Did CSA Jump the gun on hiring Mitchell.

[1TOFC]

I think they made a huge mistake. The U-20 team looks unprepared and out of its element. He also has the wrong formation. We need to play a 3-4-3.

[guppy]

I think they shoulda hired from the 'outside', a big-time international coach, and most importantly, given him the POWER OF GOD over the whole system. And oh ya, give him all the money he needs to make things right. But ... they want to save money. That's probably the bottom line with the people they got now. Who do they have? I dunno. Maybe just a bunch of bureaucrats trying to keep their jobs, and that say the right things in the meetings. What they care about the sport is anyone's guess ...

[Razcle]

lol...I dont think Jumped the gun is the appropriate phrase considering we went almost a whole year without any MNT Head Coach. :)

[lerxst]

Considering our performance in the U-20 I would say that our MNT is in a lot of trouble. What is it about the CSA and the ol' boys network firmly rooted in it that forces us to deal with local mediocrity? Why do we have to have a coach from Canada? What's wrong with providing our team with an experienced international manager? I'm so ********ing sick of our system and the politics behind it. The CSA can piss off.

[SoccerNewf]

Everyone knows they made the wrong choice except them. We had the coach we needed all ready to go. Now we get a guy who can't lead a team to not only win, but hey they didn't score a goal either.
CSA has screwed Canadian soccer for years to come.
All I have to say is good job guys.

[Taoism]

Considering our performance in the U-20 I would say that our MNT is in a lot of trouble. What is it about the CSA and the ol' boys network firmly rooted in it that forces us to deal with local mediocrity? Why do we have to have a coach from Canada? What's wrong with providing our team with an experienced international manager? I'm so ********ing sick of our system and the politics behind it. The CSA can piss off.
I think a large part of the problem is that the CSA's primary focus (for good or bad) continues to be grassroots soccer.

I do think the CSA has done a decent job in the past of promoting and helping to grow amateur soccer in Canada. The Vancouver Whitecaps Stadium Feasibility Study (http://whitecapsfc.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2/CityProcess/marketfeasibility.pdf) showed that soccer participation has seen 113% growth in Canada in the ten year period from 1994-2004. In some provinces the growth rate has been as high as 220%.


Soccer Registration By Province (2004)
===============================================================
| | | Total Registration
Province | Total Registration | % of Total | as % of Population
===============================================================
BC | 120,412 | 14.6% | 2.9%
AB | 90,766 | 11.0% | 2.9%
SK | 22,310 | 2.7% | 2.2%
MB | 19,467 | 2.4% | 1.7%
ON | 356,768 | 43.2% | 2.9%
QC | 152,789 | 18.5% | 2.0%
NL | 9,879 | 1.2% | 1.9%
NS | 29,320 | 3.6% | 1.1%
NB | 15,949 | 1.9% | 2.1%
PEI | 6,038 | 0.7% | 4.4%
YK | 1,625 | 0.2% | 5.2%
================================================================
TOTAL | 825,323 | 100.0% | 2.6%
================================================================

Soccer Registration By Province (1994-2004, Change)
===============================================================
Province | Registration (1994) | Registration (2004) | Change
===============================================================
BC | 64,136 | 120,412 | 88%
AB | 48.528 | 90,766 | 87%
SK | 7,073 | 22,310 | 215%
MB | 14,783 | 19,467 | 32%
ON | 162,500 | 356,768 | 120%
QC | 70,286 | 152,789 | 117%
NL | 8,000 | 9,879 | 23%
NS | 14,647 | 29,320 | 100%
NB | 5,001 | 15,949 | 220%
PEI | 3,176 | 6,038 | 90%
YK | - | 1,625 | -
================================================================
TOTAL | 398,130 | 825,323 | 113%
================================================================


I think where the CSA is not moving appropriately is with regards to the professional levels of soccer in this country. The CSA has an obligation to help at the professional level as well. This includes the senior mens team, but also with things like lobbying CONCACAF to accept the winner of the Open Canada Cup (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Canada_Cup) into the appropriate regional international tournament (CONCACAF Champions' Cup (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CONCACAF_Champions%27_Cup) anyone?). I would guarantee you that teams like Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto would take the Open Canada Cup a hell of a lot more seriously if it was the ticket to an important regional tournament.

