Just a quick report today. Its actually harder to come up with things to write about when Toronto FC plays a totally comfortable, competent match. That said, if I were to nit-pick, I was a little more impressed with the first forty-five last week.
- What can you say about Amado Guevara’s performance in this match; it was an absolute clinic in stylish, skillful football.
- Though Laurent Robert wasn’t a dominant figure in open play this week, he was still amazingly valuable on set pieces. Nice to see that he didn’t recede into the woodwork when he wasn’t a central figure.
- Great to see Rohan Ricketts make a couple of nice crosses, particularly with his left foot. Michael Harrington did an admirable job of keeping him from attacking the goal, and it was good to see Ricketts make the most of his possession by crossing from out wide. I liked John Carver’s choice to flip Ricketts and Robert, to get Ricketts off of Harrington.
- If I were a fan of USMNT – instead of hating them passionately (offside, my ass) – I would strongly prefer Harrington in the future to the hugely over-rated Jonathan Bornstein.
- Interesting to hear Bruce Arena’s opinion of Greg Sutton during his game commentary. Obviously the memory of Sutton’s horror-show first stint in MLS hasn’t died.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Rant for a Friday Afternoon
Mo Johnston is absolutely single minded.
He cares about results on the pitch, this season – period.
He is not concerned about future TFC squads.
Come May the 8th (when Jim Brennan turns 31) TFC will have 8 presumptive starters aged 31 or over; the average age of the likely starting eleven will be 30. Since the start of the season 3 of the 4 new players signed have been aged 32 (Laurent Robert will soon be 33). The average age of the four – including Rohan Ricketts – is 31.
He places no value on the development squad – except as a repository for deep depth players.
This is evidenced by his refusal to fully staff the 10-man squad and his summary dismissal of most of last year’s squad.
He could not care less about developing the game in Canada. Evidence on this point if rife: among other things; he petitioned to have his ‘Canadian quota’ reduced; he has been seen to drag his feet at every turn in the creating an academy; he turns every stone in England looking for an assistant coach, when the impressive Canadian coach Nick Dasovic is available.
On each of these points Mo Johnston takes the wrong approach for the future quality of the squad and success of the franchise.
Successful franchises in MLS – that is franchises that succeed year-after-year – simply do not build by recruiting older, pricier players. Perpetual finalists New England and Houston were both built on a core of players who were recruited young and who spent their peak years with the club.
In Houston, Wade Barrett; Brian Mullen; Eddie Robinson; Ryan Cochrane; Dwayne De Rosario; Craig Waibel; Ricardo Clark; Brian Ching; and Brad Davis were recruited to the squad at an average age of 23. Only Davis had a previous track record of success in MLS. Having built this nucleus, Houston simply added a couple of established veterans to form the squad that won the MLS cup.
In New England, Taylor Twellman; Andy Dorman; Pat Noonan; Adam Cristman; Shalrie Joseph; Jeff Larentowicz; Khano Smith; Jay Heaps; Michael Parkhurst; Wells Thompson; James Riley were recruited to the squad also at an average age of 23. Only Heaps had a previous track record of success in MLS.
Successful MLS squads are built, not bought.
As for building the game in Canada, this may or may not be a necessary element to building a successful franchise. Perhaps, Toronto FC could continue to rule the psyches and wallets of a band of fans large enough to fill BMO Field without building the game in Canada-at-large one iota. But, there is strong evidence against this model – dominating a small, devoted market without expanding general interest – working in North American sports.
The stagnation of the National Hockey League in America is perfect evidence of the failure of this approach. Without an abundance of home-grown talent, without the game taking root in local soil, Hockey has always been a niche sport in America. A guest sport, hosted by Americans, played by foreigners. This is the future for TFC if they do not move beyond token efforts to include Canadian players in its future plans.
When Mo Johnston waived Tyler Hemming it was clear that he was working at cross purposes to what is best for the franchise long-term, and the game in Canada. His goal is to win now and protect his own position.
For what its worth, this likely will not hurt Hemming, there are two teams – in Canada alone – that would be better suited to developing his career. By European standards, at 22 Hemming may not be as advanced as a player as he should be. But this is precisely the age when well run MLS franchises begin their player development process. Unfortunate then, that Mo Johnston is in the self-protection business, rather than the player development business.
