Things have a way of coming in threes.
In the case of Canada's quest to qualify for the 2013 U20 World Cup, it was three games: A disjointed decision against Cuba, a commanding victory against Nicaragua, and a Tuesday-night loss against the Americans that somehow seemed to synthesize the main talking points of the first two games into one performance.
Defensively, Canada looked dazed and disorganized, just as they did against Cuba (though in fairness, a first-half injury to Doneil Henry surely helped throw things into disarray). On the attack, they had flashes of promise, and even showed some bite when need be, just as they did against Nicaragua.
But at the end of the day, the team was undone by a devastating finish to the first half, which left them in a 3-1 hole that ultimately proved too deep to dig out of. So as the kids -- yeah, they're just kids, remember -- flock back to their respective club teams, Canadian fans are left wondering: What does this mean for the future?
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Before we get too far into that, a quick synopsis of the game, for those who may have missed it. A back-and-forth start was broken open when Canadian midfielder Dylan Carreiro unleashed a strike from 35 yards that left the American keeper wrong-footed. But Canadian fans had just six minutes to feel good about themselves, as Real Salt Lake prospect Luis Gil quickly equalized for the U.S.
Henry's injury followed soon after, and without falling into the "correlation = causation" trap, let's say the tide turned there. Jose Villareal took advantage of disorganization in the area to score his team's second in the 40th minute, and the real dagger came in first-half injury time, as Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau decided to punch an easily-catchable cross, which ultimately lead to a 30-yard bomb from midfielder Will Trapp that was cruelly deflected into the Canadian goal.
Canada had a legitimate claim for a penalty brushed aside early in the second half, as Samuel Piette was taken down in the area -- and, naturally, as if to vigorously rub salt into the wounds, the Americans quickly came down the other way and iced the game with Villareal's second. Piette let loose with another one of his suddenly-characteristic long-range strikes 10 minutes later to bring it to 4-2, and an excellent pass from Carreiro nearly led to a third from second-half sub Keven Aleman, but his touch (and/or the bumpy pitch) let him down.
Caleb Clarke's curled-just-wide effort late in the second half represented Canada's final good chance, as the latter stages of the game devolved into abject chippiness, with centreback Manjrekar James (who'd replaced the injured Henry) being sent off for a "headbutt" (or, really, a forehead rub) on one of his American counterparts.
Now, it's impossible to adequately judge a bunch of youngster thrown into the crucible of a three-game march to their World Cup dream (or, in this case, downfall) -- either positively or negatively. Still, head coach Nick Dasovic's emphasis on this tournament as a "learning experience" is a reminder that these players, ultimately, are a big part of the pool from which the senior national team will draw in the years ahead.
Crepeau got criticism for his decision-making on the third goal, but realistically saved his teammates' asses no fewer than three times with top-notch saves. In fact, he's shown himself capable of timely and acrobatic stops on numerous occasions with Canada, and could be one to watch.
Piette, of course, is already becoming familiar to Canadian fans, as the 18-year-old made his debut for the senior men's national team last summer. After a tough game against Cuba, the central midfielder showed why he's earned the nickname of "Bulldog" with some dogged and determined play in the middle of the park. Those in the Canadian program are high on him, and we can expect to see more of him in the years ahead.
A few other midfielders -- Carreiro and Alessandro Riggi -- also acquitted themselves well. Carreiro picked right up from where he left off after a strong effort against Nicaragua, not just by scoring Canada's opening goal of the quarterfinal, but with more good movement going forward. Riggi, meanwhile -- despite being subbed out at halftime -- demonstrated some solid technical skills and a couple of incisive passes. Aleman, Riggi's replacement, showed some glimpses of why many Canadian fans are excited for his prospects.
Ben Fisk was utterly tireless for the Canadian side against the Americans, digging back into the defensive end of things while also being the catalyst for any number of offensive chances. Clarke was once again dangerous up front, and though he didn't find the back of the net on this day, certainly looked capable of it on a number of occasions. It'll be fascinating to watch those two continue to come up through the Whitecaps system.
It may seem strange to be rolling through a list of positive performances after the Canadian team coughed up its opportunity to qualify for a FIFA tournament. Sure, the emphasis could be on those who struggled, or what went wrong -- but ultimately, what's the point? The tournament is done. The team is done until... well, who knows. And whenever the U20 team reconvenes, it'll bear little similarity to the team that took the pitch in this tournament. Such is the nature of youth teams, after all.
Remember, too, that Tuesday's game will end up representing the pinnacle for some of these kids. Check the rosters of the last few Canadian teams to have actually qualified for the U20 World Cup -- notice anything? Sure, a few of those guys caught on with the national team; but a good share of them dropped off of the footie map entirely. That's just the way it goes in this grand machine of sport.
So we could wallow all we want in yet another demonstration of why hardcore Canadian soccer supporters are among the most masochist sports fans on the planet. Or, we could regard this tournament in the way that Dasovic hoped everyone would -- as a learning experience.
Surely, some day, somehow, all of these painful lessons we've been learning will pay off. It's all about the future, right?
Which reminds me... qualifying for the U17 World Cup gets underway on April 6.
To the future!
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