I have come up with a new moto for Toronto FC. It is that if you can't be good you should at least be exciting. They lived up to that moto against DC United in what had to be one of the most exciting games in recent memory. The game was a 3-3 draw in the end but along the way to that final scoreline there were talking points left right and centre.
The game kicked off with DC United's keeper being sent off in the 7th minute thanks to a nasty two legged tackle that sent Avila flipping through the air. After chatting with his assistant the ref decided that the right move was to send Hamid for a very early shower, if he even needed one after only 7 minutes played, and I think it was the correct move. Watching the game I knew that things were only going to get more lively from there. The stage was set for TFC to go on and get their first road win of the season but we all knew it was never going to be straight forward like that. TFC found a way to commit three major mistakes, one by Frei and two by Iro that allowed Dwayne De Rosario to net one of the easiest hat tricks you will ever see. TFC answered back with goals from Marosevic, Koevermans, and even one from Julian De Guzman.
If you want a nice summary of the match then you came to the wrong place. Instead I want to focus on the emotional roller coaster that TFC took me on last night. Coming in to the game I just had that feeling that DeRo was going to put in a performance and i guess he did just that last night even though one of his goals was a penalty, one was misplayed by the keeper, and the other was basically gifted to him by Iro. I will give credit where credit is due and say that DeRo did well to take advantage of the gifts that were being given to him by his former side. I do not agree with the sentiment that I am coming across today that this game shows why TFC should have paid up and kept DeRo. Instead I still think that letting him leave was the right move for a club that is looking to rebuild. He is a very good MLS player and a proven goal scorer but Toronto needed to take that one step backwards so that they might one day to able to move a lot further forward. The fact that DeRo scored a hattrick left me with a bad taste in my mouth but the one positive that I can take from it would be the fact that if DeRo is on form come the fall it will be a massive boost for the CMNT. So I guess we can thank Andy Iro and the rest of TFC for giving him a confidence boost.
At the exact other end of the emotional roller coaster that was this match was watching Julian DeGuzman score a screamer of a long range goal. The only thing wrong with his first goal for TFC was the fact that the ref should have never allowed it to happen since DCU were in the midst of making a change when JDG decided to take a quick freekick. Again if you look at this from a Canadian perspective it is great news. JDG will be a key member of the team and if he discovers any sort of his form from before he joined TFC then Canada will be in much better shape. The end result of JDG's goal was DCU coach Ben Olsen being dismissed from the sidelines having just flipped his lid in reaction to the goal being allowed to stand.
The last part of the game that I want to cover is how I felt about Iro and his performance. He was complete shit but I do not give him the entire blame for that. TFC played much of the second half with basically only 2 actual defenders on the field and Iro was not getting much help at all. He is a decent MLS defender but he needs to have a stronger partner in centre back. He is not strong enough or confident enough to control the middle of the pitch without somewhere better there to help him. He needs to play better then he did last night as the second goal was all his fault with him failing to clear the ball but the penalty he conceded was a real team effort. He was not the only one in the box that was failing to clear the ball, just happened to be the one who got caught bringing the man down. So blame him for one goal if you will but blame the entire team for the lack of defending that was going on in this game.
So like I said if you can't be good at least you should be exciting and at the moment TFC seem to have that covered. I like the fact that they are scoring more goals, I have been impressed by some of the new additions to the side, not just Frings and Koevermans either and I think that even if the results are not coming in yet the team is going to be better once things settle down. Games like this are giving me lots of reasons to be excited for 2012 and the chances of the team being in a position to be more competitive but before that I am just pleased that TFC are going to be a more entertaining team to watch down the stretch even if the playoffs are quickly fading from reach.
Showing posts with label dwayne de rosario. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dwayne de rosario. Show all posts
Sunday, August 07, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
TFC's Big Day
Toronto FC fans everywhere knew that we would be able to expect a fair bit of activity once the summer window opened as it was clear that the club was in need of improvement, and in some cases just more bodies, in almost every position. It was also clear that some of the clubs under performing players were in danger of being moved on. With that in mind today's announcement by the club that they had gone out and secured two new designated players really should not be a shock. Even more so when you consider that both signings had been strongly linked to the club by almost every media outlet that offers speculation on the team.
