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Canada and its fans shut out in defeat

ALLAN MAKI

From Friday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 1:32 PM EST 07/07/07

Under-20 team can't get one in the Austrian net; many spectators can't get in stadium in time for opening kickoff, writes Allan Maki ...Read the full article

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  1. Miro Kliment from Winnipeg, Canada writes: Everybody wondered where the fans were today?

    I {and the kids at that time 5 and 3 with my wife were all waving the Canadian flags}was at the Brazil game in 94....

    Canada was about as good as Austria and didn't have the quality to actually finish the game by scoring....

    I was very disappointed by the "padestrian" pace of the game,low intensity and appearance of lack of desire to get to the net...

    I think that Ricketts played good,but couldn't deal with the upkicks from the defence...he needed on the ground through balls to latch on to etc....

    Canadians have a little chance to beat Congo by 2 or 3 goals to still make it to the next round.
  2. Michael Sharp from Roar you Lions, Roar!, Canada writes:

    I'm just beside myself.

    20,000 fans, maybe?
    Be ashamed Edmonton, be ashamed.

    I watched last night's game played in Victoria, Japan versus Scotland.
    Sold out, all 12,000 seats. Great energy. Pretty city, nice, green, natural turf. Balmy.
    Lovely venue.

    But then living here, I'm proud.

    Still.
    350,000 donate 12,000.
    1,000,000 donate 20,000.

    Hello.

    And why is it that Canada sucks at soccer?
    Is there anything more boring and frustrating than watching Canadian boys (men, whatever) soccer?

    There's quite a soccer fever in Victoria.
    We're grooving on this.
    Mind you soccer is big here.
    Biggest high school sport, next to basketball.

    I am so disappointed with firstly, Edmonton and secondly, the quality of our men/boys game.

    Smarten up!
  3. Snakes on a Blog from Edmonton, Canada writes: The low attendance was due to the game starting at 5:30 pm local time. This time was likely choosen by the cbc to accomodate a central canada (re: toronto) audiance.

    Most people don't get off work until 5:00, then have to fight traffic to get to the stadium. Stupid kick-off time... VERY STUPID. FYI, CFL games start at 7:30 on weekdays, which draw 35,000 fans/game.
  4. Miro Kliment from Winnipeg, Canada writes: When your Country to stay alive in the World Cup,in anything,if you are a fan you will leave a half of an hour early and tell the boss that "the kids got tickets to go see Canada play"....

    I was born at night,but not last night...Where there is a will there is a way...{I don't care if the game started at 11 am,you tell your boss you have to leave,go pick your kids up and go what yopu believe is important}

    If you can find a "boss" anywhere in Canada who wouldn't let the people in Edmonton an hour earlier from work,with a few days advanced notice,that "boss" would probably make the "most 'evil' boss show in Canada"......

    I don't buy the excuses,World Cup and your Country struggeling for its life is a little different then going to see a CFL game,to be lined up to buy hotdogs during their breaks....
  5. EJ Ravensbud from Canada writes: Miro, forget it, soccer is boring! Most Canadians would rather watch grass grow than watch a game where nobody scores. Cut the field in half, get rid of 5 players and have a few "Zidane" moments and you may have a half decent game.
  6. Michael Sharp from Roar you Lions, Roar!, Canada writes:

    Snakes on a Blog from Edmonton says the start time was to accomodate Southern Ontario.
    Courtesy, Southern Ontario's mouthpiece, the CBC.

    Hey Snakes?

    Don't that just rot your socks?

    What say we kick Southern Ontario out of Canada if they don't smarten up.

    So annoying.
  7. Mark Kennedy from Halton, Canada writes: Keep saying what you are saying Miro.
    Hey EJ - why is it that folks who carp about soccer always want to save it by changing something fundamental about it? If you find it boring, walk away and leave the true fans with our game. Trying to change the global game seems to indicate that you want to alter it so that you can understand it. Stay away from those Zidane moments - they affect your logic.
  8. B Z from Toronto, Canada writes: What a complete debacle ... can anyone find 11 fire crackers to stink them you know where ... the boys out there today in Edmonton had no idea that these games actually count now and that the tournament has started ... thank god that this team is not playing at BMO field again ... you can keep them in Edmonton.

