Friendly: Japan vs Canada - Friday, October 13th - 6:35am Eastern / 3:35am Pacific - Niigata, Japan

[Kadenge]

43 minutes ago, Soccerpro2 said:

I dont pin this loss on Biello.

The attempted clearances from Piette and Cornelius were dreadful and resulted in a goal one minute in.

Our team is weak right now. In addition, there's really been no new blood bursting on the scene for our squad. We're tired, very very thin depth wise and and just not very good right now.

 

yes the clearances were dreadful, but what started that sequence was Davies' giveaway in a dangerous area of the field.

[Bigandy]

11 minutes ago, costarg said:

Next coach has to go with a 4-2-3-1 or 4-5-1, sticking with the back 3 and 2 strikers is beyond insane at this point.

i want a 4-2-3-1 but the cam would likely be david, oso, or hoilett. After today, its become clear to me that choiniere and kone arent the players to play as a cam. 

Therefore we are essentially going to play with less midfield bodies as david will drift higher as a cam. 

I dont think a back 4 changes anythign in our midfield setup and I dont think playing with 2 wingers and 2 fullbacks would have broken down japan any better. They were class

[vancanman]

2 hours ago, Borjans Sweatpants said:

This guys a troll right? I think I’ve seen him mention South American coach like 20 times

Yes, he is.  
I’m reluctantly giving him the benefit of the doubt since English isn’t his fist language.  Therefore, I won’t say he’s a racist, but I ignored him ages ago for racist comments.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

I'd cut players a bit of slack for looking more lethargic than usual for this one. Have flown YYZ to NRT at least ten times over the years because I lived and worked in Japan for seven years and always found the jetlag difficult to recover from quickly once you reach Japan because of the 12 hour time change. Europe to Japan won't be much fun either given its a case of travelling east for many hours. Given the way CSA finances are at the moment, I hope none of them were stuck in a middle seat in economy with somebody fully reclining the seat in from of them.

[Kadenge]

so what's happened to our vaunted speed that we had in the past? Is it me or does Laryea look a step or two slower?  Still think that Davies is our only real top level attacking threat and the only one who can put real pressure on defenders with his speed.

[costarg]

28 minutes ago, Bigandy said:

I dont think a back 4 changes anythign in our midfield setup and I dont think playing with 2 wingers and 2 fullbacks would have broken down japan any better. They were class

The issue today (or the past 18 months) wasn't about us breaking them down, it's about us avoiding them breaking us down.

[DeRo_Is_King]

30 minutes ago, Bigandy said:

Hoilet - 6.5 quality player. the nerve of some people who say we need to drop him is wild. He clearly showed he deserves his spot on the roster today. 

Hard to argue with this, honestly.

I've always been a huge Hoilett fan but have been among the ones saying it's time to move on.

You make a good point, given what our attack currently looks like. If he's still one of our best players, why wouldn't he be selected? He was also a lot more effective than most during GC.

But let's be frank. If we're still counting on Hoilett to provide magic up front, we are in serious trouble. 

[DeRo_Is_King]

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Edited October 13, 2023 by DeRo_Is_King
Double post.

[Sal333]

1 hour ago, costarg said:

Wait, are you implying this team would have done better under Herdman?  Nothing in the past 18 months would suggest that.  This is exactly the level they've been playing since qualifying for the WC.  

I guess you're one of the Herdman detractors I spoke about. Enjoy yourself. You've got what you wished for.

[toontownman]

12 minutes ago, costarg said:

The issue today (or the past 18 months) wasn't about us breaking them down, it's about us avoiding them breaking us down.

Aye. We couldn't handle their press and came out scared to begin with. We simply couldn't move the ball quickly or accurately enough to either get ourselves out or break through the press. Then the set pieces we did get were wasted 

[VinceA]

Didn't catch the game since I work evenings and slept in.

Looks like another Biello masterclass.

[costarg]

4 minutes ago, Sal333 said:

I guess you're one of the Herdman detractors I spoke about. Enjoy yourself. You've got what you wished for.

If you'd like, you can go back to my posts, it's all documented.  I'll save you the time....  I was a huge Herdman supporter, not even exaggerating here, I was one of the loudest tooting his horn. 

I turned when the shit show started.  The negative comments to the media, the poor decisions and formations, playing half the field out of position, etc.... We all know he was in over his head in a soccer sense, but it was ok because the players had been doing their thing on the field.

Most of all, it was the interview before playing Croatia, that man was the opposite of what he showed in the years preceding that incident.  He was no longer a leader in control of a team and his image.  He was a bratty child and the salesman was exposed.

[DeRo_Is_King]

1 minute ago, VinceA said:

Didn't catch the game since I work evenings and slept in.

Looks like another Biello masterclass.

It was the perfect sh*tstorm today. On Biello, the lineup was pretty close to what I expected based on the roster we had, but some of the subs were puzzling. I also wonder what his approach is to motivate the guys.

On the players, it was very clear the team hadn't played in a while, and sadly, the nerves got to them. There was some decent, sustained offensive pressure, but we made far too many mistakes to get a result. 

Then of course you look at the setting, form etc. We played away to a really hot team that just dismantled Germany. I think that pretty much says it all. 

