US-Canada: I have bad feeling on this one.

I think that it will be a more challenging game than the El Salvador match, but Canada is not sending their "big" guns (Radzinski, et al), so their young guys will not be too ready either for the talents of Mathis, Olsen, Donovan, etc.

I say the USA grinds out a 2:1 victory.

 

Re: US-Canada: I have a bad feeling on this one.

I hope you're feeling is correct, but if it helps you to feel any better, you may be interested to know that due to major player unavailability Canada is arguably fielding a "C" team. Not only are at least 7 first-choice players unavailable due to club committments (or in the case of De Guzman, last minute pull-out due to injury) but most of the first-choice replacements are unavailable as well. Last-minute injury problems have forced Canadian coach Holger Osieck to call up 4 youth players keeping in shape at an U20/23 camp in Mexico to the squad, all of them un-capped at the senior level (for a grand total of 7 uncapped players out of the 17 called), and aged 18, 19, 20 & 21 respectively. Why? With no league of our own, the A-league players inactive for several months (barring those already attending the training camps) & our (many) other European players all with club committments, there weren't too many other choices but to go with inexperienced youth.

I realize the US is missing their Euro-based players as well & looking at quite a few new players, but from what I've seen of your roster they've all been playing pro in the MLS & should have far more pro experience than many of the Canadian players (many of which don't have any).

But as I said, I hope you are correct.

 

......i too am worried each and every time Califf takes to the pitch, i have no clue what are his positives; he is bad in the air, slow, has a heavy touch and gives up dumb fouls close to the goal, other than that he is ok.....

 

I watch Califf week in and week out here in LA and he's way too harshed on by everyone outside of the Los Angeles area. He did play almost every game for the MLS CHAMPS and actually does a very good job offensively off set pieces - he's got a fairly deadly header. His defense is young and precocious, but will steadily get better and better. He makes good plays and the occasional bad play - just like just about any other young defender. We'll be fine with Califf.

 

Well I agree about the Califf and Victorine. But then again, it was raining that day in DC.

 

hear, hear...that is all i am worried about at the moment too!

 

Now don't go talking about Jeff Agoos like that!! Oh, wait....Califf...nevermind.

 

I guess Radio Unica will be the last resort?

 

Re: US-Canada: I have a bad feeling on this one.

I couldn't care less, wake me when the Gold Cup rolls around. And the next really important games don't come for 2 years.

 

Califf in the long run will be better than Agoos. Right now he is Agoos-esque though, I think he's more of a player for 2010 than 2006.

I'm kind of with Uniteo, I don't give a $hit until WCQers in 2004.

 

....i am mortified that Califf may actually be capped for the senior team; freindly or not, we have better defenders

 

I'm with the guys who don't care, which is why I was reading this thread and why I felt compelled to reply. In fact, don't bother waking me in 2004, get me up in the round of 16 in 2006.

That was sarcasm. If Califf demonstrates more of the terror stricken card earning free kick giving goofiness he has done for the MNT so far, he should be out of one more chances sometime soon. But I expect him to start, and I'll be watching closely on this one to see if he can stay composed and distribute intelligently.

As for the bad feeling: It's a low stakes game, but I think will win. Might Twellman get his first US goal?

 

Re: US-Canada: I have a bad feeling on this one.

Our back line won't be the same. I think Victorine at right back was a one-time experiment by Bruce, and I expect to see Ryan Suarez at right back in the Canada match. Also, Eddie Pope and Nick Garcia are on the roster, so Califf may not necessarily start.

 

However, I think that if the US loses, you guys will still be pissed off and we'll be elated.

And that (or a close, exciting game) could set up an interesting next game.

 

soccer starved or what????
this is merely an opportunity to evaluate some guys to see how they "fit".
relax and enjoy the game.

 

Re: US-Canada: I have a bad feeling on this one.

Ya, it would be a shame to loose a friendly. =)

 

Re: Re: US-Canada: I have a bad feeling on this one.

Where do people come up with stuff like this. Arena has a history of turning wide midfielders into outside back. Arena has already strongly implied that Suarez is not his idea of an outside back. Victorine scored a goal and played solid defensively against El Salvador. While Suarez or someone else may start at right back this game, there is no reason to believe that Victorine at right back was a one-time experiment.

P.S. I would not be shocked to see Victorine at left back in this game.

P.S. 2 -- It matters not one whit who wins this game.

 

Try 'em out and learn

As much as I want the Nats to perform well every time out, we all know that there will be times (like this perhaps) when some of the new players will get a chance to show they can perform at this level or not. This learning curve will expose the team to poor performance and friendly losses. I am perpared for a friendly loss. At least given Canada's level of play a trip "down" the learning curve shouldn't be too steep.

That said, I think we should be able to beat Canada. Argentina will be a real test.

 

it is a sign of a good coach and a mature team to take risks when nothing is on the line. What kind of a moron would Bruce have to be to NOT try new guys now with nothing at stake. he should try anyone who he has a good idea or even a hunch could be useful.
By the way, I am home with a sick kid today, so I rewatched USA-Portugal. Our attack was absolutely devastating!!Donovan was driving them nuts. But I have to say, we were damn lucky that Frankie was not further undressed. He was absolute crap, gave away many, many balls and even got himself nutmegged. Wow, let's all keep an open-mind because the standard or some of our defenders( Frankie,Agoos) was .....well, what can you say that won't get bleeped out here?

 

This must be the obligatory "I have a bad feeling about this game" that seems to crop up before every USA game.

 

as do the oppositions' excuses of fielding a "c" team- everybody covering their backs.

 

It may be a friendly, but I really do want to beat Canadia, if only to put a sock in the mouth of my canuck friends, who still see the 2000 Gold Cup run as "proof" that maple leaf soccer is up and coming, and slagging off the results of the 2002 world cup.(You would think we would get at least a thank you note for contributing towards the CONCACAF 1/2 slot for 2006-- Canadia's best chance at qualifying for Germany-- but they want to talk instead about softwood lumber and American cultural imperialism. That's rich-- I want to point out they live in New York, where there's no lumber and that they skim off the top of American cultural imperialism with their decent-paying jobs at downtown bars, but I guess this is another example of that fabulous sense of "Humour" Canadians always boast about having.)