Canadian Championship

Good to see Hassli score, but I don't know how much that would help his confidence. It was a weak shot that a competent MLS GK should be able to stop. He had another play that was rather smart (he held the ball and waited for the defender to close down on him, and pivoted off the defender to take the shot off), but again the shot was very weak. I don't know if it was the turf or his confidence, but his shots are usually powerful, and that was definitely not the case last night.

I'm not drawing too many conclusions when the quality of the opposite team is much lower than the Whitecaps. The game went as expected, and players are bound to look good against a weaker team. Still, Salgado is looking very good on the left wing.

In terms of the format of the championship, if I had any powers, I'd do the following:
- Keep it as a cup-style tournament (a league-style tournament would take too many games).
- Include all semi-professional teams in Canada (such as CSL teams), and have the MLS teams enter the tournament at a later round.
- Enforce teams to have a minimum of Canadian-born players in the starting lineup, say 2 or 3

 

I think it would be great to get lower level clubs into the tourney. Big problem though.... Canada is huge and could any of them afford the travel costs? I don't think many could. This isn't like a euro nation where you can drive to your game a few hours away. If some semi pro club from Ontario has to travel to Vancouver they may be unable to do it. The only thing I can think of to address that is to regionalize it and maybe have a champion from each region enter against the MLS and NASL clubs and get some sort of financial bonus to assist with travel. Not sure, but I think that is the biggest obstacle to having teams below NASL and PDL levels in this.

 

Tough game to watch, we seemed very uninterested. Harvey still looked like one of the worse players on the pitch, lost, disinterested and still too slow. Great to see Rochat back, hopefully he plays this weekend as well. I thought Klazura was good on the right for his first time cracking the line up. Still dissapointed Teibert is not getting a look. Seems to have fallen off the radar.

I think it would be awesome to include semi-pro teams.

Tournament should be expanding in coming years as Ottawa will be entering (I believe they have a NASL team lined up) Regionalizing it should help with the financial burden for the lower level teams, and the pro teams could assist by sharing the profit from extra games against the winner. If the tournament grows and is better recognized, sponsorship should also help cover the extra costs for lower level teams.

 

Those fixes are simple. Regionalize the tournament, and up to the semi-finals, make them one-leg games to be played at the lower level team. This avoids the issue of travel costs for the lower level teams, and if one of those teams goes on a cinderella run, the CSA could foot at least part of the travel bill.

 

Was a good atmosphere last night with roughly 15,000 ppl on a wed night. First 75 min of the game was just awful. The likes of Franks, Harvey were giving possession away and drifts away from their position.

For a 4-3-3 formation, we were getting pushed back as we didnt use any of our width as well as the fact that our front men last night (mainly Nanchoff and hassli) were not fast enough for effective counter attacks.

i gotta say when Etienne got on the pitch, he almost scored given his first chance, his touch and the ability to dribble around GK was outstanding for a big man like him. Not to mention he is also pretty quick with his feet.

 

Franks definitely proved himself to be third string or lower. Looked completely out of gas by the end--wasn't even trying to make tackles. With Harvey as weak as he's looked at left back, I'm thinking they may need to pick up someone for depth on that side as the season wears on.

Barabara looked like a beast. His blocked shot from the top of the 18--you could clearly hear the thump over the commentary as the ball hit the defender. Can't wait to see him and Mattocks coming off the bench late in games more regularly.

Although I was disappointed with Rennie's selection of Franks in the long run, I've got to say he's an amazing game coach. Two games in a row now the subs have turned a 1-0 deficit into a win. The guy seems to know his players, and reads the game really well. I also like the edge--gave the refs a rough ride when they deserved it, but knew when to shut his mouth. Perfect.

BTW--how dumb does that ref's assistant have to be to blow the call on Nanchoff's goal. I slowed it down on the PVR, and Nanchoff was clearly half a yard or more onside, along with Camilo, and the official was perfectly in line, staring right at the play. Makes you wonder. That goal goes in, and the game's essentially over (on aggregate) 2 mins in. Can't have that, now can we...

 

Since there were no replay on any incidents live during the game my section weren't too happy with the call. In the nanchoff goal situation, players r bound to try and protect the ball on the goal line, hence the is no way any caps players be off side.

 

I thought our midfield was pretty non existent. Thorington and Watson were useless, I thought koffie was pretty
Missed out there. Camilo had some good chances in the first, i thiught we should have won the gameGreat strike by hassli. I'll be content with his lack of head if he keeps putting them in with his feet.

