) and the difference between there and here is night and day. You barely spend time on refining individual skills there since you work on them during your own time. Losing is a big deal, but screwing up formation and messing up defensively is a cardinal sin that will see you get yelled at.


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

EchoesoftheEighties said:


> Quality




It's his job now actually.


----------



## Hackett

Modo said:


> Hey, at least they didn't get annihilated this time around.
> 
> Baby steps, right?
> 
> It still amazes me, how our women's team can be top five on the planet, while the men's team has been more or less spinning its' tires for the better part of the last three decades, providing very little aside from disappointment.
> 
> What gives?




The women's team plays in a much smaller pond. I think the only reason the Canadians are better on the women's side is because many countries still have a culture where women are not supposed to participate in sport. 

Canada just happens to be one of those nations that is further along in accepting women in higher levels of sport, but I wouldn't expect this type of advantage to last forever. Eventually, other nations will probably evolve, and the pool wont be as small anymore.


----------



## theaub

Suiteness said:


> What I saw from the LTPD was an intention to tackle the symptoms instead of attacking the disease. The entire nonsense about not keeping track of scores in tournaments or games or whatever is a great example. Why is there such a focus on scores in u-7 soccer? Well if you're a coach who doesn't have a clue on how your players are progressing, why they're not progressing and what needs to be done for them to progress, you will think that winning games is a way to measure progress. So instead of working on developing the technical aspects of the game with your players (which is what youth soccer should be all about), you focus on winning games. Youth soccer suddenly becomes hoofing long balls to bigger, stronger, faster kids who score a ton of goals. Case and point...
> 
> There you go. It's complete nonsense that volunteers with zero knowledge of the game can end up coaching teams.
> 
> UEFA certification should be the absolute minimum to coach the game ESPECIALLY with kids. Until you resolve that issue, we're going nowhere.




Not that I disagree with your ideas, but there needs to be realistic expectations. The CSA is hilariously underfunded compared to every other sport on a per player basis...if they had Hockey Canada funding, then yeah it would be fair to expect subsidized coaching courses that would allow every high level coach in the country to have top class qualifications. But that's never going to happen.

What needs to happen in the short term is there to at least be some sort of Canadian coaching course that means that if you're coaching at any level you're not just a volunteer playing hoofball but at least have an idea of how to teach ball control and tactics. And then an advanced course for anyone who is coaching above house league level. And then not just a technical director, but a number of regional crosscheckers who can make sure the programs are being implemented (and a national HPT centre for identified players up to the U-14/U-16 level where they would then be integrated into the pro team's academies would be optimal here).

The concept is right though. The level of coaching is just so bad here...its honestly amazing that a guy like Hutchinson is able to succeed at such a high level without leaving Canada until he was 19. Its embarrassing how little actual soccer skill our team has because no one ever taught them how to pass a ball.


----------



## DoyleG

IHaveNoCreativity said:


> It's his job now actually.




And he'll get nowhere.

Especially given the role he had in getting rid of our last competent coach.


----------



## Rob

Rocko604 said:


> Why is it that men in this country absolutely suck at any sport that involves a ball? Seriously sick and tired of this.




If you are comparing them to the women's national team then yes, it looks very bad. However, the reason the women are ranked so high is that Canada is just far ahead of many other countries when it comes to female athletics.


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

DoyleG said:


> And he'll get nowhere.
> 
> Especially given the role he had in getting rid of our last competent coach.




What role was that ?


----------



## Tuggy

So tonight we need to put up our own 8-1 

The only glimmer of hope is that El Salvador has absolutely nothing to play for. But expecting us to score goals is asking a lot. Of course, Mexico still needs to win and do it convincingly. I give us about a 1% chance...


----------



## Blender

Wee Baby Seamus said:


> I think it's actually even more specific than that: it's no coincidence that, with the exception of Brazil, all of the women's soccer powers are very highly developed countries. From what I can tell, women's soccer gets funding when there's money to burn. Because women's soccer is globally treated as secondary to men's, less developed countries don't prioritize it, so more developed countries such as Canada, which are absolute garbage in the men's game, are able to become big players in the women's because they can devote the infrastructure. And it helps that, because of this success, you get girls being inspired by people like Christine Sinclair, which continues a cycle of investment, both fiscal and emotional, in women's soccer.




I definitely think that this is the case. We're a country that has respected and financed women's sports for a long time now, and the results speak for themselves. It's not surprising that other countries with similar values have done the same and are seeing similar results. 

The pool of talent and development is far larger in the men's game, and we really need to improve the systems we have if we are going to compete. Based on population and the number of soccer players we have, it isn't unreasonable to expect better development than we curently get.


----------



## CanadianFlyer88

Tuggy said:


> So tonight we need to put up our own 8-1
> 
> The only glimmer of hope is that *El Salvador has absolutely nothing to play for*. But expecting us to score goals is asking a lot. Of course, Mexico still needs to win and do it convincingly. I give us about a 1% chance...




Are you sure? 

El Salvador refuses bribe to fix match vs Canada



> El Salvador's national football team say they have refused a bribe to fix Tuesday's World Cup 2018 qualifying game against Canada.
> 
> At a news conference, team members played an audio recording of the person allegedly offering various incentives.
> 
> Canada must beat El Salvador - who cannot qualify - in Vancouver, and hope Mexico defeat Honduras in the final round of Group A games to stand a chance of progressing.
> 
> ...
> 
> "They played an 11-minute conversation with the attempted match-fixer. He was offering each player a variety of money per minute depending on the result they could get. *The most they would have got for allegedly fixing the match would have been about $3,000 per player.*"
> 
> Hill said the offer was allegedly made by an El Salvadorian who knew some of the players, *but who wanted to aid the Honduras national team*.


----------



## theaub

How bad do you have to be where someone offers you money to 'only' lose 1-0 to Canada?

Clearly they now need to show they aren't being bribed by losing 5-0 right


----------



## Tuggy

Sounds legit.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

I have no faith in a Canadian team to put up a big number in the goals for column.

Mexico will need to give us a big hand.

Both games ending 3-0 is the most realistic scenario for a Canadian advancement.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

CanadianFlyer88 said:


> Are you sure?
> 
> El Salvador refuses bribe to fix match vs Canada




Am I crazy or shouldn't this be a HUGE deal?


----------



## theaub

It is in Central America, but its par for the course with MNT coverage here

If Canada does the relatively impossible and advances we'll get some solid drive-by coverage from MSM about it being fixed.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

theaub said:


> It is in Central America, but its par for the course with MNT coverage here
> 
> If Canada does the relatively impossible and advances we'll get some solid drive-by coverage from MSM about it being fixed.




The theoretical fix would be in against Canada's favour.


----------



## theaub

Tom ServoMST3K said:


> The theoretical fix would be in against Canada's favour.




Yes, the hot takes of 'Canada advanced...but it was probably fixed' will be out in full force


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

theaub said:


> Yes, the hot takes of 'Canada advanced...but it was probably fixed' will be out in full force




Canada Advanced, despite a fix attempt. would be my guess.

Wonder if they don't make it (which is like 95% to happen) what would happen.


----------



## littleD

Game starts well passed my bedtime tonight. I'm sure I'll wake up at some point during the game. Don't know if I should check scores though, because any result will probably hinder my sleep lol. 

I would love for Canada to have ten more matches over the next year, so here's hoping.


----------



## Deku

Too bad the Mexico-Honduras game is on at the same time. If it was earlier then I could just forgo watching this...


----------



## Tuggy

Do you believe in miracles?!!

I don't...


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Tuggy said:


> Do you believe in miracles?!!
> 
> I don't...




I can actually see Canada getting burned on the counter and losing as they go full out to get goals.


----------



## Deku

SeawaterOnIce said:


> I can actually see Canada getting burned on the counter and losing as they go full out to get goals.




Probably the most likely scenario.


----------



## EchoesoftheEighties

Canada draws 0-0.
Honduras loses by 6


----------



## Tuggy

Well there is one.


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Larin!!! 

How was that not offside?


----------



## EchoesoftheEighties

Only 5 more to go


----------



## Tuggy

SeawaterOnIce said:


> Larin!!!
> 
> How was that not offside?




Yeah


----------



## Finnish your Czech

That might be the worst offside ive ever seen?


----------



## Deku

hahahaha shouldnt even count


----------



## Hank Chinaski

Nice to see CONCACAF incompetence work in Canada's favour for once.


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

The long ball strategy rears its ugly head again.


----------



## The Man in White

Sweet..another game of kickball.


----------



## Tuggy

Should have been 2.


----------



## EchoesoftheEighties

Canada can't afford to miss these kind of chances....


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Tuggy said:


> Should have been 2.




Should be 3.

God damnit.


----------



## Tuggy

Gotta score those...


----------



## The Man in White

Larin


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Jesus christ!


----------



## Tuggy

Man oh man.

Keep pushing.


----------



## Deku

**** me....


----------



## void

Howwww


----------



## Tuggy

Mexico-Honduras will probably finish 0-0 anyway.


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Tuggy said:


> Mexico-Honduras will probably finish 0-0 anyway.




By all accounts...something seems fishy there. Mexico is apparently not even trying.


----------



## Tuggy

SeawaterOnIce said:


> By all accounts...something seems fishy there. Mexico is apparently not even trying.




Wouldn't shock me.


----------



## Finnish your Czech

Can someone explain why Henry is playing higher up? Isn't he a CB? Ive never seen him play well for Canada


----------



## Tuggy

If things keep up like this in the second half, there should be more goals.

Not confident in Mexico winning.


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

How was Larins goal not offside ? 

And what's our starting XI ?


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Tuggy said:


> If things keep up like this in the second half, there should be more goals.
> 
> Not confident in Mexico winning.




Welcome to Latin America. Someone in Honduras tried offering an "incentive" to El Salvador to beat or draw Canada. Wouldn't surprise me if something was arranged between Mexico and Honduras.


----------



## EchoesoftheEighties

Dos a cero


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

There's #2!


----------



## Finnish your Czech

Man El Salvador is so bad and weak


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

3-4 more boys


----------



## Deku

Get in.... keep it up boys


----------



## Hank Chinaski

In theory, 4-0 should be possible. This El Salvador squad is a joke.


----------



## Deku

How the hell did we draw with this team last time?


----------



## EchoesoftheEighties

Omg red


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Ok 10 men, now for 3-4 goals.

**** Hoilett's down.


----------



## Hank Chinaski

El Salvador down to ten men!


----------



## The Man in White

Mexico just missed an open net.


----------



## KingLB

Mexico just missed a wide open goal.


----------



## Halladay

that was a sitter.


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

"Mexico with 71% possession. They are dominating Honduras in the 2nd half." 

Still no goals


----------



## TMLeafer

Not sure what's more pathetic: El Salvador's flopping and time wasting, or Canada's soccer program. Larin is pretty much the only bright spot in this program. Maybe Hoilett.

That said, I'm still holding out hope!


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

It's not gonna happen tonight is it... Dam.


----------



## Finnish your Czech

Just need some decent service

Haber is like 2x the size of El Salvador D


----------



## Finnish your Czech

TMLeafer said:


> Not sure what's more pathetic: El Salvador's flopping and time wasting, or Canada's soccer program. Larin is pretty much the only bright spot in this program.
> 
> That said, I'm still holding out hope!




Larin's been pretty poor IMO today


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

They squandered a 5 on 1 

And Mexico and Honduras are just passing the ball around.

edit: And done. Failures.


----------



## TMLeafer

LOL. Canada Soccer in a nutshell.

Hope the Vancouverites brought tomatoes.


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

So it's over.


----------



## Deku

Oh...


----------



## EchoesoftheEighties

What a disgrace


----------



## Finnish your Czech

SeawaterOnIce said:


> They squandered a 5 on 1




Sucks to have your slowest player be the one running with the ball


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Someone tell Benito Floro to GTFO. Hopefully the moron is fired after today. These subs were so ****ing stupid.


----------



## TMLeafer

Maybe Floro works for El Salvador.

Interestingly, his son also has a job with Canada Soccer.


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Thank you for everything Floro, thank you for Arfield, Akindele and Hoilett, Vitoria too, thanks for making the pool just a bit deeper, and bringing some credibility to the team. It sucks that it's ending that way.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

Bye Bye Floro.

Edgar on for Hoilett.

Disgraceful subs and finishing this game. Should have been up 6-0


----------



## TMLeafer

This is like watching Michael Grabner on a breakaway.


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Osorio needs to be a part of things moving forward.


----------



## Finnish your Czech

Canada MNT = TFC

Both can't do **** when they have a man up


----------



## Finnish your Czech

IHaveNoCreativity said:


> Osorio needs to be a part of things moving forward.




I agree, Canada has no one like him IMO


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Tom ServoMST3K said:


> Bye Bye Floro.
> 
> Edgar on for Hoilett.
> 
> Disgraceful subs and finishing this game. Should have been up 6-0




Taking out Larin and Hoilett has completely changed the game. That's the point where momentum shifted the other way. I am completely dumbfounded as to why he elected to do that in a game where Canada desperately needed goals....

A goal that comes too little to late. Wouldn't have mattered had they won 10-0. Mexico and Honduras will end as a draw in a sketchy half where Mexico dominated and then completely let up for some unknown reason.


----------



## Dr Pepper

Finnish your Czech said:


> Canada MNT = TFC
> 
> Both can't do **** when they have a man up




Hey, at least TFC's shown signs of life, recently. 

Our men's team continues to merely tread water......another four years down the drain after yet another WC qualifying failure.


----------



## Deku

2 offside goals


----------



## Finnish your Czech

Modo said:


> Hey, at least TFC's shown signs of life, recently.
> 
> Our men's team continues to merely tread water......another four years down the drain after yet another WC qualifying failure.




Unfortunately Canada can't spend 7 million dollars a year on a star poacher


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Osorio would of helped opened up the midfield, idk why we went with a defensive minded team, in 2 must win games where we should of attacked.


----------



## Deku

Good effort but it really should not have come down to this.


----------



## Cloned

Probably their best chance to qualify for the Hex in like a billion years and they squandered it long before tonight.


----------



## EchoesoftheEighties

Our national team is a joke and the CSA is ****ing terrible. Ridiculous.


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

2022 was the earliest we were supposed to realistically qualify.

In 4 years we'll have be a lot better actually:

Crepeau (should be a quality MLS goalie)
James
Henry
Tomori (if we can keep him)
Morgan
Aird
Davies (think we can all agree he'll make his debut soon)
Talba (if we cap tie him and he accepts)
Hoilett
Arfield
Teibert
Osorio
Akindele
Larin

Boakkai may be in the mix, not sure who else, maybe Josh Doughty ?

From a technical skills standpoint, that's not half bad and guys like Bustos and Chung and Choniere could be in the mix, time will tell.


----------



## theaub

This was decided 10 months ago in San Salvador - just a slow and agonising process to get there.

I have many thoughts, but the one I'll choose to go with right now is if Cyle Larin wants to succeed in Europe he better drag the corpse of Kaka with him. I disagreed with many of Floro's decisions but it must suck to have a striker that is that poor in front of goal (unless he's on his ass or blatantly offside).


----------



## Bures Elbow

We lost qualification when we drew El Salvador away.

They had a u20 team and we couldnt win that day.
Salvador at home


----------



## littleD

I'm fine with Floro not getting another contract, but there is not going to be some automatic turnaround just because another coach is brought in.


----------



## Dr Pepper

I wouldn't think so.....they've already gone through five coaches in the last ten years, and have gone nowhere under three years of Floro. 

Something's gotta give, though, eventually, right? It has to.


----------



## Tuggy

The draw in El Salvador was definitely the biggest blow.

Oh well. Another cycle, another failure. Life as a CANMNT fan


----------



## littleD

I never expected Canada to qualify for the World Cup, but ten matches against Mexico, USA, Costa Rica etc. would have been so much better than random friendlies Canada usually plays. 

Especially the five games in Canada would have been great. Canada hasn't had a home friendly since September 2014 as far as I can tell.


----------



## Satan

Im sad


----------



## Tlacuachman

SeawaterOnIce said:


> Welcome to Latin America. Someone in Honduras tried offering an "incentive" to El Salvador to beat or draw Canada. Wouldn't surprise me if something was arranged between Mexico and Honduras.




Mmmmm..
11 years ago Guatemala had the chance to be 4th in the hex, last game they had to win and Mexico had to beat Trinidad.
The CONCACAF president (Jack Warner from Trinidad) had taken many bad decisions concerned to Mexico. 
Mexico lost with Trinidad and Guatemala didn't qualify.
Now the CONCAVAF president is Canadian and... Didn't happened.


----------



## DyerMaker66*

Bring back Yallop!

But seriously, can Forrest coach?


----------



## theaub

Tlacuachman said:


> Mmmmm..
> 11 years ago Guatemala had the chance to be 4th in the hex, last game they had to win and Mexico had to beat Trinidad.
> The CONCACAF president (Jack Warner from Trinidad) had taken many bad decisions concerned to Mexico.
> Mexico lost with Trinidad and Guatemala didn't qualify.
> Now the CONCAVAF president is Canadian and... Didn't happened.




Hey we scored two offside goals (one rather blatant).


----------



## Rob

Modo said:


> I wouldn't think so.....they've already gone through five coaches in the last ten years, and have gone nowhere under three years of Floro.
> 
> Something's gotta give, though, eventually, right? It has to.




Maybe Floro isn't the right man for the job. I don't know. But who here honestly thinks a change in coach will make any significant difference?


----------



## littleD

No idea who this guy is, but its come across my timeline a few times in the last little while...

@4totera

Boom Sources seconds ago confirm to me that the first phase of the Canadian pro league is done target date for 2018 ️ #CPL

https://twitter.com/4totera/status/773946717536448512


----------



## theaub

Totera is about as legitimate as a source that there is in regards to Cansoc. Was also semi-confirmed by Blake Price of TSN.

If it happens, will be interesting to see if they place second teams in the MLS markets. All reports over the past year have indicated there is zero chance they would have a MLS affiliate (ie TFC II etc) so it would need to be a standalone franchise.


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

About ****ing time


----------



## Tuggy

No surprise, but Floro is gone.


----------



## Rob

This will make no difference.


----------



## Tuggy

Rob said:


> This will make no difference.




So you think they should have kept him?


----------



## Rob

Tuggy said:


> So you think they should have kept him?




Not necessarily. I'm just stating a fact. Canada just doesn't have the talent to go any further. The problem lies at the grassroots level. A new coach of the MNT isn't going to make a difference.


----------



## hotcarle

Rob said:


> Not necessarily. I'm just stating a fact. Canada just doesn't have the talent to go any further. The problem lies at the grassroots level. A new coach of the MNT isn't going to make a difference.




Getting actual Canadians like Asmir Begovic and Jonathan De Guzman...capping them while they're young and eager, would help us field a competitive team.

Maybe a manager is not going to change anything, but it can't hurt. A big name who has lost some shine, like, but not necessarily Steve McLaren, Sven Gorin Erickson, Fabio Capello, etc.


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Rob said:


> Not necessarily. I'm just stating a fact. Canada just doesn't have the talent to go any further. The problem lies at the grassroots level. A new coach of the MNT isn't going to make a difference.




I agree with you to an extent. You look up and down the lineup and top talent is not there. The closest we do have to "elite" talent is a bonafide striker in Larin (in the MLS). However a good manager can make a world of difference in crucial games against other mediocre teams. Canada should have advanced into the Hex but stupid coaching tactics cost this team precious points in El Salvador.


----------



## KingLB

littleD said:


> No idea who this guy is, but its come across my timeline a few times in the last little while...
> 
> @4totera
> 
> Boom Sources seconds ago confirm to me that the first phase of the Canadian pro league is done target date for 2018 ️ #CPL
> 
> https://twitter.com/4totera/status/773946717536448512




Is Ottawa joining the USL the first step?


----------



## Suiteness

SeawaterOnIce said:


> The closest we do have to "elite" talent is a bonafide striker in Larin (in the MLS).




And Larin is not the same player when Kaka is not around to set him up for sitters. We've never had a player half as good as the over the hill 35 year old Kaka which is obviously quite a big problem.


----------



## theaub

Hiring a NT manager is so irrelevant to grassroots development I don't see why one matters in conjunction with the other...


----------



## littleD

October 7: vs. Mauritania
October 11: vs. Morocco

Both matches in Marrakech.

Michael Findlay will be interim head coach for the two matches.


----------



## littleD

Great article from Daniel Squizzato about player development in Canada.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/...ots-push-put-canadian-youth-development-track


----------



## theaub

littleD said:


> Great article from Daniel Squizzato about player development in Canada.
> 
> http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/...ots-push-put-canadian-youth-development-track




Unfortunately stuff like this will never be read by the people who watch 180 minutes of NT soccer every four years and then whine about why we don't make the World Cup.

On the plus side we're like four years away from that again, so at least there's time to get a bit better.


----------



## Savant

Liverpool have signed Academy striker Liam Miller (Canada U20) to a professional deal. Anyone know anything about him?


----------



## bardown88

Savant said:


> Liverpool have signed Academy striker Liam Miller (Canada U20) to a professional deal. Anyone know anything about him?



According to this link he is eligible for England but committed to Canada. Obligatory enormous grain of salt.
http://www.thevoyageurs.org/forums/topic/29599-liam-millar/?do=findComment&comment=563177


----------



## littleD

Squad for matches against Mauritania and Morocco...

1- GK- Simon Thomas | NOR / FK BodÃ¸/Glimt
2- FB / M- Fraser Aird | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
3- FB / M- Maxim Tissot | CAN / Ottawa Fury FC
4- CB- Manjrekar James | HUN / Vasas Budapest
5- CB- David Edgar | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
6- CB- Doneil Henry | DEN / AC Horsens
7- F- Simeon Jackson | ENG / Walsall FC
8- M- Marco Bustos | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
9- F- Marcus Haber
10- M- David Junior Hoilett
11- M- Tosaint Ricketts | CAN / Toronto FC
12- FB / M- Jamar Dixon | CAN / Ottawa Fury FC
13- M- Jonathan Osorio | CAN / Toronto FC
14- M- Samuel Piette | ESP / CD Izarra
15- M- Adam Straith | NOR / Fredrikstad FK
16- M- Scott Arfield | ENG / Burnley FC
17- FB- Marcel De Jong | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
18- GK- Milan Borjan | BUL / PFK Ludogorets Razgrad
19- CB- Steven VitÃ³ria | POL / Lechia Gdańsk
20- CB / FB- Karl W. Ouimette | USA / Jacksonville Armada
21- M / F- Jordan Hamilton | CAN / Toronto FC
22- GK- Kenny Stamatopoulos | SWE / AIK Fotbol
23- M / F- Anthony Jackson-Hamel | CAN / Impact MontrÃ©al


----------



## Fulham

A Waste of a Camp....

Now were out of the WCQ its time to bleed our talented youngsters, not the same group that continually fails us


----------



## Pouchkine

This is beyond terrible. Why in the world is that useless Henry still there and why would you call back clowns like Osorio and talentless guys like Tissot and Ouimette?


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Cruyff said:


> This is beyond terrible. Why in the world is that useless Henry still there and why would you call back clowns like Osorio and talentless guys like Tissot and Ouimette?



Davies should be there, it's a young team against weak competition, why not give youth and young players a chance ?


----------



## Pouchkine

Who is in charge at the moment?


----------



## Fulham

IHaveNoCreativity said:


> Davies should be there, it's a young team against weak competition, why not give youth and young players a chance ?




Davies is currently doing the paperwork to attain his Canadian Passport, and citizenship. Currently he is a Liberian with Canadian PR status. Although he intends on playing for us ASAP



Cruyff said:


> Who is in charge at the moment?




Michael Findlay


----------



## Pouchkine

And who is this guy?


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

Fulham said:


> Davies is currently doing the paperwork to attain his Canadian Passport, and citizenship. Currently he is a Liberian with Canadian PR status. Although he intends on playing for us ASAP




That's great news then, we could use him. Hopefully he will make his debut soon, and hopefully Tabla will make his soon as well.

Too bad we lost Akinola.


----------



## Tuggy

Big 4-0 win over powerhouse Mauritania...


----------



## Fulham

Our Next Coach needs to be someone with experience in central america. As much as i love the idea of bringing a Canadian in to fill the void there is literally no qualified candidates


----------



## littleD

CSA announce that 27-year old GK Jayson Leutwiler will be part of the Canada set up.

Leutwiler currently plays for Shrewsbury Town in League One. Nationally, he's represented Switzerland at various youth levels.


----------



## Fulham

^Been in the works for a while, he's a standout at L1 Level, and Gives us much needed keeper depth as we wait for a Can-MLS Canadian keeper to develop


----------



## IHaveNoCreativity

We''ll take him.


----------



## Tuggy

http://canadasoccer.com/canada-draw...at-2017-concacaf-gold-cup-p160638&language=en

Gold Cup draw is out:








https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_CONCACAF_Gold_Cup


----------



## Pouchkine

What again??? Is that joke of a tournament happening every friggin year???


----------



## Quarter

Cruyff said:


> What again??? Is that joke of a tournament happening every friggin year???



The Gold Cup has run biennially since 2003.


----------



## Pouchkine

There was one last year as well. Make it every 4 years like the real continental tournaments and rotate it between hosts or cancel this crap.


----------



## Tuggy

Cruyff said:


> There was one last year as well. Make it every 4 years like the real continental tournaments and rotate it between hosts or cancel this crap.




No there wasn't. The Gold Cup is every 2 years and the last one was in 2015.


----------



## Pouchkine

Oh I guess it was the fake Copa America Gold Cup Centenario or something that was last year...Anyway this is the worst tournament of all confederations and it's happening way too often.


----------



## Quarter

Cruyff said:


> Oh I guess it was the fake Copa America Gold Cup Centenario or something that was last year...Anyway this is the worst tournament of all confederations and it's happening way too often.



I hope you don't get this worked up about the Africa Cup of Nations being played every other year as well.


----------



## Wee Baby Seamus

Cruyff, does anything bring you joy?


----------



## Pouchkine

Good soccer yes and many other things. I saw plenty of great games this week. The Gold Cup is probably the most boring soccer you can see including amateur games.


----------



## KingLB

Cruyff said:


> Oh I guess it was the fake Copa America Gold Cup Centenario or something that was last year...Anyway this is the worst tournament of all confederations and it's happening way too often.




That "fake" tourney made the USSF $46 mil. I bet we see another one real soon.


----------



## Pouchkine

We know where those profits go usually...

Anyway make it every 4 years simple.


----------



## Tuggy

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/sources-octavio-zambrano-named-canadian-mens-soccer-team-coach/



> The Canadian men’s soccer team has finally found a new coach.
> 
> Multiple sources confirmed to Sportsnet on Wednesday that Canada Soccer has hired Ecuadorian Octavio Zambrano to take over as coach of the men’s side, bringing with him two or three assistants from South America to round out his staff.






