Canada vs USA Friendly - January 22/2006

[Joe MacCarthy]

Posters on BigSoccer are reporting the USSF is releasing the following: Unconfirmed as of yet.

January 22, 2006: U.S. Men vs. Canada (West Coast location, to be finalized)

The U.S. Men's National Team will face Norway at The Home Depot Center on Sunday, January 29, 2006.

Will be difficult for Canada to send an A lineup as many players (NA/Scandinavia) will be out of season or on break (Europe) and not likely to fly across the Atlantic and the continental US for this matchup.

[supersjd]

sweet.

[mrdeeds]

I always look forward to Canada vs. the US in any sport. This will be no different. It would be nice for Canada to field as close to an A team as possible though. In any event, LET'S GET IT ON!

[Joe MacCarthy]

Men's World Cup Team
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Canada-USA to Kickoff 2006 in San Diego

http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2354

http://www.canadasoccer.com/images/media/derosario_usa.jpg
Canada and USA to tangle in San Diego

Ottawa, Ontario – The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) have agreed to a friendly between Canada’s Men’s National Team and the US Men’s National Team.

The match will take place on January 22, 2006 at Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego. Kickoff has been set for 5:00pm PT.

Tickets ranging in price levels from $25 to $90 go on sale starting Tuesday, December 6, at 10 a.m. PT on-line at ussoccer.com, at the University of San Diego’s Jenny Craig Pavilion Box Office (Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), and by phone at 619-260-7550 (Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Groups of 15 or more can purchase tickets through the University of San Diego by calling 619-260-7550.

“Anytime you play the US you are guaranteed a difficult game,” said Canadian Head Coach Frank Yallop. “I thought when we played them in the summer (Gold Cup 2005) we did quite well at times and this match will provide us with another opportunity, like the friendlies against Spain and Luxembourg, to see how our squad has been progressing since then.”

Yallop’s men will likely begin camp in early January to prepare for the match. A location for the training camp has yet to be determined.

It is also likely that Yallop will involve many of his North American-based players as well as those players that play in leagues with a winter-break.

“Because of the time of year, the majority of our guys will either be in pre-season or on a winter break, so it will be important for us to get together early. But in the end, this is yet another chance for us to have a look at some of the guys who haven’t featured for Canada in awhile.”

The match on January 22 will mark the 28th time Canada and the United States have met. The overall record currently stands at 8 wins, 11 losses, and 8 draws but recent history has favoured the Americans. Canada has not defeated the US since their friendly on May 6, 1990 in Burnaby, BC when Canada won 1-0. A week later, the Canadians also defeated Mexico 2-1.

The last encounter between the two was in July 2005 when the two sides met in that year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. The US defeated Canada 2-0 on that day en route to their third Continental championship.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Men's World Cup Team
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Canada’s Roster Set for USA Friendly
http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2367

http://www.canadasoccer.com/images/media/serioux_action2.jpg
Canada’s Adrian Serioux (pictured) and the USA will renew aquaintances in late January. Photo: Dale MacMillan/CSA

Ottawa, Ontario – Canada’s Head Coach, Frank Yallop, has announced his squad of 19 players for Canada’s upcoming friendly against the USA on January 22 in San Diego, California.

The Canadians will hold their training camp from January 8–20 in Carson, CA before traveling to San Diego on January 20 for the first match of 2006 for both countries.

The match will be played at Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego. Kickoff has been set for 5:00pm PT.

Yallop has recalled eight players from the squad that beat Luxembourg 1-0 in mid-November. The youngest of those eight, Will Johnson, is presently with Dale Mitchell’s U20 team in Guadalajara, Mexico, but will join the squad following Canada’s involvement in the Chivas Cup.

Viking midfielder, Sandro Grande, has returned to the squad since recovering from the niggling calf strain that kept him out of the Luxembourg game.

Armed with a new contract and club, Goteborg striker, Ali Gerba, has also recovered from a series of knocks and strains and is fit for selection.

The Montreal Impact will be sending six players to sunny California. Adam Braz, Gabe Gervais, and Greg Sutton were regular contributors in 2005 and have been recalled to Yallop’s squad. Joining them will be defenders Nevio Pizzolitto and Andre Hainault and midfielder Patrick Leduc. The trip will be Hainault’s first with the senior squad.

