Allez Les Rouges - Canada MNT (FM '10)

[theaub]

July 14, 2010

World Cup Roundup

Group Stage
After many questions about how teams from Europe and South America would perform in Africa, the answer came back in, and it was: resoundingly well. All 16 teams that made it to the second round were from those two continents, including a record high 13 from Europe.

Group A
Italy cruised to the top of the group, picking up wins in all three matches. Demark, Algeria and Japan all won one match, but in the end Demark's goal differential of -2 was one better than their other two adversaries, moving them onto the second round.

1) Italy - 9
2) Denmark - 3
3) Algeria - 3
4) Japan - 3

Group B
Paraguay was expected to compete for the head of the group, but they were stunned by the Saudis in the first game and never challenged. Germany and Croatia picked up wins on the final matchday to move onto round two.

1) Germany - 7
2) Croatia - 5
3) Saudi Arabia - 3
4) Paraguay - 1

Group C
Hosts South Africa were disappointingly dropped after the first round, picking up only one win. In the deciding match against Chile, they were soundly beaten 4-0. Greece shed their boring label and played rather attractive football, picking up five goals in their matches and coming second in the group.

1) Chile - 7
2) Greece - 7
3) South Africa - 3
4) North Korea - 0

Group D
Seen by many as one of the tougher groups, it was Portugal who emerged on top, scoring more goals than Brazil to earn them the tiebreaker. Australia lost by one goal to both Portugal and Brazil, which was enough to send them home. Many thought Cameroon would surprise but they did not earn a result.

1) Portugal - 7
2) Brazil - 7
3) Australia - 3
4) Cameroon - 0

Group E
Holland were clearly the best team in this group and were through after their second match. Turkey played to a 0-0 draw with Tunisia where both teams failed to record a shot on target to advance, drawing boos and a small riot from the South African crowd.

1) Holland - 7
2) Turkey - 4
3) Tunisia - 2
4) Honduras - 1

Group F
England started to stir the spirits of their countrymen, beating defending Euro champ Spain 3-1 to finish at the head of the group. Spain finished second, while Ghana and Costa Rica were generally outclassed.

1) England - 9
2) Spain - 6
3) Ghana - 3
4) Costa Rica - 0

Group G
The "Group of Death," this one featured what many considered the best teams from two continents, as well as a star-studded Argentina team. Yet, it was the workmanlike Czechs who managed past Ivory Coast and Mexico to claim the group, with the Argentines managing a thrilling draw to advance. Mexico went out meekly, losing all three matches 1-0.

1) Czech Republic - 7
2) Argentina - 5
3) Ivory Coast - 4
4) Mexico - 0

Group H
South Korea gave up a stunning 16 goals in three matches, including an inexplicable 9-0 romping at the hands of Russia in the final match. France won all three of their games to win the group, while the Russians finished second. The Americans needed to beat France to move on, but lost 1-0 on a 90th minute goal.

1) France - 9
2) Russia - 6
3) United States - 3
4) South Korea - 0

Second Round

Italy (A1) 1-0 Croatia (B2)
Croatia never really put forth a threat, not recording a single shot on goal, but they were in the match late. Italy couldn't break down the defense, but Alberto Gilardino scored in the 89th minute to give the Azzuri a trip to the quarterfinals.

Germany (B1) 2-1 Denmark (A2)
Germany scored two early goals and then shut down the Danish attack for the remainder of the match. A red card allowed Denmark to score one goal on the advantage, but a trip to the quarters was never in doubt for the incredibly efficient Germans.

Brazil (C1) 5-2 Chile (D2)
Robinho scored twice for the Brazilians who won a fierce South American battle. Chile equalized after Robinho scored in the 16th minute, but late first half goals by the Man City striker and Kaka sent the Brazilians on their way.

Portugal (D1) 3-1 Greece (C2)
Cristiano Ronaldo got a very controversial penalty in the 40th minute that gave Portugal a lead, and then two second half goals allowed them to cruise onto the quarters. The Greeks actually outshot Portugal 6-3 but couldn't capitalize.

