I read on twitter yesterday (tweet from Rudi Schuller so likely reliable) that ticket sales for this match have been "slow" ...I find that interesting.....have people given up on the #CMNT? Anyway, they announced the squad yesterday: CANADA’S ROSTER Goalkeepers: Kenny Stamatopoulos (AIK/Sweden), Milan Borjan (unattached) and Quillan Roberts (Toronto FC). Defenders: Nik Ledgerwood (Energie Cottbus/Germany), Andre Hainault (VfR Aalen/Germany), Doneil Henry (Toronto FC), Dejan Jakovic (Shimizu S-Pulse/Japan), Adam Straith (unattached), Karl W. Ouimette (Montreal Impact), Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare (Montreal Impact), David Edgar (Birmingham City/England), Ashtone Morgan (Toronto FC). Midfielders: Julian de Guzman (unattached), Pedro Pacheco (Santa Clara/Portugal), Kyle Bekker (Toronto FC), Atiba Hutchinson (Besiktas/Turkey), Marcel de Jong (Augsburg/Germany), Issey Nakajima-Farran (Montreal Impact), Patrice Bernier (Montreal Impact). Forwards: Tosaint Ricketts (Hapoel Haifa/Israel), Simeon Jackson (Coventry City/England), Marcus Haber (Crewe Alexandra/England), Randy Edwini-Bonsu (Stuttgarter Kickers/Germany), Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC)
I bought tickets for this match along with two friends of mine. I thought that they were pretty expensive for a CMNT friendly, that may be why ticket sales are sluggish. They could probably charge more for a WC qualifier. Maybe they were hoping that the large Jamaican diaspora in Toronto would increase demand on tickets. Also, I don't see where this match was very well promoted. I only know of it because I keep a close eye on the CMNT. Looking at the squad selection, looks like Floro is taking a break from his young guns philosophy, obviously planning to get a serious squad in place for next year's Gold Cup. One suprising ommission is Jonothan Osorio, seeing has he did select Kyle Bekker. I'm guessing that TFC didn't want to free him up for this one.
Positives: Only three unattached players this time. Negatives: Big gap in experiences between older players (Bernier, JDG, DeRo) and younger players (Bekker, Haber, Henry) in the possible XI.
Bekker being selected but Osario not being selected via some sort of deal between TFC and CMNT tells me we still have not gotten to the point where the manager of our national team gets unfettered access to the players he wants to build the team he wants....ever.
Just doing a lil research as this interests me. Adam Straith is one of the young and Unattached players. seems he has toiled around on loans in the tier 2 and 3 in Germany after being in the WhiteCaps residency. would he be a player who may benefit by staying in Canada now and look to play for NASL FCE or Ottawa. Or even finding a spot on the WhiteCaps USLPRO roster in New Westminster. finding some regular minutes as a starter. Where in Canada would a player like Borjan and De Guzman now fit at this point of their careers for a club for next season or even training with one this season.
Keep in mind that this is a friendly. If it was a competitive match, TFC probably would have released him. Also note that they did release Henry, which is a pretty big sacrifice with Caldwell out.
I get that but the compromises the CMNT has always made in squad selection have (IMO) always hindered our preparations for competitive matches. Re-phrasing what you have said, TFC said to CMNT "If you agree to only take one of the guys we actually use, we will let you take 4 others that we don't really use. We get that you will likely not use them either when you get to competitive matches, but you should live with that." We "let" them take Henry (BTW....in real countries the international coach has the say who he takes) if they laid off taking Osario and through in Morgan, Roberts and Bekker. As much as I like Morgan and Bekker they are hardly in the running to be on our Gold Cup or WC Qualifying starting 11....and if they are we are likely not going to do so well. So we are, again, fielding squads of players just because they are Canadian....not with an eye to actually prepping a lineup of 11 (or a squad of 18) that we think will be competitive when it matters.