Molde striker Rob Friend, who had to decline the invite to Luxembourg due to club commitments, makes a long-awaited return to the national team fold.

Toronto-native Adrian Serioux will also be back since his departure from Millwall in the fall of 2005. Serioux left the London-based club in late September for personal reasons and is presently unattached, but has been entertaining offers from several clubs interested in the midfielder’s services.

“I am looking forward to these two weeks with the squad,” said Head Coach Frank Yallop. “It’s not often you get a chance to have your players for an extended training camp prior to a friendly so from that perspective, this is a welcome opportunity.”

“It will also allow us the luxury of playing two or three scrimmages during the camp (in Carson), which is something we have been unable to do in the past.”

Yallop is also fully aware of the dangers the Americans pose, even without many of their European regulars.

“I know the US will be without many of their European-based players but they still have the ability to put together a very talented ‘domestic-based squad’, as was witnessed throughout the World Cup qualifying rounds and the last Gold Cup. A lot of guys will be keen to show Bruce (Arena) that they are capable of contributing to his World Cup squad, so they will take this game, and the games against Norway and Japan very seriously.”

“2006 will be an important year for us,” concluded Yallop. “It’s vital that we solidify our pool of regular players this year and begin to move towards establishing a ’team’ that will compete for the 2007 Gold Cup, and of course qualifying for South Africa, which will likely start in 2008.”

Following the US game…
Following the match against the USA, Canada’s Men’s National Team has agreed to an international friendly on March 1st, 2006 (the next available International Match Date on the FIFA coordinated International Calendar) against Austria. The match will be played at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, Austria. Kick-off has tentatively been scheduled for 8:30pm local time.

Roster – Canada Men’s National Team

Player POS DOB Caps G/S Club Hometown
Ademolu, Stephen F 10/20/1982 1 0 Tromso Windsor, ON
Bernier, Patrice M 9/23/1979 14 0 Tromso Montreal, QC
Braz, Adam D 06/07/1981 6 0 Montreal Impact St. Laurent, QC
de Rosario, Dwayne M/F 5/15/1978 35 7 Houston Scarborough, ON
Friend, Rob F 1/23/1981 4 0 Molde Kelowna, BC
Gerba, Ali F 7/27/1982 5 1 IFK Goteborg Montréal, QC
Gervais, Gabriel D 9/18/1976 7 0 Montreal Impact Brossard, QC
Grande, Sandro M 9/29/1977 9 1 Viking Stavanger Montreal, QC
Hainault, Andre (Andrew) D 6/17/1986 0 0 Montreal Impact Hudson, QC
Hutchinson, Atiba M 02/08/1983 18 2 Helsingborg Brampton, ON
Jazic, Ante D/M 2/26/1976 13 0 FC Kuban Halifax, NS
Johnson, Will F 1/21/1987 1 0 Chicago Fire Woodridge, IL
Leduc, Patrick M 12/26/1977 3 0 Montreal Impact Montréal, QC
Pizzolitto, Nevio D 8/26/1976 9 0 Montreal Impact Montreal, QC
Pozniak, Chris D/M 01/10/1981 14 0 Haugesund FK Scarborough, ON
Reda, Marco D 6/22/1977 2 0 unattached Woodbridge, ON
Serioux, Adrian D/M 05/12/1979 7 0 unattached Scarborough, ON
Stamatopoulos, Kenny GK 8/28/1979 3 1 Tromso Markham, ON
Sutton, Greg GK 4/19/1977 6 2 Montreal Impact Enfield, NH

Staff
Frank Yallop - Head Coach
Stephen Hart - Assistant Coach
Jim Cannovan - Assistant Coach
Simon Smith - GK Coach (8-15 January)
Paul Dolan - GK Coach (15-22 January)
Morgan Quarry - Manager
Dave Foley - Physiotherapist
Vic Mendes - Equipment Manager

[Dado_Prso_09]

as much as i want canada to win the usa will win by at least 2 goals

[Joe MacCarthy]

as much as i want canada to win the usa will win by at least 2 goalsWhile I'll concede this isn't a Canadian A side by any stretch of the imagination I highly doubt they'll lose by more than two.

This is the good thing about FY's regime, depth. While most of these guys aren't NT starters many have seen some time with the NT. Predictions of how the Canadian side will fare are rarely near the mark.

