World Cup coverage on here will not be organized or regular. It will be whenever I feel like it and whatever I want to write about. Hopefully it will provide some different angles than you are getting elsewhere and it will be the first stage in a bit of a transition for the blog in general.
I will be very busy during the World Cup… watching the World Cup so don’t expect anything daily, but there should be plenty of content and I hope you all enjoy!
After the Argentina game I went ape shit. And to be fair I hope you can see where I was coming from I rarely get to actually see Canada and after watching them on TV for the first time in almost a year I was disappointed I didn’t get to see a better performance. I’ve settled down a little after watching the game in Venezuela. The two poorest players on the pitch were Stalteri and Klukowski, the veterans at the back but going forward and keeping possession in the midfield I was very impressed with the young guys. Do I think we’re going to qualify for the World Cup suddenly after one performance? No. It was a young squad that pulled out the draw against Venezuela and it was refreshing to see the bright spots for the future of this national team.
The guys I was really impressed with:
Pedro Pacheco – In his debut Pacheco was man of the match for Canada. He has drive going forward, he is physical, confident and comfortable with the ball at his feet. Most of Canada’s attack came from solid play from Pedro Pacheco.
Eddy Sidra – Man is that kid ever fast. He was storming past guys on the left wing from left back. He was beating men with ease and looked menacing from the moment he came on. An impact substitute if I ever saw one.
Players who did well:
Adam Straith – He looked confident at the back and dealt with the attackers well. Not exactly a commanding presence in the box, but he is nineteen years old and still has a long way to go. I would not be surprised to see him as a fixture with the national team in years to come.
Gavin McCallum – What a goal. What a debut. Sure he was average aside from the finish, but that goal gave me more to be excited about as a Canadian supporter for a long time. After a few seconds of crazed celebration I realized it was a meaningless friendly and I shouldn’t get too excited over nothing, but it was hard not to. As Canadian supporters we get very little to celebrate and McCallum’s equalizer gave us something for the first time in a long time.
Massey Wassey – Held his own on the wing.
Issey Nakajima-Ferran – Again not brilliant but did a job out on the wing. Plus played a brilliant ball right onto McCallum’s head for the goal.
Simeon Jackson – Sure he missed a chance he really ought to have finished but he worked hard all match and created a few other openings throughout.
Players who disappointed:
Terry Dunfield – Great potential a few years ago, but there is a reason he didn’t cut it at the international level. He had very little impact on the match and put in a few tackles that could have resulted in a booking had it been a competitive match.
Mike Klukowski – The Voyageurs Player of the Year for 2009 had a terrible match. Hopefully he is just tired after a long season but the games against Argentina and Venezuela were two of the worst I’ve seen Klukowski have in his international career.
Paul Stalteri – Let the guy play in the two home friendlies against Peru and Honduras so he can break the Canadian all-time cap record in Montreal, which he clearly deserves for his services to Canada, but after that I wouldn’t complain if he floats away into the distance. The guy just can’t play at this level any more.
Was it a great game? No. But it gave me back hope that the Argentina game took away. And Canadian supporters need to celebrate the small victories. Gavin McCallum’s injury time goal was one of those small victories.
Photo Courtesy: canadasoccer.com
“This was school for us” were the choice words of Canadian head coach Stephen Hart after Canada were thrashed 5-0 by Argentina. It was the first Canada game broadcast on television in almost a year and was Canada’s first friendly against an established soccer world power since the game against Brazil in 2008 and even that was a weakened Brazil squad. It was also the first time for me watching a Canada game at a Voyageurs meet-up (albeit one of three people). So I was really looking forward to it, I wasn’t under any allusions the game would be anything other than an Argentinian win, but the game we saw though was just damning from a Canadian perspective.
There was no one on the pitch who was even close to Argentina’s level. Argentina barely had to do anything going forward as everything was given to them by either Stalteri, Hainault or Hastings all of whom were disgusting at the back. The central midfield three pairing of Johnson, Ledgerwood and Imhof could not keep the ball to save their lives. Rob Friend up front by himself must have had three touches all match. De Rosario who has been absolutely clinical in the MLS this year did nothing against the stronger Argentinians and Simpson played in some terrible crosses on the few chances he got.