> Zambrano, 59, previously coached the LA Galaxy and New York MetroStars in MLS. He has never taken charge of a national team.


----------



## Luigi Habs

I won't criticize the appointment, but this looks like it came out of left field.


----------



## Tuggy

Friendly today against Scotland.


----------



## Ceremony

Tuggy said:


> Friendly today against Scotland.




These games against the diddies of the world rarely tell you anything


----------



## theaub

1-1 draw

Aird looked very good


----------



## Moncherry

Ceremony said:


> These games against the diddies of the world rarely tell you anything




Are you referring to Scotland or Canada?


----------



## Ceremony

Moncherry said:


> Are you referring to Scotland or Canada?




Scotland, obviously. As assemblance of cloggers presided over by an out of his depth clown played on a turnip field isn't going to tell you anything. If I was Canadian I'd be disappointed they didn't win tbh.


----------



## Rob

Tuggy said:


> http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/sources-octavio-zambrano-named-canadian-mens-soccer-team-coach/




Don't have a problem with the hire. It would be a waste of money to go after a high profile manager anyway.


----------



## Tuggy

http://www.canadasoccer.com/canada-...tch-in-montr-al-p160840-preview-1&language=en



> Canada Soccer have announced their preparation squad for a home send-off match in MontrÃ©al as part of the Men's National Team's build up to the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.






> Canada will face CuraÃ§ao on 13 June at Stade Saputo, with tickets available via canadasoccer.com. The match will also be broadcast live on TSN and RDS






> From the larger group of players, coach Octavio Zambrano will reduce the size of his squad after an intra-squad match on 9 June, with only 18-20 players dressing for the international match on 13 June.
> 
> After the 13 June match, Canada Soccer will announce their squad for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in mid June. The 40-man consideration list for the CONCACAF Gold Cup will be announced on 1 June.


----------



## Luigi Habs

Has Jean-Yves Ballou Tabla been invited yet? I hope they can convince him to play for Canada instead of Cote D'Ivoire.


----------



## theaub

He declined the call-up


----------



## Suiteness

theaub said:


> He declined the call-up




*sigh* That's the truly frustrating part about Canadian soccer. Whatever talent we might have will dig out his family tree to realize he's 1/128th of some other nation that he will declare for.


----------



## Luigi Habs

Suiteness said:


> *sigh* That's the truly frustrating part about Canadian soccer. Whatever talent we might have will dig out his family tree to realize he's 1/128th of some other nation that he will declare for.




To be fair Ballou was born in Ivory Cost and came here I think he was 8 yrs old. He developed here though. He has a much better chance to play in the WC with IC than Canada though.


----------



## theaub

Davies got his citizenship today - he still might need a waiver to play for us in the GC but there should be enough time to get that through (especially now that we have political powers in FIFA yay).


----------



## Tuggy

http://www.canadasoccer.com/canada-soccer-welcomes-alphonso-davies-as-new-canadian-p160879-preview-1



> “I am overwhelmed and I am glad I can make my parents proud by becoming a Canadian citizen,” said Alphonso Davies. “It has been a long journey becoming a Canadian citizen.”
> 
> The 16-year old midfielder, who has been part of Canada Soccer’s Men’s EXCEL Program since 2014, can now officially accept his first call up to the National Team Program ahead of a Men’s International Friendly match in MontrÃ©al.






> Davies departs for MontrÃ©al where he will join an extended Men’s National Team roster training in Laval ahead of the 13 June 2017 Men’s International Friendly. He will look to impress the coaching staff with hopes of making the final squad for the match at Stade Saputo: from the full group of 28 players, Head Coach Octavio Zambrano will reduce the number of players on Friday 9 June after a Thursday intra-squad match.


----------



## theaub

Here is the 40 man

CANADA’S 40-MAN PROVISIONAL LIST
GK- Milan Borjan | POL / MKS Korona Kielce
GK- Maxime CrÃ©peau | CAN / Impact MontrÃ©al FC
GK- Jayson Leutwiler | ENG / Shrewsbury Town FC
GK- Simon Thomas | NOR / FK BodÃ¸/Glimt
CB- Dejan Jaković | USA / New York Cosmos
CB- Manjrekar James | HUN / Vasas Budapest
CB- Milovan Kapor | Unattached
CB- Wandrille LefÃ¨vre | CAN / Impact MontrÃ©al FC
CB- Adam Straith | CAN / FC Edmonton
CB- Steven VitÃ³ria | POL / Lechia Gdańsk
FB- Samuel Adekugbe | ENG / Brighton Hove & Albion
FB- Juan CÃ³rdova | CHI / CD Huachipato
FB- Marcel de Jong | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
FB- AndrÃ©s Fresenga | URU / Cerro Largo FC
FB- Nik Ledgerwood | CAN / FC Edmonton
FB- Tyler Pasher | USA / Sporting Kansas City
M- Fraser Aird | Unattached
M- Tesho Akindele | USA / FC Dallas
M- Scott Arfield | ENG / Burnley FC
M- Kwame Awuah | USA / New York City FC
M - Patrice Bernier | CAN / Impact MontrÃ©al FC
M- Marco Bustos | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
M- David ChoiniÃ¨re | CAN / Impact MontrÃ©al FC
M- Alphonso Davies | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
M- Raheem Edwards | CAN / Toronto FC
M- Kianz Froese | GER / Fortuna DÃ¼sseldorf
M- Nicolas Galvis | Unattached
M- David Junior Hoilett | WAL / Cardiff City FC
M- Will Johnson | USA / Orlando City SC
M- Mark-Anthony Kaye | USA / Louisville City FC
M- Jonathan Osorio | CAN / Toronto FC
M- Michael Petrasso | ENG / Queens Park Rangers
M- Samuel Piette | ESP / CD Izarra
M- Tosaint Ricketts | CAN / Toronto FC
M- Russell Teibert | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
F- Lucas Cavallini | URU / CA PeÃ±arol
F- Marcus Haber | SCO / Dundee FC
F- Anthony Jackson-Hamel | CAN / Impact MontrÃ©al
F- Simeon Jackson | ENG / Walsall FC
F- Cyle Larin | USA / Orlando City SC


----------



## Scandale du Jour

Best news is that we are not the Unattached FC anymore.


----------



## Rob

Nice to see that they can at least beat Curacao. 

Smallest crowd I've ever seen to take in a Men's national game.


----------



## Tuggy

They had a lot of chances in the second half and Davies looked good.

Zambrano says he likes to play an attacking style and they were able to last night. We'll see in the Gold Cup.


----------



## Weissy Baby

Davies played really well after he was subbed on. If his development continues in this direction maybe he can play in one of the 5 big European leagues someday.


----------



## Deku

Tuggy said:


> They had a lot of chances in the second half and Davies looked good.
> 
> Zambrano says he likes to play an attacking style and they were able to last night. We'll see in the Gold Cup.




It's been painful watching Canada attempt to attack recently (and I assume for much longer than I've been following). Hopefully his style helps


----------



## Tuggy

Gold Cup roster:



> 1- GK- Maxime CrÃƒÂ©peau | CAN / Impact MontrÃƒÂ©al FC
> 2- FB- Fraser Aird | / Unattached
> 3- CB- Manjrekar James | HUN / Vasas Budapest
> 4- CB- Steven VitÃƒÂ³ria | POL / Lechia GdaÃ…â€žsk
> 5- CB- Dejan JakoviÃ„â€¡ | USA / New York Cosmos
> 6- M- Samuel Piette | ESP / CD Izarra
> 7- M- Russell Teibert | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
> 8- M- Scott Arfield | ENG / Burnley FC
> 9- F- Tosaint Ricketts | CAN / Toronto FC
> 10- M- David Junior Hoilett | WAL / Cardiff City FC
> 11- FB- Samuel Adekugbe | ENG / Brighton Hove & Albion
> 12- M- Alphonso Davies | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
> 13- M- Jonathan Osorio | CAN / Toronto FC
> 14- M- Mark-Anthony Kaye | USA / Louisville City FC
> 15- CB- Adam Straith | CAN / FC Edmonton
> 16- M- Anthony Jackson-Hamel | CAN / Impact MontrÃƒÂ©al FC
> 17- FB- Marcel de Jong | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
> 18- GK- Milan Borjan | POL / MKS Korona Kielce
> 19- F- Lucas Cavallini | URU / CA PeÃƒÂ±arol
> 20- M- Patrice Bernier | CAN / Impact MontrÃƒÂ©al FC
> 21- M- Raheem Edwards | CAN / Toronto FC
> 22- GK- Jayson Leutwiler | ENG / Shrewsbury Town FC
> 23- M- Michael Petrasso | ENG / Queens Park Rangers


----------



## Suiteness

Tuggy said:


> Gold Cup roster:




So Larin is off because of the DUI thing?


----------



## Tuggy

Suiteness said:


> So Larin is off because of the DUI thing?




Correct.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/spo...iker-cyle-larin-for-gold-cup/article35454676/



> Striker Cyle Larin, facing drunk-driving charges in Florida, will not be part of CanadaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Gold Cup roster next month.
> 
> Under Major League SoccerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s collective bargaining agreement, Larin has to undergo an assessment by the leagueÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Substance Abuse and Behavioural Health Program doctors before he can resume playing.
> 
> The Canadian Soccer Association said given that, Larin wonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t be selected. The Gold Cup, which serves as the CONCACAF championship, starts July 7.
> 
> Canada is due to announce its Gold Cup roster early next week.
> 
> The 22-year-old from Brampton, Ont., was stopped in the wee hours last week after a Florida Highway Patrol car saw a white Cadillac travelling the wrong direction in the wrong lane of a four-lane roadway in Orlando.
> 
> The Florida Highway Patrol said Larin blew blew a .179 and a .182 on a sobriety test. The Florida legal limit is .08.
> 
> Larin was arrested on a misdemeanour DUI alcohol or drugs charge and given a citation for driving on the wrong side of the road.
> 
> The young striker subsequently apologized for his actions.
> 
> Ã¢â‚¬Å“IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m sorry for the disappointment this has caused everyone,Ã¢â‚¬Â he said via Twitter. Ã¢â‚¬Å“I always wish to live up to the high standards set by my club, Canada and my family.


----------



## Deku

I wonder if we will score a goal this year
(Without Larin, probably not)


----------



## Luigi Habs

Deku said:


> I wonder if we will score a goal this year
> (Without Larin, probably not)




Larin hasn't really played good with the NT


----------



## Quarter

Deku said:


> I wonder if we will score a goal this year
> (Without Larin, probably not)



Let's hope for shades of 2009.


----------



## Tuggy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_CONCACAF_Gold_Cup

So they open up their Gold Cup campaign tonight against French Guiana. With Honduras and Costa Rica the other teams in the group, Canada will want a result tonight. And I think they'll get it. Looking forward to seeing some new faces tonight. The match is at 7 EST on TSN4 and TSN5.


----------



## Suiteness

If they can't score against French Guyana, there really is no hope for this team.


----------



## Basement Cat

I think the most obscure fact of the day is that Florent Malouda, at age 37, now plays for French Guyana.


----------



## Suiteness

Basement Cat said:


> I think the most obscure fact of the day is that Florent Malouda, at age 37, now plays for French Guyana.




Here's the explanation for this: 



> An overseas region of the French Republic, they aren't even classified as a real country by FIFA, which means they can't compete for a World Cup place and can pick players who have played for other countries.


----------



## theaub

Which was the case in the past (remember Jocelyn Angloma scoring from midfield against us playing for Guadeloupe 10 years ago), but he's not eligible since CONCACAF changed its rules.


----------



## Deku

Luiginho said:


> Larin hasn't really played good with the NT




Yeah, I feel like he gets no support though.
He's still the best we have up front, unless someone else steps up


----------



## Deku

We actually scored!


----------



## Quarter

Deku said:


> We actually scored!



Thrice!


----------



## Deku

What a moment for Davies!!


----------



## spintheblackcircle

That was a nice finish.


----------



## Deku

Oh my god, if we lose this...........


----------



## Scandale du Jour

Subbing off Bernier seems to always be a bad idea both with IMFC and the NT. Everytime it happens a collapse follows


----------



## Hackett

Dat rain tho

What a mess.


----------



## Scandale du Jour

Davies!!!!! (AJH with the assist)


----------



## Deku

Davies!!!!!


----------



## Hackett

Scandale du Jour said:


> Davies!!!!! (AJH with the assist)




Canada was imploding right when the rainstorm came in. And now they score right as the storm subsides....... Do we have any superstitious people here?


----------



## Scandale du Jour

Hackett said:


> Canada was imploding right when the rainstorm came in. And now they score right as the storm subsides....... Do we have any superstitious people here?




As a IMFC supporter I would say that the "subbing Bernier off" curse was nullified by the AJH late game awesomeness.


----------



## Hackett

4-2 final for Canada. Thats right, 4 goals.... in one game.... by Canada


----------



## Tuggy

Other than 5 minutes it was a solid game. Always nice to score 4. Certainly not something we see often.

Confident going forward.


----------



## Deku

Would like to see Jackson-Hamel start the next game


----------



## LeafChief

Is Larin not on the team because of the DUI?


----------



## Deku

LeafChief said:


> Is Larin not on the team because of the DUI?




Ya, he has to pass through MLS rehab program or something


----------



## Tuggy

Costa Rica tonight 7:30 EST.


----------



## Deku

DAVIES STRIKES AGAIN OMGGGGGgggggggg


----------



## Fulham

We have a wonderkid


----------



## Tuggy

Good first half until the last 5 minutes. But I'm not too upset at 1-1.

What more can be said about Davies? What a talent.


----------



## Hackett

Canada has been fun to watch in this gold cup so far..... Look to be more daring under the new regime.


----------



## Tuggy

Davies looked to turn his ankle there and he's subbed off. Didn't seem too serious and they were looking to take him off early anyway.


----------



## Deku

It's so refreshing to watch this team actually attack


----------



## Hackett

Costa Rica is all over them now. Canada will be lucky to keep this tied.


----------



## Deku

Good result but scary ending. Borjan was great tonight


----------



## Tuggy

Definitely had to hang on towards the end but can't complain too much with 4 points after two games.

The pace of the central defense is a little concerning.

A lot of tired legs in that heat for our boys by the end. Borjan played very well.


----------



## Hackett

Seems like Honduras gets an automatic 3-0 win over French Guiana as they are planning to play Malouda. It would slip Canada to 3rd place if they lose to them on Friday. Welcome to concacaf.


----------



## Scandale du Jour

Hackett said:


> Seems like Honduras gets an automatic 3-0 win over French Guiana as they are planning to play Malouda. It would slip Canada to 3rd place if they lose to them on Friday. Welcome to concacaf.




Why are they allowed to do that?


----------



## Hackett

Scandale du Jour said:


> Why are they allowed to do that?




I'm no expert on this situation, but the TSN crew was talking about it during the Canada/CRC broadcast.

Not only is Malouda playing, but he is wearing the captaincy too. I suppose it's French guiana's way of protesting the ruling of his ineligibility.

If I understand correctly, Honduras gets an automatic 3-0 win, but they will still play the game in case Honduras wins by an even bigger margin, which will then be applied instead.


----------



## Live in the Now

Teams have always been allowed to field ineligible players in football. They always punish the team later.


----------



## saskriders

Why are Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana even in CONCACAF? Shouldn't they be in CONMEBOL?


----------



## Mathew

Hackett said:


> I'm no expert on this situation, but the TSN crew was talking about it during the Canada/CRC broadcast.
> 
> Not only is Malouda playing, but he is wearing the captaincy too. I suppose it's French guiana's way of protesting the ruling of his ineligibility.
> 
> If I understand correctly, Honduras gets an automatic 3-0 win, but they will still play the game in case Honduras wins by an even bigger margin, which will then be applied instead.




How does that work Honduras tied yesterday, and played there full game?


----------



## Quarter

saskriders said:


> Why are Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana even in CONCACAF? Shouldn't they be in CONMEBOL?



Safe assumption is that it's because there's better competition for them as members of the CFU and CONCACAF than there would be as members of CONMEBOL. It's the same reason why Australia left the OFC for Asia.

That is, of course, unless it's just due to history, culture, etc. of the regions in contrast with the rest of South America.


----------



## theaub

Those three countries are definitely more Caribbean in nature than South American. It makes sense that they would be in CFU, and therefore CONCACAF.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

Davies has penetrated my caked on pessimism for the team.

Which means It's setting up for even bigger disappointment.


----------



## Hackett

Mathew said:


> How does that work Honduras tied yesterday, and played there full game?




I think that translates into a 3-0 Honduras win.


----------



## gnr25

Yeah, there was one tournament where a French player played for Guadeloupe or Martinique. I would like to know when CONCACAF changed its policy.

Here he is:
Jocelyn Angloma played for France from 1990-1996. He then played for Guadeloupe at the 2007 Gold Cup.


----------



## Tuggy

Canada/Honduras tonight 10 est.

Honduras was awarded the 3 points from the match against FG. Canada gets through with a draw guaranteed.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

Tuggy said:


> Canada/Honduras tonight 10 est.
> 
> Honduras was awarded the 3 points from the match against FG. *Canada gets through with a draw guaranteed*.




Come on, don't say that ever again against Honduras.


----------



## Hackett

Another fun game to watch so far. Both teams are leaking on the backend


----------



## canucksfan

Canada likely plays the winner of Jamaica/El Salvador. If that game is a draw it's Jamaica


----------



## lmnop

Hopefully Davies can be in the starting XI for the next match regardless of the opponent. Canada got the job done but they definitely missed his pace and creativity tonight. 

I also wouldn't mind seeing Rickets as a late sub as his speed against tired defenders could make a difference.


----------



## Tuggy

I would expect Davies to start in the QF.

Canada should have a chance in the QF.


----------



## canucksfan

Canadian Soccer seems to be on a bit of an upswing.


----------



## Hackett

Larin will be drawing back into the roster for the knockout stage.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

canucksfan said:


> Canadian Soccer seems to be on a bit of an upswing.




We could have **** into 11 paper bags, and played that, and it would have been an upswing


----------



## Cloned

It'll be interesting if they can find a way to start both Larin and Davies.

That could give Canada an attacking partnership quality they've literally never had before.


----------



## Deku

Cloned said:


> It'll be interesting if they can find a way to start both Larin and Davies.
> 
> That could give Canada an attacking partnership quality they've literally never had before.




Should be able to do Davies-Larin-Hoilett up top, hope we see something like that


----------



## theaub

Considering Larin needs good service, the idea of him and Davies playing together seems rather terrible tbh


----------



## canucksfan

Canada plays Jamaica on the 20th. Do they have a chance?


----------



## Subban signed e5

canucksfan said:


> Canada plays Jamaica on the 20th. Do they have a chance?




More than a chance IMO. Jamaica is a pretty weak team (we are not much better mind you), but i think we should probably be the favorites going in to the game.


----------



## Tuggy

Canada's QF was originally scheduled as the second game on Thursday but that's been changed. Canada/Jamaica first followed by Mexico/Honduras.


----------



## Stats01

canucksfan said:


> Canada plays Jamaica on the 20th. Do they have a chance?




Of course they do. Shockingly Canada have actually been the most exciting team in this tournament. They actually attack!!! Kids like Davies Larin and now Hoillet have really jump started the country. Also it's finally nice to have a coach who isn't afraid to play an attack style of game. Too many previous coaches played scared and conservative and tried to draw matches instead of trying to win games.

For the first time in a very very long time I'm actually excited and optimistic about the future of this team. Especially when Larin, Davies and Hoilett hit their prime years..

Crazy to think Davies is only 16 years old. Wow


----------



## le_sean

Don't forget that Ballou is also up and coming for Canada. 

If only they had actually played Begovic one measly minute on the senior team they'd have a pretty close to world class goalie.


----------



## Subban signed e5

le_sean said:


> Don't forget that Ballou is also up and coming for Canada.
> 
> If only they had actually played Begovic one measly minute on the senior team they'd have a pretty close to world class goalie.




It really is to bad we have such a hard time getting multinational players to play for us.
Jonathon De Guzman 
Asmir Begovic 
Ricardo Ferreira
Bryan Christante (although he was not born or raised in Canada) ...
We would actually have a pretty decent team if we could get players committed to our team.


----------



## le_sean

Subban signed e5 said:


> It really is to bad we have such a hard time getting multinational players to play for us.
> Jonathon De Guzman
> Asmir Begovic
> Ricardo Ferreira
> Bryan Christante (although he was not born or raised in Canada) ...
> We would actually have a pretty decent team if we could get players committed to our team.




But the thing that gets me with Begovic is that he was a prominent U20 player for Canada. They probably thought him staying and playing for the men's team was in the bag. All of this so they could keep playing Hirschfeld. Shortsighted move by Canadian soccer management.


----------



## Subban signed e5

le_sean said:


> But the thing that gets me with Begovic is that he was a prominent U20 player for Canada. They probably thought him staying and playing for the men's team was in the bag. All of this so they could keep playing Hirschfeld. Shortsighted move by Canadian soccer management.




I remember the Adidas (i think?) commercial during the U20 World cup, he was pretty much the only positive on that horrible team. i think they even had him on the Bench for a friendly game? not sure if that would have cap tied him or not though.


----------



## Luigi Habs

Subban signed e5 said:


> It really is to bad we have such a hard time getting multinational players to play for us.
> Jonathon De Guzman
> Asmir Begovic
> Ricardo Ferreira
> Bryan Christante (although he was not born or raised in Canada) ...
> We would actually have a pretty decent team if we could get players committed to our team.




Cristante could still play for Canada if he wants, because I don't think he'll get a call-up to the Italian NT any time soon unless he turns things around. He's kind of a bust right now.

Ferreira is not cap tied with Portugal either


----------



## Quarter

le_sean said:


> But the thing that gets me with Begovic is that he was a prominent U20 player for Canada. They probably thought him staying and playing for the men's team was in the bag. All of this so they could keep playing Hirschfeld. Shortsighted move by Canadian soccer management.



Final match of WQC, already eliminated... shortsighted is probably putting it lightly


----------



## theaub

When they left Begovic on the bench in '08, he was already cap-tied to Canada, as the rule back then was if you were 21+ and had represented a country in a youth competition, you were locked in.

They changed the rule to remove the age limit in the summer of '09 and he magically became Bosnian again, Adidas commercials be damned.

Also if anything, Floro/Zambrano have done a fantastic job of getting dual-nationals (Hoilett, Arfield, Akindele, Vitoria, Davies to a lesser extent) to commit. Really only Tabla and Ferreira are the guys raised in Canada who haven't committed (and Tomori turned out for us at youth level but he's basically lived his entire life in England).

e: to be clear though, the merits of calling up Begovic (and Edgar, Jakovic and Jackson for that matter), flying them from Europe to Jamaica and then having them sitting on the bench as we got rolled 3-0 while scrubs like Kevin Harmse and Charles Gbeke played can certainly be debated.


----------



## Hackett

Attracting good players when they have multiple options is something that Canada will probably continue to have problems with. Hopefully, Canada can build a better brand going forward, so they don't lose players to programs that they really shouldn't.

However, some scenarios are just out of their control. If you are eligible and good enough to play for a halfway decent European program, Canada will probably lose everytime. You would think that playing in concacaf is not as appealing as playing in uefa.


----------



## Deku

Stats01 said:


> Of course they do. Shockingly Canada have actually been the most exciting team in this tournament. They actually attack!!! Kids like Davies Larin and now Hoillet have really jump started the country. Also it's finally nice to have a coach who isn't afraid to play an attack style of game. Too many previous coaches played scared and conservative and tried to draw matches instead of trying to win games.
> 
> For the first time in a very very long time I'm actually excited and optimistic about the future of this team. Especially when Larin, Davies and Hoilett hit their prime years..
> 
> Crazy to think Davies is only 16 years old. Wow




Hoilett is basically already in his prime


----------



## Tuggy

Canada will be playing in Arizona tomorrow, home of the Cardinals. Chances are the roof will be closed which I think helps Canada.


----------



## Vamos Rafa

Tuggy said:


> Canada will be playing in Arizona tomorrow, home of the Cardinals. Chances are the roof will be closed which I think helps Canada.




Canadians are heliophobic?


----------



## theaub

I mean, when it comes to soccer, yes.


----------



## Pouchkine

Any news on the starting XI? I hope for an attacking line up, we have to come out for the win not boring waiting game.


----------



## theaub

Cruyff said:


> Any news on the starting XI? I hope for an attacking line up, we have to come out for the win not boring waiting game.




Hoping for the same lineup as we threw out against French Guiana.

I saw them say on TSN that they think Larin will start but that would be a mistake IMO


----------



## jacobhockey13

Tuggy said:


> Canada will be playing in Arizona tomorrow, home of the Cardinals. Chances are the roof will be closed which I think helps Canada.




99% of the time they keep the roof closed due to the cost of opening it. A shame in the slightly chillier winter months, but nobody will be complaining around this time of year.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

Starting lineup:

Borjan; Petrasso, Jakovic, Vitoria, De Jong; Piette, Hoilett, Teibert, Arfield, Davies; Larin

Bernier and Cavallini out in favour of Teibert and Larin


----------



## Scandale du Jour

Teibert for Bernier? Atrocious decision.


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Looked like amateurs there.

Now Canada will have to break that Jamaican defense.


----------



## Scandale du Jour

No Bernier, midfield gets owned... what a surprise.


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Scandale du Jour said:


> No Bernier, midfield gets owned... what a surprise.




Russell Teibert is a terrible player. Has no idea what to do with the ball nor can he deliver- usually just lobs it to an opposing player. Hasn't developed at all over the years...No idea how he keeps getting gifted a spot every year.


----------



## Deku

Just completely throwing the ball away every time we get it


----------



## Scandale du Jour

SeawaterOnIce said:


> Russell Teibert is a terrible player. Has no idea what to do with the ball nor can he deliver- usually just lobs it to an opposing player. Hasn't developed at all over the years...No idea how he keeps getting gifted a spot every year.




He sucks indeed. Sub him off for Bernier at the half.


----------



## Tuggy

Plenty of possession but not doing much with it.

Larin and Teibert did not look good and the decision to start them is even more questionable now.


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Ugh...so much for "progress"

Same old same old.


----------



## Scandale du Jour

Game over 

As usual we choke when it matters.


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

WHAT
A
GOAL!!!!!

There is life!


----------



## Deku

Well that was unexpected.


----------



## Scandale du Jour

Cavallini should have buried that


----------



## Scandale du Jour

So many chances... no finish


----------



## Deku

Just baaad setpiece deliveries tonight


----------



## Tuggy

Tough loss but Canada played well overall I thought.


----------



## Hackett

I only caught the 2nd half. I thought Canada played pretty well but the hole was already too deep


----------



## jacobhockey13

To anybody who watched on TV, was Hoilett's penalty shout legit?


----------



## Adonis Creed

jacobhockey13 said:


> To anybody who watched on TV, was Hoilett's penalty shout legit?




