HerefordMgr

IT DOESN'T GET ANY EASIER

Personal Thoughts - 21st December, 2013

It's been quite an interesting few days around here. We've made an important staffing addition, hiring Jim Brennan (our former midfielder and captain) as a coach. He received his coaching certification six or seven months ago and retired as a player in September. I feel he is extremely qualified for his role on our staff.

I celebrated my 37th birthday three days ago, and just moments ago, the World Cup group stage draw was held. For the second consecutive World Cup, we are grouped with the defending champions. Four years ago, it was Brazil. This time, it's Argentina. I had a look at their roster, and, to a man, there aren't any weak areas. They obviously will be our biggest challenge. We're also grouped in with Greece, which will be another difficult test, and Tanzania, which should be our only guaranteed win of the Group Stage.

We lost both of the friendlies we played recently, playing well in the first, and fairly poorly in the second. They were games we should have won, and I treated them as such. We lost to Jamaica 2-0, but we should have probably won about 5-2, with all the chances we had. We just couldn't get the ball on target at all. Four days later, we lost 3-2 to Cuba, but we had to come from 3-0 down. The first half of that game was probably our worst half of soccer since earlier in the year, from a tactical perspective. The second half obviously was much improved, and the substitutions I was able to make at the half allowed me to really solidify who should and shouldn't be on the starting 11 when we open the World Cup versus Greece on June 4th of next year.

There is a very good chance that an under-20 year old player will be in my starting 11 come June 4th. Jason Franks, a midfielder who played extremely well in the qualifying phases when he was on the pitch, is just 17 years old. He is this country's next phenomenon, provided he stays healthy and continues to develop as impressively as he has been.

I think I'll take the next ten days off and come back to Edmonton the first of the year. I never did take the holiday I intended after we qualified for the World Cup, and now is as good a time as any, I think. I may fly back to England to see if I can catch my old friends at Hereford for a match or two. At last check, after 23 league two games they are in sixth place, having lost only three games all year, with eight wins and twelve draws. I hope they get their ship righted, quickly. Those fans deserve a winner.

World Cup Group A
World Cup Group B
World Cup Group C
World Cup Group D
World Cup Group E
World Cup Group FWorld Cup Group G
World Cup Group H

HerefordMgr

Apologies for the poor formatting of the screen shots above.

HerefordMgr

EXCITEMENT MOUTS AS TEAM CANADA PREPARES TO HEAD FOR SPAIN

Personal Thoughts - May 21, 2014

Here we go again. Nearly 20 months of preparation and planning have come down to this. We leave for Spain in a week. Our first game is June 4th. As of right now, I am very pleased to say that we are absolutely healthy. Knock on wood that we'll stay that way. I have decided to add a bit more experience to the squad. Jason Franks, as great as he has been, will not be among our starting 11. This is no fault of his own, I just felt it was necessary that we add a bit more experience for such important matches. He will, however, be included amongst our subs, which is an incredible feat for anybody just 17 years old. He needs not be disappointed.
Recently, Ante Razov has been feeling the pressure of being both my assistant manager and the manager of our under-20 side. To that end, I have made several inquiries of coaches, both in-house and otherwise, to see if anyone would be willing to take on the role of manager for our Under-20 squad. I have had discussions with one or two notable ex-players, and English nationals who I shall not name at this time. Unfortunately, nobody as yet has been in the position where they were able to commit to joining our squad. I will make it a priority to hire a full-time Under-20 manager following the World Cup.
Assuming we stay healthy, our starting 11 to open the World Cup will be:

