It was always going to be difficult to read much into a match where the opposition features only a few professional players (along with one who reportedly works during the day as a mailman) even if you’re as far from being a soccer powerhouse as Canada is.
There were enough chances to cement a 12-0 final score, and that would have still offered very few clues as to how the Canadians might cope with Honduras or Costa Rica on a suffocating Central American night. By the same token, had DeRo missed his second-half penalty and St. Lucia nudged up its already preposterous levels of time-wasting to frustrate Canada into just a one-goal victory there would have been cries for Stephen Hart’s head on one of those sticks loaded with pizza outside at the CNE.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Canada dominated possession against St. Lucia on Friday night and never looked remotely close to actually losing, but dominating possession is the bare acceptable minimum against a country like St. Lucia.
This was no Faroe Islands. These islanders were awful. Their gameplan consisted broadly of hacking the ball desperately in the general direction of the Canadian goal no matter how close they actually were to it. Given the resources at their disposal you can hardly criticize them for that. If you want to criticize them do it on account of their incessant time-wasting (estimates range between seven and nine stretchers called out onto the pitch). On several occasions there were two St. Lucia players lying prostrate on the ground at the same time. I understand the tactical diving and time-wasting when a team suffers such a massive talent deficit compared to its opposition, but what’s the point when you’re already down two goals?
As for Canada, it should be no surprise a collection of guys flung together to play seven or 10 games a year have difficulty finding cohesiveness right away. Especially in the final third. Every national team deals with the same challenge, even Spain, the trick is learning how to overcome it faster. Canada has yet to solve that trick. The first half against St. Lucia was frustrated desperation against Panama at the Gold Cup, all over again.
The only individual performance I’ll single out is that of Simeon Jackson. I really, really want this guy to score for Canada, and I want to be in the stands close to the pitch when it happens because I think the sweet release will translate into a reaction roughly equivalent to what an old Australian friend said happens when you put a frog into a sock.
How many glorious, gilded opportunities can this guy miss in a Canada shirt before you just have to assume somebody, somewhere is sticking pins into a doll crudely fashioned in his resemblance? I’m still holding out hope that he’ll explode for a 10-goal in six-game deluge at some point in late 2013 along similar lines to what he did with Norwich last season, rendering all this other stuff a faint memory.
Off the pitch, an area of definite improvement was the crowd in the stands at BMO Field. The overall number was still too low - officially announced at 11,500, I pegged it about 9,000 based on my view from the south-end stands - but the effort to involve youth players from youth clubs around the GTA was readily apparent by the fact at least 80% in attendance were actively cheering for Canada. The massive challenge will be replicating that against a Honduras, Mexico or Costa Rica.
Another minor confusion centred on whether the supporters’ section was general seating. My group and at least one other were pulled from our spots mid-cheer when people showed up late and demanded to sit in the exact seats printed on their tickets. I (probably incorrectly) was under the impression that sections 113 and 114 were basically a free-for-all in terms of where you stand, as has been the case at every other Canada match I’ve attended at BMO. I understand wanting to enjoy quality seats, but at least show up on time to claim them. It kind of kills the camaraderie of a supporters’ section when the stewards have to get involved to play Mommy and Daddy.
Otherwise, Canada fans don’t have to wait long for what should essentially be the rubber match in this first round of qualifying: the away game to Puerto Rico on Tuesday. That will be tougher. The opposition will be better (or at least I thought they would be until I learned they drew 0-0 with St. Kitts tonight) and playing on the road in hostile conditions will show whether the Canadian players are finally learning to “get” each other on the pitch and finish off some of their solid-yet-peripheral buildup play earlier in the match.