Good to see Rob Friend back in the fold (finished 5th in scoring in Norway this year).

Infamous prediction of a WC game on a Canadian message board.

Portugal 5 - USA 0
Nuf ced

[Joe MacCarthy]

Yallop looks to players out of season for friendly against U.S.
By NEIL DAVIDSON

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/01/03/1377572-cp.html

TORONTO (CP) - Canada will rely on eight North American-based players and eight who play in Scandinavia for a Jan. 22 soccer friendly against the U.S. in San Diego.

The 19-man Canadian squad also includes defender-midfielder Ante Jazic (FC Kuban, Russia) and two players currently without clubs: defender Marco Reda and defender-midfielder Adrian Serioux.

The Jan. 22 date is not one reserved for international friendlies, with European leagues playing as usual. That means no Tomasz Radzinski (Fulham), Paul Stalteri (Tottenham) or Iain Hume (Leicester City) from England or Julian de Guzman (Deportivo La Coruna, Spain).

The Scandinavian leagues, like Major League Soccer and the second-tier United Soccer League in North America, are currently out of season, allowing Yallop to draw on their talent.

Because almost all the players are out of season, Yallop is bringing them in for a camp starting Jan. 8 in Carson, Calif., to help improve fitness.

U.S. coach Bruce Arena will also be relying on domestic talent. Of his 30 players invited to a camp starting Thursday in Carson, all but one play in the MLS. The other, defender Heath Pearce, plays in Denmark.

While 17 of the 30 American players invited have less than 10 caps to their credit, Arena has talent and experience at his disposal. Los Angeles Galaxy star striker Landon Donovan has 73 caps, as does Real Salt Lake defender Eddie Pope. Columbus Crew defender Frankie Hejduk has played 68 times for his country.

In contrast, the entire Canadian roster has a combined 157 caps.

The Americans are ranked eighth in the world, compared to No. 84 for Canada.

Yallop said he did not call up goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld, who plays for Rosenborg in Norway, because he liked the way Kenny Stamatopoulos (Tromso, Norway) played against Spain and Luxembourg.

"And I wanted to take a good look at Greg Sutton again," he added.

Hirschfeld will be recalled at a later date, Yallop said.

The coach said he also opted not to summon Olivier Occean because he has just moved clubs (to Norway's Lillestrom) and because he has plenty of strikers.

"I want to look at Rob Friend, I want to look at Ali (Gerba)," he said. "I've got Dwayne (DeRosario), I've got Steven (Ademolu). We're OK in that position. You can't bring in six, seven, eight strikers . . . I want to make sure the squad's balanced."

Yallop will also have Will Johnson in camp. The Chicago Fire forward is currently with the under-20 team at the Chivas Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The Montreal Impact have six players on the squad: goalkeeper Sutton, defenders Adam Braz, Gabe Gervais, Nevio Pizzolitto and uncapped Andrew Hainault, and midfielder Patrick Leduc.

Yallop says he has watched Hainault with the under-20 team and wanted to keep talent from the younger levels moving up. Hainault has his paperwork in order and is looking to hook up with a club in England.

Yallop's roster for the U.S. game includes eight players from the squad that beat Luxembourg 1-0 in November. Midfielder Sandro Grande returns after recovering from a calf injury that kept him out of the Luxembourg game.

Following the U.S. game, Canada will play Austria in a friendly March 1 in Vienna.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Tks to Loyola at Vs for headsup

Waiting for the call
By Thomas Winterhoff
Saanich News
http://www.saanichnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=28&cat=40&id=569883&more=

http://tinypic.com/k3ofgp.jpg
File photo
Greater Victoria striker Josh Simpson is busy playing for his club-side in England’s Championship League and wasn’t called to represent Canada against the U.S.

When Canada’s senior men’s soccer team takes to the field against the United States in an international friendly Jan. 22, fans of “the beautiful game” won’t see any local players suiting up.

Despite a very strong soccer community on Vancouver Island and the fact that several B.C. players have a relatively high profile on the world stage, only Rob Friend of Kelowna made the cut this time around.

