U-20 Canada-Congo July 8/07 Pre/PbP/Post

[Gordon]

Must win, and with a few extra goals as well. Will be tough. COngo looks better than Austria. Go Canada!

Will leave stickied for 2 days after the match.

[onefineesq]

Must win, and with a few extra goals as well. Will be tough. COngo looks better than Austria. Go Canada!

Will leave stickied for 2 days after the match. I agree. I was at the games yesterday in Edmonton, and Congo looks stronger, despite the scores. Stupid redcard for the Congo player to take, so early. I have a feeling that Canada will be in for a long day on Sunday (and i'll be there).

[JinJin]

I hope our players show some more heart out there than last game..

Both teams know that a win is a must if they are gonna have any chance of advancing so I'm expecting an open game with lot's of chances, god knows we need them.

[guppy]

Ah hem, I'm not expecting Canada to get lots of chances. My memory hasn't suddenly gone blank. Two shots on goal in two games. Though they did hit a bar, and uhm, whatever it was that happened right at the end.

Though I hope they do get them, and whatever dark cloud that has fallen over them is lifted ...

Just imagine, this team beat USA 4-1 in a game?? USA? A hattrick for Ricketts?? Now they can't get 4 SHOTS against AUSTRIA! Meanwhile USA is blowing thru tough opponents like a hurricane. :eek:

[hodgkiss]

okay so we need:

firstly canada to win (hopefully a 3-0 score)
a big portugal win over gambia (maybe 2-0 but 1-0 will do)
a mexico win over new zealand

that would put:

uruguay through with 4 pts
costa rica with 3 pts (1 pt diff)
brazil with 3 pts (1 diff)
canada with 3 pts (3-0 win would be a 1 pt diff)

still could go through with a 1 or 2 pt new zeland win
or a goal or two by gambia in a loss. gambia could even win but the differential with portugal is tighter... making it harder for canada.

man how important was that simeon jackson shot on goal or that ball off the cross bar? damn!

it's okay we can still do it! let's go boys!!!

[hodgkiss]

Ah hem, I'm not expecting Canada to get lots of chances. My memory hasn't suddenly gone blank. Two shots on goal in two games. Though they did hit a bar, and uhm, whatever it was that happened right at the end.

Though I hope they do get them, and whatever dark cloud that has fallen over them is lifted ...

Just imagine, this team beat USA 4-1 in a game?? USA? A hattrick for Ricketts?? Now they can't get 4 SHOTS against AUSTRIA! Meanwhile USA is blowing thru tough opponents like a hurricane. :eek:

they beat the usa 4-0!!!

[nlsanand]

okay so we need:

firstly canada to win (hopefully a 3-0 score)
a big portugal win over gambia (maybe 2-0 but 1-0 will do)
a mexico win over new zealand

that would put:

uruguay through with 4 pts
costa rica with 3 pts (1 pt diff)
brazil with 3 pts (1 diff)
canada with 3 pts (3-0 win would be a 1 pt diff)

still could go through with a 1 or 2 pt new zeland win
or a goal or two by gambia in a loss. gambia could even win but the differential with portugal is tighter... making it harder for canada.

man how important was that simeon jackson shot on goal or that ball off the cross bar? damn!

it's okay we can still do it! let's go boys!!!

If Canada wins by three they are through no matter what over Cost Rica nased on a minimum of 3 goals versus CR's 2. However, we should also point out that Gambia and Portugal are very likely to be "motivated to draw". Gambia will be happy to proceed to group stage, and Portugal will be happy to rest some players. this could well play out scoreless.

Again, a two goal Gambia loss makes us golden so long as New Zealand come up with some crazy upset.

Damn those Scots, if they could have just held on, all we would need was a one goal victory.

[hodgkiss]

why would portugal be happy with a draw and rest guys??? they could potentially lose if they tried that. as they did with mexico and then they would be battling to get one of the wild card spots...

and besides, i thought it went to goal differential first... no?

[perucho79]

Well Canada's last game, lets just hope for a win, at least to end good this tournament

[hodgkiss]

we need a big win! don't hold back guys! take it to them early and don't let up!!!

[justink]

voyageurs get article on fifa.com

http://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/news/newsid=548194.html#canadas+voyageurs+keep+faith

[guppy]

Oh ya! 4-0 ... :)

By the way, there's some good comments following a Craig Forrest blog entry, some of em from coaches ... the one by the u15 coach DXE was very good reading, I recommend that one. He's dead on about how the formation was wrong in the Chile game, and how players (like Peters) were getting caught double-teamed, and how there was no 'plan B' attack. He didn't see most of the Austria game so he can't say much about that one.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/fifau20/blog-forrest/2007/07/dont_blame_dale_mitchell_for_c.html

[guppy]

And my two cents... I think the Canadian players thought they were better (hey everybody did) and in the Chile game they came crashing to earth, and they are in shock. It was as shocking to them as it was to the viewers. I think the Chile game ripped em apart.

That's not good. Probably if they played Austria first, they would have done better. But now ... I see them getting smoked. I hope I'm wrong. They'll have to press ... (if they can :p). THey'll have to get lucky and get an early goal, which means the ball has to approach the opponent's keeper with some velocity ... :p

[nlsanand]

why would portugal be happy with a draw and rest guys??? they could potentially lose if they tried that. as they did with mexico and then they would be battling to get one of the wild card spots...

and besides, i thought it went to goal differential first... no?

Portugal will likely get second so long there is no upset with the MExican match. Gambia is happy with a draw and a third place finish, they both have very little to play for. That's why. Portugal can only fail to make it if they lose by three, that is highly unlikely. They are way ahead of CR. They will definitely stop trying in second half.

[devioustrevor]

Portugal up 1-0 on The Gambia right now currently in the 39th minute, if that score holds Canada would have to win by two, or win and score at least two goals.

[hodgkiss]

1-1 now at the half. i still don't understand why someone would think portigal would rest players and want to play for the draw... with a gambia win, they would take 2nd and portugal would take 3rd and play a tougher opponent in the round of 16... it doesn't make any sense...

anyway, it's not the case - they seem to have a full team.


for canada to move on, i will support a portugal win!

and even though it's only 1-0 at the half, it seems as though mexico is destroying new zealand - GOOD!!!

[hodgkiss]

2-0 mexico - awesome!

2-1 gambia! hahahaha. looks like portugal might just squeeze through like canada could as well...

[hodgkiss]

if gambia does in fact win (hopefully 3-1)
canada will need a 3 goal differential to get in...

so tense man!

[JinJin]

great...even the Portguese couldn't do us a little favour....

but yeh I'm thinking 5-0 for Canada..

[Taoism]

Does the CBC audio seem to be like 1 second ahead of the video feed to anyone else?

Cheers!