Allez Les Rouges - Canada MNT (FM '10)

[theaub]

May 14, 2011

Canada dominates Cubans

TORONTO (CP) - Canada did not allow a shot on goal in a 1-0 win over Cuba that has the Canucks in a ready state for the Gold Cup.

Rob Friend scored early for the Canadians, who then just cruised to victory over a lacklustre Cuban side. Canada outshot Cuba 8-0, and hit the crossbar a couple more times.

Scoring
First Half
CAN: Rob Friend (Simpson) 5'
Perfect pass from Simpson coverted in by Friend

Second Half
No scoring

Cards
CAN: None
CUB: Hansel Zayas, Jesse Munoz, Alex Cruzata

Stats
Shots: 15-2 Canada
On Target: 8-0 Canada
Possession: 50-50
Corners: 4-2 Canada
Fouls: 18-10 Cuba

Attendance: 12,404

Man of the Match
Julio Aldama stopped seven shots for the Cubans and kept this match from being a lot worse than it ended.

Upcoming Matches
May 14, 2011 - vs Cuba
June 1, 2011 - vs United States (Gold Cup)
June 4, 2011 - vs Haiti (Gold Cup)
June 7, 2011 - vs Guatemala (Gold Cup)
September 3, 2011 - at Latvia
September 7, 2011 - at Slovenia
October 8, 2011 - at Honduras

[theaub]

May 26, 2011

Canada expects as Gold Cup squad named

TORONTO (CP) - Julian De Guzman, Dwayne De Rosario and Rob Friend will lead Canada into battle at the 2011 Gold Cup.

Stephen Hart named his 22 man roster today, and with all key players healthy, Canada will be expected to at least repeat their performance in 2009 where they made it into the quarterfinals.

The only slightly surprising choice was calling 20 year old Ethan Gage to the squad over Gold Cup experienced players like Jamie Peters, Issey Nakajima-Farran and Will Johnson. However, as Hart noted, "We needed cover at right back, and out of the group of players, only Ethan plays there as his natural position." Gage has featured for Montreal a handful of times this year.

Canada will play in the so-called "Texas" group, with the United States, Guatemala and Haiti. The Canucks will play their games in the almost brand new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, as well as Reliant Stadium in Houston. Other groups will play in California and Florida.

Senior Roster

1 l Lars Hirschfield l GK l UKR / Shakhtar
2 l Nana Attakora l D l CAN / Toronto FC
3 l Mike Klukowski l D l BEL / Mouscron
4 l Andrew Hainault l D l USA / Houston
5 l Kevin McKenna l D l SCO / Celtic
6 l Julian De Guzman l M l CAN / Toronto FC
7 l Dejan Jakovic l D l USA / D.C. United
8 l Marcel de Jong l D/M l NED / Roda JC
9 l Ali Gerba l F l CAN / Toronto FC
10 l Simeon Jackson l F l ENG / Gillingham
11 l Satish Muralidharan l M l CAN / Vancouver
12 l David Edgar l D l ENG / Burnley
13 l Atiba Hutchinson l M l DEN / FC Copenhagen
14 l Dwayne De Rosario l M/F l CAN / Toronto FC
15 l Josh Simpson l M l TUR / Manisaspor
16 l Rob Friend l F l GER / Gladbach
17 l Iain Hume l M/F l ENG / Barnsley
18 l Olivier Occean l F l ENG / Queens Park Rangers
19 l Ethan Gage l D l CAN / Montreal
20 l Patrice Bernier l M l DEN / FC Nordsjaelland
21 l David Hoilett l M/F l ENG / Blackburn
22 l Adam Street l GK l CAN / Toronto FC

[theaub]

June 1, 2011

International Report

World Rankings
1) Brazil
2) Portugal
3) Italy
4) Russia
5) France
6) Spain
7) Holland
8) Czech Republic
9) Romania
10) Germany