Spain (F2) e2-1 Holland (E1)
Spain showed why they are one of the favourites, scoring a 92nd minute equalizer off the foot of Iniesta to force extra time. Santiago Cazorla scored the winner in the 118th minute to send the stunned Dutch home with an early exit once again.

England (F1) p2-2 Turkey (E2)
Turkey were the comeback kids in Euro 2008, and it seemed there would be a repeat. England were up 2-0 on goals from Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney before Cetin scored in the 83rd minute and Melvut Edrinc equalized in the 93rd. Turkey hit the post in extra time, but it went down to penalties. England, historically brutal in shootouts, scored all four times, while the Turks missed twice.

Russia (H2) 3-0 Czech Republic (G1)
A game more commonly seen on the ice than the pitch had the Czechs run abruptly end. Andrei Arshavin continued his dominance in international play, assisting on all three goals for Gus Hiddink's side.

France (H1) 2-1 Argentina (G2)
Maradona's side was ousted after a flurry of goals in the middle of the second half. Frank Ribery scored in the 60th minute, followed by an equalizer from Pablo Zabaleta in the 69th. While the Argentines were still celebrating Ribery found the net again in the 71st minute to send the French to victory.

Quarterfinals

Portugal p0-0 Italy
After winning the 2006 World Cup on penalties, the shootout proved to be the undoing of the Italians in South Africa. Daniele De Rossi missed, while all five Portuguese players found the net to send Cristiano Ronaldo's side through.

Brazil 1-0 Germany
Two of the favourites for the competition went at it in the quarterfinals, and the Brazilian flair was too much for the German's systematic style. Robinho scored in the 7th minute, and Brazil continued to attack, not letting Germany get back in the match.

France 1-0 Spain
The French barely even made it to South Africa, but they're a big tournament squad and they knocked off the European champions. Loyal defender William Gallas headed in the winner off a 55th minute corner kick, and the star-studded Spainish strike force was shut down by a methodical French defense.

Russia 3-1 England
In what will likely go down as the craziest finish of the tournament, the Russians scored thrice in the final seven minutes to stun the English and move onto their first semifinal ever. Frank Lampard missed a penalty early, but it looked like Joe Cole's 51st minute goal would be enough. However, a Russian quickstrike meant that it will be at least another four years before England's drought comes to an end.

Semifinals

Russia 1-0 Portugal
The legend of Gus Hiddink continues to grow, as the super-manager stunningly takes Russia to the World Cup Final. Arshavin set up Roman Pavlyuchenko for his 41st minute winner, and even though Russia was outshot 16-5, Igor Akinfeev shut the door.

Brazil p2-2 France
In a rematch of the 1998 final, Brazil jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. However, after France made it 2-1, it was Thierry Henry, who knocked the Brazilians out of the '06 competition, tying it late to send it to extra time. After the extra periods resulted in nothing, penalties sent Brazil off to yet another final and a chance for their 6th World Cup.

Third Place Game

Portugal 2-0 France
Helder Postiga scored twice in the first 15 minutes as Portugal cruised to a 2-0 win over France. The Portuguese claimed the third place trophy, a rather successful campaign for them.

2010 World Cup Final

JOHANNESBURG (CP) - One of the most exciting World Cups in recent memory ended with the longest and most memorable penalty shootout in its history.

Maicon, the 20th kick taker, beat Igor Akinfeev to his right, and Brazil won their 6th World Cup, 0-0 (9-8) in what was the most intense games that anyone in Soccer City will ever attend.

The Russians were one goal away from hoisting the most prestigious trophy in sport, but Pavel Pogrebnyak was stunningly selected to kick over Andrei Arshavin, and he was stopped by Julio Cesar. After Pato's opening kick miss for the Brazilians, all nine remaining shooters found twine. Defender Igor Semshov, who had never attempted a penalty kick in his life, missed wide right before Maicon put home the winner.

