CANCELLED WC Prep Match #1: Canada vs Iran - Sunday, June 5 BC Place, Vancouver

[CanadianSoccerFan]

8 hours ago, cornerkick said:

Found this clip of a canada cup game played in 1999

 

This is the game where Bircham needed a police escort around town after they intercepted a death threat in the mail.  

[Unnamed Trialist]

Could anyone reading this thread help me with who may have cards or be sanctioned on either team, so it can be added to the first post? Thanks.

Anyone want to do one of these for the Curaçao match? Or is it on me?

[narduch]

1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Could anyone reading this thread help me with who may have cards or be sanctioned on either team, so it can be added to the first post? Thanks.

Anyone want to do one of these for the Curaçao match? Or is it on me?

Would assume cards don't  matter for a friendly 

[Ally McCoist]

6 hours ago, TGAA_Star said:

Okay and? I mean there are a lot of Iranians who are either Iranian immigrants or Iranian Canadians who were born here and raised here as Canadians but are Iranian by blood. So shouldn't they be allowed to cheer for one team or the other or even both teams? 

Do I really have to explain why having a shit ton of away fans at a Canada home game is a bad thing?

[El Hombre]

7 hours ago, TGAA_Star said:

Okay and? I mean there are a lot of Iranians who are either Iranian immigrants or Iranian Canadians who were born here and raised here as Canadians but are Iranian by blood. So shouldn't they be allowed to cheer for one team or the other or even both teams? 

Completely off topic, but something I've always wondered: how exactly does someone cheer for both teams?  I've seen this mentioned a fair bit around here over the last few weeks and I just don't get it.

Even when watching a game as a neutral, I can always find something I hate about one of the teams and that makes me cheer for the other.

[TGAA_Star]

6 minutes ago, El Hombre said:

Completely off topic, but something I've always wondered: how exactly does someone cheer for both teams?  I've seen this mentioned a fair bit around here over the last few weeks and I just don't get it.

Even when watching a game as a neutral, I can always find something I hate about one of the teams and that makes me cheer for the other.

Well when you are a dual or you have the country of your birth and the country of your nationality playing, you are going to be torn naturally which is human nature 🤔 😉 but you are obviously going to support both teams like for example if Canada were to face Ghana...the country of my birth Canada and the country of my background/nationality Ghana I'm going to be torn

 

Just as I am sure a lot of Iranian Canadians will be torn

Edited May 16, 2022 by TGAA_Star
X

[Unnamed Trialist]

12 minutes ago, El Hombre said:

Completely off topic, but something I've always wondered: how exactly does someone cheer for both teams?  I've seen this mentioned a fair bit around here over the last few weeks and I just don't get it.

Even when watching a game as a neutral, I can always find something I hate about one of the teams and that makes me cheer for the other.

As a Canadian with half my life in Spain, but a family that was in Canada fairly early and friends who go back into the early 19th century (just to say we're not recent immigrants and are rooted), I often pick in function of the sport and the circumstances. Or I go both ways. 

For example, in tennis I might think, okay, let Nadal get one more Grand Slam than the rest, better beat the Canucks in his way in Australia, easy. Then last match out I was fine with Shapo beating him, but then Shapo squanders his talent, with so many unforced errors, so much it gets irritating--so I go screw Shapovalov let's see Nadal win.

I'm quite a sports fan, and I know details others may not. I followed Daniel Nestor's career and am pleased if Dabrowski can win in doubles as well.

In basketball, because Canada can't get its act together, I'll go with Spain. No use being upset by a team that can't even get guys to commit. But if Canada can beat Spain at an Olympics and medal, I'd be thrilled.

I tend to support NBA teams with Spaniards, if there are any, over teams with Canadians, except for the Raptors who are my team. That often means supporting teams I would traditionally hate, like Pau Gasol and the Lakers. 

If Canada face Spain in the round of 16 in Qatar, which I am hoping might happen, I go with Canada for sure. But that also has to do with underdogs, wanting whichever nation is traditionally weaker in whatever sport to prevail. 

As others may testify, depending where you live or who you know, you may be connected in different ways. In women's waterpolo Spain and Canada often rival, fine: then I happen to know someone who has had both daughters playing for the Spanish national team. In synchro, I have extended family in Canada with ties to the sport, so I may go with them. Same with rowing, I know folks who coach or have been on the Canadian junior teams.

And so on and so on. 