CONCACAF Rankings
1) United States (31)
2) Mexico (46)
3) Honduras (50)
4) Canada (51)
5) Costa Rica (62)
6) Jamaica (72)
7) Trinidad & Tobago (83)
8) Panama (105)
9) Haiti (111)
10) Cuba (112)

Continental Competition Report

North American Champions League

Quarterfinals:
Xelaju (GUA) over Toronto FC (CAN)
America (MEX) over San Jose (USA)
Pumas (MEX) over Seattle (USA)
Chivas USA (USA) over Morelia (MEX)

Final:
Pumas p1-1 Chivas USA

European Champions League

Advancing teams (listed in order of finish)
A: Chelsea (ENG) / Galatasaray (TUR)
B: Inter (ITA) / FC Bayern (GER)
C: Barcelona (ESP) / FC Porto (POR)
D: Olympique Marseille (FRA) / Liverpool (ENG)
E: Manchester United (ENG) / Standard (BEL)
F: Real Madrid (ESP) / Arsenal (ENG)
G: Juventus (ITA) / Metalist (UKR)
H: CSKA Moscow (RUS) / Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)

Quarterfinals:
Chelsea over Arsenal
Liverpool over Manchester United
Juventus over Olympique Marseille
Barcelona over Porto

Final:
Liverpool 2-1 Barcelona

Europa League

Quarterfinals:
Genoa over Roma
Shakhtar over Sporting CP
Athletico Madrid over Fiorentina
A.C. Milan over Giorndins Bordeaux

Final:
Genoa 3-0 Athletico Madrid

European Domestic Report

Coefficient Rankings
1) Spain
2) England
3) Italy
4) Germany
5) France
6) Russia
7) Romania
8) Portugal
9) Ukraine
10) Turkey

England
1) Liverpool
2) Arsenal
3) Manchester City
4) Tottenham
5) Chelsea
6) Fulham
7) Manchester United
8) Aston Villa
9) Sunderland
10) Newcastle

FA Cup: Arsenal over Newcastle
League Cup: Liverpool over Arsenal

Spain
1) Barcelona
2) Real Madrid
3) Zaragoza
4) Athletico Madrid
5) Valencia
6) Villareal
7) Almeria

Italy
1) Juventus
2) A.C. Milan
3) Inter
4) Fiorentina
5) Genoa
6) Lazio
7) Roma

Germany
1) FC Bayern
2) Leverkusen
3) Hamburger SV
4) Werder Bremen
5) Schalke 04

France
1) Olympique Marseilles
2) Olympique Lyonnaies
3) Giorndins Bordeaux
4) Paris Saint-Germain
5) Stade Rennais FC

Other League Winners
Belgium: Anderlecht
Denmark: FC Copenhagen
Holland: AZ Alkmaar
Portugal: FC Porto
Russia: CSKA Moscow
Scotland: Celtic
Turkey: Fenerbahce

[theaub]

June 1, 2011

Canada unlucky, falls to US

DALLAS (CP) - The United States managed to overcome two red cards to attain a 3-2 victory over a disappointed Canadian squad.

Jesus Padilla and Jozy Altidore both scored shortly after an American player was sent off, and although Canada controlled the second half they were unable to score enough to salvage a result out of the match.

"Obviously we're disappointed that we couldn't at least tie a team that was two men short," said Rob Friend, who scored both of Canada's goals to give him 10 in his Canuck career. "Still we know that we can play with them if we happen to see them later on in the tournament."

US manager Bob Bradley was upset at his team moreso than the officiating. "I thought that both cards were deserved...Gooch (Onyewu) told me that he just got a hand on Friend in the wrong place. That being said, I was really happen with how we fought back after both reds."

The foul stats had the Americans committing seventeen fouls to the Canadians' ten, which seems to be an accurate representation of the physicality of both teams. The Canucks picked up the foul numbers late when trying to equalize.

At first, it seemed like a good day for the Canadians, who scored less than two minutes in on Friend's strike. However, three straight American goals put them in a hole, before Friend's goal in the 76th minute set up a wild fifteen minute finale.

