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

[Joe MacCarthy]

Let's see what the enemy is up to.  They have already accepted our false flags as real and have yet to intercept the latest movements.

[costarg]

42 minutes ago, Bigandy said:

Hear me out... 

bombito plays the stones role. 4-4-2 without the ball 3-5-2 with it. 

Miller cornelius bombito AJ 
davies Staq Kone bucanan
larin david

In possession bombito plays CDM to prevent counters and out of possesion he fills in at CB. Bombito's biggest criticism is his turnovers at CDM but against a very weak trinidad midfield, he should be able to keep and recycle possession in a similar way he would at CB. 

Now obviously we dont have the time to work on this tactically, but given our lack of fullbacks, our ability to play 4-4-2 and 3-5-2, the weakness of T and T etc. it seems like this hybrid would be perfect. Bombito is the perfect player for this role as we need pace and height in the back line, but hes arguably our only CB who could pop into midfield to cycle possession and stop counters (LDF?). Interesting thought.  

This could be briliant, but it takes a lot of time and practice to implement this.  Fitting him in with a new CB partner in a one off competitive match with so much at stake is already a pretty big hurdle.  I'd prefer to keep it simple, play everyone in their natural club positions.  Personally I feel we can beat T&T without a mid destroyer, but we need to start adapting to the formation we'll use in the future and if all goes well, Copa.  If we want a destroyer to play that role, it should be Piette.

Experimenting and developing players just isn't what national teams should be doing.  

Edited March 12 by costarg

[Joe MacCarthy]

How did they do?

 

[Bigandy]

8 minutes ago, costarg said:

This could be briliant, but it takes a lot of time and practice to implement this.  Fitting him in with a new CB partner in a one off competitive match with so much at stake is already a pretty big hurdle.  I'd prefer to keep it simple, play everyone in their natural club positions.  Personally I feel we can beat T&T without a mid destroyer, but we need to start adapting to the formation we'll use in the future and if all goes well, Copa.  If we want a destroyer to play that role, it should be Piette.

Experimenting and developing players just isn't what national teams should be doing.  

for sure. I dont want to do this in reality but its a fun thought. 

I dont mind the national team experimenting a bit.... David at Cam, Johnston at RCB, Laryea at rm in a 4-4-2... natural experiments. But I agree with the sentiment that it shouldnt be the national team turning players into something they are not or playing 4d chess with tactics. 

[MauditYvon]

Made my mind

[MauditYvon]

Big problem is we have no one to replace Buchanan. Ahmed/Corbeanu should have been there instead of JRR, I don't get it. Might be costly at the end.

EDIT : You can play Millar there I guess and have Shaffelburg (sorry for the right spelling) for Davies.

Edited March 12 by MauditYvon

[Sal333]

2 hours ago, Aird25 said:

Has Waterman been playing in the middle of the back three for Montreal?

Ever since they unloaded Camacho

[narduch]

1 minute ago, MauditYvon said:

Big problem is we have no one to replace Buchanan. Ahmed/Corbeanu should have been there instead of JRR, I don't get it. Might be costly at the end.

We really didn't need 5 strikers

[MauditYvon]

Just now, narduch said:

We really didn't need 5 strikers

Yup, and it creates a big gap at the wings. Bizarre. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

3 hours ago, Floortom said:

Only big surprise for me is no Borjan

And maybe a bit short on CBs.

[canuckgbp]

 

[canuckgbp]

 

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

19 minutes ago, MauditYvon said:

Big problem is we have no one to replace Buchanan. Ahmed/Corbeanu should have been there instead of JRR, I don't get it. Might be costly at the end.

EDIT : You can play Millar there I guess and have Shaffelburg (sorry for the right spelling) for Davies.

I think Johnston can replace Buchanan in a pinch, especially at wingback.  He is not as athletic but is a better crosser of the ball, which we could work with depending on who's in the box. 

[MauditYvon]

3 minutes ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

I think Johnston can replace Buchanan in a pinch, especially at wingback.  He is not as athletic but is a better crosser of the ball, which we could work with depending on who's in the box. 

I think both start. I don't like Johnston as RCB in a 3-5-2, but that's what we gonna do. I think Bombito or even Waterman as DM could work. We can switch to a 4-4-2 in defensive phases. 

Edited March 12 by MauditYvon

[Wasp]

30 minutes ago, MauditYvon said:

Big problem is we have no one to replace Buchanan. Ahmed/Corbeanu should have been there instead of JRR, I don't get it. Might be costly at the end.