 

I agree--the midfield was non-existent. Rennie seemed to get the starting mix wrong again this game. Hate admit it, but I think he was outcoached by Winter. TFC seems to have a proven gameplan for these cup games, and the Whitecaps either ignored it, or didn't pick up on it. Rennie ceratinly didn't field a team that would counter it well. Here's an article from Russell Beresford that hits the nail on the head, I think:
http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2012/05/17/hassli-gives-the-whitecaps-hopee/

 

OK--tell me I'm wrong: The Whitecaps shouldn't bother taking the Canadian Championship/Voyageurs Cup seriously, and should maybe even pull out of the competition entirely. Here's a brief rant as to why:

1. The officiating is atrocious, and often frankly unprofessional. The first leg of the Edmonton series was officiated by a referee who refs mainly women's games. Not to be sexist, but the women's game is much slower than the men's, and the ref clearly looked to me like she was still operating at the women's game pace, missing calls left and right. Having a ref from a lower league officiate a cup game at a higher level is ridiculous, full stop. Last night, there was another Whitecaps goal called "offside" that wasn't, and either Hall or Dunfield could/should have been sent off with two yellows. Last night's referee also blew an end to the first half at exactly 44:55 (I was there and saw the clock on the jumbotron), at a time when the Caps were surging, then added 4 minutes to the end with TFC up. In the end, Hassli made it work for us. The ref must have been pissed.
2. Most things the CSA touches turn to crap through a mixture of incompetence and/or corruption, and this "Championship" is no different. From a WC perspective, see the thrown game by Montreal in 09, and the idiotic rules around the abandonment and replay of last year's TFC WC final game. The crooked stick that regularly stirs this pot of crap stew are the officials that the CSA trots out year after year.
3. Nobody (WC fans least of all) cares. Last night there were 1,000 fewer people out to watch the first leg of the final than those who came out to see the second leg against Edmonton. Both crowds were the lowest of the season, I think, at a time when the WC are the only professional sport in town (Canucks are done, and the Lions haven't started up yet). Nuff said.
4. Perhaps most important, the tournament occurs at a time when the MLS schedule comes at us full tilt. The WC are playing 8 games in May as a result of the Voyageurs Cup. It was much the same last year as well. The need to rest players in such a busy month arguably played a role in the WC's defeat in New England last week. This coming Saturday and the weekend after, they play genuine derby games against a strong Seattle, and Portland. These are all games for real points for a spot in a real playoff in a real league. Voyageur Cup games, by comparison, are part of a Mickey Mouse tournament (see above) run by an unprofessional assosiation (CSA), designed to gain a berth in the champions' league of a world soccer backwater (CONCACAF), which is in turn designed to offer a single berth to a tournament (Club World Cup) that is probably followed by fewer people around the world than UEFA Champions League, Euro, or even the Asian Championship.

So I say once again: The Whitecaps should pull out of the Canadian Championship tournament and concentrate on winning the MLS Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup.

Tell me I'm wrong.

 

Hard to say you are wrong; they are all valid points.

I hope these problems change over time. I think if Vancouver makes the CL attitudes from the public will change and people will start caring about this tournament. As for the CSA reffing; I think if they want to take this tournament seriously they should pay to bring in refs from somewhere else. None of these referees have been at even the MLS level before. I am not sure how they can spread out the qualifying games though as they have to be done by June in my understanding.

 

The offside was the correct call. There are many replays available and it's not close. It's also disingenuous to call it a goal when all the players had stopped playing.

The short time in the first half was strange as was the lack of a yellow to Dunfield for his tackle/throwdown of Camillo (or was it Chumiento?). In Dunfield's case, you could make an argument that the first yellow was soft, and the ref didn't want to influence the match.

You forgot to mention two blatant handballs in the box that weren't called. Demerit's was ridiculous.

But the reffing didn't seem more or less worse that what you get in MLS. (wait till you win it and go down to central america and see the reffing there.)

Give it a chance - once you win it (and you will win it) it becomes all kinds of awesome.

 

Dehun, you make some good points. The refereeing was bloody horrible, hard to take it seriously. I do think the girl in Edmonton was better than whoever on wednesday. Quite a different crowd than hockey where a national POV would be crazy. With that said I am shocked about the lack of interest.
I think 2 things could improve the VC.
1. If the media gave the sport even a fraction of what it force-feeds with hockey the atmosphere would change.
2. Maybe it would be wise to go with the suggested theory of a minimum of 3 Canadians in the starting XI.

 

in order to bring up the quality of reffing in Canada, you gotta start somewhere, right? I suppose CSA could have used Petrescu, who I think is the most experienced Canadian MLS ref, but then, just how often does a Canadian ref get to officiate a match at this level?

if it makes you feel any better, this ref was just about as bad as many current MLS refs

 

After Mattocks' play against Seattle, I'd love to see him start tomorrow in TO. He may be just what the WC need to cut through that turtle TO defensive formation. I also agree with Russell Beresford in this article that his play had knock-on effects for the rest of the team:
http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2012/05/20/the-curious-case-of-darren-mattocks/

 

I've felt it in my gut for some time, but now there's empirical proof:
http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?3247-Is-Toronto-FC-the-worst-team-in-the-world

So if the WC don't beat TFC... $%&#@!!

 

Though officiating was sub-par tonight, the caps performance was far worse. Harvey has got to go! Despite it being 10v10, when Harvey was subbed on, TFC was flying through their right flanks. Yards and yards of space was given to open us up. Then ultimately made a mistake to mark the wrong guy. He is a liability!!