"I'm pretty pleased with how we performed" said Canadian manager Stephen Hart. "We outshot them and outchanced them, but in the end it just didn't fall for us. Hopefully we can grab a couple wins in our next match and then go from there."

Canada will go up against Haiti, who lost 1-0 to Guatemala earlier in the day, with former Toronto FC player Carlos Ruiz accounting for the sole marker. The United States will take on the Guatemalans, in a match that will likely determined one of the quarterfinal places.

Lineups
USA: Howard, Alston, Castillo (Bornstein 71), Onyewu (off 42), Marshall, Donovan, Dempsey, Feilhaber (Orzoco 59), Jones (off 66), Padilla (Edu 51), Altidore

Canada: Hirschfield, Attakora, Klukowski (Hoilett 82), McKenna, Edgar (Gerba 69), De Guzman (Muralidharan 72), De Rosario, Simpson, Hutchinson, Friend, Jackson

Scoring
First Half
CAN: Rob Friend (Hutchinson) 2'
Hutchinson sends Friend in alone and he deposits it low right

USA: Jozy Altidore (Feilhaber) 11'
Brutal giveaway by De Guzman allows Feilhaber to find an open Altidore for easy conversion

USA: Jesus Padilla (Feilhaber) 45+1'
Canada concedes a late goal as Padilla beats Hirschfield from 20 yards out

Second Half
USA: Jozy Altidore (Dempsey) 71'
Dempsey with a perfect ball and Altidore runs past keeper before sliding ball into open goal

CAN: Rob Friend (Hutchinson) 76'
Canada outnumbers US down low and Friend beats Howard to his left

Cards
CAN: Julian De Guzman
USA: Kevin Alston, Oguchi Onyewu (R), Jermaine Jones (Y/R)

Stats
Shots: 13-12 Canada
On Target: 8-4 Canada
Possession: 53-47 United States
Corners: 3-2 Canada
Fouls: 17-10 United States

Attendance: 80,500

Man of the Match
Jozy Altidore scored twice for the Americans, including what turned out to be the winner with only nine men on the pitch.

Upcoming Matches
June 4, 2011 - vs Haiti (Gold Cup)
June 7, 2011 - vs Guatemala (Gold Cup)
September 3, 2011 - at Latvia
September 7, 2011 - at Slovenia
October 8, 2011 - at Honduras

[theaub]

June 4, 2011

Canada slams Haiti

HOUSTON (CP) - Canada had four different goalscorers as they routed Haiti 4-0 in Group A action at the 2011 Gold Cup.

Rob Friend, Atiba Hutchinson, Olivier Occean and Andrew Hainault all scored for the Canucks, who pick up three points to currently sit in a tie for second place in the group. The Americans picked up a win against Guatemala, meaning that Canada can clinch a quarterfinal berth with a win over the Guatemalans on Tuesday.

"Today we converted on the chances we had and that was nice to see," said Canada manager Stephen Hart. "Also it was nice to see some of the young guys get some experience." Adam Street and Ethan Gage, who both will play for the Canada U-20 team later this year barring injury, both came into the game as substitutes.

Haiti did not get a shot on target, and they dominated possession only because Canada was so concise with the ball. Friend's goal gave him a five match scoring streak, a Canadian record.

Lineups
Haiti: Placide, Genevois, Fellinga, Chery (Altidor 45), Bertin, Jean-Sony, Desmarets, Versailles (Germain 66), Marcelin, Alexandre, Saint-Preux (Noel 51)

Canada: Hirschfield (Street 72), Attakora (Gage 59), Klukowski, Hainault, Jakovic, Bernier, Hoilett, de Jong, Hutchinson, Friend (Occean 59), Gerba

Scoring
First Half
CAN: Rob Friend (de Jong) 33'
Friend's header from 12 yards out is amazingly placed and gets by keeper

Second Half
CAN: Atiba Hutchinson (Bernier) 58'
Haitian defense gives Hutch way too much room, runs about 20 yards and then blasts it in from top of box

CAN: Olivier Occean (Hutchinson) 70'
Off a corner, ball bounces back out and Hutchinson's second cross finds head of Occean

CAN: Andrew Hainault 87'
Hutchinson's free kick bounces around a bit before Hainault slams it in

Cards
HAI: Jean-Muller Altidor
CAN: David Hoilett

Stats
Shots: 14-2 Canada
On Target: 6-0 Canada
Possession: 55-45 Haiti
Corners: 4-0 Canada
Fouls: 12-12

Attendance: 71,500

Man of the Match
Atiba Hutchinson was incredible once again, scoring a goal and adding an assist.

