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Subject: [NT] U21 World Cup
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The Unofficial U21 World Cup gets underway this weekend. Canada is participating.
The draw for the U21 World Cup was held this past weekend. Since it's an unofficial, manager organized tournament, the rules are set by a group of managers and may differ somewhat from the way regular NT events are run. If you wish more information, check out the U21 World Cup forum.
No seeding was used for the draw - all participating teams that didn't earn a bye (due to World Cup or Mini WC success) were treated equally. As such, there are some very difficult groups, and some pretty easy groups.
Our Group:
Mexico
USA
Canada
Malaysia
Ours is a difficult group - at least from our perspective. Mexico and USA are heavy weights compared to us at the U21 level (the teams are closer at the senior level). I try to be optimistic about our team - but I'm starting to think that optimism leads some of our casual observers to have unrealistic expectations. Realistically, we can look for a win against Malaysia - but will need some sort of miracle against USA or Mexico to advance beyond the group stage.
Our U21 team is not as strong as it was last season. Most of our current strikers are 20 yrs and not peaking yet. Our defense is far weaker then last season - most of the players you see on defense during the tournament are actually midfield players for their club. Our two top keepers both have one nice asset, but are deficient in another way - if we could somehow combine them we'd have a stud.
Our midfield is strong and well rounded. We don't have "specialists" like Lorenzo and Ribeiro that we had last season - but the group is good and whatever success is achieved will likely be due to their play.
The draw for the U21 World Cup was held this past weekend. Since it's an unofficial, manager organized tournament, the rules are set by a group of managers and may differ somewhat from the way regular NT events are run. If you wish more information, check out the U21 World Cup forum.
No seeding was used for the draw - all participating teams that didn't earn a bye (due to World Cup or Mini WC success) were treated equally. As such, there are some very difficult groups, and some pretty easy groups.
Our Group:
Mexico
USA
Canada
Malaysia
Ours is a difficult group - at least from our perspective. Mexico and USA are heavy weights compared to us at the U21 level (the teams are closer at the senior level). I try to be optimistic about our team - but I'm starting to think that optimism leads some of our casual observers to have unrealistic expectations. Realistically, we can look for a win against Malaysia - but will need some sort of miracle against USA or Mexico to advance beyond the group stage.
Our U21 team is not as strong as it was last season. Most of our current strikers are 20 yrs and not peaking yet. Our defense is far weaker then last season - most of the players you see on defense during the tournament are actually midfield players for their club. Our two top keepers both have one nice asset, but are deficient in another way - if we could somehow combine them we'd have a stud.
Our midfield is strong and well rounded. We don't have "specialists" like Lorenzo and Ribeiro that we had last season - but the group is good and whatever success is achieved will likely be due to their play.
[color=#000000 size=5 face=arial]Round 1 - Malaysia[/color]
We have a winnable match to begin. Malaysia is a relatively young Sokker nation - into their 8th season (Canada had a 5 season head-start on them). They have a similar sized manager base to Canada.
Because they are younger, their NT does not have the same maturity. As such, they still regularly have U21 players contributing to the efforts of their senior squad. They have U21 eligible players with ~40 caps. By contrast, Gonzo is our most capped U21 player with 11.
The strength of their U21 squad, without a doubt, is their goal-keeping. They have 3 U21 keepers who would start for our team. My guess is Azahar bin Kamaludin is the most likely starter, as Lokmalhakim bin Tumin is injured.
They have some competent strikers and midfielders, tho like us their defense looks a little shaky. We are catching a bit of a break as Ibrahim Hong, a regular contributor to their midfield, is suspended. Winger Haji Helmi Manan has a slight knock but may well be fit by match day.
Our squad is healthy, though there are some form problems. Strikers Houston and Sewell as well as midfielder Vaillancourt are all likely scratches due to their form. I don’t expect the form update to change much - I’ll be sending messages to managers of participating players shortly.
The “hot goalie” is far more common in Sokker now then in the past. Matches like this one do give cause for concern. If the Malaysia keeper stands on his head, it could be interesting. I do expect our midfield to control the match, and we should get more then enough chances to win.
We have a winnable match to begin. Malaysia is a relatively young Sokker nation - into their 8th season (Canada had a 5 season head-start on them). They have a similar sized manager base to Canada.
Because they are younger, their NT does not have the same maturity. As such, they still regularly have U21 players contributing to the efforts of their senior squad. They have U21 eligible players with ~40 caps. By contrast, Gonzo is our most capped U21 player with 11.
The strength of their U21 squad, without a doubt, is their goal-keeping. They have 3 U21 keepers who would start for our team. My guess is Azahar bin Kamaludin is the most likely starter, as Lokmalhakim bin Tumin is injured.
They have some competent strikers and midfielders, tho like us their defense looks a little shaky. We are catching a bit of a break as Ibrahim Hong, a regular contributor to their midfield, is suspended. Winger Haji Helmi Manan has a slight knock but may well be fit by match day.
Our squad is healthy, though there are some form problems. Strikers Houston and Sewell as well as midfielder Vaillancourt are all likely scratches due to their form. I don’t expect the form update to change much - I’ll be sending messages to managers of participating players shortly.
