CNL Play-In for Copa America: Canada vs Trinidad & Tobago - Saturday, March 23, 2024 - Frisco (greater Dallas), Texas

[SpursFlu]

I've seen enough from Osorio.. he's ok but not a must have. I think Colyn should take his place

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, CanadaFan123 said:

I don’t think he’s competing with Laryea at all. He is in competition with Brym, Millar, Nelson, Hoilett for wing spots. I think Brym has a major advantage in that he can play CF as well. 
 

Imagine he wasn’t capped and still eligible for Romania? We would be sweating and would have no choice but to call him. 

I agree. Typically I wouldn't throw Laryea there but looking at the depth chart / selection @Shway posted had me wondering. I mean, if we play 3-5-2 that spot behind Davies would be for either Laryea or Corbeanu. I suppose you could have Corbeanu back up Buchanan instead of Millar on the other side, but I don't see us dropping Millar. 

We aren't married to the 3-5-2, but if we are I think the picks from Shway make sense and Corbeanu misses the cut.

At the same time, I feel we really need to get him back into the fold, somehow..

[SpursFlu]

Of all the guys we should be looking to move on from

Hoilett, Osorio, Piette, Cavallini, Vitoria 

I think the one we may want to consider bringing in for this 1off game is Hoilett. He has the most quality and experience. He's the 1 guy who could maybe come off the bench and change things if needed

[Shway]

1 minute ago, SpursFlu said:

Of all the guys we should be looking to move on from

Hoilett, Osorio, Piette, Cavallini, Vitoria 

I think the one we may want to consider bringing in for this 1off game is Hoilett. He has the most quality and experience. He's the 1 guy who could maybe come off the bench and change things if needed

Do you mean like how Shaffelburg came off the bench against the USA (way better team than T&T) drove at the defence, scored, and took the lead? 

We gotta stop living in the past, and prepare with the future...which is now.

[Shway]

32 minutes ago, SpursFlu said:

I've seen enough from Osorio.. he's ok but not a must have. I think Colyn should take his place

Yea and I'm coming around to this too....Colyn is the next 10 we have. I think Nelson could play there too.
But if I'm saying to get rid of the old guard then I guess I have to include Osorio in that too.

[Jack1997]

3 hours ago, Shway said:

Wait...I didn't even realize Ahmed was back playing this weekend. However, I don't know who I would drop for him because he's more of an 8 than a 6. So right now, it would be between him and Choinierre. 

I think Fraser has done really well whenever he's been called upon with the CMNT. He's 26 yo, mature, and now getting minutes at the MLS level when he was being questioned as to why he was being called up to play Belgium D2. 

I also realized that outside of Fraser (and Piette), we don't have many number 6-style players. Kone, Staq, Ahmed, Choinierre, Osorio are all guys who like to get into the final 3rd. 

 

Saliba is that guy. Kid’s phenomenal, anybody know what up wit him? Did he get injured?

[Bison44]

 

1 hour ago, Shway said:

Some of the fringe guys are the old guard. Cavallini, Hoilett...
You start off your point by keeping some but then end with focusing on 2026. The old guard won't be around for that, so your last part contradicts itself. 

Without getting into a weekend long semantics argument.  I meant you can keep the old starters, starting because we need to win this one bad.  But the older guys that arent in our best 11 and prob wont see the field in a 1 game window, they can be swapped.  You said focusing on 26, I didnt. I get that we need this game to push the program forward with the copa tournie.   If Vittoria, Oso, Borjan are  still deemed our best starting options right now... fine.   Biello doesnt have to make wholescale changes this window, but I wish some of the bottom half of the roster is newish faces.  

[Obinna]

12 minutes ago, Jack1997 said:

Saliba is that guy. Kid’s phenomenal, anybody know what up wit him? Did he get injured?

Yup injured at the moment. Don't think it's too serious but I haven't heard what the injury was so just assuming it's not bad. 