Upcoming Matches
June 4, 2011 - vs Haiti (Gold Cup)
June 7, 2011 - vs Guatemala (Gold Cup)
September 3, 2011 - at Latvia
September 7, 2011 - at Slovenia
October 8, 2011 - at Honduras

[theaub]

June 7, 2011

Canucks get by with a little help from their Friend

DALLAS (CP) - Rob Friend scored in a record 6th straight international match as Canada qualified for the Gold Cup Quarterfinals with a 2-1 win over Guatemala.

The Canucks finished in 2nd place in the group with six points, behind the Americans who had a disappointing draw against Haiti in the final match.

Friend scored in the 4th minute, giving the Canucks yet another early lead. Simeon Jackson added a goal in the 29th minute to give Canada 2-1 lead going into half. Guatemala closed the gap with Fredy Thompson scoring early in the 2nd half, but it wasn't enough to give them a result. The Guatemalans will also advance to the third round after a stunning exit by Costa Rica.

Canada also had some injury problems in this match. Iain Hume, who has had some severe injury problems in the past, injured his leg and is expected to be out for at least eight weeks. Julian De Guzman also suffered an injury but Stephen Hart is hoping that he can play in the quarterfinal.

Lineups
Canada: Hirschfeld, Attakora, Klukowski, McKenna, Edgar, De Guzman, De Rosario (Hume 45, inj 89), Simpson, Muralidharan, Friend (Jakovic 72), Jackson (Gerba 45)

Guatemala: Trigueno, Gonzalez, Cabrera, Gallardo, Rodriguez (Martinez 45), Papin (Lalin 5), Estacuy, Thompson, Romero, Ruiz, Pezzarossi (Contreras 57)

Scoring
First Half
CAN: Rob Friend (Simpson) 4'
Friend uses height advantage again to score over short Guatemalan defender

CAN: Simeon Jackson (Friend) 29'
Hutchinson's shot deflects off Friend right to Jackson who has an open net

Second Half
GUA: Fredy Thompson (Martinez) 52'
Thompson lets rip a beauty of a strike from 20 yards that beats a diving Hirschfeld

Cards
CAN: None
GUA: Carlos Galladro

Stats
Shots: 14-9 Canada
On Target: 5-2 Canada
Possession: 52-48 Guatemala
Corners: 7-5 Guatemala
Fouls: 17-11 Guatemala

Attendance: 80,500

Man of the Match
Rob Friend was fantastic once again, giving Canada a trip to the quarterfinals.

Upcoming Matches
June (TBA) - Gold Cup Quarterfinal
September 3, 2011 - at Latvia
September 7, 2011 - at Slovenia
October 8, 2011 - at Honduras

[theaub]

June 8, 2011

Gold Cup Roundup

Group A
1) United States (2-1-0) - 7
2) Canada (2-0-1) - 6
3) Guatemala (1-0-2) - 3*
4) Haiti (0-0-3) - 0

Group B
1) Honduras (3-0-0) - 9
2) Netherlands Antilles (1-1-1) - 4
3) El Salvador (1-0-2) - 3
4) Costa Rica (0-1-2) - 1

Group C
1) Mexico (2-1-0) - 7
2) Jamaica (1-1-1) - 4
3) Panama (1-1-1) - 4
4) Barbados (0-1-2) - 1

* = Guatemala advances over El Salvador on goal differential

Quarterfinals
United States (A1) vs Netherlands Antilles (B2)
Jamaica (C2) vs Panama (C3)
Honduras (B1) vs Canada (A2)
Mexico (C1) vs Guatemala (A3)

[theaub]

June 12, 2011

Ali Bumaye! Gerba's ET strike sends Canucks through

PHILADELPHIA (CP) - In a rematch of the 2009 Gold Cup Quarterfinal, playd in the exact same stadium, Canada once again failed to score through 90 minutes.

