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Subject: [NT] Friendlies
Here's the program for Viet Nam this weekend. They are a very new nation - I probably should have held out for another opponent. This match will likely be an exercise in stat padding.
Wyn Lavrynenko and Luc O'Hara are both playing. Both have 2 yellow cards and are being fed a diet of raw meat, hoping to incite them to great levels of aggression. It would be nice if they would clean their card slate before the WC cup.
Don't want anyone picking up their second yellow, so the rest of the line-up is composed of youth or back-ups whom I think will make the best use of the little NT training bonus.
Roster for Viet Nam
Myles Boissieres, 20 yrs, 2 caps, Partizan 74
Harman Farahani, 20 yrs, 0 caps, New West Stampedos
Maxime Fluet, 21 yrs, 3 caps, HL Football
Patrice Kasim , 21 yrs, 0 cap, Real Hawkes
Wyn Lavrynenko, 23 yrs, 13 caps, Rapid Slobozia (Romania), Mission Soccer Club youth
Vince Lemieux, 20 yrs, 4 caps, Real Hawkes
Boris Madden, 23 yrs, 5 caps, Magnificent Bastards
Abdeen Metra, 21 yrs, 0 caps, HL Football
Kip Nesta, 22 yrs, 8 caps, DB Rovers
Luc O'Hara, 27 yrs, 30 caps, Black&Oil
Pierre-Charles Ribeiro, 21 yrs, 8 caps, Jalea of Scarberia
Luke Singh, 20 yrs, 0 cap, Fianna FC
Satinder Touchette, 22 yrs, 11 caps, Partizan 74
Gonzalo Verville, 21 yrs, 8 caps, Snowhares
Paul-Arnaud Zanardi, 22 yrs, 5 caps Furia Kolberg (Poland), Black&Oil youth
Eduardo Vafir, 21 yrs, 0 caps, Partizan 74
Line-up amended. Vafir in for Foster. It pains me to sit Foster, but he is a little off-form.
(edited)
Wyn Lavrynenko and Luc O'Hara are both playing. Both have 2 yellow cards and are being fed a diet of raw meat, hoping to incite them to great levels of aggression. It would be nice if they would clean their card slate before the WC cup.
Don't want anyone picking up their second yellow, so the rest of the line-up is composed of youth or back-ups whom I think will make the best use of the little NT training bonus.
Roster for Viet Nam
Myles Boissieres, 20 yrs, 2 caps, Partizan 74
Harman Farahani, 20 yrs, 0 caps, New West Stampedos
Maxime Fluet, 21 yrs, 3 caps, HL Football
Patrice Kasim , 21 yrs, 0 cap, Real Hawkes
Wyn Lavrynenko, 23 yrs, 13 caps, Rapid Slobozia (Romania), Mission Soccer Club youth
Vince Lemieux, 20 yrs, 4 caps, Real Hawkes
Boris Madden, 23 yrs, 5 caps, Magnificent Bastards
Abdeen Metra, 21 yrs, 0 caps, HL Football
Kip Nesta, 22 yrs, 8 caps, DB Rovers
Luc O'Hara, 27 yrs, 30 caps, Black&Oil
Pierre-Charles Ribeiro, 21 yrs, 8 caps, Jalea of Scarberia
Luke Singh, 20 yrs, 0 cap, Fianna FC
Satinder Touchette, 22 yrs, 11 caps, Partizan 74
Gonzalo Verville, 21 yrs, 8 caps, Snowhares
Paul-Arnaud Zanardi, 22 yrs, 5 caps Furia Kolberg (Poland), Black&Oil youth
Eduardo Vafir, 21 yrs, 0 caps, Partizan 74
Line-up amended. Vafir in for Foster. It pains me to sit Foster, but he is a little off-form.
(edited)
Underway against Viet Nam.
Tactic is pretty much the same as last week. Trying to keep things homogenous heading into the World Cup. One change is that the strikers aren't grouped, but are instead positioned more conventionally.
Line-Up
Madden
Nesta, Touchette, Zanardi, Verville
Lemieux (Vafir - 55), Fluet (Kasim - 70), O'Hara, Ribeiro
Boissieres (Farahani - 46), W Lavrynenko
Bench
Singh
Metra
O'Hara handles freebies, W Lav spot kicks.
