Theo Corbeanu

[Kadenge]

What's concerning is that Biello didn't mention him in the video re squad selection. Have to think if it was agreed mutually for him to stay at his club he would have said so.

[DeRo_Is_King]

6 minutes ago, Kadenge said:

What's concerning is that Biello didn't mention him in the video re squad selection. Have to think if it was agreed mutually for him to stay at his club he would have said so.

Noticed this as well. He mentioned Ahmed but not Corbeanu. He also said he picked the best team available and was trying to build culture. The best team imo would have included Corbeanu, and if I'm thinking about building culture, then that would be the perfect reason to integrate him.

I don't think Corbeanu will ever play for us, tbh. Unless a bunch of wingers all get injured right before a window or he starts lighting La Liga up, I can't see him getting a shot. 

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

1 minute ago, DeRo_Is_King said:

Noticed this as well. He mentioned Ahmed but not Corbeanu. He also said he picked the best team available and was trying to build culture. The best team imo would have included Corbeanu, and if I'm thinking about building culture, then that would be the perfect reason to integrate him.

I don't think Corbeanu will ever play for us, tbh. Unless a bunch of wingers all get injured right before a window or he starts lighting La Liga up, I can't see him getting a shot. 

A little while ago I said he would have a better chance lobbying to play up front (converted a la Arnautovic, who he reminded me of way back) but we might have found depth there as well. 

[DeRo_Is_King]

2 minutes ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

A little while ago I said he would have a better chance lobbying to play up front (converted a la Arnautovic, who he reminded me of way back) but we might have found depth there as well. 

Sure. That's the sad part as well. I think he could play up front. I've seen him press and cause turnovers + capitalize on chances. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

47 minutes ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

He's become better, especially from dead balls, but my memory is that is he defaulted to his left though a lot of the time in England. 

Was he inverted at Wolves? If you are not inverted, you may not go left to right so much. But on the right he seems to use both quite well.

If you look what we have been saying in this thread, last game, the one before, this has come up a few times....

back to Porto....

[Dominic94]

2 hours ago, DeRo_Is_King said:

Noticed this as well. He mentioned Ahmed but not Corbeanu. He also said he picked the best team available and was trying to build culture. The best team imo would have included Corbeanu, and if I'm thinking about building culture, then that would be the perfect reason to integrate him.

I don't think Corbeanu will ever play for us, tbh. Unless a bunch of wingers all get injured right before a window or he starts lighting La Liga up, I can't see him getting a shot. 

What ? He’s already been called.

Way too early to write him off.

[DeRo_Is_King]

17 minutes ago, Dominic94 said:

What ? He’s already been called.

Way too early to write him off.

Not completely, but it will take something special. And I think Corbeanu is on pace for a great career.

But Biello made a ton of changes with this squad selection, some of which were actually prompted by injuries. If Corbeanu can't break in now, I do worry about the future. 

No disrespect to JRR, but I think Corbeanu would have been a better choice. Thing is, JRR has been getting more calls recently and Biello has made a statement with this squad.

I think this is pretty much it -- save for some minor changes -- and there are other players who I feel Biello has ahead of Corbeanu at this point. That may change with a new manager, but I just don't see how Corbeanu is seriously being considered after a squad like this. 

[archer21]

5 minutes ago, DeRo_Is_King said:

Not completely, but it will take something special. And I think Corbeanu is on pace for a great career.

But Biello made a ton of changes with this squad selection, some of which were actually prompted by injuries. If Corbeanu can't break in now, I do worry about the future. 

No disrespect to JRR, but I think Corbeanu would have been a better choice. Thing is, JRR has been getting more calls recently and Biello has made a statement with this squad.

I think this is pretty much it -- save for some minor changes -- and there are other players who I feel Biello has ahead of Corbeanu at this point. That may change with a new manager, but I just don't see how Corbeanu is seriously being considered after a squad like this. 

He’s 21, I don’t think missing this camp is the end, that’s pretty premature. If he becomes an every day starter at Granada, even if they relegate, he’ll be in the conversation. Or he could go on loan or end up back in a top division with a different club.

[DeRo_Is_King]

7 minutes ago, archer21 said:

He’s 21, I don’t think missing this camp is the end, that’s pretty premature. If he becomes an every day starter at Granada, even if they relegate, he’ll be in the conversation. Or he could go on loan or end up back in a top division with a different club.

This is a logical take, but it would have also been logical to include him in this squad. The problem when it comes to calling (or not calling) Corbeanu is logic doesn't factor into the decision.