Russia had the flow of play during regulation, but couldn't crack the Brazilian defense. It was actually Brazil who had the best chances, with Robinho getting stopped by Akinfeev on an amazing 30 yard strike late in extra time.

Brazil will now get the chance to defend the World Cup on home turf, with the 2014 tournament behind held in the largest land mass of South America. In what is an ironic twist, the 2018 tournament was awarded to Russia earlier in the day.

Awards
Best Player: Pato, Brazil
Best Keeper: Igor Akinfeev, Russia
Golden Boot: Alexis Sanchez, Chile

Dream Team:
GK - Igor Akinfeev, Russia
D - Maicon, Brazil
D - Marcelo, Brazil
D - Lucio, Brazil
D - Thiago Silva, Brazil
M - Santiago Carzola, Spain
M - Yury Zhirkov, Russia
M - Kaka, Brazil
M - Andres Iniesta, Spain
F - Alexis Sanchez, Chile
F - Pato, Brazil

S - Hugo Lloris, France
S - Robinho, Brazil
S - Xavi, Spain
S - Claudio Marchisio, Italy
S - Gennaro Gattuso, Italy
S - Phillipe Mexes, France
S - David Villa, Spain
S - Joe Cole, England
S - Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
S - Daniel De Rossi, Italy
S - Andrei Arshavin, Russia
S - Pepe, Portugal

[theaub]

August 5, 2010

Canada squad selected for friendly pair

TORONTO (CP) - Canada will be without Dejan Jakovic and Julian De Guzman for a pair of friendlies against Cyprus and England.

Indian-born Satish Muralidharan, who has been sensational for Vancouver this season, will make his Canada debut if he is called upon during either of the matches. Nicolas Ledgerwood also returns to the squad, now playing for Montreal in the MLS.

Canada played Cyprus last May, and defeated them 1-0 on Simeon Jackson's first senior goal. The Cypriots are bereft by injuries and should be an easy win. On the other hand, England, who made it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, will bring over their top squad.

Canada is ranked 74th in the world, 6th in CONCACAF. England is ranked 11th in FIFA (10th in UEFA), while Cyprus checks in at 33rd in Europe and 65th in the world.

Senior Roster
Nana Attakora l D l Toronto FC (Canada)
Patrice Bernier l M l FC Nordsjaelland (Denmark)
Marcel de Jong l D/M l Roda JC (Holland)
Dwayne De Rosario l M/F l Toronto FC (Canada)
David Edgar l D l Burnley (England)
Rob Friend l F l Gladbach (Germany)
Ali Gerba l F l Toronto FC (Canada)
Andrew Hainault l D l Houston (United States)
Lars Hirschfield l GK l FC Cottbus (Germany)
David Hoilett l M/F l Blackburn (England)
Iain Hume l M/F l Barnsley (England)
Atiba Hutchinson l M l FC Copenhagen (Denmark)
Simeon Jackson l F l Gillingham (England)
Will Johnson l M l Real Salt Lake (United States)
Michael Klukowski l D l Mouscron (Belgium)
Nicolas Ledgerwood l M l Montreal (Canada)
Kevin McKenna l D l Celtic (Scotland)
David Monsalve l GK l FC Inter Turku (Finland)
Satish Muralidharan l M l Vancouver (Canada)
Issey Nakajima-Farran l M l AC Horsens (Denmark)
Eddy Sidra l D/M l Cottbus (Germany)
Josh Simpson l M/F l Manisaspor (Turkey)
Greg Sutton l GK l Montreal (Canada)

U-20 Roster
Goalkeepers: Keenan Gracey, Jordan Santiago, Adam Street

Defenders: Jack Cubbon, Ivan Djuric, Ethan Gage, Mario Kulis, Branko Majstrovic, Kyle Molina, George Williams, Carlos Zaballos

Midfielders: Stalin Cardenas, Dwayne Franks, Miles Johnson, Andrew Kliment, Jonathan Lao, Damir Radosavljevic, Sahil Sandhu, Russell Teibert

Forwards: Simon Boytchuk, David Nagaro, Gabriel Peeters, Gabriel Salustius

[theaub]

August 11, 2010

Canucks strike quick for victory

TORONTO (CP) - Ali Gerba and Iain Hume scored twice in a span of four minutes to lead Canada to a 2-0 friendly win over Cyprus.