[El Hombre]

48 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

As a Canadian with half my life in Spain, but a family that was in Canada fairly early and friends who go back into the early 19th century (just to say we're not recent immigrants and are rooted), I often pick in function of the sport and the circumstances. Or I go both ways. 

For example, in tennis I might think, okay, let Nadal get one more Grand Slam than the rest, better beat the Canucks in his way in Australia, easy. Then last match out I was fine with Shapo beating him, but then Shapo squanders his talent, with so many unforced errors, so much it gets irritating--so I go screw Shapovalov let's see Nadal win.

I'm quite a sports fan, and I know details others may not. I followed Daniel Nestor's career and am pleased if Dabrowski can win in doubles as well.

In basketball, because Canada can't get its act together, I'll go with Spain. No use being upset by a team that can't even get guys to commit. But if Canada can beat Spain at an Olympics and medal, I'd be thrilled.

I tend to support NBA teams with Spaniards, if there are any, over teams with Canadians, except for the Raptors who are my team. That often means supporting teams I would traditionally hate, like Pau Gasol and the Lakers. 

If Canada face Spain in the round of 16 in Qatar, which I am hoping might happen, I go with Canada for sure. But that also has to do with underdogs, wanting whichever nation is traditionally weaker in whatever sport to prevail. 

As others may testify, depending where you live or who you know, you may be connected in different ways. In women's waterpolo Spain and Canada often rival, fine: then I happen to know someone who has had both daughters playing for the Spanish national team. In synchro, I have extended family in Canada with ties to the sport, so I may go with them. Same with rowing, I know folks who coach or have been on the Canadian junior teams.

And so on and so on. 

Okay, but in every case above, it seemed like you picked a side depending on the sport and the situation.  Which I totally get. 

What I don't get is "cheering for both teams" in any head-to-head competition.  I always want one team to win more than the other, even by just a smidge.  I was once watching the Super Bowl with my brother and because my team (Lions) weren't in it (and nor will they ever be apparently), I started cheering for one of the teams generally because they were the underdog.  My brother responded by saying he "...just wanted to watch a good football game".  I'm sure he went on to provide his reasoning, but I was too busy making fun of how lame he was to hear what he was saying.  I want to have a vested interest in the outcome of the game, so I have to pick a side.  Will a loss make me flip over a table?  No (unless the pints have been flowing and it would be hilarious), but why watch something unless you're rooting for an outcome?

Anyways, minor digression, was just curious.  It seems like a cop-out to go watch any sport and hope that they both win.  Pick a side, dammit.  Otherwise it just seems like you (not "you" you but the general "you") just want to be able to say "We won" when the final whistle blows regardless of the final score.

Back to the thread.

[Admin]

Still a few singles left in the supporters section.

 

[reggietfc]

any idea how many seats have been sold for both games?

[InglewoodJack]

3 hours ago, Ally McCoist said:

Do I really have to explain why having a shit ton of away fans at a Canada home game is a bad thing?

That won’t change over night though. We’re in our first year of being a soccer nation, obviously there are deeply rooted ties between Canadians and their homeland or heritage team, and that isn’t going to be erased just because we’ve started playing competitively. The Iran fans are the game are people whose parents watched Iran or who grew up seeing Iran be far more competitive than Canada. That won’t change this generation, it will change the next. Have the families who support Iran, Jamaica, Italy, so on raise children who support Canada, which if this generation is any indicator will be very easy to do.

 

sure it would be better to have a sea of Canada supporters, but it is no secret to anyone that we are a nation of immigrants, so I don’t see any problem with a massive number of Iran fans. Let’s beat them so badly that the 13 year old Iran fans in attendance who live in Vancouver whose family roots for Iran realize that this team is for real, and just like in the many other ways we integrate all sorts of different people into Canadian society, we integrate them into Canadian soccer culture so that when Iran comes back to Canada in 2035, even the Iranian Canadians in attendance are cheering for us.

[Unnamed Trialist]

1 hour ago, El Hombre said:

Okay, but in every case above, it seemed like you picked a side depending on the sport and the situation.  Which I totally get. 