On top of the above, the CSA needs to put some serious effort into improving the mens' national team program, and I was extremely disapointed when the deal for a Brazillian coach fell through. Perhaps the CSA doesn't feel they have the budget to put that much money into the national team and their amateur initiatives?

Each member province gets a say in how the CSA is run. If you want to have the CSA change then you need to find out who represents your province on the CSA and apply pressure to that person to change the direction of the CSA, or have your provincial association change who they put forward to the CSA's board.

Cheers!

[truwarier90]

what canada needs is a coach who a particular system of play he wants to play. They need:

1. one coach-one voice
2.he plays a certain formation
3.his own system
4.The Senior team system, style of play and formation should be copied by all youth and junior teams, therefore once these kids advance they are familiar with the system.
5.They need to get more of Canada's top players playing north america, so that they are closer and can train more often with each other.
6.new kits, they need a new image and appearance
7.more corporate support.

[CL_2004]

they should of hired the Brazilian

[v00d00daddy]

hiring ANY former Cdn International player is a mistake. How can you expect a guy who spent years playing in an underachieving, stagnant international program to lead the CMNT to international success. That's like telling Rosie O'Donnell, "hey Rosie, you're fat and can't lose weight, wanna be the director at my new fitness facility?"

Makes no sense.

[NS Rooney]

what canada needs is a coach who a particular system of play he wants to play. They need:

1. one coach-one voice
2.he plays a certain formation
3.his own system
4.The Senior team system, style of play and formation should be copied by all youth and junior teams, therefore once these kids advance they are familiar with the system.
5.They need to get more of Canada's top players playing north america, so that they are closer and can train more often with each other.
6.new kits, they need a new image and appearance
7.more corporate support.

Ouch! You've just laid out the CSA game plan as it now exists. The NTC's have been doing this for years and as all can now see with the U20's this plan is an abject failure. Young players should learn a variety of systems so they can "learn the game". In fact, since young players are constantly developing - both physically and technically - they should be playing in a variety different positions up untill the age of 16, 17 & in some cases, older. I've seen top sprinters slotted in as centre-backs at age 13 and never given a go at another position as long as they were at NTC.
A player needs to know what his teammates jobs are to do their own job properly. Bottom line: an elite player should be able to step into any formation comfortably. And a coach should have his entire team ready to change formations in the middle of a game. Example: no way could Canada compete with Chile, but Mitchell could have minimized the embarasment factor by switching to a 4-5-1 and perhaps kept that formation for the rest of the tournament. Then again, perhaps he could have found a couple of better ball winning central mid-fielders. Just a thought.

[hodgkiss]

hey, in teh gold cup it appear as if hart did a great job with the team. please don't forget that he will assist mitchell so maybe this will be a good tandem. let's give it some time to see what happens...

[NS Rooney]

hey, in teh gold cup it appear as if hart did a great job with the team. please don't forget that he will assist mitchell so maybe this will be a good tandem. let's give it some time to see what happens...

I agree. Steve Hart did a great job. However, if the CSA is as much of a politicized cesspool as I think it is he will be punished and not rewarded for his steller performance. He is an excellent coach and trainer and as such poses a grave threat to the rest of the CSA crowd. By crowd I mean the CSA youth coaches and hangers-on. I have no idea about Dale Mitchell but, I wish him well. Mr. Hart has set a tone and a standard for the senior side and it will be very instructive to see how Mr. Mitchell treats his new assistant and how the Canadian Internationals respond to him.

[shwade]

Mitchell was always a contender for the MNT head coach..what I don't understand is why they didn't wait a couple months longer to see the progress in the U20 WC, and then decide from there. I think he's gonna screw up our qualifying chances for 2010.

