Marcelo Flores

[Atlantic]

Are we even sure he will attend a camp with Canada? I wouldn’t be surprised if his mind is already made up. I’m usually an optimist when it comes to dual nationals but I feel this battle may be over. 

[Strait Red]

2 hours ago, Approve My Account Pls said:

I will say that most hockey players listed heights are somewhere in between their actual height and their height on skates.

I'm a bit under 6 feet and I've met a few guys I've comfortably looked down upon that are "officially" 6'0 or 6'1. Same with Lowry and FVV from the Raptors, both are officially 6'0 but cannot be more than 5'10, maybe 5'11 if we're being generous.

The NBA has lied about heights for decades. Almost all players are listed an inch or two taller.

Edited December 9, 2021 by Strait Red

[Unnamed Trialist]

1 hour ago, Honest Footy Fan said:

And the fact that Marcelito was getting bodied by random 18y/o Chilean midfielders shows that it’s an issue for him currently. 
Hopefully he can figure it out. 

I didn't see it, but if you are getting easily pushed off the ball, you are making mistakes with the ball.

We've all seen short players, even very short, with low centres of gravity who stand their ground well. I saw that when Ludovic Giuly played for Barça, he was 1.64, thats 5cm shorter than Messi. Miccoli was shorter than Messi.

That is one possibility, perhaps it is not his. Often these types develop their lower train a bit later, and end up with massive quads, for example.

Another is that there are those lithe types who have amazing balance, which is something I always see when I watch quality academy play, those thin kids who can run through a sea of legs and bodies and stay up, with the ball. Foden weighs a bit more than 130 pounds.

Then another option if you are short: know how to trap, where to move the ball when you receive, and how and when to release. So you can solve size with quality touch. Often you'll get fouled, late, and hopefully the ref will do his job. Yes, this means you move away from those shoulder to shoulder challenges, instead of taking them on.

I don't see why a tall but slow CB knows he has to adjust, and many do, but somehow a quick but small attacker is not expected to. 

As an attacking mid who is going to be around players, and needs to have the ball to playmake, Marcelo has a greater challenge. That does not necessarily mean having to "bulk up", which I find is a puerile argument. Learn to play to your strengths and take away the rivals: isn't that what all footballers are called to do?

[dyslexic nam]

I get that Mexico is and always will be strong in CONCACAF.  But the reality is that a young player who consistently makes a national team roster will end up playing with the same core group of guys for years.   It isn’t like a club team where players move in and out quite a bit as time passes.  Despite some evolution and variation, national teams tend to be fairly static over time.  Thus one should not compare the legacy of Canada to the legacy of Mexico- which is fortunate because we obviously get hammered in that comparison.  The real comparison is the core group of national team players over the next 10 years.  Given Marcelo’s age, that is the kind of timeframe he needs to consider.  And when you think about it that way, we are a great option for someone to join.  The young players we have aged 24 and under are top quality - and that will be the core group in 2026.  Maybe we are not massively deep all around the park, but our attack is world class and will be for years, our outside defence looks to be really solid for years to come, and CDM looks great with Staq and then Priso as understudy.  If we address the CB situation and add a CAM or two, we are set for a decade of being highly competitive.

Looking at the prospects of each individual team over the next decade, I see no reason why someone would favour Mexico over Canada.  

[BuzzAndSting]

2 hours ago, Ruud said:

Double edged sword.  Huge pressure in Mexico on players and coaches.  No wiggle room.  

More pressure on our program to succeed? I don't see that as a downside considering the perceived lack of desire for success for the last two decades. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

I saw a video of him signing autographs and doing pics at the end with fans, he seems very comfortable. I think he's lost to us just seeing that.

Here are some highlights, he comes on at 6:30, m. 82, the dumbass TUDN commentator says "we are going to see a player who plays in the Premier, there's a reason he plays in the Premier". There's a shot of a fan in gear, wonder if that might be his father.

Chile immediately scores, Marcelo comes back late to cover the assist but it was not his fault, the error was the RB losing it deep and Chile pushing to attack. No other details here.

In this one, shot from the other side of the pitch (Chilean broadcast--do they separate the tv teams?), you see the goal, opposite angle; and at the very end you see his free kick, he tries to put it under the wall but it is weak. 

