The 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup is into the quarter final
stage and Canada is set to play Honduras in the opening
game on Saturday in Philadelphia. Canada finished at the
top the Group A standings while Honduras finished second
in group B after defeating Grenada 2-0.
Canada
secure the group title after salvaging a 2-2 tie with
Costa Rica in its final game of the group stage. Patrice
Bernier and Marcel de Jong created the dramatics scoring
two goals within six minutes after Costa Rica took a 1-0
lead around the midway point of the first half.
Costa Rica in need of at least a point to advance,
pushed forward and equalized in the 35th minute with
what I consider to be one of the best goals of the
tournament by Walter Centeno on a well taken free kick.
Centeno 25 yard shot travelled over the Canadian wall,
off the inside of the top left upright and into the
back of the net. The goal set the stage for a tight
finish in which Costa Rica had the better of the
exchanges since Canada had already secured a spot in the
quarter finals.
Coach Hart rested some of his key players such as Julian
De Guzman
Mike Klukowski and captain Paul Stalteri since they were
in card trouble and would have had to missed the quarter
final if they were issued another (card) in the game.
As a result, coach Hart was able to utilize all of the
Canada out-players on his roster but had to experience
anxious moment due to a lack of continuity in his team
play throughout the game.
The usage of bench players after meeting ones objective
is customary and in a game that meant more to Costa Rica
it is commendable that Hart and his team still managed
to clinch the Group A title after a scoreless second
half.
"What we had to do tonight was suffer and get the result
of a point," said coach Stephen Hart. "I am pleased with
the three games and we now have a few days to
recuperate."
In other Gold Cup action USA had to pull out all the
stops, to salvage a late 2-2 tie against Haiti in injury
time. The Americans clinched the Group B title with the
win and as such will meet Panama in the second game of
Saturday’s double header.
Panama
reached the quarter finals from Group C , after
defeating debutant Nicaragua 4-0 in its final game to
gain four points and secure one of the two best third
place finishers. Saturday quarter final will be played
at
Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
In
the other two quarter finals match ups on Sunday,
Guadeloupe the second place finisher of Group C will
play Costa Rica the second place finisher of Group A in
the first game, while Mexico the group C winner will
play Haiti the third place finisher of Group B in the
second game at Dallas Cowboys New Stadium
Mexico
without the services of their suspended coach Aguirre
defeated Guadeloupe 2-0 to win the Group C title. Coach
Aguirre has two more games left of his three game
suspension for a sideline altercation with a Panama
player and should Mexico advance he could return for the
final.
However if Mexico does not advance beyond the quarter
finals stage Aguirre suspension will carry over to the
2010 World Cup qualifiers. El Salvador (1-0-2), Jamaica
(1-0-2), and debutants Nicaragua (0-0-3) and Grenada
(0-0-3) were eliminated from tournament play.
Canada all but clinch spot in G-Cup Quarter finals
Columbus,
Ohio: The featured Group A game down here between Canada and El
Salvador live up to the battle undefeated, as both teams
took their time to build up their plays while the other
countered with tactical defensive schemes
The match was played before a pro El Salvador
crowd of 7,059 at the Crew Stadium in Columbus as Canada
had the better of the exchanges and compensated for a
tightly marked Julian De Guzman, by allowing midfielder
Atiba Hutchinson and Patrice Bernier to do most of the
offensive maneuvers.
It was obvious that El Salvador came in with a
game plan, and it seems like a big part of that plan was
to neutralize Julian De Guzman in an effort to control
the midfield and eventually the game.
However, Steve Hart is at the helm of the
coaching duties now and it seems like a lot of opposing
teams may have a problem with the present Canada team in
moving forward. Canada players are close and they seemed
to be comfortable with coach Steve Hart philosophy.
Coach Hart was modest in the after game press
conference when he implied that he did not anticipate
the team coming together as quickly as it has, base on
the team minimal exposure in regards to friendly games.