 

its amazing to me that rennie went with this lineup in TO-- the Caps had lots of energy and chances in the game in Vancouver vs seattle, thx to mattocks and salagdo (along with chiumiento in creative mf role) even though both missed some very good chances; so rennie decides to start the lethargic, enigmatic hassli and sits out mattocks and salago- the result: the team comes out flat and with very little energy and hassli does a lot of pouting, yapping and not a whole lot more-- he even sits on the field whining about a possible missed call for a penalty-- and camilio is not quite ready for a starting role-- why do coaches overthink the team selections?? the common sense thing to do was create the energy from the get-go by starting mattocks, salgado and chiumiento then bring in hassli and camilio as 30-35 minute subs

 

Having Hassli and Le toux up front needs a major provider from midfield, at the moment only Davide has the creativity and skill to- do so. Le toux is most effective running through channels at defender, his defensive work rate is only a bonus, however Rennie over uses this aspect in his tactics... which kinda hinder our attack by a lot. Thats why Le Toux has only scored only 3 goals in MLS this season and we are already 1/3 through. Hassli literally needs to be in a comfortable shooting area when he receives the ball to be effective.(Its ridiculous but its true, if the caps just boot the ball up field for Hassli to take down, he will most likely to be called fouling the defender and the lack of support in attack will only frustrate him even more.)

As for midfield, i like what Davidson brings to midfield for the first few matches in MLS, but somehow i found him ineffective at times when he had to cover defense especially for Harvey at the LB position. Koffie i think has been solid and was playing with a lot of heart for the Caps lately. His performance showed that he is eager to battle for the ball and hang out for the team. If he tunes out his shooting ability he would be very dangerous against the opposition.

Okay, can anyone answer why Thorrington is rated so highly by Rennie and gang? I mean he does seem to have an aggressive style in the midfield, but I think his qualities are similar to Koffie except with a bit more "experience". Our midield clearly lacks the creativity and physique when the starting XI is set up like wednesday. Its weak and we did not create anything the whole game. reminds me of the last year's caps.

The final thing i wanna say is that 90% in any football match when a team just boots the ball up field will most likely to lose the game. Thats how i felt the caps were playing at BMO field. As a result, merely 2 shots on goal, 0 on target shows how stupid this style of play is. I just can't see why TFC had put such pressure on us to make us only clear the ball back to them the whole game.

 

I agree. I was baffled by Rennie's starting XI too. I also agree with ixadvent--Harvey has to go. Rennie has been hinting at bringing more guys in over the summer--let's hope left back is one place where he's looking to add depth.

I think Le Toux has got to be moved to the centre up front to be effective. That's where he scored all his goals in Philly. With his work rate, he'd be way more effective there than Hassli. I'll be surprised to see Hassli back next year at this rate. Having said that, the penalty non-call on him was ridiculous. Rennie was right when he said refs regularly hose Hassli. There were two defenders on him--inside the box--one with his arms twisted through Hassli's and the other hacking his legs and grabbing his shirt. Together they took him down--no call. Joke.

So I guess it's $%&#@!! Honestly, though, I say good riddance. I wasn't looking forward to possibly watching a dive-fest with various Central American and Mexican teams in Concacaf. I now know, though, why TFC can't win a game in MLS--if they play that dirty, even the lousy MLS refs would kick and average of two to three players out per game. Petrescu should know better. But it seems TFC needs to play like that to get fired up, and it's only in Amway/Concacaf that they can get away with it(?).

If the CSA wants so badly to give the Voyageurs Jamjar to TFC every year, I say let them have it. They can play Edmonton, for appearances, while we and Montreal try to win MLS. I'm guessing the lethargy by both the WC and Montreal players had something to do with how seriously they take this tournament as well. After all, they had no problem getting up for Seattle on Saturday. We'll see, but my guess is they'll be up for Portland this coming Saturday too.

 

Even before the game, i guess everyone kinda knows that TFC will use every little time wasting tactics to grind out the win, yes they've played dirty and got the game. The de guzman and le toux sent off was kinda part of their plan, I mean to fire up and distract the caps from playing the game was meant to happen.

But I just wasn't happy with our team performance either. I have to say Rennie's wednesday starting XI wasn't the best choice with hassli and camilo in the line up. Camilo seem to have a habit with "going down easily" and Hassli is just basically unlucky with the refs' decision in North America. Like sportie said I'd rather have Salgado playing wide left and with his hold up style of play, he will definitely piss off the likes of jeremy hall with his size and ability. Same with Mattocks, with his speed he can probably easily out run Cann. Much preferred than having the two central defenders groping hassli all night and piss him off.

Sadly to say, Le Toux's first yellow was his fault for the clumsy challenge (don't know what was on his mind), but the sending off was totally a joke. What ref saw was that Le Toux standing in front of a TFC player that was down. I guess the ref thought Le Toux had knocked him down. But Le toux only wanted to resume play while TFC player was basically interfering.

I just hope this sort of match and game play won't happen again for the caps.