    I'll tell you why everyone stayed home in Edmonton ... they saw it on Sunday ... lack of energy ... they again played with no heart.

    Is Dale going to coach the Men's team with the same fashion?

    Where's Mo ... at least Mo knows what to do ... can't play on the pitch? Someone else will replace you. Take a look at the TFC ... whole new different team. I'm sure there's more Under 20 guys who were left off the team could do better than the effort this team is putting into the tournament. Can someone call Congo and give them the 3 points now.

    Next game ... another debacle in the making.
  9. Miro Kliment from Winnipeg, Canada writes: With all the respect you guys are using a language that is way above my head.....

    If the Canadian U-19 Girls could have 50K of fans come and cheer them,why we don't have the crowd to be driven to do the "impossible"?
  10. Roger S from Canada writes: The attitude was not there, I saw two teams were "walking" over the field. I think next time Canada should send women's team to this Tournament.
  11. R. M. from Regina, Canada writes: Watched this game as I did the game with Chile and a few other countries as well. With all due respect to the reporter I found the game totally uninspiring and the Canadians totally lacklustre. The analyst comments during and after the game on television bemoaned the lack of support Canadian players showed up front and how easily they gave away possession of the ball. I really thought the Canadian team would play with some "fire" since it is on home turf and they had good games leading up to the tournament. Perhaps jitters are to blame but they should soon get over that or Canada's participation in the tournament will be very short lived.

    I too was very surprised at the incredible number of empty seats in Commonwealth Stadium. Yes it did start early but it is also summer holidays for many. Price?
  12. Oh Canada from Canada writes: The lads played horrible, it was a poorly planned match with the start time in edmonton, the fans were quiet and again the lads played horrible.

    The fan base in canada needs better organization, better leadership from CSA and better product on the field.

    Our boys should feel ashamed for their appearence and Peters should look into himself next game.

    Poorly executed tourney.
  13. Miro Kliment from Winnipeg, Canada writes: Several points: Let's not be "mean" to Dale Mitchell,he is an international player who accomplished some good stuff as that... I think he is also Canadian enough to work with Mr. Clark and Mr. Hart... The A-Men's sguad are beginning to have the formula to win games and enough of quality to beat the best..... I don't see Mr. Mitchell to try to "destroy" that....However,Mr. Hart and him should be the Co-Coaches and have Mr. Clark be the "assistant",feeding the sguad with young players from the NTC Programs and Provincial etc.... To "fire" Mr's Clarc and Hart,after what they showed in terms of tactical abilities and maximizing players abilities and potential would be just INSANE......{at the Gold Cup} Second point: In Europe these Tournaments are almost unattended by "live" fans...they are televised,however,the fans will not buy tickets to watch it,as they wouldn't buy tickets to watch "female" soccer either... Therefore Sepp Blatter,suggested after U-19 WC of females that the way to increase attendance is to have them wear "bikkini" kind of outfits etc....There was a million e.mails sent to FIFA,following that comment,complaining that Sepp Blatter is a "dinosaur" etc....{from North America's females} Last year at the U-19 Euro in Poland,they were giving away tickets to have several hundred spectators attending. So,having Canada sold over a "million" tickets at the average price of maybe 20 bucks is a great Marketing Job. My problem with that is that the "fans" didn't really get these tickets,because they are "footballers" and/or "soccer fans",but because it was the next "consumer" thing to do.... That's why they wouldn't bother get to the game etc.....{on time}. Please,make some comments on the other article posted regarding the "artifficial turf",which also gets me going....
  14. Lalo Lad from Toronto, Canada writes: I am terribly disappointed of Canada's performance. Youth soccer is among the most popular sports and surely enough we may not have the experience of Southamericans or Europeans but we have resources. I have seen young amateur players play soccer better than this National team. Perhaps they were negatively affected by playing at home. Time for some soul searching and deep analysis to prepare for the world cup.
  15. Kevin Mager from Edmonton, Canada writes: The U-19 girls final match was so popular because they had won some games, and were in the finals. People care enough to support a winner. We haven't even scored, yet.