The Canada players under Steve Hart, show great
patience, especially with the ball possession and this
was is an area that the Canucks have improved since the
return of Steve Hart as coach since his 2007 tenure.
Back then in 2007, Guatemala was frustrated with
Canada ball possession and last Tuesday El Salvador
another Latin American opponent was another victim. Win,
lose or draw it is a given that Steve Hart has the
attention of his players and this a good news for Canada
soccer.
Players are giving their all for the team and
that is not a given for most coaches in CONCACAF. Case
in point is the nature of the Reggae Boyz loss in the
earlier game against Costa Rica.
Costa Rica defeat Jamaica 1-0 after taking
advantage of the man advantage when Rudolph Austin
received a straight red for at the 35th
minute for violent conduct to defeat the Reggae Boyz
1-0.
Jamaica lost in a game which they had several
easy chances early and instead of staying with the fight
Austin sacrificed not just himself but also his team
chances of winning their first game after he took the
red card for kicking a Costa Rica player after the
player fell to the turf.
El Salvador is showing why they are a threat in
the region since they come with a game plan and
sacrifice for their coach. From the get-go you could see
the El Salvador players relaying the where about of De
Guzman and the nearest man would help out.
However, to Canada’s credit, there was a lot of
disorganization in El Salvador attack and transitional
game as a result since the player in close proximity to
De Guzman could not concentrate on attacking and De
Guzman was playing more back and on the move.
In reality “the De Guzman watch” by El Salvador
helped Canada to maintain its defensive shape and as a
result the game boiled down to a battle of wills and to
the disappointment of the pro El Salvador crowd, Canada
proved to be better prepared.
Canada leads the A group with 6 points (2-0-0),
while El Salvador and Costa Rica are tied with three
points apiece after Costa Rica defeat Jamaica 1-0.
Jamaica sits at the bottom of the standings and will
have a must win situation in their next game against El
Salvador to stand a chance to advance.
Atiba Hutchinson was named the the MillerLite Man
of the Match and accompanied coach Hart to the press
conference and express his sentiments on the game,
"From the beginning we maintained a good shape,"
"We moved our feet well and we kept them in front of us,
which was our main objective. We wanted to push up and
stay tight on the ball. We had a lot of support all
around us, (so) I thought it was a great performance
defensively.".
However coach Hart version of the game was more concise
"I thought we played more consistently than we did the
game before," said Hart. "We talked about it as a group
and we thought we could play a game of two halves."
Canada striker Ali Gerba scored the lone goal in the
32nd minute while goalkeeper Greg Sutton posted his
second-straight clean sheet with the help of some great
team defense. Gerba's goal was his sixth career goal at
the CONCACAF Gold Cup, as he became Canada's all-time
leader ahead of former Top Scorer Carlo Corazzin.
It was also his fourth-straight international
game with a goal, tying a 24-year old national record
set by Dale Mitchell in 1985. Gerba now has 15 career
goals, tied with Dwayne De Rosario for fourth on the
Canadian list (behind Mitchell at 19, John Catliff at
18, and Alex Bunbury at 16).
Coach Stephen Hart improves to nine wins, one draw and
four losses for Canada, including a perfect 4-0-0 since
returning as Canada's head coach in April of this year.
Canada has now posted four-straight clean sheets under
Hart.
Canada performed well at Gold Cup 2007 and if their
personnel and level of play can be maintained, Canada
would have a very good chance of qualifying for World
Cup South Africa 2010
The
big story out of the CONCACAF Gold Cup
semi finals, was the surprising play of
Guadeloupe and the controversial offside
called by the referee in the semi final
game between Canada and USA. The offside
call negated a second goal scored by
Canada which would have tied the game in
the dying seconds of injury time, with
USA playing with 10 players due to a red
card. On the play in question, it was
obvious that the assistant referee
(linesman) who made the call did not
have the best of angle on the play and
as a result it was the only decision he
thought that could have been made. The
public had the luxury of a replay and a
better camera angle, which showed that
the play was not off side. Nevertheless,
those are the breaks of the game and it
was too little, too late for Canada.
