The long road to 2014

Canada is going to start getting ready for the next cycle and while they're still keeping Stephen Hart in limbo about who will definitely be the manager, we have scheduled two friendlies on FIFA dates in the same month - nevermind calendar year!

Canada will travel to Macedonia Nov. 14 and to Poland Nov. 18.

It will be interesting to see how much new blood and how much new old blood gets called in. There's a rumour that one time Canadian youth keeper, now Portuguese senior keeper Daniel Fernandes may come back in the fold. It may also be the return of Canadian-born Portuguese youth teamer Steven Vittoria.

Hopefully there will be some new faces called in. Everyone's pining for Junior Hoilett, but I'd also like to see Jacob Lensky and Massih Wassey called in for the camp at least and if no return of Fernandes, than a call-up for either Haidar Al-Shaibani or David Monsalve.

We're also pretty sure that Tomasz Radzinski has never played a pro game in Poland. He's in a good run of form at the moment and the game in Poland is quite close to his hometown of Poznan. Might be a nice farewell match.

Did you know Joe Cannon qualifies for Canada? I don't think there would be any real interest in pursuing him, but it's funny to me that he's been around forever and that sort of came to light this season.

cheers,
hobbes

I watched Ajax-Feyenoord today hoping to see Jonathan De Guzman but he did not play. Any hope of recapturing him back into Canada's national team now that he is a longshot for Holland's team?

I think we're too cynical to hold out hope for Jonathan, but we'll see.

The squad is starting to unofficially trickle in. Hischfeld was called in and so too was Jacob Lensky, which will be interesting.

As you may remember, Lensky was a good prospect in the Feyenoord youth system, didn't come when called very often as a U20 got a couple of caps, but never did play when we hosted the U20 WYC. He lost interest in the game and retired, then a year later decided to sign with Vancouver and was doing so well that the Sounders gave him a trial which he turned down.

He instead went to FC Utrecht and has started almost every game at left back. I have no idea if he's committed or where he fits into our plans, but on form he deserves a call-up and I'm glad he's coming.

cheers,
hobbes

And why are we cynical?

Yesterday Jacob Lensky decided to accept a call-up for the Czech U21s next week. My understanding is that since he was cap tied to Canada as a youth under the old-old rules, he would still have to change his international standing and you can only do that once, so he's as good as gone.

Stephen Hart was understandably stunned (he had a plane ticket to Macedonia paid for by the CSA in his hand when he decided to play for the Czechs).

On the upside (if there is an upside) Lensky is an incredible flake and frankly has come off as a total asshole in every interview I've ever read with him. We have options at left back and I don't think guys like Lensky are the kind of guys who will get us to the World Cup (because of commitment more than talent).

Still it's maddening.

Here's the squad:

GK- Lars Hirschfeld | GER / Energie Cottbus
GK- Josh Wagenaar | SCO / Falkirk
D/M- Mike Klukowski | BEL / Club Brugge KV
D- Kevin McKenna | GER / FC Köln
D/M- Paul Stalteri | GER / Borussia Mönchengladbach
D- Richard Hastings | SCO / Hamilton
D- Dejan Jakovic | USA / DC United
M- Julian de Guzman | CAN / Toronto FC
M- Atiba Hutchinson | DEN / F.C. København
M- Patrice Bernier | DEN / FC Nordsjælland
M- Iain Hume | ENG / Barnsley
M- Marcel de Jong | NED / Roda JC
M- Jaime Peters | ENG / Ipswich Town FC
M/F- Josh Simpson | TUR / Manisaspor
F- Simeon Jackson | ENG / Gillingham FC
F- Tomasz Radzinski | BEL / Lierse
F- Rob Friend | GER / Borussia Mönchengladbach

A very first-team side with the exception of DeRosario. We could call in an 18th player to replace Lensky, but I'm not sure who that might be. It could depend on the MLS playoffs this weekend, but even then I'd think Hainault is the only one we'd really be interested in.

I think it could be a more orthodox 4-4-2 with Hirschfled; Stalteri-Jakovic-McKenna-Klukowski; Hume-Hutchinson-DeGuzman-Simpson; Jackson-Friend.

de Jong/Simpson and Hume/Peters probably lend themselves better to a 4-4-2. We shall see.

cheers,
hobbes

Another year or two and Lensky will be looking to try and play for Canada again, even if he is then tied to Czech Republic! As hobbes writes it sounds like he is a real flake.

