"You know what Canada's problem is? It's the same as this line of people waiting for the streetcar."
"What, 'cause there are a bunch of old ladies in St. Kitts and Nevis flags in it?"
"No, it's just, everyone's too courteous, too polite, too Canadian. Nobody's pushing to the front of the line, everyone's just waiting their turn. Same thing with the team, they just pass the ball around but nobody wants to actually go to the net and shoot it."
Yes, my not-really-a-soccer-fan-but-coming-around-to-it girlfriend, shivering in the transit queue outside BMO Field on a Tuesday night in November, kinda nailed it.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Sure, it does seem counterproductive and counter-intuitive to focus on a negative aspect of things, especially since I'd specifically asked for a blowout and, with a 4-0 dispatching of St. Kitts and Nevis (both of 'em!), Canada went ahead and delivered.
So let's give some credit where it's due. Canada trounced the opponent it was obligated to face, with Tosaint Ricketts making the absolute most of his first full 90 for Canada, providing a goal, drawing a penalty and raising the level of pace and passion on the field by about 64% at any given moment (non-scientific estimate). Dwayne De Rosario, of course, gave his hometown fans a memorable moment, tying Dale Mitchell's all-time goal-scoring record for the senior national team with his 19th.
The lineup, though, was a bit strange: despite claims that this entire round would be used as a means of maximizing familiarity amongst the "A" squad, and that Tuesday night's game would serve as preparation for the next round, head coach Stephen Hart kept Julian de Guzman and Mike Klukowski on the bench for the duration. Occasional Premier Leaguer Simeon Jackson only came on as a sub.
On the other side, local kid Ashtone Morgan went the full 90 in front of the Toronto faithful, while even ex-TFCer Nana Attakora (a last-minute, desperation replacement on the roster for Matt Stinson) got a run-out, presumably as a nod to the huddled masses at BMO Field. Suffice to say, in any event, that the starting XI for Canada on Nov. 15, 2011 and the starting XI on June 8, 2012, when the squad next wades into World Cup qualifying, will not be one and the same.
One key difference, hopefully, will be the presence of a healthy Atiba Hutchinson. While Canada's insistence on switching the field and maintaining possession -- at the expense of middle-of-the-park attacking and taking on defenders -- in the last few games was frustrating at times, it can't be removed from its context: This was a team operating without Hutchinson, its midfield lynchpin.
It's problematic when a team's dynamism is lessened with the removal of one player, but such is the reality of any team sport. On the plus side, a young, hungry Will Johnson has suggested he'd be interested in a more central midfield role, and is continuing to show himself capable of absorbing added responsibility for the national side. 'Twas his nicely placed corner kick, remember, that lead to Canada's third goal in the 4-0 win.
"Ah," you're saying. "But there's the problem! No goals from open play! Three of Canada's four goals on Tuesday were from set pieces. Both of their goals in the Gold Cup were from set pieces. If this team can't score from open play, they're doomed! Doomed!"
Allow me to first refer you to Soccer Cliche #392: "They don't ask how, they just ask how many."
Looking back to the Gold Cup, had Panama not frantically bundled an equalizer over the line in stoppage time, Canada likely would have advanced and the tournament wouldn't be referred to as a mess, disaster or debacle -- a minor disappointment, perhaps, but not the catalyst for existential soul-searching. We may very well have still ended the tournament with no goals from open play, yet the outcome would have been framed differently.
Again, it's all about context.
Recall, too, that even the mostly well-disciplined, highly-paid and prestigious teams in the world concede goals on set pieces sometimes. Canada's inability to create goals from open play is worrisome, no doubt, but to act as though Honduras, Panama and Cuba all have some air-tight, impenetrable and infallible system for defending set pieces is ludicrous.
The "we're going to Brazil" chants that arose in the south end of BMO Field on Tuesday night were surely tongue-in-cheek, as no one without a healthy dose of self-delusion truly believes that this team will cakewalk its way into the 2014 World Cup. Still, the out-on-the-ledge cynicism about the team's chances, borne of a pair of 0-0 draws against Puerto Rico and St. Kitts and what seems at times like an inability to score from open play, surely swings too far in the other direction.
The reality is that a patchwork Canadian lineup still managed to utterly dominate a game on home soil and win four goals to nil... albeit against a team of semi-professionals from a tiny island already eliminated from contention. The reality is also that Canada has played six games in the last 10 weeks, going undefeated with five clean sheets and a goal differential of +17... albeit against three small territories with a combined population of under four million.
So what's the point? The point is that, like the players, we as observers need to be a little more... Canadian when it comes to thinking about the campaign thus far. And by "Canadian" I mean all of those high-minded ideals about our national character that may or may not bear any resemblance to reality: diplomacy, even-handedness and careful consideration.
The round was nervy, but we still clinched it with a game to spare. The attack was suspect at times, but we still bagged our biggest-ever win in World Cup qualifying (the 7-0 shellacking of St. Lucia) and the team gave the home crowd eight opportunities to celebrate a goal. The tactics may have been questionable, but the coach was hamstrung by injuries and availability issues surrounding some important players.
In the end, what did this round teach us? Not much, really. So it's difficult to come to any concrete conclusions. In about seven months' time, we'll come back for further study, further analysis... perhaps we'll convene a public inquiry, simply to continue gathering facts. That sounds pretty Canadian.
But when it comes down to it, the squad will need to be less Canadian from here on out. Less courteous and forgiving. This team can't simply wait for its turn in the big show -- it needs to butt ahead in line and go after it.
My girlfriend and I, if you're wondering, didn't cut ahead in that streetcar queue. We patiently waited, teeth chattering amid the chilly lakeshore breeze as we dreamed about when we might next get to enjoy a nice, warm bowl of soup.
.