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Fungus is an inconspicuous organism which generally inhabits underneath the soil on decomposing matter using camouflage as a means to protect its existence. When fungi fruit they produce mushrooms. When these mushrooms become visible there are few kids in the world which have not punted a few of these inglorious creatures off a freshly watered field without a chuckle.
The Canadian Soccer Association operates in a similar vein as fungi. For one hundred years the CSA has operated far below the surface of the Canadian conscious. Every four years the tepid product put forth by the CSA is punted off the field by giddy Central Americans before the team disappears from the mind of all but the most dedicated faithful until the next round of excuses, platitudes and failure.
Over a century of effort by the CSA has only bore poisonous fruit which tainted the future of Canadian soccer. Almost every high calibre Canadian with a sniff of another national program has refused to don the colours of Les Rouges. There is not a single nation on earth that can lose as many top talents as Canada and succeed.
There is very little evidence that the CSA would have been able to shake off the fungus mentality and rise above their own trappings if it were not for external pressure.
Without the growth of Major League Soccer, the development model would have likely remained the same. Furthermore, based on recent events there is little evidence that the CSA is going to be able to shake off the incestuous old boy mentality without sustained outside pressure.
Comments made by CSA President Victor Montagliani in an interview with the Canadian Press about the future of the program appear to boarder on the delusional. In the interview he stated “the only country I think in CONCACAF that has tremendous amount of talent that doesn't worry about who they put on the pitch is Mexico. Outside of Mexico it's pretty much even-steven."
When he means even-steven he must mean with regional powerhouses like Puerto Rico whom Canada was unable to beat at home, or a team like St Kitts and Nevis who drew Les Rouges away. Indeed, in the world of the CSA, where they have gotten a free pass every four years for over one hundred of them, his statement highlights a certain level of hubris clouding logical judgement.
Football tournaments are simple concepts. Win and you progress. President Montagliani may think CONCACAF is balanced but it is not. There is Mexico and the USA in the top tier. Followed by Panama, Jamaica, Costa Rica and our favourite bully Honduras. The remainder are made up of never was teams like Canada, Guatemala, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia and so on.
Canada, when it comes to actual success, is so far out of the running from the mid to top tier it had to play in a round prior to joining the real sides like Panama or the blue bullies of Honduras. In fact, his comments discount the reality that Canada was unable to score in back to back games against the guppies of the CONCACAF world.
The most galling statement was the following, “I actually was quite surprised that the negativity lasted a very short time," and further said "And I think the reason is because the program did show significant amount of progress.”
Following the hoopla and extended mainstream coverage prior to the nightmare in San Pedro Sula, the result was met with a collective groan before degenerating into inconsequential shrugs. Instead of galvanizing the public, there was barely a meek shriek from mainstream outlets following the initial wave of emotion.
The negativity subsided because no one talked about it. No one cared.
The truth was the CSA did not want further negative coverage. There was an international friendly fixture to be had in November and if they qualified you can guarantee they would have played to capitalize on the success, selling some merchandise all the while patting themselves on the back passing the minimum of expectations off as triumphant glory.
Admittedly, when you are minnow like Canada it would have been a very important step, but relevant programs do not bow out before the Hex and pass it off as progress.
Consider that while many of the top soccer nations, including minnows such as Liechtenstein, were playing on November 14th the Canadian Soccer Association did nothing.
Instead, they compounded the gutless failure fans saw when Canada played on a scene larger than irrelevant. Instead of perpetuating discourse, win or lose, Canadians got such a small dose of the product the CSA puts out, inevitably the program drifts into the margins of societal importance.
Consistent losing, and not even getting to watch their failure with regularity, illustrates a clear path why the casual sports fan is generally disinterested. Many would have liked to pull up a stool at a pub and watch their side play win or lose.
Does Montagliani really think that if Canada was playing there would not have been further anger vented in their direction?
Canadians want to be able to tune in and watch their team even if they are not fans but because they are patriotic. How many Canadians became fans of the women’s national team during the Olympics and pre tournament could not name Christine Sinclair? Yet they tuned in and did so in record numbers.