    Funny enough, the Chilean fans were the loudest bunch at the match! Cheering for Chile at the Canada-Austria game!

    It was a weak match. Lots of Austrians sprawled on the pitch, holding their shins. They were supposed to be a physical side. Boo.

    Canada had a lot of missed passes, and few drives forward. Lots of standing around waiting for someone to pass to you. I expected better.
  16. Alyssa Watson from Canada writes: kick a ball inbwetween 2 posts gosh why are we in the basement with the other nations in the world. While im not faulting the under 20 team or mens and women teams in this country why do we do so poor in this sport?
  17. M G from Canada writes: Soccer is a beautiful sport because of its simplicity and global accessibility. I do not at all mind the low scoring games - it increases the value of a goal, resulting in tremendous excitement and suspense. Every once in a while I start to think I could become a fan, but time and time again, I get turned off by two things (and thus do not attend matches - part of the attendance problem, I suppose). First of all, there's the diving. I know drawing a penalty is part of the game, but I find the dives and the stretchers coming out for someone who barely gets a grass stain annoying. Secondly, it is way too easy to score on penalty kicks when a penalty occurs in the keeper's area. Many of these calls are questionable, so that the luck of the draw with referee calls very often (I would say about half the time) determine the outcome. Crybabies become winners. Exciting, perhaps, but not fair. On penalty kicks, the keeper basically has to guess which way to jump. It may sound absurd for a non-fan to request that a classic old sport change its ways, but the fans of the classic sport have to admit that it is a bit silly to take a game where it is very difficult to score and then give a better than 50% chance at a goal to someone as a penalty for trying to take the ball away from an attacker and accidentally knocking the player down on the follow through. The penalty doesn't fit the crime and it wrecks the game. They should either (i) just be taken off the field so that the team plays short-handed or (ii) the distance for penalty kicks has to be increased. Free kicks are much more reasonable. Oh... and don't get me started about deciding fantastic 0-0 or 1-1- draws with penalty kick shenanigans...
  18. joe cormorant from Canada writes: You guys who are crapping on the Canadian team should think for a minute. A few points to consider: Canada has no organized soccer regiment to develop players, like most of the other countries here. Austria is one of the better soccer nations in the world. If Canada actually had to qualify for this tournament, they wouldn't have made it. They didn't play that crappy, just their opponents were that much better and controlled the play of the game. It is like a AAA hockey team playing Detroit Red Wings. Now before some of you get your shorts in a knot, I did watch the game and yes Canada did have a few good chances and should have scored right at the end there, but they are way overclassed in this tournament. Austria scored once and set back and ran the clock out.
  19. J S from Canada writes: I'm not even sure soccer is a real sport. Lots of arm waving, but not much scoring. ZZZZZ.
  20. John Palandra from Canada writes: I have never been so embarrased to be canadian as now when i saw a total of 50 people show up in the biggest game of the countries history. This was their most important game and all week i heard about haveing a hostile crowd behind them and how it would be tough for the austrians blah, blah blah. That was a disgraceful and embarrassing display by the citizens of Edmonton, who didnt support the team. Did anyone see the atmosphere at BMO field in Toronto for POortugal vs Mexico? I am guilty of switching over to that game at certain points of the match because i was so bored of watching the Canada game, mostly because of a lack of creativity and also due too a lack of emotion from the fans. As for Mitchell could he please explain why he decided to stick with 1 striker all the way until the 85th minute when your team needs a goal? What happened when he had Lombardo and Rickets out their at the same time, but Lombardo created 2 of Canada's best chances all game. This conservative style by Mitchell and the lack of creativity really causes me to question his credentials as a coach. Im not sure if i was the only person who noticed this but i never once saw Canada's wing defensemen make an overlapping run all game down the sidelines. This tells me that the coach put the handcuffs on their creativity and didnt allow the game to open up. This looked like Team Canada of the 90's, no creativity and ultra conservative. If i were the CSA i would seriously look at going a different direction so that canadian soccer fans never have to see this kind of performance again.
  21. M Cahill from Toronto, Canada writes: joe c: you raise a fair point (re: inexperience), and I do think for a sport that is only now coming into view in the country, an U-20 tournament is a bit much to hype so soon. However, Austria is not a soccer superpower - they're men's team has underwhelmed for years. Austria was as evenly-matched an opponent as Canada's U-20 team will get.

