Copa America: Canada vs Peru - Tuesday, June 25th - 6pm Eastern / 3pm Pacific - Kansas City, Kansas

[Joe MacCarthy]

11 hours ago, narduch said:

He was the ref for our 2-1 win over Mexico at Iceteca

He is probably looking to get even for subjecting him to that

[Obinna]

16 minutes ago, Joe MacCarthy said:

He is probably looking to get even for subjecting him to that

Extreme cold in Edmonton 

Monsoon conditions in Honduras

Extreme heat in Kansas

Nothing but the toughest of conditions for this man!

[Joe MacCarthy]

Don't quote me on this, but I thought I heard somewhere that there are four places in Canada that experience almost every type of weather from extreme heat to cold, hurricanes etc.  I think Montreal and southeastern New Brunswick were part of it, IIRC

[Unnamed Trialist]

13 hours ago, Joe MacCarthy said:

Kansas City, Kansas is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named.

But in which do "they got some crazy little women there", in case I wanna get me one?

[Joe MacCarthy]

1 minute ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

But in which do "they got some crazy little women there", in case I wanna get me one?

In my case, if you're married you already got one.

[Unnamed Trialist]

4 minutes ago, Joe MacCarthy said:

In my case, if you're married you already got one.

True for me too. I guess I should have said I was asking for a friend.

I also heard that "everything is up to date in Kansas City" and "they've gone about as far as they can go", which makes me envy those going to the game.

 

Edited June 24 by Unnamed Trialist

[Joe MacCarthy]

 

[JamboAl]

42 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

True for me too. I guess I should have said I was asking for a friend.

I also heard that "everything is up to date in Kansas City" and "they've gone about as far as they can go", which makes me envy those going to the game.

 

They have free streetcars and public transport here in KC.  The streetcar downtown is excellent but the bus system is too infrequent to be useful.  And you may die in the heat waiting for one.  So they can go further.

[Unnamed Trialist]

31 minutes ago, JamboAl said:

They have free streetcars and public transport here in KC.  The streetcar downtown is excellent but the bus system is too infrequent to be useful.  And you may die in the heat waiting for one.  So they can go further.

Yeah, but everyone says the trolleys in St Louis are way better

 

[Unnamed Trialist]

More essential prep for Kansas City (well, FSU, but same point)

 

Edited June 24 by Unnamed Trialist

[BrennanFan]

Luis Advincula, Bryan Reyna and Alexander Callens are all injured and won't play against Canada.  

Along with the absence of Renato Tapia in the midfield, this amounts to an absence of 4 usual starters for Peru.  It's getting close to a B+ team.  

Tomorrow is looking to be as good an opportunity for Canada as it's ever gonna get.  

As I mentioned before, Peru is very much a second half / come from behind team.  Going down a goal does not phase them at all, whereas with Canada conceding will probably break the team.  

Peru has a very old school coach who has not had a ton of time with the team, he will stick to the basics.  Given the heat and the injuries, I expect Peru to allow Canada to have most of the possession and manage the game defensively until the 75th minute or so, and then make changes to aggressively take the game to Canada, assuming Canada will wilt in the heat as the game progresses.  

In the last 2 Copas, Peru has been a finalist and semi finalist.  They always manage to do well and get out of their group, so they will have all the confidence, belief and expectation to beat Canada.  They will have the edge in wanting it more.  We will have to be 'absolutely clinical' with our half chances to get a result here. 

One last factor that will help is that Peru is not like Chile or Argentina or Honduras when it comes to play acting, diving and pressuring the ref.  Peru plays it straight, very similar to Canada.  

[jhoops__]

It looks like it will be 28-29 C at game time so the heat is not really a factor…I also don’t but that Peru will want this more, that makes no sense.

[Unnamed Trialist]

8 minutes ago, BrennanFan said:

Luis Advincula, Bryan Reyna and Alexander Callens are all injured and won't play against Canada.  

Along with the absence of Renato Tapia in the midfield, this amounts to an absence of 4 usual starters for Peru.  It's getting close to a B+ team.  

