Stalteri creeps closer

There was a lot of chatter yesterday about Paul Stalteri. Many close observers of the Canadian national team were arguing that the Stallion should be put out to pasture (*cough* sorry). That, after 79 senior caps for Canada, it is time to build for the future and bring in some younger fullbacks.

That Stalteri is just three caps away from becoming Canada’s all-time leader is irrelevant to many of the critics. No, it has to be all about building for the future.

Tomasz Radzinski getting a run-out in Poland, that's different. They can't tell you why it's different, but it just is.

It's, of course, a load of crap. If Canada were to deny Stalteri the all-time caps lead now, when he's this close, would be incredibly, well, there isn't a better way to put this, shitty.

Playing for Canada is not always easy. Anyone that has answered the call as many times as Stalteri deserves our respect as he chases the record. After he gets number 83 by all means start looking younger. But until that time the classy thing to do is to keep running him out. It's three bloody years until the next World Cup cycle. Doing the right thing by Stalteri is a hell of a lot more beneficial to the long-term success of the program than seeing what kid might feature in the chase for Brazil.

In a perfect world Canada will play three more times before BMO is ready to host a friendly next spring. I look forward to sitting in the south end of BMO Field as the captain breaks the record in his home town. Maybe someone could even make a tifo. And, if it's done right, Canada can take another baby step to becoming a true footballing nation.