Part of the reason for the apparent dearth of local players is that the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA – the sport’s global governing body) hasn’t declared Jan. 22 an “international” competition day, meaning that club teams from around the world aren’t required to make any of their Canadian players available for national team duties. Therefore, top Canadian internationals like Paul Stalteri, Iain Hume, Tomasz Radzinski, Julian de Guzman, Daniel Imhof, Jim Brennan, Olivier Occean and Kevin McKenna won’t be playing against their American counterparts.

Greater Victoria’s own Josh Simpson – who signed with Millwall of England’s Championship League after impressing Millwall’s coaches during the club’s 2004 Canadian tour – is one player who might have seen action next week in San Diego.

So where are the emerging British Columbia players who conceivably could have taken their places? The roster for the U.S. friendly (and the accompanying training camp in California) is currently loaded up with six players from the Montreal Impact of the United Soccer Leagues (USL), as well as players from Scandinavian leagues who will be on the customary winter break in their schedules. But there’s no sign of any up-and-coming local professionals, such as Geordie Lyall of the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Canadian senior men’s head coach Frank Yallop told the News that his final roster selections are largely based on which players have the necessary skills to benefit the national side at that particular point in time.

“All I basically do is select players whom I think are going to play well for Canada,” he explained. “I don’t really look at what province they’re from.”
The players also have to be able to fit into Yallop’s system of play, which he feels has become more aggressive and more focused on ball possession since he took over the program from former head coach Holger Osieck in December 2003. He said it’s a playing style that is more suited to the FIFA region that Canada plays in: the Confederation of North Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF). The group features perennial powerhouses Mexico and the United States, as well as several strong Central American countries.

“I’d like to think that we are completely changing our style to suit the region,” Yallop explained. “When you’re down in Mexico City or (where) it’s a very hot and humid climate, you can’t be giving the ball to the opposition. It’s going to end up wearing you down and then you’re not going to get a result. I felt that we needed to possess the ball better (and) be very good on the counterattack.”

Yallop coached the San Jose Earthquakes to a second Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2003 and he wants to bring a similar mix of innovative offensive play and tough defensive strategy to the Canadian national side.

“I think we’ve got to that point where we’re pretty good at that. Now we’ve got to start building (by) creating more quality chances for our strikers and then (have) our strikers take those chances that do come along,” said Yallop.
So far, he added, the Canadian men’s team is “on the right track” and he feels that he’s now assembling a team with the “building blocks” to make a serious run at qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. Canada was bounced out of CONCACAF’s semi-final qualifying round for the 2006 World Cup in November 2004, which some observers put down to a combination of inexperience and questionable officiating in the final games. Yallop had been on the job for less than a year at that point and was still adjusting to the CONCACAF competition.

“I learned a lot from that round and if you look at the way we played in the six to eight games we did have in qualifying, I think we played well at times (but) we couldn’t score goals when we needed to-” said Yallop. “The odd sloppy goal here or there cost us, but if you’re scoring goals at the other end, you can allow yourself to give up some goals.”

After being eliminated from contention for the 2006 World Cup, Yallop and his coaching staff had to focus on what it would take to strengthen Canada’s chances of qualifying for the 2010 competition. That meant taking a closer look at players who have performed well in the national under-20 program and who are now ready to play at the senior level.

“I also look at players who have done well with their clubs and I select certain players who I think can help me down the line when I go into (World Cup) qualifying in two or three years’ time,” Yallop explained, adding that some of the players who have earned international caps under his tenure fit into that category. They include midfielders Atiba Hutchinson (playing with Helsingborg of Sweden) and Patrice Bernier (with Tromso of the Norwegian Premier league).

Veteran Dwayne De Rosario, a versatile midfielder/forward, is currently with the Earthquakes of the MLS (after the team recently moved from California to Houston, Texas), but he played for Yallop for years during their days in San Jose.

“He’s one that will probably lead the pack a little bit,” said Yallop.
Canada will also play a friendly against Austria on March 1, a day when Canada’s more high-profile international players should be available. It’s difficult to guess how different the national men’s roster will look for that game – or whether additional B.C. players will be given their shot at the big time.

Vancouver Whitecaps director of soccer operations Bob Lenarduzzi represented Canada in the 1984 Olympics and the 1986 World Cup. He doesn’t feel the lack of B.C. players on the current roster is indicative of a problem with the province’s development programs, pointing to the tremendous success experienced by B.C.’s women soccer players at the national level.