[truwarier90]

Canada should have hired the brazilians guy.

Canada needs to spend money and upgrade the victoria and burnaby facilities, because they could be Canada's permanent training ground for the winter and stadiums to host international matches during the fall and winter. Look at the USa their gameplan is smart they host matches in San Diego during the winter since its their warmest climate and they make san diego a permanent training post.

Also get some the kits, they team needs some creativity, the all-red kits are boring and lack flair just like the Canadian teams.
NSRooney, stop defending Mitchell, the sugarcoating aint gonna work.
Also Canada should hire a young energetic person to head the CSA. Im sick of the CSA and old boys' club network.

YO NS Rooney, Mitchell was playing 4-5-1, the entire tournament, he was playing defensive boring football, and didnt attack until the third game, Mitchell's tactics are boring, and 4-5-1 aint gonna score you goals. Canada's formations are boring and dull. spice it up baby. Mitchell lacks common sense, after Chile went up 2-0, he should have used 2 forwards and tried to score at least one goal. Then after the Chile game, Canada should have used a 4-3-3- formation and play attacking, fast pace soccer for the rest of the tournament. In any youth sporting event, coaching can win and lose you games, Mitchell choked and lost these games and got outcoached. signed, sealed and delivered.

[NS Rooney]

Canada should have hired the brazilians guy.

Canada needs to spend money and upgrade the victoria and burnaby facilities, because they could be Canada's permanent training ground for the winter and stadiums to host international matches during the fall and winter. Look at the USa their gameplan is smart they host matches in San Diego during the winter since its their warmest climate and they make san diego a permanent training post.

Also get some the kits, they team needs some creativity, the all-red kits are boring and lack flair just like the Canadian teams.
NSRooney, stop defending Mitchell, the sugarcoating aint gonna work.
Also Canada should hire a young energetic person to head the CSA. Im sick of the CSA and old boys' club network.

YO NS Rooney, Mitchell was playing 4-5-1, the entire tournament, he was playing defensive boring football, and didnt attack until the third game, Mitchell's tactics are boring, and 4-5-1 aint gonna score you goals. Canada's formations are boring and dull. spice it up baby. Mitchell lacks common sense, after Chile went up 2-0, he should have used 2 forwards and tried to score at least one goal. Then after the Chile game, Canada should have used a 4-3-3- formation and play attacking, fast pace soccer for the rest of the tournament. In any youth sporting event, coaching can win and lose you games, Mitchell choked and lost these games and got outcoached. signed, sealed and delivered.

I'm not defending Mitchell. I don't know the guy and I'm just saying he deserves a chance. Yes, the U20s performance was embarassing and... jeeze, maybe you are right. I stand corrected on the formation but it sure didn't look like they had five midfielders. They couldn't win a ball. They couldn't hold or pass the ball. It's kinda hard to attack without the ball. Are you suggesting the Pelerud method: ie launch it out of the back?
I agree with you about the CSA. They need to get some real soccer people in there and start the program from scratch. Then they could begin by showing some respect to the young athletes and maybe they wouldn't lose so many to other countries. You don't get respect unless you show respect.
About the guy from Brazil: don't forget we had a foreign coach, Holger Osiack. I think he is the guy who set up the NTC program. Unfortunatly, he didn't notice that there were no coaches to run these centres. Actually there were a couple - Steve Hart for one - but, by and large they were mostly CSA politicians or the cheapest B License they could find.

[Captain Canuck]

4-5-1 aint gonna score you goals.

Well leaving aside the Italy won the World Cup scoring in every game by largely playing a 4-5-1, Stephen Hart's employment of the 4-5-1 has netted Canada's senior team 14 goals in its last 7 games, not going scoreless in any of them. Actually it should be 15 goals in its last 7 games, if it were't for the infamous incorrect offside call for the tying goal against the US in the Gold Cup semi-final.