He cares about results on the pitch, this season – period.
He is not concerned about future TFC squads.
Come May the 8th (when Jim Brennan turns 31) TFC will have 8 presumptive starters aged 31 or over; the average age of the likely starting eleven will be 30. Since the start of the season 3 of the 4 new players signed have been aged 32 (Laurent Robert will soon be 33). The average age of the four – including Rohan Ricketts – is 31.
He places no value on the development squad – except as a repository for deep depth players.
This is evidenced by his refusal to fully staff the 10-man squad and his summary dismissal of most of last year’s squad.
He could not care less about developing the game in Canada. Evidence on this point if rife: among other things; he petitioned to have his ‘Canadian quota’ reduced; he has been seen to drag his feet at every turn in the creating an academy; he turns every stone in England looking for an assistant coach, when the impressive Canadian coach Nick Dasovic is available.
On each of these points Mo Johnston takes the wrong approach for the future quality of the squad and success of the franchise.
Successful franchises in MLS – that is franchises that succeed year-after-year – simply do not build by recruiting older, pricier players. Perpetual finalists New England and Houston were both built on a core of players who were recruited young and who spent their peak years with the club.
In Houston, Wade Barrett; Brian Mullen; Eddie Robinson; Ryan Cochrane; Dwayne De Rosario; Craig Waibel; Ricardo Clark; Brian Ching; and Brad Davis were recruited to the squad at an average age of 23. Only Davis had a previous track record of success in MLS. Having built this nucleus, Houston simply added a couple of established veterans to form the squad that won the MLS cup.
In New England, Taylor Twellman; Andy Dorman; Pat Noonan; Adam Cristman; Shalrie Joseph; Jeff Larentowicz; Khano Smith; Jay Heaps; Michael Parkhurst; Wells Thompson; James Riley were recruited to the squad also at an average age of 23. Only Heaps had a previous track record of success in MLS.
Successful MLS squads are built, not bought.
As for building the game in Canada, this may or may not be a necessary element to building a successful franchise. Perhaps, Toronto FC could continue to rule the psyches and wallets of a band of fans large enough to fill BMO Field without building the game in Canada-at-large one iota. But, there is strong evidence against this model – dominating a small, devoted market without expanding general interest – working in North American sports.
The stagnation of the National Hockey League in America is perfect evidence of the failure of this approach. Without an abundance of home-grown talent, without the game taking root in local soil, Hockey has always been a niche sport in America. A guest sport, hosted by Americans, played by foreigners. This is the future for TFC if they do not move beyond token efforts to include Canadian players in its future plans.
When Mo Johnston waived Tyler Hemming it was clear that he was working at cross purposes to what is best for the franchise long-term, and the game in Canada. His goal is to win now and protect his own position.
For what its worth, this likely will not hurt Hemming, there are two teams – in Canada alone – that would be better suited to developing his career. By European standards, at 22 Hemming may not be as advanced as a player as he should be. But this is precisely the age when well run MLS franchises begin their player development process. Unfortunate then, that Mo Johnston is in the self-protection business, rather than the player development business.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Real Salt Lake 0 – 1 Toronto FC
It is obviously a great result for the boys to move to .500 for the first time in club history. However, as Carver said in his post match interview, it was clearly a tale of two halves – as the second half was a little troubling for TFC. It seemed as though, when they were not having the run of possession, the lack of pace up front caused glaring problems for Toronto. The Danny Dichio/Amado Guevara tandem works well in a possession game, but weak when possession is sparse and the offence is reliant on quick breaks against the run of play.
Game Notes
- The two wide combinations – Laurent Robert/Jim Brennan and Rohan Ricketts/Marvell Wynne – are both perfectly complementary. Robert and Brennan have similar skills crossing the ball, and Ricketts and Wynne both have great pace. This made the first half fun to watch. Teams with weak wide defenders are going to have a terrible time with TFC this season.
- It looks as though Carver may be asking a little too much of Danny Dichio. Even in the first half, Dichio looked a step slow, perhaps winded, and one wonders if the problem might be his additional duties tracking back. At the same time, there were still several flashes of the classic Dichio on display against RSL, particularly his layoff in the 81st minute which led to a good chance at goal.
- It is clear that Carver likes Marco Velez’ skill on the ball. Despite his remarkable knack for comedy in central defence, Velez is still Carver’s man on free kicks in the TFC half. To be fair, Velez is not a central defender – and not a starter at this level – when he makes the shift to back-up Wynne at right-back both he and TFC fans will be more comfortable.
- Amazing to see and here how impressed Laurent Robert was with the Toronto crowd. Coming from a man who has seen the crowds that he has, his comments at halftime were a real compliment to TFC faithful.
- Funny moment at the end of the match when Maurice Edu looked totally disgusted when Velez attempted to give him a congratulatory hug.
Game Notes
- The two wide combinations – Laurent Robert/Jim Brennan and Rohan Ricketts/Marvell Wynne – are both perfectly complementary. Robert and Brennan have similar skills crossing the ball, and Ricketts and Wynne both have great pace. This made the first half fun to watch. Teams with weak wide defenders are going to have a terrible time with TFC this season.
- It looks as though Carver may be asking a little too much of Danny Dichio. Even in the first half, Dichio looked a step slow, perhaps winded, and one wonders if the problem might be his additional duties tracking back. At the same time, there were still several flashes of the classic Dichio on display against RSL, particularly his layoff in the 81st minute which led to a good chance at goal.
- It is clear that Carver likes Marco Velez’ skill on the ball. Despite his remarkable knack for comedy in central defence, Velez is still Carver’s man on free kicks in the TFC half. To be fair, Velez is not a central defender – and not a starter at this level – when he makes the shift to back-up Wynne at right-back both he and TFC fans will be more comfortable.
- Amazing to see and here how impressed Laurent Robert was with the Toronto crowd. Coming from a man who has seen the crowds that he has, his comments at halftime were a real compliment to TFC faithful.
- Funny moment at the end of the match when Maurice Edu looked totally disgusted when Velez attempted to give him a congratulatory hug.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Canada’s Conundrum: Where does de Guzman play?
This piece could be titled ‘Can Canada clone Julian”?
At the Gold Cup, Canada showed flashes of brilliance using both a distributor – playing in front of the back four – and a creative attacking midfielder. Playing this arrangement Canada thumped Guatemala 3 – nil in what was perhaps the finest display in the history of the National Team.
Since the Gold Cup, the quest has been to find a similar arrangement without the defensive problems presented by Martin Nash in the distributor role. The only conclusion to reach at this point, is that Julian de Guzman is the best option at both positions.
In the first matches following the Gold Cup, Patrice Bernier and Daniel Imhof were used in a position similar to Nash, but neither acquitted themselves well as a distributor. Both seem better suited to the defensive midfield spot now ably filled by Atiba Hutchinson.
Against Estonia, de Guzman began the game operating in the distributor role, with Radzinski as the creative player in the hole behind Ali Gerba. After the break, de Guzman moved forward as Bernier checked-in and Radzinski slid into a wide position. Neither partner proved a useful complement to de Guzman.
So, what is left to try?
Bring in young player? In the not too distant Will Johnson may fit well in the attacking role. Tyler Hemming may well develop into an option as a distributor; he is composed on the ball and moves it around well. Its not beyond the realm of possibility that either could find themselves in the squad, but neither offers much comfort as a starting option.
Dwayne De Rosario as an attacking midfielder? He is the only player with skill to match de Guzman. He often plays in a central attacking role with his club. And Canada has good options to fill his role on the wing in Issey Nakajima-Ferran and Josh Simpson.
This set-up would look like this:
Nakajima-Ferran----------------------------Radzinski
-------------De Rosario----------------Hutchinson
----------------------------de Guzman
This squad may be questionable defensively, but no more so than the one that went the first 45 against Estonia. It also allows for a straight substitution – like Imhof for Nakajima-Ferran – to bolster the defense.
At the Gold Cup, Canada showed flashes of brilliance using both a distributor – playing in front of the back four – and a creative attacking midfielder. Playing this arrangement Canada thumped Guatemala 3 – nil in what was perhaps the finest display in the history of the National Team.
Since the Gold Cup, the quest has been to find a similar arrangement without the defensive problems presented by Martin Nash in the distributor role. The only conclusion to reach at this point, is that Julian de Guzman is the best option at both positions.
In the first matches following the Gold Cup, Patrice Bernier and Daniel Imhof were used in a position similar to Nash, but neither acquitted themselves well as a distributor. Both seem better suited to the defensive midfield spot now ably filled by Atiba Hutchinson.
Against Estonia, de Guzman began the game operating in the distributor role, with Radzinski as the creative player in the hole behind Ali Gerba. After the break, de Guzman moved forward as Bernier checked-in and Radzinski slid into a wide position. Neither partner proved a useful complement to de Guzman.
So, what is left to try?
Bring in young player? In the not too distant Will Johnson may fit well in the attacking role. Tyler Hemming may well develop into an option as a distributor; he is composed on the ball and moves it around well. Its not beyond the realm of possibility that either could find themselves in the squad, but neither offers much comfort as a starting option.
Dwayne De Rosario as an attacking midfielder? He is the only player with skill to match de Guzman. He often plays in a central attacking role with his club. And Canada has good options to fill his role on the wing in Issey Nakajima-Ferran and Josh Simpson.
This set-up would look like this:
Nakajima-Ferran----------------------------Radzinski
-------------De Rosario----------------Hutchinson
----------------------------de Guzman
This squad may be questionable defensively, but no more so than the one that went the first 45 against Estonia. It also allows for a straight substitution – like Imhof for Nakajima-Ferran – to bolster the defense.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Amado Guevara: Canada’s Undertaker?
Did you know that it was TFC target Amado Guevara who drove the first nail in Canada’s coffin in the last World Cup Qualifying cycle?
Actually, it was the second nail. And when it was all over, Canada’s coffin was more nail than pine, but Guevara’s goal hurt them badly. Canada already had a home loss on the books when they entered the match against Honduras in Edmonton in September 2004. Eighty-eight minutes in, Canada was looking good for 3 points – up 1-nil - when Honduras was awarded a questionable penalty. Guevara slotted it home, and Honduras held on - through another, even more questionable, decision called back a second Canadian goal – for the draw.
Guevara would be the first TFC player who has previously tallied a goal against Canada, though others have played against Canada: Carl Robinson started and went 75 minutes against Canada in 2004; Jeff Cunningham played the first half against them in 2002; and, in the same match, former TFCer Richard Mulrooney came on as a sub in the 36th minute. Additionally, ex-TFC Conor Casey was selected for a Gold Cup squad which played Canada but was injured and did not figure in the match.
It is doubtful that this moment from his past would make Guevara less attractive to Toronto FC, as Mo Johnston seems to pay little mind to matters-Canadian when choosing players. And its hard to imagine TFC fans – desperate to see some skilled players in red (or grey) – would balk at Guevara.
Actually, it was the second nail. And when it was all over, Canada’s coffin was more nail than pine, but Guevara’s goal hurt them badly. Canada already had a home loss on the books when they entered the match against Honduras in Edmonton in September 2004. Eighty-eight minutes in, Canada was looking good for 3 points – up 1-nil - when Honduras was awarded a questionable penalty. Guevara slotted it home, and Honduras held on - through another, even more questionable, decision called back a second Canadian goal – for the draw.
Guevara would be the first TFC player who has previously tallied a goal against Canada, though others have played against Canada: Carl Robinson started and went 75 minutes against Canada in 2004; Jeff Cunningham played the first half against them in 2002; and, in the same match, former TFCer Richard Mulrooney came on as a sub in the 36th minute. Additionally, ex-TFC Conor Casey was selected for a Gold Cup squad which played Canada but was injured and did not figure in the match.
It is doubtful that this moment from his past would make Guevara less attractive to Toronto FC, as Mo Johnston seems to pay little mind to matters-Canadian when choosing players. And its hard to imagine TFC fans – desperate to see some skilled players in red (or grey) – would balk at Guevara.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Martin Nash: Is he the most successful player in the recent history of CMNT?
The short answer is yes.
That is to say, Canada has been most successful with him. Since his first call-up in 1997, the National Team has been at its best with Nash in the side.
With Nash on the pitch Canada has been 0.29 goals-per-90-minutes better than their opponents. Stated another way, when Nash has been playing, Canada outscores its opponents by 1 goal every 315 minutes.
This sounds like a modest accomplishment, but, since 1993 only two other players, with comparable minutes played, have a positive goal differential.* With Dwayne De Rosario on the field Canada is plus 0.11 goals-per-90-minutes, or 1 goal every 834 minutes. With Jim Brennan on the field Canada is plus 0.10 goals-per-90-minutes, or 1 goal every 906 minutes.
Moreover, since Nash’s first call-up, Canada has a massive deficit without him on the field. Overall, they are -29 goals without Nash over that period. This rates out to -0.41 goals-per-90-minutes, or a 1 goal deficit every 218 minutes.
0.29 goals to the good with Nash on the field, -0.41 goals without him; that’s a difference of 0.70 goals-per-90-minutes with Nash and without.
Most of this advantage came on the offensive end. With Nash, Canada scored 1.35 goals-for-per-90-minutes; without, they scored just 0.84. Surprising, Canada has also been better on the defensive end when Nash has played, they allow 1.06 goals-against-per-90-minutes with him, 1.25 against without.
There are obvious rebuttals to the argument for Nash. All of them are easily disproven.
Has Nash played against weaker Teams, and/or been left out against stronger teams?
No. The average FIFA rank of the opponent Canada has faced with Nash was 52.7; the average FIFA rank without Nash was 57.6.
Has Nash played in a disproportionate number of friendlies or non-competitive matches?
No. 62.5% of his minutes have come in competitive matches, like Qualifiers or the Gold Cup. Only 53.2% of the minutes Canada have played without him have been in competitive matches.
Are Nash’s numbers skewed by the recent Gold Cup?
No. In fact, Canada with Nash performed better in the period from 1998-2000 than from 2005 to the present.
Is Nash’s sample size too small, has he played too little to judge him accurately?
This is arguable. Overall, Nash has played only 25.9% of the minutes he might have since his first call-up. And from early 2004 through late 2006 he didn’t appear at all. However, since 1993, only 17 players have appeared in more matches than Nash, and only 26 have played more minutes.
* Minutes played statistics and proper substitution information is only available from mid-1993 on. Please feel free to help update my database with any game reports you may have.
That is to say, Canada has been most successful with him. Since his first call-up in 1997, the National Team has been at its best with Nash in the side.
With Nash on the pitch Canada has been 0.29 goals-per-90-minutes better than their opponents. Stated another way, when Nash has been playing, Canada outscores its opponents by 1 goal every 315 minutes.
This sounds like a modest accomplishment, but, since 1993 only two other players, with comparable minutes played, have a positive goal differential.* With Dwayne De Rosario on the field Canada is plus 0.11 goals-per-90-minutes, or 1 goal every 834 minutes. With Jim Brennan on the field Canada is plus 0.10 goals-per-90-minutes, or 1 goal every 906 minutes.
Moreover, since Nash’s first call-up, Canada has a massive deficit without him on the field. Overall, they are -29 goals without Nash over that period. This rates out to -0.41 goals-per-90-minutes, or a 1 goal deficit every 218 minutes.
0.29 goals to the good with Nash on the field, -0.41 goals without him; that’s a difference of 0.70 goals-per-90-minutes with Nash and without.
Most of this advantage came on the offensive end. With Nash, Canada scored 1.35 goals-for-per-90-minutes; without, they scored just 0.84. Surprising, Canada has also been better on the defensive end when Nash has played, they allow 1.06 goals-against-per-90-minutes with him, 1.25 against without.
There are obvious rebuttals to the argument for Nash. All of them are easily disproven.
Has Nash played against weaker Teams, and/or been left out against stronger teams?
No. The average FIFA rank of the opponent Canada has faced with Nash was 52.7; the average FIFA rank without Nash was 57.6.
Has Nash played in a disproportionate number of friendlies or non-competitive matches?
No. 62.5% of his minutes have come in competitive matches, like Qualifiers or the Gold Cup. Only 53.2% of the minutes Canada have played without him have been in competitive matches.
Are Nash’s numbers skewed by the recent Gold Cup?
No. In fact, Canada with Nash performed better in the period from 1998-2000 than from 2005 to the present.
Is Nash’s sample size too small, has he played too little to judge him accurately?
This is arguable. Overall, Nash has played only 25.9% of the minutes he might have since his first call-up. And from early 2004 through late 2006 he didn’t appear at all. However, since 1993, only 17 players have appeared in more matches than Nash, and only 26 have played more minutes.
* Minutes played statistics and proper substitution information is only available from mid-1993 on. Please feel free to help update my database with any game reports you may have.
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