“I think the other provinces have done (a) very good job with their player development – especially Quebec-” said Lenarduzzi. “I’m not so sure whether we’ve done a bad job or whether the others have gotten better. Sometimes this process is cyclical; you get a lot of players from one of the stronger provinces and then all of a sudden there seems to be a bit of a tapering off. I don’t know if I could put my finger on any one reason why it’s happened, but it’s a good observation.”

Dave Dew is a former head coach of the Whitecaps women’s team and was also heavily involved in the national women’s U-16 and U-17 programs. He agrees that the Canadian senior men’s coaching staff should be selecting the best players regardless of where they’re from, but he also thinks that some talented B.C. players might have been overlooked this time around.

“They wouldn’t really care if a player was from Cortes Island, Spuzzum or Pump Handle, Saskatchewan. If he’s good enough, they’re going to take him,” Dew said. “But I was quite shocked when I saw that Rob Friend was the only B.C. player selected - I know that the international players aren’t available to (Yallop) so he hasn’t selected guys like Josh Simpson, (but) he hasn’t looked at any of the younger ones like Geordie Lyall or anybody like that.”

Lyall played for UVic and is now with the Whitecaps team that made the playoffs last season, but Dew acknowledged that there are few local players playing at a level comparable to that of Simpson.

“Right now, for players at that standard – outside of Simpson – (there really aren’t) any players at this point that I would look at and say: ‘Ya, they should be on the World Cup team.’ ”

However, there are a few other B.C. players he thinks could make the grade in the future. Spectrum and Gorge FC alumni Tyler Hughes is reportedly recovering from a broken leg, but he played in Canada’s final World Cup qualifying game against Guatemala in 2004. Manny Gomez is another talented youngster who is playing overseas with River Plate’s junior program in Argentina and Dew expects he will be named to Canada’s next U-20 squad.
Dew felt that Yallop would give any qualified B.C. player a fair shot when it comes to representing their country on the international stage.

“To give credit to Frank, I know that he has people looking all over for him and he’s one of those guys who’s wide open to giving everybody an opportunity.”

[Joe MacCarthy]

Canada looks to set future squad
By VIJAY SETLUR

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/01/21/1405065-cp.html

SAN DIEGO (CP) - Canada will be on the outside looking in during the World Cup in June, but that hasn't stopped the national men's soccer team from having a sense of purpose.

Canada takes on the U.S. on Sunday in an international friendly at Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego.

The match, which will not be televised, is the first of 2006 for both teams. The U.S. has qualified for the World Cup.

Canada has been training in southern California the last two weeks to evaluate its domestic players and prepare for Sunday's match.

The rare lengthy training camp comes at a critical time for the national team, ranked 84th in the world.

With no qualifying or CONCACAF events this year, head coach Frank Yallop is using the camp, Sunday's game and future friendlies to set the squad that will lead the country into next year's CONCACAF Gold Cup and qualifying for the 2010 World Cup that starts in 2008.

"I've finished seeing every player and believe I've given them a fair crack to play for Canada," said Yallop at a training session at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in nearby Chula Vista.

"My focus is on the squad that will take us to the Gold Cup and get us through the next World Cup qualifying. We're trying to get five more games this year on the international calendar that will help us set the team."

The camp has been a success so far, according to Yallop.

"The guys have been bright and are working very hard," he said. "They want to play for Canada and will give everything they have."

One of the most important questions coming out of the camp is the goalkeeping situation.

Both Greg Sutton and Kenny Stamatopoulos have played well in recent matches and deserve to start, leaving Yallop with a difficult, yet nice problem.

"It gives me a good choice," he said. "Both guys have been playing well and though Lars (Hirschfeld) has been hurt, I'm pretty confident in our goalkeeping."

Sutton is taking the competition in stride.

"This is our first camp together and we have a good relationship," he said. "Kenny is a down-to-earth guy like me and we get along great. Competition is always good."

Another issue is the attack. The forwards in camp, Will Johnson, Rob Friend and Stephen Ademolu, have a total of only six international caps between them.

The inability to finish has plagued Canada over the last decade and it will be intriguing to see how these young strikers fuse with a more talented midfield that features Dwayne de Rosario of the Houston MLS franchise and Julian de Guzman of Deportivo de La Coruna.

