Copa America 2024

shack

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The truth? You are thinking like an old fart.

Indoor facilities for soccer are being built all over the country. Soccer is now ahead of hockey in youth sports registration.

10 years ago Canada was losing to Santa Banana Island. Tuesday they play Argentina in the semi final of Copa. Quite a step my deer ;)
Does Canada have the quality and quantity of coaching required to elevate the country as a whole? Talent without coaching will be wasted. Do they elite programs?
 

shack

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jalimon

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Does Canada have the quality and quantity of coaching required to elevate the country as a whole? Talent without coaching will be wasted. Do they elite programs?
Soccer Canada took a big turn in 2021. Going away from the hockey based program of having a d1 then d2 team... from age 8 to 12 you are now part of a club and called up to matches based on current abilities and needs. My own kid was called up many times to play with the team 1.

All coaches need a formal certification. Heck i know because since i can only coach 13 and over. Kids not retain by 2a and 3a team passed aged 13. That said i sent a few kid to these elite team even at age 15, even 16...

In the US its still old school based on academy club where money is needed to have your kid part of the elite. I am happy Canada parted way with that model.
 

shack

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Soccer Canada took a big turn in 2021. Going away from the hockey based program of having a d1 then d2 team... from age 8 to 12 you are now part of a club and called up to matches based on current abilities and needs. My own kid was called up many times to play with the team 1.

All coaches need a formal certification. Heck i know because since i can only coach 13 and over. Kids not retain by 2a and 3a team passed aged 13. That said i sent a few kid to these elite team even at age 15, even 16...

In the US its still old school based on academy club where money is needed to have your kid part of the elite. I am happy Canada parted way with that model.
Thanks for the reply. I enjoy and appreciate soccer but I am not a fanatic. My interest has been increasing and I have been following the EURO and to a lesser extent the COPA. I want to be more knowledgeable.

When I watched Canada/Venezuela, to me, it seemed like there was a vast difference in the quality of the play between the play in the two competitions. The precision of passing, ball control and intensity of defending in the Euro leaves, IMO, Copa sucking their fumes. As such, despite the Canadian success, I don't think that they hold a candle to what Europe provides.

That is why, when I asked my question, I was wondering what it would take for Canada to be considered a legit serious team. Argentina and Brazil are unquestionable elite teams. But I don't think that Canada are even in the same universe. Canada has made strides, of which I am proud, but I don't think that they have a whiff of a chance against Argentina.

People have talked for 2 or 3 decades about youth participation vs. that of hockey in Canada, and there is no reason that Canadian athleticism cannot match up on an international level, but I think that only elite coaching on an intense nationwide basis can get them to the level where our game can be seriously considered to be, well, serious. I think that there needs to be a big influx/hiring of elite coaches with international experience AND success.

We need not only world class players to field a competitive team, but depth of such a roster. Teams do not win because they have 11 good players, it takes more depth of quality.
 

The Oracle

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On the slopes of Mount Parnassus, Greece

The Oracle

Pronouns: Who/Cares
Mar 8, 2004
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On the slopes of Mount Parnassus, Greece
People have talked for 2 or 3 decades about youth participation vs. that of hockey in Canada, and there is no reason that Canadian athleticism cannot match up on an international level, but I think that only elite coaching on an intense nationwide basis can get them to the level where our game can be seriously considered to be, well, serious. I think that there needs to be a big influx/hiring of elite coaches with international experience AND success.
It's one thing to have high participation, it's quite another to have high quality results driven competition.

Soccer has never been a passion in Canada...However there is a strong opinion that this is changing.

.

.
 

Insidious Von

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John Herdman left at the right time, getting Canada into the WC his work was done. Team Canada needed a fresh strategy, Jesse Marsch has delivered. Fonzo has been magnificent as team captain, he's learned how to create chances. Argentina is going to concede a goal against us.

I'm not enamored with the preparations for for the 2026 WC. John Tory sat on his hands leaving a boondoggle for Olivia Chow. Temporary stands for BMO Field wont work, it proved a disaster for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

 

glamphotographer

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COPA America is the oldest Continental football tournament. Only money, marketing, and TV have made the Euro more popular.
 
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princekwekua

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Soccer Canada took a big turn in 2021. Going away from the hockey based program of having a d1 then d2 team... from age 8 to 12 you are now part of a club and called up to matches based on current abilities and needs. My own kid was called up many times to play with the team 1.

All coaches need a formal certification. Heck i know because since i can only coach 13 and over. Kids not retain by 2a and 3a team passed aged 13. That said i sent a few kid to these elite team even at age 15, even 16...

In the US its still old school based on academy club where money is needed to have your kid part of the elite. I am happy Canada parted way with that model.
Thanks for the education. So that is why Canada has much better players than the US
 

princekwekua

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COPA America is the oldest Continental football tournament. Only money, marketing, and TV have made the Euro more popular.
Level of competition much stronger at Euro. Which is why its more popular. Colombia vs Panama or Spain vs Germany? No competition
 

princekwekua

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I'm not enamored with the preparations for for the 2026 WC. John Tory sat on his hands leaving a boondoggle for Olivia Chow. Temporary stands for BMO Field wont work, it proved a disaster for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
John Tory didnt sit on his hands. He was shafting that young lady in his office.

