With this soccer program you can expect the expected. Generations will come and go, but the results may never change. It’s developed into the norm. Yet, a sense of embarrassment, combined with the dream of celebrating a historic Canadian triumph went amiss in what appeared to be a manageable group.
Benito Floro’s men entered the tournament win-less, and exited at the group-stage win-less. A search for the country’s first goal from open play since the 2009 tournament was priority, but attempts to end that drought were unsuccessful. A late Jamaican winner sealed Canada’s fate, but all three group stage displays were atrocious.
El Salvador should have been a three-pointer, Jamaica is playing their second tournament in weeks, and Costa Rica is a shadow of the resilient side that dazzled at the World Cup under former manager, Jorge Luis Pinto. It was a chance to replicate the Women’s success at their World Cup, one that would raise the significance of the sport as a whole in a country that’s developing an unconditional love for the game with every passing day.
But for the umpteenth time in Canadian soccer history, the team under-performed.
Essentially, the key to success in soccer can be broken down in a simplistic manner — score more goals than your opponent. The cliché “defence wins championships,” is also heavily used, but in Canada’s case, two clean sheets of a possible three, whilst conceding a solitary goal wasn’t enough.
Frankly it’s worrying that goalkeeper Kenny Stamatopoulos was arguably the best Canadian player in the tournament, saving 13 of the 14 shots he faced throughout. The forwards were deprived of service, often chasing after hopeless balls, and the midfield was rather functional, opposed to creative and direct.
More so, there was no link between midfield and attack, the fullbacks were vulnerable without the ball, and cohesion was non-existent. This was not to say Canada didn’t have chances to win matches, as despite their underwhelming displays, some factors were out of Floro’s hands.
Cyle Larin’s botched sitter in the opener, Tosaint Ricketts’ inability to convert a breakaway opportunity, whereas Marcus Haber and Andre Hainault both squandered efforts inside the six-yard box, further highlighting Canada’s profligate finishing. Where goals change games, misses of this magnitude determine the outcome of success.
Canada’s limited options upfront also hindered their ability to score goals. While Larin is destined to develop into a top forward for Canada and Major League Soccer, stylistically, Floro didn’t possess the options to compliment his game. Larin’s hold up game was often superb, the 20-year-old didn’t have options within close proximity, or runners making darting runs into space beyond the striker.
Haber, on the other hand, served as a battery ram that tirelessly chased long balls and won aerial duels against Costa Rica, but failed to take his chances — despite scoring a goal that was rightly awarded offside — and faded in the second half. Likewise, for the endless running that the wide players offered, their crossing was poor, as they offered no legitimate threat around the box.
The main gripe with Canada’s brief Gold Cup showing lied in midfield, where youthful duo Russell Teibert and Jonathan Osorio barely featured. In terms of creativity, ball retention and direct dribbling the pair may have served as improved proactive options, as Osorio showcased his urgency to push Canada forward in their final game of the tournament.
Experienced absentees, Will Johnson, and Atiba Hutchinson, the heartbeat of the midfield, were solely missed, but there are still no excuses for Canada’s display. This was a lost opportunity to once again return amongst CONCACAF’s elite, but although Floro’s personnel and tactical decisions could be questioned, the cries for his dismissal are excessive.
The Canada job, in truth, is nearly impossible. Perhaps a run to the semi-finals would satisfy fans, but it wouldn’t change the belief that the World Cup qualifiers will determine Floro’s fate.
However, the win-at-all-cost mentality at the youth level that’s thwarted the development system in this country also plays a factor in Canada’s difficulty at the international level. The aspiration to claim plastic trophies and build super teams based on speed, strength, and height, opposed to developing a child’s technical ability and in-game intelligence has tarnished a program with all the resources to succeed.
The evidence was once again epitomized in Canada’s overall play. Off-the-ball movement was non-existent, ball retention lasted mere seconds, whereas combination plays were scarce. The professionals that represent our country didn’t execute the basic fundamentals that are supposed to be instilled into a youth soccer player’s mind, further referencing the issue at hand.
Essentially, this was another cry for help. A cry that thousands of parents and coaches involved in youth soccer around the nation can change. But it’s an issue Floro can’t escape. His job is to maximize the talent at his disposal, and build a side capable of contending — and defeating — the best teams in CONCACAF.
“In the last year-and-a-half, we have played maybe 12-14 games, only three here in Toronto. The rest away [from home]. And we have scored 17 goals and conceded only six or seven,” Floro stated.
“If we leave out Puerto Rico, the rest of the teams [had] very good rankings [within] FIFA and CONCACAF. Consider that we played against the Czechs, against Moldova, against Slovenia, against Bulgaria, against Iceland, against Panama in Panama, against Colombia… we’ve played against very good teams and we have scored 17 goals and conceded only six or seven.”
In spite of Floro defending Canada’s productivity in the final third, the comparison between friendlies and competitive international games are vast — it serves as a misleading barometer of progress. With limited time to build a strategic method of attack, international competitions consist of most sides reverting to pragmatism, thus leading to tight, cautious encounters.
Although Canada wasted a legitimate chance to win international silverware, Floro, the team, and the entire nation can learn from this missed opportunity. Though the belief that another poor international showing will lead to action in youth development is naïve, but Floro has a proper sense of where his team stands in terms of securing World Cup qualification.
The real challenge begins now for Floro, as now is when he’ll prove whether he’s capable of garnishing a new successful era in Canadian soccer. Our system as a whole is flawed, but this was a lesson Canada and Floro must grasp if they intend on making substantial headway in the near future.