Maybe if he starts regularly and puts up decent numbers with a mid-table La Liga team, we'll one day see him play for Canada again. 

[Kent]

32 minutes ago, DeRo_Is_King said:

This is a logical take, but it would have also been logical to include him in this squad. The problem when it comes to calling (or not calling) Corbeanu is logic doesn't factor into the decision.

Maybe if he starts regularly and puts up decent numbers with a mid-table La Liga team, we'll one day see him play for Canada again. 

I think you are way off with your assumption it will take something insane to get him back into the team. If he gets a couple more goals the rest of the way through this season, I bet he makes the team. Plus this could be Biello's final camp (fingers crossed) so his whims could become irrelevant by the very next camp, let alone in the coming years.

If I am reading Transfermarkt correctly, he has played 63 minutes in 2024. That doesn't scream slam dunk call up. But he could be on the verge of making a break through in La Liga, which really would scream slam dunk call up. I'm disappointed he wasn't called for this window (but I haven't kept tabs on everyone that got called) but by no means does it spell the end for a 21 year old that is just starting to get playing time and making an impact in La Liga.

[DeRo_Is_King]

11 minutes ago, Kent said:

I think you are way off with your assumption it will take something insane to get him back into the team. If he gets a couple more goals the rest of the way through this season, I bet he makes the team. Plus this could be Biello's final camp (fingers crossed) so his whims could become irrelevant by the very next camp, let alone in the coming years.

If I am reading Transfermarkt correctly, he has played 63 minutes in 2024. That doesn't scream slam dunk call up. But he could be on the verge of making a break through in La Liga, which really would scream slam dunk call up. I'm disappointed he wasn't called for this window (but I haven't kept tabs on everyone that got called) but by no means does it spell the end for a 21 year old that is just starting to get playing time and making an impact in La Liga.

Out of a possible five games. Also, he subbed on in three of them and scored off the bench against a strong La Liga side in Villareal -- a ridiculous goal that he also helped to set up. 

Of course, he has time at only 21. But it's amazing how other players are selected when you have only a handful of guys in top-five leagues and not call all of them (and I don't want to hear about minutes or form when Buchanan has played 27 minutes in over a dozen games / Larin hasn't scored a league goal in months). 

[blueseeka]

I think you are being a little over dramatic here. Corbeanu will have a long future with Canada. It's a one game international break. He most likely wouldn't of played. I have no doubts he will have his chance in the next cycle. There is no chance that he wasn’t considered. He wasn't great with Grasshopper. And he is just getting his feet wet in LaLiga. He has such a bright future.

[Footyeh]

No contact between Biello and Corbeanu.

Simply put, if Biello thinks this is his best squad or that MLS players are above a 21 year old who a La Liga team came and paid money for.... then we should all be seriously praying that he doesn't have a chance in hell at getting the permanent job because that's pretty telling lol... 

Did anyone in our media even bother to question Biello on Corbeanu?  He brought up Ali Ahmed, an MLS player who's played 2 games off the bench (who I rate very highly btw), but he didn't talk about one of our best young talents in one of the best leagues in the world lol???  Somebody's got to hold his feet to the fire.  

 

[DeRo_Is_King]

3 minutes ago, Footyeh said:

No contact between Biello and Corbeanu.

Simply put, if Biello thinks this is his best squad or that MLS players are above a 21 year old who a La Liga team came and paid money for.... then we should all be seriously praying that he doesn't have a chance in hell at getting the permanent job because that's pretty telling lol... 

Did anyone in our media even bother to question Biello on Corbeanu?  He brought up Ali Ahmed, an MLS player who's played 2 games off the bench (who I rate very highly btw), but he didn't talk about one of our best young talents in one of the best leagues in the world lol???  Somebody's got to hold his feet to the fire.  

 

100 per cent this. 

[DeRo_Is_King]

24 minutes ago, blueseeka said:

I think you are being a little over dramatic here. Corbeanu will have a long future with Canada. It's a one game international break. He most likely wouldn't of played. I have no doubts he will have his chance in the next cycle. There is no chance that he wasn’t considered. He wasn't great with Grasshopper. And he is just getting his feet wet in LaLiga. He has such a bright future.

Overall? No way. He was a top three-rated player on the team and was one of the league's top players in assists. He took almost all of Grasshopper's set pieces and was the source of much activity on the right side. 

Edit: Just needed to include these graphics. He is still tied for fourth in league assists, second for player ratings on Grasshopper, and hasn't played in Switzerland for months + was injured at one point.