EDIT : You can play Millar there I guess and have Shaffelburg (sorry for the right spelling) for Davies.

This roster to me spells the end of a formation with wingbacks and a return to a more traditional 4-4-2. If we play Buchanan on the right of 4-man midfield, he can be replaced by Choiniere or Osorio quite easily, and if we need to replace Johnston for any reason, we can slide Buchanan down to RB and make a similar change. LDF also plays primarily a RB I believe even though he's listed as a CB, so he can also slide in there in a pinch if needed. I agree that another RB/RM would've been nice but it's not the end of the world.

Here's how I would line them up:

David - Larin

Millar - Kone - Staq - Buchanan

Davies - Miller - Cornelius - Johnston

Crepeau

LIKELY SUBS: Choiniere, Osorio, Shaffelburg, JRR,  

Edited March 12 by Wasp

[jhoops__]

^this is the lineup no doubt 

[jhoops__]

Should be good for 3 goals 

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

Just now, MauditYvon said:

I think both starts. I don't like Johnston as RCB in a 3-5-2, but that's what we gonna do. I think Bombito or even Waterman as DM could work. We can switch to a 4-4-2 in defensive phases. 

I agree with first part. I guess if you were talking about replacing Buchanan, something has gone wrong. 

So you could move him there and Bombito comes in as RCB.  Choniere and then Piette are the natural central midfielders. If you want more athleticism in defence, you ask Kone to hang back if you have 3 in there (which I think we should.)

[CanadaFan123]

30 minutes ago, MauditYvon said:

Yup, and it creates a big gap at the wings. Bizarre. 

So dumb especially since JRR is cap-tied already. I get he’s a top prospect but that squad space should have gone to Corbeanu IMO.

The Shaffelburg call is hard for me as well. If he continues on this trajectory he could find himself at a club like Granada - best case scenario IMO. So why are calling him over a guy who is actually at that level and 3 years younger with better numbers for Canada? 

[jhoops__]

Theo just hasn’t played enough…

[Unnamed Trialist]

2 hours ago, costarg said:

Imagine - Canada not calling up a guy that scored 10 days ago in La Liga.  How far we've come....

I find it odd except if there's some sort of agreement. Which there could be.

Otherwise it's a slight and defies the basic principle of calling guys based on league performance and level.

Also no Brym in Eredivisie.

I see a bit of an MLS slant but don't mind it for a single game in North America. And especially when the starters are expected to solve the game by m 60 and the subs mean less.

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

15 minutes ago, Wasp said:

This roster to me spells the end of a formation with wingbacks and a return to a more traditional 4-4-2. If we play Buchanan on the right of 4-man midfield, he can be replaced by Choiniere or Osorio quite easily, and if we need to replace Johnston for any reason, we can slide Buchanan down to RB and make a similar change. LDF also plays primarily a RB I believe even though he's listed as a CB, so he can also slide in there in a pinch if needed. I agree that another RB/RM would've been nice but it's not the end of the world.

Here's how I would line them up:

David - Larin

Millar - Kone - Staq - Buchanan

Davies - Miller - Cornelius - Johnston

Crepeau

LIKELY SUBS: Choiniere, Osorio, Shaffelburg, JRR,  

Respectfully, if anything, to me,  the roster says the oppostion.  There are 2 (if we include Davies who never really plays there for Canada) fullbacks, you don't go into a game with no backups for two positions. 

Buchanan is currently being drilled in one of the best and most consistent 352 formations in the world, we know Davies offers more than how Tuchel uses him. 

442 gets destroyed by good teams pretty regularly. We can't be training in it, in my opinion, again.

Edited March 12 by WestHamCanadianinOxford

[CanadaFan123]

If Theo was still uncapped and just scored in La Liga he would not only be called but would probably be on the lineup announcement photo/headline and people would be figuring out where to pencil him into the XI. 

Not at all fair,  so I do hope there is an arrangement. 

Edited March 12 by CanadaFan123

[jhoops__]

Whatever formation we use v T&T we should be all gas for 90 mins.   They’re parking the bus so yeah we might get hurt in transition but a full out attack against that roster is a no brainer…

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

3 minutes ago, jhoops__ said:

Whatever formation we use v T&T we should be all gas for 90 mins.   They’re parking the bus so yeah we might get hurt in transition but a full out attack against that roster is a no brainer…

That's when you go 352 and push your wingbacks way up.  I would rather play with a formation that can handle that on-field, on-the-day adjustment and than one we shouldn't be playing against Copa teams. Again just opinions.