Going into the match I was looking forward to the experience as a supporter to see Canada against a world super power at its best and hoping the squad would gain something from the experience. But I don’t think myself or the team got anything out of it.
I wasn’t that upset during the match, but the more I thought about it the worse I felt about it. If we can’t even string together three passes against the top teams in the world how the fuck do we expect to beat the States, Mexico, Honduras and the lot in qualifying. Maybe I’m being a little too negative, but it just left me feeling hopeless about the next few years, I hope the Venezuela game acts as a bit of a boost for the supporters. Canada have now gone five matches without scoring and from what we’ve seen very few scoring opportunities in these matches.
As for the players it must have been just as much of a shot to their confidence. In past years De Guzman at least may have been able to compete with the physical Argentinian midfield, but looking at his performances with Toronto FC recently I don’t know if that would be the case any more. The players must know that at the moment technically they are no where near as good as they need to be in order to qualify for the World Cup. Just look at the three teams who qualified for the World Cup from CONCACAF. Who is our answer to the real class players of CONCACAF, Donovan, Dempsey, Suazo, Blanco even new up and coming guys like Vela for Mexico.
This game just made me feel more hopeless about the national team since 2008′s World Cup qualifying debacle. We really are decades behind. If this was school for us as Hart said it was a bit like trying to teach calculus to a grade two. Pointless, frustrating and a waste of time.
Coming into Canada’s high-profile friendly against Argentina tomorrow there are plenty of storylines, as a Canadian supporter one of the more intriguing is the tactical battle off the pitch behind the benches. Diego Maradona, international superstar, Argentine god, charismatic, passionate, and outspoken up against Stephen Hart, unknown outside Canadian soccer circles, reserved, tactically savvy and friendly. It’s quite a clash of two polar opposites, much like the two teams playing tomorrow. Argentina, a favourite going into the World Cup, a team boasting the best player in the world, a team full of flair playing against a Canadian team who are perennial under achievers, haven’t qualified for a World Cup since 1986 and play a very disciplined, patient style. However despite the difference in quality between the two teams on the pitch Canada may just have the upper hand in tactical nuance with Stephen Hart.
Looking back at some of the managers Argentina have had in recent time the list is full of well-respected coaches with impressive resumes: Jose Pekerman, Marcelo Bielsa, and Alfio Basile. All coaches who would be welcomed into the Canadian system. However this time around looking at Diego Maradona and Stephen Hart, as little as the Argentine Football Association would like to admit it Canada probably has the better coach.
The AFA brought on Maradona hoping that what he lacked in coaching experience he would make up for with his ability to inspire and bring the best out of the players. Their World Cup qualifying results show that the experiment from the AFA may have been an ill-advised risk. The low point was a 6-1 loss to Bolivia, but in the end the campaign was saved with a 1-0 win on the final day of qualifying over Uruguay which secured Argentina’s passage to the World Cup. Now Maradona has the chance to prove himself by taking Argentina to the World Cup final, but before that he hopes that his team can leave Argentina for South Africa with a win over Canada. He isn’t leaving Argentina without his fair share of controversy though after he ran over a journalist and proceed to call him an asshole. Tomorrow the top brass of the AFA may just be looking across the way at Canada’s bench and for even just half a second wish they had their own calm, controlable, intelligent Stephen Hart.
Hart is dealing with one of the most difficult situations any international manager could ever ask for. He rarely gets friendlies, he has to convince players to leave MLS clubs during the league season, he has to convince European based players to fly over to this side of the world for a midweek trip and get back to their clubs jet lagged on a friday night. This isn’t even going into the political side of the Canadian soccer scene, yet Hart never complains he takes what he has and is doing a very good job. The reserved Hart had a Canadian team with few quality players squeaking out wins in the Gold Cup last summer. He previously took a Canadian team which failed miserably in World Cup qualifying to a Gold Cup semi-final which they arguably should have won. Unlike Maradona, Hart has never attacked his country’s national football association and under his leadership Canada is starting to punch above its weight on the international scene.
Maradona has already thrown Canada aside as an opponent, attacking the AFA over the decision to play Canadain such a crucial friendly during the build up to the World Cup. He has said he will play three up front against the Canadians with Messi, Higuain, and Tevez. Behind these three it’s doubtful that Argentina will show Canada much respect and they will probably look to play Di Maria and maybe even Aguero in attacking roles at some point during the match.
