Cowtown Kyle

After-party at Diamond Tooth Gertie’s

As nice as the win is, the biggest plus for me was the play of Ahmed and Choiniere as players adding significant depth to the team- especially as they are the two who would likely not have been starting if everyone was healthy (ie Kone and Tajon).

Very silly to hate on Westhead for what is some of the best sports reporting in Canada today (covering both the national soccer and hockey programs) simply because the unpleasant truths he brings to light make your favourite teams look bad. 

Wonder if this started with Herdman with the women and continued with the men. 

Thanks for sharing the news.
For those looking for what he said to throw into your preferred translation app:
"Ahora tenemos ... en (un) principio cuatro partidos amistosos, dos en septiembre y dos en octubre.
Los de octubre estan cerrados [locked in], contra Estados Unidos y Canadá...."
He mentions the Canada friendly is confirmed in the same way he mentions the USA one that US Soccer has already announced. So (unless the players go on strike again), this is 100% going to happen and probably already signed.
----
If this is a home game, my guess is that Montreal hosts on Tuesday, October 15th. 
Then CONCACAF Nations League returns to Toronto on Monday, November 18th or Tuesday, November 19th 
Montreal and Toronto are the only Canadian cities served by Copa Airlines, and both have a direct Air Canada flight from Austin on Sunday, October 13th.
Panama is a good opponent to play in Montreal because the opposing team's diaspora always shows up in big numbers there, compared to Canadian support, but Panama doesn't have a big diaspora.
It will have been 7 years and 4 months since the #CanMNT last played in Montreal; they will have played in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Hamilton since then. The media narrative writes itself, last time only 6000 people showed up for Alphonso Davies first #CanMNT match, so show up this time if you don't want to wait another 7½ years or more for another match!
Previous and next event at various stadiums:
• Commonwealth in Edmonton, Elks games October 5th and October 25th
• IG Field in Winnipeg, Blue Bombers October 11th , Valour October 19th
• Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Forge October 12th, TigerCats October 18th
• TD Place in Ottawa, Atlético September 29th, Atlético October 19th
• BC Place in Vancouver, Whitecaps October 5th, BC Lions October 19th
• BMO Field in Toronto, TFC on October 5th, Argos on October 19th
• Stade Saputo in Montreal, CF Montréal September 28th, CF Montréal October 19th

Kone’s reaction was good. The game was over, he knew he was getting a card. To me that shows a player who can hang with the top guys, not someone getting baited into a reaction.

So my big sum up is:
We played very well. Maybe not our best, because we couldn’t score, but that was a function of the caliber of competition.
I also feel like we were pretty lucky to be here. The reds in the Peru and Chile games were “lucky” breaks - in that non-Conmebol teams have mostly not gotten these calls. But the summary is not only that we got some luck -we took advantage of it (no small thing!)
I also feel damn proud that Argentina never embarrassed us, and getting to play them twice was an honour. 

The hard part, the reason this is sticking in my throat a bit, and I feel regret, is: it might be many years before we get another shot like this, a chance to beat a top team for the highest stakes. We may not be back at this particular poker table for a long time.

We all know that, while we didn’t “deserve” to win tonight, we actually, maybe, could have, if we had just done a little bit more, gotten that early goal on one of the Shaff counters, just gotten a couple of breaks generally…

I swear that I will finally just be about to fall asleep later tonight, and then I am going to remember this and crack up all over again, and it will be another 1/2 hour before I can sleep
 
Edited to add: I think it is so funny (to me at least) because he got the weight on the ball perfectly right. Harder, and it would have been a cheap shot, worthy of a red. Softer, and he might not have gotten DePaul to bite on the theatrics, but that was just right. 

What a tournament.  
A unqualified success that we, and others are going to try to qualify.  But that is as it should be.  That's football.
To be brief, and to the point, we went in with questions about our back line and left questioning are goal scoring.  Quite rightly.
Too many eye catching performances to single out.  And just as many affirming performances as to be encouraging.  Complain about what you want, there's plenty to moan about, but on the whole this was a successful tourney for Canada.  A very successful tourney.
Lock, stock, and barrel.
Clap-clap-clap.

I'm so happy for my own kids and other younger fans who are getting in to this sport and have a national team that competes with the best.
A lot of us in this forum have not had that. I am happy and envious of them. 
I'm also impressed with our mls depth. 

Sofascore saying these are the line ups:

Dare to dream.