For Toronto FC today was a big day and many fans are going to be hoping that this serves as some sort of turning point in the future of the club and from here on out it will all be looking up. I personally think that these two signings are a great beginning but it is nothing more then that. A lot more needs to be done to address the teams needs. They have still not replaced the scoring that they lost when the traded away De Rosario or found a striker to take some of the pressure to score off of Alan Gordon. They also still need to go out and at least do some sort of patch job on the back line as injuries and other factors have left the team short on defenders able to play at the MLS level. Today in the press conference announcing the signings Aaron Winter made it quite clear that this was only the beginning as he indicated that the team would be looking to make a number of trades which could see the club moving out any number of players included De Guzman who has consistently under performed since joining the club.
The first of today's signings that was announced was former German international Torsten Frings. He has played much of his career as a defensive midfielder, same position as De Guzman, and was capped 79 times by Germany. Most recently he played for Werder Bremen where he played in over 300 games in his two stints with the club. Frings is now 34 years old and in the later stages of his career but it is clear that he still has loads of ability. Despite being a defensive midfielder Frings has a proven ability to chip in some goals from time to time having scored 67 of them in his career that spans over 500 games now. He will bring composure and experience to the centre of the park for Toronto FC and the club will be hoping that he is able to play on for at least a few more years despite his age. He joins the club on a multiyear deal as a free transfer and will be eligible for selection on the 20th against FC Dallas.
The second signing of the day starts to address the scoring needs of the club. Danny Koevermans is a Dutch striker and he also joins the club on a free transfer having signed a multiyear deal as a designated player. Kovermans is a former Dutch international, even though he only played 4 games for the Netherlands, who has a proven scoring record in the Eredivisie. In his club career he has scored 136 goals in 253 matches which is a good rate for a striker but his pace has fallen off a bit since he joined PSV in 2005. Toronto FC will probably be looking for him to chip in a goal every other game and provide a veteran presence in the attack as well as giving a much needed increase to the depth. His arrival will hopefully also make Alan Gordon and Maicon Santos better as they will be under slightly less pressure now to do all of the scoring.
Lost in the big news of the signings was the fact that TFC had a match tonight against their Canadian rivals in the Vancouver Whitecaps. I was unable to watch the game but having seen the highlights I got the sense that it was a very even battle with neither team generating much in terms of offensive chances. The only breakthrough in the game came as Soolsma cut inside and then out before Janicki brought him down just inside of the box. The referee showed no hesitation in awarding the penalty and I have to say that it was the right call. Soolsma was given the chance to finish off his play by taking the spot kick which he calmly converted to the left of the keeper. It was the only goal of the game as TFC were able to bag a 1-0 win over the White Caps which is only their 3rd win of the season but it was enough to see them jump over three teams and into 5th in the East. It also means that TFC are now 4 points up on Vancouver in the battle for the best Canadian team. That battle will continue on the weekend when the Nutrilite Cup finally wraps up with the second leg being replayed at BMO Field.
For Toronto FC today was a big day and many fans are going to be hoping that this serves as some sort of turning point in the future of the club and from here on out it will all be looking up. I personally think that these two signings are a great beginning but it is nothing more then that. A lot more needs to be done to address the teams needs. They have still not replaced the scoring that they lost when the traded away De Rosario or found a striker to take some of the pressure to score off of Alan Gordon. They also still need to go out and at least do some sort of patch job on the back line as injuries and other factors have left the team short on defenders able to play at the MLS level. Today in the press conference announcing the signings Aaron Winter made it quite clear that this was only the beginning as he indicated that the team would be looking to make a number of trades which could see the club moving out any number of players included De Guzman who has consistently under performed since joining the club.
The first of today's signings that was announced was former German international Torsten Frings. He has played much of his career as a defensive midfielder, same position as De Guzman, and was capped 79 times by Germany. Most recently he played for Werder Bremen where he played in over 300 games in his two stints with the club. Frings is now 34 years old and in the later stages of his career but it is clear that he still has loads of ability. Despite being a defensive midfielder Frings has a proven ability to chip in some goals from time to time having scored 67 of them in his career that spans over 500 games now. He will bring composure and experience to the centre of the park for Toronto FC and the club will be hoping that he is able to play on for at least a few more years despite his age. He joins the club on a multiyear deal as a free transfer and will be eligible for selection on the 20th against FC Dallas.