There are differences in the way that a 4-5-1 can be deployed of course. The senior team version is a lot less static 4-5-1 with De Ro, Hutchinson and De Guzman changing positions a lot of the time. I expect Mitchell will continue to use a 4-5-1 formation for the senior team, I'm not so sure that he'll continue to give that midfield the same freedom that Hart gave, we'll have to see.

Of course statistics don't tell the whole story. Outside of a 2-2 draw in Venezuela, those 7 games have come against Concacaf opposition, whereas Mitchell's U20 team was up against "World Cup" teams at that level. Mitchell, or any other senior team coach, is going to be evaluated on his ability to get Canada into the World Cup by competing successfully against Concacaf opposition. Frankly, we'll just be happy to get to the World Cup again, if we go three & out in South Africa I don't know that people will be too beat up over it. Perhaps that's not the way it should be, but until Canada starts qualifying for the World Cup with some regularity & improves its over all talent base to challenge seriously at the international elite level, that's the way it will be.

All this I think is a symptom of the CSA mess in taking so long to appoint Mitchell in the first place. If they were going to go with him, they should have done so last year when the position became available. Even though the personnel of the current U20 team is not likely to feature predominantly for us in World Cup Qualifying (depending on how their club careers go, Edgar, Peters, Begovic & Johnson might see some sub duty in the next couple of years), a lot of people are suddenly pessimistic again about World Cup Qualifying because Mitchell's U20 team looked so bad. I think we would have been better off giving Mitchell the reign's right away to see what heand giving the U20's to Hart (I think we need more of a motivator and/or teacher type of coach than a strategist). Although it might work out for the best. With Hart having a lengthy stint as interim manager, it does give the CSA (and the media which is starting to put some actual pressure on the CSA) a somewhat proven option as head coach if Mitchell turns out to be a failure at the senior level.

[guppy]

All this I think is a symptom of the CSA mess in taking so long to appoint Mitchell in the first place.

It's interesting the Linford's #1 choice was Simoes. Of the four candidates, two Canadian (Mitchell, Hart), two not (Simoes, Ardiles). But the board vetoed his nomination ... ($500,000 salary too high!).

In a way I feel sorry for Mitchell, cuz he must have felt like a cheap knockoff.

However this Linford denies. And we are supposed to believe the board wanted a Canadian coach all along (why, oh why), but took 11 months to pick him. Hart? No, MItchell no, Hart then. No. Ok Mitchell! Uhm, no.

http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/directory/board.asp?sub2=10

At least they can get their ties the right color. Barrett played soccer in ancient Egypt, er, I mean the 1950s. Maybe he was the deciding vote, who knows. :p

[truwarier90]

Well leaving aside the Italy won the World Cup scoring in every game by largely playing a 4-5-1, Stephen Hart's employment of the 4-5-1 has netted Canada's senior team 14 goals in its last 7 games, not going scoreless in any of them. Actually it should be 15 goals in its last 7 games, if it were't for the infamous incorrect offside call for the tying goal against the US in the Gold Cup semi-final.



there is a big difference between italy and canada, when italy loses people are shocked, when canada loses the crowd chants "Go Play Hockey."

lets face the facts bring in some brazilians to be president, technical director, and head coach of soccer canada. bring in some joga bonito, change the kits, hire some strength coaches, hire IT guys to handle video scouting, build more training facilities, try to get big time corporate sponsors like bells, rogers, ontario teachers pension plan, MLSE to sponsor soccer canada and to help build facilities. You need money to make money and to be the best you gotta spend BABY. Also Canada needs to schedule more road games in countries to acclimate players in tough enviornments with everyone against them.

[Captain Canuck]

there is a big difference between italy and canada, when italy loses people are shocked, when canada loses the crowd chants "Go Play Hockey."



Well if the crowd are full of morons, yes the probably will. But that's beside the point, I gave examples of both Italy & Canada being able to score in a 4-5-1 system.

[kai leung]

Foreign Coach? or a Canadian...how about both in one man? Did the CSA approach Hollands MNT assistant coach John van't Schip? A Canadian with an impressive club and International record with the Orange.