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First Thoughts
The Canadian Men’s U20 National Team open up Group B of the CONCACAF U20 Championships on Monday, taking on Cuba at Estadio Olimpico in Puebla, Mexico. Coach Nick Dasovic has cut down his initial 23-man squad down to the mandatory 20 players and it will be imperative for his charges to hit the ground running, especially considering the short nature of the tournament and the fact there will not be much time to prepare in between matches.
Keep Thinking
The Canadians face a Cuban squad that have gone through months of preparation and a qualification phase within the Caribbean Region that saw them post an unbeaten 4-2-0 record. On the face of it this might not seem like much, but it could go a long way towards making them a cohesive unit. Canada did hold a few camps over the course of the last year and participated in the 2012 Marbella Cup. However, the fact that Canada qualifies for tournaments as automatic entrants while sides like Cuba get the extra meaningful matches to prepare in reality likely does them a disservice in youth tournaments such as this.
Unfortunately for Canada they will be without a promising player in midfielder Bryce Alderson, who will miss the tournament due to injury. This is a definite loss, however this squad’s main strength is within the midfield and it will be up to the likes of Samuel Piette, Keven Aleman, Michael Petrasso and Dylan Carreiro to step up in his absence. All four players will have key roles within the side. Piette will shield the back four and be the lynchpin between the defence and attack, Petrasso and Carreiro will provide width while Aleman is the chief playmaker setting the table for the forwards.
Nick Dasovic, Doneil Henry and Samue lPiette on tournament-opener in Puebla:
If there is an area of concern going into the tournament it would have to be the defence, as aside from Toronto FC Defender Doneil Henry, it is made up of inexperienced players. This is especially the case in the fullback positions, where Cuba will be looking to exploit any gaps and play crosses into the box where they can use their size and strength.
Overall, it will be interesting to see how Coach Nick Dasovic approaches the match tactically. With an advantage in midfield, playing a 4-1-3-2 or 4-3-1-2 formation should be expected. If they are to go with the former, then the role of Piette as a deep lying playmaker becomes all the more important, as he’ll need to do the primary job of protecting the back four as well as quickly shifting the ball to the wide positions or the potential forward partnership of Stefan Vukovic and Caleb Clarke.
However, if Dasovic opts to go with the latter, then Aleman’s role in the hole behind the forwards becomes a point of focus, as his ability to create going forward and track back when defending will be key against a physically strong Cuban side.
In the End
Canada will need to set the tone with a quality performance from the opening kickoff and can’t look ahead to the Quarterfinal stage, as they are taking on a Cuban side that won’t be pushovers and who could be a potential banana skin.
This is a Canadian squad that will need to establish the strong spine of the team, win the aerial battles and be patient in attempting to break down the Cubans when they sit back and defend.
Prediction
Canada U20 2-1 Cuba U20
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