The second signing of the day starts to address the scoring needs of the club. Danny Koevermans is a Dutch striker and he also joins the club on a free transfer having signed a multiyear deal as a designated player. Kovermans is a former Dutch international, even though he only played 4 games for the Netherlands, who has a proven scoring record in the Eredivisie. In his club career he has scored 136 goals in 253 matches which is a good rate for a striker but his pace has fallen off a bit since he joined PSV in 2005. Toronto FC will probably be looking for him to chip in a goal every other game and provide a veteran presence in the attack as well as giving a much needed increase to the depth. His arrival will hopefully also make Alan Gordon and Maicon Santos better as they will be under slightly less pressure now to do all of the scoring.
Lost in the big news of the signings was the fact that TFC had a match tonight against their Canadian rivals in the Vancouver Whitecaps. I was unable to watch the game but having seen the highlights I got the sense that it was a very even battle with neither team generating much in terms of offensive chances. The only breakthrough in the game came as Soolsma cut inside and then out before Janicki brought him down just inside of the box. The referee showed no hesitation in awarding the penalty and I have to say that it was the right call. Soolsma was given the chance to finish off his play by taking the spot kick which he calmly converted to the left of the keeper. It was the only goal of the game as TFC were able to bag a 1-0 win over the White Caps which is only their 3rd win of the season but it was enough to see them jump over three teams and into 5th in the East. It also means that TFC are now 4 points up on Vancouver in the battle for the best Canadian team. That battle will continue on the weekend when the Nutrilite Cup finally wraps up with the second leg being replayed at BMO Field.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Gold Cup: Day 6 (Canada's back!)
The 6th round of play in the 2011 Gold Cup saw group C get back in to the action. That means that Canada was taking to the field for their second match and this time they were down in Tampa to take on Guadeloupe. The second game of the nights would see Panama and the United States battling for control over the group.
Coming into this game I heard a lot of Canadian fans feeling like this should be an easy win for the team because Guadeloupe are an unranked nation but that ignores the fact that most of their players are professionals in the French League system with a fair few of them playing for good teams in the Ligue 2. With that said they were not a team that Canada would be able to get away with taking lightly which they proved by making Panama work so hard to win in the first round despite having gone down to 9 men. The second game was no different as Canada were going to have to work for everything despite Guadeloupe again going down a man. This time the sending off game in the 4th minute when Will Johnson was hit by a two footed tackle from Jean-Luc Lambourde. It may not have been the worst tackle I have ever seen but I have also seen red cards being given out for less and Guadeloupe cant really feel that hard done by this one. So Canada were taking on 10 men for basically the entire game now and they must certainly have been the clear favorites, right?
The first chance of note in the game would go the way of Guadeloupe as Borjan was forced to get down to his right quickly and did well to turn aside the low shot. Before the first half was over Canadian striker Ali Gerba got what was clearly the best chance of the half as he found himself unmarked in the box but when he hit the cross first time he was unable to get it on target. The first half would end without much else happening and the sending off was the only real talking point.
The second half began with Guadeloupe creating the first chance as once again Borjan was forced to get down quick to make a save right by his post. Borjan continued his solid play tracking down crosses and making easy work of any shots that did come his way making Hart look like a genius for deciding to start him in this match. Canada generated a half chance a few minutes later with a speculative shot from range by De Rosario but on the 50th minute De Rosario sent a cross into the box that was aimed towards Ali Gerba but Gerba went down under contact from the defender and the referee awarded Canada a penalty. De Ro would step up to the spot and after sending the keeper the wrong way he slotted home the opening goal of the game. The penalty was by no means cut and dry and when I said that Gerba went down under contact it really was slight contact and he went down rather easily as he had no chance of getting to the ball. The decision is one that Canada have often been on the other end of and it has often angered Canadian fans to see teams going down so softly against us so it is no surprise that the reaction to this has been rather mixed even among Canadian fans. Gerba going down softly does raise the question though of whether this is the kind of thing Canada needs to do if they want to gain an edge against their opponents in the Gold Cup and later in World Cup qualifying. I personally do not like the idea of our players diving but if you are under contact and start to fall why not go down and just see what happens. No point busting your butt to state on your feet when at the other end of the field the opposing team might just go down and win the game as a result.
The game would continue on with both teams looking to create chances but to be honest there was a real lack of offensive talent on display in this one. The best chances the rest of the game came from long range efforts which were all turned away by the keepers. In the end it was that penalty decision that proved to be the difference as Canada escaped with a 1-0 win. For Canada I am sure they would have liked to score a couple more goals to try and improve the goal difference and their chances of finishing higher up after the group stage ends. For Guadeloupe on the other hand they will feel that once again the ref has cost them a chance to win the game with that sending off and then the penalty decision. Things will not get any easier for Guadeloupe though as they finish off the group against the United States and they will need to not only win the match but will need to win it by a comfortable margin. That basically means that come the last match day Guadeloupe will be only playing for pride. Canada on the other hand will have everything to play for when they round off their group schedule against Panama in a match where a positive result could see them finish anywhere from 1st to 3rd in group C.