GK Asmir Begovic - 28 years of age, 30 Caps

DR Michael Abusabal - 24 years of age, 10 Caps/0 Goals

DL Michael Klukowski - 32 years of age, 72 Caps/3 Goals

DC David De Rosario - 24 years of age, 11 Caps/0 Goals

DC Jason Di Tullio - 30 years of age, 63 Caps/0 Goals

DMC Steve Gazzola - 23 years of age, 26 Caps/1 Goal

MR Jonathan DeGuzman - 26 years of age, 48 Caps/11 Goals

ML Julian DeGuzman - 33 years of age, 38 Caps/1 Goal

AMC Nick Gazzola - 22 years of age, 12 Caps/4 Goals

ST Kurt Harmse - 20 years of age, 5 Caps/3 Goals

ST Andrea Lombardo - 26 years of age, 49 Caps/29 Goals

HerefordMgr

WORLD CUP ROUNDUP WITH PHOTOS

Personal Thoughts - July 10, 2014

I'd love to say that I'm sitting in a hotel room in Spain, vacationing after a thrilling World Cup victory, but alas, once again, we did not make it out of the group stage. That being said, however, this team has nothing to be ashamed of.

For the first time in our history, we did not finish the group stage with a losing record. In three games, we drew, won, and lost one apiece, in that order. We finished in a tie for second place, but Greece unfortunately made it through on the basis of more goals for than we had (seven versus six).

We were (according to the book makers) 5000-1 longshots to win the World Cup. Our center defender David De Rosario came out publically and essentially laughed off our chances. I was angered by this. You don't go public and laugh off your side's chances just before you take the pitch for your team's first match in Soccer's most important tournament. I allowed him to play the group matches, as I had already submitted the final roster that had him on it, but he has since been removed from the squad, and from Soccer Canada's talent pool, due to conduct detrimental to the team. He will never play for Canada again, as far as I'm concerned. We don't need that kind of a negative influence amongst our squad. It's a shame too, the guy's only 24 and I thought had a fairly bright future ahead of him. This is what happens when someone opens their mouth in public when they should really keep quiet.

As far as the matches are concerned, they started out more brilliantly than I thought possible. We were matched against Greece in the first game, and having seen their roster, I knew going in we'd be in tough, but I figured if we played our best we had a shot. In truth, we played VERY well, but didn't take advantage of the chances we were given. The match was scoreless until the 69th minute when Stelios Lagos scored for the Grecians. I was impressed by how we responded, attacking them relentlessly. As the time was ticking away, I was sitting on the bench and thinking "well, we've done well to come away from this with a 1-0 loss..we've played well, I can be happy with that". Suddenly, I looked up and there was Andrea Lombardo heading the ball into the net in the 90th minute. Astounding. Two minutes of added time later, and the game was over, a thrilling 1-1 draw.

1-1 Draw With Greece

Next up, six days later, was Tanzania. This was the one game that I knew we'd win, and we lived up to my expectations. 4-0. Jonathan DeGuzman got the scoring started in the 11th minute, and added our second goal in the 28th. Nick Gazzola and Kurt Harmse added markers in the 50th and 59th minutes, respectively.

4-0 Versus Tanzania

Our final group match was against defending champions Argentina. I have to say, I've never been more proud of an effort that this team gave than I was for this match. We could have realistically been blown out 4 or 5 to nothing. We lost 2-1. Were it not for Andrea Lombardo having a goal called back (he was about a foot offside), we would have held the reigning World Cup Champions to a draw. Ultimately, this singular mistake by Lombardo, this one goal that was disallowed, was the one goal that kept us out of the round of sixteen. But, honestly, I'm not going to look back on this and fault anyone for that loss. We played too well as a unit. We had a ton of chances.

2-1 versus Argentina

I'm obviously disappointed that we didn't win the World Cup. That's what we set out to do. However, the manner in which we played and conducted ourselves (save for one notable exception) is something to be proud of, as a staff, as a squad, and as a country.

I'm extremely disappointed in Mr. De Rosario's actions. I didn't want to have to ever throw someone off the team for any reason. I just felt that his actions were in extremely poor taste, were extremely poorly timed, and, as far as I'm concerned, intolerable. If this teaches him a lesson for his club career, I'll be happy.

Ultimately, England ended an extremely long drought of World Cup futility. They beat Holland on penalties after playing them to a 1-1 draw.