On the other side Hart will look to contain Argentina and hit on the counter attack. Most likely Rob Friend will be Canada’s lone man up top with a five man midfield behind him. Canada defend very patiently, again another characteristic of Hart that rubs off on his team. They will look to frustrate Argentina and keep the score 0-0 for as long as possible. Although Hart does have some quality out on the wings in De Rosario and Johnson so don’t expect Canada to sit back for the whole ninety minutes they will look to try to get forward as well.
As a Canadian supporter the chance to play Argentina is fantastic and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow, the fact we do have the advantage over Argentina in just this one category could help make tomorrow just that little bit sweeter.
This week will be Canada week here on the Canadian Stretford End with full coverage of Canada-Argentina to come later in the week. But to kick it off I have an interview with Canadian, Toronto FC Centre back, Adrian Cann over on Fighting for Canadian Supremacy which you can find here. So please go check it out!
Per request I give you my thoughts on Manchester United’s moves in and out this summer.
Outs
Dimitar Berbatov – It’s been an awful two years together, a massive waste of thirty million pounds and it would be best for both parties if Berbatov left. Unfortunately I don’t think he will, because Sir Alex seems determined to get something out of him. He is undeniably a great player, he just is a poor fit at Manchester United. Technically gifted, smart player who just doesn’t work with the United system and has had too much pressure put on his shoulders. Berbatov’s time at Old Trafford needs to come to an end.
Zoran Tosic – Another massive waste of money from Sir Alex. He scored a goal against Liverpool for the reserves, but apart from that hasn’t even done well playing for Ole’s team. He’s doing well on loan in Germany though, so let him make the move permanent. Again this would be in the interest of both parties.
In
David Silva – A left sided midfielder. It’s the most important piece missing from the United puzzle, a player with a bit of flair who can consistently play on the left hand side of midfield. People say Nani can fill the spot, but he’s naturally a right midfielder. United always play a massive number of games in the season and depth is key just look at Chelsea. If Nani can be stuck out on the right that leaves Valencia and Nani fighting for that spot all season, and both of them need to competition to bring out the best parts of their game. That leaves Giggs on the left who won’t be able to play week in and week out on the left so bring in a guy to allow Sir Alex to play Giggs more selectively. Silva would also take some of the creative workload off of Rooney’s shoulders. He is another guy who will score and create goals in the absence of Rooney.
Any Centre Forward – This doesn’t need to be a Drogba or another Rooney just someone to give United a little more depth up there. Macheda, and Owen will provide depth as well as newcomer Javier Hernandez, all United need is one more player who can score 10 goals in the Premier League. Not asking for another superstar like most are, just someone who will fill a role.
Other Possiblities
Luka Modric – If Silva is too much or unavailable, try Modric for all the same reasons… or Hamsik.
Michael Carrick Out – If money really is as much of an issue I fear it is then let Carrick go. We have enough wuality central midfielders if everyone’s healthy in Fletcher, Scholes, Anderson, Hargreaves and Gibson (plus Park’s done a good job in that position as well) so Carrick isn’t a real must-have player. If Carrick performs anything like he did this season losing him wouldn’t be a hit to United at all
Let the transfer circus begin…
The Canadian Stretford End 2009-2010 Manchester United awards.
Goalkeeper of the Season
Edwin Van Der Sar
Defender of the Season
Patrice Evra
Midfielder of the Season
Darren Fletcher
Forward of the Season
Wayne Rooney
New Player of the Year
Antonio Valencia
Young Player of the Season
Darron Gibson
Manchester United Raised Player of the Season
Paul Scholes
Goal of the Season
Rooney @ Arsenal
Match of the Season
Manchester United 4:3 Manchester City @ Old Trafford
Player of the Season
Wayne Rooney
At the start of the season I layed out a list of things I thought needed to happen for Manchester United to win the league, since United didn’t win the league I thought I’d take a look back and see what went wrong and what went exactly to plan.
So below is what I wrote in August and the parts in italics are my reflections.
- Rooney and Berbatov have to form a solid partnership with Berbatov acting as the play maker and Rooney racking up the goals. Rooney scored plenty of goals, but the Berbatov-Rooney partnership never blossomed and Berbatov did very little as a playmaker, with far less assists than last season.
