This week I’ve decided to grow myself an extra thumb and give two up to the CSA and one down.
Thumb Up
On the positive, good on the CSA for getting our Men’s National Team two decent upcoming friendlies against Macedonia on November 14 and against Poland on November 18. Macedonia is currently ranked 66th in the World, Poland 56, to Canada’s 53.
These are both good matches to keep our team active and get the relative newcomers like Simeon Jackson integrated into the group and see who will be the core going forward into the next WCQ campaign. It will also give our team a chance to work on its systems under Steve Hart, who clearly prefers a foot to foot style passing game, compared to the ineffective long by style that Dale Mitchell seemed to employ, if there was any system at all. Though Canada looked fairly good at the last Gold Cup, with good passing, there is a need to work on transitioning from controlling possession in the first 2/3 of the pitch to creating scoring opportunities and effectively breaking into that final 1/3 of the pitch.
First Thumb Down
The first thumb down is related to the first point. Why is Steve Hart still the interim coach. Canada, under Hart, compiled a 4-1-1 record in 2009, including a strong run to the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-final stage which came to an end as a result of referee error. Canada also looked strong, probably stronger, in the Gold Cup prior to this, also under Hart. He has had both the veterans and the youngsters playing well and seems to understand how to get the best out of his players. Many believe that if he had stayed on at the helm rather than Mitchell, Canada would be in that 3rd CONCACAF spot. Under Hart, the players believed that not only could Canada have made that 3rd spot, but that the 2nd spot was a realistic goal.
Some have argued Hart does not have much experience outside CONCACAF. Who cares. If the man can get us out of the CONCACAF WCQ into the World Cup, he will have earned more than his salary. How well Canada performs at the World Cup under a coach inexperienced outside of this region is a debate most of us would love to see happen.
This lengthy continuance of having an interim coach cannot be good for the CMNT. We need continuity going forward. There is progress and it has to continue. Having certainty can only be good. Hart has the team playing an effective system, he gets the best out of his players, and they respond to him. This is exactly what you want in a head coach.
The fact that the CSA has not appointed Hart head coach nor appointed anyone else equally qualified earns them one thumb down.
For an opinion why Hart should not be made the head coach, see Ben Rycroft’s piece:
Second Thumb Down
The second thumb down goes to the CSA for failing to get enough friendlies against CONCACAF opponents, or at least South American opponents. In past WCQ campaigns, Canada has suffered from bad calls by bad CONCACAF refs and the antics of some of our CONCACAF opponents- diving, time wasting, etc. Our players don’t seem to know how to handle it as well as they should. After the games analysts, players, coaches complain that many of our top players are used to standards in Europe where refs don’t stand for these tactics and the tactics are discouraged to start with. I’ve got some news. Canada is not qualifying for the World Cup out of Europe. We are qualifying out of CONCACAF. We have to qualify against CONCACAF teams, with CONCACAF refs, with CONCACAF tactics.
The CSA keeps lining up friendly after friendly against European opponents. Of course it’s more practical and cost-effective, given the number of Canadians playing in Europe. I also think it’s a good that Canada is playing Poland and Macedonia. What I don’t think is good as that there are no games scheduled against CONCACAF sides at any time in the forseeable future and I doubt any will be. Mexico and Honduras, I imagine, will want to prepare for the WC over the next 8 months. Possibly Costa Rica will too. We should be taking every opportunity we get to play these teams whenever possible and not just when everything is on the line in WCQ or the Gold Cup.