The second game of the evening in the group was another exciting one and surely left a lot of fans scratching their hands. Panama was taking on the United States and with the US being one of the favorites for this Gold Cup you would have expected them to have a fairly easy time disposing of Panama. The match was nothing like that though as Panama came out flying and really took it to the US. Throughout the first half the Americans were kept on the back heel an Panama's hard work was rewarded in 18th minute when Luis Tejada scored to give them a lead that surprised all of the American fans watching the match in Tampa. Things only got worse for the Americans though as defender Tim Ream brought down Perez in the box handing Panama a penalty in the 35th minute. The spot kick was converted by Gabriel Gomez to give Panama a shock 2-0 lead which they would hold until the half.
The Americans would fight back in the second half but Panama put up a solid resistance. Panama would manage to hold back the powerful attack until the 67th minute when Clarence Goodson scored to give the States hope. In the end though they were unable to find the second goal that they needed to salvage any sort of result. Panama's early onslaught combined with resolute defending and some strong keeping from Cano were enough to hand them their second win in the group.
So with 2 rounds in the book now Panama find themselves sitting on top of the group with 6 points and if they get a result against Canada on the last day they will be going through in first place. The Americans will be looking to extract some revenge for this loss on Guadeloupe in their final match as they need a comfortable win to try and finish as high up the group as they can. A win could see them finish 1st or 2nd. There really is almost everything to play for on the final match day in this group and teams will be fighting hard for better positions to ensure they get the easier quarter finals.
Coming into this game I heard a lot of Canadian fans feeling like this should be an easy win for the team because Guadeloupe are an unranked nation but that ignores the fact that most of their players are professionals in the French League system with a fair few of them playing for good teams in the Ligue 2. With that said they were not a team that Canada would be able to get away with taking lightly which they proved by making Panama work so hard to win in the first round despite having gone down to 9 men. The second game was no different as Canada were going to have to work for everything despite Guadeloupe again going down a man. This time the sending off game in the 4th minute when Will Johnson was hit by a two footed tackle from Jean-Luc Lambourde. It may not have been the worst tackle I have ever seen but I have also seen red cards being given out for less and Guadeloupe cant really feel that hard done by this one. So Canada were taking on 10 men for basically the entire game now and they must certainly have been the clear favorites, right?
The first chance of note in the game would go the way of Guadeloupe as Borjan was forced to get down to his right quickly and did well to turn aside the low shot. Before the first half was over Canadian striker Ali Gerba got what was clearly the best chance of the half as he found himself unmarked in the box but when he hit the cross first time he was unable to get it on target. The first half would end without much else happening and the sending off was the only real talking point.
The second half began with Guadeloupe creating the first chance as once again Borjan was forced to get down quick to make a save right by his post. Borjan continued his solid play tracking down crosses and making easy work of any shots that did come his way making Hart look like a genius for deciding to start him in this match. Canada generated a half chance a few minutes later with a speculative shot from range by De Rosario but on the 50th minute De Rosario sent a cross into the box that was aimed towards Ali Gerba but Gerba went down under contact from the defender and the referee awarded Canada a penalty. De Ro would step up to the spot and after sending the keeper the wrong way he slotted home the opening goal of the game. The penalty was by no means cut and dry and when I said that Gerba went down under contact it really was slight contact and he went down rather easily as he had no chance of getting to the ball. The decision is one that Canada have often been on the other end of and it has often angered Canadian fans to see teams going down so softly against us so it is no surprise that the reaction to this has been rather mixed even among Canadian fans. Gerba going down softly does raise the question though of whether this is the kind of thing Canada needs to do if they want to gain an edge against their opponents in the Gold Cup and later in World Cup qualifying. I personally do not like the idea of our players diving but if you are under contact and start to fall why not go down and just see what happens. No point busting your butt to state on your feet when at the other end of the field the opposing team might just go down and win the game as a result.