Nope, he lost possesion and fell after.
Was a dive


----------



## jacobhockey13

King J0ffrey said:


> Nope, he lost possesion and fell after.
> Was a dive




Thanks.


----------



## theaub

Cyle Larin is a ****ing garbageman.


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Hackett said:


> I only caught the 2nd half. I thought Canada played pretty well but the hole was already too deep




Vitoria, Teibert and Larin sucked today.


----------



## jacobhockey13

theaub said:


> Cyle Larin is a ****ing garbageman.




Would he have missed that header though?


----------



## Tuggy

jacobhockey13 said:


> Would he have missed that header though?




The one he missed in the first half?


----------



## YNWA14

It was a pretty good game. Canada needed to bury their chances and just didn't.


----------



## jacobhockey13

Tuggy said:


> The one he missed in the first half?




The one in the second half from the sub. You were right though, he wasn't good. I was just enraged by the sub missing that late header to tie the game. It was inexcusable.


----------



## theaub

Meh - that was a difficult header off the back foot. Larin's was just heading the ball in a straight line.


----------



## Tuggy

So apparently this just happened. What the hell...

Herdman replaces Zambrano as Canadian men's soccer team coach - Sportsnet.ca


----------



## JianYang

Tuggy said:


> So apparently this just happened. What the hell...
> 
> Herdman replaces Zambrano as Canadian men's soccer team coach - Sportsnet.ca




Why? Zambrano looked like a step in the right direction. Why can't Canadian soccer have good things.


----------



## Cloned

JianYang said:


> Why? Zambrano looked like a step in the right direction. Why can't Canadian soccer have good things.




Herdman is charismatic and tactically solid, but completely unproven on the senior men's level. It's a fairly significant risk for the CSA to take.


----------



## Bures Elbow

This move personifies Canadian soccer.

Absolutely ridiculous.


----------



## Cloned

My guess is CSA was planning on doing this in a few more years but Herdman got an offer from another country that was pretty enticing, so the CSA had to move up their plans.


----------



## Cloned

Will be interesting to see how the pressure of being in the WC will affect the CSA now. If they front a team that gets embarrassed 0-3 in the group stage, they'll never live it down.


----------



## Suiteness

Don't know if Herdman will last for 8 years but hosting a WC should give you access to the highest level of coaches out there. If the CSA is willing to put up the money, that shouldn't be an issue.


----------



## Cloned

Suiteness said:


> Don't know if Herdman will last for 8 years but hosting a WC should give you access to the highest level of coaches out there. If the CSA is willing to put up the money, that shouldn't be an issue.




I'm curious to see if the federal government puts up more money to the CSA now like they did with OTP once Vancouver won the bid for 2010.


----------



## robertmac43

Cloned said:


> Will be interesting to see how the pressure of being in the WC will affect the CSA now. If they front a team that gets embarrassed 0-3 in the group stage, they'll never live it down.




The 2026 World CUp will feature groups with only 3 teams so luckily for us we can only go 0-2


----------



## robertmac43

Sounds like Canada will get:

7 Group Matches 
2 Matches in the Round of 32 
1 in the Round of 16

Should be great for growing the game across the country!


----------



## Cloned

robertmac43 said:


> The 2026 World CUp will feature groups with only 3 teams so luckily for us we can only go 0-2




Oh great.


----------



## robertmac43

Cloned said:


> Oh great.




Plus there will be 48 teams so maybe we get a lucky draw which perpetuates us all the way to the finals!


----------



## Cloned

robertmac43 said:


> Plus there will be 48 teams so maybe we get a lucky draw which perpetuates us all the way to the finals!




I'd place better odds on me winning the lottery than Canada making the final match.


----------



## robertmac43

Cloned said:


> I'd place better odds on me winning the lottery than Canada making the final match.




Probably right, but hey I can dream


----------



## Cloned

robertmac43 said:


> Probably right, but hey I can dream




We all can.

Just need some phenom with Messi-like talent to come out of nowhere for Canada.


----------



## robertmac43

Cloned said:


> We all can.
> 
> Just need some phenom with Messi-like talent to come out of nowhere for Canada.




Luckily for the country we have 8 years for one of those to emerge!


----------



## Cloned

robertmac43 said:


> Luckily for the country we have 8 years for one of those to emerge!




They need to seriously start looking at poaching talented non cap-tied youth whose parents have dual citizenship, like Skate Canada did with (an albeit much older) Bloemen.


----------



## robertmac43

Cloned said:


> They need to seriously start looking at poaching talented non cap-tied youth whose parents have dual citizenship, like Skate Canada did with (an albeit much older) Bloemen.




Its true! And with the hosting of 2026 we should actually have some pull now. Going to be an interesting couple of years in the build up.


----------



## cgf

Cloned said:


> We all can.
> 
> Just need some phenom with Messi-like talent to come out of nowhere for Canada.




...so how good are your 10 year olds?


----------



## Dr Pepper

First step IMO is qualifying for Qatar. 

Don't make it an even 40 years between WC entries, since 2026 is only by virtue of hosting. They need to start showing very soon that they actually belong there.

What's interesting is that the women's side is leaps and bounds above the men's....I haven't checked the rankings in a while but they should still be top-10, no? Men's team only recently emerged from the top 100.


----------



## robertmac43

Dr Pepper said:


> .I haven't checked the rankings in a while but they should still be top-10, no?




Yeah the women are #4


----------



## Dr Pepper

robertmac43 said:


> Yeah the women are #4




Ok, I thought so. 

The men need more than just their own Christine Sinclair, though. Full strategic overhaul. We should know in a year or two if they've made any headway on that front.


----------



## robertmac43

I agree 100%. Its time this nation takes the leap forward. We have some solid players that will be coming into their own for the next qualification campaign. Hopefully they can squeak in and put us on the map pre-2026.


----------



## robertmac43

Dr Pepper said:


> The men need more than just their own Christine Sinclair, though. Full strategic overhaul. We should know in a year or two if they've made any headway on that front.




I got high hopes for John Herdman! One thing you could count on when he was with the women's national team is that they would always be prepared, and that will be key for the Mens


----------



## robertmac43

What if Canada had qualified for the World Cup? The 23-man squad that could have been

Interesting article on how the team could have lined up had we made it.


----------



## robertmac43

Scott Arfield scored in his debut for Rangers today. Got to love hearing some positive Canada news


----------



## Dr Pepper

robertmac43 said:


> What if Canada had qualified for the World Cup? The 23-man squad that could have been
> 
> Interesting article on how the team could have lined up had we made it.




Seen enough of Ricketts and Osorio at TFC games over the last year or so, would really like to see how they do internationally. 

Maybe Qatar 2022.


----------



## robertmac43

Dr Pepper said:


> Seen enough of Ricketts and Osorio at TFC games over the last year or so, would really like to see how they do internationally.
> 
> Maybe Qatar 2022.




Oso is really coming into his own recently. I honestly think the boys will be there in 2022. The pipeline of players is looking stronger than ever and Davies at 21 in 4 years sounds like a nicely developed player to me


----------



## sabremike

I pull for Canada for the same reason I pull for countries like Jamaica and T&T: their fans aren't total garbage who bombard our players with cups of urine, bags of crap and batteries (among other things). I've been at qualifiers involving those last two where a lot of their fans showed up and there were absolutely zero problems at both.


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> I pull for Canada for the same reason I pull for countries like Jamaica and T&T: their fans aren't total garbage who bombard our players with cups of urine, bags of crap and batteries (among other things). I've been at qualifiers involving those last two where a lot of their fans showed up and there were absolutely zero problems at both.




I mean the stuff you are describing is usually done my the minority of fans and really is not that common


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> I mean the stuff you are describing is usually done my the minority of fans and really is not that common



At the 2009 Gold Cup final against Mexico at Giants Stadium our supporters section was bombarded with everything you can possibly think of nonstop for the whole match, then they were ambushed and attacked in the parking lot. Other matches against certain opponents have had similar problems (at the last Gold Cup in Philly I was at ES fans pelted our goalie with a avalanche of beer and some attacked our supporters). Should also have mentioned the Ticos before as they caused zero incidents at RBA at that WCQ debacle.


----------



## robertmac43

There are always going to be these altercations. They should not define a supporters group though as for every bad incident there are often many more good ones that don't necessarily become a story.


----------



## PanniniClaus

robertmac43 said:


> What if Canada had qualified for the World Cup? The 23-man squad that could have been
> 
> Interesting article on how the team could have lined up had we made it.



Goalkeeping has been an issue for a long, long time. Borjan is decent but should be a 2 or 3 option...we have not developed anything close to a top keeper. Not since Craig Forrest.

There is certainly promise across the rest of the team, especially in our attacking midfield options. There is a promising RB in the Lyon system...Zachary Brault-Guillard. Hope he can be the one for 2022


----------



## robertmac43

PanniniClaus said:


> There is certainly promise across the rest of the team, especially in our attacking midfield options. There is a promising RB in the Lyon system...Zachary Brault-Guillard. Hope he can be the one for 2022




There is honestly a lot in the pipeline. Also Hoillet is coming off of an amazing year with Cardiff, so hopefully with the mix of decent vets and young talent the team will qualify. If they don't I will be very disappointed in the program this time around.


----------



## BKIslandersFan

How is Cyle Larin doing in Turkey?


----------



## Tuggy

BKIslandersFan said:


> How is Cyle Larin doing in Turkey?




Only had 4 appearances but scored 4 goals, including a hat trick in the season's finale. 

Curious to see what he can do in a full season.


----------



## robertmac43

Tuggy said:


> Curious to see what he can do in a full season.




Hopefully he gets CL play time so us Canadians can watch him a little easier.


----------



## robertmac43

Another CPL team announced yesterday with unveiling of Forge FC in Hamilton. I got on the list for season tickets. Any other Canadians grabbing seats to the new teams?


----------



## Wee Baby Seamus

robertmac43 said:


> Another CPL team announced yesterday with unveiling of Forge FC in Hamilton. I got on the list for season tickets. Any other Canadians grabbing seats to the new teams?




I plan to make a habit of seeing the Wanderers every time I'm back in Halifax.


----------



## Dr Pepper

Just reading up on it now, I see there's going to be a team just north of Toronto.....any chance Toronto gets a second one, or would that make things too crowded with TFC already in the mix?


----------



## robertmac43

Dr Pepper said:


> Just reading up on it now, I see there's going to be a team just north of Toronto.....any chance Toronto gets a second one, or would that make things too crowded with TFC already in the mix?




I think it is just York 9 coming in the first wave of teams. This is a long term project and I assume Toronto will get another team on top of York eventually. The MLS is going to be a far better product on the field so I think the perception the CPL is trying to convey to people is that you can cheer for both TFC and your CPL team. 

The new League should make the the Voyageurs Cup a lot more entertaining as well!


----------



## robertmac43

Also just announced that 6 0f 11 players on the pitch need to be Canadian during CPL games.


----------



## PanniniClaus

Wee Baby Seamus said:


> I plan to make a habit of seeing the Wanderers every time I'm back in Halifax.



Same here. Will consider season tickets


----------



## robertmac43

PanniniClaus said:


> Same here. Will consider season tickets




I don't know what the Wanderers prices will be, but I'm assuming they will be on the cheaper side. So definitely do it, just to support the league and in turn Soccer in Canada.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

Davies to Bayren is confirmed by TSN.

https://www.tsn.ca/bayern-munich-complete-deal-with-whitecaps-for-davies-1.1146691


----------



## robertmac43

Amazing for Davies and Canada. Looking forward to watching his development over the next couple of years.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

Hyped.


----------



## Suiteness

So what is the plan, I assume they will loan him back to Vancouver?


----------



## Dr Pepper

Why would he want to return to MLS? 

He just got a golden ticket to one of the most prestigious leagues on the planet, I'd say he's set in Munich for the forseeable future.

Well, after this season, as previously reported. He'll finish the season in Vancouver and _then_ report to Germany to continue developing his career.

Depending on how he fares in Germany, is there a chance he would forgo his ties to Canada and join the German men's national team if asked? 

Not sure if it's possible now given that he's played at least briefly for the Canadian men's team.


----------



## Tuggy

Dr Pepper said:


> Why would he want to return to MLS?
> 
> He just got a golden ticket to one of the most prestigious leagues on the planet, I'd say he's set in Munich for the forseeable future.
> 
> Well, after this season, as previously reported. He'll finish the season in Vancouver and _then_ report to Germany to continue developing his career.
> 
> Depending on how he fares in Germany, is there a chance he would forgo his ties to Canada and join the German men's national team if asked?
> 
> Not sure if it's possible now given that he's played at least briefly for the Canadian men's team.




He's already cap-tied to Canada.


----------



## Dr Pepper

Ah, alright.

Well, hopefully the men's program gets its' **** together over the next year or two and we can watch Davies in Qatar.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

Suiteness said:


> So what is the plan, I assume they will loan him back to Vancouver?




He can't play in Germany until he's 18 anyways.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K




----------



## SteadyFreddie

This is very exciting for Canadian soccer!


----------



## robertmac43

I like the length of the contract. Shows a good degree of commitment from Bayern


----------



## BKIslandersFan

SteadyFreddie said:


> This is very exciting for Canadian soccer!



I don't see how, he's probably never going to see the pitch as first team squad member. He will be loaned out to small European club and bounce around.


----------



## SteadyFreddie

BKIslandersFan said:


> I don't see how, he's probably never going to see the pitch as first team squad member. He will be loaned out to small European club and bounce around.



Well yeah obviously lol, he's only 17 years old.


----------



## robertmac43

BKIslandersFan said:


> I don't see how, he's probably never going to see the pitch as first team squad member. He will be loaned out to small European club and bounce around.




It's still a major step forward and sign to Canadians that they can go places with soccer . Plus he is only 17 and has many years ahead of him at top end development programs. Whether he plays for Bayern or not does not matter to me: what matters is he will be an unreal addition to the CMNT.


----------



## Satan




----------



## Hadoop

Davies was insane last night. Best performance in MLS by a Canadian in a long time and he's only 17. This kid is something special.


----------



## Cassano

BKIslandersFan said:


> I don't see how, he's probably never going to see the pitch as first team squad member. He will be loaned out to small European club and bounce around.



He'll be better than Pulisic.


----------



## Pavel Buchnevich

All Might said:


> He'll be better than Pulisic.




Why compare him to Pulisic?

Let the kid get out of MLS and into a good league before we start comparing him to Pulisic. At Davies age, Pulisic was a very good squad player on a last 8 UCL team. Davies probably won't even be starting out at Bayern. He'll most likely go out on loan.


----------



## Luigi Habs

I think many people here haven’t seen Davies play to say that he’ll never make it to the first team with Bayern.

Davies is one of the best 17 yrs old prospect in the world. If he was from a more traditional soccer nation he’d be hyped to no end. This kid is legit. He’ll be a regular starter with Bayern at 20 yrs of age. You can quote me on that.


----------



## Cassano

Pavel Buchnevich said:


> Why compare him to Pulisic?
> 
> Let the kid get out of MLS and into a good league before we start comparing him to Pulisic. At Davies age, Pulisic was a very good squad player on a last 8 UCL team. Davies probably won't even be starting out at Bayern. He'll most likely go out on loan.



Time will tell.

I doubt Davies makes it as regular so soon, but let's see how he performs by January. Bayern may not have much of a choice if they keep relying on injury prone wingers in Robbery and Coman.

Pulisic at the same age wouldn't have been bought by Bayern as well.


----------



## Ghetty Green

All Might said:


> Time will tell.
> 
> I doubt Davies makes it as regular so soon, but let's see how he performs by January. Bayern may not have much of a choice if they keep relying on injury prone wingers in Robbery and Coman.
> 
> Pulisic at the same age wouldn't have been bought by Bayern as well.



According to the article in the province he has been promised he will not be loaned out or not on the first team


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

So, that transfer might have had Davies playing with some confidence, huh?

2G 2A in a 4-3 Vancouver win.


----------



## robertmac43

That last game Davies looked like he could do anything he wanted. Excited to see him come to Toronto for the Canadian Championships


----------



## Savi

I can't find anything about him in this topic, but forward Jonathan David is having a very good start to his career in Belgium. Just 18 years old, Gent signed him in January from Ottawa Gloucester Hornets. Last week he scored on his debut in the Belgian League, saving a point for Gent in the 95th minute down a goal. And last night he scored the GWG in Gent's Europa League qualifying game against Jagiellonia in Poland.


----------



## Savi

He scored again tonight. Great debut with a goal in each of his first three games.

edit: just added another so thats now 4 goals in 3 games


----------



## Savi

Another game, another goal  5 goals in 4 straight games now

Actually the crazy thing is he got subbed on in every one of his games. He's yet to make the starting line-up. He basically has 5 goals in 65 minutes which is quite ridiculous.


----------



## robertmac43

Keep these updates coming!


----------



## robertmac43

So just wanting to start some discussion here cause I miss the National team.

Of you create a starting 11 right now, who makes your team an what formation are you using?


----------



## Basement Cat

robertmac43 said:


> So just wanting to start some discussion here cause I miss the National team.
> 
> Of you create a starting 11 right now, who makes your team an what formation are you using?




Good question. I am a USMNT/MLS guy who has always had an admiration for Canada. I hope that they can finally put it together and at least make the Hex this time around.

The huge weakness that sticks out for me is GK and the entire backline. It is subpar for CONCACAF qualifying even. Howver, the midfield and attack have some exciting young options and vets who can still hack it at this level of qualifying: Davies, Larin, Osorio, Kaye, Hutchinson, and Arfield.


----------



## robertmac43

Basement Cat said:


> Good question. I am a USMNT/MLS guy who has always had an admiration for Canada. I hope that they can finally put it together and at least make the Hex this time around.




I know I have rather high expectations for the team, but I think the HEX is a MUST this campaign. I understand that this is a program still very much in a transition phase, but we need to start seeing more results. I believe the talent on this team is enough to get Canada through to the WC, so if they do not even qualify for the Hex I will be terribly disappointed.


----------



## Pavel Buchnevich

robertmac43 said:


> I know I have rather high expectations for the team, but I think the HEX is a MUST this campaign. I understand that this is a program still very much in a transition phase, but we need to start seeing more results. I believe the talent on this team is enough to get Canada through to the WC, so if they do not even qualify for the Hex I will be terribly disappointed.




One of Canada's biggest problems is that they don't do well against the typical CONCACAF tactics that you see from Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala. Mexico even does the same thing from time to time, but they are more talented than those other teams, so they don't resort to it as much. The USA has the same problem dealing with this as Canada does.

Talent-wise, Canada should be qualifying, but these CONCACAF Central-American teams level the playing field with their bad fields, the bad CONCACAF referees, the times of day they play the matches, the stadiums they place the matches, their excessive fouling or off the ball antics. How often have guys like Larin or Davies dealt with that? Probably not that much. In the first-world parts of North America, the challenges from match to match are very different, so being more talented often gets leveled by these teams. They know how to play teams like USA and Canada, and they have the pretty much the exact same squad from cycle to cycle, so they've been there and done that. 

European fans don't realize this. These Central American teams are pretty much the South-American style qualifying matches with worse antics and less talent.


----------



## Tuggy

Squad announced for Nations League Q. Pretty much everyone, including David and Millar.

Canada Soccer announces squad for Concacaf Nations League Qualifying | Canada Soccer

Experience and exciting youth.


----------



## robertmac43

Yeah really like the team selection! Looking forward to seeing the boys in action next Sunday! I always love the start of a new campaign for the mens national team, even though it will likely result in heart break...


----------



## Scouter

All Might said:


> Time will tell.
> 
> I doubt Davies makes it as regular so soon, but let's see how he performs by January. Bayern may not have much of a choice if they keep relying on injury prone wingers in Robbery and Coman.
> 
> Pulisic at the same age wouldn't have been bought by Bayern as well.




Davis may not be ready to play for Bayern in January anyway, as his season started in April, so Bayern may not even consider playing him until then, since he'll need a proper off season.


----------



## Scouter

Savi said:


> I can't find anything about him in this topic, but forward Jonathan David is having a very good start to his career in Belgium. Just 18 years old, Gent signed him in January from Ottawa Gloucester Hornets. Last week he scored on his debut in the Belgian League, saving a point for Gent in the 95th minute down a goal. And last night he scored the GWG in Gent's Europa League qualifying game against Jagiellonia in Poland.




Yes, he's been quite the find, has pretty much flown under the radar of the NT, only played 2 matches for U23, has yet to score, has played 3 U17 games and scored twice, but has been named for next week's senior team match.


----------



## Scouter

Basement Cat said:


> Good question. I am a USMNT/MLS guy who has always had an admiration for Canada. I hope that they can finally put it together and at least make the Hex this time around.
> 
> The huge weakness that sticks out for me is GK and the entire backline. It is subpar for CONCACAF qualifying even. Howver, the midfield and attack have some exciting young options and vets who can still hack it at this level of qualifying: Davies, Larin, Osorio, Kaye, Hutchinson, and Arfield.




Well it's a good thing they have a new coach and direction isn't it, GK and defense are better now I believe, they beat New Zealand in March.


----------



## Scouter

Pavel Buchnevich said:


> One of Canada's biggest problems is that they don't do well against the typical CONCACAF tactics that you see from Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala. Mexico even does the same thing from time to time, but they are more talented than those other teams, so they don't resort to it as much. The USA has the same problem dealing with this as Canada does.
> 
> Talent-wise, Canada should be qualifying, but these CONCACAF Central-American teams level the playing field with their bad fields, the bad CONCACAF referees, the times of day they play the matches, the stadiums they place the matches, their excessive fouling or off the ball antics. How often have guys like Larin or Davies dealt with that? Probably not that much. In the first-world parts of North America, the challenges from match to match are very different, so being more talented often gets leveled by these teams. They know how to play teams like USA and Canada, and they have the pretty much the exact same squad from cycle to cycle, so they've been there and done that.
> 
> European fans don't realize this. These Central American teams are pretty much the South-American style qualifying matches with worse antics and less talent.




Well it's a good thing CONCACAF's new president is Canadian then, so at least some if not most or all of the past corruption should be cleared up. Anyway Canada's biggest problem is depth of talent pool, they finally have a top tier pro league again to try and fix this, so they should improve and really be able to compete.

I agree that the CA teams play a similar style to SA, they really are more talented than you give them credit, which is why they make the WC.

The US does do well against these nations, their program was just in suck mode this time for some reason, still made the hex and did well vs. most of them.


----------



## robertmac43

Scouter said:


> The US does do well against these nations, their program was just in suck mode this time for some reason, still made the hex and did well vs. most of them.




The US also had to deal with the whole ghost goal debacle in the Panama vs Costa game. That doesn't happen and they are at the WC.


----------



## Scouter

robertmac43 said:


> The US also had to deal with the whole ghost goal debacle in the Panama vs Costa game. That doesn't happen and they are at the WC.




You are going to pin it on something that was totally out of their control, instead of something they could control, like you know losing at home to Costa Rica and to Trinidad, I saw the Trinidad match, they were so crap they only have themselves to blame.


----------



## Scouter

Not to mention they lost to Costa Rica twice, Mexico at home and drew Panama, they were just plain poor all round, team selection, coaching and tactics were not there, Arena was not a good choice.


----------



## robertmac43

Scouter said:


> You are going to pin it on something that was totally out of their control, instead of something they could control, like you know losing at home to Costa Rica and to Trinidad, I saw the Trinidad match, they were so crap they only have themselves to blame.




I Agree 100% that the US under performed. But if that ghost goal does not happen they are in the WC and the narrative drastically changes.


----------



## Scouter

robertmac43 said:


> I Agree 100% that the US under performed. But if that ghost goal does not happen they are in the WC and the narrative drastically changes.




That's simply not true, if the US did their jobs they would be in the WC.


----------



## robertmac43

Scouter said:


> That's simply not true, if the US did their jobs they would be in the WC.




Yeah if the US did their jobs they would have been fighting for first with Mexico and yes if they just win there game on the last day they qualify. I'm not defending their performances during the Hex or the fact that it was not in there own hands. But the nail in the coffin for the Americans was the ghost goal. If that does not happen they finish in at least 4th and have a chance to go in through the playoff with Australia. Now whether they win that game is a whole different debate, the point is though the ghost foal directly knocked out the States.


----------



## Scouter

robertmac43 said:


> Yeah if the US did their jobs they would have been fighting for first with Mexico and yes if they just win there game on the last day they qualify. I'm not defending their performances during the Hex or the fact that it was not in there own hands. But the nail in the coffin for the Americans was the ghost goal. If that does not happen they finish in at least 4th and have a chance to go in through the playoff with Australia. Now whether they win that game is a whole different debate, the point is though the ghost foal directly knocked out the States.




Ok.


----------



## robertmac43

Game today! Been a while! 

Any score predictions?


----------



## robertmac43

OZ Live Sports

Also for anyone needing a place to watch the game or any other qualifiers. This site is free until December first and it has all that is needed .


----------



## robertmac43

Oso makes it 1-0 6 mins in


----------



## robertmac43

Cavallini in the 8th! 2-0


----------



## robertmac43

Canada Makes History with Record Setting 8-0 Victory in Concacaf Nations League Opener | Canada Soccer


----------



## Tuggy

Obviously a weak opponent, but still good to see them fill the net.


----------



## robertmac43

Canadian Premier League

Some more CPL news, well worth the read through.


----------



## robertmac43

Captain Arfield scored a big equalizing goal in Rangers 2-2 draw with Vilarreal today. Huge result for Rangers, getting a point in Spain.


----------



## Natey

robertmac43 said:


> Captain Arfield scored a big equalizing goal in Rangers 2-2 draw with Vilarreal today. Huge result for Rangers, getting a point in Spain.



I think Larin had an assist in his game as well. He'll be getting more playing time now that Bes has moved a striker out.


----------



## Tuggy

Some great news today...Ballou Tabla has committed to play for Canada! He'll be at the next camp in October. Youth movement continues!


----------



## robertmac43

It's absolutely amazing news. Things continue to trend up for Canada Soccer!


----------



## bardown88

robertmac43 said:


> It's absolutely amazing news. Things continue to trend up for Canada Soccer!



Absolutely! Some actual depth in the attack, now onto the wishlist players for defence: Fikayo Tomori and Ricardo Ferreira with an HM to midfielder Stephen Eustaqiuo


----------



## Pouchkine

It's great news but until the team actually starts to win meaningful games we shouldn't get so excited. This team desperately needs some leaders on and off the pitch and to start developing a winning mentality. Also it needs quality defenders...


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> It's great news but until the team actually starts to win meaningful games we shouldn't get so excited. This team desperately needs some leaders on and off the pitch and to start developing a winning mentality. Also it needs quality defenders...




I would say this is plenty to be excited about for now. We have a truly special prospect choose to stay within the Canada soccer program. Too many times have we seen players walk away, it is great to see that we are gaining momentum in terms of staying. 

