France vs Canada - Sunday June 9 - 9:15pm local 3:15 EST; 12:15 Pacific - Bordeaux

[The Beaver 2.0]

9 minutes ago, nolando said:

Kone MOTM for us, followed closely by Max.

And Staq was great, too. Lots of solid performances today. Smart team performance! Give the guys credit for taking on Marsch's game plan so quickly, and kudos to them for the work rate. 

[anthony7]

Just now, Fullback said:

What did Osorio do to you? This is some weird level hatred, I didn’t love his play today either but it’s all good my man

Ya, man it’s all good. Till he comes off the bench and costs us big time. I guess will just wait for it then since you like playing on the edge.

[Dominic94]

Alright my thoughts:

 

I don’t mind March’s subs, you need to see these guys to decide wether or not they can fit your system now.

 

We can hang and create against the top teams, and we can do the pressing style Marsch wants.

Tani, JRR, Shaffleburg will be great as subs and for this system, could be a huge advantage for us to have them come on late in this system. 
 

Ali Ahmed would have been perfect for this game had he been fit. 
 

Bombito has much to learn but he’s got so much promise, and Cornelius has really really improved and grown.

 

Piette, Osorio are not fits in this system, however Osorio will have his uses against certain teams. I hate to say it’s but one of them needs to be left home for an AA who can play CM or LB. Shame we didn’t get Aidan Morris, because we need more CM depth.

Larin will be useful but I could see him missing out as time goes, just need someone to emerge.

Buchanan and Laryea are top class players. 
 

Kone and Staq is the way forward.

I do think we are going to need to integrate players like JMR, Theo and Saliba at a point after the Copa, they can offer more than some of the players called and used in these friendlies. 
 

I’d cut Piette, Brym, Hiebert from this sqaud. Add JRR, AA and maybe find a way for Waterman to make it ? 
 

Overall though, we have arrived, I’m not saying we can beat these type of opponents all the time, but we can give them a run and play with them.

[TGAA_Star]

Crepeau solidified himself as our #1 going into Copa especially after this game

[sebdeserio]

3 minutes ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

Games like this always remind me of the Nottingham Forest fan telling us earnestly that Hull City would be a good test of whether Richie Laryea could hold his own in the English second tier.

Think Crepeau has nailed down the starting keeper role in a Milan Borjan sort of way.

Potentially unpopular opinion but should Jonathan David always be an automatic selection? I see mediocre performance after mediocre performance relative to what his stature is supposed to be in the game.

Tough when you have a Larin sized shackle hanging around. He didn't capitalize on some final balls but his attacking football IQ is better than anyone else up front.

[Kingston]

Quite a showing considering a few short years ago there wouldn’t even have been any point playing this game. 

Between the two recent games we get a great summation of where our program is right now:  We have a long way to go to become an elite team but on a given day we can compete with the best in the world. 

[shermanator]

If Liam Millar didn't hit the damn bar we would have won. That draw is on him! 🤣

I kid. Our men's national team just drew France in France. Cannot believe I am typing that. Second half against Netherlands aside I think this pair of friendlies was very successful.

Let's go fuck up Copa America.

[Treppy2]

13 minutes ago, 74 Whitecap said:

Update the list, baby!

Will post an updated list ahead of the Argentina match!

[beachesl]

As a supporter who has followed Canada since attending the 2 Olympic qualifying matches I attended in 1967, I believe, in my respectful opinion, that this was the proudest moment of the CMNT. France to me, is the best team in the world, better than  Argentina (whom I am fond of) as they played better in the World Cup and were unfairly dealt with then. France is so strong in every position. This is better than our 2 WC Qualifications. This is better than our Gold Cup in 2000.  We showed grit. We did not just park the bus, as claimed in the French media now, we also attacked fantastically.

TAKEAWAYS

-Lareya, our agent of Chaos, is essential

-Although St Clair was great, Crepeau is our starter in goal.

-Alphonso is better at LB, he was strong in defence and good at attack.