Tactic is pretty much the same as last week. Trying to keep things homogenous heading into the World Cup. One change is that the strikers aren't grouped, but are instead positioned more conventionally.
Line-Up
Madden
Nesta, Touchette, Zanardi, Verville
Lemieux (Vafir - 55), Fluet (Kasim - 70), O'Hara, Ribeiro
Boissieres (Farahani - 46), W Lavrynenko
Bench
Singh
Metra
O'Hara handles freebies, W Lav spot kicks.
Not a very entertaining match, but a pretty good effort from the lads. Their team is so young that even with mostly U21s we had a huge skill advantage.
Though I didn't tinker with the tactic much, it worked out fairly well against what Viet Nam used. Our offensive players had pretty good space, theirs didn't.
Most everyone played well. Nice debut by Farahani. Lemieux also seemed to have a good game both passing and with ball recovery. Both Ribeiro and W Lavrynenko put up some nice stats, but both probably should have done better given the opportunities they had.
Neither O'Hara nor W Lav picked up their 3rd yellow card.
Nothing arranged for next week yet. Would like U21 vs. a similar nation.
Though I didn't tinker with the tactic much, it worked out fairly well against what Viet Nam used. Our offensive players had pretty good space, theirs didn't.
Most everyone played well. Nice debut by Farahani. Lemieux also seemed to have a good game both passing and with ball recovery. Both Ribeiro and W Lavrynenko put up some nice stats, but both probably should have done better given the opportunities they had.
Neither O'Hara nor W Lav picked up their 3rd yellow card.
Nothing arranged for next week yet. Would like U21 vs. a similar nation.
Viet Nam Stats
Stats must be taken with a grain of salt - very weak opposition. For example, Wyn Lavrynenko 5 of 5 on tackles is not something we are likely to see again ... ever. :)
Some credit should be given to Fluet and Verville. Both had excellent matches. Ribeiro's passing was worse then I thought.
Match did nothing to allay my concern over striker skill in the new ME. Our divine striker had 5 goals from 18 shots, most of exceptional quality. Of those 5 goals, at least 2 would have been saved if the opposing keeper had any skill. Farahani and Ribeiro were both more effective 1 on 1 then Lavrynenko.
Stats must be taken with a grain of salt - very weak opposition. For example, Wyn Lavrynenko 5 of 5 on tackles is not something we are likely to see again ... ever. :)
Some credit should be given to Fluet and Verville. Both had excellent matches. Ribeiro's passing was worse then I thought.
Match did nothing to allay my concern over striker skill in the new ME. Our divine striker had 5 goals from 18 shots, most of exceptional quality. Of those 5 goals, at least 2 would have been saved if the opposing keeper had any skill. Farahani and Ribeiro were both more effective 1 on 1 then Lavrynenko.
The great Gonzo was quite dangerous as a wingback. He has some nice runs too. Almost had a nice assist in the 13' minute with Lavrynenko hitting the post :/ Speaking of whom, waow can he kick the ball :)
He deserved a helper - made some awesome passes. He may play there a lot this season. IMO an ideal WB and an ideal DM are pretty close to being the same guy.
I should mention that Farahani probably wouldn't have been called up had Houston or Sewell been in better form. But I'm glad to have him. He's a different kind of threat then most of our other young strikers.
I should mention that Farahani probably wouldn't have been called up had Houston or Sewell been in better form. But I'm glad to have him. He's a different kind of threat then most of our other young strikers.
Wow Uruguay, they have quite a list 161 players lol
Heehee. It's tough enough trying to estimate what you'll face in U21. It's worse when you have to sift through a roster like that. :D
Here's the Program for Uruguay.