De Rosario believes the midfield will be the key to the team's offence.

"We have a creative midfield that can build an attack," he said. "Before, we played a one-ball or long ball system, but now we can work the ball around and bring it up the field."

The roster for Sunday's match includes eight players who represented Canada in its last match which was a 1-0 win over Luxembourg on Nov. 6, 2005.

The Americans will be missing PSV Eindhoven's DaMarcus Beasley and Brian McBride of Fulham, but still have plenty of firepower that will pose a challenge for Canada's backfield.

MLS stars Landon Donovan, Taylor Twellman, Eddie Johnson and Josh Wolff give U.S. coach Bruce Arena an array of offensive options.

"They're a talented team that's going to create scoring chances," Yallop said. "We'll watch the video, but know that they'll come at us wide and through the middle. We played well against them at last year's Gold Cup."

That match was a 2-0 defeat in Seattle last July and another in a string of losses to the eighth-ranked team in the world.

While Canada's all-time record against the U.S. is fairly even at eight wins, 11 losses and eight draws, it has not defeated the Americans since a 1-0 win on May 6, 1990 in Burnaby, B.C.

San Diego is the site of one of Canadian soccer's greatest moments.

Defender Richard Hastings scored a golden goal to stun Mexico 2-1 at Qualcomm Stadium in the quarter-finals of the 2000 Gold Cup.

That goal sent Canada through to the semifinals of the championship, which it ultimately won.

It is this type of clutch scoring at crucial times that eluded Canada during World Cup qualifying.

Yallop feels that if things had gone Canada's way, it could have been Canada and not Trinidad and Tobago in the World Cup.

"We want to play a style that counterattacks," said Yallop. "I feel we have good ball possession and speed that can generate good scoring chances."

Yallop hopes that style leads to more great moments in the future for Canadian soccer.

Notes - Montreal Impact midfielder Sandro Grande and striker Rob Friend returned to the Canadian squad after missing the Luxembourg match with an injury and club commitments, respectively . . . Midfielder Atiba Hutchinson recently signed with FC Copenhagen of Denmark after playing last season for Helsingborg in Sweden . . . Forward Ali Gerba was denied permission to join the team in California after his club, Goteborg, of Sweden, did not deem him fit to travel . . . The Montreal Impact contributed the most players of any club to the national team with six on the roster for Sunday's match . . . The match against Canada is the first of five friendlies the U.S. will play before the World Cup with other exhibitions against Norway, Japan, Guatemala and Germany.

[supersjd]

Prediction : Canada 2 - USA 1

[mrdeeds]

Prediction Canada 1, US Nil

[Joe MacCarthy]

Final score
Canada 0 USA 0

Well contested game. Basically equal number of chances and saves, with Canada possibly having the better chances.

Is it just me or does our "B" team have more discipline and play with more heart than our "A" side made up of continental European players.

Sutton, DeRo, Grande and Friend seemed to stand out. With this performance I think Friend's stock has risen greatly.

[mrdeeds]

I caught the last 5 minutes or so when the US put in Adu. Great to see that the Canadians can play with the US. Not so good for the US of course.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Men's World Cup Team
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Canada-USA Ends in a Stalemate
http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2382

http://www.canadasoccer.com/images/media/hutchinson_action_usa.jpg
Canadian midfielder Atiba Hutchinson Photo: Tony Quinn

Ottawa, Ontario – Canada’s Men’s National team drew with their border rivals USA this evening at Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego. The Canadians will probably rue several missed chances that would have given the Canucks a long awaited victory over the World Cup bound Americans. In fact to many, that would have been a victory that Canada would have fully deserved.

The Canadians almost had a dream start when a Dwayne De Rosario cross found an unmarked Rob Friend at the far post in the opening seconds but the big striker’s tame header landed safely into Matt Reis’ hands.

For the next 15 minutes both teams enjoyed spells of possession and glimpses of each other goal but neither team really tested the two keepers.

Then suddenly both teams opened up.

The Canucks came closest to scoring though – the first opportunity came courtesy of a Sandro Grande free-kick that was whipped into the box but Marco Reda’s glancing header sailed just over the bar. Then shortly after, De Rosario sprung Friend but Reis raced off his line and out of his area to clear just in time.