Adding, this one has the few touches and fouls on him, he looks confident, daring, quick.

 

Edited December 9, 2021 by Unnamed Trialist

[johnyb]

1 hour ago, Califax said:

Im honestly not sure it matters if he plays or not. Spending time with Canadians in camp, getting to know the lads, and watching how the guys he's spent time with play together, should be enough to make a case for us.

 

Also, I have literal chip crumbs on my gut while looking at that picture of Phonzie hahaha

 

As soon as they arrive in camp and crank up Walk of Life, he's ours!

[Markoaleks]

After seeing the video. Can only Imagine if Gary Medel was playing for Chile last night ……….

[Califax]

17 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Adding, this one has the few touches and fouls on him, he looks confident, daring, quick.

 

Maybe that’s the angle the boys take: This dude was knocked down slid into studs up, and talked shit to you while he was on the ground, you gotta figure Henry, Johnston or Lareya would’ve been up in Chilean faces if he was wearing a Canada jersey. 

[Matro25]

Even if he decides to stick with Mexico, its still pretty cool that the whole hype surrounding him in the Mexican media is because of his Canadian passport 😂

This would have not happened 2 years ago.

[Obinna]

Looks to be a good little player. I hope we land him. 

If not, it's been fun making the Mexicans sweat and panic

[blueseeka]

1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I saw a video of him signing autographs and doing pics at the end with fans, he seems very comfortable. I think he's lost to us just seeing that.

Here are some highlights, he comes on at 6:30, m. 82, the dumbass TUDN commentator says "we are going to see a player who plays in the Premier, there's a reason he plays in the Premier". There's a shot of a fan in gear, wonder if that might be his father.

Chile immediately scores, Marcelo comes back late to cover the assist but it was not his fault, the error was the RB losing it deep and Chile pushing to attack. No other details here.

In this one, shot from the other side of the pitch (Chilean broadcast--do they separate the tv teams?), you see the goal, opposite angle; and at the very end you see his free kick, he tries to put it under the wall but it is weak. 

Adding, this one has the few touches and fouls on him, he looks confident, daring, quick.

 

Thanks for these.

That foul where he goes flying off a shove is crazy

[Dre_03]

1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I saw a video of him signing autographs and doing pics at the end with fans, he seems very comfortable. I think he's lost to us just seeing that.

 

Here's the link. Agreed looks like uphill battle for a lost cause but worth Canada Soccer extending an invite.

 

[Corazon]

Although seeing that video of him with Mexican fans and signing autographs does not leave me with a great feeling.  He's an 18 year old kid and probably just enjoying the attention of becoming a budding soccer star (to be determined if he does become a star but he will take the attention for now).

Lastly, I'm sure that Ayo Akinola signed hundreds, if not thousands of autographs to American fans over the years.  So although it's possible his mind is made up.  This also doesn't mean the final decision has been made.  Now time for Herdman to work his magic.

[Matro25]

19 minutes ago, Dre_03 said:

Here's the link. Agreed looks like uphill battle for a lost cause but worth Canada Soccer extending an invite.

 

Yeah the Mexican courting is on another level. I mean who can say no to that at age 18. 

 

[Unnamed Trialist]

2 hours ago, Califax said:

Maybe that’s the angle the boys take: This dude was knocked down slid into studs up, and talked shit to you while he was on the ground, you gotta figure Henry, Johnston or Lareya would’ve been up in Chilean faces if he was wearing a Canada jersey. 

That match was far nastier than anything you are talking about, which is just kid's stuff, I'd say. Wow, Laryea has got my back. Come on.

If you watch full highlights there are hard fouls, bust ups and near fights, and the ref had quite the hard time of it. It got messy. One commentator says, at one point, that the ref lost track of his yellows and should have sent Araujo off for his second, but didn't.

Marcelo did right to play through and play on, and I seriously doubt he felt let down or not backed by his teammates. They let him take the final free kick in extra time of a match that was drawn, they let the kid try to win it for them. 

BTW, Mexico lost a few FIFA points for that draw--which they say was their 15th match this year on American soil.

