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First Thoughts
Coming off a confidence building 5-1 win over Nicaragua, the Canadian U20 National Team have now passed the first hurdle in their quest to qualify for the FIFA U20 World Cup by advancing out of the group stages. Now they face the massive test of a true ‘do or die’ match against their old foes the United States.
Both sides have had their own positives and negatives to take away from their respective group games. However, given the familiarity that both sides share and the high stakes, that can likely be thrown out of the window.
Keep Thinking
Coach Nick Dasovic and his staff find themselves in an interesting position. On the one hand, as the old saying goes, you should ‘never change a winning team’. And this might even be more applicable given the young age of the players at this tournament. When speaking of the Canadian squad specifically, it’s important to build off the change in attitude and raised level of performance between the two group games. However, it has to be said that this US side is an upgrade in opposition and they present a different set of challenges that could very well force a change in tactics and/or formation.
RedNation's Gavin Day speaks with Keven Aleman & Caleb Clarke ahead of Tuesday's quarterfinal match against the USA:
It will be particularly intriguing to see how Dasovic sets up the attack, as the main focus last time out was to use the wings through the likes of midfielder Ben Fisk and fullback Jon Dollery and to get crosses into the box toward standout forward Caleb Clarke. On the other hand, this US side has a much stronger presence in the wide positions and it might be more beneficial to focus the attack centrally through players like midfielders Keven Aleman or Alessandro Riggi, which was marginally successful in the first half of the opening match against Cuba and could pose the Americans problems.
Whatever the tactics, it’s clear that there are two key individual battles to watch. The first one being US midfielder Luis Gil vs. Samuel Piette and the other being how central defenders Doneil Henry and Daniel Stanese do going up against US forward Jose Villareal.
John Dollery:
Marking the likes of Gil will be a different challenge for Piette, as he will be forced to cover a lot more ground and will be baited into getting pulled out of position. In the case of Henry and Stanese, they’ve caught a bit of a fortunate break with midfielder Mikey Lopez missing the match due to suspension. However, unlike the physical challenge Cuba displayed through Maykel Reyes, the central defensive duo will need to be weary of Villareal’s speed and elusiveness.
Canada will surely be using the 2-0 victory over the US at the 2012 Marbella Cup as a reference on how to defeat them this time around. However, this is a completely different set of circumstances, with the main factor being the pressure of a U20 World Cup berth at stake.
Nick Dasovic:
In the End
This will be a closely fought match that could even see the potential of extra time. It will be important for Canada to start with purpose and build off their previous performance, with a particular focus on defensive solidity and the counter attack which has served them well in previous matches at various levels.
The fact that this is a rivalry match should serve as natural motivation but, at the same time, it can’t be the sole focus running through the minds of the players. The longer the match goes on, the more it favours the Canadians. That said, the US has one or two breakout players capable of making the difference.
Prediction: Canada U20 1-2 USA U20
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