SoccerCan World Cup team follow Impact lead?

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The commanding group leaders

Unfortunately for Griffiths, it was Montreal who scored them in their comfortable 4-1 victory.

The result sees the Impact sitting pretty atop Group C of the CONCACAF Champions League with 10 points with two games remaining. Atlante FC of Mexico is in second place with five points, followed by CD Olimpia of Honduras with four. Which begs the question: If the Impact can do it, why can’t Canada?

Truth be told, Montreal are a well-organized, well-coached team who play to their strengths. They are very resolute defensively, only conceding two goals in four group games thus far, and they work extremely hard as a team.

When they don’t have the ball, they play a 4-5-1 formation that is difficult to break down. When they win possession, they commit players forward, shifting to a 4-3-3 formation which takes advantage of their pace and strength.

They play the game the way it should be played, by passing the ball on the floor and moving to create space. They are a fantastic team who has shaken off the tag of ‘underdogs’ in style.

National side chances bleak

By comparison, Canada’s World Cup team has failed to live up to expectations.

A disappointing 1-1 draw in Toronto against a poor Jamaican side was followed up by a 2-1 loss in Montreal to Honduras. A 2-1 defeat away to group favourites Mexico was hardly unexpected, but it leaves Canada with a mountain to climb in Group B.

Yet, it could have been so different.

Had Pat Onstad not gifted the Jamaicans their equalizer, we could have started off our second-round qualifiers with a precious three points.

Had we been able to defend a lead, we could have followed that up with another three points against Honduras. Even if we had still lost in Mexico, we could be going into Honduras with six points under our belts.

But we’re not. We’ve got one point and we’re staring down the barrel of a gun.

Our best player, Julian de Guzman, is injured. Our most dangerous attacker, Dwayne De Rosario, is suspended, as is central defender Adrian Serioux.

And now there are rumours of dissension in the ranks.

Brennan: Right or wrong?

Defender Jim Brennan has come out and publicly criticized Dale Mitchell claiming, among other things, that the CSA “lacked class” in not informing him personally of Mitchell’s decision not to include him in the squad for the match against Honduras.

Like any argument, there are always two sides to every story. So I’m going to look at this from both sides.

Mitchell is the coach of the team, and he is free to choose whoever he wants to include in the squad. He is paid to make those decisions, and he will ultimately be judged by results. If he doesn’t think Brennan is good enough to make the squad, then that is his decision.

Brennan has been involved with the national team program for many years. He is a veteran who has made many sacrifices to play for his country. If he is deemed surplus to requirements for this game, I think he can accept that. He won’t be happy about it, but he is a professional footballer who is mentally tough enough to deal with disappointment.

Not calling him personally to inform him that he is not being selected is wrong. Period.

Sure, you could argue that every player should be glad to get the opportunity to play for their country, and you would trade places with them in a second. You could say that they are highly-paid professionals and you would do their job for a fraction of what they earn. And you would be right. But there are very, very few players in Canada who are good enough to play for the national team. And Jim Brennan happens to be one of them.

What happens if we have a glut of injuries to our left-sided players? What if Mike Klukowski and Marcel de Jong both go down injured against Honduras? Who is going to step into that void now that Mitchell has fallen out with Brennan? Over something as simple as a phone call?

Football management has more to do with people skills than Xs and Os on a blackboard. Especially international management. You can’t just dip into the transfer market when you feel your players are underperforming or you fall out with someone. You have to play the hand you are dealt.

Part of playing that hand is maximizing the talent at your disposal. You have to encourage and cajole, discipline and criticize players individually and collectively in order to get the best out of them. That is what separates great managers, like Sir Alex Ferguson, from everyone else.

Are Brennan’s comments poorly timed? Yes. Do they sound like sour grapes? Perhaps. But I think it is a mistake to fall out with a player over a simple courtesy call, especially when our pool of players is so small.

For what it’s worth, I would have Brennan in my team any day. He’s great in the dressing room and he’s a solid professional who is proud to represent his country. You know what you’re going to get from him and he’s never let me down when we’ve played together in the past.

I’m sure there is more to this story than what has been said thus far, and it will be interesting to see what gets revealed in the days and weeks to come.

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