On the under-20 front, following our elimination from World Cup play, I met with Ante Razov and the rest of our staff, and polled everyone to see if they would be willing to take over the management of our Under-20 side. Nobody was biting. So, it looks as if he will continue to serve double duty. That's to be commended, but I will continue to search for someone who is qualified and interested in taking over our youth program.

Looking to the future, I am convinced, and I believe the Canadian Soccer Association is convinced, that I will manage only one more World Cup cycle with this team. I am also convinced that the program is in great shape for many years after I leave. Our average age going into this World Cup, I believe, was somewhere around 26 or 27 amongst the starting 11. That's eleven guys who, on average, are just entering or are in the prime of their abilities. We have many great youth players on the way up and who will be of major benefit to the program in years to come. The bottom line is that I just can't shake the feeling that I want to take over another club team. Obviously, I have to put that aside for awhile. Team Canada remains my focus and will be for four more years. But when World Cup 2018 finishes, I believe the time will be right to leave the program and pursue a different kind of soccer dream.
England Win The World Cup
Final group A Standings

HerefordMgr

re-posting the 2-1 Argentina loss screenshot...2-1 Loss Versus Argentina

HerefordMgr

re-posting the final group A standings. It's 1:10am here, I'm tired, can I go to bed now? LOL
final Group A standings

HerefordMgr

July 30, 2014

Canada To Face World Cup Champions In Friendly Match

Edmonton - (CP) - Current World Cup title holders England will play host to Canada in a Friendly encounter to be played at the Wembley Stadium on August 30, the Canadian Soccer Association announced in a joint press release with FIFA today.

England, who recently won only the second World Cup in their nation's history, and first since 1966, are clear and obvious favourites in the encounter, but don't tell that to Canadian Manager Ian Eckstein.

"I thought we played very strongly in Spain, and this contest against England should be a great measuring stick for our program.", Eckstein said in a statement. "I feel we will be well prepared to give England a strong, extremely competitive match.".

England has already been through a significant change at the top of their squad. Long-time manager Paul Jewell resigned immediately following the conclusion of the World Cup, saying that he felt it was time to step aside, and that he had achieved all he could. Former Ipswich boss Terry Butcher was named his sucessor shortly thereafter.

The match is certain to generate a lot of interest on both sides of the Atlantic. Canada completed their finest World Cup performance to date, falling just shy of qualifying for the round of sixteen. England, who many did not expect to advance to the semifinals, surprised everyone by winning the World Cup over powerhouses such as The United States and Brazil.

HerefordMgr

[b]August 30, 2014[b]

[b]Canada Lose 5-2 to England, Announce Remainder of 2014, 2015 Friendly Schedule[b]

In what was a far more tightly contested match than the scoreline would indicate, Canada fell to a superior 5-2 England side this evening at Wembley.

The game started optimistically for the 57,742 supporters at Wembley stadium, the overwhelming majority of whom favoured the English side. Theo Walcott got the game underway in the 6th minute with a blistering shot from inside the penalty area to put England up 1-0.

Canada was not to be outdone, however. Attacking centre midfielder Paul Corazzin scored a brilliant goal, diving towards the goal and heading the ball in in the 31st minute.

Just three minutes later, England had the opportunity to take the lead back when Canadian defender Michael Abusabal tripped Theo Walcott in the area and England was awarded a penalty. Gareth Barry steadied himself for the spot kick, but Asmir Begovic was up to the challenge, making a brilliant save and thwarting what was a certain English scoring opportunity.

The score remained level at 1-1 until the 51st minute, when Canada surrendered their second penalty opportunity of the game. Defender Leonel Pinto tripped English defender Ledley King in the area and was awarded a kick from the spot. This time, Gareth Barry made good on his opportunity, and England had a 2-1 lead.