Canada win +32 points, FIFA #32
Canada wins in penalties +22 points, FIFA #33
Canada loses in penalties +12 points, FIFA #39
Canada loses 0 points, FIFA #43

Reading the major Argentine dailies, Clarín and La Nación, both seem to think De María will start, Alvaréz up top, Paredes back in the line-up---oddly, the same guys who started against us might return. In general, Argentina football journalism is light years ahead of Mexican, say, which is very immature and simplistic. The Argentines play well and, I would dare say, are some of the most articulate and well-considered analyzing the game as well.
In an article in La Nación, the journalist Diego Mazzei breaks down the match-up, the first group stage meeting, pretty interesting and very balanced I'd say: "Argentina, and the lessons left by Canada. What to do and not do against a team that pushed Argentina in the debut"
https://www.lanacion.com.ar/deportes/futbol/argentina-y-las-lecciones-que-le-dejo-canada-lo-que-no-debe-hacer-ante-un-equipo-que-lo-puso-en-nid08072024/
The smiles and relief do not take away a nervous feeling in the Argentine team. They have already returned to a known refuge, in a remote place in New Jersey, where any fans who arrive, after traveling a long ways to get there, cannot go beyond a distant fence that prevents any contact. A strategic point to reset a team that has taken off on a familiar flight and that rarely in this Copa América has shown the impetuous walk of the great champion. There were flashes, almost reflex acts, in a group phase from highest to lowest in terms of demand. Until the first hand to hand came and… the abyss was just there. Ecuador showed them the precipice. That is why Lionel Scaloni, who did not enjoy the epic classification thanks to the hands of Dibu Martínez, took note.
Along this path, the start was not comfortable for Argentina either. In Jesse Marsch, Canada has an obsessive and intelligent coach who is trying to strengthen a generation with the potential to do much more than simply compete. And they will see each other again. Nineteen days will have gone by this Tuesday, at 9 p.m. in our country, when Argentina meets the Canadians again. That time it was in Atlanta, now it will be at MetLife, where Scaloni's team agonizingly defeated Chile. What lessons did that debut against the North Americans leave for Scaloni? What mistakes did Argentina make that it should not repeat? What strengths does Canada have to hurt us?
1) Shots against a compact opponent. That night the state of the field was in the spotlight. The application of natural grass on the original synthetic turf left the terrain difficult for the passing game that Argentina usually has, which repeatedly resorted to a script of vertical and direct balls from the center backs or cross deliveries behind the backs of the Canadian center backs. But it was not just the field of play that compelled the team to adopt this resource almost systematically. Canada became so compact when they did not have the ball that the space for the Argentine midfielders was drastically reduced. Di María, Messi and Julián had their opportunities on that stage. When, on the other hand, Argentina opted for its identity of associating passes, the two goals arrived.
2) The right defensive side. Argentina had a first half that was not without suffering, and the biggest deficiencies were on the side of Nahuel Molina. The match with Ecuador showed the same flaw. But it is not only the responsibility of the Atlético de Madrid footballer – we will have to see if he remains in the team or if Gonzalo Montiel enters in his place. There is a malfunction that leads the right back to be left without support and in inferior conditions when the rival groups players together to progress through that sector. Canada did it with its best weapon: Alphonso Davies. The one from Bayern Munich teamed up with Millar and even the elusive Jonathan David joined the triangulation. It was the Canadians' most interesting offensive argument. For Tuesday, Millar will not play; In his place will be the fast Jacob Shaffelburg, the revelation of the team.
3) Pay attention to the steering wheel that comes off. Canada has a leading forward who, although he has not been scoring, is dedicated to creating spaces for the arrival of teammates. Argentina suffered it with David – a French football figure – and with Eustaquio, whose header was notably blocked by Dibu Martínez when the match was 0-0.
That match there were several players who did not start against Ecuador. Julián Álvarez was the center forward, and could return after Lautaro's poor performance in the quarterfinals. Julián played a good game against the Canadians thanks to his deployment of pressure and the diagonals to offer himself as a passing option. The other is Leandro Paredes, who handled himself well in the axis, a place where Argentina has not found been ticking with Alexis Mac Allister.
As always, there are positions that are out of the question. The center backs will continue to be Cuti Romero and Lisandro Martínez, and Nicolás Tagliafico will remain at left back (Marcos Acuña played in the debut against Canada, was too isolated, and was therefore harmless in his attacking forays). Alexis Mac Allister would regain his place as an insider on the left, which he fulfilled efficiently in his debut.
Lionel Messi, who arrived with just enough against Ecuador and had an opaque performance, is expected to regain some more confidence and mobility thanks to the rehabilitation he has been carrying out.
Finally, there are possibilities that Ángel Di María will return, after not getting any minutes against Ecuador. In a difficult context, Di María has the capacity for individual resolution that Nicolás González has not shown until now, which would leave him his place in the attack.
Canada was Argentina's first obstacle in the Copa América, and the 2-0 of the albiceleste made up for several of the imperfections from then. Almost three weeks have passed and there are elements to take into account and not repeat. Above all, for a team that has reached these semifinals less with the total football that took it to the top than with skill and mystique, with saving individualities and hierarchy in key moments.