What I don't get is "cheering for both teams" in any head-to-head competition.  I always want one team to win more than the other, even by just a smidge.  I was once watching the Super Bowl with my brother and because my team (Lions) weren't in it (and nor will they ever be apparently), I started cheering for one of the teams generally because they were the underdog.  My brother responded by saying he "...just wanted to watch a good football game".  I'm sure he went on to provide his reasoning, but I was too busy making fun of how lame he was to hear what he was saying.  I want to have a vested interest in the outcome of the game, so I have to pick a side.  Will a loss make me flip over a table?  No (unless the pints have been flowing and it would be hilarious), but why watch something unless you're rooting for an outcome?

Anyways, minor digression, was just curious.  It seems like a cop-out to go watch any sport and hope that they both win.  Pick a side, dammit.  Otherwise it just seems like you (not "you" you but the general "you") just want to be able to say "We won" when the final whistle blows regardless of the final score.

Back to the thread.

I'll respond. Don't you find that in some matches you really don't have a favourite, so you sort of fabricate one as the game progresses? Often based on some very thin reasoning, like such and such a city, club or player is arrogant or irritating? Or the ref seems to be favouring those guys so I'll scream at the ref and hope the others win. Ad hoc narratives that help you enjoy a competition more.

Or you have totally arbitrary criteria. I decided decades ago, in fact as a teen when I chose Liverpool, to go against all the big football teams from London, which makes no sense as my mother lived in London during the Blitz and I've had family there, been there a lot, and my ties to London are greater than to any other place in the UK. 

I'm pretty sure many Iranians who love football will carry their flag, as it happens to be a fairly "neutral" flag and not necessarily charged with IR symbolism. But they will also be pleased to see Canada rival them or even beat them.

[Unnamed Trialist]

30 minutes ago, reggietfc said:

any idea how many seats have been sold for both games?

I checked Curaçao before posting that thread, and there were only the most expensive two-match packs available, and Curaçao in lower bowl was doing very well.

It will probably also sell out lower bowl and maybe they'll leave it at that, as what they can sell for upper bowl may not justify the cost. My view is that if you can give another 4-5 thousand a chance to see the team, and at that lower ticket price, it is worth it.

[king1010]

Just now, Unnamed Trialist said:

I checked Curaçao before posting that thread, and there were only the most expensive two-match packs available, and Curaçao in lower bowl was doing very well.

It will probably also sell out lower bowl and maybe they'll leave it at that, as what they can sell for upper bowl may not justify the cost. My view is that if you can give another 4-5 thousand a chance to see the team, and at that lower ticket price, it is worth it.

my man, check the other thread. you posted the wrongs links. Still tons of tickets available. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

Just now, king1010 said:

my man, check the other thread. you posted the wrongs links. Still tons of tickets available. 

Will later, if you want to help me just post them and I'll get to it in an hour or two.

[king1010]

Just now, Unnamed Trialist said:

Will later, if you want to help me just post them and I'll get to it in an hour or two.

Curacao

https://www.ticketmaster.ca/canada-mnt-v-curacao-concacaf-nations-vancouver-british-columbia-06-09-2022/event/11005CABCE25550D

Two Match

https://www.ticketmaster.ca/canadian-mnt-2-match-pack-vancouver-british-columbia-06-09-2022/event/11005CAB38177B33

[Obinna]

3 hours ago, El Hombre said:

Completely off topic, but something I've always wondered: how exactly does someone cheer for both teams?  I've seen this mentioned a fair bit around here over the last few weeks and I just don't get it.

Even when watching a game as a neutral, I can always find something I hate about one of the teams and that makes me cheer for the other.

By definition you are not watching as a neutral if you are cheering for one team more than the other, even if it is by a smidge

I have watchrd many EPL games where I honestly couldn't give an F who won or lost, because I am watching just to observe the football. Maybe I am watching a to observe how the defensive shapes look, or perhaps I am fixated on how a team is pressing, or maybe it is the team movements in the build up play, but in each case the result is totally irrelavent.

It has to be two teams I genuinely don't care about, however. And I can find a lot of fickle reasons to cheer for one over another in many cases

But what I described, maybe it was similar when your bro said he just wanted to watch a good game?

Cheering for both teams makes absolutely no sense, but cheering for neither team makes complete sense, at least to me (if you know what I mean).

Edited May 16, 2022 by Obinna

[keysersoze]

I bought tickets to the Curacao match last night and there were a ton of tickets left. I do think as we get closer to the game, rosters are released and people see the atmosphere at the Iran game it could be a lower bowl sell out. I'd be pleasantly surprised if any of the upper bowl got opened up.