Clayton Bellavance, 19 yrs, 0 caps, josavica
Yves Castillo Lara, 21 yrs, 4 cap, Pills United
Harman Farahani, 20 yrs, 1 caps, New West Stampedos
Maxime Fluet, 21 yrs, 4 caps, HL Football
Connor Foster, 21 yrs, 3 caps, Finland, Ben`s Eleven youth
Patrice Kasim , 21 yrs, 1 cap, Real Hawkes
Vince Lemieux, 20 yrs, 5 caps, Real Hawkes
Dawson Maillet, 20 yrs, 0 caps, HL Football
Abdeen Metra, 21 yrs, 0 caps, HL Football
Jérémie Sahota, 21 yrs, 0 caps, Spain, Romanians youth
Luke Singh, 20 yrs, 0 cap, Fianna FC
Alexander Verville, 20 yrs, 0 caps, Czech Republic, Ben’s Eleven youth
Gonzalo Verville, 21 yrs, 9 caps, Snowhares
Eduardo Vafir, 21 yrs, 1 cap, Partizan 74
Phillipe Vaillancourt, 21 yrs, 0 caps, Real Hawkes, Valiant FC youth
And one of:
Myles Boissieres, 20 yrs, 3 caps, Partizan 74
Aaron Sewell, 20 yrs, 1 cap, Real Vancouver FC
depending on Boissieres' health.
(edited)
Here's the Program for Uruguay.
Clayton Bellavance, 19 yrs, 0 caps, josavica
Yves Castillo Lara, 21 yrs, 4 cap, Pills United
Harman Farahani, 20 yrs, 1 caps, New West Stampedos
Maxime Fluet, 21 yrs, 4 caps, HL Football
Connor Foster, 21 yrs, 3 caps, Finland, Ben`s Eleven youth
Patrice Kasim , 21 yrs, 1 cap, Real Hawkes
Vince Lemieux, 20 yrs, 5 caps, Real Hawkes
Dawson Maillet, 20 yrs, 0 caps, HL Football
Abdeen Metra, 21 yrs, 0 caps, HL Football
Jérémie Sahota, 21 yrs, 0 caps, Spain, Romanians youth
Luke Singh, 20 yrs, 0 cap, Fianna FC
Alexander Verville, 20 yrs, 0 caps, Czech Republic, Ben’s Eleven youth
Gonzalo Verville, 21 yrs, 9 caps, Snowhares
Eduardo Vafir, 21 yrs, 1 cap, Partizan 74
Phillipe Vaillancourt, 21 yrs, 0 caps, Real Hawkes, Valiant FC youth
And one of:
Myles Boissieres, 20 yrs, 3 caps, Partizan 74
Aaron Sewell, 20 yrs, 1 cap, Real Vancouver FC
depending on Boissieres' health.
(edited)
Underway against Uruguay.
Trying to maintain the status quo tactically - few shifts in midfield, but not many changes elsewhere.
No idea what their U21 team is like. :) May be comparable - their size making up for our extra maturity. Tactically, they change things up frequently. I’ve positioned our strikers according to their most conservative stance - could be a lot of offsides if they play more aggressively.
I had hoped to use Vafir in the #10 spot - attacking midfield. But with Clayton and Sewell struggling with form, and Boissieres out injured, I felt I had to move Vafir up to one of the striker spots. His midfield skills have allowed me to split him out wide in some spots - hoping to achieve something similar to what Lorenzo accomplished against Australia.
The back-line is a concern. Gonzo (have 2 Verville’s on the team now) is the only proven defender. Kasim and Metra would be more comfortable in midfield I think. Hopefully their skill with the ball will compensate for a little less grit.
There is a fair bit of shifting and subbing, so I was only able to cover the center backs in case of red card. Our second unit is more dangerous then the first - hoping to take advantage of some tired players or weaker substitutes.
Line-Up
Castillo Lara
Gonzo, Kasim, Sahota, Metra
Vaillancourt, Fluet, Foster, Maillet
Vafir, Sewell
Bench
Singh
Bellavance (75 - Fluet)
Lemieux (46 - Maillet)
A Verville
Farahani (46 - Sewell)
Foster takes freebies, Vafir spot kicks. Foster & Maillet switch at 30. Foster and Vaillancourt switch at 46.
Trying to maintain the status quo tactically - few shifts in midfield, but not many changes elsewhere.
No idea what their U21 team is like. :) May be comparable - their size making up for our extra maturity. Tactically, they change things up frequently. I’ve positioned our strikers according to their most conservative stance - could be a lot of offsides if they play more aggressively.
