Canada is supposed to be able to score. It's ironic, when you consider the history of the thing, but it is what it is. Defending...suspect. Keeping...scary. The attack...that's where it's at under Stephen Hart's Canada. A fluid, possession orientated game that is pleasing to the eye and dangerous to the opposition.
Except it hasn't been for the last 332 minutes of action. After a pair of defeats to Poland (1-0) and Macedonia (3-0) Canada has now gone more than three and a half games since it last put a ball in the back of the net.
The back-line is still horrible and the keeping situation worse.
It's probably a good thing we are three years away from World Cup qualifying time.
There were some positives about Canada's game today. The wing play looked dangerous. Canada forced a lot of corners. Mike Klukowski showed why he's a CONCACAF top XI and Radz had a nice run-out.
The less said about the Macedonia game the better. Canada missed two penalties, while giving up two against. There, that's the summary.
I'm sure the Canadian hardcore, all 34 of them, are having a conniption right about now. And you can understand why. It wasn't a pretty pair of games. The thing is -- and this really can't be said enough -- the games didn't really mater. No one is paying attention, it's too early to truly be building towards anything and the FIFA ranking is such a crap shot that it's beyond silly to worry about it. The important thing about these two games -- the only important thing -- is that they happened.
A high ranking CSA official contacted me unsolicited last mouth and told me that the CSA wanted to play 30-35 games before the next qualifying cycle. It was understood that it was vital to the program that it try to play on every available date. Not to do so would doom the program to another disastrous qualifying campaign.
Two down, 33 to go. We'll worry about the results in about a year's time. For now, let's just play.
Do that and the goals will come eventually. Hell, you might even find a keeper...
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
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4 comments:
Well put Duane, completely agree.
Sorry are you seriously telling me that Mike Kulkowski is better than Carlos Salcido?
Um, just wondering, but what was the final word on Begovic?
Tim,
People that know a hell of a lot more about the game than I tell me that it would be a close debate, yes.
Klukowski is likely the most underrated player in CONCACAF.
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