And the winner of Colombia/Uruguay! 😄

The Spanish press has been pretty unanimous that we outplayed Venezuela, should have put it away earlier, that the Rondón goal was great, but that we deserved to win even in penalties. In Marca this article is entitled "Canada is Not a Lottery", referring to how going to penalties is like playing the lottery, a typical Spanish expression.
https://www.marca.com/futbol/copa-america/cronica/2024/07/06/66889386e2704e87838b4586.html
"The very poorly termed penalty lottery went to Canada. It wasn't their turn, they earned it. They deserved it throughout the night and also in the shootout, where they put an end to a Venezuela that had just won the three games in the group stage and that suffered an upset that it did not expect at perhaps the best moment in its history. Maxime Crépeau, who had made a mistake in Rondón's tying goal, saved a penalty, touched another to send it to the post and celebrated one that went wide. The rounds are not won by luck, they are conquered by their own merits.
Jesse Marsch's Canada appears by surprise in the semifinals of a Copa América where they also played the debut match with Argentina, which will also be its rival in the early hours of Tuesday to Wednesday in Spain. It will be one of those good 'replays'. The Canadians already sent out a warning in the inaugural match. They are a very serious team, not a lottery. They are going to arrive at 'their' World Cup more than prepared.
Venezuela tried to find new heights and did not find them, by returning to the semifinals 13 years after the last time. Canada showed up, competing as properly qualified teams are asked to do. La Vinotinto came out nervous and the player who celebrated that was Jacob Shaffelburg, who drove everyone who met him crazy. He scored the first goal and created everything he wanted and more. Accompanied by Jonathan David, who only needed to finish in a one-on-one matchup. Canada attacked with arrows and went straight for the neck. By surprise.
The match had a fast pace, but it was difficult for Venezuela to take it all in. They were not better than Canada, although they managed to tie in the second half unexpectedly. The goal came from a corner in favor of the Maple Leaf team, which did play the lottery there. They left only Bombito behind and a kick from Aramburu became a problem. Rondón, who had been playing but had not been sharp,  won the battle and took advantage of Crépeau's position, who must have thought that he had to go all the way out and shoot at the other team's goal. With the goalkeeper out of place, Salomón nailed the  equalizer.....
With the tie, penalties appeared on the horizon. They should not have even gotten to them at all, because of Canada, which once again deserved a better prize before the penalty round. But they found their reward in the false lottery, sending out a message that Argentina received. You have to play the match, and in the semifinals it is all to play for."
 

🔥

Lalas,  Dempsey et al advocating what?! The USA and Mexico leaving CONCACAF for CONMEBOL?

Read the Argentine press. Clarín says we were totally dominant first half, and that while Argentina is a clear favourite their team is still repeating that they are not taking any rival as easy.
La Nación, another Argentine daily, also said that we were superior overall, praised Shaff and our chances through David, Laryea, and called the Rondón goal the best of the tournament so far. They also say that we had our chances vs. Argentina in the opening match, that they too got past the round in a shoot-out, but that they should be able to beat us.

I don’t know how I’m going to sleep tonight!  What a result.  What a game.  What a performance.
Copa America Semi Finalists!
Crepeau - Imo, partly to blame for the goal against.  But other than that, he’s the same Maxine Crepeau he’s been all tournament.  Two great saves in the shootout.  Someone get a still frame of his face after his saves.
Johnston - Another very good game for him.  Back to back excellent performances.  Had Soteldo in his pocket for most of that first half.
Bombito - Excellent performance again aside from gettied bullied on our goal against.  Has some moments that make remember he’s still only played a few dozen professional games.  Great penalty.
Cornelius - Another spectacular performance.  He has some incredible long balls as well.
Davies - One of his best performances for country ever in my opinion.  He looked like the superstar out.  Great penalty.
Laryea - Not his best performance again.   Clearly still trying to get going from the injury.  But had some important plays for us.
Osorio - Not a great first half but an improved second half.  Still impressed and surprised with his last couple performances.
Eustaquio - Looked a bit sloppy early on, but progressed with the game and had some incredible passes.  Works hard and wins balls.  Dreadful penalty though.
Shaffelburg - Absolute menace on the left side, especially in the first half.  Earned his goal.  Great performance and I expect another start.
Larin - Had another difficult game.  Not really involved much and missed his chances.
David - Really struggled in that first half but still so critical with his work rate.  Second half was much better passing and exceptional pass overtop to Tani.  Needs to be more clinical in front of net.  Solid penalty and glad he went first.
Millar - Wasn’t his best performance but worked hard defensively and had a nice chance with a rather spectacular save.  Unfortunate on the penalty as well.
Ahmed - I thought he struggled to get involved but also didn’t look out of step at all.  Poor finish on his chance created by David.
Tani - Created a lot once again.  Marsch hasn’t been afraid to make changes, I wonder if Tani has done enough to earn a start.
Kone - Looked very good and showed that his ceiling is very high.  You can see the confidence he has.