Many in the stadium thought that England had the game wrapped up at this point, but a young Canadian squad fought back once more. 19 year old striker Marc Bucic, who is contracted to German Second Division side Kaiserslautern, got free in the area, on a play which was made by Paul Corazzin, and scored his first goal on his first ever senior cap in the 56th minute . Canada had the game level at 2-2, and the crowd sat in stunned silence.

From there, it was all England. Two quick goals by Danny Reed and Mark Noble, in the 63rd and 67th minutes, respectively, essentially put the game away for the World Cup champions. Jermain Defoe added one in the 82nd minute to round out the scoring.
5-2 versus England

In other Canadian news, The Canadian Soccer Association today announced that Canada will play two more friendly matches in 2014, and four in 2015. Canada will travel to the Olympiastadion in Helsinki, Finland for their first ever match with Finnish National side on November 8. Four days later, Canada travel San Marino to take on a very inexperienced San Marino side.

In 2015, Canada have scheduled two friendly matches at Commonwealth Stadium, as well as two away. They begin their two game home stand on September 5th versus Brazil. Four days later, on September 9th, Canada will host England in a return engagement.

It doesn't get any easier from there. Canada will then travel to face 2010 World Cup winners Argentina, on October 10th. On November 18th, Canada will travel to Los Angeles, California for a match in The Rose Bowl versus archrivals America.

When asked to comment on the quality of the opponents in their upcoming matches, Manager Ian Eckstein was his usual confident self. "We did the schedule that way intentionally" Eckstein said. "What use is it in scheduling friendly matches against teams who you know you'll beat? We want to test ourselves against what many people would view as superior competition, and we're very well aware that our 2015 friendly schedule accomplishes that".

HerefordMgr

Personal Thoughts - August 30, 2014

Hmmm. That was interesting. 5-2 doesn't sound like the most promising of scorelines, but we really, honestly didn't play that badly. We're clearly not on their level at the moment, and five years into my program, that's frustrating.

I have now been with team Canada longer than with Hereford. I celebrated the fifth anniversary of my hiring on July 5th of this year. When I look back on my career thus far, I have mixed feelings. I'm very proud of alot of the things that we've accomplished, making the World Cup twice with Canada, a nation not known for it's international soccer success. Leading a Conference National team in Hereford United up to the League One, winning their first FA trophy in the Conference National. Things like that I can be proud of.

At this point, the losses are starting to stay with me longer than the wins are. The 16-1 loss to the States still haunts me. Maybe it's because I had a previously established pattern of success with Hereford and I could see us growing as a program as well as advancing up the leagues in England. I see progress here at Canada - and maybe it's the whole "expectations" issue starting to crop up again (or maybe I'm just whining...), but I'm starting to wonder if at this point we're beginning to plateau. We have another Gold Cup to enter, and of course one more World Cup, plus a very difficult group of friendly matches upcoming. All of these will help to cement whatever legacy I leave behind after I leave following the 2018 World cup.

Speaking of 2018, it was just announced that the World Cup host nation for 2018 will be...The United States. This gives me more drive than ever. How sweet would it be to knock the Americans off their high horse on their home pitch? I can't think of anything better. Even if we don't win the whole tournament, having a chance to eliminate them from contention would be perhaps my shining moment as Manager.

The head of the Canadian Soccer Association today, perhaps out of courtesy, came to me to ask if there would be any chance of me staying beyond 2018. Again, out of courtesy, I said I would think about it, but that I had things that I wanted to do away from international soccer. He understood. I think we both are aware that my time here is drawing to a close. Who knows, though? IF (Big IF) we happen to shock the world in 2018, and win the entire event, it would almost be required of me to stay on to try to defend the title. But that's a long way off and it's a lot of "ifs". I don't see a place for me here beyond the next World Cup, but strange things have been known to happen.

Jimbokav1971

Great detail :thup:, well done.

Am I the only person that cringes every time I read the word Soccer though! It's irrelevent that The Canadian Soccer Association may actually be called the Canadian Soccer Association. It's just plain wrong.

Anyway, I love the detail :thup:.