A little thread hijack: Olivia Chow is a dynamic force. She is everywhere. Love that about her
 
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jalimon

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Thanks for the education. So that is why Canada has much better players than the US
The US still has more better players because they have a much larger population. Yet the US would have a lot more players and be much more dominant worldwide if the cost to play was not that high. In Europe and South America soccer Academy are state-financed. They are not businesses...
 
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jalimon

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It's one thing to have high participation, it's quite another to have high quality results driven competition.

Soccer has never been a passion in Canada...However there is a strong opinion that this is changing.
It's changing fast yes. I see the numbers. Youth registration for soccer is at an all-time high. And probably because of the Canadian women winning gold in 2121, the women's registration has doubled.
 
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jalimon

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Level of competition much stronger at Euro. Which is why its more popular. Colombia vs Panama or Spain vs Germany? No competition
The level of current Copa is not up to par with what it should be. The reason? I would say the size and quality of the fields. The US took over to host this Copa when all broke loose in Ecuador.

The current US fields are too small. They are barely larger than regular American football fields. Which is ridiculous. Bring on regular Fifa size field and you would see more goals, more breakouts and less fouls...

This will be fixed but only for 2026 World cup. There was not time to fix for current Copa.
 

jalimon

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The technical staff at soccer Canada should not be mixed with the marketing/executive staff...

For the past 6 years, the technical staff did great.

The marketing/executing staff created a private entity, Canada business soccer, and sucked away the funds and revenue right from Soccer Canada to that entity. These fuckers who did that are all gone now but should have been jailed!
 
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jalimon

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Thanks for the reply. I enjoy and appreciate soccer but I am not a fanatic. My interest has been increasing and I have been following the EURO and to a lesser extent the COPA. I want to be more knowledgeable.

When I watched Canada/Venezuela, to me, it seemed like there was a vast difference in the quality of the play between the play in the two competitions. The precision of passing, ball control and intensity of defending in the Euro leaves, IMO, Copa sucking their fumes. As such, despite the Canadian success, I don't think that they hold a candle to what Europe provides.

That is why, when I asked my question, I was wondering what it would take for Canada to be considered a legit serious team. Argentina and Brazil are unquestionable elite teams. But I don't think that Canada are even in the same universe. Canada has made strides, of which I am proud, but I don't think that they have a whiff of a chance against Argentina.

People have talked for 2 or 3 decades about youth participation vs. that of hockey in Canada, and there is no reason that Canadian athleticism cannot match up on an international level, but I think that only elite coaching on an intense nationwide basis can get them to the level where our game can be seriously considered to be, well, serious. I think that there needs to be a big influx/hiring of elite coaches with international experience AND success.

We need not only world class players to field a competitive team, but depth of such a roster. Teams do not win because they have 11 good players, it takes more depth of quality.
Yes, they were talking about youth participation for 2-3 decades, but the model was still based on the hockey model... Which was wrong. I know I participated in it... As a coach, you were assigned a team. Let's say a Division 1 team (in hockey it's not d1 or d2 it's letters but it's the same fucking thing...). You could follow that team as they grow. The kids from the D1 team were all thinking they were superior shit. And transfers between D1 and D2 were not happening often. And coaches rigged the team to have their son, the friends of their son, etc... get picked up... Soccer Canada threw that system out the window. But that happened only in 2021 so it's still way too early to see results.

My youngest son was 10 when that system came into place. He went from playing a d2-2 (the second team of d2) to playing team 1 in many games that season. Why? Because among better players he proved to be better, and more importantly fit in his team role.

Many of the private academies, which were mostly just businesses, closed down.

You need to know in Canada you play soccer for your club. City club or a regrouping of a few cities that formed a club. In the US you play for your school. And then if you want to make it you need to pay to play for Academies. Which cost a fortune.

3 years ago I got access to booking soccer fields via the system of our association. I took the liberty to book one park every Friday night and created the Friday night all-out soccer. Players of all ages, men, and women can come and play all together My rules were simple. No referee. No tackles. And mandatory to play a different position than usual. It's now immensely popular... The new technical director took over the credit for that over me but that's ok haha

Don't get me wrong. We will never be like France, Argentina or Spain on the world scale. But that's fine.

The kids in 'la cité' in the Paris neighborhood play soccer all the time. It prevents them from being beaten up by gangs or the police ;)
 
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princekwekua

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The US still has more better players because they have a much larger population. Yet the US would have a lot more players and be much more dominant worldwide if the cost to play was not that high. In Europe and South America soccer Academy are state-financed. They are not businesses...
The US does not have better players. The Canadian starting 11 is stronger and faster than the US starting 11.

Basketball, US football, track and field attract far more US male youth than soccer. Their larger population pool is reduced considerably by the many more lucrative options available to them. US professional male soccer will never be a strong force internationally.

The female team attract elite talent, which is why they are a powerhouse. Their forward lineup of Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, Jaedyn Shaw, Mallory Swanson is among the very best in the world. The rest of the team are all world beaters
 
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jalimon

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They will lose on Wednesday lol, haha Trudeau the bum still on power, I will never support Canadian teams
If you only knew how much I don't associate soccer with politics. I despise Trudeau but will support our guys any time!
 
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