I knew you weren't serious coochie. And I just find it kind of amusing that we're going to play all of the same teams in the run-up to the tournament and not face each other.
You're never happy to lose a competitive match, but I actually think it's maybe for the best we lost. The expectations for 2026 were wildly out of control. Now, the public and media seem to be panicking after the loss and are really down on the group which seems wildly disproportionate in the opposite direction. Canada has 9 wins, 7 draws and 3 losses since the start of the Copa America a year ago. That's a great 12 months by any measure, particularly for us and in the context of who we've played. This summer answered some of the depth questions and the squad is almost totally settled 11 months before the tournament. There's a few starting roles to be won, but on the whole I like where we are right now. Having said that, Canada has played six World Cup games and lost them all and whether it is the World Cup, Confederations Cup or Copa America, goals have been very hard for us to come by historically, so I see no reason for overconfidence. But we'll see what the draw holds.
I think the Americans should be fine at the World Cup, but I am also curious how much stock Pochettino puts in the Gold Cup. Because I think American fans expect that only a 7-8 of those players will be in the squads moving forward, but I wouldn't be shocked if it's closer to 15-16 that retain their spot as the more established bench players that under-performed early in his tenure are jettisoned. But then if the players that emerged at the Gold Cup struggle in the fall friendlies, what does Poch do then?
I am sure once we get to the draw, Canada will be the seeded team everyone is hoping to get grouped with. I can't argue with that sentiment.
You're never happy to lose a competitive match, but I actually think it's maybe for the best we lost. The expectations for 2026 were wildly out of control. Now, the public and media seem to be panicking after the loss and are really down on the group which seems wildly disproportionate in the opposite direction. Canada has 9 wins, 7 draws and 3 losses since the start of the Copa America a year ago. That's a great 12 months by any measure, particularly for us and in the context of who we've played. This summer answered some of the depth questions and the squad is almost totally settled 11 months before the tournament. There's a few starting roles to be won, but on the whole I like where we are right now. Having said that, Canada has played six World Cup games and lost them all and whether it is the World Cup, Confederations Cup or Copa America, goals have been very hard for us to come by historically, so I see no reason for overconfidence. But we'll see what the draw holds.
I think the Americans should be fine at the World Cup, but I am also curious how much stock Pochettino puts in the Gold Cup. Because I think American fans expect that only a 7-8 of those players will be in the squads moving forward, but I wouldn't be shocked if it's closer to 15-16 that retain their spot as the more established bench players that under-performed early in his tenure are jettisoned. But then if the players that emerged at the Gold Cup struggle in the fall friendlies, what does Poch do then?
I am sure once we get to the draw, Canada will be the seeded team everyone is hoping to get grouped with. I can't argue with that sentiment.