yomurphy1 Posted October 3 Share Posted October 3 5 minutes ago, CanadaFan123 said: I'm turned on this one. Yes, he was excellent for the u20s but really shouldn't be getting a call ahead of players in the Eredivise or even Hoilett. His resume is u20 level at the moment and he should be playing for a youth national team. At the same time I get it because that is a major issue (not having a u21 team) and we can't just let someone slide out of the program. It would be great if Montreal purchased him for their youth movement. It seems like the type of signing they would make and he would have a shot at minutes. In my mind I like it as a reward for his success with the U20s. Basically you're creating a link between youth teams and the senior team more akin to what you see in UEFA with U-21s and senior teams. Otherwise our players get lost in the void for 2-4 years. Corazon, ahmedou, Unnamed Trialist and 2 others 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadaFan123 Posted October 3 Share Posted October 3 (edited) 5 minutes ago, yomurphy1 said: In my mind I like it as a reward for his success with the U20s. Basically you're creating a link between youth teams and the senior team more akin to what you see in UEFA with U-21s and senior teams. Otherwise our players get lost in the void for 2-4 years. There’s a major difference. Those players on u21 sides who get brought up are playing first team pro football. Agree with the last sentence as it relates to us but for UEFA teams that are half decent they don’t just call players because they did well with the u21s - they have to be playing/contributing at club level too. A u21/u23 tournament with Mexico/USA one window would be great. Guys like LDF, JKL, Poku, Saliba, Lopez, Nelson, Corbeanu … would be great to see them on a proving ground amongst each other. Edited October 3 by CanadaFan123 ahmedou and Borjans Sweatpants 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dyslexic nam Posted October 3 Share Posted October 3 24 minutes ago, CanadaFan123 said: I’m torn on this one. Yes, he was excellent for the u20s but really shouldn’t be getting a call ahead of players in the Eredivise or even Hoilett. His resume is u20 level at the moment and he should be playing for a youth national team. At the same time I get it because that is a major issue (not having a u21 team) and we can’t just let someone slide out of the program. It would be great if Montreal purchased him for their youth movement. Seems like the type of signing they would make and he would have a shot at minutes. I disagree with the bolded because it implies that the only criterion when selecting a team is the idea of creating the strongest possible roster at any particular moment. If that was the case, I agree - guys like Lopez and Poku don't yet make the cut. Fortunately for them (and for those of us that are enjoying the CMNT youth movement), that isn't the sole basis of selection for a national team manager when creating a roster - especially for a friendly. There are other elements that rightly factor into that process. Succession planning, "capturing" promising dual nationals, early integration of significant prospects (especially in key positions of need), etc. are all legitimate grounds for selection. If this was a major tournament like Copa, we wouldn't have this sort of experimental/transitional squad. We would be fielding the strongest possible team - or damn close to it. But in this case, it is perfectly legitimate to broaden the basis for selection. It isn't that Lopez, Poku etc shouldn't be getting a call ahead of other guys - it is that their selection is simply based on other criteria, and IMO those criteria are valid for a Manager who is tasked with the long term success of the men's program. Even the idea of the occasional charitable callup for CPL to help raise the profile of our domestic league (to ultimately strengthen that previously weak tier of our footy pyramid) would be a legitimate basis for a callup if the right situation presents itself. And friendlies are the perfect time to do this. Marsch has to balance all of those things with ensuring that we are optimally prepared for the matches that really count, but so far I think he has struck the right balance. It is ultimately Marsch's job to balance all of those factors and to come up with rosters that best meet the needs of the program. And as much as I have historically loved having a go at the 'Murican's, this guy has won me over 100%. I am loving his philosophy, there is no BS in his media interactions, and he has been getting great results. So when it comes to the way he is balancing all of the factors mentioned above when selecting a roster, he has earned a ton of leeway and credibility IMO. Acid-Tone, 74 Whitecap, Ivan and 12 others 14 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottawafan Posted October 3 Share Posted October 3 No need for Hoilett to be called ever again. NVsoccer, johnyb, Borjans Sweatpants and 1 other 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestHamCanadianinOxford Posted October 3 Share Posted October 3 From the limited viewing I had of him with the U20s, he looked a player that could eventually unlock things from the 10 or 10 like position for us. For football reasons and just to get him into the programme, great call up for me. Mihairokov, gigi riva, The Beaver 2.0 and 6 others 7 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan Posted October 5 Share Posted October 5 Not with the U23’s this morning, so could be with the first team tonight in some capacity. ahmedou and Corazon 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dominic94 Posted October 5 Share Posted October 5 Would be great to see ahmedou and Corazon 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahmedou Posted October 5 Share Posted October 5 Coach Jesse on Santiago Lopez: “Santiago, we followed him in the U20s, Mauro is familiar with him. Andrew Olivieri spoke to me about him.'' ''I had a conversation with him, quite a few texts just letting him know we were following him. He’s not new to the national team program and we had good discussions with the staff about him as we were continuing to evaluate which players to bring in. I feel like he has a really good chance to adapt and fit into the way we do things.'' “He also has positional flexibility but more than anything it’s his aggressiveness. When we’ve watched him play, he presses the ball well, he counter-presses well. He is physically very present in the midfield in terms of winning duels and covering ground. And he’s also sharp and clean on the ball.” cronaldo7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahmedou Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 Santiago is the one who impressed the most at the Canada Soccer practice! Yeah I know it's just a practice. But Santiago can play with the pros. Pumas or whatever the team it'll be. Let's now get him some time of play with CAN MNT against Panama. To see what he got. At first, I was thinking who's this Canadian talent. I never saw him before with CAN MNT. Then I remember that it's Santiago! red card, YorkRegionFan, lowlander and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe MacCarthy Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 Corazon, red card, ahmedou and 4 others 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kadenge Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 He certainly sounds Canadian CanadaFan123, Dominic94, narduch and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe MacCarthy Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 In my mind, one of the most interesting things he said was his parents don't follow soccer. That's usually not the usual dual national narrative. Borjans Sweatpants, GasPed, sebdeserio and 6 others 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympique_de_Marseille Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 23 minutes ago, Joe MacCarthy said: In my mind, one of the most interesting things he said was his parents don't follow soccer. That's usually not the usual dual national narrative. Maybe that is the big difference between his upbringing and Marcelo Flores. 