[eramosat]

4 minutes ago, toontownman said:

Aye. We couldn't handle their press and came out scared to begin with. We simply couldn't move the ball quickly or accurately enough to either get ourselves out or break through the press. Then the set pieces we did get were wasted 

Yes.  To me, 100% the Japanese press stopping, and sometimes overwhelming Canada's forward play seemingly at will was the number one factor in Canada's lopsided loss.  Eustaquio could have helped immensely, as well as a more defensive setup.  We've seen this movie before. 

Are any of the players-in-waiting superior one-touch distributors who know where the ball can safely go a few plays ahead?  In closer quarters? Even with their current clubs?

[VinceA]

Daniel Nimick would have stopped this.

[Sal333]

6 minutes ago, costarg said:

If you'd like, you can go back to my posts, it's all documented.  I'll save you the time....  I was a huge Herdman supporter, not even exaggerating here, I was one of the loudest tooting his horn. 

I turned when the shit show started.  The negative comments to the media, the poor decisions and formations, playing half the field out of position, etc.... We all know he was in over his head in a soccer sense, but it was ok because the players had been doing their thing on the field.

Most of all, it was the interview before playing Croatia, that man was the opposite of what he showed in the years preceding that incident.  He was no longer a leader in control of a team and his image.  He was a bratty child and the salesman was exposed.

That salesman coached us to a WC qualification. He was the best CSA could afford. You really think that federation can get another coach of Herdman's quality? Forget about one better than him. Expect to have Biello or one of his clones at the helm at least till 2026.

[shermanator]

Japan are a damn good team, probably one of the best in the world on current form. But I think we are also seeing a Canada side who are no longer overachieving and have a few big stars not playing to their potential. You saw some players who play at a high level (Davies, David, Johnston in particular) make some shocking errors today.

The players can claim they are the big dogs in this region but they have to start showing it on the pitch.

[Watchmen]

5 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Laryea on the wrong side of the ball (possible penalty), Laryea being cocky with little touches and losing it (leading to the Cornelius foul), Laryea is a sloppy player sometimes and I get now, and after watching him these games with Whitecaps, why he was not deemed fit for Forest. He has a lot to sharpen up, and then he's arrogant on the pitch.

As I've been saying, I'm not sure what TFC fans were seeing in him.

[frmr]

53 minutes ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

I'd cut players a bit of slack for looking more lethargic than usual for this one. Have flown YYZ to NRT at least ten times over the years because I lived and worked in Japan for seven years and always found the jetlag difficult to recover from quickly once you reach Japan because of the 12 hour time change. Europe to Japan won't be much fun either given its a case of travelling east for many hours. Given the way CSA finances are at the moment, I hope none of them were stuck in a middle seat in economy with somebody fully reclining the seat in from of them.

I've always found flying west to east much more difficult than east to west, so the European based players would have had it the worst in my experience. Last time I flew back to Canada from Japan I was out of sorts for like ten days afterwards.

[RojitoTO]

Team hasn't been together for a long time as they pathetically missed the last window, it was a very long flight, the time change makes things quite difficult, our best midfielder is out, first game for our new coach, we were up against a top team that doesn't get the respect they deserve, we're visitors in front of a 37 000 home crowd, many of our players are not in form at the moment. These are all of the ingredients for a certain type of recipe...With all that being said were decisions made keeping the above in mind? I don't think so. The writing was on the wall and I am critical that it seems it wasn't read. The scenario itself didn't lend itself to the most optimistic outcome unless an approach was taken that considered all of the above. I'm gonna lend understanding on this one, but it should have been an objective coming into this one to salvage morale.

[InglewoodJack]

28 minutes ago, VinceA said:

Daniel Nimick would have stopped this.

He would’ve converted that penalty, that’s for sure

[Obinna]

20 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

As I've been saying, I'm not sure what TFC fans were seeing in him.

So just Caps fans airing out frustrations over Laryea then. Got it.

If TFC fans are defending him and Caps fans are criticizing him, would like to hear what Montreal fans think. Have you lot noticed a drop off and Laryea's play? 

I personally thought he was one of the better players we had today. Like everyone he was far from perfect though.

Johnston, Davies, David, Cornelius, Piette, Kone and Miller all had memorable mistakes. What about Laryea? I can't recall any.

[DeRo_Is_King]

Biello post-match interview:

 

[VinceA]

What sucks the most is we don't even have a second friendly to try and improve on what was learned in the first game. Now we just take this loss into November where we're gonna face a team that will probably come in on a high.

Wait is November also going to be a one game window too? FFS

[InglewoodJack]

4 minutes ago, Obinna said:

So just Caps fans airing out frustrations over Laryea then. Got it.

If TFC fans are defending him and Caps fans are criticizing him, would like to hear what Montreal fans think. Have you lot noticed a drop off and Laryea's play? 

I personally thought he was one of the better players we had today. Like everyone he was far from perfect though.

Johnston, Davies, David, Cornelius, Piette, Kone and Miller all had memorable mistakes. What about Laryea? I can't recall any.

He's always been a risky player. The stuff that makes him good also makes him look bad when it doesn't work, and today it didn't work. I also think that Laryea has a lower ceiling than a lot of our players, so when he's up against a team like Japan, when his daring runs or trying to be cute with the ball doesn't work, it really doesn't work, especially given our lack of wingers making him play farther up the pitch. He's in a weird spot expectation wise because he's a career MLSer but at the same time, one of our most recognizable and exciting players, so he's expected to do a lot more than he's able to, and against the world's best it doesn't work.