[Vancouver Fan]

I just want to add a personal note to this thread.  

I was speaking to my Iranian friend about who we would cheer for if our birth nations played against our home nation, Canada. . I'm Italian by birth and I've been asked this question several times over the years. The answer is always Canada. Canada, because it is the nation that gave me the good life that I have enjoyed since my family moved here in 1966. 

My Iranian friend will be joining me in the Voyageurs section on June 5th. His first Canada match in our excellent section. He is excited to cheer on the nation that gave him his good life. He is excited to to wear his Bayern, Davies jersey. If you see him give him a high 5. 

One more thing, his parents told him to boycott the match. Seems that there are a few Iranians (just like us) who are divided politically and may not attend the match just because, by doing so, gives support to the oppressive nation they left. Maybe not a good reason not to attend and perhaps that is a conversation for another day. 

I worked in North Vancouver for 27 years and made many great relationships with many Iranian people. Most came here for a better life just like many of us. I think it will be a special event for our city. A celebration of the beautiful game by 2 up and coming football nations. 

Edited May 17, 2022 by Vancouver Fan

[Cblake]

Could issues become an issue with Iran if the heat gets turned up on the government, I would think the CSA would have a back-up plan even it meant playing some minnow just to keep the game and all the tickets in play.

[CalgaryKicker]

48 minutes ago, Cblake said:

Could issues become an issue with Iran if the heat gets turned up on the government, I would think the CSA would have a back-up plan even it meant playing some minnow just to keep the game and all the tickets in play.

With Trudeau now criticizing the friendly, do you think there is a chance that it may get cancelled?

https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/politics/trudeau-says-inviting-iran-to-vancouver-soccer-friendly-is-not-a-very-good-idea-1.5906829

Edited May 17, 2022 by CalgaryKicker

[Shway]

16 hours ago, Vancouver Fan said:

I just want to add a personal note to this thread.  

I was speaking to my Iranian friend about who we would cheer for if our birth nations played against our home nation, Canada. . I'm Italian by birth and I've been asked this question several times over the years. The answer is always Canada. Canada, because it is the nation that gave me the good life that I have enjoyed since my family moved here in 1966. 

My Iranian friend will be joining me in the Voyageurs section on June 5th. His first Canada match in our excellent section. He is excited to cheer on the nation that gave him his good life. He is excited to to wear his Bayern, Davies jersey. If you see him give him a high 5. 

One more thing, his parents told him to boycott the match. Seems that there are a few Iranians (just like us) who are divided politically and may not attend the match just because, by doing so, gives support to the oppressive nation they left. Maybe not a good reason not to attend and perhaps that is a conversation for another day. 

I worked in North Vancouver for 27 years and made many great relationships with many Iranian people. Most came here for a better life just like many of us. I think it will be a special event for our city. A celebration of the beautiful game by 2 up and coming football nations. 

I had this same conversation with my English born-Jamaican background-Canadian living friends who I brought to the game in March.

I told them we are in the Canadian supporters section so wear red, no yellow and he still showed up with a Jamaican bandana sized flag...but as we got closer to the stadium I seen it slowllly get tucked into his back pocket like a sweat rag😆. As the game got out of hand, and by the end of the game, it was in his jacket pocket not to be seen lol.🤣

So your Iranian buddy might be playing both sides depending on how the result goes.

 

[narduch]

14 minutes ago, CalgaryKicker said:

With Trudeau now criticizing the friendly, do you think there is a chance that it may get cancelled?

https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/politics/trudeau-says-inviting-iran-to-vancouver-soccer-friendly-is-not-a-very-good-idea-1.5906829

Apparently they have already approved the visas for the Iranian team to come.

Would probably look like a massive government over reach if they said no now.

 

[BuzzAndSting]

23 minutes ago, CalgaryKicker said:

With Trudeau now criticizing the friendly, do you think there is a chance that it may get cancelled?

https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/politics/trudeau-says-inviting-iran-to-vancouver-soccer-friendly-is-not-a-very-good-idea-1.5906829

0% chance.

[Floortom]

Agreed there is almost a 0% chance of this getting cancelled, but we will be getting a decent amount of bad press and resulting pressure to cancel.  Canada Soccer should have considered this - maybe they did and just didnt care

https://twitter.com/globeandmail/status/1526521733116665856?s=20&t=OJVdSgslD-wH63TWBgkRXA

Edited May 17, 2022 by Floortom