The game would continue on with both teams looking to create chances but to be honest there was a real lack of offensive talent on display in this one. The best chances the rest of the game came from long range efforts which were all turned away by the keepers. In the end it was that penalty decision that proved to be the difference as Canada escaped with a 1-0 win. For Canada I am sure they would have liked to score a couple more goals to try and improve the goal difference and their chances of finishing higher up after the group stage ends. For Guadeloupe on the other hand they will feel that once again the ref has cost them a chance to win the game with that sending off and then the penalty decision. Things will not get any easier for Guadeloupe though as they finish off the group against the United States and they will need to not only win the match but will need to win it by a comfortable margin. That basically means that come the last match day Guadeloupe will be only playing for pride. Canada on the other hand will have everything to play for when they round off their group schedule against Panama in a match where a positive result could see them finish anywhere from 1st to 3rd in group C.
The second game of the evening in the group was another exciting one and surely left a lot of fans scratching their hands. Panama was taking on the United States and with the US being one of the favorites for this Gold Cup you would have expected them to have a fairly easy time disposing of Panama. The match was nothing like that though as Panama came out flying and really took it to the US. Throughout the first half the Americans were kept on the back heel an Panama's hard work was rewarded in 18th minute when Luis Tejada scored to give them a lead that surprised all of the American fans watching the match in Tampa. Things only got worse for the Americans though as defender Tim Ream brought down Perez in the box handing Panama a penalty in the 35th minute. The spot kick was converted by Gabriel Gomez to give Panama a shock 2-0 lead which they would hold until the half.
The Americans would fight back in the second half but Panama put up a solid resistance. Panama would manage to hold back the powerful attack until the 67th minute when Clarence Goodson scored to give the States hope. In the end though they were unable to find the second goal that they needed to salvage any sort of result. Panama's early onslaught combined with resolute defending and some strong keeping from Cano were enough to hand them their second win in the group.
So with 2 rounds in the book now Panama find themselves sitting on top of the group with 6 points and if they get a result against Canada on the last day they will be going through in first place. The Americans will be looking to extract some revenge for this loss on Guadeloupe in their final match as they need a comfortable win to try and finish as high up the group as they can. A win could see them finish 1st or 2nd. There really is almost everything to play for on the final match day in this group and teams will be fighting hard for better positions to ensure they get the easier quarter finals.
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Gold Cup: Day 3 (Canada Day)
June 7th was setting up to be a very big day for Canadian Soccer but in the end the results were not quite we would have all liked to see. The afternoon kicked off with the Women's National team playing their final warmup friendly in Budapest against the Hungarian team. The women would have been hoping to rediscover their scoring touches and hopefully fire a few past the Hungarians but that was not to be. In the end they got the win that they wanted thanks to an 88th minute goal from Matheson which was enough for the 1-0 win. The win set the stage well for a great day for Canada with the mens team preparing to play in the evening and it also ensured that the Women's team would be going into the World Cup feeling pretty good about themselves. The match was also the 100th cap for captain Brittany Timko making her only the 7th Canadian woman to reach that mark. (Women's World Cup preview coming later this month)
Now we get to the Gold Cup. The first match last night opened up play in Group C with Panama taking on Guadeloupe in Detroit. In the early stages this match looked like it was going to be yet another lopsided score as Panama took a 2-0 lead in the first half only to see Guadeloupe have a player sent off to the second questionable red card in as many nights. Having been reduced to 10 men Guadeloupe could have folded but they were ready to put up a fight. Things only got worse for them though when they opened the second half by conceding a penalty which was converted by Gabriel Gomez to give Panama a 3-0 lead. Even though Panama was up by 3 the game had seemed a lot closer then that based on run of play. Both sides were creating chances and it was fairly balances but everything seemed to be going in Panama's favour in the first hour. After the 60th minute Guadeloupe began an impressive fight back led by Brice Jovial who plays for Le Havre in France. Jovial would net goals in the 64th and 78th minute to hand Guadeloupe a lifeline but it was all to little to late as time ran out on them before they could salvage anything. To the other teams in the group it should now be clear that Guadeloupe are not a team that you can take lightly as they will never give a game up and it also showed that both they and Panama possess the kind of quality needed to give Canada and USA tough games.
The second match was the one that we have all be waiting for basically since June of 2007. Ever since the last meeting between Canada and the United States ended so badly Canadian soccer fans have been left with a really bad taste in their mouth. The Canadian supporters would have been hoping to get a measure of revenge in Detroit for the recent struggles that we have had against the Americans. I for one was hoping that for the first time in my life Canada would get a win over the United States in a competitive match. With all the hope among Canadian fans I almost forgot that Canada was still the major underdogs for this match. Spend enough time around passionate fans and they might just have you believing that Canada can hold their own against anyone in the world. That is a good thing though since fans really should have an almost blind faith in the teams that they support.