In what was a somewhat surprisingly even match, the two teams were very even until Gerba put home his 17th goal for Canada.

"You know, we didn't do as well as we wanted to today, but we picked up the result and that's all that matters," said Gerba. "I was happy that I could carry the team a little today, and hopefully I can recover and contribute again Sunday."

On Sunday, Canada will play England in what is the highest profile friendly to be played on Canadian soil in some time, arguably since the Canucks played Brazil before the 1994 World Cup. In that match, against virtually the same Brazil team that would be on the field for the final in the Rose Bowl, Canada picked up a 1-1 draw.

Gerba picked up an injury near the end of the match, and he may be out for the England match.

Scoring
First Half
No scoring

Second Half
CAN: Ali Gerba (Klukowski) 68'
Klukowski fires a perfect cross to Gerba who volleys one home from 20 yards

CAN: Iain Hume (Johnson) 71'
Johnson finds Hume on a breakaway and the Barnsley man easily puts it away

Cards
CAN: Nana Attakora
CYP: None

Stats
Shots: 11-10 Cyprus
On Target: 4-3 Cyprus
Possession: 53-47 Cyprus
Corners: 8-5 Cyprus
Fouls: 11-4 Cyprus

Attendance: 12,425

Man of the Match
Kevin McKenna was a stalwart on the backline and prevented any sort of offensive from the Cypriots. Klukowski and Hainault were also very impressive.

Upcoming Matches
August 15, 2010 - vs England
September 8, 2010 - vs Honduras
November 17, 2010 - at New Zealand
February 9, 2011 - at Northern Ireland

--------------------------------------------------------

August 10, 2010

Canada U-20's fall late

Canada U-20 - 1, El Salvador U-20 - 2

Scoring
First Half
ESV: Rolando Hernandez 11'
CAN: Gabriel Salustius 44'

Second Half
ESV: Mario Orellana 90'

Cards
CAN: Jonathan Lao (Y)
ESV: Jose Hernandez (Y), Rafael Sanchez (Y), Marcos Martinez (Y), Darwin Carcamo (Y)

Stats
Shots: 11-7 El Salvador
On Target: 7-3 El Salvador
Possession: 53-47 El Salvador
Corners: 4-2 El Salvador
Fouls: 16-7 El Salvador

Man of the Match
Mario Orellana scored a late winner off a corner.

Upcoming Matches
January (Dates TBA) - 2011 U-20 World Cup Qualifiers

[PNE-Adz]

Man I love reading this. I'm getting FM10 at Xmas after playing the Demo and I loved it

[theaub]

August 15, 2010

Historic victory for Canadians

TORONTO (CP) - In front of a raucous, sold out BMO Field crowd, the Canadians picked up one of their most important wins ever.

David Hoilett scored in the 82nd minute, and Canada beat England, who brought their starters overseas, in a thrilling 3-2 match that can only serve as a good omen for Canada's future international performances.

Michael Carrick was sent off for the English at the end of the first half, and that allowed Canada to really control the game, as they outchanced England 7-4.

Atiba Hutchinson scored yet another beautiful goal, a curling shot from 20 yards out. But it was the two players who ply their trade in England, Hoilett and Simeon Jackson, who had the biggest smiles on their faces after the match. "It was pretty fun to go up against guys I see during league play," said Hoilett, who featured sparingly for Blackburn last season before going on loan. "There's a couple of Riversiders on their squad and I'm sure we can have a good chat in the dressing room in a couple of weeks."

England opened up the scoring with Wayne Rooney finding the goal in the 13th minute. Gareth Barry also scored for the English in the 73rd minute, tying the match at two. Canada will take on Honduras in early Setpember.