The excuse that it is tough to get a match, find players and so on forth are the red herrings behind one hundred plus years of disappointment. Part and parcel of a culture of defeat from the top to bottom whether its players quitting once they are down a goal to President Montagliani slinging self serving platitudes.
Point tally aside, under scrutiny the Brazil 2014 campaign was a disaster. Unable to consistently dominate weak teams and unable to compete on the road, in the last qualification round before bowing out Canada managed over half its points and the majority of its goals against a Cuban side which played under the fear of defections. In fact several players parted ways from the Cuban national team prior to the match against Canada at BMO Field leaving them a shortened squad.
When Canada beat St. Lucia 7-0 that was the expected result from a relevant side. Tying Saint Kitts and Nevis 0-0 was unacceptable. When Canada loses 8-1, that turns the parity argument into a parody of the boots on the field reality.
The above results do not boil down to an ‘even-steven’ by-product. When there is no signature win and in fact historic defeats, that is not progress.
Instead of cleaning house, the CSA promoted the assistant to the debacle at San Pedro Sula to the Technical Director position left vacant since Stephan Hart took over the reins as the national team manager in 2009. Moreover, rather than decisive action it waffled on the firing that same inept coach it had internally promoted from the Technical Director position and at the time of writing this article the position is still vacant.
Is the Canadian National Men’s program so far behind that progress means it takes months if not years to fill vacancies? Even worse, it takes that long to promote from within?
If, as Montagliani says, the talent pool is even-steven aside from Mexico, how can he justify the incestuous appointments of those who oversaw flaccid draws and nightmare defeats? If the talent is at a level of parity, then coaching must be the issue. If coaching is not the issue than the talent is.
Moreover, Montagliani states they are still conducting a post-mortem into the campaign and it will not be concluded until the new year. They could save time and money by purchasing a set of mirrors.
There has been zero new blood coaching the men’s national team in over a decade. Not since outside appointment Holgier Osieck guided Canada to glory in winning the Gold Cup in 2000 was someone from outside the confines of the CSA at the helm.
With the above in mind, factor in that every assistant coach since Holgier Osieck has been internally promoted by the CSA. The last time Canada was successful someone from outside the CSA lead the team. Will President Montagliani turn his back on the rampant back scratching and hire someone who is not beholden to internal interests or politics?
You don’t need to hire a Canadian Scooby-doo to see the effect these CSA old boy appointments have had on the program. These crony appointments are what lead us to the here and now.
The biggest problem the CSA has is itself and if saved will be despite itself. In fact, the CSA is most successful when it lets other bodies take care of the game and remain hands off.
Aside from its two legitimate on field successes in one hundred years lead by outsiders, the recent growth of fans at qualification matches was down to the hard working efforts of supporters who through soccer clubs and supporter organizations put their own money up front to purchase tickets and distributing them. Word of mouth marketing has rarely been so successful in generating buzz with quick tangible results.
Second, the new national team U- players are coming in mostly through the Canadian MLS teams or from overseas. While the CSA would like us to believe that the foreign boogeyman organizations overseas that train our players contribute to them not wanting to play for Canada is a huge lark. This excuse lets them fester their ridiculous idea that it is not their fault every top Canadian in the world at this point refuses to play for them.
The problem which the current CSA executive faces under the cold light of reality is the awakening of those fans within Canadian society are demanding more than irrelevance. Previously many did not have a means to become engaged.
With new media blossoming, new supporters and fans will not allow the cover of excuses provided by many journalists or inept platitudes served up by CSA cronies to fester the Canadian consciousness into accepting soccer irrelevance as acceptable. The 'sack the CSA' campaign is one example of how outside pressure makes a difference.
Refusing to accept the white rabbit of retread justifications will force the CSA to be accountable.
If Canada was a nation with a track record of mediocrity that needed a break to do soul searching in order to progress to the next level then the CSA would be deserving of a respite to their lick their proverbial wounds.
One hundred years of failure delivered by the Canadian Soccer Association with alarming regularity measured off the back end of a disastrous campaign means they deserves no such pause.
The future is too important to blindly entrust the Presidents men to put the Humpty Dumpty men’s national program back together again.
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