Tomorrow is looking to be as good an opportunity for Canada as it's ever gonna get.  

As I mentioned before, Peru is very much a second half / come from behind team.  Going down a goal does not phase them at all, whereas with Canada conceding will probably break the team.  

Peru has a very old school coach who has not had a ton of time with the team, he will stick to the basics.  Given the heat and the injuries, I expect Peru to allow Canada to have most of the possession and manage the game defensively until the 75th minute or so, and then make changes to aggressively take the game to Canada, assuming Canada will wilt in the heat as the game progresses.  

In the last 2 Copas, Peru has been a finalist and semi finalist.  They always manage to do well and get out of their group, so they will have all the confidence, belief and expectation to beat Canada.  They will have the edge in wanting it more.  We will have to be 'absolutely clinical' with our half chances to get a result here. 

One last factor that will help is that Peru is not like Chile or Argentina or Honduras when it comes to play acting, diving and pressuring the ref.  Peru plays it straight, very similar to Canada.  

So in what Italian city in Serie A in the 1990s does Perú play?

[BrennanFan]

6 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

So in what Italian city in Serie A in the 1990s does Perú play?

Their coach is a 70 year old Uruguayan so that's about right

[archer21]

20 hours ago, BrennanFan said:

Given that Peru is my second team and I follow them closely, I will provide all the information that I can:

Overview:

I could go on and on about the similarities (mostly problems) Peru and Canada share, but at present I will simply say that Peru's players are criminally underrated and undervalued in world football.  Peruvian players simply don't get the same opportunities and respect that lesser players of Uruguayan, Chilean and Colombian background get - nevermind Argentinians and Brazilians.  Don't put much stock in a Peruvian player's club trajectory to gauge where they are at.  

 

Keeper:

Gallese - simply put, he is Peru's best player and one of the top keepers in South America over the last 15 years.  I've seen him do unbelievable things over and over again.  Always brings his best to international games.  Better than Crepeau and Borjan in every way.  I'd even put him ahead of Forrest.  His performance in a do or die WCQ against Argentina in Buenos Aires in late 2017 was a pure masterclass against 90 minutes of constant, non stop pressure, by far the greatest performance from a keeper I've ever seen.  It's absolutely criminal that he never got an opportunity in Europe. Not much else to say, he is excellent and a proven star performer in the most difficult games South America has to offer.  He will be tough to beat.

 

Defence:

Peru has recently been playing with 3 centre backs but it would not surprise me to see them switch to 2 against Canada.

Zambrano is the veteran of the defensive core.  Played in Europe for 10 years, mostly in the Bundesliga before moving to Boca Juniors in 2020, he's now back at his youth club, Alianza Lima to close out his career.  His leadership and toughness still keeps him a starter.

Callens, Santamaria, Abram, Araujo - all are in their prime and all of them are very good, solid professionals.  Only Santamaria does not have European experience and to me, he's the best of the bunch, currently plays in Mexico.  Callens was formerly with NYCFC and is now at AEK Athens.  Abram and Araujo are in MLS.  Any one of them would be an automatic starter for Canada.  This defensive core is Peru's strength.  They are well organized and have been playing together for 8 years plus, and have solid WCQ experience.

 

Wingbacks: 

Advincula is Peru's captain for this tournament.  Heading into the 2018 World Cup he was named the world's fastest player, dethroning Bale.  At 34 years old, he still has his speed and power, currently with Boca Juniors.  Very dangerous going forward and can pick out a top corner with both feet.  He's the only Peruvian player that can even try to catch Phonzy and Tajon.  Subbed due to injury against Chile, if he doesn't play, it will be a huge blow to Peru's chances.  

Lopez is a left back currently with Feyenoord.  Quick, smart, and an excellent crosser of the ball.  He will give us problems all game.

Polo is a weird one.  Was with Inter Milan to start his career, before bouncing around South America, was with Portland recently before returning to his home club in Lima.  Every new Peru coach loves this guy and plays him, while I don't think he should be on the team.  He never does anything.  