Saliba seems to be more of a deep lying playmaker than an advanced attacking midfielder, but he's also 19 and could maybe evolve in that direction.

[SpursFlu]

1 hour ago, Shway said:

Do you mean like how Shaffelburg came off the bench against the USA (way better team than T&T) drove at the defence, scored, and took the lead? 

We gotta stop living in the past, and prepare with the future...which is now.

I think Corbeanu and Bair come before Shaffelburg. I know for some on here he's the little engine who could but I think he's got a lower ceiling than Corbeanu and Bair. We've just got so many attacking players

[Bigandy]

4 hours ago, Kadenge said:

Is Fraser really a #6 style player though? I agree he doesn't have the attacking flair to play higher but to me he is more of a deep lying playmaker that can make pinpoint long passes to the forwards. Can he break up plays, tackle 1v1 and protect the back 3/4? As you say we have lots of #8s and mids with attacking or skill on the ball so the obvious option to me would be to play Staq at the #6 and then one of Choiniere/Ahmed/Oso further up with Kone. I suspect the reason Staq has not played much with Porto recently is that with Taremi injured they are going with a more offensively gifted mid. Staq is actually a #6 who was moved further up by Porto.

Although I fully agree with this, fraser has to be a #6 as a default. he isnt an 8 or 10 and is therefore a #6 even though he plays more like a pirlo at #6 than a casemiro at #6. 

Having said that, do we need a deep lying playmaker type? I dont think so as we have the 8's for that. Therefore our only #6's with the proper stylistic qualities of a destroyer #6 are piette and bombito. 

[toontownman]

1 hour ago, Shway said:

Yea and I'm coming around to this too....Colyn is the next 10 we have. I think Nelson could play there too.
But if I'm saying to get rid of the old guard then I guess I have to include Osorio in that too.

I agree. Nelson, Colyn and Saliba are really pushing. 

I don't see Biello bringing anyone in that's new or dropping any experienced pros for this tie. The narrative will be that the experience is needed to get through this one off tie, with limited prep.

Either way it's exciting to see lots seemingly rising beneath the squad. They won't all make it but the depth is growing so quickly and spreading across different leagues, enough will make it to make a big difference.

[Kingston]

2 hours ago, Shway said:

Yea and I'm coming around to this too....Colyn is the next 10 we have. I think Nelson could play there too.
But if I'm saying to get rid of the old guard then I guess I have to include Osorio in that too.

It can be case by case - we don't have to just sweep out everyone above an arbitrary age or something.

I still think Osorio has something to give right now.  That said, and as much as it pains me as a huge Osorio fan, he is on the way out and almost certainly won't have the honour of stepping on the field for Canada in Toronto during the World Cup.

Some of the other older guys who have been mentioned should already be leaving now.

[SpursFlu]

With all that being said. I do expect Biello to go with what he knows for this one off. Not qualifying for the Copa America would be a legit disaster

If they win and Osorio, Cavallini, Piette, Hoilett really play no part I would expect a lot of changes to happen leading in to Copa America 

[Kadenge]

I'm not ageist. The criteria should be current form with  their club.We simply  have to start rewarding good performances and less about what players did during WCQ when it comes to squad selections. 

[Kadenge]

6 minutes ago, SpursFlu said:

With all that being said. I do expect Biello to go with what he knows for this one off. Not qualifying for the Copa America would be a legit disaster

If they win and Osorio, Cavallini, Piette, Hoilett really play no part I would expect a lot of changes to happen leading in to Copa America 

Didn't he try that in the 2 game playoff vs Jamaica? Going with "what he knows"?

[Canuckia]

I am confident that the old guard will get it done against T&T with a combination of anger over being in that situation and knowing what's at stake. Global attention = more opportunities. I definitely think we need to bring new blood in for Copa.