100 percent agree with the need for defenders though, like we really need to inject some new talent there!


----------



## Natey

robertmac43 said:


> I would say this is plenty to be excited about for now. We have a truly special prospect choose to stay within the Canada soccer program. Too many times have we seen players walk away, it is great to see that we are gaining momentum in terms of staying.
> 
> 100 percent agree with the need for defenders though, like we really need to inject some new talent there!



Exactly. I'm not sure all the options, but we've capped 4 really young quality players within the past year in Alphonso Davies, Liam Millar, Jonathan David, and soon to be Ballou. This is huge. 

There are more players out there to cap, and hopefully we can prove we deserve some high quality players. Hopefully a guy like Ferreira decides Canada is his best bet. And maybe someone like Tomori can be left alone by England for us to pick up, haha. 

We're definitely not in the days where players like Jon De Guzman turn us down for a couple years of international play.


----------



## robertmac43

Natey said:


> We're definitely not in the days where players like Jon De Guzman turn us down for a couple years of international play.




Thank goodness we have started to get away from this kind of thing. I can only imagine things continueing to get better before going back to those dark days.


----------



## Pouchkine

Until we start winning competitive games it's still worrying.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Until we start winning competitive games it's still worrying.




I will be worried if progress can't be seen in 4-5 years. We are clearly trending up as a Soccer nation at the moment it can be seen in the youth coming through the ranks and that is only going to better with time. We have the CPL coming in, the 2026 bid going through... There is plenty to be optimistic about!


----------



## PanniniClaus

robertmac43 said:


> I will be worried if progress can't be seen in 4-5 years. We are clearly trending up as a Soccer nation at the moment it can be seen in the youth coming through the ranks and that is only going to better with time. We have the CPL coming in, the 2026 bid going through... There is plenty to be optimistic about!



I agree..been many, many dark days following Canadian soccer but this is the best spot we've ever been in.

And yes...I still want a top flight goalkeeper for 2026.


----------



## Natey

PanniniClaus said:


> I agree..been many, many dark days following Canadian soccer but this is the best spot we've ever been in.
> 
> And yes...I still want a top flight goalkeeper for 2026.



Well we have an 18-year-old kid signed with Juventus. He'd be in his prime by 2026.

We should have cap-tied him against Virgin Islands, but he just sat on the bench. I'm not sure what else Busti has with his international options (Italy for sure), but I hope this doesn't end up being another Asmir Begovic. I'll never forgive our management for not cap-tying while they had the chance.

Borjan is a solid keeper, but he's not a Premier League quality keeper.


----------



## Natey

*ROSTER *vs* Dominica

CANADA*
1- *GK- Simon Thomas* | NOR / Kongsvinger IL
2- *FB- Zachary Brault-Guillard* | FRA / Olympique Lyonnais
3- *CB- Manjrekar James* | DEN / FC Fredericia
4- *CB- Derek Cornelius* | SRB / FK Javor Ivanjica
5- *CB- David Edgar* | CAN / Ottawa Fury FC
6- *M- Samuel Piette* | CAN / Impact de Montréal
7- *M- Russell Teibert* | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
8- *M- Scott Arfield* | SCO / Glasgow Rangers FC
9-* F- Cyle Larin* | TUR / Beşiktaş JK
10- *M- David Junior Hoilett* | WAL / Cardiff City FC
11- *F- Tosaint Ricketts* | CAN / Toronto FC
12- *W- Alphonso Davies* | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
13- *M- Atiba Hutchinson* | TUR / Beşiktaş JK
14- *W- Liam Millar* | ENG / Liverpool FC U-23
15- *CB- Doneil Henry* | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
16- *M- Jay Chapman* | CAN / Toronto FC
17- *FB- Ashtone Morgan* | CAN / Toronto FC
18- *GK- James Pantemis* | CAN / Impact de Montréal
19- *F- Lucas Cavallini* | MEX / Puebla FC
20- *F- Jonathan David* | BEL / KAA Gent
21- *M- Jonathan Osorio* | CAN / Toronto FC
22- *GK- Alessandro Busti* | ITA / Juventus FC U-23
23- *M- Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla* | ESP / FC Barcelona B


----------



## Pouchkine

robertmac43 said:


> I will be worried if progress can't be seen in 4-5 years. We are clearly trending up as a Soccer nation at the moment it can be seen in the youth coming through the ranks and that is only going to better with time. We have the CPL coming in, the 2026 bid going through... There is plenty to be optimistic about!



Have you seen the last world cup qualifying competition? We were terrible.


----------



## Pouchkine

Natey said:


> Well we have an 18-year-old kid signed with Juventus. He'd be in his prime by 2026.
> 
> We should have cap-tied him against Virgin Islands, but he just sat on the bench. I'm not sure what else Busti has with his international options (Italy for sure), but I hope this doesn't end up being another Asmir Begovic. I'll never forgive our management for not cap-tying while they had the chance.
> 
> Borjan is a solid keeper, but he's not a Premier League quality keeper.



He's playing Champions League games that's better than playing for some bad midtable or relegation EPL teams.

What Henry and Morgan still being there?????


----------



## Tuggy

Hopefully they cap Busti and Brault-Guillard.


----------



## Natey

Tuggy said:


> Hopefully they cap Busti and Brault-Guillard.



I'd imagine the goal is to cap tie both, as well as Ballou. 

Pantemis, probably not.

If I'm not mistaken, all the rest are cap-tied already.


----------



## Natey

Pouchkine said:


> He's playing Champions League games that's better than playing for some bad midtable or relegation EPL teams.



Playing in Champions League doesn't automatically make you better than some EPL teams, especially mid-table ones.

The bottom of the Champions League has some fairly mediocre sides.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Have you seen the last world cup qualifying competition? We were terrible.




I mean yeah I watched all of it and yes we were, but what does that have anything to do with being optimistic about the current situation? It's already a very different time for Canadian soccer than it was when were still alive in the last qualifying round.


----------



## Natey

robertmac43 said:


> I mean yeah I watched all of it and yes we were, but what does that have anything to do with being optimistic about the current situation? It's already a very different time for Canadian soccer than it was when were still alive in the last qualifying round.



Agreed. That was many years ago. A team can't improve in 4 years?

There's literally NHL teams that become dominate after missing the playoffs for years, or vice versa.

Teams change, especially when the youth program changes for the better and its the driving force behind the improvements.

We literally set a record in our first official game with a new coach. We played a weak side, but we've played them (or similar quality teams) many times before without an injection of youth and didn't score 8 goals.


----------



## robertmac43

Natey said:


> Teams change, especially when the youth program changes for the better and its the driving force behind the improvements.




Also the overall mentality towards soccer in Canada is just better. Becoming better is no longer just cheap talk, initiative is actually being taken by those who have the power to make change.


----------



## Pouchkine

Natey said:


> Playing in Champions League doesn't automatically make you better than some EPL teams, especially mid-table ones.
> 
> The bottom of the Champions League has some fairly mediocre sides.



Which are still miles better than bottom epl teams by far. And playing big Champions League game is also much better for experience.

Many "decent" EPL teams can't even cut it in Europa League for instance. The 5-6 top EPL teams are all very solid but after that it's nothing special.


----------



## Pouchkine

robertmac43 said:


> Also the overall mentality towards soccer in Canada is just better. Becoming better is no longer just cheap talk, initiative is actually being taken by those who have the power to make change.



Until we see it in real games I would stay cautious.


----------



## Pouchkine

robertmac43 said:


> Also the overall mentality towards soccer in Canada is just better. Becoming better is no longer just cheap talk, initiative is actually being taken by those who have the power to make change.



Until we see it in real games I would stay cautious.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Until we see it in real games I would stay cautious.




I get the cautious thing, trust me I do, especially with the way this program has disappointed in the past. I'd just recommend trying the positive optimistic route with the current state of the team. Watching the soccer program slowly build up is fun, embrace it!


----------



## Natey

Pouchkine said:


> Which are still miles better than bottom epl teams by far. And playing big Champions League game is also much better for experience.
> 
> Many "decent" EPL teams can't even cut it in Europa League for instance. The 5-6 top EPL teams are all very solid but after that it's nothing special.



Wolves made a joke out of Young Boys in pre-season with a mediocre roster. And I remember reading Young Boys were using a good squad. Wolves were literally a Championship team last year. Young Boys are a Champions League side. 

I'm not saying a team like Burnley would crush Young Boys every single night, but I'd probably still give them the edge, IMO.


----------



## robertmac43

Natey said:


> I'm not saying a team like Burnley would crush Young Boys every single night, but I'd probably still give them the edge, IMO.




I 100 percent agree. I cheer for Brighton and Hove (on top of Arsenal, 2 teams in the family heritage :p) and I woud pick them over Young boys and some of the other weaker CL teams easily. 

The money you receive once in the Prem is insane compared to top teams in weaker domestic leagues across Europe.


----------



## Pouchkine

Natey said:


> Wolves made a joke out of Young Boys in pre-season with a mediocre roster. And I remember reading Young Boys were using a good squad. Wolves were literally a Championship team last year. Young Boys are a Champions League side.
> 
> I'm not saying a team like Burnley would crush Young Boys every single night, but I'd probably still give them the edge, IMO.



You talk about pre season friendlies...
Go look Everton Southampton West Ham Europa results the last few years. Red Star Belgrade just tied Napoli in a Champions League game, real games that matter. You really think some crap bottom EPL team could compete, forget it.


----------



## Pouchkine

robertmac43 said:


> I 100 percent agree. I cheer for Brighton and Hove (on top of Arsenal, 2 teams in the family heritage :p) and I woud pick them over Young boys and some of the other weaker CL teams easily.
> 
> The money you receive once in the Prem is insane compared to top teams in weaker domestic leagues across Europe.



How about the money they receive to play in the Champions League?

I watch enough EPL Champions Europa games to see that most bottom EPL clubs are nothing special. 

Ok Young Boys this year are not exactly a powerhouse but the last few years Basel had better results that all but the top 5-6 of England could achieve in Europe.


----------



## Pouchkine

Back on topic, the Canadian team is still lackimg 4 quality defenders, 2 midfielders, a real team leader on and off the pitch and most importantly building a winning mentality.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Back on topic, the Canadian team is still lackimg 4 quality defenders, 2 midfielders, a real team leader on and off the pitch and most importantly building a winning mentality.




Again it takes time. You don't just become a winning side in one night. The mentality will change as these new prospects become more integrated and become the center pieces of the squad.


----------



## Pouchkine

Let's hope so, for that we will need good coaching and at least 1 big team leader.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Let's hope so, for that we will need good coaching and at least 1 big team leader.




Agreed with the coaching point, they are going to be important in our success. I'm not too worried about their being an out and out leader at this point. One will emerge naturally in time.


----------



## PanniniClaus

Pouchkine said:


> He's playing Champions League games that's better than playing for some bad midtable or relegation EPL teams.
> 
> What Henry and Morgan still being there?????



Ok, you are clearly going to take the contrarian viewpoint. Forget the club Borjan plays for...I've watched Borjan play many, many times for us and did catch a couple of Ludogorets games as well other highlights. He is a competent keeper but should not be #1 for a team with World Cup aspirations. We need someone to break through and be a difference maker. No issues with Borjan at 2 or 3....preferably #3.


----------



## Pouchkine

I agree with you Borjan is a decent goalkeeper but not a top notch one and I thought that in many games with Canada he didn't look very good and had problem managing his box and the defence.

My point was that at least when you play big Champions League games it gives you experience of the highest level in big meaningful games unlike playing basically just to not be relegated on some awful epl teams.

So you actually agree with me! We have some nice talent coming through in the forwards and midfielders but we have to almost completely rebuild the defence and goalkeeper. And I'm not sold on some guys as well, Osorio for one never played good for Canada, will he in the future? Piette is ok on an average MLS team, is he good enough for Canada? Teibert same thing.


----------



## PanniniClaus

Pouchkine said:


> I agree with you Borjan is a decent goalkeeper but not a top notch one and I thought that in many games with Canada he didn't look very good and had problem managing his box and the defence.
> 
> My point was that at least when you play big Champions League games it gives you experience of the highest level in big meaningful games unlike playing basically just to not be relegated on some awful epl teams.
> 
> So you actually agree with me! We have some nice talent coming through in the forwards and midfielders but we have to almost completely rebuild the defence and goalkeeper. And I'm not sold on some guys as well, Osorio for one never played good for Canada, will he in the future? Piette is ok on an average MLS team, is he good enough for Canada? Teibert same thing.



I think Osorio is ready to do damage for Canada now. I would prefer if Teibert and Piette get pushed out by better players.


----------



## Luigi Habs

Hutnchinson is 35 and his career is nearing its end. I don't see any of our midfielders capable of replacing him. Good to have Davies, Ballou, Hoilett, Larin, but we need an engine in midfield. 

As already stated, we badly need defense. Did we lose hope on Tomori?


----------



## robertmac43

Luigi Habs said:


> Did we lose hope on Tomori?




Looking pretty bleak.... Tomori Called Up For England Under21s Duty


----------



## Tuggy

Gameday!

Goal differential is going to be big in this qualifying, so gotta fill the net.


----------



## Natey

I'm here!!! Section 108! Pre-Gaming at Shoeless Joe's right now. GO CANADA GO!!


----------



## Natey

PanniniClaus said:


> I think Osorio is ready to do damage for Canada now. I would prefer if Teibert and Piette get pushed out by better players.



Piette is fantastic and usually one of our best players every time we play.


----------



## Pouchkine

When we play "good" teams he often has trouble like most of our guys. Tomorrow 20h00 the Women National Team play USA in the final of the WC qualifying tournament. Should be much more interesting.


----------



## PanniniClaus

Natey said:


> Piette is fantastic and usually one of our best players every time we play.



Enjoy the game. I like Piette's work ethic but he's not my favorite player.


----------



## Tuggy

Busti starting and getting cap tied.

I'm sure Tabla will get on at some point to get cap tied aswell.

Fun looking lineup. So many young attacking threats!


----------



## Natey

Decent seats!


----------



## robertmac43

Those seats are fire! Was hoping to make it down for the game but I'm currently living to far from toronto and could not get off work early@ 

Looking forward to the game, have a great time and cheer extra loud @Natey


----------



## Tuggy

I want at least 8 again tonight.


----------



## Scandale du Jour

Why is Davies used at LB?


----------



## Tuggy

Scandale du Jour said:


> Why is Davies used at LB?




They'll probably only really play 2 at the back.


----------



## Scandale du Jour

Tuggy said:


> They'll probably only really play 2 at the back.




Makes sense. Especially against lesser opposition.


----------



## robertmac43

Why stop at 8, lets go for double digits :p


----------



## Natey

Davies is playing really poor. If goal differential wasn't so important, I wouldn't care. He's clearly trying things against weak opposition.. But he needs to stop turning it over.


----------



## Tuggy

Scandale du Jour said:


> Makes sense. Especially against lesser opposition.




Yeah, this wouldn't be the lineup against a better team.


----------



## Tuggy

Tabla officially capped! He's on the field.


----------



## Tuggy

And ZBG is on!

You can tell the team doesn't have a lot of chemistry yet.


----------



## robertmac43

Tuggy said:


> And ZBG is on!
> 
> You can tell the team doesn't have a lot of chemistry yet.




Agreed. All part of the process though, excited fo see the cohesion get better and better hopefully every game.


----------



## Natey

Decent game. We dominated. Dominica sat 11 back. Felt a little underwhelmed with the result.

Thought Davies was really poor.

Osorio, Hoilett, and Teibert were all great.

Tabla had a few jaw dropping moments.

David and Cavallini both scoring again is nice. They're big parts of this offense and they're contributing.

ZBG just missed scoring in his debut.

Millar was fine. Got zero service.


----------



## PanniniClaus

Shout out to Borjan for his clean sheet against Liverpool.


----------



## robertmac43

PanniniClaus said:


> Shout out to Borjan for his clean sheet against Liverpool.




He was really active too, made some absolutely huge saves


----------



## Tuggy

Team selected for the 3rd qualifying match in the CONCACAF Nations League this Sunday (Nov 18) @ Saint Kitts and Nevis.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_men's_national_soccer_team#Current_squad

Borjan with the team this time and all the teenagers are there.


----------



## Tuggy




----------



## Tuggy

1-0 Canada mid second half. Hutchinson scored in the first.


----------



## Tuggy

1-0 FT. Job done. 

Canada had a ton of chances but couldn't finish. More goals would have been nice, but 3 points on the road in Central America is good any way you get it.


----------



## robertmac43

Agreed! They lacked that finishing touch yesterday, but I'll take the W and move on !


----------



## Tuggy




----------



## robertmac43

Great White North represent!


----------



## robertmac43

Nike now representing Canada Soccer and supplying all of our equipment, jerseys, balls, etc. Solid acquisition for the team


----------



## robertmac43




----------



## robertmac43

Extremely excited for this competition this year with all the new teams. Pretty cool that Forge could host an MLS team if they get through one round. Don't want to get my hopes up but I would love to host TFC @ Tim Hortons Field.


----------



## robertmac43

Nothing but praise so far for Davies over in Germany. Plenty of articles with the same sentiment as this one:

Alphonso Davies already impressing his teammates at Bayern Munich


----------



## Wee Baby Seamus

robertmac43 said:


>





f***ing awesome. I'm so bummed the Wanderers didn't exist while I still lived in Halifax.


----------



## robertmac43

Wee Baby Seamus said:


> ****ing awesome. I'm so bummed the Wanderers didn't exist while I still lived in Halifax.




That would have been cool. I imagine that there will be plenty of support for the team out east. I have never been out that way and I'm hoping to go when Forge is playing.


----------



## Wee Baby Seamus

robertmac43 said:


> That would have been cool. I imagine that there will be plenty of support for the team out east. I have never been out that way and I'm hoping to go when Forge is playing.




I know multiple people who purchased season tickets, the fanbase is gonna be strong


----------



## robertmac43

Pacific Football Club bolsters lineup with trio of Canadian youth internationals – Pacific FC

I think my favourite part of this league is seeing the youth movement come through. Quality player signing contracts.


----------



## YNWA14

I'm really excited for the CPL; still quite disappointed Fury stayed in the USL.


----------



## Pouchkine

It's a matter of time for the Fury. But they should have come this year or been forced.


----------



## robertmac43

YNWA14 said:


> I'm really excited for the CPL; still quite disappointed Fury stayed in the USL.




Why did they end up staying? I think they will make the move to the CPL at some point, so I just don't get why they didn't take the plunge at the initial hype. Also they would likely been the best team just off prior experience with each other.


----------



## Tuggy

https://www.tsn.ca/soccer/video/her...eases-new-player-committing-to-canada~1608896

(skip to 7:50)

Herdman says another player announcement could be on the way. Lots of good young players out there with dual citizenship.

Maybe Fikayo Tomori or Zorhan Bassong??


----------



## robertmac43

Here is this years draw for the Canadian Championship:

Canadian Championship: Cavalry, Pacific square off as HFX, York9 learn fates


----------



## JunglePete

Former Portugal midfielder Stephen Eustaquio commits to play for Canada - Sportsnet.ca

Huge news and boost for Canada, by far Canada's best D-midfielder. Still a very top prospect who can play at the highest level with a very high ceiling. I watch some Liga MX and on paper he is already a top DM there, (behind the two Guidos , Jorge Hernandez, Ortiz, Balanta IMO ) I don't watch enough MX nor him to have a firm answer but he's surely way ahead of your average DM in MLS.
Looking forward to see

Davies-Cavallani-Hoilett
Arfield-Osorio
Eustaquio
Gutierrez-James-Cornelius-ZBG
Borjan

Bench : Ballou, M.Choiniere, Henry, Larin, Kaye, David, Fraser, I'd try Piette at CB because there's no way he sees more action than Eustaquio


Regardless biggest name to switch allegiance under Herdman so far


----------



## robertmac43

Huge news today for sure! We are heading in the right direction as a nation right now which is amazing to see after fumbling around for so long. 

I love looking at the roster and seeing viable options throughout both the starting 11 and the bench!


----------



## Tuggy

Strong squad. Will Johnson is back.


----------



## Tuggy

Davies scored his first Bundesliga goal today!


----------



## Wee Baby Seamus

Davies is making my heart warm as I'm suffering through schoolwork, feeling like a proud Canadian right now.


----------



## robertmac43

What a moment for him and soccer in general for this nation. Excited to watch this guy over the next couple years and even more excited for the influence he is going to have on our program overall


----------



## Tuggy

A draw would get them into League A but obviously a win is what is expected here.

Davies won't make the trip. Nursing a minor injury.


----------



## Pouchkine

What minor injury?


----------



## PanniniClaus

Pouchkine said:


> What minor injury?



They said it came on his goal celebration.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

I'm actually looking forward to a CanMNT game.

That never leads to happiness.


----------



## Tuggy

Hoilett makes it 1-0. Decent strike but the keeper didn't do well with it.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

Tuggy said:


> Hoilett makes it 1-0. Decent strike but the keeper didn't do well with it.




I'll take it. We never get goals like this. Where we go through the Defense like butter.



Really funny throw in that led to the goal as well.


----------



## Tuggy

Brutal mistake at the back...1-1.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

lol of course.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

There we go! Great pace down both wings, and Cav pops it in.


----------



## Tuggy

Just like that 3-1. David making things happen.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

Tuggy said:


> Just like that 3-1. David making things happen.




FG goalie isn't exactly having a game to remember.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

Beauty header, but some shocking defending. 4-1.

IIRC, that puts Canada back in top spot.


----------



## Rob

Phew. I don't have high expectation for Canadian Soccer but not making the Gold Cup would have been embarrassing.


----------



## Tom ServoMST3K

Haiti came back to win 2-1. We're even on GD, but they have more GF, so they'll take top spot.


----------



## Tuggy

Qualified for Group A and the Gold Cup.

Keep the young internationals coming Herdman


----------



## robertmac43

Anyone thinking of making the trek down under for some Gold Cup action??


----------



## BKIslandersFan

When does Canadian PL start?


----------



## robertmac43

BKIslandersFan said:


> When does Canadian PL start?




April 27 in Hamilton. They are doing a big Soccer unites Hamilton promo and giving away a ton of tickets:


Soccer Unites Hamilton – Forge FC


----------



## Tuggy

Draw for Nations League is out and Canada is in a group with the US and Cuba.


----------



## Pouchkine

Finally we will face some competitive teams to know if we really made progress.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Finally we will face some competitive teams to know if we really made progress.




Hoping for some good results but at the end of the day we are still in the process.


----------



## JunglePete

Pouchkine said:


> Finally we will face some competitive teams to know if we really made progress.





Eustaquio can't come soon enough. What we played last Sunday is NO Match to elite DMs of Concacaf in Bradley, Guardado, Adams, Borges...

We need a box-to-box DM capable of playing defensively as well as offensively and when Atiba retires in July we'll be doomed. Wanted to see Eustaquio-Atiba but hey in life you can't have everything you want.

Been MIA and away for a few weeks but I also wanted to say that I know he scored a beauty on Friday and he's a late replacement but Jay Chapman shouldn't be anywhere near the Gold Cup squad. He's soooo limited, offers nothing has been a Toronto prospect since the dinosaur days. I'd try out Mathieu Choinere, Bayiha or call back Raheem before that crab called Jay chapman


----------



## Pouchkine

You are right we really need someone for this position and central defense as well.


----------



## Tuggy

Gold Cup draw took place. Canada gets Mexico, Martinique and Cuba.

June 15 vs Martinique
June 19 vs Mexico
June 23 vs Cuba

Should get second place in that group. Win against Mexico isn't out of the question either.

2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup - Wikipedia


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> April 27 in Hamilton. They are doing a big Soccer unites Hamilton promo and giving away a ton of tickets:
> 
> 
> Soccer Unites Hamilton – Forge FC



Will the games be televised in any fashion south of the border (via streaming)?


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> Will the games be televised in any fashion south of the border (via streaming)?




I think you can stream on CBC sports for some of the game and they also announced a league partnership with MediaPro.

Don't really know the availability outside of Canada though.


----------



## Hammer9001

sabremike said:


> Will the games be televised in any fashion south of the border (via streaming)?




I believe you an stream off OneSoccer | Watch Live On-Demand Canadian Soccer

Looks like free for the first month.


----------



## Pouchkine

How many tickets sold for today?


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> How many tickets sold for today?




Don't know the exact number but the websites are looking pretty sold out. The whole "Soccer Unites Hamilton" thing definitely helped get people out to the game today


----------



## Pouchkine

Very good game so far and very good crowd but the stadium is ugly as they come and to big 24K, and the synthetic field is one of the worst anywhere.


----------



## sabremike

Pouchkine said:


> Very good game so far and very good crowd but the stadium is ugly as they come and to big 24K, and the synthetic field is one of the worst anywhere.



The Tim isn't an architectural wonder but exactly what the hell is wrong with it?

Forge give up a goal 2 minutes in on a terrible play and then did everything but score. 45 minutes left, let's get it done!!!!


----------



## Pouchkine

sabremike said:


> The Tim isn't an architectural wonder but exactly what the hell is wrong with it?
> 
> Forge give up a goal 2 minutes in on a terrible play and then did everything but score. 45 minutes left, let's get it done!!!!



The stands are way too far from the play. Also there's no stands behind the goals. It's also always windy it seems. 

I'm impressed with the level of play though and the guys are really giving their all, entertaining game and CBC is doing a good job.


----------



## sabremike

Honours even at the Donut Box. Forge dominated but just couldn't get the winner. We were incredibly lucky because one of our guys should've been sent off for a brutal elbow right to a York player's face (and right in front of the fourth official no less) and the refs completely missed it. In MLS that goes to VAR and he gets sent off.


----------



## Pouchkine

sabremike said:


> Honours even at the Donut Box. Forge dominated but just couldn't get the winner. We were incredibly lucky because one of our guys should've been sent off for a brutal elbow right to a York player's face (and right in front of the fourth official no less) and the refs completely missed it. In MLS that goes to VAR and he gets sent off.



Yeah the referees were really bad though.


----------



## Pouchkine

17 611


----------



## PanniniClaus

I was pleased with the quality of play between Forge and York 9.


----------



## robertmac43

Copa 90 did a brief write up on the league starting up. Pretty cool to get some exposure!


----------



## sabremike

Does a soccer game played when it's snowing in May count as the most Canadian thing ever???


----------



## robertmac43

Today is the day Forge gets their first win, anyone going to the game?


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Today is the day Forge gets their first win, anyone going to the game?



Will be watching at home. On the 29th I will be at the Donut Box for the game vs the Eddies as I got a bus from NYC to Toronto, from which I'll take a GO Bus/Train to the Hammer and apparently the stadium is like a 1.6 mile walk (given that I routinely walk about 3 miles from the Hempstead train station to the Nassau Coliseum that's nothing) and after the game I booked a bed at a hostel nearby for $18.