I had hoped to use Vafir in the #10 spot - attacking midfield. But with Clayton and Sewell struggling with form, and Boissieres out injured, I felt I had to move Vafir up to one of the striker spots. His midfield skills have allowed me to split him out wide in some spots - hoping to achieve something similar to what Lorenzo accomplished against Australia.
The back-line is a concern. Gonzo (have 2 Verville’s on the team now) is the only proven defender. Kasim and Metra would be more comfortable in midfield I think. Hopefully their skill with the ball will compensate for a little less grit.
There is a fair bit of shifting and subbing, so I was only able to cover the center backs in case of red card. Our second unit is more dangerous then the first - hoping to take advantage of some tired players or weaker substitutes.
Line-Up
Castillo Lara
Gonzo, Kasim, Sahota, Metra
Vaillancourt, Fluet, Foster, Maillet
Vafir, Sewell
Bench
Singh
Bellavance (75 - Fluet)
Lemieux (46 - Maillet)
A Verville
Farahani (46 - Sewell)
Foster takes freebies, Vafir spot kicks. Foster & Maillet switch at 30. Foster and Vaillancourt switch at 46.
Sorry for the delay on post-match. My ISP cut out on me.
Converted our first two shots - thought we were on track for a record performance. :) Then only 1 of the final 13. More like it. :P In the end, out-shot them 15-2, but just squeaked out the win.
The right side of the defense looked really shaky. Sahota didn't do a lot right. Oliva's pace made Metra look like he was dragging a bus around with his teeth. Left side looked better - tho Kasim kicked the ball out more then I expected.
Foster was terrific. Had 1 assist - could have had 3 or 4. Rest of the midfield played well.
Sewell played far better then I expected considering his form. He and Vafir played well off of each other. Vafir looked pretty sharp. Farahani looked dangerous, tho couldn't find the back of the net today.
Germany, our opponent in the first round of the World Cup, played a good part of their A-squad (if not their full A-squad) today. Pretty reckless if you ask me. But they got away without any cards or injuries.
Converted our first two shots - thought we were on track for a record performance. :) Then only 1 of the final 13. More like it. :P In the end, out-shot them 15-2, but just squeaked out the win.
The right side of the defense looked really shaky. Sahota didn't do a lot right. Oliva's pace made Metra look like he was dragging a bus around with his teeth. Left side looked better - tho Kasim kicked the ball out more then I expected.
Foster was terrific. Had 1 assist - could have had 3 or 4. Rest of the midfield played well.
Sewell played far better then I expected considering his form. He and Vafir played well off of each other. Vafir looked pretty sharp. Farahani looked dangerous, tho couldn't find the back of the net today.
Germany, our opponent in the first round of the World Cup, played a good part of their A-squad (if not their full A-squad) today. Pretty reckless if you ask me. But they got away without any cards or injuries.
Uruguay Stats
Passing stats were not strong. A little strange - thought that was the strength of this line-up. I hadn't noticed what a tough day Fluet had.
Right side of the defense struggled, but were up a against a very good young player. Pretty nice match from Gonzo.
Castillo Lara didn't stop much, but kept his 18 yard box tidy.
Strikers did a good job putting the ball on net. Most of the complete misses were from middies who decided to take a crack. With all those shots and a very slow Uruguayan keeper, I'm a little surprised we didn't net a rebound goal. But their keep didn't spill too many.
Passing stats were not strong. A little strange - thought that was the strength of this line-up. I hadn't noticed what a tough day Fluet had.
Right side of the defense struggled, but were up a against a very good young player. Pretty nice match from Gonzo.
Castillo Lara didn't stop much, but kept his 18 yard box tidy.
Strikers did a good job putting the ball on net. Most of the complete misses were from middies who decided to take a crack. With all those shots and a very slow Uruguayan keeper, I'm a little surprised we didn't net a rebound goal. But their keep didn't spill too many.
The Unofficial U21 tournament starts in week 8.
This week we've arranged a match with another WC fatality - Slovenija. No arrangements have been made, so senior squads with a focus on our "prime" players (22-25 yr).
This week we've arranged a match with another WC fatality - Slovenija. No arrangements have been made, so senior squads with a focus on our "prime" players (22-25 yr).