    Yes, we're still reeling from a total lack of development of the sport in this country (after high school). The fact that Bob Lenarduzzi's opinion is still vetted by the media as a voice of authority shows how far we need to go before we fetch consistent results.

    Main problems with the U-20's: we still play a boring long-ball game, often our players either never bother looking before passing or look too often and choke, our midfield is non-existent. Too many passes to the well-marked Peters down the right wing, while the left was wide open. With the exception of one or two nice set-plays, they seemed to have never played with each other before (which may actually be true).
  22. Leo Sanchez from Canada writes: Canada lost last night and against Chile because the team did not play soccer, but "sprint-after-the-ball". The team is poorly coached, the players have no enthusiasm, and they cannot make two passes to a red shirt. They play an entire game without a midfield, trying to kick the ball over the other team's defenders heads, without considering that the opponents want the ball more and can run just as fast.

    I've seen better games at the under-13 level. At least those kids were learning and tried as hard as they could. The bunch at this World Cup do not realize what's at stake.

    I can't believe that the players in the team are the best in our land. If they are, this is sad, very sad! It will be ugly for years to come.

    For those who think soccer is boring I recommend that you watch teams who really know how to play the game. Did you watch the U.S? Argentina? Brasil? Nigeria?
  23. chris jenkins from Free the West, BC, Canada writes: Hey, I probably would have watched the game , IF IT WASN'T ON THE HATED CBC. As soon as I saw the CBC behind the tourney I threw all my support to the teams that played against Canada, in hopes that more awful ratings would help kill this socialist Ontario-based media.
  24. Jan Triska from GatineauOttawa, Canada writes: Let's get a couple of things straight...the point of the game is to score, and the only way to do that is to either put lots of shots on the net or force a penalty. Canada didn't do either. Austrians had 9 shots on the net, we had one (yes, one!). Sure we missed a chance late in the game, but an Austrian player also hit a post in the first half. Could have been 2:0, 2:1, perhaps 3:1. The 1:0 score actually flatters Canada; it could have been much worse. Austria played solid, competent soccer - not great soccer, but good enough.

    We barely know our way around the pitch, Jaime Peters looked good but only in the last 20 minutes of the game. 'Nuff said.
  25. Chris Michaels from Oakville, Canada writes: I dunno...after watching Hockey and Lacrosse all year, there's not much about soccer that gets me overly excited. Sometimes the fans can make it seem exciting, but beyond that, there's not much there.

    While I'm intrigued by this tournament, I'm certainly not going out of my way to see a game.

    See you all at Ivor Wynne tomorrow night. Argos Suck!
  26. Remy Martin from Canada writes: Canada is probably the only country in the world where the Football (soccer) national team games are not shown live on TV ( the recent gold cup , where Canada reached the semi final was shown on a delayed tape) So why should joe public care about soccer in Canada ?
    In north America ,TV networks hate Soccer because they can't show any advertizing for 45 minutes , this must be a sad record for the industry .
    We , in North America thanks to our friends to the south , have been brainwashed with advertizing on TV and most of us do not have anymore the attention span that it takes to watch 45 minutes in a row of any program !
    As for Canada's performance at this cup , I have to admit that I didn.t watch any games , I watch my fix of soccer on TLN this summer watching Argentina , Brazil , Mexico etc in the Copamerica while improving my spanish at the same time .
  27. Pretty Much from Toronto, Canada writes: Deadmonton lives up to its name... Jesus Christ what an embarassment for a province that likes to talk big.
  28. Al B from Toronto, Canada writes: Usually host countries do very well in international soccer tournaments, which makes Canada's performance thus far truly embarrassing. No goal? Two shots on goal in two games? Worse of all, no spirit. They should learn about that from the South Koreans who run all day and never give up. I ended up mostly watching the Mexico-Portugal game yesterday even though the commentary was in Spanish.