The “hot goalie” is far more common in Sokker now then in the past. Matches like this one do give cause for concern. If the Malaysia keeper stands on his head, it could be interesting. I do expect our midfield to control the match, and we should get more then enough chances to win.
Underway against Malaysia.
Same basic tactic as last week. It suits our U21s (which have a relatively strong midfield) well. Vafir is quite comfortable split wide - tho his form dropped like a stone on Thursday.
Throw-ins, corners and striker positioning have been tweaked. Following Lorne’s suggestion a few weeks back, the wide defenders are also more involved offensively - since most of the back-line are mids for their clubs we may as well try to take advantage of some decent ball handling skills.
It’s very hard to scout U21. When players are at that intermediate value level it’s more difficult to discern a mono-skill from a player with stamina issues. I expect our midfield will dominate, which should take the pressure of our defense and hopefully give us lots of shots on their uber keeper.
Line-Up
Castillo Lara
Kasim, Sahota, Metra, G Verville
Lemieux, Fluet, Maillet, Foster
Vafir, Boisierres
Bench
Singh
Konstantyno
Dudic (60 - Maillet)
Farahani (60 - Boisierres)
A Verville (75 - Lemieux)
Using all our subs by 75, which is risky. But I think it’s a necessary risk given some stamina concerns. I’d love to make 4 subs. :)
Because I’m using all the subs, I have to use a “no player” order to protect the keeper. Foster will try his hand in goal if the keeper is injured after all the subs are made. Means one defender (Verville) is not covered in case of red card. Fluet is the cover guy. Foster takes freekicks, Boisierres takes penalties while in the match.
Same basic tactic as last week. It suits our U21s (which have a relatively strong midfield) well. Vafir is quite comfortable split wide - tho his form dropped like a stone on Thursday.
Throw-ins, corners and striker positioning have been tweaked. Following Lorne’s suggestion a few weeks back, the wide defenders are also more involved offensively - since most of the back-line are mids for their clubs we may as well try to take advantage of some decent ball handling skills.
It’s very hard to scout U21. When players are at that intermediate value level it’s more difficult to discern a mono-skill from a player with stamina issues. I expect our midfield will dominate, which should take the pressure of our defense and hopefully give us lots of shots on their uber keeper.
Line-Up
Castillo Lara
Kasim, Sahota, Metra, G Verville
Lemieux, Fluet, Maillet, Foster
Vafir, Boisierres
Bench
Singh
Konstantyno
Dudic (60 - Maillet)
Farahani (60 - Boisierres)
A Verville (75 - Lemieux)
Using all our subs by 75, which is risky. But I think it’s a necessary risk given some stamina concerns. I’d love to make 4 subs. :)
Because I’m using all the subs, I have to use a “no player” order to protect the keeper. Foster will try his hand in goal if the keeper is injured after all the subs are made. Means one defender (Verville) is not covered in case of red card. Fluet is the cover guy. Foster takes freekicks, Boisierres takes penalties while in the match.
Another stellar result. :P I'm no longer surprised by these.
Looks like our defense really is that bad. I didn't think their forwards were all that technical, but they had little difficulty breaking tackles. None of their goals was particularly "tactical" - all involved breaking multiple tackles on the way to goal.
I was disappointed with the play of the midfield. Their ball control seemed to let them down a lot. I don't know if it's the new PM tweak or what, but there were a lot of poor decisions - wide open strikers overlooked.
Their uber keeper was good. I don't recall Castillo Lara making a save.
Despite the improvements made to Sokker over the seasons, it's still difficult to win with a midfield heavy team. Better to have good defense or good strikers - too easy to by-pass the midfield.
Looks like our defense really is that bad. I didn't think their forwards were all that technical, but they had little difficulty breaking tackles. None of their goals was particularly "tactical" - all involved breaking multiple tackles on the way to goal.
I was disappointed with the play of the midfield. Their ball control seemed to let them down a lot. I don't know if it's the new PM tweak or what, but there were a lot of poor decisions - wide open strikers overlooked.
Their uber keeper was good. I don't recall Castillo Lara making a save.
Despite the improvements made to Sokker over the seasons, it's still difficult to win with a midfield heavy team. Better to have good defense or good strikers - too easy to by-pass the midfield.
I think that you played a good tactical game. Yes, our d sucks but their "uber" goalie was slow - unlucky for us we werent able to take advantage of that. But, we did out shoot them 2-1 and had a lot of quality opportunities...if you played that game again we would likely win.
Re stamina...what do you consider as necessary to play an entire game? I dont really see the effects of poorer stamina on players - except in their lower relative ratings. Is it more than just pace that they lose late in the game, is it other skills too?
edit: I can answer my own question from the rules "Stamina
During the match, the players get tired. When this occurs they become less accurate as they lose some of their skills. Only playmaking remains unchanged throughout the match. The degree of fatigue is not directly dependent on length of play but on the activity of the given player. The more he runs and participates in the game the more he gets tired. Players with higher stamina will suffer less fatigue than others. Also be aware that untrained stamina goes down in time."
