I keep seeing that we have "no depth". Our depth made both the US and Mexico sweat at the Gold Cup, our depth played a huge role in the qualifiers when we were missing the likes of Davies (half the time) and Eustaquio. Not knowing the depth doesn't mean it doesn't exist. We keep seeing guys "coming out of nowhere" - it's more that they aren't well known. This cycle opened eyes on Canada in general, the anonymity of the depth is about to change.
Some of it could also be that a lot of USMNT fans, and fans of the game in general don't consider MLS a good league. Some of Canada's depth plays in MLS....therefore....must not be good. It doesn't help that the Canadian MLS teams aren't shown much or at all in the States.
Also having a Canadian passport has been a huge handicap until Davies. You could be good enough to play at a higher level but the Maple Leaf made them think that the player couldn't play. Barcelona scout wanted to have Davies signed and the owner said no because he was Canadian. This will also change starting next cycle
Minor quibble....Barcelona doesn't have an owner. Your point stands though. Davies signed with a better organization in Bayern in the end though.
I never said Canada had "no depth", I just said their depth and overall talent wasn't as good as Mexico or the U.S. Canada is easily in the top 3 in the region and will continue to give the U.S. and Mexico fits. I've been extremely impressed with what Canada have done so far, but they took a lot of people by surprise, no one will underestimate them again.
The lights were just too bright on this stage for Canada. In 2026 this team will be a team no one will want to face though. Round of 16 is my prediction with a chance to go further..
Canada should have gotten a Result bs Belgium But today showed their lack of class compared to the best teams. I expected Belgium and Croatia to play like old teams but Croatia are just tactically superior in the short passing game, build up etc. it’s no contest. Canada have some great pieces but really need to upgrade their midfield. You can’t look at the concacaf games always as the marker of a great team.
You are aware that Davies had an even harder path to where he is than Landon Donovan had? Davies path started long, long before the CPL was even conceived, let alone started. Davies grew up with almost the same pay to play club scenario that many American players still face today.
Yes, the kind of program that doesn't exist in the US as I said that Canada has a less serious pay-to-play problem compared to the US.
True, however, he didn't have a clear pathway to Pro Soccer at that free to play club at that time. Canadian soccer was fractured, and did not have its' own Professional League when he was coming up. Larin, Buchanan, and Miller all played College Soccer in the US before going Pro.
I think the US has this problem too, but I think a lot of it is not having the depth in terms of guys you can feel comfortable bringing on in a World Cup game against an England. The depth is good for CONCACAF, not as much at the World Cup against elite teams.
Except Davies didn't learn to play at an MLS academy. Edmonton's Free Footie program doesn't have a counterpart in the US. Also MLS academies are limited and unable to cover most of potential soccer players in the US or Canada entirely. So what should talented kids from poor families that live hundreds of miles from an MLS academy do if they can't afford to move or travel?
Are you sure about that? You might want to actually use Google once and a while....... https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/vancouver-whitecaps-sign-15-year-old-alphonso-davies-mls-deal#:~:text=The Vancouver Whitecaps are going,to sign an MLS deal. Details can be soooo pesky sometimes....... Davies played for Vancouver's Academy beginning in August 2015, and then signed an MLS Homegrown Player deal at the age of 15 in July 2016.... About that "Free Footie Program"....it's not just for soccer......it's an afterschool sports program... https://freeplayforkids.com/ It's also a non-profit that relies on fund raising in order to...fund the programs.... Oh, hey look here's a similar program in Philadelphia, PA.... https://phillypal.org/programs/ And in New York City... https://www.nycgovparks.org/programs/recreation/youth-sports
Yes, Davies went to the Whitecaps as a teen after several years playing in Edmonton's Free Footie. He didn't learn ABC's at an MLS academy and he wasn't a novice anymore. So if it weren't for Free Footie where else would the Whitecaps have discovered Davies?
Here's an idea....do some research, then come back with some intelligence to add to the discussion. To insinuate that Davies learned nothing during his time with Vancouver and their Academy is very naive. Yes, Davies learned to play Soccer while growing up in Edmonton. He leveled up his game playing against better & older competition during his time with Vancouver. Just like how he leveled up even further after moving to Bayern.
Canada disappointed me. The "Eff em" comment likely hurt them. They had a super brutal opening schedule w/ Belgium & Croatia. They were pretty solid against Belgium, but the floodgates opened vs. Croatia.
If I follow his line of argument JD played in a free soccer program in Edmonton which the US doesn't have anything like, but they do because it is an MLS academy and that doesnt matter because JD didn't play in an MLS academy, but he did play in an MLS Academy and that doesn't matter because he wouldn't have played there if he hadn't played in a free program in Edmonton. And he didn't learn anything at the MLS Academy. Its alphabet soup at this point.
I wish Herdman didn't make that comment about Croatia. That's not what Canadians are about, generally. Aside from that, we're about where I thought we would be in this World Cup. Croatia is a great team, no shame in losing to them. Their midfield movement was exceptional today. We've tried to come out and play during this world cup. Some players have shown their individual qualities. Those are positives. We have one more game to show people what we can do on the world stage. I've waited for this my whole life. I'm going to enjoy it.
A draw or win against Morocco plus the win against Japan, along with the strong play against Belgium, would make a successful Qatar trip.
What's wrong is that Canada was drawn with the #2 and #7 ranked teams in the world in their first two games. Whole 'nother level from what they experience in CONCACAF. Turns out Luka Modric and those guys are pretty good. They've acquitted themselves well, particularly against Belgium, but there aren't moral victories at this level. A result against Morocco, and the tournament can be looked at with satisfaction. Even without that, the cycle overall was a smashing success. A lot to build on.