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> Will be watching at home. On the 29th I will be at the Donut Box for the game vs the Eddies as I got a bus from NYC to Toronto, from which I'll take a GO Bus/Train to the Hammer and apparently the stadium is like a 1.6 mile walk (given that I routinely walk about 3 miles from the Hempstead train station to the Nassau Coliseum that's nothing) and after the game I booked a bed at a hostel nearby for $18.




Jeeze that is some serious dedication. Due to work I currently live 3 hours from Hamilton, I was debating not going to the game today due to the distance of the drive, but you convinced me i ought to go


----------



## robertmac43

Totally forgot Bekker will not be playing for Forge tonight, big hole to fill.

Hoping Nanco gets going a bit more tonight, he has shown great skill at points but the production has not been there through the first 2 games.


----------



## robertmac43

Here is hoping I make kick off


----------



## sabremike

2-0 Forge at the half. Crowd is out of 90's MLS games being played in huge stadiums and they should've been smart enough to avoid midweek games as they are death for attendance. Very entertaining game so far.


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> 2-0 Forge at the half. Crowd is out of 90's MLS games being played in huge stadiums and they should've been smart enough to avoid midweek games as they are death for attendance. Very entertaining game so far.




Yeah definitely a tough night for attendance... 

Great game though, happy to get the first ever win in club history out of the way. Also Novak goal is easily the best goal this league has seen thus far.


----------



## robertmac43

In other CPL news Escalante scored the first ever free kick goal in the win for Cavalry. Decent looking goal too


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> In other CPL news Escalante scored the first ever free kick goal in the win for Cavalry. Decent looking goal too



Valour with a "How Not To Build A Wall" clinic on that one.


----------



## robertmac43

First game with early standing implications coming up this Sunday between Calvary and Forge. Calvary having 3 wins to start of the campaign would be a huge statement in this 10 game sprint to finals. Forge having only 4 points through 4 games would be a tough early hurdle to overcome as well. Should be another fun one in Hamilton


----------



## Pouchkine

robertmac43 said:


> Yeah definitely a tough night for attendance...
> 
> Great game though, happy to get the first ever win in club history out of the way. Also Novak goal is easily the best goal this league has seen thus far.



Go on twitter emptyseatspics the night of MLS games you will see a ton of places with horrible crowds. So far the CanPL teams are doing better than many MLS teams!

Last night there was a few hundreds in Chicago and a few thousands at best for NYRB.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Go on twitter emptyseatspics the night of MLS games you will see a ton of places with horrible crowds. So far the CanPL teams are doing better than many MLS teams!
> 
> Last night there was a few hundreds in Chicago and a few thousands at best for NYRB.




Jeeze thats rough for the MLS.

I would not be surprised if yesterday ends up being the lowest crowd in Hamilton all year. First mid-week game, kind of chilly, and its the first game after the hyped inaugural one. As it heats up both outside and down the stretch of the season, I'm guessing Forge will produce decent crowds.


----------



## Pouchkine

What was the announced crowd?


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> What was the announced crowd?




5,861. Not terrible number wise but with the capacity of Tim Horton's field it felt underwhelming.

Perks of being in the Battalion supporters section though, never a dull moment there!


----------



## Pouchkine

Yeah the stadium is too big but so far 17 611 and 5681 is very good.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Yeah the stadium is too big but so far 17 611 and 5681 is very good.




Yeah and I expect they will be more around the 8-10 thousand mark come summer time. Probably a dip in the fall unless there is a push needed to secure a spot in the finals


----------



## robertmac43

Looks like it is a full female crew reffing the game in Hamilton today. Pretty cool to see that !


----------



## sabremike

I don't know what sucked worse: losing a game we had absolutely no business losing on the last kick of the ball or the shitty and awful stream provided by OneSoccer that would freeze every 10 seconds. Our backline is pretty much trash and we lack finishing skills the way Dracula lacks a suntan. 4 points out of 3 home games is just awful and is going to make it very difficult to win the first half title.


----------



## Satan

Huge win for the Cavs today, especially after Camargo's miss.


----------



## robertmac43

I know its early but I with only 4 points in 4, Forge has essentially no room for any dropped points from here on out. I imagine 22-24 points will win the spring.

Also yeah losing in that nature after standing out in the cold rain was unfortunate.


----------



## robertmac43

Satan said:


> especially after Camargo's miss.




The reaction in the supporters section after this was hilarious


----------



## Tuggy

Canada qualified for the u17 World Cup today.


----------



## robertmac43

HIGHLIGHTS: Cavalry edges Forge with last-second winner

That first goal against...


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> The reaction in the supporters section after this was hilarious



Just wondering: the TiCats Shop doubles as a Forge FC Shop on gamedays right? Because I was told I can use my Ticats STH discount there and want to get a Forge jersey. Would cost me roughly $82 US.


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> HIGHLIGHTS: Cavalry edges Forge with last-second winner
> 
> That first goal against...



Oh yeah that was terrible. They weren't threatening us at all and the defender gives them a stupid free kick so that they had the type of opportunity they couldn't earn in open play.


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> Just wondering: the TiCats Shop doubles as a Forge FC Shop on gamedays right? Because I was told I can use my Ticats STH discount there and want to get a Forge jersey. Would cost me roughly $82 US.




Yeah it doubles as both. I don't know id the membership discounts carry over to each other though. I would email the team store people for Forge and inquire, they are quick with responding.

Which game are you going to ?


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> Oh yeah that was terrible. They weren't threatening us at all and the defender gives them a stupid free kick so that they had the type of opportunity they couldn't earn in open play.




Also questionable goal tending. Got to make a better effort on that shot


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Yeah it doubles as both. I don't know id the membership discounts carry over to each other though. I would email the team store people for Forge and inquire, they are quick with responding.
> 
> Which game are you going to ?



May 29th vs Edmonton. My rep Chris DeSouza told me it's valid on everything in the store (like how my STH discount for the Sabres Store is good on Bandits, Bills and Amerks stuff).


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Also questionable goal tending. Got to make a better effort on that shot



Yeah, that was Scott Darling as a soccer goalie level bad.


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> May 29th vs Edmonton. My rep Chris DeSouza told me it's valid on everything in the store (like how my STH discount for the Sabres Store is good on Bandits, Bills and Amerks stuff).




Where are your seats for the game? 

I highly recommend moving to the supporters section no matter where your seats are. It can feel dead in other areas


----------



## Satan

robertmac43 said:


> The reaction in the supporters section after this was hilarious



I bet. No idea how he f***ed up that badly


----------



## sabremike

Satan said:


> I bet. No idea how he ****ed up that badly



Almost as terrible as this....


----------



## robertmac43

I know I said this pre-Sunday Forge game but this is basically already must win territory for the Hammer. Need to get 3 points to stay in contention for the first spot in the Finals


----------



## robertmac43

Huge road win for Forge. 5 games into their existance and they have already gotten a pretty noticeable pattern to their play. Dominate in scoring changes, capitalize on few of them, and then have terrible stretches of Defense where they look like they could leak up to 5 goals! 

Borges imo has been the best player on the team thus far. I would love to see more from Bekkker and Nanco; both have been good but they were brought in expected to be of the better players in the league.


----------



## robertmac43

Cavalry need to stop finding ways to win.. 5 points up already!


----------



## Tuggy




----------



## robertmac43

Looking forward to this tournament, we are going to have a solid team.


----------



## robertmac43

Anyone going down to any games? Thinking about buying tickets to the double header on the 23rd in North Carolina


----------



## Pouchkine

Why is this crap tournament always in the United States? Makes Concacaf look like an even bigger joke.


----------



## Tuggy

Schedule released for Nations League

Canada men's national soccer team - Wikipedia


----------



## robertmac43

I hope that Canada v US match on the 15th is @ BMO! I would go to that in a heart beat


----------



## robertmac43

Canadian Championship round one, second legs tonight. Should be some fun football!


----------



## sabremike

Pouchkine said:


> Why is this crap tournament always in the United States? Makes Concacaf look like an even bigger joke.



Do you think it should be held in El Salvador or the Dominican Republic? There are literally 3 countries in the entire confederation with the infrastructure to hold the event, and the US by far is the best place to hold it for numerous reasons (the first being that just about every CONCACAF nation has significant ex pat communities in this country).


----------



## Pouchkine

You don't understand the logic behind a continental competition do you? Mexico and Canada for sure should host it then you could have joint bid with smaller countries to help GROW AND DEVELOP the game and stadiums there. At the moment the Gold Cup is viewed everywhere and here included as the biggest joke tournament there is in world football. 

Portugal didn't have the infrastructure either before hosting Euro 2004. Poland-Ukraine as well.


----------



## Tuggy

robertmac43 said:


> Looking forward to this tournament, we are going to have a solid team.




Yeah, it's a good list.

First chance for Herdman's group to prove themselves against some better competition.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Portugal didn't have the infrastructure either before hosting Euro 2004. Poland-Ukraine as well.




In what sense? Portugal had the stadiums and the built up tourism industry to more than suffice. 

I get the sentiment though, the US is the obvious safe choice for hosting and it makes sense. They have the population, the massive stadiums, and the accommodating for all the athletes. That being said it would be interesting to see the Gold Cup have a cluster of Islands host it together or something along those lines. It's just much more of a risk.


----------



## robertmac43

Tuggy said:


> First chance for Herdman's group to prove themselves against some better competition.




Really looking forward to the Mexico game. Going to be the biggest test this program has had in while.


----------



## Pouchkine

robertmac43 said:


> In what sense? Portugal had the stadiums and the built up tourism industry to more than suffice.
> 
> I get the sentiment though, the US is the obvious safe choice for hosting and it makes sense. They have the population, the massive stadiums, and the accommodating for all the athletes. That being said it would be interesting to see the Gold Cup have a cluster of Islands host it together or something along those lines. It's just much more of a risk.



Portugal did not have the stadiums at all. Almost all if not all of the stadiums for Euro 2004 were new. Without Euro 2004 stadiums in Portugal would be like in Italy today only smaller...

So why isn't the Copa America always in Brazil or the Euro always in Germany?

Let's say this year Canada got to host the Gold Cup, we already have some decent stadiums but just maybe some CanPL teams could have used the $ coming in to build new soccer specific 15k stadiums?

I see no reason at all why the Gold Cup couldn't rotate between Canada Usa Mexico CostaRica and some joint bids. At the moment it's a fake cash grab friendly tournament. It's not good either for the US National Team.

At this point the Gold Cup is like what the Canada Cup was in hockey without the quality and excitement!


----------



## sabremike

Pouchkine said:


> You don't understand the logic behind a continental competition do you? Mexico and Canada for sure should host it then you could have joint bid with smaller countries to help GROW AND DEVELOP the game and stadiums there. At the moment the Gold Cup is viewed everywhere and here included as the biggest joke tournament there is in world football.
> 
> Portugal didn't have the infrastructure either before hosting Euro 2004. Poland-Ukraine as well.



Yes because that idea worked so well in Brazil, which spent a fortune on gigantic stadiums that are basically empty in many of the cities they were built. Believe the same is true of South Korea as well. And you realize that the size (both in population and economically) of the 3 European countries you mentioned dwarfs pretty much every CONCACAF nation except the big 3?


----------



## Pouchkine

You still don't understand. A real continental competition should rotate between countries as host. Simple as that, this is how you grow the game and make it a real competition. Of course the USA could have it more often that others but you should rotate. Until then the Gold Cup is a laughing stock and as a USA fan you should clearly understand how this is hurting your own national team. You don't improve without adversity and real tough competition. Always playing at home in this tournament isn't doing your team any service.

The Gold Cup usually is 12 teams you don't need 10 gigantic stadiums. Even a country like Costa Rica could host it alone. 

Go see the stadiums for the U20 World Cup in Poland this year.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Portugal did not have the stadiums at all. Almost all if not all of the stadiums for Euro 2004 were new. Without Euro 2004 stadiums in Portugal would be like in Italy today only smaller...
> 
> So why isn't the Copa America always in Brazil or the Euro always in Germany?
> 
> Let's say this year Canada got to host the Gold Cup, we already have some decent stadiums but just maybe some CanPL teams could have used the $ coming in to build new soccer specific 15k stadiums?
> 
> I see no reason at all why the Gold Cup couldn't rotate between Canada Usa Mexico CostaRica and some joint bids. At the moment it's a fake cash grab friendly tournament. It's not good either for the US National Team.
> 
> At this point the Gold Cup is like what the Canada Cup was in hockey without the quality and excitement!




I mean the Stadiums across the board in Europe are just nicer and more plentiful, many different countries could host with no added infrastructure needed. 

I don't really know if we need more stadiums at the moment in Canada, I think we could host tomorrow with no real issues. The US is using 16 or so different venues this year which seems unnecessary; we would be fine with what we got in terms of CFL stadiums, BMO, etc. I guess the question becomes how many stadiums does a country need to really host? Costa Rica has 4 or 5 stadiums over 15k, probably a little short on what is needed, not terrible though. At least this time around both Jamaica and Costa Rica have been somewhat integrated in hosting with each having a double header in the group stage. It's a start.. 

I agree with you in rotating the tournament location,it would be great for the sport. But is understandable as to why they keep going back to the US, it's just the safest choice. That does not mean it's the right choice though.


----------



## Pouchkine

Portugal only used new stadiums for Euro 2004 it was the same with Ukraine-Poland. Without the Euro Money they would have old and inadequate stadiums today like in Italy.

Those countries USED THE MONEY from the tournament to build new stadiums, that's my whole point countries like Jamaica and Costa Rica could really use the income to build a couple modern stadiums. Not gigantic ones, but decent soccer stadiums...

Is the Gold Cup a true continental tournament or simply a cash grab friendly tournament to help fill the pocket of beyond corrupted concacaf people?


----------



## sabremike

Pouchkine said:


> You still don't understand. A real continental competition should rotate between countries as host. Simple as that, this is how you grow the game and make it a real competition. Of course the USA could have it more often that others but you should rotate. Until then the Gold Cup is a laughing stock and as a USA fan you should clearly understand how this is hurting your own national team. You don't improve without adversity and real tough competition. Always playing at home in this tournament isn't doing your team any service.
> 
> The Gold Cup usually is 12 teams you don't need 10 gigantic stadiums. Even a country like Costa Rica could host it alone.
> 
> Go see the stadiums for the U20 World Cup in Poland this year.



Jesus Christ have you EVER seen any Gold Cup game we've ever played vs Mexico or almost every Central American team where 95% of the crowd is rooting for the opponent and tossing bottles, batteries, bags filled with piss and anything they can get their hands on at the American players and fans?


----------



## Pouchkine

That's the Gold Cup you love though.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Is the Gold Cup a true continental tournament or simply a cash grab friendly tournament to help fill the pocket of beyond corrupted concacaf people?




I enjoy it as a fan. It's fun to watch Canada have a chance at winning something, I also have friends from Jamaica that love the competitive nature of it. I think a lot of the smaller teams and their fans do not see it as just a cash grab and look forward to the tournament beginning.


----------



## Pouchkine

I see a lot of boring games with a lot of play acting and awful refereeing in front of half empty big stadiums. Should be every 4 years as well.

Very much looking forward to the Women World Cup.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> I see a lot of boring games with a lot of play acting and awful refereeing in front of half empty big stadiums. Should be every 4 years as well.
> 
> Very much looking forward to the Women World Cup.




Personally I see it differently but that's fine; agree to disagree.

The Womens World Cup will be fun. I hope both the Mens and Womens team can get some good results this summer.


----------



## Pouchkine

Yeah I will follow Canada, will be fun to see the team finally facing good opposition in "meaningful" games.


----------



## JunglePete

Here is the full list if someone did not see it yet



Very glad to see the likes of Edwards on the list, will he be fit enough to be on the final list? We shall see, he is our best option at LB ... I was gutted to not see Liam Fraser, who has the potential to be better than Eustaquio IMO and our best DM, but then realized what Herdmans plan may be, he knows Bradley is gone for at least a month and possibly the best opportunity for Fraser to show he is MLS ready. Also no CPL players.

Mexico will be without Vela who withdrawn from the tournament as usual and Diego Lainez who is at the U20 World Cup.


----------



## robertmac43

Drove to York in wild traffic today, got dumped on with rain again and again, and then the game got delayed....

Forge pulled out with the victory and 3 massive points, now just need cavalry to lose today....


----------



## robertmac43

June 22: Forge v Cavalry is shaping up to be a huge game. If Forge keep pace that could the game to win the Spring season!


----------



## BKIslandersFan

So is CPL model similar to Mexico's Apertura/Clausura system?


----------



## robertmac43

BKIslandersFan said:


> So is CPL model similar to Mexico's Apertura/Clausura system?




Yeah that would be a good comparison. Does Mexico have much fewer games in the first season? or are they balanced? 

Spring CPL season is only 10 games and then the Fall is almost double that at 18.


----------



## Pouchkine

That's the format for the first season, it will change next year surely with a real championship.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> That's the format for the first season, it will change next year surely with a real championship.




There is a real championship this year. Winner of the Spring schedule gets a seed in the finals and the same goes for the Fall Season winner.


----------



## Pouchkine

I mean a real championship like in Europe. Not 2 mini-seasons plus a playoff.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> I mean a real championship like in Europe. Not 2 mini-seasons plus a playoff.




One where the winner is just who ever has the mos t points?


----------



## Pouchkine

Yes. Like EPL SerieA LaLiga Eredivisie RussianLeague Bundesliga Ligue1...

The worst is apertura+clausura+playoffs crap.

In between is MLS but 14/24 teams in the playoffs is ridiculous.

Let's say next year CanPL has 10 teams you could have 4 top teams in the playoffs max.


----------



## sabremike

Pouchkine said:


> Yes. Like EPL SerieA LaLiga Eredivisie RussianLeague Bundesliga Ligue1...
> 
> The worst is apertura+clausura+playoffs crap.
> 
> In between is MLS but 14/24 teams in the playoffs is ridiculous.
> 
> Let's say next year CanPL has 10 teams you could have 4 top teams in the playoffs max.



The problem is that comparing MLS to Europe is apples to oranges because Europe has both continental competition and pro/rel that means every game is important at both the top and bottom of the standings. With limited playoffs 90% of the teams would be playing meaningless games which would be death at the box office.

Back to the topic: does anyone know the reason for an imbalanced split season?


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Yes. Like EPL SerieA LaLiga Eredivisie RussianLeague Bundesliga Ligue1...
> 
> The worst is apertura+clausura+playoffs crap.
> 
> In between is MLS but 14/24 teams in the playoffs is ridiculous.
> 
> Let's say next year CanPL has 10 teams you could have 4 top teams in the playoffs max.




The long time goal is to have more teams and then transition to that kind of finals. They thought the league would sell better to casual Canadian fans if there was a traditional final


----------



## Pouchkine

Yeah for this year alone. Casual Canadian fans don't watch CanPL I'm sure of that. Hardcore soccer fans do!


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Yeah for this year alone. Casual Canadian fans don't watch CanPL I'm sure of that. Hardcore soccer fans do!




I mean the Hardcore were and will be at the games regardless of the format. A traditional final will bring in a ton of casuals out, it also just adds a marque event to the calendar in the first year which helps the publicity side of things.


----------



## Pouchkine

You could make the final the top 2 teams of the "regular" season no need to split the regular seasons in 2 seasons that's my point.


----------



## Pouchkine

sabremike said:


> The problem is that comparing MLS to Europe is apples to oranges because Europe has both continental competition and pro/rel that means every game is important at both the top and bottom of the standings. With limited playoffs 90% of the teams would be playing meaningless games which would be death at the box office.
> 
> Back to the topic: does anyone know the reason for an imbalanced split season?



I agree with the league positions in Europe and the importance of CL Europa and Relegation.

That's why here you have no choice to have playoffs, but not crap like MLS with 14/24 in the playoffs. Maybe 8/24.

CanPL 2/7 this year would have been fine, 4/10 eventually. And no split seasons please.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> You could make the final the top 2 teams of the "regular" season no need to split the regular seasons in 2 seasons that's my point.




Oh yeah for sure, that sounds great. With this format it really made every game feel extra important for so early on in the year which has been fun to follow.


----------



## Pouchkine

The winner of the first season what do they play for in the second one? If Cavalry wins the spring season and finish last in the fall what happens? That's my point...


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> The winner of the first season what do they play for in the second one? If Cavalry wins the spring season and finish last in the fall what happens? That's my point...




Yeah definitely would be an interesting scenario. I doubt they do end up in last int he spring, but if they did the finals would still be competitive. The league is proving to be pretty competitive.

As the CPL expands I do hope they change up how the title is given out. I know the extremely long term goal is to have to 10 team leagues and do promotion\relegation


----------



## Pouchkine

Promotion\Relegation works where soccer is the #1 sport mostly. I'm not sure It will ever work in North America not before 20-30 years at least.

You have to remember something here in North America we have the best league in the world in Hockey-Baseball-Football-Basketball. CFL is #2 and on a major decline.

So with MLS being maybe the 15-20th best league in the world it's always gonna be tough, samething with CanPL where we have a huge advantage is that soccer is now so popular here.

Do you think the NHL would be that popular if it was the 5th best league in the World? Or if all the best basketball players were in Europe or the best baseball players in Asia...


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Promotion\Relegation works where soccer is the #1 sport mostly. I'm not sure It will ever work in North America not before 20-30 years at least.
> 
> You have to remember something here in North America we have the best league in the world in Hockey-Baseball-Football-Basketball. CFL is #2 and on a major decline.
> 
> So with MLS being maybe the 15-20th best league in the world it's always gonna be tough, samething with CanPL where we have a huge advantage is that soccer is now so popular here.
> 
> Do you think the NHL would be that popular if it was the 5th best league in the World? Or if all the best basketball players were in Europe or the best baseball players in Asia...




20-30 years would fit the long term goal time frame, honestly it may even be longer than that. We may never see Promotion/relegation but it's a fun plan/dream to have for Canada.

The CFL is fine and close to expanding to a 10th team, it's all good.

Obviously all the leagues would take popularity hits if they were not the best in the world, but i'm not sure as to how that is relevant. A lot of second tier leagues and below have popularity, Euro League basketball does decently well, same with some of the domestic leagues for European hockey. China does well with a lot of their domestic sports, etc etc. People will watch the big leagues for the stars factor but they will still cheer for the local teams as it is fun and accessible


----------



## Pouchkine

The CFL is fine? I was a big fan of the league and now a lot less for different reasons. At the moment Montreal BC and Toronto are in real danger. Toronto have on average 5000 at the games while BC are back to the mid 90's empty stadium, the Alouettes have never been less popular since they are downtown. I'm in Montreal and at the moment the Alouettes could be gone and not many people would care.

Crowds while still good have dropped a lot in Edmonton and Calgary. Ratings are down. The League is closer to be down to 8 teams or less than 10 teams. People in general even in the United States are tired of the increased violence and game lenghts so even the NFL have ratings dropped and big attendance drops.

Yes they do in Europe and Asia but here it's the opposite people are USED to have the best leagues and all the best players, that's why it's tough for MLS.
The North American sport market is beyond saturated and you compete with the best.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> The CFL is fine? I was a big fan of the league and now a lot less for different reasons. At the moment Montreal BC and Toronto are in real danger. Toronto have on average 5000 at the games while BC are back to the mid 90's empty stadium, the Alouettes have never been less popular since they are downtown. I'm in Montreal and at the moment the Alouettes could be gone and not many people would care.
> 
> Crowds while still good have dropped a lot in Edmonton and Calgary. Ratings are down. The League is closer to be down to 8 teams or less than 10 teams. People in general even in the United States are tired of the increased violence and game lenghts so even the NFL have ratings dropped and big attendance drops.
> 
> Yes they do in Europe and Asia but here it's the opposite people are USED to have the best leagues and all the best players, that's why it's tough for MLS.
> The North American sport market is beyond saturated and you compete with the best.




I'm not worried yet. The Lions swing up and down in attendance and they are on a down swing, the Als are transitioning to a new ownership group that is looking to invest more in the team, and the Argos, well yeah that is a tad scary.... I got season seats to the Ticats and we are doing fine, people seem to renew year in and year out. 

Have there been that noticeable of rating drops in the NFL? I thought they the NFL was still fine but youth numbers have dropped. 

As tough as it has been and is for some MLS franchises the product is still decent and there are hardcore fans throughout NA that don't care too much about being the 15th-20th best league in the world.


----------



## Pouchkine

The Alouettes have no owner at the moment! I can tell you right now in Montreal we are back to what it was in 1996-1997.
The BC Lions you just have to look on twitter emptyseatspics the day of games and you will see at times there's barely 5k there.

The NFL is still fine but yes there has been a slight ratings drop and also attendance in many places but the money comes from tv so they don't have problems now for sure. The CFL also the level of play has dropped a lot, I remember 15 years ago or so there was a lot of great QB and WR now the games are often unwatchable. Hamilton and Ottawa are the two places where it's going great. Even Winnipeg has games with half empty stadium. 

Yeah MLS is actually doing pretty decent in terms of attendance in about half the places but on TV it's a disaster. The level of play, bad broadcasts and league format with 14/24 in the playoffs isn't bringing in casual viewers.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> The Alouettes have no owner at the moment! I can tell you right now in Montreal we are back to what it was in 1996-1997.
> The BC Lions you just have to look on twitter emptyseatspics the day of games and you will see at times there's barely 5k there.
> 
> The NFL is still fine but yes there has been a slight ratings drop and also attendance in many places but the money comes from tv so they don't have problems now for sure. The CFL also the level of play has dropped a lot, I remember 15 years ago or so there was a lot of great QB and WR now the games are often unwatchable. Hamilton and Ottawa are the two places where it's going great. Even Winnipeg has games with half empty stadium.
> 
> Yeah MLS is actually doing pretty decent in terms of attendance in about half the places but on TV it's a disaster. The level of play, bad broadcasts and league format with 14/24 in the playoffs isn't bringing in casual viewers.




I know Guzzo buying the Als has been put on hold for now but their is still optimism he buys in. The league is full of ups and downs financially, it always seems to end up okay. The Qb roles has definitely had a rough go recently throughout the league but hey if it helps the Cats win a GC I'm fine with it :p


----------



## robertmac43

Can York9 FC succeed in Canada's most saturated sports market?

Well back to CPL stuff. I have been thinking in these early goings that York 9 may have a tough go when it comes to selling themselves to the community. This is an article on the subject.


----------



## Pouchkine

robertmac43 said:


> I know Guzzo buying the Als has been put on hold for now but their is still optimism he buys in. The league is full of ups and downs financially, it always seems to end up okay. The Qb roles has definitely had a rough go recently throughout the league but hey if it helps the Cats win a GC I'm fine with it :p



I agree about the ups and downs historically but now with soccer being so popular it changes the dynamics completely. Clearly in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver the MLS teams are now much more popular than the CFL teams. I can see the CFL in 10-15 years being back to what the NHL was pre-67 expansion : 6 teams league!