Slovenija this weekend. Like Canada, they are freshly out of the World Cup. Slovenija really had no chance in their group with giants Poland and France as dance partners.
Slovenija can't be taken lightly - they finished second in their qualifying group (ahead of Scotland, who just came through the toughest World Cup group unscathed). The main reason is Egon Adamovic, a monstrous striker. They've got some holes in other places, but a great striker can compensate.
With our best 11 I think this would be a fairly safe result for Canada, but I won't be playing any of our oldsters - instead focusing on players in their prime (22-25, a couple 26 year olds). Evens the playing field - especially if Adamovic has a good day.
Here's the program (sorry - no tags).
Derek Barrera, 24 yrs, 15 caps, 6 assts - [color=#FF0000 size=2 face=arial]HL Football[/color]
Joey Biron, 22 yrs, 15 caps, 22 goals - [color=#993399 size=2 face=arial]Valiant FC[/color]
Issa Bradshaw, 26 yrs, 38 caps, 1 asst - [color=#FF0000 size=2 face=arial]Jalea of Scarberia[/color]
Ruben Caron, 24 yrs, 37 caps, 6 assts - [color=#666600 size=2 face=arial]HL Football[/color]
Karl Dehere, 24 yrs, 28 caps, 1 asst - [color=#999999 size=2 face=arial]Kamloops Lakers[/color]
Sebastian Fichaud, 25 yrs, 77 caps, 2 assts - [color=#FFFF00 size=2 face=arial]Partizan 74[/color]
Felix Iginla, 26 yrs, 66 caps, 30 assts - [color=#000000 size=2 face=arial]Black&Oil[/color]
W Lavrynenko, 23 yrs, 15 caps, 10 goals - on the TL
Boris Madden, 23 yrs, 6 caps - [color=#CC0000 size=2 face=arial]Magnificent Bastards[/color]
Malcolm Malhotra, 24 yrs, 16 caps, in Poland
Adrian Manohar, 24 yrs, 19 caps, 13 goals - [color=#660000 size=2 face=arial]Hajduk Burnaby[/color]
Kip Nesta, 22 yrs, 9 caps - [color=#3333FF size=2 face=arial]DB Rovers[/color]
Joe Parker, 27 yrs, 77 caps - in Poland
Dwayne Renda, 24 yrs, 16 caps, 2 assts - [color=#FF0000 size=2 face=arial]Surrey Crackheads[/color]
Zachary Sebrango, 22 yrs, 13 caps, 2 assts - in Poland
Scottie Wang, 25 yrs, 39 caps, 42 goals - in Romania
(edited)
Slovenija can't be taken lightly - they finished second in their qualifying group (ahead of Scotland, who just came through the toughest World Cup group unscathed). The main reason is Egon Adamovic, a monstrous striker. They've got some holes in other places, but a great striker can compensate.
With our best 11 I think this would be a fairly safe result for Canada, but I won't be playing any of our oldsters - instead focusing on players in their prime (22-25, a couple 26 year olds). Evens the playing field - especially if Adamovic has a good day.
Here's the program (sorry - no tags).
Derek Barrera, 24 yrs, 15 caps, 6 assts - [color=#FF0000 size=2 face=arial]HL Football[/color]
Joey Biron, 22 yrs, 15 caps, 22 goals - [color=#993399 size=2 face=arial]Valiant FC[/color]
Issa Bradshaw, 26 yrs, 38 caps, 1 asst - [color=#FF0000 size=2 face=arial]Jalea of Scarberia[/color]
Ruben Caron, 24 yrs, 37 caps, 6 assts - [color=#666600 size=2 face=arial]HL Football[/color]
Karl Dehere, 24 yrs, 28 caps, 1 asst - [color=#999999 size=2 face=arial]Kamloops Lakers[/color]
Sebastian Fichaud, 25 yrs, 77 caps, 2 assts - [color=#FFFF00 size=2 face=arial]Partizan 74[/color]
Felix Iginla, 26 yrs, 66 caps, 30 assts - [color=#000000 size=2 face=arial]Black&Oil[/color]
W Lavrynenko, 23 yrs, 15 caps, 10 goals - on the TL
Boris Madden, 23 yrs, 6 caps - [color=#CC0000 size=2 face=arial]Magnificent Bastards[/color]
Malcolm Malhotra, 24 yrs, 16 caps, in Poland
Adrian Manohar, 24 yrs, 19 caps, 13 goals - [color=#660000 size=2 face=arial]Hajduk Burnaby[/color]
Kip Nesta, 22 yrs, 9 caps - [color=#3333FF size=2 face=arial]DB Rovers[/color]
Joe Parker, 27 yrs, 77 caps - in Poland
Dwayne Renda, 24 yrs, 16 caps, 2 assts - [color=#FF0000 size=2 face=arial]Surrey Crackheads[/color]
Zachary Sebrango, 22 yrs, 13 caps, 2 assts - in Poland
Scottie Wang, 25 yrs, 39 caps, 42 goals - in Romania
(edited)
Underway against Slovenija.