Scoring
First Half
ENG: Wayne Rooney (Owen) 13'
McKenna makes a poor clearance and Hirschfeld has no chance

Second Half
CAN: Atiba Hutchinson (McKenna) 48'
England can't clear ball, McKenna sends it back in to Hutch who volleys it home

CAN: Simeon Jackson (Gerba) 64'
Gerba's shot is stopped but Jackson pounces on the rebound to give Canada the lead

ENG: Gareth Barry (Lennon) 73'
Lennon makes perfect cross for Barry who waits out keeper and then sliders ball into open goal

CAN: David Hoilett (Hutchinson) 82'
Hutchinson with a perfect through ball to Hoilett who makes no mistake

Cards
CAN: Satish Muralidharan
ENG: Rio Ferdinand, Wes Brown, Tom Huddlestone, Michael Carrick (Y/R), Wayne Rooney

Stats
Shots: 17-13 Canada
On Target: 7-4 Canada
Possession: 53-47 England
Corners: 5-3 England
Fouls: 18-7 England

Attendance: 20,158

Man of the Match
Atiba Hutchinson scored a goal and added an assist, and once again found a ton of open space on the pitch.

Upcoming Matches
September 8, 2010 - vs Honduras
November 17, 2010 - at New Zealand
February 9, 2011 - at Northern Ireland

[theaub]

September 2, 2010

Canada hopes to continue success against Honduras

TORONTO (CP) - Stephen Hart has called up a 22 man squad that mostly consists of domestic players for Canada's friendly against Honduras.

With the European seasons just underway and many players fighting for playing time, Hart has allowed them to remain in training with their respective clubs. Only eight players currently ply their trade across the Atlantic Ocean.

Ethan Gage and Marcus Haber will both be able to make their first appearances for Canada if called upon. They starred with the U-20 team and are now hoping to make the jump to the senior squad.

Honduras beat Canada twice in 2010 World Cup Qualifying, including a 2-1 win in Montreal that basically eliminated the Canucks. They are expected to bring a full squad led by Tottenham midfielder Wilson Palacios and Inter striker David Suazo.

Senior Roster
Nana Attakora l D l Toronto FC (Canada)
Dwayne De Rosario l M/F l Toronto FC (Canada)
Rob Friend l F l Gladbach (Germany)
Ethan Gage l D l Montreal (Canada)
Ali Gerba l F l Toronto FC (Canada)
Marcus Haber l F l Vancouver (Canada)
Andrew Hainault l D l Houston (United States)
Lars Hirschfield l GK l FC Cottbus (Germany)
Iain Hume l M/F l Barnsley (England)
Atiba Hutchinson l M l FC Copenhagen (Denmark)
Simeon Jackson l F l Gillingham (England)
Will Johnson l M l Real Salt Lake (United States)
Michael Klukowski l D l Mouscron (Belgium)
Nicolas Ledgerwood l M l Montreal (Canada)
Kevin McKenna l D l Celtic (Scotland)
David Monsalve l GK l FC Inter Turku (Finland)
Jamie Peters l M l Montreal (Canada)
Kyle Porter l F l Vancouver (Canada)
Adrian Serioux l D l Toronto FC (Canada)
Josh Simpson l M/F l Manisaspor (Turkey)
Adam Street l GK l Toronto FC (Canada)
Greg Sutton l GK l Montreal (Canada)

[theaub]

September 8, 2010

Canada can't hold on

TORONTO (CP) - Canada blew a 3-1 lead in the second half as Honduras fought to a 3-3 friendly draw at BMO Field.

Rob Friend scored twice in a span of seven minutes early in the second half, and it appeared that Canada would be victorious for the 4th game in a row. However, Carlos Costly scored at the hour mark, followed by David Suazo's goal in the 73rd to give Honduras a road result.

The match ended Canada's three game losing streak against the Hondurans, although they have not beaten them in six matches. The one positive for the Canucks was that the home crowd of over 15,000 was mostly cheering for the home side, unlike the disaster in Montreal that was almost two years ago to the day.

Dwayne De Rosario broke Dale Mitchell's all-time Canada scoring record, putting home his 20th goal for his country. He was substituted to a large ovation in the 65th minute.