 

Central Midfield:

Tapia (Feyenoord, Celta Vigo) is Peru's best midfielder, captain and on field leader, and luckily for Canada he is not playing in this tournament due to currently being out of contract and Peru being too cheap to cover his insurance in case of injury.  The stupidity involved in this mess is basically par for the course for the Peruvian federation.  Ridiculous does not cover this farce.  Ugh.  His absence hurts Peru more than losing Eustaquio would hurt us.

Cartagena is Tapia's replacement.  Currently with Orlando.  Lots of international experience.  Solid defensive mid.  Does not make mistakes, will be looking to solidify his place as a starter.

Pena (Malmo) and Reyna (Belgrano) are pure attacking midfielders, the type of player we simply don't produce and wouldn't fit into our system.  They are playmakers, in their prime, and they can score, but they are not game changers and sometimes get marked out of games by tight defenses.  I expect them both to play a role against Canada.

Quispe (Pumas) and Grimaldo are two young exciting attacking players seen as the next big things in Peruvian soccer.  They have been used centrally and on the wing.  Huge expectations for both of them, this is meant to be their break out tournament.  They are fast, insanely tricky players, again the likes of which we simply do not produce.  Let's hope the pressure gets to them.

Flores, Cueva and Carrillo are the heroes of 2018 WCQ who should not even be on the team anymore, maybe they will see some time as subs.  

 

Forwards:

Lapadula (Parma, AC Milan, Genoa, Cagliari) is a 34 year old Serie A veteran, scored 4 goals last year.  Good in the air, good with his feet, excellent vision.  Better pro than Larin, just more dependable at finishing his chances.  Not a superstar but a solid weapon to have, does what he needs to do, age has not yet caught up to him though that day is not far off.  

Guerrero (Bayern Munich, Corinthian, Flamengo, etc) at 40 years old is still the heart and soul of Peruvian soccer.  Peru's all time leading scorer, he always has managed to come up with the goods.  One of the best South American strikers of the last 20 years, easily on par with Suarez, Falcao, Aguero, the proof is in WCQ, numbers don't lie.  With age, his role is now limited to super sub, but he is still relied upon to score clutch goals. 

 

To summarize, getting a result against Peru will require Canada to play at their very best for the full 90.  Peru is a level above Mexico and USA, and this is exactly the level we should be aiming for at this point.  Peru will not be bothered with doing plenty of defending, Peru is built to absorb pressure and counter effectively.  In attack they will pick their spots well and at times will dominate possession and overload the attacking areas with intense pressure.  On the other hand they cannot match our speed or physicality and do not have anyone on par with Davies and David.  To avoid our speed, they will give us the ball, absorb our pressure, wait for us to make mistakes and look to hit us on the counter.  Peru is also very much a second half team and coming back from 1-nil deficits is kind of their thing.  This will be an excellent game and will show us exactly what we are made of. 

 

If I had to create one team out of both pools of players, it would look like this:

Lapadula --- David

Davies --- Eustaquio --- Pena --- Buchanan

Lopez --- Callens --- Santamaria --- Advincula

Gallese     

 

 

I’m not a Peru expert but this seems kind of implausible based on recent results. They were recently beaten by Bolivia and badly outshot in the process. Bolivia were clearly out of their league against the USA. So I think your bias may be playing a role here in your opinion that Peru is a step above the USA. 
 

That’s not to say I think it will be an easy match. I expect Peru will be difficult to break down, and if we give up a quick goal or 2 off the counter we’ll be in trouble. Hopefully we can cause some turnovers in the attacking third that leads to chances/goals of our own. How are the Peru defenders in terms of passing out of the back under pressure?

[jonovision]

24 minutes ago, jhoops__ said:

It looks like it will be 28-29 C at game time so the heat is not really a factor…I also don’t but that Peru will want this more, that makes no sense.

28-29 C with 70+% humidity will absolutely be a factor. This is hotter than any European-based player will play in during their regular season. 

Same conditions for both teams, of course.

