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Well, talk about feeling disappointed. 3 up, 3 down with 1 goal and an own goal to show for it. Add in an "eff Croatia" and Croation fans hurling vile insults at our goalie during that game plus all the other controversies about the locale, harassment by local officials and so on and I have to say the World Cup has done little to stoke my enthusiasm for the sport

Sir Purrcival wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 01, 2022 10:53 am

Well, talk about feeling disappointed. 3 up, 3 down with 1 goal and an own goal to show for it. Add in an "eff Croatia" and Croation fans hurling vile insults at our goalie during that game plus all the other controversies about the locale, harassment by local officials and so on and I have to say the World Cup has done little to stoke my enthusiasm for the sport

If you haven't played and grown up with soccer, it's not an easy sport to fall for.

One thing about soccer is its global reach where you can find fans of teams in the top leagues like the Eng Prem League and top leagues in Europe or South America and if language is not a barrier can discuss teams and players.

In 99 or '00 I was in San Jose, Costa Rica on a Saturday morning at a car rental shop where there were a few workers watching a Man United game. We chatted about the team's fortunes as in those days I was watching their games.

The top teams pre-covid used to travel off-season to Asia where the goal was to gain sponsors, market the team and sell kit, etc.

While no one could suggest that Canada didn't have the right person to get them to the World Cup in John Herdman, I was disappointed after that first game vs Belgium with tactics vs Croatian and again today with Morocco in that first half.

How Canada played that second half was how they should have started instead of all that tippy tappy, dwelling on the ball at the back that got them into trouble versus taking the game to their opponent. No one anchored that back line in the first half and they didn't seem able to decide on how to play together.

The crosses into the box again were continually underhit - something pros don't normally do. Not dissimilar to a QB underthrowing receivers all game.

Despite scoring a second World Cup goal overall, Canada goes home without a single win or tie with a 2-1 loss to Morroco leaving them with a 0-3 record and has the second-to-worst record after host Qatar after goal differential is the tiebreaker.

Lots of hope for Canada after finishing first in 2022 CONCACAF FIFA World Cup qualification ahead of fellow qualifiers USA, Mexico, and Costa Rica. USA has advanced to the second round and even though Mexico and Costa Rica have been eliminated as well, at least both countries won one game.

Better luck to Canada in four years.

Robbie wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 01, 2022 4:09 pm

Despite scoring a second World Cup goal overall, Canada goes home without a single win or tie with a 2-1 loss to Morroco leaving them with a 0-3 record and has the second-to-worst record after host Qatar after goal differential is the tiebreaker.

Lots of hope for Canada after finishing first in 2022 CONCACAF FIFA World Cup qualification ahead of fellow qualifiers USA, Mexico, and Costa Rica. USA has advanced to the second round and even though Mexico and Costa Rica have been eliminated as well, at least both countries won one game.

Better luck to Canada in four years.

Lots of lessons learned for the Coach who without him they wouldn't have got there and the players.

You nail it when other countries ranked lower got a slightly better result. Canada had a tough group with Belgium, Croatia and Morroco - a group of death to coin a soccer phrase. Morroco has some 15 highly ranked players!

In retrospect, a lot of similarities between the 1986 and 2022 FIFA World Cups:

1. Canada qualified, but failed to get a single win or tie and was eliminated in group play with a 0-3 record.
2. Argentina eventually won, after blowing a 2-0 lead in regulation. In 1986 Argentina won after adding a third goal in a 3-2 win, while in 2022 extra time was required and also blew a 3-2 lead in extra time before finally winning in penalty kicks.

R.I.P. Pelé (October 23, 1940 – December 29, 2022)

Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami FC team will be playing in Vancouver against the Whitecaps FC on Saturday, May 25, 2024.

I'd say it will defintely be a sellout and I wonder if they will open the upper bowl as if though it were the Grey Cup.

Let's just hope Lionel Messi won't get injured prior to the game.