I expect we’ll see a 442 from them. They went through the World Cup using the same formation - with perhaps some minor tweaks here or there. Unlikely they’ll change things up for a friendly.
I’m not super confident in our tactic. 442 with a diamond midfield. It’s not what I’d use if this were a must win game. It’s not really designed to exploit weaknesses in the opponent’s approach. More trying to emphasize our strengths - particularly on offense.
I expect we’ll concede some goals. With only 1 defensive mid (and he’s placed more offensive then usual) there will be more gaps and cracks for Slovenija to squeeze the ball through. Adamovic doesn’t make too many mistakes around the net.
So hopefully our offensive approach will yield some goals. 4 slick midfielders should provide some decent ball movement. 1 striker down the middle (attacking what I perceive is a hole), while the other attempts to get wide of the defense, hopefully gaining the zone - perhaps even getting a shot or a short pass off to his mate.
The opponent tactic does not defend line throws well - so most throws are intended to stay wide. Wang takes penalties. The freekick taker is open - we have a number of good freekick takers on the pitch. Barrera covers the back-line in case of red card.
Again, if it were a must win we’d see Parker ahead of Madden. Madden’s pace is improving, but he’ll still look sluggish. Manohar starts ahead of Biron due to significant form disparity. W Lavrynenko not starting as the strikers will likely need to break a tackle to get a shot, and his mediocre tech isn’t up to that challenge.
Line-Up
Madden
Dehere, Sebrango, Fichaud, Bradshaw
Iginla, Barrera, Renda, Caron
Manohar, Wang
Bench
Parker
Malhotra
Nesta (75 - Renda)
Biron (60 - Manohar)
W Lavrynenko (80 - Wang)
I expect we’ll see a 442 from them. They went through the World Cup using the same formation - with perhaps some minor tweaks here or there. Unlikely they’ll change things up for a friendly.
I’m not super confident in our tactic. 442 with a diamond midfield. It’s not what I’d use if this were a must win game. It’s not really designed to exploit weaknesses in the opponent’s approach. More trying to emphasize our strengths - particularly on offense.
I expect we’ll concede some goals. With only 1 defensive mid (and he’s placed more offensive then usual) there will be more gaps and cracks for Slovenija to squeeze the ball through. Adamovic doesn’t make too many mistakes around the net.
So hopefully our offensive approach will yield some goals. 4 slick midfielders should provide some decent ball movement. 1 striker down the middle (attacking what I perceive is a hole), while the other attempts to get wide of the defense, hopefully gaining the zone - perhaps even getting a shot or a short pass off to his mate.
The opponent tactic does not defend line throws well - so most throws are intended to stay wide. Wang takes penalties. The freekick taker is open - we have a number of good freekick takers on the pitch. Barrera covers the back-line in case of red card.
Again, if it were a must win we’d see Parker ahead of Madden. Madden’s pace is improving, but he’ll still look sluggish. Manohar starts ahead of Biron due to significant form disparity. W Lavrynenko not starting as the strikers will likely need to break a tackle to get a shot, and his mediocre tech isn’t up to that challenge.
Line-Up
Madden
Dehere, Sebrango, Fichaud, Bradshaw
Iginla, Barrera, Renda, Caron
Manohar, Wang
Bench
Parker
Malhotra
Nesta (75 - Renda)
Biron (60 - Manohar)
W Lavrynenko (80 - Wang)