But this time, they had a half hour to spare.

Ali Gerba and David Hoilett scored in the first half of extra time, and the Canadian defense stonewalled a potent Honduran attack in a 2-0 that sends Canada into the rematch with the United States in the Gold Cup semis.

"I think everyone has to just give a really large amount of respect to our back four today," manager Stephen Hart commented. "Everyone back there was just incredible, and even when they weren't Lars bailed them out."

Lars Hirschfeld made four saves, a couple of them of the difficult variety. But most of the time, it was Nana Attakora or Dejan Jakovic getting in the middle of the Honduran pressure. Honduras scored 12 goals in the group stage, but couldn't manage a single tally against Canada.

"We just went out there and played our game," Attakora stated, in the familiar athlete cliche tone. "We've trained hard over the past couple of weeks because we know how important this tournament is, and now we're right where we wanted to be at the start."

That place is in the semis against an American team who Canada played back in 2007. While Attakora wasn't on the team, a multitude of players remember the game.

"Yeah, the ending wasn't so, uh, fair?" said Atiba Hutchinson. He'd know. After the Canucks fell down 2-0, Iain Hume scored late to pull Canada within one. At the death of extra time, Hutchinson appeared to score a dramatic equalizer, but it was called back on what was proven to be a horribly incorrect offsides call. It ended with the team chasing the refs off the field before Hart, the interim manager at the time, pulled them back.

As for the Hondurans, they had some offside issues of their own in this one. Several players went to the assistant after Gerba's goal and argued that Dwayne De Rosario was offside when he received a through ball that he played to Gerba. However the linesman stood firm in the Philly rain and just took the abuse until ref Benito Archundia, who has a checkered past with the Canadian national team told them to quiet down. However, they had no complaints about Hoilett's wonderful goal, where he ran about 40 yards with a defender on his heels and then blasted a curling strike past Honduran keeper Noel Valladeres into the top corner.

Canada lost to the United States 3-2 in the group stage of this tournament, and they will hope to grab some revenge in the game that will be played this upcoming Wednesday. Mexico will take on Panama in the other semi.

Lineups
Honduras: Valladares, Sabillon, Figueroa, Bernardez, Fabio (Norales 76), Turcios, Leon, Thomas (Garcia 81), Palacios, Costly (Ruiz 70), Suazo

Canada: Hirschfeld, Attakora, Klukowski, McKenna, Jakovic, De Guzman, De Rosario (Hoilett 102), Simpson (de Jong 83), Hutchinson, Friend, Jackson (Gerba 68)

Scoring
First Half
No scoring

Second Half
No scoring

Extra Time
CAN: Ali Gerba (De Rosario) 98'
Off a cleared corner, De Guzman finds DeRo who threads a ball through to Gerba for a dramatic winner

CAN: David Hoilett (Friend) 105'
A wonder goal from the sub who turns around a defender and blasts a ball to the far upper corner

Cards
HON: Hendry Thomas
CAN: None

Stats
Shots: 18-13 Canada
On Target: 5-4 Canada
Possession: 56-44 Honduras
Corners: 7-4 Canada
Fouls: 12-10 Honduras

Attendance: 68,532

Man of the Match
Tough to just pick one Canadian player here, but it seemed that every time Honduras wanted to mount pressure, Nana Attakora was there to stop it. The 21 year old right back appears to be a legitimate replacement for the former skipper Paul Stalteri.

Upcoming Matches
June 15, 2011 - vs United States (Gold Cup Semi-Final)
September 3, 2011 - at Latvia
September 7, 2011 - at Slovenia
October 8, 2011 - at Honduras