Join me for a live blog as the Canadian U-17 Women's team kicks off their World Cup campaign in Trinidad and Tobago against Ghana. The match kicks off at 7:00 PM EST and will be live on CBC Bold and cbcsports.ca.
Canada's soccer supporters group, The Voyageurs, branded yesterday's men's international friendly against Peru as the start of Mission 2014, Canada's quest to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The title Mission 2014 comes from a banner which boasts the signatures of Canadian soccer fans wishing their team good luck. The banner will go on a trip across the country so it can be signed by well-wishers of the national team everywhere from St. John's to Victoria, but despite the sentiment Canada's Mission 2014 got off to a poor start last night with a 2-0 loss to Peru.
Canada came out strong in the first half and tested the Peruvian keeper, Raul Fernandez, on several opportunities. Coach Stephen Hart opted to start the game in a 4-3-3 formation with Rob Friend as the target man through the centre alongside Dwayne De Rosario and Simeon Jackson on the wings. Throughout the first half Jackson was a major threat, beating men and making runs down the right hand side of the pitch. He was clearly Canada's most dangerous player on the night. The only thing missing from Jackson's game was the final ball into the box. This was a common theme for Canada last night as Friend was given very little service up top.
Without the usual face of Mike Klukowski at left back, Hart opted to start with Marcel De Jong. De Jong is solid defensively but cannot offer nearly as much going forward as Klukowski who many believe to be Canada's best crosser of the ball. Unfortunately De Jong's chance to impress at left back was cut short when he was carried off injured (with what was later revealed to be a broken shoulder) inside the thirty minute mark and was replaced by Ipswich's Jamie Peters. Peters looked uncomfortable all night and was at fault for the second goal letting his man run right into the box unmarked. The recently converted midfielder did very little to put himself higher on the depth chart for the that left back spot.
The centre back duo for Canada of Kevin McKenna and Adam Straith generally had a good match. The back four fell apart for the first twenty-five minutes or so of the second half committing numerous errors leading to the two Peruvian goals, but the youngster Straith and veteran McKenna righted the ship and held Peru for the last twenty minutes of the match. At the age of nineteen Straith is still proned to making rookie errors and he did several times throughout the match, but his ability to read the game is fantastic. He can cut out passes, his positioning is good and he looks to be an interesting prospect for Canada as they continue on Mission 2014.
The midfield three of Julian De Guzman, Atiba Hutchinson and Will Johnson put in a decent performance but were far from outstanding. De Guzman had one of his better games at BMO Field this year, looking to go forward much more than he does with TFC, but maintaining his defensive solidity. The biggest criticism of the three midfielders coming out of the Peru game was the same criticism they've been facing for the last four years. They cannot seem to find that incisive pass that carves open the opponents and leads to an opportunity. They keep possession well, they move the ball forward, but they just do not provide any threat in the attacking third of the pitch. Although this improved midfield helped Canada keep their shape throughout the first half.
Canada's 4-3-3 has often dissolved into a 4-5-1 with the two wingers hanging too far back, last night that was not the case. In the first half especially the Canadians kept their shape well and kept the ball well. Although the goal scoring chances were not there, this ability to play a 4-3-3 must have pleased Hart. If there is one main positive to take out of the loss to Peru it will be Canada's ability to maintain the ball in this formation.
Mission 2014 continues when Canada takes on Honduras in Montreal this Tuesday, where Hart will hope the team builds on this performance and comes out with a result against their CONCACAF rivals.
It has been more than two years since the Canadian Men's National Team kicked off their short and unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign, and now the team is back at it again. For the first time since the qualifiers in 2008, Canada is playing on home soil with friendlies against Peru and Honduras this upcoming week in Toronto and Montreal respectively. With a new coach at the helm in the form of Stephen Hart there appears to be a fresh new beginning for the men's national team, but a closer look reveals the only real change is in the declining optimism of Canadian supporters.
In 2008 Canada boasted what many supporters believed to be the best squad since Canada's 1986 team which yielded the country's only appearance in the World Cup to date. Midfield stalwart Julian De Guzman was coming off a career year with his club team Deportivo la Coruna in Spain's La Liga, Dwayne De Rosario was ripping it up in the MLS, Canada's aging defensive core of Paul Stalteri and Richard Hastings had proved themselves in the 2007 Gold Cup, the team looked ready to take on the best CONCACAF had to offer. They went on to finish with just two points from six games in qualifying and were eliminated without coming anywhere near the form expected of them.
Now that Canada is returning home the shine has long faded off this generation of Canadians, but a close inspection of the rosters selected for Canada's upcoming games reveals the only difference between this team and the 2008 team to be four players and two years. Toronto FC defender Nana Attakora-Gyan, relatively unknown Greek-based midfielder Gianluca Zavarise, promising centre back Adam Straith, and keeper Haidar Al-Shaïbani are the only players involved in this set of friendlies that played no role in the 2010 qualification campaign.
England has been holding on to their "Golden Generation" for years as the results keep on deteriorating and based on the evidence of this squad Canada may be following in suit. There are some players who have impressed in the past two years who were involved but not ready in 2008 and have benefited from these two years of experience. The two players that immediately come to mind are the English-based duo of Jamie Peters and Simeon Jackson who have both progressed at a quick rate and will be in contention for starting places this weekend. However on the whole the last two years have not been kind on Canada's Golden Generation. De Guzman appears to have regressed since his move to Toronto FC, De Rosario still has yet to perform with the national team, German-based striker Rob Friend has never translated a solid goal-scoring record at club level to Canada, and Hastings has returned to being a major liability at the back. Not looking so Golden anymore. Despite two years of sub-par performances from some of Canada's most talented players, they are still the best options Hart has or is willing to gamble on in these two friendlies.
The main story lines leading into these two exhibition matches from the main stream media include the controversial issue of taking Toronto FC players away from a competitive fixture, the chance for Stalteri to earn a Canadian record 82nd cap and the simple fact Canada will be playing in front of their home supporters. The elephant in the room is that Canada enters this pair games without a win in over a year, and with only one goal in their last six matches. This is a Canadian team that is close to an all time low during a period where soccer is generally on the up in Canada with Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver all to be competing in the MLS by 2012.
The good news? Canada has plenty of time and stability plus a solid amount of preparation to come. By the end of 2010 Canada will have played six friendlies, the most Canada has played in one calendar year since they matched that total in 2005. Canada has a solid full-time head coach in Hart who plans to be with the team right through the 2011 Gold Cup and World Cup Qualifying. Best of all Canada is getting friendlies against the type of opposition they will be playing in the CONCACAF region. Canada played CONCACAF rival Jamaica earlier this year and are facing Honduras in Montreal in the second of these two friendlies. They will also have played three South American teams by the end of the year who play a similar style to many of the teams in CONCACAF.
Canadian supporters across the country, especially those based in Toronto and Montreal, are excited for a chance to welcome home their team after a two year absence but the occasion can only serve as a short term distraction to the many challenges facing this team.
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