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> I agree about the ups and downs historically but now with soccer being so popular it changes the dynamics completely. Clearly in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver the MLS teams are now much more popular than the CFL teams. I can see the CFL in 10-15 years being back to what the NHL was pre-67 expansion : 6 teams league!




I can only imagine what would happen if Montreal ever get a baseball team back....That may be game over for the Als


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> I can only imagine what would happen if Montreal ever get a baseball team back....That may be game over for the Als



The team becoming total garbage is what is killing them. They start competing for Grey Cups again and they would become a hot ticket again.


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Can York9 FC succeed in Canada's most saturated sports market?
> 
> Well back to CPL stuff. I have been thinking in these early goings that York 9 may have a tough go when it comes to selling themselves to the community. This is an article on the subject.



After reading about that complete fiasco on Saturday I'm all but certain they are one and done. Best case is someone buys the franchise and relocates them instead of them folding. Do you know what other cities could end up with teams in 2020?


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> After reading about that complete fiasco on Saturday I'm all but certain they are one and done. Best case is someone buys the franchise and relocates them instead of them folding. Do you know what other cities could end up with teams in 2020?




I think there are a lot of places where there have been slight discussion of expanding. I know Quebec and Montreal are both being talked about, Regina, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, and maybe a team in Ottawa or the Fury moving leagues in some capacity. 

I don't know what happens for next year but there are plenty of decent options out there


----------



## Pouchkine

sabremike said:


> The team becoming total garbage is what is killing them. They start competing for Grey Cups again and they would become a hot ticket again.



_I don't think so the buzz is over in Montreal for the Alouettes. I don't know if the interview got out in english but Larry Smith admitted years ago that the team lied in terms of their attendance numbers to have money from the governments to help pay for the increase capacity.

Meaning when the team was great with Calvillo and we only had 20 202 of capacity often times there were hundreds of tickets still available.

That was before the Impact in MLS.

The Alouettes could be gone BEFORE the Expos come back if it happens. _


----------



## Pouchkine

sabremike said:


> After reading about that complete fiasco on Saturday I'm all but certain they are one and done. Best case is someone buys the franchise and relocates them instead of them folding. Do you know what other cities could end up with teams in 2020?



This wouldn't be that bad for the league, it wasn't the best idea to put another team in the GTA.

If we have one here it will be in Laval not in Montreal. And to be honest I'm not sure it would work that well, maybe only Quebec.


----------



## Pouchkine

robertmac43 said:


> I think there are a lot of places where there have been slight discussion of expanding. I know Quebec and Montreal are both being talked about, Regina, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, and maybe a team in Ottawa or the Fury moving leagues in some capacity.
> 
> I don't know what happens for next year but there are plenty of decent options out there



It's Laval not Montreal.

Ottawa should quit USL as fast as possible.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> It's Laval not Montreal.
> 
> Ottawa should quit USL as fast as possible.




Long term the league also wants to be in Montreal, at least that is what Bunbury has alluded too. The league believes the city can sustain two teams.


----------



## robertmac43

Also I don't know how these expansions into Quebec will go over; I think Quebec City could work well and I would start there if I'm the league, but other than that it seems rather risky on their part.


----------



## Pouchkine

robertmac43 said:


> Long term the league also wants to be in Montreal, at least that is what Bunbury has alluded too. The league believes the city can sustain two teams.



But it's actually Laval. The team would be in Laval. I don't know why he says Montreal maybe it's because he thinks people in the rest of Canada don't know Laval but they actually have a bit more population than Quebec City. Zero chance of a second team on the island of Montreal.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> But it's actually Laval. The team would be in Laval. I don't know why he says Montreal maybe it's because he thinks people in the rest of Canada don't know Laval but they actually have a bit more population than Quebec City. Zero chance of a second team on the island of Montreal.




Do you think a team could survive in Laval? Would soccer fans take the trip in to Montreal for the Impact or would they embrace having their own thing?


----------



## sabremike

Pouchkine said:


> _I don't think so the buzz is over in Montreal for the Alouettes. I don't know if the interview got out in english but Larry Smith admitted years ago that the team lied in terms of their attendance numbers to have money from the governments to help pay for the increase capacity.
> 
> Meaning when the team was great with Calvillo and we only had 20 202 of capacity often times there were hundreds of tickets still available.
> 
> That was before the Impact in MLS.
> 
> The Alouettes could be gone BEFORE the Expos come back if it happens. _



A very good friend of mine's nephew played for the team during that period and he's told me lots about it and I'd think he'd know what was happening.


----------



## Pouchkine

robertmac43 said:


> Do you think a team could survive in Laval? Would soccer fans take the trip in to Montreal for the Impact or would they embrace having their own thing?



I'm not sure really. Laval has never been a good sports city. At the same time soccer is really popular now and with the size of the city I think they could be ok with a decent small stadium. The Impact have lost a lot of prestige the last few years, fans were really behind the team at the beginning and with the Drogba signing and Champions League run but for some years now the ownership doesn't show any ambition and with the ticket prices increasing too much, I think people in Laval and it's surroundings could really be tempted to support a CanPL team of their own.


----------



## Pouchkine

sabremike said:


> A very good friend of mine's nephew played for the team during that period and he's told me lots about it and I'd think he'd know what was happening.



What do you mean?

I went to a lot of games for many years and yes it's true often times there was a lot of empty seats in a 20k stadium. It was fun though, downtown, tickets quite cheap, very good team, no Impact-MLS.

Now the team is bad, the prices have gone up, the Impact have taken a lot of sports fans away and to be honest the CFL as a whole is really declining in terms of excitement and the level of play.

It was always a league known for spectacular games, great offense now it lacks a lot of talent and the games are too long, young people don't care.


----------



## robertmac43

With that win it looks like Canada is almost sure to get the CONCACAF Champions League qualification spot. It's also huge for staying in contention for the spring league Title although Cavalry are looking like they may have it in the bag. I'm not sure it really matter which team wins the Spring, it seems pretty likely it will be Forge v Cavalry in the finals.


----------



## sabremike

"We're the Forge, the MIGHTY Forge, I just don't think you'd understand!!!!!"


----------



## robertmac43




----------



## robertmac43

FORGE FC TO WEAR BLACK & GOLD MACRON KIT JUNE 15 TO CELEBRATE HAMILTON’S PROUD SPORTING HISTORY – Forge FC

These are so nice! Fit the Hammer so well and they match the colours of the BTB!


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> FORGE FC TO WEAR BLACK & GOLD MACRON KIT JUNE 15 TO CELEBRATE HAMILTON’S PROUD SPORTING HISTORY – Forge FC
> 
> These are so nice! Fit the Hammer so well and they match the colours of the BTB!



There's another $120 I'm going to be spending on the 15th!


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> There's another $120 I'm going to be spending on the 15th!




You coming back up for that game?


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> You coming back up for that game?



Yup. Going to Ticats opener, staying over at Hamilton Guesthouse that night, going to Toronto the next day to go to a hostel I booked cheap, then coming back for the Forge game at 5. Then back to Toronto for 11pm red eye back to NYC. Sit in section 213, row 17 seat 16 for Cats games if you go to them.


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> Yup. Going to Ticats opener, staying over at Hamilton Guesthouse that night, going to Toronto the next day to go to a hostel I booked cheap, then coming back for the Forge game at 5. Then back to Toronto for 11pm red eye back to NYC. Sit in section 213, row 17 seat 16 for Cats games if you go to them.




That is a good looking travel plan. Should be a fun one seeing Forge wear the black and gold.


----------



## robertmac43

Well at leas they can watch the CL final fully now....


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Well at leas they can watch the CL final fully now....




Why is it being held so early? TV?


----------



## robertmac43

Well a terrible end to the game..... 
WATCH: Forge's Roberts sent off in last-minute penalty against Cavalry

This was followed by a mini brawl, Forge cannot continue to concede late goals like this, but the high foot on Bekker has to be called as well.


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Well a terrible end to the game.....
> WATCH: Forge's Roberts sent off in last-minute penalty against Cavalry
> 
> This was followed by a mini brawl, Forge cannot continue to concede late goals like this, but the high foot on Bekker has to be called as well.



Escalante is a vile disgusting cheating punk, and if I was at the match I would've had to resist the urge to run onto the pitch and punch him right in his stupid ugly face. Actually their whole team were a bunch of punks.


----------



## robertmac43

Cavalry FC Players Accuse Forge FC Assistant Coach of Making Racist Remarks - Northern Tribune

If this is true it would definitely explain some of the end of game commotion, terrible to see in the game and I hope we don't have to worry about too many of these kinds of things coming out in this league.


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Cavalry FC Players Accuse Forge FC Assistant Coach of Making Racist Remarks - Northern Tribune
> 
> If this is true it would definitely explain some of the end of game commotion, terrible to see in the game and I hope we don't have to worry about too many of these kinds of things coming out in this league.



Has anyone reported what the actual comments he is alleged to have said are? If he went Hulk Hogan here he needs to be sacked, I mean would our black players want to play for the guy if this is true?


----------



## kovacro

robertmac43 said:


> Well a terrible end to the game.....
> WATCH: Forge's Roberts sent off in last-minute penalty against Cavalry
> 
> This was followed by a mini brawl, Forge cannot continue to concede late goals like this, but the high foot on Bekker has to be called as well.




That high foot should of been called. Poor job by the officials there.

Would have liked to have seen the goalie go hard for that ball and grab it but, it was a bit of a tough play as he may have been caught in two minds there, go or stick.


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> Has anyone reported what the actual comments he is alleged to have said are? If he went Hulk Hogan here he needs to be sacked, I mean would our black players want to play for the guy if this is true?




All I have heard from the incident is through this article. Not much else has come out yet. 

Pretty serious allegations though.


----------



## robertmac43

kovacro said:


> Would have liked to have seen the goalie go hard for that ball and grab it but, it was a bit of a tough play as he may have been caught in two minds there, go or stick.




Both keepers have had a tough go for Forge so far. Roberts has been especially indecisive and seems to have trouble controlling himself and the ball. Unfortunate for him as he has a decent pedigree compared to a lot of the other keepers in the CPL


----------



## robertmac43

First CPL player to get a sniff of the CANMNT today. Noah Verhoeven added to the pre-competition camp to train. He won't be playing in the Gold Cup though


----------



## Tuggy

Friendly on Sunday for the CANMNT prior to the Gold Cup. Playing Trinidad and Tobago.


----------



## robertmac43

Canadian Premier League Statement – Cavalry FC / Forge FC Incident – Forge FC

Statement from the CPL in regards to the racial comments accusations. 

Pretty basic, they are going to continue the investigations and then possible refer to Canada soccer for support.


----------



## robertmac43

Frustrating to see things like this especially with how Supporter culture has grown here in Canada


----------



## Tuggy

Didn't get a chance to watch but Canada won the tune up (training match) against Trinidad and Tobago last night 2-0. Arfield with both goals.


----------



## robertmac43

Cavalry moving on to play the White Caps after a flat performance by forge. Terrible from Cela at the end there diving for a penalty when he has a real opportunity in the box.


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Cavalry moving on to play the White Caps after a flat performance by forge. Terrible from Cela at the end there diving for a penalty when he has a real opportunity in the box.



Cela should have his ass nailed to the bench this Saturday for that. Total disgrace, and as you pointed out if he doesn't pull that crap there's a good chance we score. As bad as losing was that play made me absolutely sick. And couple that with the abomination that took place in the Open Cup in NJ tonight and I'm pretty much in a mood to kick puppies right now. I hope the Caps beat the hell out of them as bad as the US beat Thailand today.


----------



## Satan

robertmac43 said:


> Cavalry moving on to play the White Caps after a flat performance by forge. Terrible from Cela at the end there diving for a penalty when he has a real opportunity in the box.



Forge looked strong early on but fizzled out after 25 minutes. What a match- Pasquotti was so lethal.


----------



## robertmac43

Satan said:


> Forge looked strong early on but fizzled out after 25 minutes. What a match- Pasquotti was so lethal.




Yeah it was a rough second half. The D struggled and the set pieces looked terrible.

Pasquotti is rapid, one of the scariest threats in the league at this point.


----------



## robertmac43

Canada Mens Team announced that they will be playing their Nations League group A games at BMO field. September 7 they will have Cuba and then October 15 they will host the US.


----------



## Tuggy

Gold Cup kicks off tomorrow. Canada against Martinique at 730 EST on TSN3.

Need the 3 points in that one. Hopefully they can have a good start.


----------



## robertmac43

Crazy day today; 3 CPL games and both National teams with games. Canada 

Soccer has com along way


----------



## Baxterman

robertmac43 said:


> With that win it looks like Canada is almost sure to get the CONCACAF Champions League qualification spot. It's also huge for staying in contention for the spring league Title although Cavalry are looking like they may have it in the bag. I'm not sure it really matter which team wins the Spring, it seems pretty likely it will be Forge v Cavalry in the finals.




We know one thing based on how the league has behaved so far that whether they qualify or not Forge will be in the final no matter what.


----------



## JianYang

Martenique very physical with Canada. Got the feeling someone is gonna get stretchered off.


----------



## Tuggy

David!

1-0 Canada. 34'


----------



## Tuggy

HT comes at a good time for Canada. They let up a couple of really good chances, but got bailed out with a couple of big saves.


----------



## Mobiandi

Parsemain could have 4


----------



## Tuggy

David again!


----------



## Tuggy

Hoilett!

3-0!


----------



## Tuggy

Arfield!

4-0.

Davies doing whatever he wants.


----------



## Tuggy

FT.

4-0 final.


----------



## JianYang

Tuggy said:


> FT.
> 
> 4-0 final.




No surprise where most of the offensive chances were coming from. They had no answer for Davies. 

Lots to cleanup defensively.


----------



## Uncle Rotter

Canada scoring 4 goals? What is this sorcery?


----------



## YNWA14

The double D duo is going to be dynamite for Canada; those two are legitimate ballers.


----------



## Pouchkine

Very good up front, very weak defending. At least when you look at the starting 11 it's better than before.

Red Star Belgrade
Vancouver
Montreal
Toronto
Los Angeles FC
Besiktas
Hearts
Cardiff City
Rangers
Gent
Bayern Munich

Concacaf gives you : Davies almost badly injured at the start on an obvious red card play, no red card, a beautiful 94k stadium with real grass with about 94 people in it...


----------



## sabremike

cloudy said:


> We know one thing based on how the league has behaved so far that whether they qualify or not Forge will be in the final no matter what.



Forge and Calvary are so much better than the other 5 teams that them not meeting in the final would be a complete shock.

Doubleheader yesterday:

12pm: York9 vs Pacific.
 

5pm: Forge FC vs Valour.
 

Nice to be on the right side of a miraculous comeback for once! Would say close to 8k in the house at the Donut Box, 3.1k at York.


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> 3.1k at York.




That's honestly not too bad for York!


----------



## YNWA14

Thought this was nice.


----------



## BKIslandersFan

sabremike said:


> Forge and Calvary are so much better than the other 5 teams that them not meeting in the final would be a complete shock.
> 
> Doubleheader yesterday:
> 
> 12pm: York9 vs Pacific.
> View attachment 236959
> 
> 5pm: Forge FC vs Valour.
> View attachment 236961
> 
> Nice to be on the right side of a miraculous comeback for once! Would say close to 8k in the house at the Donut Box, 3.1k at York.



Look at the gap between the stand and the field at the end zone.

Canadian football fields are too damn big.


----------



## robertmac43

BKIslandersFan said:


> Canadian football fields are too damn big.




Disagree, they are so fun with the extra space!


----------



## sabremike

Congrats to Emery Welshman for becoming the first player in CPL history to get a national team cap (Guyana)!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I'm a fan!


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

removed: drunk post


----------



## Tuggy

Well 3-1 loss to Mexico. Second half better than the first half but Herdman decided not to field the best roster.

Mexico was clearly a class above.

Next match against Cuba on Sunday. Canada is in great position to get second in the group.


----------



## robertmac43

Canadian Premier League announces 2019 Championship format

The format for the championship has finally had an official information release.


----------



## robertmac43

Cavalry can wrap up the Spring season today with a win against Forge. First spot in the Championship up for grabs, should be a good one.


----------



## Natey

Easy game tonight. David and Cavallini both picking up hatties.


----------



## robertmac43

Cavalry with the first Sprint title and the have now confirmed their spot in the Championship game this coming fall. 

i'm interested to see how the teams approach the longer fall season. Going to need some big results from Forge!


----------



## Tuggy

Big one tonight! Let's go boys!


----------



## SeawaterOnIce

Watched my nephews u12 game yesterday.

It was god awful. No defense. No real formation. Long ball after longball and the forwards were gassed 15 min in. 2 of the goals scored were obvious offsides (one by 10 yards). Nephew is a CB but the coach kept pressing him to advance.

This is why Canadian soccer sucks.


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Cavalry with the first Sprint title and the have now confirmed their spot in the Championship game this coming fall.
> 
> i'm interested to see how the teams approach the longer fall season. Going to need some big results from Forge!



Us and Calvary are the only 2 teams who can win the fall season because they are both so much better than the other 5 teams. If Calvary win it we basically have an 8 point advantage right now over Valour and would qualify for the championship.


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> Us and Calvary are the only 2 teams who can win the fall season because they are both so much better than the other 5 teams. If Calvary win it we basically have an 8 point advantage right now over Valour and would qualify for the championship.




Agreed. I think the bottom 5 teams will get a little stronger over time but the quality just is not there.


----------



## robertmac43

Here is the CPL's Spring season best 11:

Spring XI: Who are CCL!'s standout players after opening stanza?

Bekker was a noticeable omission. Missed game time and still ended up with the most assists in the league.


----------



## Hammer9001

robertmac43 said:


> Here is the CPL's Spring season best 11:
> 
> Spring XI: Who are CCL!'s standout players after opening stanza?
> 
> Bekker was a noticeable omission. Missed game time and still ended up with the most assists in the league.




To a degree, I get it. You want to pump the tires on every team and I can't help but feel Bekker underperformed. He had a lot of great chances that just sailed over the net.


----------



## robertmac43

Hammer9001 said:


> To a degree, I get it. You want to pump the tires on every team and I can't help but feel Bekker underperformed. He had a lot of great chances that just sailed over the net.




Yeah I get it too, better to have representation from everyone. Realistically they could have probably made it just a team from Forge and Cavalry and it would be better than this XI


----------



## robertmac43

In other news Forge FC got it's first CONCACAF League opponent set. 

August 1 @ 6 P.M in the Hammer against Antigua FC


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> In other news Forge FC got it's first CONCACAF League opponent set.
> 
> August 1 @ 6 P.M in the Hammer against Antigua FC



Irony for me: they played the Red Bulls in the group stage of the 2016-17 CCL. Was at the game at RBA and recall we beat them pretty handidly.


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> Irony for me: they played the Red Bulls in the group stage of the 2016-17 CCL. Was at the game at RBA and recall we beat them pretty handidly.




Obviosuly I would love a win but I'm not going to get my hopes up as Antigua are league champs.

I'm honestly just exited to see the teams in this league go up against other leagues!


----------



## robertmac43

Fall season starts today @ 1 with FCED vs Forge.


----------



## robertmac43

Last night was the start of the quarter finals for the Canadian Championships and the CPL teams fared well for it being their first time playing outside of the league:

Cavalry 0-0 Vancouver 
Wanderers 2-3 Ottawa Fury 
Montreal 2-2 York 9

The York 9 v Impact game was especially dramatic with 3 of the goals coming after the 82 minute.


----------



## Pouchkine

5k York
6k Halifax
5k Calgary

So good news there as well, but York's pitch is probably illegal.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> 5k York
> 6k Halifax
> 5k Calgary
> 
> So good news there as well, but York's pitch is probably illegal.




Yeah definitely a good showing from the fans, I only wish Forge was there! 

I believe York 9 playing at the York University varsity stadium is only a temporary thing. They have plans for an upgrade of some kind, just don't remember where or when.


----------



## Pouchkine

Good news.


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Yeah definitely a good showing from the fans, I only wish Forge was there!
> 
> I believe York 9 playing at the York University varsity stadium is only a temporary thing. They have plans for an upgrade of some kind, just don't remember where or when.



It's not the football stadium, it's a stadium built for the Pan Am games for track and I believe soccer as well. It's at the next to last north stop on the Toronto subway.


----------



## Pouchkine

It wasn't build with soccer in mind for sure. The field is not wide enough, illegal probably.


----------



## Pouchkine

Both teams did very well against almost full strength MLS teams.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Both teams did very well against almost full strength MLS teams.




It was cool to see for sure. I'm intrigued to see how Forge do against Antigua GFC in the first week of August


----------



## Hammer9001

robertmac43 said:


> It was cool to see for sure. I'm intrigued to see how Forge do against Antigua GFC in the first week of August




This one has me scratching my head as well, mainly because I have no idea how good the opposition is comparatively. I'm told if we get past them, the next opponent, Olimpia is probably going to wipe the floor with the Forge, but Antigua is a mystery to me.


----------



## sabremike

Here are a group of cosplay hooligan morons from York 9's supporters group (that consists mostly of people kicked out of BMO for doing stupid crap) standing across the street waiting to jump the 5 Edmonton fans I was hanging out with:
 

One of the morons after the game, snuck behind my new friend at the front of the stands talking to Edmonton players, stole his scarf and ran onto the pitch to try and escape. He is lucky the security got him first because my friend is a 25 year vet of the Canadian Armed Forces and if he had got to the guy he would've ended up in the hospital. Here's me and my new friends:


----------



## robertmac43

Hammer9001 said:


> This one has me scratching my head as well, mainly because I have no idea how good the opposition is comparatively. I'm told if we get past them, the next opponent, Olimpia is probably going to wipe the floor with the Forge, but Antigua is a mystery to me.




Yeah it will be interesting. My guess is Antigua is slightly better than us at this point. They are coming off a league championship domestically and have been playing with each other for much longer. But you never know we could surprise.


----------



## robertmac43

SANDOR: Which EPL club does each CPL team resemble?

Fun little read.


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> SANDOR: Which EPL club does each CPL team resemble?
> 
> Fun little read.



Thinking you liked who they compared us to?


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> Thinking you liked who they compared us to?




Haha yeah you could say. 

They got it spot on as well. I have been saying it since week 3 of the CPL; Forge is easily the most fun to watch from a beautiful football perspective but they keep leaking dumb goals or give up costly penalties/free kicks in crunch time. If they just figure out the defensive side of the game more they will win this inaugural season


----------



## robertmac43

Forge wins 2-0 with two goals from set-pieces. Borges managed to fire one in directly from a corner right in front of the supporters section which was cool to see!


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Forge wins 2-0 with two goals from set-pieces. Borges managed to fire one in directly from a corner right in front of the supporters section which was cool to see!



Olimpico!!!!!!! Judging by the crowd a bunch of people went up the QEW to Michael Murillo shit show up at BMO instead.


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> Olimpico!!!!!!! Judging by the crowd a bunch of people went up the QEW to Michael Murillo **** show up at BMO instead.




For sure. It seems odd that Forge keep getting scheduled on days where TFC play. I swear it has happened 3 or 4 times now


----------



## robertmac43

Screw York 9, but my goodness that was a banger!


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Screw York 9, but my goodness that was a banger!




That one may have topped the one Valour scored on us at The Donut Box and I thought that was a lock for CPL GOTY.


----------



## robertmac43

Another big weekend in the CPL. Forge needs to keep winning to maintain their spot and push for the fall title. York 9 who is in great form right now has a chance to try and take something off of Cavalry for the first time. Should be good.


----------



## robertmac43

Another 3 points in the bag for Forge, big ones too! Slightly annoying that once again they have 2 games played more than cavalry. I wish the schedule was just a little more balanced.


----------



## robertmac43

This week and this team really came out with the highlights over the last week. Borges and Thomas with amazing goals!


----------



## robertmac43

Fury beat Wanderers 5-4 on aggregate and York 9 fall 3-2 to the Impact. Both decent showings for the CPL comes playing outside the league for the first time. 

Calvary v Whitecaps still to come tonight.


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Fury beat Wanderers 5-4 on aggregate and York 9 fall 3-2 to the Impact. Both decent showings for the CPL comes playing outside the league for the first time.
> 
> Calvary v Whitecaps still to come tonight.



My big takeaway so far: CPL is just as good as USL and there is no sane reason Ottawa shouldn't join CPL in 2020. Also I really think Calvary is going to win tonight.


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> My big takeaway so far: CPL is just as good as USL and there is no sane reason Ottawa shouldn't join CPL in 2020. Also I really think Calvary is going to win tonight.




I agree 100%. If they do join we are then only sitting 2 expansions away from having 10 teams which would be amazing for the league. Laval would be a great start for and then maybe a team in Regina or somewhere around there, 

I kind of hope they do as well, although I hate to say it.


----------



## sabremike

Calvary take the lead, Caps need at least 2 goals now. Also I will all but guarantee somebody is getting sent off because this has been real chippy and dirty.


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> Also I will all but guarantee somebody is getting sent off because this has been real chippy and dirty.




No one loves being down to the lower league team, puts players on edge.


----------



## robertmac43

It's not like this is a weak Whitecaps team either.


----------



## robertmac43

Well there we go, for the first time in CPL history we have conquered a team from outside the league. 

Next up Forge verse Antigua.


----------



## Pouchkine

Very impressive showing for the CPL teams. I wouldn't want to be a Whitecaps fan, this team is bland as they come and have done nothing since coming to MLS, just a horrible franchise playing in a dome on synthetic grass with a club owner without ambition.

Impact were very lucky to go through and this serie with Calgary should be a lot of fun.

Yes Ottawa needs to get out of the US reserve league and join CPL very fast.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Yes Ottawa needs to get out of the US reserve league and join CPL very fast.




They would get more opportunity with possible CONCACAF League spots up for grab and a very obtainable league at the moment. Plus would give young Ottawa kids a club to grow up in.


----------



## robertmac43

Could not agree more with Kloke. Pretty cool seeing 3 leagues represented in the Semis of this competition.


----------



## robertmac43

CPL back at it with some big games today for keeping pace. FCED with a chance to gain some ground on Forge with a win, Forge needs to win to hopefully get some momentum going on the road.


----------



## robertmac43

York 90 with 6 goals today, Gattas with a hat trick. 

Forge get a point on the road, would have been a good result if they didn't give up an 88th minute equalizer. 

Cavalry draw, which makes Forges draw a missed opportunity.


----------



## robertmac43

Here we go. 2 more hours until the CPL finally goes international!


----------



## YNWA14

Ottawa were lucky to get out of that game with Halifax with a draw to be honest. For most of the game they were thoroughly outplayed. The CPL has really impressed in this tournament and I agree with the statement above about Ottawa needing to head over to the CPL ASAP, and should have been there this year TBH.


----------



## Baxterman

What a joke that Forge is playing in this tournament.