So are these games Tomasz Radzinski's goodbye tour with Canada? Otherwise the coach would be wise in my opinion to be looking for younger alternatives with an eye towards the 2011 Gold Cup and qualifying for World Cup 2014.

It looks like Hart will be officially named the manager after these friendlies.

I'm somewhat skeptical about some of his tactical sense, but the players like him, he's had us playing a fairly attractive style.

If he can get some fight and spirit into the group and actually gets some of our players to play for their country (he seems quite popular, Begovic said he wanted to keep playing for Hart at one point) he may be the right appointment. Now that the CSA has committed to him, he can hopefully approach players in a more meaningful way.

I am not expecting much out of the two friendlies. I'm not exactly sure why this is but we are typically awful in November. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that those matches usually come months and months after we've most recently played.

We're 2-6 this decade in November. That includes a dire 2-0 loss to South Africa, the 5-1 hammering by the Czechs and a 3-0 loss in Dublin. Ugggh. We've been crap in November.

cheers,
hobbes

We're 2-6 this decade in November. That includes a dire 2-0 loss to South Africa, the 5-1 hammering by the Czechs and a 3-0 loss in Dublin. Ugggh. We've been crap in November.


Good thing Canada didn't make the CONCACAF-CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying playof then! Sorry hobbes I just could not resist!

PLAYOFFS?!?!?! Don't talk about playoffs! Are you kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game. /Jim Mora



cheers,
hobbes

Out of curiousity hobbes, how are the press treating this friendly with Canada out of the running for the World Cup? Is it out of sight, out of mind or is there some interest in the start of the 2014 qualifying process?

Personally I think selecting hart was a wise move, from what I've read from you on here that (a wide move) is out of the ordinary for the CSA!

It’s pretty out of sight out of mind. The game isn't televised, but the CBC is showing Ukraine v Greece. I watched three different soccer news programs last night (including the supposedly Canada-scentric Soccer Central) and all anyone was talking about was WCQ, MLS playoffs, Robert Enke and Real Madrid.

Sportsnet isn’t showing the game, but they sent pbp guy Gerry Dobson to Macedonia . . . Radzinski isn’t even coming to Macedonia, which adds more to the theory that the Poland game is his swan song. I think he’ll start in Poland.

Jakovic has picked up a knock and is questionable. Which may leave Richard Hastings starting. Which may be very bad news.

We added an 18th player — Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault from St. Pauli who is a d-mid.

Macedonia is at full strength minus a defender (Boban Grncarov of Cyprus’ APOEL) who wasn’t likely to start. The match is in Strumica. It’s their first international there (not counting an all-domestic game with Bulgaria that they apparently don’t count) and Strumica is the home town of Lazio’s Goran Pandev who is apparently extremely up for it. Lucky us.

The other downside to Strumica is that it is apparently very hard to get to — a hearty Vancouver fan took a boat to Croatia, couldn’t get a train, flew to Albania and then took two over-night buses without heat to get to Strumica.

Also the Polish supporters are still boycotting matches and apparently ticket sales have not been brisk for Wednesday.

I’m willing to give Hart the benefit of the doubt, but you’re always hoping you can do better. His CV is less than impressive, but he’s done well at two Gold Cups. You take the Gold Cups away and the appointment is laughable (his CV is far, far worse than Mitchell who was a disaster), but he’s had us play well twice, so you hope he’s somehow found a way to get the most out of the group. We’ll see how he does.

cheers,
hobbes

Macedonia 3 Canada 0

Canada started: Wagenaar; Stalteri, McKenna, Hastings, Klukowski; Bernier, Hutchinson, DeGuzman, Simpson; Hume, Jackson.

The back four was shocking. A Macedonian missed an unmissable chance at the end of the first half which was one of two sitters Macedonia missed in the first half.

The pitch was atrocious and full of sand, but really it shouldn’t make that big of a difference.

They scored right at the start of the second half.

We earned a penalty and Iain Hume missed it which prompted the line of the (very early) morning: “The last time somebody with a head injury looked this bad in the Balkans Gavrilo Princip was responsible.”

The Macedonians scored from the spot to make it 2-0 and then Simeon Jackson stepped up to miss our second PK of the day. At least this time it was saved.

Our excuse is that since we are never awarded penalties, we have no idea how to take them.

And just to cap off the evening in a fitting fashion, McKenna hacked down a Macedonian for their second penalty and once again they didn’t miss. I think Stalteri and McKenna are getting very near the end and Hastings is too. Thank god for Edgar, Hainault, Jakovic and Attakora.