The game itself went nothing like we had all hoped. Canada's Josh Simpson made a promising run down the wings to start the game off but his cross was over hit and after that the run of play became all USA. The Americans were dominant in possession and creating all sorts of chances in the early minutes. The breakthrough came on 14 minutes when a play that seemed like it was no real danger. Jozy Altidore picked up the ball in the book and he was held out wide but his low shot was hard enough that it snuck under Lars Hirschfeld before he could get down to stop it. Hirschfeld probably should have done a lot better with the strike as he was in position to make the save and the shot came from a poor angle.
Following the opening goal Canada seemed to be rather stunned. The players were all passing off the ball like they didn't want it. Other then a bending effort from De Rosario just past the half hour mark that barely missed bending into Howard's top corner there was little to be excited about for the Canadian fans. It appeared that the choice to go with only Jackson up front left Canada without a really threat in attack as their buildup play was not good enough to provide Jackson any support and Jackson was not big enough to serve as a target man against the American centre backs. The second half of the game began with more of the same as the Americans controlled the run of play and were the only ones really generating any chances. They were rewarded for that dominance in the 61st minute when Clint Dempsey got in at the back post to tuck home a low cross from Altidore.
Having gone down 2-0 and not shown much in terms of being able to get forward and attack Canada were forced to make some changes. The moves that Hart did make gave Canada much more of an edge with Ali Gerba being able to generate probably the two best chances of the game for Canada. Gerba first forced Howard to deal with a powerful effort which would have been heading into the top corner until Howard got his hand on the ball and forced it over. Gerba's second chance was probably even better as the ball fell to him in close after a scramble in the American box but a great reaction save from Howard kept Canada off the board.
Based on the late surge from Canada they were probably a bit unlucky to not get a goal for their efforts. I think that in the end the Americans showed that they are still the better team and that they have the quality to control the pace of matches like this one. Canada showed that they have more questions then answers at this point as they need to find a way to generate more and play with a bit more edge in their attacks. The game might have been a lot different if say Tim Howard was in Canada's net since it may just have ended up 2-1 Canada but we can only work with what we have and despite the early mistake that led to Altidore's goal Hirschfeld put in a solid effort.
The real highlight of the match for me was seeing the excited and loud bunch of Canadians that had travelled down to Detroit for the match. Section 118 of Ford Field was filled with a bunch of familiar faces from the game at BMO and folks that came down made the best of their trip. Despite Canada giving them very little to cheer about they were in full voice for more then 90 minutes and deserve to be considered the man of the match for this one. Well done to the Voyageurs and anyone else who made the trip down, I wish I could have joined you.
Up next for Canada is a trip down to Tampa Bay where they will play Guadeloupe on Saturday at 6 PM EST. The team will likely feature a few changes from the group that started against the Americans. I can see Peters, De Guzman, Gerba, and Borjan all getting starts in this one in hopes of improving the teams attack as well as tying down Borjan as a Canadian international. I more complete preview of the next game will be up in the coming days!
Now we get to the Gold Cup. The first match last night opened up play in Group C with Panama taking on Guadeloupe in Detroit. In the early stages this match looked like it was going to be yet another lopsided score as Panama took a 2-0 lead in the first half only to see Guadeloupe have a player sent off to the second questionable red card in as many nights. Having been reduced to 10 men Guadeloupe could have folded but they were ready to put up a fight. Things only got worse for them though when they opened the second half by conceding a penalty which was converted by Gabriel Gomez to give Panama a 3-0 lead. Even though Panama was up by 3 the game had seemed a lot closer then that based on run of play. Both sides were creating chances and it was fairly balances but everything seemed to be going in Panama's favour in the first hour. After the 60th minute Guadeloupe began an impressive fight back led by Brice Jovial who plays for Le Havre in France. Jovial would net goals in the 64th and 78th minute to hand Guadeloupe a lifeline but it was all to little to late as time ran out on them before they could salvage anything. To the other teams in the group it should now be clear that Guadeloupe are not a team that you can take lightly as they will never give a game up and it also showed that both they and Panama possess the kind of quality needed to give Canada and USA tough games.