Go Antigua go!!


----------



## sabremike

cloudy said:


> What a joke that Forge is playing in this tournament.
> 
> Go Antigua go!!



How did that work out for you???

"It's the late show from Forge FC!!!"

Also this was the first time ever a match involving a CPL team was broadcast in the US (Univision Deportes).


----------



## Baxterman

sabremike said:


> How did that work out for you???
> 
> "It's the late show from Forge FC!!!"
> 
> Also this was the first time ever a match involving a CPL team was broadcast in the US (Univision Deportes).




Not too bad. My team is actually winning in the field not having free spots gifted for it and is by far the most talented team in the league.

As for this game Antigua got the away goal and since there isn’t CPL refs there to save the day for Forge, Antigua should be able to pump 5 or 6 past Forge in the return leg.


----------



## robertmac43

cloudy said:


> CPL refs




They didn't have CPL refs today either.


----------



## robertmac43

Big win. It was fun to see Forge on the right side of a 90th minute winner. The crowd was also awesome, as usual.


----------



## Baxterman

robertmac43 said:


> They didn't have CPL refs today either.




No they just had a gift spot they didn’t earn handed to them.

They do have CPL refs every league game helping them and they still can’t get it done.


----------



## robertmac43

cloudy said:


> They do have CPL refs every league game helping them and they still can’t get it done.




Hmm I don't know about that. They have been on the wrong end of some brutal calls. I think it all balances out in the long run 

Today was especially bad reffing though.


----------



## robertmac43

Welshmen heading to MLS and David Edgar coming in. Going to miss Welshmen he was a great player to watch. That being said sureing up the back line is what Forge needs to do and this move addressed that.


----------



## sabremike

cloudy said:


> No they just had a gift spot they didn’t earn handed to them.
> 
> They do have CPL refs every league game helping them and they still can’t get it done.



Your first statement is objectively false because they in fact had to beat out both Edmonton and Valour to get the spot. You can argue giving it to the spring champion is what should've been done (and that is entirely fair) but you cannot say Forge were gifted the spot, they did have to earn it.


----------



## Baxterman

sabremike said:


> Your first statement is objectively false because they in fact had to beat out both Edmonton and Valour to get the spot. You can argue giving it to the spring champion is what should've been done (and that is entirely fair) but you cannot say Forge were gifted the spot, they did have to earn it.




Having to beat out 2 teams in a 7 team league is hardly earning it. I get Bob Young set it up so his team could get all the glory but that doesn’t make it any less of a joke.

But it appears they made it through this game without any racist comments so I guess that is a positive for them.


----------



## robertmac43

Welshmen signed for Hapoel Haifa in the Israeli Premier League


----------



## robertmac43

Cavalry get an away goal against Montreal but fall 2-1 and TFC handily beat Ottawa 2-0


----------



## robertmac43

Cavalry get an away goal against Montreal but fall 2-1 and TFC handily beat Ottawa 2-0


----------



## MMC

I don't know anything about this league, but how can the Toronto team get away with playing in a stadium that only seats 8,000?


----------



## robertmac43

mymerlincat said:


> I don't know anything about this league, but how can the Toronto team get away with playing in a stadium that only seats 8,000?




As in TFC last night? or the York 9 CPL team? 

TFC played on the road if you are referring to last night. The Ottawa Fury are a USL team and the game was not actually in Toronto.


----------



## Pouchkine

Ottawa Fury play in a 25k football stadium on fake grass.

Toronto FC play in a 30k stadium with real grass.


----------



## MMC

robertmac43 said:


> As in TFC last night? or the York 9 CPL team?
> 
> TFC played on the road if you are referring to last night. The Ottawa Fury are a USL team and the game was not actually in Toronto.



York9


----------



## robertmac43

mymerlincat said:


> York9




They have trouble bringing in big crowds so the 8000 seats suits them fine for now. Plus York is somewhat removed from the city core and is a University stadium.


----------



## MMC

robertmac43 said:


> They have trouble bringing in big crowds so the 8000 seats suits them fine for now. Plus York is somewhat removed from the city core and is a University stadium.



Yeah, my girlfriend actually goes to YorkU and I went there last December. When I heard that the CPL's Toronto team plays on campus I was shocked (as was she). Just didn't really seem like a feasible spot to me.


----------



## Pouchkine

Terrible small synthetic field as well. This team won't last long there.


----------



## robertmac43

Forge and Antigua have kicked off the second leg. First time a CPL team plays outside Canadian soil.


----------



## robertmac43

Forge make history!


----------



## kovacro

Pouchkine said:


> Toronto FC play in a 30k stadium with real grass.




Good article on the hybrid playing surface at BMO. It’s held up very well with both soccer and CFL football being played on it.

BMO Field undergoes transformation into hybrid playing surface - Sportsnet.ca


----------



## kovacro

robertmac43 said:


> Forge make history!





Good stuff. I was at the first leg between the two clubs. 

I will look forward to attending the next round. I think the opposition will be tougher but, hopefully they boys can go through.


----------



## robertmac43

kovacro said:


> Good stuff. I was at the first leg between the two clubs.
> 
> I will look forward to attending the next round. I think the opposition will be tougher but, hopefully they boys can go through.




What a game that was, my favourite so far in Club history! You have seasons as well? 

Olimpia is much better than Antigua and they have a massive following in Honduras. The away leg will be much more difficult this time.


----------



## Fulham

robertmac43 said:


> What a game that was, my favourite so far in Club history! You have seasons as well?
> 
> Olimpia is much better than Antigua and they have a massive following in Honduras. The away leg will be much more difficult this time.




Loved Watching this tie. Exactly the kind of games we need our young guys playing in. Next round away will be a level of intensity they won’t see ever unless they play in Honduras with the CMNT


----------



## robertmac43

Fulham said:


> Loved Watching this tie. Exactly the kind of games we need our young guys playing in. Next round away will be a level of intensity they won’t see ever unless they play in Honduras with the CMNT




Got to love the experience that this gives guys like Borges!


----------



## robertmac43

The fall season is shaping up to be a much more intense competition. FCED in first after a 3-1 win today they have played one more game than Cavalry and Forge.


----------



## sabremike

Anyone know when the CONCACAF League matches at BMO go on sale?


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> Anyone know when the CONCACAF League matches at BMO go on sale?




Are you talking about the CMNT Nations League games?


----------



## robertmac43

Second leg of Can Championships Semi-finals go tonight. Should be some good stuff.


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Are you talking about the CMNT Nations League games?



Yes. Was asking because I stopped by BMO and was told they knew nothing about when the event would be on sale. Just got an email from Sammers with info on our supporters section for the match, will check that out. Don't think this will draw big because I think everyone sees this whole thing as meaningless.


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> Yes. Was asking because I stopped by BMO and was told they knew nothing about when the event would be on sale. Just got an email from Sammers with info on our supporters section for the match, will check that out. Don't think this will draw big because I think everyone sees this whole thing as meaningless.




Tickets have been on sale for a little while I believe. I got my Cuba ones through Forge at a discount which was nice.


----------



## robertmac43

With the Cavalry v FCED draw yesterday there is now a huge opportunity for Forge to grab the league lead with a game in hand on FCED


----------



## robertmac43

Forge FC = Top of the League! Lets gooo!


----------



## robertmac43

Interesting pot for Forge to be going in a weeks time. Three die & Emilio Izaguirre among 10 injured in Honduras riots


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Interesting pot for Forge to be going in a weeks time. Three die & Emilio Izaguirre among 10 injured in Honduras riots



Just saw this. I'm wondering what the ramifications of this are? Wouldn't be shocked to see our match down there be played behind closed doors.


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> Just saw this. I'm wondering what the ramifications of this are? Wouldn't be shocked to see our match down there be played behind closed doors.




Part of me hopes that for the safety of the guys but at the same time I think a hostile environment could be a great experience. Not overly hostile like in this article but definitely intense.


----------



## robertmac43

Huge game for Forge and Canadian football. Got to get a result tonight to have a chance at going through.


----------



## robertmac43

Nanco 1-0 early!! Great skill and great finish!


----------



## PanniniClaus

They need to get a 2nd . Playing pretty well


----------



## robertmac43

PanniniClaus said:


> They need to get a 2nd . Playing pretty well




Definitely to head south with 2. They have had the chances, just not clinical enough today.


----------



## robertmac43

What a huge win! This was Henry's, Nanco's and Awuah's best games in Hamilton. Awuah bossed the midfield, Henry stopped the PK and really controlled the back end, and Nanco was endlessly running around closing gaps and pushing the pace for Forge.

Would have been nice to get a second but we will take the win and see what happens next week down south.


----------



## robertmac43

Zajac cannot make a right decision to save his life it seems... So may opportunities to score or set something up and each time he fails.


----------



## sabremike

TOP OF THE LEAGUE. Let's win this championship while the Cats bring the Grey Cup back where it belongs for the first time in 20 long years! (I'd mention the Bulldogs as well but they really have no shot this season)!


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> TOP OF THE LEAGUE. Let's win this championship while the Cats bring the Grey Cup back where it belongs for the first time in 20 long years! (I'd mention the Bulldogs as well but they really have no shot this season)!




Feels good for sure. Was an absolutely amazing second half of the game. The Samuel at LB experiment seems to be working well too which is nice.


----------



## sabremike

Canada Soccer Disciplinary Committe rules on Canadian Championship QR2 allegations of racial comments | Canada Soccer
Welp this is pretty bad. How the heck was he not fired the second he was announced unless the club believe the finding was false?


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> Welp this is pretty bad. How the heck was he not fired the second he was announced unless the club believe the finding was false?




Made sense that they did not go right away. On the off chance the story didn't have evidence then they would have not seemed as rash to do something right off the bat


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Made sense that they did not go right away. On the off chance the story didn't have evidence then they would have not seemed as rash to do something right off the bat



Noticed I made a typo: should've said "this" instead of "him" and was referring to the announcement of the finding just made. The fact they didn't instantly cashier the guy after the findings were announced makes me think they disagree with the finding and still believe he is innocent.


----------



## robertmac43

Cavalry’s Carducci becomes 1st CPL player to earn Canada call-up

Awesome news for the CPL to see this happen Carducci has easily been the best GK in the league.


----------



## robertmac43

Here is the full Squad:


----------



## robertmac43

Cavalry making records today putting 8 past Valour and getting 2 goals in a minute. Usually known for their defense, this was an intense offensive explosion.


----------



## Tuggy

Canada has their first CONCACAF Nations League Group Stage match on Saturday against Cuba.

2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A - Wikipedia

They almost have to win all their matches in the Group Stage (or the very least win their group), to have a shot at top 6 in the region for 2022 WC qualifying. It will be the rankings in June 2020 when that is decided. Right now they sit 8th (The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Ranking Table - FIFA.com), so they are close.


----------



## robertmac43

Saturday is a must win especially being on home soil. Need to kick things off on the right foot!


----------



## robertmac43

Brutal non-call at the end of that game. Borges was 100% fouled and there should have been a penalty to Forge.


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Brutal non-call at the end of that game. Borges was 100% fouled and there should have been a penalty to Forge.



Earlier in the match he went down outside the box and the ref clearly thought he was trying to buy a call. I think that was in the back of his head and caused him to not make the call. If this was MLS VAR would've 100% overturned the call and awarded the penalty because it was a clear foul. Also was I the only one who thought the lighting of the stadium was awful? I was struggling to follow the action on the broadcast because it was so dark.


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> this was MLS VAR would've 100% overturned the call and awarded the penalty because it was a clear foul. Also was I the only one who thought the lighting of the stadium was awful? I was struggling to follow the action on the broadcast because it was so dark.




VAR would have changed that for sure. 

Pacific is not good for TV - Camera angle is too low and yeah the lighting is terrible.


----------



## robertmac43

Great shot to go 1-0 up!


----------



## robertmac43

So far we look dominant, another goal by David off of an amazing touch and then move. Now boys lets keep going and not screw up this 2 goal lead.


----------



## sabremike

How many times do you see a 6-0 game and are able to say it's nowhere near as close as the score would indicate?


----------



## Uncle Rotter




----------



## sabremike

Uncle Rotter said:


>




Best one ever was when Cuba played us in a WCQ in DC years back my friends did a bus trip to. Cory (who was the head of the ESC at the time) says "Watching Cuba is like watching Victory, only for real" (3 players defected before the match).


----------



## robertmac43

Huge win. goal difference is going to matter in these games as we try and go up the FIFA ranks.


----------



## Tuggy

Yup, nice start for Canada last night.


----------



## robertmac43

Tuggy said:


> Yup, nice start for Canada last night.




Hopefully they can get a similar result in Cuba. We cannot afford to slip up against "lesser" opposition.


----------



## Tuggy

Canada got the win tonight. Only 1-0...but still a win.


----------



## YNWA14

81% possession with 10 shots, 1 goal from Davies and a big away win. I'll take it.



Really hope they step up their level against the US.


----------



## robertmac43

One of those nights where you take the win and move on. Davies with a great goal! Some key omissions to the squad which I hope is not the case when the team is back in mid October.


----------



## Tuggy

We did get some help last night in the quest for top 6 in CONCACAF. The Cuba win isn't worth many points, but both Panama and El Salvador lost! Panama lost to Bermuda in Panama. Panama will have two games left against Mexico.

El Salvador lost against the Dominican Republic.

That match at home Oct 15 against the US is huge.

Nothing official but I believe when the next rankings come out (soon in September), Canada will jump over Panama and be just a little bit behind El Salvador. Herdman was talking about the points/rankings in the press conference and they are very aware of how big the Oct 15 match is for the rankings.


----------



## robertmac43

Tuggy said:


> Nothing official but I believe when the next rankings come out (soon in September), Canada will jump over Panama and be just a little bit behind El Salvador. Herdman was talking about the points/rankings in the press conference and they are very aware of how big the Oct 15 match is for the rankings.




Going to be a massive game! I got my tickets, looking forward to the team playing such a meaningful game on home soil. I feel like it's been forever since that happened.


----------



## robertmac43

Big game in CPL action tonight between FCED and Cavalry. Hoping a draw comes out of it for Forge's sake.


----------



## robertmac43

Forge looking rather fatigued and slightly off today, they are turning it on now but they may be too late.


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Forge looking rather fatigued and slightly off today, they are turning it on now but they may be too late.



Salvaged a draw. Probably our worst performance of the entire season in many ways, first 65 minutes were abysmal. Also sad to see such a small crowd. Obviously the weather wasn't good but I wish more people would show up because this is an excellent team and product that deserves everyone's support. Also when The Tim was built did they consider the wind pattern in positioning the stadium? Unless it was absolutely necessary turning it sideways from Ivor Wynne seems like it was a mistake because the winds off Lake Ontario play havoc with both soccer and football matches.


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> Salvaged a draw. Probably our worst performance of the entire season in many ways, first 65 minutes were abysmal. Also sad to see such a small crowd. Obviously the weather wasn't good but I wish more people would show up because this is an excellent team and product that deserves everyone's support. Also when The Tim was built did they consider the wind pattern in positioning the stadium? Unless it was absolutely necessary turning it sideways from Ivor Wynne seems like it was a mistake because the winds off Lake Ontario play havoc with both soccer and football matches.




Worst game easily. They could have gotten a third easy which is frustrating, would have been awesome to get 3.

I don't know the reason why they switched the orientation of the field, I was always under the impression that one reason was to get a view of the escarpment.


----------



## sabremike

robertmac43 said:


> Worst game easily. They could have gotten a third easy which is frustrating, would have been awesome to get 3.
> 
> I don't know the reason why they switched the orientation of the field, I was always under the impression that one reason was to get a view of the escarpment.



That makes sense. I believe it was supposed to originally be enclosed but budget concerns nixed that (much how Barclays was originally supposed to be built to be able to host hockey but costs killed that plan). I'm shocked they didn't do a study that would've shown open ends was a bad idea.


----------



## robertmac43

Canada jumped up to the seventh spot in CONCACAF, one outside of the top 6. 

BMO on October 15th is shaping up to be a huge game!


----------



## JianYang

robertmac43 said:


> Canada jumped up to the seventh spot in CONCACAF, one outside of the top 6.
> 
> BMO on October 15th is shaping up to be a huge game!




What is the significance of 6th seed?


----------



## robertmac43

JianYang said:


> What is the significance of 6th seed?




It gets you to the HEX where 3 of the top 6 have a chance to qualify directly to the World Cup.


----------



## JianYang

robertmac43 said:


> It gets you to the HEX where 3 of the top 6 have a chance to qualify directly to the World Cup.




Did they change the format? I seem to remember the hex as the final stage for world cup qualification, and to get there, you you had to advance from another round Robin.


----------



## robertmac43

JianYang said:


> Did they change the format? I seem to remember the hex as the final stage for world cup qualification, and to get there, you you had to advance from another round Robin.




Yeah the format is different this time around. The 7-35 ranked teams do a playoff to get into the final spot for CONCACAF. The top 3 of the HEX get through and the fourth team joins the playoff.


----------



## JianYang

robertmac43 said:


> Yeah the format is different this time around. The 7-35 ranked teams do a playoff to get into the final spot for CONCACAF. The top 3 of the HEX get through and the fourth team joins the playoff.




Ahh, now I see why the match against the US is so significant. When is the cut off for final seedings to get in the hex, and how many matches does canada have to try and bolster their seeding?


----------



## robertmac43

JianYang said:


> Ahh, now I see why the match against the US is so significant. When is the cut off for final seedings to get in the hex, and how many matches does canada have to try and bolster their seeding?




I don't know how many games are still to come off the top of my head. But yeah this next international break that has 2 games against the US is massive. Getting a win and draw out of it would be huge!


----------



## robertmac43

CPL news. Forge has officially clinched the second finals spot if Cavalry are to win the league. 

Only way to have a non Cavalry v Forge finals is if another team some how miraculously goes on a winning streak for the rest of the season and Forge ends up not gaining any points.


----------



## robertmac43

Canadian Championships tonight between TFC and Montreal. Montreal up 1-0 on aggregate. Should be a fun finish to this awesome competition.


----------



## BKIslandersFan

Congrats Impact fans


----------



## robertmac43

heart breaking end to the game.

For next year I hope the competition switches to having extra time before PK's.


----------



## Pouchkine

Classic crap from Soccer Canada.

Horrible referee misses oubvious penalty and red card then the absolute bush league stuff of no extra time in a cup final! Incredible how Soccer Canada always manages to outdo himself. How about the OneSoccer broadcast stopping all the time including for a lot of people during the penalties. Priceless.

At least Montreal won but Soccer Canada keeps finding new ways to be a joke.


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Horrible referee misses oubvious penalty and red card then the absolute bush league stuff of no extra time in a cup final! Incredible how Soccer Canada always manages to outdo himself. How about the OneSoccer broadcast stopping all the time including for a lot of people during the penalties. Priceless.




One Soccer really needs to find their way and fast. Between the stoppages and the completely leaving games that have too much rain, they have proven themselves to be extremely inconsistent.


----------



## robertmac43

PREVIEW: 2019 League1 Ontario Men's Final – FC London vs. Masters FA

Big implications for next year; I really appreciate the coverage the CPL is trying to make for all football across the country.


----------



## Hammer9001

robertmac43 said:


> Worst game easily. They could have gotten a third easy which is frustrating, would have been awesome to get 3.
> 
> I don't know the reason why they switched the orientation of the field, I was always under the impression that one reason was to get a view of the escarpment.




The reason actually isn't for the escarpment, but for the sun. East/West stadiums mean players can lose the ball/be blinded by the sun in the waning hours of the day. North/South stadiums for the most part avoid this because the sun is either overhead or behind the stands.

Almost all stadiums are North/South now a days, but old Ivor Wynne was built in the 1920s and got a couple renovations, so it was never addressed.

It’s official: Ivor Wynne will spin


----------



## robertmac43

Hammer9001 said:


> The reason actually isn't for the escarpment, but for the sun. East/West stadiums mean players can lose the ball/be blinded by the sun in the waning hours of the day. North/South stadiums for the most part avoid this because the sun is either overhead or behind the stands.



Oh that's interesting, thanks. 

The view is a nice added bonus of the change :p


----------



## robertmac43

HIGHLIGHTS: Forge steps closer to Finals 2019 after beating Pacific

Forge v Cavalry looking essentially set for the finals!


----------



## robertmac43

Ingham with one of the saves of the year to keep the game within one before York 9 scores in the 95th minute to draw Cavalry. Result leaves Forge on their own at the top of the table.


----------



## robertmac43




----------



## Pouchkine

I've been saying this forever and it applies to MLS as well.

At least Canada has the two matches vs. USA but those are basically watered down friendlies to them.

That's why Herdman sending the B team to face Mexico this summer was stupid.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/fifa-wo...nited-states-and-mexico-back-jurgen-klinsmann


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> At least Canada has the two matches vs. USA but those are basically watered down friendlies to them.




If USA wants to treat it like a friendly be my guest. We need the ranking points!


----------



## Pouchkine

Well yeah but that's another problem with Concacaf...


----------



## robertmac43

Tomori’s work ethic has earned England call-up, says Frank Lampard

Well this is sad stuff, really could have used him for CMNT


----------



## robertmac43

Cavalry win 2-1 over Forge at home.

Game was getting chippy by the end of it. Would not be surprised to see some real fire works next Wednesday and then again in the Finals. The loss ends Forge's unbeaten run and puts Calgary at the top of the table.


----------



## sabremike

Ticket for the first leg at The Donut Box purchased!


----------



## Tuggy

Massive game tonight at BMO field against the US.

Basically a must win if Canada want any shot at the Hex for WC qualifying.


----------



## robertmac43

Tuggy said:


> Massive game tonight at BMO field against the US.
> 
> Basically a must win if Canada want any shot at the Hex for WC qualifying.




I'm honestly so nervous right now and will be all day! Should be a fun one though, the US is ripe for the taking!


----------



## Pouchkine

Can't wait to see the starting lineups and then the game of course. How many tickets sold so far, will it be a 30K sell out?


----------



## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Can't wait to see the starting lineups and then the game of course. How many tickets sold so far, will it be a 30K sell out?




I don't think it's a sell out. From my understanding there are a lot of tickets still available in the upper deck.


----------



## HajdukSplit

Upper deck looks completely empty


----------



## robertmac43

HajdukSplit said:


> Upper deck looks completely empty




The one on the broadcast side was not open for tickets to be bought


----------



## robertmac43

Fun first half also a little stress inducing at times... If we keep this up I think we will be able to grab one!


----------



## Tuggy

A draw won't get it done here...


----------



## robertmac43

What an absolutely massive save right there!


----------



## Tuggy

Yeah!!!!


----------



## YNWA14

Davies!!!!!

If only Pulisic had stayed on.


----------



## robertmac43

AHHH LETS GOOOOO!!!


----------



## robertmac43

This is going to be stressful for the next 30 minutes...


----------



## YNWA14

This game should really be 3-0 or at least 2 already. Once Canada gets over the mental hurdle of this match they will really start to thrive in the future.


----------



## Harry22

If they hang on, would this improve their chance to be top 6 from CONCACAF in the next FIFA rankings?


----------



## Tuggy

Another!!


----------



## phisherman

OH CANADA!


----------



## Mike Mills

I’ve always said there is no more prestigious sports competition in the world than the CONCACAF Nations League.


----------



## Tuggy

Harry22 said:


> If they hang on, would this improve their chance to be top 6 from CONCACAF in the next FIFA rankings?




They needed to win this match to have any chance at top 6.


----------



## sabremike

This is a fantastic result:

You guys probably just got that #6 spot in the hex you absolutely deserve and CONCALAUGH tried to screw you on.

Berhalter will almost surely be fired straight into the sun.


----------



## robertmac43

Harry22 said:


> If they hang on, would this improve their chance to be top 6 from CONCACAF in the next FIFA rankings?




They would almost 100% crack top 6


----------



## robertmac43

sabremike said:


> Berhalter will almost surely be fired straight into the sun.




I'm excited to follow the next 24 hours for you guys, Should be interesting!


----------



## YNWA14

Lets GOOOO!!!!!!!


----------



## robertmac43

This erases everything that happened in the summer at the Gold Cup in my mind!


----------



## Mike Mills

Canada is at absolutely the perfect level right now. Good enough that we can beat the USMNT, but still bad enough that this is going to cause a total meltdown for US Soccer fans. Love to see it.


----------



## robertmac43

Gary DiSarcina said:


> Canada is at absolutely the perfect level right now. Good enough that we can beat the USMNT, but still bad enough that this is going to cause a total meltdown for US Soccer fans. Love to see it.




You should hop over to their thread, they aint taking it too well...


----------



## PanniniClaus

Is it ok to be emotional? I have missed very few matches in my lifetime and i'm going to enjoy it. Don't care what competition it is or anything else. Just a great night for our National Team.


----------



## Tuggy

Just an amazing result and a massive gorilla off their backs.

This win is big for the hex but lots of work ahead. Big match still to come in the US. A draw there would be enough for the group.


----------



## Mike Mills

robertmac43 said:


> You should hop over to their thread, they aint taking it too well...




I watched the ESPN feed, Taylor Twellman is about as upset as he was the night they officially missed the 2018 World Cup. It’s glorious.


----------



## Cassano

Can we start putting some respeck on David/Davies? They are better than any USMNT player as was stated weeks ago controversially.


----------



## SJSharks72

YNWA14 said:


> Davies!!!!!
> 
> If only Pulisic had stayed on.



Going to give you credit here. Pulisic did have an awful game and Davies/David were good to great. Delusional was a stretch. Now it’s just a little crazy


----------



## robertmac43

Cassano said:


> Can we start putting some respeck on David/Davies? They are better than any USMNT player as was stated weeks ago controversially.




These kids are the real deal. Just got to hope the pipeline continues to add more pieces for them to work around them.


----------



## Jaguar God

Best thing about this victory is the meltdown in the USA thread.

Go Canada!!!


----------



## robertmac43

I'm buzzing right now, I don't know what to do with myself...


----------



## robertmac43

Going to be really interesting to see how the rankings are effected by this game, kind of nervous for that part of this.


----------



## Tuggy

Hopefully the US keep their coach in place for the rematch next month.


----------



## Rob

Too bad it wasn’t on TV


----------



## robertmac43

Rob said:


> Too bad it wasn’t on TV




One Soccer having the rights to everything is not the most ideal, especially if you don't follow the CPL. Personally though I like having all of Canadian soccer in one spot.


----------



## PanniniClaus

I caught it on ESPN. Ian Darke and Taylor Twellman did not hold back.


----------



## robertmac43

American media having a field day. I hope Herman's tactical masterclass is not lost in all of the story lines.


----------



## robertmac43

https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-...cyedlin-each-2-10-in-nightmare-loss-to-canada

So much fun to be had right now looking at all of the post-game stuff.


----------



## Satan

Unreal


----------



## BrainyBomber

robertmac43 said:


> Going to be really interesting to see how the rankings are effected by this game, kind of nervous for that part of this.