That slow build-up stuff played right into their hands and we did diddly for most of the game. Once we went direct and used some of our pace, all they could manage was fouling us. Unfortunately our woeful free kick taking carried over from the Gold Cup.

The runner-up for line of the day: “It’s times like these, I’m glad 99.9% of the country will never know any of this ever happened.”

cheers,
hobbes

A few more notes from the debacle.

Stalteri gave away the first penalty and he and McKenna were screaming at each other (this isn't entirely unusual, both men can be predictable after goals: Stalteri likes to scream at his teammates and McKenna likes to look around bewildered and disgusted with his hands up and out).

What we didn't see, but our intrepid travelling supporters did see was that the two nearly came to blows and when Stalteri was subbed out, he didn't give McKenna the captains arm band, he threw on the ground at his feet.

There's a growing belief that there's something deeply wrong with this group. Their lack of heart in qualifying, some internal issues, loads of defections . . . even TFC's 5-0 loss in a must-win game kind of spoke to lack of bottle from a handful of Canadian national vets.

If there is something wrong, I don't know that Hart is the guy to fix it. I hope it's simple frustration, but Stalteri's temper has always been an issue, but after sorting it out for a few years it's back to being where it was when he was younger only now his game has fallen off.

This team need a fresh start and a new direction, but I'm seeing too much of the same old. Our mentality has sucked for years and now that our talent is rapidly declining, it's a bad combination.

We'll see more starters in Poland (Radzinski and Friend for a start), so hopefully that helps.

The guys at the match felt Simpson was MOTM for us while Klukowski was his normal good self and DeGuzman and Hutchinson were sub-par, but okay. The rest of the backs and Bernier were apparently as shocking in person as they looked on a jumpy feed.

Wagenaar actually had a very good match. He made a lot of saves, especially in the first half. Which may keep him in contention for a job. I wonder if he ends up in MLS soon. He's rotting on the bench in the SPL. I don't really see any point in that.

cheers,
hobbes

I appreciate the report hobbes. From your comments it sounds like Hart needs to do some house cleaning and several years before Canada will have to play a serious game again, I'm guessing at Gold Cup 2011, there is time but it might be the opportunity to tell veterans like Staltieri, McKenna and some others, "thanks for your service, but now it is time to give younger players a chance."

That sounds true but from hobbes posts it sounds like Hart who is popular with the players might be considered too much of a "players coach" to do the dirty business of letting some of the vets go. Is that a correct interpretation of your posts?

Hart is definitely a player’s coach, but I’m sure he will call who he feels needs to be called. He doesn’t have any real strong ties to the old guard (a failing or both Lenarduzzi and Yallop who favoured guys they had played with or coached with their clubs). Bottom line the manager needs to pick the team that will get results or else it’s his neck is on the line. I think Hart knows this and appreciates it.

But if this team has internal problems, I’m not sure how Hart will deal with that. If Stalteri had thrown the captains arm band after being subbed under Holger Osieck he never would have worn it again. Holger lost it on a player for wearing a baseball cap a team meal. I can't see Hart trying to put anyone in their place. Even after the offside call at the 07 Gold Cup he was the one pulling his players from the officials and putting a sympathetic arm around Marty Nash as they walked off the pitch.

I’ve only met Hart twice (and the first time he was nobody which was kind of cool, he was very friendly and talkative), but I’m not sure how he’ll reign in any players who are problems. I don’t see that side of him. Maybe his assistant can be the bad cop (it’s Fonseca right now, though Nick Dasovic has had that role before being No. 2 at TFC, he’d make a good bad cop) and try to keep people in line. Maybe a quiet word is more effective anyway, I don't know. But I don't like the leadership of this group of players and it's getting worse.

The Macedonian press were laughing at the way we acted, screaming and yelling after each penalty and pointing fingers at the ref and linesmen. They seemed surprised we were so irate (and frankly they both looked like PKs to me, the first one the guy went down easy, but these were not graceful challenges). The guy then concluded by saying something like “if you miss two penalties, you should be pointing a blaming finger at yourself, not the officials.” Which is very true.

This may all be premature. Hart is still officially nothing more than TD and if we get embarrassed in Poland, I’m not sure what the CSA will do. You usually like to make a bit of a splash and get some press for naming a new manager, but “fresh off of a 3-0 loss in Macedonia, the CSA made Stephen Hart its full-time head coach” doesn’t exactly tell the masses you know what you’re doing.

cheers,
hobbes