The second match was the one that we have all be waiting for basically since June of 2007. Ever since the last meeting between Canada and the United States ended so badly Canadian soccer fans have been left with a really bad taste in their mouth. The Canadian supporters would have been hoping to get a measure of revenge in Detroit for the recent struggles that we have had against the Americans. I for one was hoping that for the first time in my life Canada would get a win over the United States in a competitive match. With all the hope among Canadian fans I almost forgot that Canada was still the major underdogs for this match. Spend enough time around passionate fans and they might just have you believing that Canada can hold their own against anyone in the world. That is a good thing though since fans really should have an almost blind faith in the teams that they support.
The game itself went nothing like we had all hoped. Canada's Josh Simpson made a promising run down the wings to start the game off but his cross was over hit and after that the run of play became all USA. The Americans were dominant in possession and creating all sorts of chances in the early minutes. The breakthrough came on 14 minutes when a play that seemed like it was no real danger. Jozy Altidore picked up the ball in the book and he was held out wide but his low shot was hard enough that it snuck under Lars Hirschfeld before he could get down to stop it. Hirschfeld probably should have done a lot better with the strike as he was in position to make the save and the shot came from a poor angle.
Following the opening goal Canada seemed to be rather stunned. The players were all passing off the ball like they didn't want it. Other then a bending effort from De Rosario just past the half hour mark that barely missed bending into Howard's top corner there was little to be excited about for the Canadian fans. It appeared that the choice to go with only Jackson up front left Canada without a really threat in attack as their buildup play was not good enough to provide Jackson any support and Jackson was not big enough to serve as a target man against the American centre backs. The second half of the game began with more of the same as the Americans controlled the run of play and were the only ones really generating any chances. They were rewarded for that dominance in the 61st minute when Clint Dempsey got in at the back post to tuck home a low cross from Altidore.
Having gone down 2-0 and not shown much in terms of being able to get forward and attack Canada were forced to make some changes. The moves that Hart did make gave Canada much more of an edge with Ali Gerba being able to generate probably the two best chances of the game for Canada. Gerba first forced Howard to deal with a powerful effort which would have been heading into the top corner until Howard got his hand on the ball and forced it over. Gerba's second chance was probably even better as the ball fell to him in close after a scramble in the American box but a great reaction save from Howard kept Canada off the board.
Based on the late surge from Canada they were probably a bit unlucky to not get a goal for their efforts. I think that in the end the Americans showed that they are still the better team and that they have the quality to control the pace of matches like this one. Canada showed that they have more questions then answers at this point as they need to find a way to generate more and play with a bit more edge in their attacks. The game might have been a lot different if say Tim Howard was in Canada's net since it may just have ended up 2-1 Canada but we can only work with what we have and despite the early mistake that led to Altidore's goal Hirschfeld put in a solid effort.
The real highlight of the match for me was seeing the excited and loud bunch of Canadians that had travelled down to Detroit for the match. Section 118 of Ford Field was filled with a bunch of familiar faces from the game at BMO and folks that came down made the best of their trip. Despite Canada giving them very little to cheer about they were in full voice for more then 90 minutes and deserve to be considered the man of the match for this one. Well done to the Voyageurs and anyone else who made the trip down, I wish I could have joined you.
Up next for Canada is a trip down to Tampa Bay where they will play Guadeloupe on Saturday at 6 PM EST. The team will likely feature a few changes from the group that started against the Americans. I can see Peters, De Guzman, Gerba, and Borjan all getting starts in this one in hopes of improving the teams attack as well as tying down Borjan as a Canadian international. I more complete preview of the next game will be up in the coming days!
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Canada v Ecaudor in Photos
Me in the stands before the game. Face paint crayon = itchy!
Calvin outside of Gate 3...all alone
Canadians warming up before the match
We finally found some other Canadians!
I hope they were praying. They needed all the help they could get.
Canada's Starting 11
Getting the flags out!
Red to the front of me, yellow to the right..and everywhere else
Norwich's Simeon Jackson with the ball
More Jackson, he had a solid game
De Ro setting up the corner
Party after the goal. Canadian players just returning to the field
Getting scolded for jumping into the crowd I guess
De Guzman on for the second
We all laugh at the yellow football team, the yellow football team!
De Guzman!
De Rosario taking a free kick
De Ro and my man of the match pick Hutchinson
Right after the match. Ecuador still going after the ref
Players coming over after the game to salute the home fans
Great bunch those Red Patch Boys are
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