Buzzing what a match!

We'll be 6th now and difficult to dislodge so looks like we're finally going to the Hex! Can do some real damage there too
Recent edition of FIFA Rankings make upcoming home fixture vs USA crucial for Canada


----------



## robertmac43

BrainyBomber said:


> Buzzing what a match!
> 
> We'll be 6th now and difficult to dislodge so looks like we're finally going to the Hex! Can do some real damage there too
> Recent edition of FIFA Rankings make upcoming home fixture vs USA crucial for Canada




Yeah its looking good, but as a die hard CMNT fan I'm going find a way to skeptical until the HEX schedule comes out and see Canada there .

On a side note I wonder how they will allocate the home games. I'm hoping they are split between BMO and BC Place, the dome could come in handy in the winter


----------



## YNWA14

I have more to dissect when I watch the game again tonight or tomorrow, but I’m not having this narrative that the win was because of the US coach and the US team being bad. Full credit to Herman and the lads who staged and played a fantastic game; this wasn’t a smash and grab kind of win Canada thoroughly outplayed the US.

I am also revelling in the symbolism of Davies scoring the go ahead and eventual game winner against the US as Canada steps into essentially a new era of soccer.


----------



## Pavel Buchnevich

Cassano said:


> Can we start putting some respeck on David/Davies? They are better than any USMNT player as was stated weeks ago controversially.




These players you are trying to compare them to are proven at the top level. Their bench mark is not a friendly international match. We weren’t beating our chests when McKennie dunked for 90 minutes on Cuban defectors. That’s not his benchmark. His benchmark is every week with his club team. Your benchmark for your players should be at the club level, not in CONCACAF. 

Don’t ruin your victory by saying something dumb. It comes off as jealousy when you have a historic victory for your team and are trying to instantly compare your players to American players.


----------



## robertmac43

Pavel Buchnevich said:


> These players you are trying to compare them to are proven at the top level. Their bench mark is not a friendly international match. We weren’t beating our chests when McKennie dunked for 90 minutes on Cuban defectors. That’s not his benchmark. His benchmark is every week with his club team. Your benchmark for your players should be at the club level, not in CONCACAF.
> 
> Don’t ruin your victory by saying something dumb. It comes off as jealousy when you have a historic victory for your team and are trying to instantly compare your players to American players.




You act as if you have a team of players dominating in the big European Leagues which is simply not the case. Pulisic has been underwhelming this year, Sargent has been alright, McKennie has been good I'll give you that, but he is far from a world beater. On our side, David has been scoring for fun across all competitions and Davies has a goal in 4 games and has played well for Bayern in the stints he has gotten. Plus both players are 2000's so they are 2 years behind Pulisic and McKennie. 

Also what on earth should we be jealous of when it comes to the USMNT?


----------



## BrainyBomber

robertmac43 said:


> Yeah its looking good, but as a die hard CMNT fan I'm going find a way to skeptical until the HEX schedule comes out and see Canada there .
> 
> On a side note I wonder how they will allocate the home games. I'm hoping they are split between BMO and BC Place, the dome could come in handy in the winter



I don't know why we don't lay at Commonwealth in winter. The Central Americans use every trick in the book against us we should follow suit. They wouldn't be able to handle the freezing cold of Edmonton


----------



## Tuggy

So the next FIFA ranking update is next week (October 24th)...

Took this from another forum, but they calculated the points and this is what it should be:

5. Honduras 1368
6. Canada 1339
7. El Salvador 1336
8. Curacao 1323
9. Panama 1310 

From one massive match (last night) to another massive match (Nov 15th).

They really need to get at least a draw in Orlando because all the teams around them are still alive in the Nations league aswell.


----------



## Cassano

Pavel Buchnevich said:


> These players you are trying to compare them to are proven at the top level. Their bench mark is not a friendly international match. We weren’t beating our chests when McKennie dunked for 90 minutes on Cuban defectors. That’s not his benchmark. His benchmark is every week with his club team. Your benchmark for your players should be at the club level, not in CONCACAF.
> 
> Don’t ruin your victory by saying something dumb. It comes off as jealousy when you have a historic victory for your team and are trying to instantly compare your players to American players.



There is no jealousy over a team that was played off the pitch Lol.


----------



## theaub

Job isn't done yet but wow what a night.


----------



## YNWA14

Pavel Buchnevich said:


> These players you are trying to compare them to are proven at the top level. Their bench mark is not a friendly international match. We weren’t beating our chests when McKennie dunked for 90 minutes on Cuban defectors. That’s not his benchmark. His benchmark is every week with his club team. Your benchmark for your players should be at the club level, not in CONCACAF.
> 
> Don’t ruin your victory by saying something dumb. It comes off as jealousy when you have a historic victory for your team and are trying to instantly compare your players to American players.



Except this comes from before the game, where I was told I was delusional to even think Davies/David were comparable to the great Pulisic. My statement remains the same; I wouldn't trade those two for any American player. As mentioned above nobody thinks the Americans are lighting it up at club level either, and you can judge players on talent before they have the opportunity to prove themselves at the 'top level'.

Also there were certainly some comments about McKennie after he scored against Cuba. Not that you're in any position to say what would ruin our historic win. You're not on that side, chap.


----------



## Pouchkine

Fantastic win.

David and Davies are already on another level. When will the World Cup qualifying start if we go directly to the Hex?

The US team is just complete garbage with Radek Bonk Bradley still there and Daniel Lovitz starting must be a joke or something. The guy wasn't even starting for the Impact lately! It's actually quite impressive for such a big country to be this bad for many years now.


----------



## Tuggy

Pouchkine said:


> Fantastic win.
> 
> David and Davies are already on another level. When will the World Cup qualifying start if we go directly to the Hex?
> 
> The US team is just complete garbage with Radek Bonk Bradley still there and Daniel Lovitz starting must be a joke or something. The guy wasn't even starting for the Impact lately! It's actually quite impressive for such a big country to be this bad for many years now.




This has all you need to know:

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF) - Wikipedia

And people are getting too far ahead of themselves with this Hex talk.

Was this a great win and a step in the right direction? Yes, but they still need to get results before June 2020.


----------



## sabremike

YNWA14 said:


> Except this comes from before the game, where I was told I was delusional to even think Davies/David were comparable to the great Pulisic. My statement remains the same; I wouldn't trade those two for any American player. As mentioned above nobody thinks the Americans are lighting it up at club level either, and you can judge players on talent before they have the opportunity to prove themselves at the 'top level'.
> 
> Also there were certainly some comments about McKennie after he scored against Cuba. Not that you're in any position to say what would ruin our historic win. You're not on that side, chap.



Contrary to popular opinion Pulisic is NOT our best player, it's a guy currently out: Tyler Adams. It's no accident that the Red Bulls went from best season point total in MLS history (only to get screwed by the idiotic MLS playoff system) to a complete disaster right after he left. We went from best defense in the league to a Phil Housley style defensive clownshow virtually overnight.


----------



## YNWA14

sabremike said:


> Contrary to popular opinion Pulisic is NOT our best player, it's a guy currently out: Tyler Adams. It's no accident that the Red Bulls went from best season point total in MLS history (only to get screwed by the idiotic MLS playoff system) to a complete disaster right after he left. We went from best defense in the league to a Phil Housley style defensive clownshow virtually overnight.



I don't doubt it; I've never been overly high on Pulisic (you can review my post history when there were some links to Liverpool). Not that I think he's terrible or anything. I just have very high opinions of David and Davies and from what I've seen of the US players I don't see anyone there that I would take over those two. I remember Davies basically dominating in the MLS at 16/17 years old and you could just see how special he is.


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## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> David and Davies are already on another level. When will the World Cup qualifying start if we go directly to the Hex?




I believe August 2021 is what I read but I may be wrong.


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## Pouchkine

31 August 2020 I see.


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## Pavel Buchnevich

robertmac43 said:


> You act as if you have a team of players dominating in the big European Leagues which is simply not the case. Pulisic has been underwhelming this year, Sargent has been alright, McKennie has been good I'll give you that, but he is far from a world beater. On our side, David has been scoring for fun across all competitions and Davies has a goal in 4 games and has played well for Bayern in the stints he has gotten. Plus both players are 2000's so they are 2 years behind Pulisic and McKennie.
> 
> Also what on earth should we be jealous of when it comes to the USMNT?




That’s a misrepresentation. We have 2-3 proven players, Pulisic, McKennie and maybe Adams. Adams hasn’t been there as long, but was an instant success. And you are missing the point. Your fans are constantly comparing your players to ours and trying to compare to us. That shouldn’t be any sort of benchmark. We suck. Our team isn’t the French or Brazilian team. Being as good as Pulisic, Adams or McKennie doesn’t mean someone has made it, even if it was true. 

Just like your benchmark shouldn’t be us or our players, ours shouldn’t be any team in CONCACAF or their players. Being good in this region means nothing. If you want to be the best, it’s not coming from any games within the region or any individual accomplishments against teams in this region. It comes at the top level of the sport, every week in the best leagues in the world. That applies for the best players of Canada, Mexico, USA, all the teams in CONCACAF that want a claim for any prestige.


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## Pavel Buchnevich

YNWA14 said:


> Except this comes from before the game, where I was told I was delusional to even think Davies/David were comparable to the great Pulisic. My statement remains the same; I wouldn't trade those two for any American player. As mentioned above nobody thinks the Americans are lighting it up at club level either, and you can judge players on talent before they have the opportunity to prove themselves at the 'top level'.
> 
> Also there were certainly some comments about McKennie after he scored against Cuba. Not that you're in any position to say what would ruin our historic win. You're not on that side, chap.




Well again, you can say it whenever you want, it doesn’t change the validity of it. The validity of it certainly would not be based off this game. When you have a historic win for your country and the first thing you comment is this ridiculous comparison, it takes away from what the team actually accomplished. 

The fact that this is the discussion in here instead of how well Canada played in a must win game for their team is disappointing. Your fans are ruining your celebration by trying to compare your players to ours. The only person who would see any benefit is someone who made a ridiculous comparison in the first place and is trying to use this result to prove their comparison.


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## YNWA14

Pavel Buchnevich said:


> Well again, you can say it whenever you want, it doesn’t change the validity of it. The validity of it certainly would not be based off this game. When you have a historic win for your country and the first thing you comment is this ridiculous comparison, it takes away from what the team actually accomplished.
> 
> The fact that this is the discussion in here instead of how well Canada played in a must win game for their team is disappointing. Your fans are ruining your celebration by trying to compare your players to ours. The only person who would see any benefit is someone who made a ridiculous comparison in the first place and is trying to use this result to prove their comparison.




It wasn't the first thing anyone commented on, except some American posters who came to make a tongue-in-cheek post about it here and showed a bit of humility. You can call the comparison ridiculous in the first place or whatever, but it'll continue to be true. Your reaction, of course, is not surprising. Nobody is worried about whether or not you think this is taking away from our win or ruining our celebration; we're all very happy with how it went and can discuss anything pertaining to it (while this particular subject gets dragged on by US posters coming here).

The US were played off the pitch and it was a win on many levels for the Canadian team.


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## robertmac43

Pavel Buchnevich said:


> That’s a misrepresentation. We have 2-3 proven players, Pulisic, McKennie and maybe Adams. Adams hasn’t been there as long, but was an instant success. And you are missing the point. Your fans are constantly comparing your players to ours and trying to compare to us. That shouldn’t be any sort of benchmark. We suck. Our team isn’t the French or Brazilian team. Being as good as Pulisic, Adams or McKennie doesn’t mean someone has made it, even if it was true.




I think it is completely fair for us to compare the CMNT to the USMNT. We have been that bad CONCACAF Nation for decades now (aside from one Cinderella Gold Cup Win) and wan to make the steps to becoming a respectable nation on the world scene that can qualify for the World Cup. We are not concerned with being on the level of a team from South America or Europe atm, we simply want to competing and consistent in this region, the rest can wait and is a part of the process. 

Last night signified the start of a new era for us and one that will bring us closer to the top of CONCACAF football. It's not much in the eyes of an American or Mexican, but is huge for Canada, a country that has just started its own pro-league, is riddled with snow for the majority of the year, and is a mere 37 million in population.


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## Pavel Buchnevich

YNWA14 said:


> It wasn't the first thing anyone commented on, except some American posters who came to make a tongue-in-cheek post about it here and showed a bit of humility. You can call the comparison ridiculous in the first place or whatever, but it'll continue to be true. Your reaction, of course, is not surprising. Nobody is worried about whether or not you think this is taking away from our win or ruining our celebration; we're all very happy with how it went and can discuss anything pertaining to it (while this particular subject gets dragged on by US posters coming here).
> 
> The US were played off the pitch and it was a win on many levels for the Canadian team.




I was referring to what the specific person who said it claimed. That was his first thing to say after a historic win for his team. And believe me, no US fans ever bring up how our players compare to yours. That comes from your fan base, like it did here.


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## jj cale

It's a big win for us no doubt but my excitement is tempered. I am still waiting for the day when we can take down the real big boys like Germany in mens international football, the U.S sure as hell aren't.

I got a hoot out of them saying we come across as jealous of their players in this thread, jealous? what about? you are U.S mens football, you are still nowhere near a level to be jealous about.


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## Cassano

Pavel Buchnevich said:


> I was referring to what the specific person who said it claimed. That was his first thing to say after a historic win for his team. And believe me, no US fans ever bring up how our players compare to yours. That comes from your fan base, like it did here.



I mean, it was USA fans on this board that chose not to listen on arguments on why some posters would prefer Davies + David over any USMNT talent. Despite discussing stats, playing style, etc we were dismissed as being homers. It was even arrogantly suggested that because David scored a goal vs lowly Cuba, we suddenly started taking notice. Never mind the fact that he has been dominating a European league for more than a season now. 

So of course, when those 2 players lead us over the allegedly superior talents, I will make a comment on it.


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## JianYang

jj cale said:


> It's a big win for us no doubt but my excitement is tempered. I am still waiting for the day when we can take down the real big boys like Germany in mens international football, the U.S sure as hell aren't.
> 
> I got a hoot out of them saying we come across as jealous of their players in this thread, jealous? what about? you are U.S mens football, you are still nowhere near a level to be jealous about.




The first goal is to make the hex. Canada hasn't got there for several years now. That would be a step. I'm not sure how the rankings are calculated, but Canada remains on the fringe. I much preferred the old qualification system, instead of this ranking calculation.

As for the first rate eurpoean teams, I'm not even going to go there. A team like Mexico toys with Canada, and even they are not in the same league as the first rate european nations.


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## YNWA14

JianYang said:


> The first goal is to make the hex. Canada hasn't got there for several years now. That would be a step. I'm not sure how the rankings are calculated, but Canada remains on the fringe. I much preferred the old qualification system, instead of this ranking calculation.
> 
> As for the first rate eurpoean teams, I'm not even going to go there. A team like Mexico toys with Canada, and even they are not in the same league as the first rate european nations.



I'm not sure I would say Mexico toys with Canada anymore. Even their last match was competitive and that was with Davies playing at leftback (IIRC).


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## JianYang

YNWA14 said:


> I'm not sure I would say Mexico toys with Canada anymore. Even their last match was competitive and that was with Davies playing at leftback (IIRC).




Canada was not dressing their best, but I wouldn't call that match competitive. There was a point where Mexico went into a lull and Canada got within 1 goal, but they were just too much. Canada did not handle the Mexico press well at all.


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## jj cale

JianYang said:


> The first goal is to make the hex. Canada hasn't got there for several years now. That would be a step. I'm not sure how the rankings are calculated, but Canada remains on the fringe. I much preferred the old qualification system, instead of this ranking calculation.
> 
> As for the first rate eurpoean teams, I'm not even going to go there. A team like Mexico toys with Canada, and even they are not in the same league as the first rate european nations.



No question, we are a looooong ways away yet.


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## Pavel Buchnevich

jj cale said:


> I got a hoot out of them saying we come across as jealous of their players in this thread, jealous? what about? you are U.S mens football, you are still nowhere near a level to be jealous about.




I think you completely missed the point.

I actually made the point before you did that you shouldn't view a victory over the USA as more important than it is. It helps your team qualify for the Hex, and thats what's important about it. The US team is pretty bad right now, and we are a very average team. It's not as if you beat a top team, as you said. We agreed about that. I said that yesterday.

The jealousy comes from the guy who even admitted right after your post above that he's concerned with comparing the Canadian players to the American players. And a few other Canadians here or there have taken the mantle and defended him or said similar things, even weeks and months before this game. Why compare Canadian players to Americans? It's not as if American fans compare our players to Canadians. Jealousy in sports often is manifested more in individual players than team performances. Are people concerned with comparing the Jets and Leafs or Matthews and Laine? Are people concerned with comparing Crosby and Ovechkin or the Pens and Caps? When fans try to pump the tires of those they support, they resort more to the individual players than the teams.


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## jj cale

Pavel Buchnevich said:


> I think you completely missed the point.
> 
> I actually made the point before you did that you shouldn't view a victory over the USA as more important than it is. It helps your team qualify for the Hex, and thats what's important about it. The US team is pretty bad right now, and we are a very average team. It's not as if you beat a top team, as you said. We agreed about that. I said that yesterday.
> 
> The jealousy comes from the guy who even admitted right after your post above that he's concerned with comparing the Canadian players to the American players. And a few other Canadians here or there have taken the mantle and defended him or said similar things, even weeks and months before this game. Why compare Canadian players to Americans? It's not as if American fans compare our players to Canadians. Jealousy in sports often is manifested more in individual players than team performances. Are people concerned with comparing the Jets and Leafs or Matthews and Laine? Are people concerned with comparing Crosby and Ovechkin or the Pens and Caps? When fans try to pump the tires of those they support, they resort more to the individual players than the teams.



good post. However I think it's normal to compare players, American fans compare their hockey players to ours all the time here and obviously at one time used our players as the benchmark to determine just how far along they were coming in their program.

I don't have an issue with our fans here comparing players, don't see that as a big deal at all.

Anyway, solid win for Canadian football, such a long way to go, beating the U.S is nice but as we both agree, it's hardly earth shattering as the U.S is still just an also ran at the mens level in this sport, same as Canada. Neither team is even close to good enough yet to be getting in a pissing match between our fans.


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## YNWA14

It's completely missing the point to not see why Canadians would be happy with beating the US regardless of their level currently, especially with the narrative a lot of fans are still spinning and looking down on Canada with. Beating a rival at any point is something to celebrate, especially so when it's been 35 years.

Pointing out that we like some of our players more than the US players, and that we think they're better, doesn't amount to jealousy. This happens all the time not even among rivals; when it does have to do with rivals it becomes a point of pride certainly, and especially after the respective performances in the game that is the point of discussion it makes for some fun banter.

There are still relative levels of success that can be celebrated. It's not 'world cup contender or go home'. When you're a country on the rise and you beat or surpass a team that has historically been significantly better than yours I don't see where anyone else can get off telling you it's nothing to celebrate or be happy about. These are the teams that you'll be consistently competing with just to have the chance at competing with the real world powers anyway. So yeah, down with the USMNT and up with the CMNT; long may this shift in power continue and last.


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## Pouchkine

We also must remember the lost to Haïti in the last real competitive game we played. We improve but there's still a lot of work to do. At the moment the US team is in such a terrible shape.


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## jj cale

YNWA14 said:


> It's completely missing the point to not see why Canadians would be happy with beating the US regardless of their level currently, especially with the narrative a lot of fans are still spinning and looking down on Canada with. Beating a rival at any point is something to celebrate, especially so when it's been 35 years.
> 
> Pointing out that we like some of our players more than the US players, and that we think they're better, doesn't amount to jealousy. This happens all the time not even among rivals; when it does have to do with rivals it becomes a point of pride certainly, and especially after the respective performances in the game that is the point of discussion it makes for some fun banter.
> 
> There are still relative levels of success that can be celebrated. It's not 'world cup contender or go home'. When you're a country on the rise and you beat or surpass a team that has historically been significantly better than yours I don't see where anyone else can get off telling you it's nothing to celebrate or be happy about. These are the teams that you'll be consistently competing with just to have the chance at competing with the real world powers anyway. So yeah, down with the USMNT and up with the CMNT; long may this shift in power continue and last.



I am happy with the win and acknowledge it is a good step for our program, I am just keeping it in perspective.

We have a lot of work to do.


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## JianYang

Pouchkine said:


> We also must remember the lost to Haïti in the last real competitive game we played. We improve but there's still a lot of work to do. At the moment the US team is in such a terrible shape.




The forward situation is as good as I've ever seen for Canada. Quality players and good depth.

The midfield.... Meh. It could be worse. Arfield was a good add and seems to glue things together.

The back end is the weakest link IMO. That's just lacking all around.

Goalkeeping is in decent hands, as is the case for most of the time I've followed this team.

I think teams that press Canada hard are the ones that really expose them. Haiti was one of them.


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## Weissy Baby

BrainyBomber said:


> I don't know why we don't lay at Commonwealth in winter. The Central Americans use every trick in the book against us we should follow suit. They wouldn't be able to handle the freezing cold of Edmonton



Or McMahon, Mosaic, or IGF? Could you just imagine playing Mexico or Honduras in a snowstorm or in -20*C weather in November in the prairies? It would be glorious. Plus you would maybe have less likelihood of Mexican fans invading the stadium if they played in that level of cold. 

On another note I think it would be a good idea to have the CMNT play in stadiums other than BMO and BC Place so the rest of the country has a chance to see the Men's team play live. It worked for the Women's team.


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## robertmac43

Weissy Baby said:


> On another note I think it would be a good idea to have the CMNT play in stadiums other than BMO and BC Place so the rest of the country has a chance to see the Men's team play live. It worked for the Women's team.




I think the players would rather play @ BMO or BC Place due o comfort and familiarity. For that reason I would keep them at the two main stadiums. If it was a friendly I would be more in tune with switching things up.


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## Pouchkine

robertmac43 said:


> I think the players would rather play @ BMO or BC Place due o comfort and familiarity. For that reason I would keep them at the two main stadiums. If it was a friendly I would be more in tune with switching things up.



The entire point is that it's also much better for the opposing teams to play in Toronto and BC. That's why having a key WC qualifying game in Regina vs. Mexico-CostaRica-Honduras would be clever.

BC Place for one should be banned with the fake grass and zero atmosphere.


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## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> The entire point is that it's also much better for the opposing teams to play in Toronto and BC. That's why having a key WC qualifying game in Regina vs. Mexico-CostaRica-Honduras would be clever.
> 
> BC Place for one should be banned with the fake grass and zero atmosphere.




I don't think it would be too clever to go to Regina for a February game. Our players won't want to do that as much ad the other team, plus the support would not be as well.

Ideally they keep all the games at BMO; great atmosphere, good city, and in the winter - still cold! Best of all the worlds imo


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## Pouchkine

Not for February games which there's none of them I think but for sure in late October and November in Regina or Winnipeg it would be fine. Our players should have no problems with the weather, if they have they are not worth much. It's in games where we are underdogs that cold weather and hostile fans can be a great equalizer.

No more BC games that's a for sure.


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## robertmac43

Pouchkine said:


> Not for February games which there's none of them I think but for sure in late October and November in Regina or Winnipeg it would be fine. Our players should have no problems with the weather, if they have they are not worth much. It's in games where we are underdogs that cold weather and hostile fans can be a great equalizer.




I'm saying even if the weather was a non factor the support in Toronto will be the best. The south end support is far and away better when they play there.


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## Pouchkine

Yeah for friendlies and a game vs. the United States. But WC qualifying games against Mexico or Costa Rica could and should be played elsewhere.


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## Weissy Baby

robertmac43 said:


> I'm saying even if the weather was a non factor the support in Toronto will be the best. The south end support is far and away better when they play there.



Its true that Toronto would give the CMNT the best support and atmosphere. However if you're playing Mexico you're playing players who are used to far bigger and louder stadiums than BMO. The Azteca, and their club teams in Europe and Liga MX provide much more intense atmosphere's so playing in a half full 30,000 seat stadium in Toronto is not going to phase them. Playing in the extreme cold which really doesn't happen a lot in football if you think about it would make Mexico and the other top Central American clubs much more uncomfortable and should provide a greater benefit to Canada. Plus I doubt half the stadium would be Mexican fans which I would suspect would be a real possibility at BMO or BC Place


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## robertmac43

Weissy Baby said:


> Its true that Toronto would give the CMNT the best support and atmosphere. However if you're playing Mexico you're playing players who are used to far bigger and louder stadiums than BMO. The Azteca, and their club teams in Europe and Liga MX provide much more intense atmosphere's so playing in a half full 30,000 seat stadium in Toronto is not going to phase them. Playing in the extreme cold which really doesn't happen a lot in football if you think about it would make Mexico and the other top Central American clubs much more uncomfortable and should provide a greater benefit to Canada. Plus I doubt half the stadium would be Mexican fans which I would suspect would be a real possibility at BMO or BC Place




I think you are over playing the effect the cold would have. Sure it would maybe be slightly nicer for us but it's not like our players spend their time training in the Canadian cold. They are also used to comfortable playing temperature and locations. BMO just makes the most sense in all of these regards.


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## Pouchkine

robertmac43 said:


> I think you are over playing the effect the cold would have. Sure it would maybe be slightly nicer for us but it's not like our players spend their time training in the Canadian cold. They are also used to comfortable playing temperature and locations. BMO just makes the most sense in all of these regards.



You are right for the cold aspect but there's a real danger of 50% away fans if a big game vs. Mexico is played in Toronto.

Anyway I forgot that Regina and all those places don't have real grass so that rules them out for me. Can't stand games on those surfaces.


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## Weissy Baby

robertmac43 said:


> I think you are over playing the effect the cold would have. Sure it would maybe be slightly nicer for us but it's not like our players spend their time training in the Canadian cold. They are also used to comfortable playing temperature and locations. BMO just makes the most sense in all of these regards.



Maybe I am over playing the cold, artificial turf, and lack of invading opposition fans in playing in a prairie city in November or March. I don't think its likely matches are played there in the hex, but I think we could both agree that we want Canada to have the best advantage possible and make it to the World Cup. Go Canada!


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## ahmedou




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## robertmac43

We definitely have a good crop coming through right now, it's exciting times. More news today; Theo Corbeanu of Wolves academy said he is going to represent Canada moving forward. 

Get To Know | Theo Corbeanu


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## sabremike

BTW anyone getting a 2020 CPL kit: if the new Forge one is anything to go by they are less snug then the ones from the inaugural season.


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## PanniniClaus

robertmac43 said:


> We definitely have a good crop coming through right now, it's exciting times. More news today; Theo Corbeanu of Wolves academy said he is going to represent Canada moving forward.
> 
> Get To Know | Theo Corbeanu




Nice to snag someone that has already turned out for Romania. Need to keep adding these types to the pool.


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