Blame the system for our woes

Canada has shown time and again that its program is flawed

The more things change, the more they stay the same
That saying came to mind Thursday night after Canada
suffered it's second consecutive shutout defeat in the FIFA
Under-20 World Cup by dropping a 1 - 0 calamity to Austria,
the team of Mozart and Strauss waltzes, at Edmonton
Commonwealth Stadium.

Earlier in the week, the Canadian boys were spanked
by Chile 3 - 0 at BMO Field in Toronto.

You may recall that 21 years ago, Team Canada of
the senior variety made it to the World Cup final round
in Mexico.

Unfortunately, in the high altitude of Mexico City, Team
Canada failed to score a lousy, single goal in three matches.
That was in 1986. So, what happened in 2007 on Canadian
soil? You guessed it--in two matches, team Canada U-20
failed to register, yes, even a single, lousy goal.

Even without using Einstein's theory of relativity, it is quite
obvious that if team Canada senior and junior teams were
unable in 450 minutes to dribble, head, shoot or, in Diego
Maradona's fashion, shove the ball in the net with a hand
when the referee wasn't looking, that there must be
something drastically wrong with the Canadian system.

System is actually the word I was looking for. No matter
the team sport, every team must have a system. If a system
isn't evident in a team's play there must be any one of three
reasons.

1. The coach is coaching an unsuccessful system.
2. The coach is incapable of teaching a correct system.
3. The players are undisciplined or unwilling to implement the system.

I see no reason to dissect the 1986 fiasco in Mexico. But let's
take a look at the two games Team Canada U-20 played on
home soil.

In the game against Chile last Sunday the Canadian team gave
the impression of boys playing against men, even though the
Chileans physically didn't tower over the Canadians. But, boy,
were they superior technically and tactically, while the system-
less Canucks left BMO Field thoroughly out classed.

The situation wasn't as bad Thursday night in Edmonton.
The team played better and had a couple of glorious scoring
chances, particularly late in the game with the Austrians
leading 1 - 0. Team Canada could have at least tied the score
when Simeon Jackson found himself in front of the gaping net
and the Austrian goalie out of position, but Jackson seemed to
be aiming towards the corner flag instead.

It's also true that it was a hot night in Edmonton and some
players suffered from leg cramps. However, the Austrian
midfielders and defenders still found ways how to neutralize
the mostly disorganized Canadian attack, as well as create
offensive plays for their own forwards.

Team Canada was unable to do that, In fact, all it mustered
was one real shot at the Austrian net to go with the one they
managed against Chile. With one shot per game, there is no
team Canada could beat. Particularly not youth teams that
came to Canada to flex their muscles in a World Cup tournament.

Youth participation in Canadian soccer has been surprisingly
high for the past 25 years, or so , with several hundred thousands
of kids signed as registered players. The problem is that the young
people in Canada are not exposed to the skills and tactics that are
necessary to compete against elite nations of the world.

As they say in the old country, one seed leads to a tree with many
branches. The importance is to make certain which seed you use.

In other words, with proper organization and leadership that is
thoroughly familiar with the game, we could have imported experienced
international coaches to train our young talent, as well as groom
Canadian coaches to reach top coaching status. Looking into that
possibility, I found out that a well known Brazilian coach offered
his services to the Canadian Soccer Association, but was turned down.

I am a true patriotic Canadian and I support the National team
with pride but this crap has to stop I am tired of being a laughing
stock internationally. Teams that we should be beating with ease
are not only smoking us but also making us look stupid.

With this said I have made a decision that for the rest of the U-20
tournament I have decided to throw my support be hind my Fiance's
national team the United States of America. GO AMERICA and good
luck the rest of the way.