    As for the people who come here to parrot the tired lines about soccer being boring etc, we do very well without your parochialism thank you very much.
  29. Darren Cargill from Windsor, Canada writes: At least Canada is consistent. The Mens' team didn't win or score at Mexico '86.

    Hard to be overly critical of these guys but they are out of their league. They are in this tournament because they are the hosts, they are not one of the top 24 soccer nations in the world.

    The ticket debacle is shameful, heads should roll. How do they let this happen at a WORLD CLASS event.
  30. Joel Allen from Canada writes: Although it has become fashionable as of late to bash Edmonton, let's not overlook the fact that almost 32K tickets were SOLD for this game, not given away, SOLD.

    I am sick and tired of these double standards. When Toronto draws 15000 people to a CFL game, the excuses abound. It's because "it's an inferior product unlike the NFL", or "there is so much else happening in Toronto" . Yet when Edmonton draws 32000 people to watch a Canadian team that has yet to win a game, or even score a goal, everyone moans about the lack of support.

    Maybe its the Canadian way. If I say something bad about another city, maybe nobody will notice the deficiencies in mine.
  31. B I from Toronto, Canada writes: The following people should no longer have anything to do with the Canadian National program: Paul James (who is now with York U) and Dale Mitchell (who is unfortunately about to take over our men's national team). These guys have no creativity and very little international experience to understand how to combat at this level. James is one of the reasons why Julian de Guzman's 19 year old superstar brother Jonathan may choose Holland over Canada. James' treatment of Julian as a youth player almost had the older de Guzman quit Canada, but thankfully he remained. The impression left on the de Guzman family thanks to James' disastrous reign is hurting Canadian football today. Mitchell - well, case in hand, observe. Canada U-20 is a team full of guys already playing professional football throughout the world, yet Mitchell can't get anything out of them and can't inspire them to execute. This guy is going to take over the senior team. The mind boggles! Canadian Soccer Association is bloated with a bunch of bureaucrats who have no passion for the game and they keep carouseling the same group of Toronto Blizzard losers from the 1980s to ruin our national teams. Blizzard "superstars" are not good enough to represent Canada internationally. Replace the CSA bureaucrats and all their awful hires with the Toronto FC staff (or any group of people that actually care about the game in Canada) and you'll see success. But, given the hold of the Blizzard mafia over our national game, we are going to see the same circle of failure repeat itself well into World Cup Qualifying next year.
  32. Jam ie from Canada writes: I thought the acting was incredible. Stretchers on the field several times, a couple of rolls in agony, beautiful stuff worthy of an Oscar. Soccer has become an absolute embarressment. Canadians play hockey, football, etc.. When you see a guy roll around and being stretched off only to come back on in a minute. There's something wrong with the sport. I loved to play soccer but the acting is ruining the game. I got so frustated after watching that game that I wanted to swing at the fences.
  33. Mitka D from Ottawa, Canada writes: I was at the Argentina/Panama game in Ottawa on Wednesday, and the energy in the stands (sold out) was overwhelmingly. Not hurt by the fact that it was overwhelmingly pro-Argentine, and the Argies scored 6 highlight reel goals. It also occurred to me, in watching the Canada/Austria game on TV, how lifeless the exercise seemed. As bad as the Canadians were on the field, the crowd never got into it and behind it. The fans really are the 12th player, and Canada never got this support (and did not do much to deserve it). In other words, do we rap Edmonton, or do we admit that most of the fans were rather puzzled as to what they were supposed to do??
  34. Stephan B from Edmonton, Canada writes: I think a big reason people didn't show up as much last night was because the game started too early. Why start at 5pm? Why not push it back a bit so that people have a chance to get to the game. I had tickets, but couldn't make it because I get off work at 5pm.

    And Michael Sharp get a clue, 12000 tickets sold in Victoria? Edmonton sold 32000! So don't start pointing fingers. Get some perspective.
  35. M. Gorky from Canada writes: I am surprised to see how negative the reaction has been to this loss. There are a number of positives that the Canadians can take away from this match, like how they kept Hoffer (and his impressive strike rate) off the score sheet, kept the game close by making the Austrians work for their chances, and actually created a fair number of scoring chances.