However Canada overall
defensive effort in the Gold Cup was
outstanding and the team also showed
that it can score goals to win the big
games in the tournament.
Canada is
on to the semifinals
Gold Cup Report 16/JUN/07 -
Dwayne De Rosario opened the scoring in
the 17th minute by tapping in a shot
from Ali Gerba. Gerba found his way onto
the score sheet in the 33rd minute after
great buildup work in the offensive
third, and added his second and his
team’s in the 44th minute by deflecting
a Julian De Guzman shot.
Canada started the brighter of the two
sides and nearly opened the scoring
after 12 minutes. After Dwayne De
Rosario was fouled out on the left wing,
Canada midfielder Martin Nash swung a
free kick into the far post. Andrew
Hainault was first to it, but his effort
towards the gaping net was deflected
wide.
There was no respite for the flat-footed
Guatemalan defense in the 17th minute as
Canada claimed the lead. Paul Stalteri
played a diagonal ball through the
Guatemalan backline onto the run of Ali
Gerba. Gerba slid his effort toward the
far post, where the onrushing De Rosario
tapped home.
The second goal nearly arrived six
minutes later, as Canada took advantage
of some miscommunication on the
Guatemalan defensive line. Atiba
Hutchinson’s effort from 14 yards was
blocked, but the rebound fell to Julian
De Guzman. His effort was only kept out
by a diving save from Guatemalan
goalkeeper Carlos Trigueno.
Canada’s second goal came in the 33rd
minute through an intricate passing
movement. The goal started with De
Rosario on the left playing the ball
inside to Hutchinson, who slotted a ball
behind the defense to De Guzman. De
Guzman played from the byline across the
face of goal to the waiting Gerba, who
had a simple finish to double the
Canadian lead.
The Canadian lead was extended to three
a minute before halftime. Ante Jazic
found space down the left hand flank and
played a pass back to De Guzman on the
edge of the penalty area. De Guzman
scuffed his shot towards goal, but the
effort hit off the right heel of Gerba
and deflected off the right post and
past Trigueno into the net.
After the interval, De Rosario had an
early chance to grab his second of the
contest in the 50th minute. De Rosario
was played through on goal by Gerba, but
he could only manage a tame shot that
failed to trouble Trigueno.
Guatemala had a penalty appeal turned
away in the 62nd minute as Pat Onstad
and substitute Mario Rodriguez collided
inside the Canadian penalty area, but
the contact was dismissed by referee
Courtney Campbell.
It was a matter of both teams playing
out time, as Guatemala could not find a
way to penetrate the Canadian defense
and Canada was not pressing forward
because of its advantage.
There was one last chance for De Rosario
in the 89th minute. De Rosario earned a
free kick on the edge of the Guatemalan
penalty area after shaking free from
Medina. De Rosario curled the resulting
free kick around the wall, but Trigueno
dove and tipped the ball around the box.
Miller Lite Player of the Match: Ali
Gerba (Canada)
CANADA HEAD COACH STEPHEN HART
On today’s game:
“We felt going into the game that our
game was to not get counterattacked upon
and deny service to Ruiz. I thought my
backline had an excellent game.”
“The victory was nice. I thought in the
first half, we were balanced. We
attacked well and we defended well. It
was a game of two halves. In the second
half, we had to defend.”
On Guatemala’s performance: “I was
very surprised. I thought they would
play similar to the way they played
against the United States. We were
fortunate to get a goal early. That puts
pressure on the opponent. We had to hold
the lead long enough to put pressure on
them and we did that.”
CANADA FORWARD AND MILLER LITE MAN OF
THE MATCH ALI GERBA
On today's game:
“It is very easy to score when you play
around quality players. It makes your
job easy.”
GUATEMALA HEAD COACH HERNAN DARIO GOMEZ
On today's game:
“Canada was superior in all points of
the game. They were in better condition
than us. The three or four times they
got to our goal, they were able to
finish.”
“After losing 3-0, it’s hard to say
anything to our fans. You’re blind after
that.”
On how the Gold Cup works to integrate
players for World Cup Qualifying:
“It’s hard to incorporate people into
the team. We have to work from the group
up to develop players. We have to
prepare in every possible way, including
physically.”
“The country is anxious for immediate
results. I’m not scared of the
pressure.”
The Gold Cup quarter finals opened
between Canada and Guatemala at Gillette Stadium in
Foxboro. In this game Canada stifled Guatemala’s offense
on their way to a commanding 3-0 halftime lead.
Canada was on the offensive from the get
go, and although they missed a few scoring chances,
Dwayne De Rosario made it 1-0 for Canada at the 17th
minute mark, after he redirect an Ali Gerber shot into
the Guatemala net. Canada’s defensive intensified as
they sniffed out every offensive play by Guatemala much
to the disgust of the pro Guatemala crowd.
Canada scored two more goals, both by
striker Ali Gerber at the 33rd and 44th minute mark and
coasted through the second half to book their ticket to
the semi final. Ali Gerber was voted Man of the Match
for his big goals and strong offensive presence. Canada
was into the semi finals to play the winner of the
second double header.
The second quarter final was played
between USA and Panama. Most people considered this
game to be he biggest test for USA after they dominated
the B Group without a loss and without conceding a goal.
Panama was also the best playing team in the tournament
at that point but was reeling a bit after a tough loss
to Mexico two days earlier.
The game was a display of emotions and
indiscipline by Panama as they questioned every
unfavorable call by the referee. The game entered the
second half of play tied 0-0 as USA took the lead on a
penalty kick in the 60th minute after Landon Donavan was
hauled down by Carlos Rivera. Donavan converted from the
penalty spot and USA increased their lead minutes later
on a neat header by Carlos Bocanegra from a DaMarcus
Beasley in swinging cross.
Canada win
CONCACAF
Gold Cup Group A
Costa
Rica, Canada, and Haiti were favored to advance out of
Group A, but apparently no one told that to Guadeloupe,
as they sprung the biggest surprise of the tournament.
Canada had the challenge of trying to dethrone Costa
Rica as the third seed team in CONCACAF, while Costa
Rica was anticipating a move to replace USA as the # 2
team in the region. Guadeloupe was supposed to be just
in the tournament for the first time experience.
However when group play began it seemed like the match
ups in this group were a lot tougher than the coaches
anticipated and the coaches adjustments made the games
uninspiring and lacking in excitement. Winning and
losing became paramount and the only team that had a
distinctive style of play was Costa Rica. Canada had
talented players and was the team to beat. Unlike
previous years it seemed like the team composition was
not based on any alleged quota system which meant that
advancing to the final round was important.
Costa
Rica was questioning lady luck for yet another spell at
the big tournament after having to open World Cup 2006
against host Germany and now Canada in the first game of
CONCACAF Gold Cup 2007 USA.
On
June 6, 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup kicked off under cloudy
skies at the Orange Bowl Stadium in Miami where Costa
Rica and Canada lock horns. Costa Rica controlled the
first half of play but Canada took care of the
scoreboard with a double scored by Julian De Guzman in
the second half to erase a one goal deficit. Canada won
the game 2-1 and gained the early lead in the Group A
standings as Guadeloupe and Haiti played to a 1-1 tie in
the second game of the double header.
In the
second games of the group Canada was caught by surprised
and lost to a tough Guadeloupe team 2-1. Guadeloupe
defeat of Canada was the start of the upsets of Gold Cup
2007. Haiti and Costa Rica tied 1-1 in the second game
of the double header which left three out of the four
teams in the group under pressure to advance. Heading
into the third group A games Guadeloupe was the only
team which had secured a spot into the second round with
four points. Canada stood in second place with three
points as Costa Rica and Haiti had two points apiece