-Although I shuddered at the 3 changes, Marsch has shown maturity.

_What could be better than our back line today?

-David is our frnt man, Larin disappeared and was disappointing.

-Eustachio was our savoiur. stood up when we needed.

-Millar is definitely a starter, what a spark  plug!

- We will be CONCACAFFED and CONEMBOLED at the Copa America, but I feel we will perform well regardless of results.

POSITIVE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!😃

 

 

 

 

[vancanman]

My thoughts (on the match, that is)

Crépeau, Koné & Eustaquio were excellent.

Marsch must have had a talk about passing at halftime.   Everything was a lot crisper in the second half.

It was sure nice to watch a Canada game with a decent referee for a change.

I like Giroud even less than I did before the match.

I could hear what sounded like someone clearing a table in a restaurant during O Canada.  It would sure be nice if Canada's women's rugby team wasn't the only national team to sing the anthem in both languages. 

I've never been happier with a goalless draw in my life.  Well-done, boys.

 

[anthony7]

21 minutes ago, TGAA_Star said:

Osorio at best is a sub from now on...never should he start 

How about never being on the roster again? Choinere & Ahmed would happily agree.

[beachesl]

Just now, vancanman said:

My thoughts (on the match, that is)

Crépeau, Koné & Eustaquio were excellent.

Marsch must have had a talk about passing at halftime.   Everything was a lot crisper in the second half.

It was sure nice to watch a Canada game with a decent referee for a change.

I like Giroud even less than I did before the match.

I could hear what sounded like someone clearing a table in a restaurant during O Canada.  It would sure be nice if Canada's women's rugby team wasn't the only national team to sing the anthem in both languages. 

I've never been happier with a goalless draw in my life.  Well-done, boys.

 

WELL, Giroud is a great and favorite player, and his reaction reminded me of Esposito's understandable frustration against the Russians in 1972. We continued frustrating a great team, beyond 50 minutes we did in Rotterdam.. 

[Bigandy]

26 minutes ago, anthony7 said:

Absolutely atrocious performance. I’ll say it again, the guy is a liability and needs to be phased out immediately.

I haven’t seen you contribute one piece of positive or new information.  The only contributions you make are to slam oso.

 

 I’m with the rest of the posters here… oso stole your girl.  
 

edit:  I’ve seen like 5 posts in an hour about how much your obsessed with oso… give it a rest 

Edited June 9 by Bigandy

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

1 minute ago, beachesl said:

...We continued frustrating a great team, beyond 50 minutes we did in Rotterdam.. 

Was amusing watching Didier Deschamps reaction to proceedings change as the game went on.

[PastPros]

Hiebert was exposed for pace more than a few times in his time on the pitch. By the final minutes, they had shifted Richie to the left and moved Hiebert to the middle.

[Pottsy3]

Takeaways:

 

Kobe deserves to play at a higher level next season. Maybe a Ligue 1 side sees the performance of a young French-speaker in Bordeaux.

Liam Millar looked generally positive, but had a lot of hesitation going into the final third. Seemed to try and defer to Davies when possible. Like him a bit more in the second half where he was more fearless. 
 

Bombito and Cornelius did not look out of their depths. I’d expect that to be our first choice CB pairing at the Copa.

 

Felt like Crepeau commanded more tonight than DSC on Thursday. I like the competition but I give Crepeau the edge.

 

Eustaquio had a better game, liked the way he tracked back a few times.

 

None of the subs tonight really impressed me, although some were brief appearances.

 

lastly, we’ve gotta figure something out in the attack…

[GasPed]

1 minute ago, anthony7 said:

How about never being on the roster again? Choinere & Ahmed would happily agree.

I am totally not an Osorio fan, but your posts are so overdone I almost feel like I have to become one just to balance out the tedium.  

[Acid-Tone]

Brilliant performance by everyone. Staff included. 

We went toe-to-toe with one of the world's best (away from home) and held our own!

[mpg_29]

The tempo and energy of this game helped us I think. Copa will be frantic energy.