Immediately after the block, the Americans took advantage of the space vacated by De Rosario and broke quickly on the right flank. Josh Wolff maneuvered to the end line then picked out Brian Ching on the penalty spot. Ching’s header sailed wide thanks to some tight marking from Gabe Gervais.

For the most part though, the first half could be best described as a midfield battle between Canada’s Atiba Hutchinson, Adrian Serioux, and Grande against the USA’s Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Ben Olsen.

The back four of Canada and the USA were also solid in the opening forty-five minutes and limited both team’s strikers to half chances and speculative set-pieces.

In fact, Canada’s Greg Sutton didn’t have to make a save until minutes before the half when he was forced to palm away a 25 yard strike from Frankie Hejduk at full stretch.

The Canucks dealt with the ensuing corner.

The Canadians absorbed some early pressure from the Americans but again, the US were limited to long range attempts while Canada was still enjoying loads of freedom on the flanks and looked dangerous.

Then, in minute 62, the Canucks really should have poached the lead.

Patrice Bernier spotted De Rosario unmarked on the left with Chris Klein caught up field. Bernier’s ball also caught Eddie Pope stranded in the middle of the park, and De Rosario was suddenly in alone on Reis. The Revolution keeper out-waited the Canadian captain though and kicked away the shot.

Seconds later, it was De Rosario who turned provider when he clipped a well-weighted pass between two defenders from just inside the left side of the area for Bernier. The Tromso midfielder spun quickly then fired toward the American goal, beating Reis but grazing the outside of the keeper’s left post.

Both teams made changes late in the game to try and steal the winner but the two rivals stood firm and shared the spoils.

“All in all, a very good result,” said Canadian Head Coach Frank Yallop.

“We probably should have scored, but whether that would have been enough to win is difficult to say. Let’s face it, we played against a very talented team tonight in their country and performed extremely well – a win would have been nice but I am proud of the way we played.

“Its performances like this that indicate to me we are heading in the right direction.”

Sunday, January 22, 2006
International Friendly
Torero Stadium, University of San Diego
San Diego, CA, USA

CANADA – 0 (0)
USA – 0 (0)
Goals: CANADA – none; USA – none
Cautions: CANADA – Bernier 90; USA – Adu 85
Expulsions – none
Referee – Benito Archundia (MEX); Assistant Referee 1 – Jose Ramirez Diaz (MEX); Assistant Referee 2 – Pedro Rebollar Leon (MEX); Fourth Official – Kevin Stott
Attendance – 6,077

CANADA: 1-Greg Sutton; 2-Adam Braz; 5-Marco Reda; 4-Gabriel Gervais; 3-Ante Jazic; 8-Adrian Serioux (17- Stephen Ademolu, 84); 13-Atiba Hutchinson; 10-Sandro Grande (7-Will Johnson, 70); 14-Dwayne De Rosario (capt); 9-Rob Friend; 11-Patrice Bernier
Head Coach: Frank Yallop (CAN)
Subs not used: 6-Patrick Leduc; 12-Nevio Pizzolitto; 15-Chris Pozniak; 16-Andre Hainault; 22-Kenny Stamatopoulos

USA: 2-Frankie Hejduk (17-Chris Klein, 46); 6-Heath Pearce; 8-Clint Dempsey; 10-Landon Donovan; 11-Brian Ching; 12-Jimmy Conrad; 14-Ben Olsen (5-Kerry Zavagnin, 46); 16-Josh Wolff (7-Chris Rolfe, 73); 20-Taylor Twellman (9-Eddie Johnson, 56 (15-Freddy Adu, 80)); 23-Eddie Pope (capt); 24-Matt Reis
Head Coach: Bruce Arena (USA)
Subs not used: 22-Kevin Hartman; 3-Todd Dunivant

[supersjd]

Yay! Good job Canada showing US they aren't that great!

[det_mack_taylor]

:smoking: holy cow! I'm a little surprised Canada drew with the Americans on this one. I thought maybe the Americans would prevail 2-1 or something like this but a draw by a "B" side Canadian team speaks volumes. I only hope we can get more results like this and the upcoming friendly against Austria.

ppl, what are your thoughts on this Canada v USA friendly? and also, what do you think Canada has got to do to compete against the Austrians? or even win in the next friendly???