[BrennanFan]

2 minutes ago, archer21 said:

I’m not a Peru expert but this seems kind of implausible based on recent results. They were recently beaten by Bolivia and badly outshot in the process. Bolivia were clearly out of their league against the USA. So I think your bias may be playing a role here in your opinion that Peru is a step above the USA. 
 

That’s not to say I think it will be an easy match. I expect Peru will be difficult to break down, and if we give up a quick goal or 2 off the counter we’ll be in trouble. Hopefully we can cause some turnovers in the attacking third that leads to chances/goals of our own. How are the Peru defenders in terms of passing out of the back under pressure?

You are correct in that Peru was a disaster and a shell of their former selves in the first few games of WCQ.  It was tough to let go of the older generation attacking midfielders but that lesson has been learned with the firing of that coach.  

Peru's defence are excellent at passing out of the back under pressure and linking with the midfield.  Peru's problem is always the final third.  They will have problems scoring. Their new midfielders are in no way proven though they have shown flashes of what is possible.  Peru will not generate many scoring chances but neither will Canada.  The most likely result in my view is a 0-0 which does not help anyone.

[narduch]

25 minutes ago, archer21 said:

I’m not a Peru expert but this seems kind of implausible based on recent results. They were recently beaten by Bolivia and badly outshot in the process. Bolivia were clearly out of their league against the USA. So I think your bias may be playing a role here in your opinion that Peru is a step above the USA. 
 

That’s not to say I think it will be an easy match. I expect Peru will be difficult to break down, and if we give up a quick goal or 2 off the counter we’ll be in trouble. Hopefully we can cause some turnovers in the attacking third that leads to chances/goals of our own. How are the Peru defenders in terms of passing out of the back under pressure?

But that was at home at altitude where they usually have a massive advantage over opponents 

[TGAA_Star]

24 more hours

[Unnamed Trialist]

30 minutes ago, jonovision said:

28-29 C with 70+% humidity will absolutely be a factor. This is hotter than any European-based player will play in during their regular season. 

Same conditions for both teams, of course.

Larin will have seen it, but apart from him you are right.

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

35 minutes ago, jonovision said:

28-29 C with 70+% humidity will absolutely be a factor. This is hotter than any European-based player will play in during their regular season. 

Same conditions for both teams, of course.

It reached at least 30 for a few days in London, which can get as humid, last September.  Becoming the norm.

[Obinna]

Peru missing Advincula and Callens is huge. Don't know enough about Reyna to say, but if he's a starter that's a big miss. I assume Peru in general have better depth than Canada in terms of the bench options not being a big drop off. What's your take @BrennanFan? We know with Canada, the starting 11 is very good, but the drop off with the subs can be steep. 

[Floortom]

Why isnt Callens playing against Canada? Where did you see that news?

[archer21]

52 minutes ago, BrennanFan said:

You are correct in that Peru was a disaster and a shell of their former selves in the first few games of WCQ.  It was tough to let go of the older generation attacking midfielders but that lesson has been learned with the firing of that coach.  

Peru's defence are excellent at passing out of the back under pressure and linking with the midfield.  Peru's problem is always the final third.  They will have problems scoring. Their new midfielders are in no way proven though they have shown flashes of what is possible.  Peru will not generate many scoring chances but neither will Canada.  The most likely result in my view is a 0-0 which does not help anyone.

A 0-0 draw isn’t exactly the worst scenario for Canada, although obviously not ideal. I’d be fine with have a match with Chile to decide it all. If they lose by 2+ to Argentina it could even put us in a decent position with a draw in the final match. Although that would set up Peru to just try to keep it close with a rotated Argentine squad.

[Grandbloke]

1 hour ago, BrennanFan said:

In the last 2 Copas, Peru has been a finalist and semi finalist.  They always manage to do well and get out of their group, so they will have all the confidence, belief and expectation to beat Canada.  They will have the edge in wanting it more.  We will have to be 'absolutely clinical' with our half chances to get a result here. 

Much appreciate your very informative posts about the Peru squad. But what is your basis for saying that they want it more?

Edited June 24 by Grandbloke