Edited December 9, 2021 by Unnamed Trialist

[Califax]

Good to know. It was hard to tell from the Marcelo highlights exactly what sort of match it was in with the reaction was. 

[Tyler55]

Translated:

Very happy for yesterday's minutes and grateful to the coaching staff for the opportunity. To the fans of

@miseleccionmx

@miseleccionmxEN

…… you truly are special Thanks! See you soon

[blueseeka]

Looking like a lost cause

Hopefully he attends a camp before deciding

[Joe MacCarthy]

3 hours ago, Atlantic said:

Are we even sure he will attend a camp with Canada?

I would doubt it because if he did he'd have to have nads of steel because the Mexicans would crucify him.  But if he did though that would say something about his mental toughness.

[Floortom]

The obsession with this guy is ridiculous. You have all Mexican football twitter supporters with Flores avatars, reddit Ligamx is full of Flores threads....lol. 

I'm sure he's a good talent but you can tell that Mexican supporters are not in a great spot and are desperately clinging to the hope that Flores is their next superstar. What other young great talents do they have? Lainez has been a total bust.....Jimenez / Tecatito / Lozano are all declining. Who knows what Flores will turn into - personally I think its highly unlikely he ever plays for us but they're pinning a lot of their hopes on him

Edited December 9, 2021 by Floortom

[VinceA]

27 minutes ago, Floortom said:

The obsession with this guy is ridiculous. You have all Mexican football twitter supporters with Flores avatars, reddit Ligamx is full of Flores threads....lol. 

I'm sure he's a good talent but you can tell that Mexican supporters are not in a great spot and are desperately clinging to the hope that Flores is their next superstar. What other young great talents do they have? Lainez has been a total bust.....Jimenez / Tecatito / Lozano are all declining. Who knows what Flores will turn into - personally I think its highly unlikely he ever plays for us but they're pinning a lot of their hopes on him

The funny part is the team isn't even in a bad state or anything. Mexican fans and media are just obssessed with any negative thing that happens and then overreact.

They're like Jamaica fans without the justification lmao.

[apbsmith]

Have to admit pretty wild to see a Canadian, who grew up in Canada get so much hype playing for a Mexican National team in a friendly. 

Can't wait to watch Mexico drop points to Jamaica in January. 

[Floortom]

4 minutes ago, VinceA said:

The funny part is the team isn't even in a bad state or anything. Mexican fans and media are just obssessed with any negative thing that happens and then overreact.

They're like Jamaica fans without the justification lmao.

They're not in a "bad" state - but they're an older squad with minimal young high profile talent. They've been totally usurped by the US in that regard. Their best 23 talents are guys that dont play (Macias & Lainez) so who knows what they turn into. They have a few good MLSers like Araujo and Alvarez but not enough to keep up with the US. They're being left behind and they know it.  

[Unnamed Trialist]

34 minutes ago, Floortom said:

The obsession with this guy is ridiculous. You have all Mexican football twitter supporters with Flores avatars, reddit Ligamx is full of Flores threads....lol. 

I'm sure he's a good talent but you can tell that Mexican supporters are not in a great spot and are desperately clinging to the hope that Flores is their next superstar. What other young great talents do they have? Lainez has been a total bust.....Jimenez / Tecatito / Lozano are all declining. Who knows what Flores will turn into - personally I think its highly unlikely he ever plays for us but they're pinning a lot of their hopes on him

Lainez is not a bust, he is still miles ahead of Flores. He was on a great semifinalist team at the Olympics, bronze medal. He came back injured, and has not gotten minutes. Betis is having a great year, they are 3rd in La Liga so it's hard for him to get into the squad. Started today vs Celtic (match they had nothing to play for as they were already through). 

But I agree they are using Marcelo as a symbol, and it gives them a boost, and maybe it will help them. You could see they like this idea of the prodigal son, it is a nice narrative for them. They need some optimism. Even last night, winning, they blew the lead late on a terrible bit of play out of the back. I think they do have problems, but for me the real question is this: why are they not able to renew their NT roster with quality younger talents in LigaMX? I don't know a league in the world that does not have up and comings with ambition and guts for a new challenge.