[Joe MacCarthy]

Canada, U.S. draw
Exhibition game ends with 0-0 score
By VIJAY SETLUR

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/01/22/1406745-cp.html

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/01/22/canada_soccer250.jpg
Canada's Rob Friend (9) fights for a header with the USA's Eddie Pope (23) during the first half of their exhibition soccer game played at the Unversity of San Diego in San Diego Sunday. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

SAN DIEGO (CP) - The Canadian men's national team was able to walk away from a two-week training stint in California with their heads held high.

Canada had an impressive showing on Sunday and earned a well-deserved 0-0 draw with the U.S. in a friendly at the University of San Diego's Torero Stadium. "We played against a good team that has a lot of offensive ability and pace," said Canadian coach Frank Yallop. "We played the way we should and the players can walk out and hold their heads high."

Canada started the game strong and almost opened the scoring in the first minute.

Dwayne De Rosario, running with the ball along the left flank, turned into the field and crossed the ball into the penalty area. An oncoming Rob Friend headed the ball on goal, but U.S. goalkeeper Matt Reis was in position to make the save.

Canada's solid play continued in the first half with two quality chances two minutes apart.

The first came in the 14th minute when Patrice Bernier blasted a shot over the net from the edge of the penalty area off a cross from Ante Jazic.

A minute later, midfielder Marco Reda used his six-foot-two frame to outjump the U.S. defence and head a Sandro Grande free kick just over the net.

Canada played a strong offensive game, showing the results of a two week training camp in Los Angeles and San Diego.

"I thought we had a great performance and got a great result in a foreign country," Yallop said. "We changed our system . . . and flooded the midfield to try to spring our forwards wide. It allowed us to attack and defend effectively."

The midfielders controlled the ball well and used the entire field to create scoring chances. They showed patience and took time to find open teammates rather than kick long balls up the field.

De Rosario had a strong game and was the catalyst for the offence. He maintained ball possession and looked for open teammates on the wings.

Adrian Serioux was also stellar for Canada, commanding the midfield with his ball skills and making penetrating forays into the American backfield.

"Frank allows me to be free and play my game," Serioux said. "I went out and did my thing and that's all I wanted. It's too bad we couldn't score, but that's the way it has been."

Serioux and De Rosario's work drew praise from U.S. coach Bruce Arena.

"Number 10 (Serioux) (Edit. note Number 10 is Sandro Grande) did a good job. He was around the ball all night. De Rosario almost pulled off a couple of plays that won them the game."

The U.S., coming off of its own two-week training camp in Carson, Calif., missed passes and looked confused at times.

They didn't play like a team heading to the World Cup in a couple months.

"If I'd grade us, I'd say a C," Arena said. "We can't worry about it. We have to remember that it's January and a lot of players have been away from the game for a while."

The Americans' best chance of the game came in the 18th minute when 2005 MLS MVP Taylor Twellman broke down the left flank, crossed into the middle undenied and sailed a point blank shot over the goal.

Canada almost broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute when De Rosario received a cross from Atiba Hutchinson and had his point-blank shot stopped by Reis.

The next minute, De Rosario set up Bernier whose shot just sailed wide of the goal.

Play slowed down midway through the second half thanks to injuries, prompting chants of "Freddy" from the crowd.

The fans' calls were answered when 16-year-old phenom Freddy Adu entered the game in the 81st minute to earn his first international cap. He became the youngest player ever to appear for the U.S. national team by 91 days over Mike Slivinski, who was also 16 when he played against Jamaica in 1991.

"I've been waiting for it for a long time and it finally comes," Adu said. "I was very excited."

Adu immediately made his presence felt by trying to draw a penalty with a fall in the Canadian penalty area. Adu received a yellow for his tactic.

"It's no big deal," he said.

Canada's record against the U.S. is 8-12-9, although it hasn't beaten its CONCACAF rival since 1990.

Canada's next game is a friendly against Austria in Vienna on March 1, while the U.S. takes on Norway in a friendly next Sunday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

Notes: Will Johnson and Stephen Ademolu replaced Grande and Serioux, respectively, in the second half for Canada's only two substitutions . . . Bernier also received a yellow card in the match . . . The game featured a San Jose Earthquakes connection as U.S. midfielder Landon Donovan and Canadian midfielder De Rosario were teammates on the MLS Cup championship team coached by then-Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop.