Canada v. Jamaica: Thoughts on the Selections

Little to quarrel with here; the team looks very good. In the long term, it would be ideal for Lars Hirschfeld to get back into his club side – and back into the national team pool – but, since Greg Sutton and Pat Onstad have been in decent form, that is not pressing.

Ideally an 18-man squad would offer three options at each position, in case of disaster. For the most part this selection meets that requirement – if you allow that Kevin McKenna could fill in as a target forward in a pinch. The only minor shortage is at right-back. Adrian Serioux has performed well there with his club of late, and Paul Stalteri is solid, but both have a certain proclivity for red cards. If Tam Nsaliwa were available he would be a worthwhile alternative to Patrice Bernier, and would shore up the right. The best available option, Nik Ledgerwood for Iain Hume, is less attractive. Given the givens, Dale Mitchell has settled on the best possible squad.


Forwards

Rob Friend is the obvious favourite to start here; against Brazil he finally brought his improved club form to Canada. Despite his club issues, Ali Gerba could hardly be left off given his recent scoring rate for Canada.

Adding Olivier Occean, Andrzej Ornoch and David Hoilett to the mix, Canada could soon have quality depth up front for the first time since Alex Bunbury joined Dale Mitchell and John Catliff.


Midfielders

A wealth of good options present themselves in midfield. Dwayne De Rosario, Julian de Guzman, Atiba Hutchinson and Tomasz Radzinski are all givens, and, the question of who the fifth midfielder will be has four decent answers. Patrice Bernier or Daniel Imhof could be added to the central midfield or Iain Hume or Issey Nakajima-Farran could play out wide. Hume is best suited to the substitutes’ bench and Bernier took a step back last season, leaving the likely choice between Imhof and Nakajima-Farran.

Issey Nakajima-Farran has yet to impose himself on a Canada match, and has not shown flair to rival De Rosario on the left, but he is a streaky scorer for his club. Daniel Imhof is a safe, trustworthy choice who plays at a high level. Since this is a home game – and should be played to win – expect to see Nakajima-Farran make the start.


Defenders

The back four holds the only potential for Dale Mitchell to make a major misstep in his selections. He has been too loyal to Richard Hastings, who lacks the height to justify his inclusion given his lack of pace. Hastings should be seen as a depth player.

Mitchell should find room for both Jim Brennan and Mike Klukowski. This would involve shifting Klukowski to central defence, where he played several times for his club this past season. Both players tackle well and are good on the ball, and Brennan is strong on set pieces – not an abundant skill in this squad. Since Mitchell has yet to attempt this arrangement do not expect to see it for this match.

Ideally, Mitchell would pair Klukowski with McKenna, who has rarely appeared for Canada under the Mitchell. This would be a good pairing of a fast player with a tall one. However, given his recent selections, it would not be a surprise to see Hastings and Serioux start the match.

Paul Stalteri is a given to start at right-back.


Goalkeepers

Its a bit of a toss-up between Greg Sutton and Pat Onstad, but Onstad and the Houston Dynamo have been on a tremendous defensive run, having conceded only 2 goals in their last 8 league matches.


Ideal Lineup

---------------Onstad

--------McKenna------Klukowski
Stalteri----------------------Brennan

------Hutchinson------Imhof

--------------de Guzman
Radzinski------------------De Rosario

---------------Friend


Mitchell-being-Mitchell Lineup

------------------Onstad

--------Serioux------------Hastings
Stalteri---------------------------Brennan

-------Hutchinson-------de Guzman

---------------De Rosario
Radzinski------------------Nakajima-Farran

---------------Friend

Olympic Sponsors: To Support Or To Boycott?

I’m not going to express an opinion on this one way or the other – use this information how you will – but, here is a list of sponsors and partners of the 2008 Olympics, and some of the brands they produce. Run out and support them with every dollar you can lay your hands on; or try to avoid buying everything made by Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, and GE (I hope you like making your own everything) – it's up to you.

Sponsors & Partners
Adidas
Air China
Atos Origin
Bank of China
Bhpbilliton
Budweiser
China Mobile
China National Petroleum Corporation
China Netcom
Coca-Cola
General Electric
Haier
Heng Yuan Xiang China (Group) CO. Ltd.
Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co., Ltd.
Johnson & Johnson
Kodak
Lenovo
Manulife
McDonald’s
Omega
Panasonic
Property and Casualty Company Limited
Samsung
Sinopec
Sohu.com Inc.
State Grid Corporation of China
Tsingtao
Uni-President
UPS
Visa
Volkswagen
Yanjing Beer

Selected Brands
Acuvue; adidas; Audi; Aveeno ; Band-Aid; Benadryl ; Bengay; Bentley; Benylin; Budweiser; Bugatti; Busch; Canada Dry; Clean & Clear; Coca-Cola; Cortaid; Dasani; Fanta; Fresca; Fruitopia; Imodium; Johnson's Baby; Kodak; K-Y; Lactaid; Lamborghini; Lenovo; Listerine; Lubriderm; McDonald’s; Michelob; Minute Maid; Motrin; NBC Universal; Neosporin; Nestea; Neutrogena; Nicoderm; Nicorette; O.B. ; Odwalla; Omega; Panasonic; Pepcid AC; Polysporin; Powerade; Purell; Reach; Reactine; Reebok; Rembrandt; Rogaine; Rolaids; Rolling Rock; Samsung; Sinutab; Splenda; Stayfree; Sudafed; Swatch; TaylorMade; Tylenol; Visa; Visine; Volkswagen