No Teibert. That's a shame. Ah well my buddy Atiba is coming home and relative Pedrito is called up so I'm buying tickets now.
it isn't a squad of likely players for future competitive matches....it is a squad of guys who happen to be Canadian and available.
TOareaFan Floro must see something in Bekker and called him up. Even if he wants the best 11 I believe Canada is still trying out players but also bringing in stronger team. I think Bekker should be playing far more in tfc. Floro is far better coach and judge of talent compared to Nelsen I will trust his judgment on the players he brings in.
We probably disagree on Bekker but even if you are correct in saying he sees something in all 5 TFC players selected that they might be part of the competitive setup....does that mean he has adjudged that Osario isn't part of the squad or does it show/prove what I am saying in that the Canadian manager, again (for the umpteenth time in the 40 years I have been following CMNT) has had his hands tied at selection time and is not free to pick who he wants. As for Floro being a judge of talent superior to Nelsen....extrapolating that he clearly has a better judgement for talent than every other manager in the world....because he has selected, what, 3 players that no other manager has seen fit to sign (unless "unattached" is a new club in the Aussie league or something).
The comparison was towards Nelsen not other coaches in the world. I'm not a fan of Nelsen and felt tfc could of hired someone else. Bekker was playing well earlier in the season and was bench for quite some time. On Osorio that might of been tfc wanting to keep at least one influential player on their team.
Now they will That is the exact point I am/was making....the coach of our national team does not (never has) had free reign to name his squad for these prep games. It is why a couple of years ago I decided to not take them seriously and not spend any of my money going to them.....if they won't take them seriously, why should I spend ~$50 watching a team that is even the one the coach would pick.
Because you support them no matter what. I don't live in Canada but I still support them and these players chosen are part of the roster of Canadian team. This decision of no Osorio should not stop you from going to the games. I don't care who plays because I want them to play with pride, hustle, and confidence for Canada. It will happen a lot of times when our best can not play but heck you still support that team because they are playing for the honor of our country in an incredible sport we all love.
You are not following me....it is not the decision of Osario it is the continued and complete lack of control that our coach/manager gets in picking players. I go to all the qualifiers (unless I am out of town) but if the friendlies are not to be useful or taken seriously then I won't go.
Got you.... It's not a problem with Canada supposedly planning to play more friendlies Osorio will get plenty chances. Yes we, as fans, want to see our best players playing each time but it does occur when clubs deny international teams certain player/s from playing in these friendly games. It happend all over the world.
I'm hearing other rumours that Osorio is not there because he didn't want to play in this particular match and wanted to focus on TFC for the time being.
No it doesn't....around the world, at least in Europe, if a player is called....he can feign injury but the international team as the right to ask that he reports to their camp for their medical staff to evaluate him....if a player does not report for international duty and does not show up when called, his club can't use him...if they do they risk sanction. It is why players go to the trouble of "retiring from International duty"...they don't want to run the risk of being called up and having to go through all of that.....because it is not as simple as just saying to the international coach "don't call on me".
What's up with Milan Borjan...how did he go from being a Napoli target to unattached going into the day before the transfer window closes? When are Felipe, Camilo and Koffie eligible. 2017 approximately right?
It's not a tournament but a friendly which I believe can be turned down. A tournament I believe can not be turned down unless injuries have occurred or retirement or not being chosen. FiFa sanctioned tourneys that is.
I think Mark Viduka and Leeds United found out the hard way that friendlies (as long as played during designated international dates) count just as much and sanctions are just as severe.
and now they have chosen to un-release Henry and he has been replaced on the roster with Nana Attakora of DC United.
One of the things I read about the new TFC coach this morning was that he is an Ashtone Morgan fan....so this tweet should surprise no one: Retweeted by John Molinaro Canada Soccer @CanadaSoccerEN 1m #canMNT roster update: Ashtone Morgan released from camp to join up with @torontofc in Philadelphia. Expand Any thoughts now on how in control of their own squad/picks the CMNT team is?