Edited March 13 by DeRo_Is_King

[Unnamed Trialist]

Biello is playing his cards as he sees them. He figures if it works he can get hired going forward. If it doesn't and maybe if it does we'll just replace him with someone who will just correct these little errors.

I can't imagine a Copa callup leaving off Corbeanu.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

8 hours ago, Footyeh said:

No contact between Biello and Corbeanu.

Simply put, if Biello thinks this is his best squad or that MLS players are above a 21 year old who a La Liga team came and paid money for....

Granada look like near certainties to be relegated and are over 50 points behind Real Madrid with around 10 games still to play, so a top Segunda Division level club might be a more accurate description in terms of their playing standards. At that point are the optics of not including him so surprising? 

[Unnamed Trialist]

41 minutes ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

Granada look like near certainties to be relegated and are over 50 points behind Real Madrid with around 10 games still to play, so a top Segunda Division level club might be a more accurate description in terms of their playing standards. At that point are the optics of not including him so surprising? 

He's playing against more difficult rivals than any Canadian National team player, along with Larin. And he just arrived, so he has little to no responsibility for their situation in the league. 

But why didn't we expect some illogically structured "argument" from our resident eyeballer?

[CanadaFan123]

4 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

He's playing against more difficult rivals than any Canadian National team player, along with Larin. And he just arrived, so he has little to no responsibility for their situation in the league. 

But why didn't we expect some illogically structured "argument" from our resident eyeballer?

Not to mention that if we’re expected to look at Corbeanu as a segunda player then would that same logic not apply to Abzi whose team is top of segunda? 
 

Someone needs to start asking tough questions because I also didn’t agree with him missing our summer matches. He’s played all season at levels good enough for us. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

8 minutes ago, CanadaFan123 said:

Not to mention that if we’re expected to look at Corbeanu as a segunda player then would that same logic not apply to Abzi whose team is top of segunda? 
 

Someone needs to start asking tough questions because I also didn’t agree with him missing our summer matches. He’s played all season at levels good enough for us. 

If relegation zone is the criteria following Ozzie's skewed logic, TFC last season is a second division team and this year is in MLS because of some weird no-relegation rule. 

[The Real Marc]

If we aren't calling someone playing in La Liga - what is going on?

[dyslexic nam]

For me it is a bit of a miss for him not to be in the squad, but let’s not overreact too much. Most of us were pretty surprised that he managed to secure a move to a La Liga team - and he is still the same player he was before the move.  He has a lot to prove in La Liga before he joins the “can’t be dropped” players in our pool.  He is also competing in a position where we have the most depth.  Our wide attacking talent at this time is unprecedented so he is fighting against some truly elite players.  

Does that mean he shouldn’t have been called?  No - I would still like to see him in the squad.  But he isn’t displacing Davies or Tajon, Millar has been performing well consistently ant a very respectable level, and Shaff has been on a hot streak in MLS.  It is probably Shaff who he could (should?) have been called ahead of, but even that is a bit marginal considering the very limited minutes Theo has been getting.  And let’s not ignore the fact that lots of people have been lobbying for Shaff to get another call as well.  

And in the background of all things the fact is that we don’t know what conversations have taken place.  Admittedly it is a bit odd that Biello never spoke about any sort of agreement or discussion during his presser but I still find it hard to believe that he would flat out ignore a high profile youth prospect who is already part of the program.  I assume that some communication took place and Instill think the most likely outcome was that the decision was either explained or mutually agreed upon.  

Theo will be back.  

[Kadenge]

Theo comes across as a mature and relatively humble young man during interviews. I recall there was some discussion during Herdman's term that he had declined a call up to settle in with his club team at the time. Not sure if that was fact or fiction, but sure hope that there are no carryover grudges with Biello.

[CanadaFan123]

3 minutes ago, Kadenge said:

Theo comes across as a mature and relatively humble young man during interviews. I recall there was some discussion during Herdman's term that he had declined a call up to settle in with his club team at the time. Not sure if that was fact or fiction, but sure hope that there are no carryover grudges with Biello.

If it is true that he turned down a call to settle with his club team then I understand this to send a message. We’re 2 years away from a home World Cup with limited matches to play and a boatload of players to choose from. That would be a dumb decision on his part and a dangerous precedent. This isn’t 2017 anymore. 

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

16 minutes ago, The Real Marc said:

If we aren't calling someone playing in La Liga - what is going on?

He is making his appearances off the bench late in games for a club with a grand total of 14 points in 27 games, who may have La Liga status this season but are clearly well off the required standard to be competitive at that level. If he was playing for a club like Real Betis or Valencia I could understand the angst, but he's not.