It was a cold, gray day, with splatters of rain and that howling east wind folks at BMO Field are becoming grudgingly and shiveringly accustomed to.
It was also the day Canada's Under-20 youth team put out a solid, consistent effort and ran out with a 1-1 draw against defending world champions Argentina.
Yeah, they survived a game where they were significantly outshot, and easily could have lost. On the other hand, the Canadian back four was consistently strong, and most of the Argentine shots came from well outside, easily gathered into the arms of well-positioned, unscreened goaltenders.
This being U-20, there have been huge roster turnovers since both teams graced BMO Field in last summer's World Cup. Three returning players each way, we were informed.
Under the tutelage of interim coach Ray Clark, with numerous players not really familiar with each others' games, the Canucks answered their high-flying opponents with honest hard work. The goaltenders – Adam Street (West Ham United) in the first half (nice diving save) and Michal Misiewicz (Plymouth Argyle) after the break – were up to the task on all but one shot, a net-draining header from Jonaton Lopez in the 58th minute.
But the great, match-defining moment for Canada came just a minute later. A deft, multi-man break poured into the Argentine area, where young Shaun Saiko (Middlesbrough) dove to brilliantly head home a singing cross from Toronto FC prospect Gabe Gala.
Gala, I thought, was man of the match. The smooth, slick-footed left-side midfielder wasn't much of a factor before the break, but that's because almost the entire first half was played on the right side of the Canadian formation. After halftime, though, Gala was a persistent thorn in the champions' side. His ideas were good, and his work-rate was exemplary. If you're looking for the TFC youngster most likely to break through into MLS, here – I submit – he is.
It was a classic case of bend, don't break, capped with enough hustle and creativity to bounce right back after Canada finally fell behind.
After the match, Argentina head coach Sergio Batista (minimal translation, but we got the basics) praised Gala, both goaltenders and striker Derek Gaudet, about to turn 19, from Bayside, N.S.., who is currently without a club. I'd like to add to that list Jarek Whiteman, an attacking midfielder from Brampton, Ont., who is also in the market for a professional team.
A couple of promising pick-ups, if anyone's paying attention.
Attendance was listed over 5,000, but there's no way. The only significant noise came from a small band of Argentina fans with drums, in the beer garden behind the north goal. I've got a ton of thoughts on attendance in Toronto for national team games, but they're another item for another day.
For now, well done lads!
Onward!
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bgnewf . from Toronto, Canada writes: I was at the game as well and in the south end of the stadium the Canadian supporters were able to drown out the Argentinian drums with "CA NA DA" chants.
Gala was definitely man of the match and with his development appearing on pace he definitely will get some first team TFC action this summer. With numerous midfielders (Edu, Robinson, Guevara, etc.) being away in International duty at different point this year I hope he is able to crack the first team lineup more consistently.
TFC needs a spine of Canadian players if it is to suceed long term as our exemption regarding internationals on our roster won;t last forever.- Posted 12/05/08 at 12:28 PM EDT | Alert an Editor | Link to Comment
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Random Person from Heard and Mc Donald Islands writes: Too bad it wasn't on TV...
Apparently,the Gebka Co.{a Russian promoter} who organised this looks at the U-20 games as a money loser,as he is making his real returns from the Senior games Argentina vs. USA etc...- Posted 12/05/08 at 2:27 PM EDT | Alert an Editor | Link to Comment
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Andrew Bucholtz from Kingston, Canada writes: A very good performance, but it's tough to know what to take from friendlies. I was very impressed with last year's U-20 team after their 4-0 demolition of the U.S. last summer in Kingston, and we all know how well they did when the games actually meant something...
- Posted 12/05/08 at 3:51 PM EDT | Alert an Editor | Link to Comment
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