[Bigandy]

12 minutes ago, Kadenge said:

I'm not ageist. The criteria should be current form with  their club.We simply  have to start rewarding good performances and less about what players did during WCQ when it comes to squad selections. 

agreed.  My assesment 

vitoria deserves a spot on the squad (maybe not start). Borjan should lose his starting spot and i think he gets 3rd choice (3rd choice is an odd one) and DSC and sirious fight it out for back up. 

hoilett and oso can fight it out for a creative player in the squad. the other gets replaced by corbeanu. 
 

[Jack1997]

2 hours ago, Obinna said:

Yup injured at the moment. Don't think it's too serious but I haven't heard what the injury was so just assuming it's not bad. 

Saliba seems to be more of a deep lying playmaker than an advanced attacking midfielder, but he's also 19 and could maybe evolve in that direction.

I was more talking about the gap at the 6

[costarg]

7 hours ago, Bison44 said:

 

If Vittoria, Oso, Borjan are  still deemed our best starting options right now... fine.   Biello doesnt have to make wholescale changes this window, but I wish some of the bottom half of the roster is newish faces.  

Just to clarify, I don't think anyone can claim Vitoria, Osorio and Borjan are still the best starting options, only the most familiar with the system and team. 

I feel we're more than ready to move on.  They've been passed on the skill front as well as the leadership/experience side of things.  David, Davies, Stache, even Johnston, Larin have played in better leagues and teams, and in bigger games/tournaments. 

[costarg]

5 hours ago, Kingston said:

I still think Osorio has something to give right now.  That said, and as much as it pains me as a huge Osorio fan, he is on the way out and almost certainly won't have the honour of stepping on the field for Canada in Toronto during the World Cup.

It'd be sad if Osorio doesn't see the field in 2026.  He still has time to regain old form, but the young competition is coming in hard.  There is a lot of talent there, it'll be close for him.

[costarg]

On 3/3/2024 at 5:38 PM, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

My perspective is that there is time for this transition to take place in:

- a possible September friendly vs Mexico

- CNL quarter-finals in November

- A possible (if unlikely) Camp Poutine in 2025

- Gold Cup 2025

I disagree with @VinceA and feel that if Vitória, Borjan and Hoilett are fit and playing well, the T&T match is not the one in which to rock the boat.

 

Sorry, all due respect, but you're suggesting we follow the same plan we used to bomb out of the WC?  Ie: playing an expired Hutch, and I say that as a huge fan of Hutch.  But we all saw what happened.  Have we learned anything?  

Sticking with the old guys vs T&T is already a bigger gamble than playing the young guys.  But I can understand choosing familiarity over skill/level.  But sticking with that at Copa will just be embarrassing, what's the point of even showing up, sight-seeing?

Edited March 5 by costarg

[Bison44]

57 minutes ago, costarg said:

Just to clarify, I don't think anyone can claim Vitoria, Osorio and Borjan are still the best starting options, only the most familiar with the system and team. 

 

I think maybe you need to talk to Biello about this.   I dont know if he agrees.   

[Shway]

5 hours ago, Bison44 said:

I think maybe you need to talk to Biello about this.   I dont know if he agrees.   

I don't think anyone here thinks Biello thinks else wise. I still thinks he wants to steady the ship, and keep the status quo especially as the "Interim Manager (Rafa Benitez voice)". 

My squad suggestion was me laying out our current best players...if I did a squad prediction Hoilett, Vitoria, Piette and Borjan are all in it - I just think it's a waste. 

Edited March 5 by Shway

[Shway]

My thinking is, we bring in the new crop of young guys and replace the old guard with a new leadership group of "Larin, Miller, Johnston, Staq, Davies, and David". 

We win vs T&T with the young boys in the Theos, Bombito, and Choniere in the 23 and were in the Copa and ready to gain a great experience in preparation for 2026. If we lose, we are out of the Copa and can schedule friendlies with the same core to prepare for 2026.

There is no way the goal is to win the Copa if we get there. So bringing Borjan, Vitoria, Hoilett, Cavallini and Piette would be utterly pointless for the future of the program. 

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

Not pointless if somebody is still auditioning to be head coach though and needs the best possible short term outcome to secure that job.