    Looking at recent results and performances there should be no doubt that Austria is the better team. Canada had a chance to equalize immediately after the Austrian goal with the header that bounced off the crossbar while that unmarked Canadian was starting to celebrate on the goal line. If he had been a little more focused and in the play (as opposed to being in a useless position) the game would have been immediately tied, and who knows that result may have held.

    Canada kept the game close but just failed to capitalize on its chances.
  36. Becca F from Edmonton, Canada writes: This is ridiculous. I hate it when people start blaming the fans for poor performances by their teams. THE FANS?!?! Canada has probably never seen a football fan like me before. I have spent more than half of my student loans securing tickets to world cups, Highbury, Emirates, Anfield and Craven Cottage. I got up at 3 am to watch the games televised from Korea/Japan in 2002; but I did not go to the Canada game last night regardless of the fact that I currently (unfortunately) live in Edmonton. Why you may ask? Well this is my answer: why should I pay good money to see such a poor performance?! Why do I want to give my hard in money to watch a team that consistently produces dismal games?! Particularly when I have the ability to watch quality matches on TV? Fan support does not come simply from a common country affiliation. Loyalty is EARNED, not bought! The problem is that this country does not understand what football is. It's not hockey and it's not American football, it's not lacrosse or basketball; its soccer!! Why do we insist on making irrelevant associations with sports that have nothing to do with the beautiful game? If you want to see a beautiful game develop in Canada, get out this old boys club of coaches and managers. Get some foreign talent in and see what they can bring. Even England, one of the top footballing nations in the world had a foreign manager for their national side. South Korea? Australia? Both did amazingly well under the dutch tutelage of Guus Hiddink. Maybe Canada needs to take a page out of their books! The recruitment system also has to be improved. One of the reasons that the other countries do so well is because players like Pele, Henry, Wallcott, Bergkamp are not over looked. Get a reality check people! Don't blame the fans. "If you build it, they will come"
  37. Joe Adams from Toronto, Canada writes: OK, so is everybody happy now that Dale Mitchell is going bring his magic touch to the senior MNT? Only in Canada does this happen. Goodbye South Africa 2010!. We should have just stuck with Hart if we are too cheap to get a coach with any credentials.
  38. Stevie Dee from Toronto, Canada writes: Astounds me how people feel the need to continually bash soccer. I get it, some people don't like it, but why do they feel the need to suggest improvements to gain the likes of them as fans? Are they advocating that FIFA become the equivalent to Bettman's NHL and try anything and everything to entertain an audience that doesn't give two hoots about the sport?

    Perhaps we should enlist the help of Italians, Mexicans and the Japanese to tell us how hockey should be improved. No? Why not?

    Jam ie, Chris, JS, EJ, et al. - you might want to try and expand your mind and figure out what the rest of the sport watching world already has, more scoring doesn't necessarily mean more excitement. Appreciate the buildup and the inticacies of the game. If not, go out and enjoy a beer at the local arena or (American) football stadium, trust me, you will not be missed.
  39. John Doucette from Canada writes: There is only one plausible explanation for the disaster which is men's soccer in Canada: The Federation is being run by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
  40. Bob Latchford from Toronto, Canada writes:

    Dale Mitchell must be stopped. Seems completely clueless in regards to the modern game. His idea of changing tactics? Instead of hoofing the ball up to the big guy (Lombardo) as we did against chile. It's hoof the ball up to the speedy guy (Ricketts) and hope for the best. There was no build up. No support. Even his substitutions made no tactical sense. Austria flattered us. How's a guy like De Guzman(or Hutchison etc.) supposed to take Mitchell seriously! I was so excited after the Gold Cup watching Canada play a passing skill based game. Under Mitchell it'll be back to the old kick and chase long ball. Reminds me of 14 year olds playing rep soccer.
    On another note. There's no way that any of the pro players have played under someone as poorly versed in the modern realities of the game. I think (and perhaps I'm reading too much into their body languages) that they played as if they had no faith in their coaching.
    Perhaps we should start a petition to get Mitchell and company fired from the senior program? I don't have the heart(Hart) to watched another terrible World Cup Qualifying run.
  41. pablo kristensen from Canada writes: sadly, i have to agree that Dale Mitchell taking over the Mens National Team is a train wreck waiting to happen. condemned to n more years of international football oblivion. Player selection, training, strategy, tactics: seems like he blew all of them this time around. i've seen a lot of great young players over the last few years, and i know Canada could've done better than this. no wonder the really good ones like Hargreaves and Jon. de Guzman get away. At least Canada showed some heart under Hart (sorry!) at the Gold Cup.
  42. erich finchley from Canada writes: Dale Mitchell must go! I've had enough of these dinosaurs from 1986 coaching Canada into the ground (not that Osieck was any better I guess).