(edited)
Re stamina...what do you consider as necessary to play an entire game? I dont really see the effects of poorer stamina on players - except in their lower relative ratings. Is it more than just pace that they lose late in the game, is it other skills too?
edit: I can answer my own question from the rules "Stamina
During the match, the players get tired. When this occurs they become less accurate as they lose some of their skills. Only playmaking remains unchanged throughout the match. The degree of fatigue is not directly dependent on length of play but on the activity of the given player. The more he runs and participates in the game the more he gets tired. Players with higher stamina will suffer less fatigue than others. Also be aware that untrained stamina goes down in time."
(edited)
You need to see some sort of psychic/ghostbuster i think.
There is some much you can do when you are playing MIDs as defenders. Metra is a DM, I can try to train him the next few weeks in defense (I wanted to train 2 weeks defense this seasson).
About the physic, try to have black tournalite as an amulet (or smoky quartz).
About the physic, try to have black tournalite as an amulet (or smoky quartz).
There's no need to give Metra some defense if it wasn't part of your training plan. USA & Mexico are far better then Malaysia - a week or two isn't going to make a difference.
I should have known better then to start two Partizan 74 strikers. :D No reason to think they'd be less snake-bitten on the NT. :P
Jokes aside, I probably should have considered Houston when Vafir's form tailed off Thursday. He's got a little better tech and may have been more effective despite his lack-luster form.
Jokes aside, I probably should have considered Houston when Vafir's form tailed off Thursday. He's got a little better tech and may have been more effective despite his lack-luster form.
The stamina is a good point. We surrendered 2 goals in the final 10 minutes which can (at least in part) be attributed to stamina. The defenders who missed tackles on those two goals had been making similar tackles earlier in the match.
Everyone has their own "rule of thumb" for stamina. Mine is something like this:
good-solid - 60 minutes
average - adequate - 45 minutes
poor-weak - 30 minutes
In retrospect, I probably should have started Dudic (who has full stamina) instead of Maillet. Then I could have subbed one of our weary defenders.
PS - I was too hard on the defense. We only surrendered 4 quality scoring chances in the match - which is very good. Despite their "adequate" shooting, they did a very good job of converting.
Everyone has their own "rule of thumb" for stamina. Mine is something like this:
good-solid - 60 minutes
average - adequate - 45 minutes
poor-weak - 30 minutes
In retrospect, I probably should have started Dudic (who has full stamina) instead of Maillet. Then I could have subbed one of our weary defenders.
PS - I was too hard on the defense. We only surrendered 4 quality scoring chances in the match - which is very good. Despite their "adequate" shooting, they did a very good job of converting.
I was planing defence a little late in the season, but I can do it now.
re: Seca
yeah, playing those two was sort of asking to poison any scoring chances you might get :P
at least they are getting better, and I think that they are both close to hitting the 'breakthrough' level in terms of shooting, at which point I am sure that their form will dive as per the 'no Partizan 74 striker may have both shooting skill above incredible and form above weak at any point, ever' script
(edited)
yeah, playing those two was sort of asking to poison any scoring chances you might get :P
at least they are getting better, and I think that they are both close to hitting the 'breakthrough' level in terms of shooting, at which point I am sure that their form will dive as per the 'no Partizan 74 striker may have both shooting skill above incredible and form above weak at any point, ever' script
(edited)
Very good luck, they have a strong youth, sometimes I ask myself why can't Canada get any decent or a high potential trainable youth. I know we are a small country in sokker but still this random youth can hit As sometimes right?
Like I got a divine youth but he wasn't even close to those from other country.
Like I got a divine youth but he wasn't even close to those from other country.
It's a little "hit&miss". Our U21 team last season was very strong. That may be a bit of a blip - with the number of managers we have, it will probably be more common to have one like this season that has a few holes.
(Spoiler). The USA - Malaysia match was very reminiscent of the Canada - Malaysia match last week. Malaysia continues to finish exceptionally well. For a while, USA went through frustration similar to Canada's last week - but in the end their finishing was better - even notched a couple 20+ yarders.
At match completion, the shots, possession, territory and team ratings were essentially the same as the Canada - Malaysia match. USA gets an easy win out of it, Canada gets a draw. My persecution complex would grow, except it's pretty much maxed out already. :)
At match completion, the shots, possession, territory and team ratings were essentially the same as the Canada - Malaysia match. USA gets an easy win out of it, Canada gets a draw. My persecution complex would grow, except it's pretty much maxed out already. :)
Apologies for no game lead up this week. I've struggled with a cold all week long. :S
Mexico is a strong team. They are better at every position. The only player of ours that might start for them is G Verville.
So it's going to be a tough much. Last week the focus was playing to our strengths (which worked out great :P). This week will be more trying to hide our weaknesses.
Mexico is a strong team. They are better at every position. The only player of ours that might start for them is G Verville.
So it's going to be a tough much. Last week the focus was playing to our strengths (which worked out great :P). This week will be more trying to hide our weaknesses.