As far as years go, 2007 was a successful one for the Canadian men’s national soccer team. Canada had a winning year, coming to close to advancing to the Gold Cup final for only the second time in its history. Unfortunately, Canada could not finish 2007 on a high note. Despite fielding its top players against the second-string squad from South Africa, Canada lost to the hosts by a 2-0 scoreline.
From the opening kick-off, Canada was out-hustled and out-played by South Africa. Canadian goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld played well to keep the visiting team level, but he could not keep the ball out of the net forever. In the 39th minute, Teko Modise put a curling shot into the top corner of the goal, giving the African side a 1-0 lead. The home team doubled its lead to 2-0 right before halftime. After winning a somewhat controversial penalty kick, Modise slotted the ball past Hirschfeld for his second goal of the game. The scoreline at the half was indicative of the level of play, as South Africa had by far the best scoring chances in the opening 45 minutes.
Canada played a little better in the second frame. With impressive runs coming from such players as Tomasz Radzinski, Canada was able to win more corner kicks, allowing the visitors to get a bit closer to the South African goal. Despite such opportunities, the Canadians lacked the finish that was necessary to trouble Rowen Fernandez. The South African goalkeeper was hardly busy today, as he easily earned the clean sheet in the home side’s 2-0 victory.
After losing to the second-string squad of a country ranked 83rd in the world, a lot of questions must be raised concerning of the Canadian national team’s performance. First, why did Canada play so tentatively today? To anyone who watched last summer’s Gold Cup, it is quite clear that Canada thrives on an attacking style of play. Had Canada not played on its heels from the opening kick-off, the scoreline might have been reversed.
Second, why was Canada playing with a 4-5-1 formation? A 4-5-1 is a defensive formation that relies on excellent finishing from a lone striker and quality service from the midfield. In today’s contest, Canada had neither of the elements that were necessary to score goals. For future games, it might be in Dale Mitchell’s best interest to either switch to a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3 formation, or to play a taller target man up front. Iain Hume may be an excellent deep-lying forward, but he does not have the height needed to collect crosses close to the opposing goal. Had he been available, Rob Friend would have been a better choice for striker.
Lastly, why did the Canadian players completely lack chemistry today? Canada simply could not move the ball through the midfield against South Africa. Even national team regulars such as Atiba Hutchinson and Patrice Bernier struggled today, failing to connect on routine short passes. Without a midfield that is firing on all cylinders, Canada will have little chance of qualifying for the next World Cup.
Luckily for the Canadian national team, today’s match was just a friendly and it should not hurt the morale of the team over the long haul. Canada will have many opportunities to iron out its problems over the coming months. With a national team camp in January and friendlies sure to follow, the road to South Africa is far from over for the red and white. With proper preparation, there is no reason why Canada should not be playing in South Africa again in three years time.