    Enough with the usual mealy-mouthed apologies. Let's get some passion like the Gold Cup team showed.
  43. B I from Toronto, Canada writes: It's not just Dale Mitchell, it's the entire culture of the CSA that needs to be changed. When Toronto FC started up, they went to the fans and asked them what they wanted and thus you see the passion and pride that is exemplified at every match because the hardiest supporters feel as though they are a part of this success story. Similarly, they also hired a coach who is hellbent on attacking and playing positive football.

    The CSA doesn't care about the game, doesn't do anything to reach out the Canadian soccer fans and it sure as hell won't sacrifice any of their cushy government salaries to get a coach who is worth a bit more and may actually understand how the game is supposed to be played. No wonder many Canadians think the game is boring. Soccer isn't boring, but those in the CSA killing the game in our country by hiring inadequate coaches sure make it so.
  44. Frank Godfrey from Canada writes: What a letdown ! Canadian boys seemed to be fighting the ball all night ! I believe they are more adept at the game than they've shown. And, what would it have mattered if the game had started an hour later ? Just as many soccer fans in the east would have watched and the fuller stadium would have been encouraging for Canada, which needs all the support it can get. Dale Mitchell's coaching is worrisome - doesn't seem to inspire his players at all. This frantic, run and shoot, style of soccer is pathetically easy to defend against at his level. Our players seem to get very frustrated playing this kind of game to the very end, committing more and more giveaways that must be truly embarrassing to them. Perhaps our hopes were a little elevated by the way the team performed leading up to this tournament.
  45. Henry Allen from Toronto, Canada writes: B I from Toronto: I'm no soccer fan and I'm not going to pretend to understand soccer skills or tactics. But, you're one of the few soccer fans whose comments I've read that actually makes sense to a non-soccer fan. Good for you. I may not be knowledgable about soccer, but here's what is totally obvious to me: Canada's women play an exciting brand of soccer, while Canada's men are like watching paint dry. You may want to consider recruiting some of the coaches from the women's side. As for me, once again I'm giving up on men's soccer, including this FIFA U20, until there's something worth watching, probably years from now.
  46. B Z from Toronto, Canada writes: I'm going to say it again ... it's a complete debacle at the CSA.

    Make your way to BMO Field for the next TFC game and enjoy the party.

    Sunday July 29th 3pm vs Chicago.
  47. Bob Latchford from Toronto, Canada writes: B Z...
    Completely agree, I'm a TFC season's ticket holder myself.
    Petition to oust the CSA then anyone?
  48. B I from Toronto, Canada writes: Henry, thank you for the kind words but you can actually appreciate the game even if Canada isn't doing so well. Portugal v. Mexico two nights ago and Brazil v. U.S.A. last night were perfect examples of why it is truly a "beautiful game."

    Incidentally, the U.S. is now about 20 years ahead of us in player development thanks to the CSA's mismanagement. U.S. youngsters are competing, and winning, against the likes of Brazil - a future World Cup champion in any era. Canadian kids are being asked to "dump and chase" like a pond hockey team on a soccer field.
  49. Brian Budd from Toronto, Canada writes: Bob Latchford, I'm with you. Dale Mitchell is a poor coach and the CSA is a mess. Let's get moving with this petition!

    On a separate note, the CBC website has an article today by Craig Forrest, urging us not to blame Mitchell for Canada's woes. Perhaps Craig is defending an old friend, but he needs a reality check.

    BB (not be to be confused with the former Canadian striker)

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