- Rooney has to stay fit for most of the season. Well he stayed fit for most of the season until it really counted at the end which hurt United badly.
- Nani has to chip in with his fair share of goals. Ten isn’t too much to expect from him. Finished with six, but played a big part setting up goals. Can’t fault his season.
- Goals have to come from the midfield, with Ronaldo gone the likes of Carrick, Giggs, Anderson, Scholes, and Fletcher need to score this season. Much like the 2006-2007 season when goals came from all over the pitch. Scholes scored seven but no one else really stepped up with huge goal tallies. This really let United down this season. The reliance on one player for goals.
- Fletcher or whoever is playing in a deeper role in centre of midfield needs to break up opponents attacks quickly. United gave some teams way too much time on the ball last season. Spot on. Fletcher was brilliant.
- The back four need to be solid as usual. Injuries, and some poor form really stopped the back four from being the wall of 2008-2009. However near the end of the season when Vidic and Ferdinand were fully fit United looked much tighter at the back.
- Foster needs to not be awful for the first two months of the season. That is the most we can hope for from him. He wasn’t awful but he was pretty poor. Probably lost us 2 points against Sunderland, and maybe more with his poor communication and control of the area.
In my opinion these things need to happen in order for United to win the title, but there is still a lot more that we can hope for. These are lower priority issues but still important.
- Fabio and Rafael continue to get starts but work on the defensive side of their games. Neither got too many opportunities, but Rafael’s red card may have cost us a spot in the Champions League final so I would say this didn’t happen.
- Michael Owen scores more than ten goals in the Premier League. Didn’t score nearly this many, but nine in all competitions considering how little he played wasn’t bad and he scored two big goals, one in a cup final and the other the winner against City.
- Valencia has a breakout season and fills the void on the right hand side of midfield very nicely. Valencia was a fantastic surprise this season, much better than I ever expected.
- Scholes has a rejuvenated season and puts last year behind him. Down the stretch Scholes was key and was one of United’s best players. He had a much better season than last year and was one of the ever-present players in big games for United.
- Lets have another academy player surprise the world like Macheda last season. Gibson had a bit of a breakout season so hopefully he will get more time next season, I see lots of good things about his game although he still has a long way to improve.
Despite Manchester United’s 4-0 win over Stoke City, Chelsea finished the season as Premier League Champions by way of their 8-0 demolition of Wigan. So yes the win felt a lot like a loss, although I have to admit I was very proud of the way United played. When United came out for the second half they must have known that the title was Chelsea’s, with Chelsea leading a ten man Wigan 2-0 at the half, but they still came out and played a very good second half. They played well and created several chances, scoring twice, when they easily could have given up and just limped to the finish line. Instead they gave the supporters the performance that they deserved. Manchester United showed real class in losing that Chelsea failed to show in victory with Drogba’s petulance.
The Manchester United match itself was quite an odd one, with United dominating and scoring goals with ease, but clearly disheartened. It was nice to see players like Van Der Sar, Nani, Giggs and Scholes shine for one last time this season. Especially Paul Scholes who has been absolutely pivotal in the last few weeks as United came very close to rejuvinating their title run. Scholes has been composed, yet energitic, influential and brilliant over the past four weeks. This year has been one of his best for Manchester United since he first came to the club.
I also wanted to give a shoot-out to MUST and their anti-Glazer protests at the match which were civilized, well-done, and hopefully will have some sort of effect this summer on the Red Knights-Glazer situation. The supporters did their job for the players on the pitch as well, despite obviously being as upset as the players during the match they continued to give their support. It was also quite the trip down memory lane hearing the supporters sing “Viva Ronaldo” and “That Boy Ronaldo” again.
I was glad to see Park score the final goal of the season after he came up massive in several situations throughout the season. Especially against AC Milan and Liverpool. Hopefully he will stay next season and is major part of Sir Alex’s plan for the next little while.
It was too bad the season ended on such a low point for Manchester United, but it was an enjoyable season to watch with plenty of highs and lows so as Mourinho would say “Chin up boys and girls”.
This weekend Manchester United face Premier League D-Day as they enter with a slim chance of winning the title, but still of course a chance. After this weekend’s match against Stoke City their next game will be against Celtic on July 16th…