I thought Davies played well defensively. Also thought Johnston played better this game too and I think it was because he could handle Hernandez pretty well. Realizing how much speed is factor with defense. 

[The Beaver 2.0]

We took a huge step forward today! Super impressed. Early days, but we wanted a manager who could take us to the next level, and I've seen enough in these first two games to feel optimistic that Marsch is indeed the right guy, right now. But credit to the foundation that Herdman has built, and to the players themselves. We played smart, cohesive, and committed football today. Just a bit more quality here and there, and we pot a goal or two. 

Davies was very good in this role. Smart, smart, smart game from him. I think he's carrying a niggling injury, but I liked the mature performance today.

Kone and Staq were beasts all game. Kone needs to go up a level clubwise, and Staq needs to be on a side where he's playing 90 minutes every week.  

David was great, Millar played well and nearly notched a beaut, and Tajon scrapped it out on the wing and was responsible defensively. (Tajon looked just a bit off these past two games, but he's only going to get better.) Centre backs were strong, Cornelius in particular, but Bombito is growing leaps and bounds.  

I felt Johnston was struggling for pace. He had some nice moments, and he's a smart player, but I feel he needs to find a better club, or a better league, or he's going to be replaced by other players quickly. 

Excited to see how this program will grow over the next two years, starting with COPA.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

Just now, mpg_29 said:

...I thought Davies played well defensively....

...after a shaky start that gave France two early chances to score.

[Club Linesman]

Excellent game. France played conservatively which allowed us to grow into the game but we were toe to toe with one of the best teams in the world. Marsch called off the dogs early which was smart and saved some legs.  As a couple guys mentioned some of our subs will be killer pressing in the later stages of the game so hopefully Marsch will play like this against stronger teams. 
This is also why we need to play top teams. If we had not played the Dutch and this was game 1 against a European power, I think we would have been hammered 4-0 by the French just due to nerves. Huge result and bring on more games against top teams so we are properly prepared for 2026. 

[74 Whitecap]

I think if I am Marsch, one thing I take away from these two friendlies is the need to drill the team on beating the press. If I am one of Canada's opponents, I can see how we struggled and panicked vs. the Dutch press vs. how comfortable we grew when France allowed us to retain possession at the back without pressure.

We have the speed, so with good drilling and execution, we should be able to either force teams (I am thinking Peru and Chile level teams here) to back off, or else take advantage of them getting caught on numbers.

As for the game itself, it seems like we have a solid starting 11 down, barring injuries. Davies and Millar on the left feels like the answer to a question we have had for a long time. Bombito and Cornelius seem to play well together at the back, the whole being, if not more, then at least not less than the sum of the parts.

As for the subs, in a game that counts, I guess we will see. Lareya slotted in pretty seamlessly, others not so much. I love Shaf but his defensive awareness remains lacking. And there was a big hole when Koné left, but maybe Choinière could have filled it better. Or maybe Kone just plays 90 when it counts.

I wonder if Larin wouldn't be more effective off the bench, if not now, then by 2026. Still open though who would take his place in the starting 11 if that happens, but at least we have a few options.

[anthony7]

4 hours ago, Bigandy said:

I haven’t seen you contribute one piece of positive or new information.  The only contributions you make are to slam oso.

 

 I’m with the rest of the posters here… oso stoke your girl.  

Positives: Kone- Outstanding & MOTM, Cornelius-(My guy from elementary & high school) solid. Crepeau- Showed he is definitely our No. 1 keeper. Lareya- Looked great and was very clever especially coming back from injury. Needs to be starting against Argentina.

Negatives: Osorio was the weakest link. Slow to everything, poor decision making and a complete liability. Almost cost us twice today. The guy does not deserve to be on the Copa Roster and needs to be phased out from this team completely.

Edited June 10 by anthony7

[The Beaver 2.0]

Loved how quiet the fans were for most of this game. Great sign of how we comported ourselves throughout the 95 minutes.