Canada has the chance to complete an entire year undefeated when they travel to New Zealand in mid-November.

Scoring
First Half
HON: David Suazo (Costly) 10'
McKenna's throw in goes by Hainault, Costly picks it up and sets up Suazo for goal

CAN: Dwayne De Rosario (Hutchinson) 16'
De Rosario pots one into the corner of the goal to give him the Canadian scoring record

Second Half
CAN: Rob Friend (De Rosario) 51'
De Rosario with a perfect cross and Friend heads it home with authority

CAN: Rob Friend (De Rosario) 57'
Friend takes the through pass and slides it past the keeper

HON: Carlos Costly (Palacios) 60'
Suazo makes the play, setting up Palacios who has an open net but puts it off Costly and in

HON: David Suazo (Lopez) 73'
Suazo has a 1 on 5 and manages to just outrun everyone to score a magnificent goal

Cards
CAN: None
HON: Maynor Figueroa

Stats
Shots: 13-11 Canada
On Target: 10-5 Canada
Possession: 54-46 Honduras
Corners: 5-4 Honduras
Fouls: 13-5 Honduras

Attendance: 15,157

Man of the Match
Tough one here. Suazo was great for the Hondurans, with two goals while setting up the third. Friend had two tallies, while De Rosario had a goal and two helpers. I'll give the nod to DeRo, if only for breaking the goal scoring record.

Upcoming Matches
November 17, 2010 - at New Zealand
February 9, 2011 - at Northern Ireland
June 2011 (Dates TBA) - CONCACAF Gold Cup

[theaub]

November 11, 2010

Canucks off to Oceania for friendly

TORONTO (CP) - Michael Klukowski and Dejan Jakovic will miss Canada's friendly against New Zealand, meaning that Stephen Hart will have a chance to see some different defenders in a Gold Cup tuneup.

Klukowski will miss out with a leg injury, while Jakovic will miss yet another international with D.C. United playing in the MLS semifinals. It looked like all Toronto FC players may also be out, but after winning the home leg 2-1 against Seattle, TFC was destroyed 4-0 by the Sounders in the return leg.

New Zealand is led by Tottenham defender Ryan Nelson, but after that they have minimal skill. However, the Kiwis have only lost at home once in their past seven home matches.

Canada, with their win over England and tie against Honduras, jumped up to 3rd in CONCACAF and 52nd in the world. Amazingly, they are only one spot behind Mexico, who fell dramatically after not scoring in the World Cup. New Zealand checks in at 56th in FIFA, well ahead of anyone else in the OFC.

Senior Roster
Nana Attakora l D l Toronto FC (Canada)
Patrice Bernier l M l FC Nordsjaelland (Denmark)
Julian De Guzman l M l Toronto FC (Canada)
Marcel de Jong l D/M l Roda JC (Holland)
Dwayne De Rosario l M/F l Toronto FC (Canada)
David Edgar l D l Burnley (England)
Rob Friend l F l Gladbach (Germany)
Ali Gerba l F l Toronto FC (Canada)
Andrew Hainault l D l Houston (United States)
Lars Hirschfield l GK l FC Cottbus (Germany)
David Hoilett l M/F l Blackburn (England)
Iain Hume l M/F l Barnsley (England)
Atiba Hutchinson l M l FC Copenhagen (Denmark)
Simeon Jackson l F l Gillingham (England)
Kevin McKenna l D l Celtic (Scotland)
David Monsalve l GK l FC Inter Turku (Finland)
Satish Muralidharan l M l Vancouver (Canada)
Issey Nakajima-Farran l M l AC Horsens (Denmark)
Olivier Occean l F l Lillestrom (Norway)
Jamie Peters l M l Montreal (Canada)
Jamie Peters l D/M l Montreal (Canada)
Adrian Serioux l D l Toronto FC (Canada)
Josh Simpson l M/F l Manisaspor (Turkey)
Adam Street l GK l Toronto FC (Canada)