🤔 Borjans Sweatpants, Norrin Radd, Dominic94 and 15 others 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahmedou Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 39 minutes ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said: Maybe that is the big difference between his upbringing and Marcelo Flores. 🤔 sose, RandomGuy, johnyb and 11 others 8 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadaFan123 Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 1 hour ago, Kadenge said: He certainly sounds Canadian Wow seriously though. ahmedou 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InglewoodJack Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 Funny how accents differ amongst our players. JKL from Montreal, had zero trace of a Canadian accent. Lopez lived in Mexico a very long time, sounds like a typical Ontario boy. Even our guys who grew up here- I find Kone speaks French with a much more European accent than Bombito who has a bit of that Quebec accent that comes out whenever he talks, especially in Canadian interviews. 2 hours ago, Joe MacCarthy said: In my mind, one of the most interesting things he said was his parents don't follow soccer. That's usually not the usual dual national narrative. Not to speculate too much, but I know some people from soccer crazy countries that don’t like the sport because of the people they know who like it. One of my close friends is Brazilian, and when I asked her who she supported, she laughed at me and told me that all her worst exes and most annoying family members are obsessed so she completely tuned out. Obviously great for us in pursuing Lopez, but if his parents are academic or creative types, it’s possible they associate Mexican soccer with some of the most obnoxious people in all of Mexico. Shway, ahmedou and Corazon 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dyslexic nam Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 Like him a lot after the U20 tournament. Like him even more now. I think he was probably encouraged to emphasize his Canadianness, but it doesn't come across as disingenuous, and the fact that he made such a point to emphasize his connections is really encouraging. Looking forward to cheering this guy on for the next decade or more. sebdeserio, h coach, ahmedou and 10 others 12 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe MacCarthy Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 5 hours ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said: Maybe that is the big difference between his upbringing and Marcelo Flores. I posted a video earlier that had Mexican TV pundits saying the situation has reversed and Canada is now better than Mexico. I wonder if that thought is making inroads elsewhere. I've always thought Mexico isn't the same team outside of Mexico (and much of the US) so maybe it wasn't as big of a leap for us in the past four years. I will say that the Mexicans did show a lot of guts back in Edmonton though. ahmedou 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dominic94 Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 He’s very Canadian, was surprised at some of what was asked though. Borjans Sweatpants and ahmedou 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahmedou Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 4 hours ago, dyslexic nam said: Like him a lot after the U20 tournament. Like him even more now. I think he was probably encouraged to emphasize his Canadianness, but it doesn't come across as disingenuous, and the fact that he made such a point to emphasize his connections is really encouraging. Looking forward to cheering this guy on for the next decade or more. Of course, I'm looking forward to collect Santiago's Pumas jersey when Santiago will play regularly with Pumas! My #254! Man, Liga MX jerseys are so crazy! Look at their designs. And look their crazy 3 numbers (***)! GasPed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strait Red Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 (edited) Youth players in Mexico often wear triple digits when playing with the big club. Edited October 11 by Strait Red ahmedou 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borjans Sweatpants Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 4 hours ago, Dominic94 said: He’s very Canadian, was surprised at some of what was asked though. Asking if he wants to represent Canada over Mexico, and who his favourite Liga MX team was pretty silly I thought too. Definitely skirted around explicitly saying Canada over Mexico, though thats smart from a player perspective as you don't want to rule anything out, who knows what the future holds. As much as I would've loved him to say he's all Canada haha Dominic94 and ahmedou 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unnamed Trialist Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 The fact that he's not getting minutes in LigaMx says more about how they're not developing players or advancing in their youth programs than his objective quality. This has been discussed in Mexico for a few years now, it seems to be a recognized problem. Our calling him up is a bit of a comment on his club's laxity. And could be a way to encourage him to look for more minutes, in Pumas or elsewhere if need be. GasPed, Corazon, A Different Perspective and 3 others 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dominic94 Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 7 hours ago, Borjans Sweatpants said: Asking if he wants to represent Canada over Mexico, and who his favourite Liga MX team was pretty silly I thought too. Definitely skirted around explicitly saying Canada over Mexico, though thats smart from a player perspective as you don't want to rule anything out, who knows what the future holds. As much as I would've loved him to say he's all Canada haha Yeah I wasn’t impressed… he’s 18 like come on… to be honest I think the odds that he’s with us long term are high, but what kind of question was that. ahmedou and GasPed 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahmedou Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 Pumas are Canada Soccer fans now All the Pumas fans will follow Canada Soccer Santiago will be a great Canadian ambassador in Mexico sose, narduch, GasPed and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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