Toronto FC: TFC 2024 Season \ Canada Soccer: MLS Refocus

[PanniniClaus]

He played more advanced for Marsch then he has in the past, but he is not an out and out LW like you are describing. For Preston though he played more as a left midfielder/ LWB and has much more defensive duties. That's partially why I think he keeps getting picked. Millar tracks back well and provides support on the left. It makes it easier for Davies to overlap/carry the ball with that coverage.

In terms of his play, it was mid. At 24 though, there is no reason to pile on him. Still has room to grow.

You touched on it. When Millar is on the field you see Davies try to overlap and work combos with him and he knows that once he gets deep, Millar already starts to cover.

You do not see much of Davies going forward with Shaff in. Different styles of play. Millar's first touch was actually excellent... possibly the best of any Canadian attacker. His shooting and crosses lacked precision.. Against Peru he tried to go inside against the double team which is where he should have tried to link with someone else or cross earlier.

Tajon's start was actually very poor. No one seems to know what he will do.. He doesn't get to the byline much for crosses, doesn't link up with the an overlapping RB.. (Johnston doesn't push forward as much)/ Taj doesn't cut in as he would be on his left for a shot. The only attacking play he seems to pull off is if a forward make a run in behind and he can hit him with a short ball. We still end up out of shooting range so the forward has much to do.

Tajon's sub appearance was better... he did get a dangerous ball in.

Hoilett is not as fast anymore as any of these guys but he has far more variety. Can shoot from distance, can hit a pinpoint pass.

I thought Ahmed looked great and showed some of the stuff he showed in his first season... He absolutely needs to leave the Whitecaps for a smaller Euro club. Norway, Denmark or Sweden. All would be an upgrade.

 

[robertmac43]

He's played LW all the time and has played LW for the past how many years he's been on the Canadian team, don't know what you're talking about he most defiantly is a LW and plays there 90% of the time. If he's there for his defensive purposes then use him as a LB... You don't use LW's for their defensive game you use them for their attacking game because at the end of the day that's what they are there to do.

His play was below mid and this wasn't something that just happened in the copa america he's been on the team for awhile now and plays below mid all the time.

This isn't a video game man, it's not as simple as "LW attacks, LB defends" Millar is not there to solely attack. He is there to press, cover for Davies, play combinations on the left, and recycle the ball centrally when the left side doesn't have a clear attacking route. He isn't an all out attacking player and never has been....

Once again, he played a lot of LM/LWB this past season in Preston, but I guess you don't follow his club career at all .....

Hoilett is not as fast anymore as any of these guys but he has far more variety. Can shoot from distance, can hit a pinpoint pass.

We were missing him desperately at times this tournament. Hoillet's creativity against a 10-man side would have been a major asset.

 

[NJG]

This isn't a video game man, it's not as simple as "LW attacks, LB defends" Millar is not there to solely attack. He is there to press, cover for Davies, play combinations on the left, and recycle the ball centrally when the left side doesn't have a clear attacking route. He isn't an all out attacking player and never has been....

Once again, he played a lot of LM/LWB this past season in Preston, but I guess you don't follow his club career at all .....


We were missing him desperately at times this tournament. Hoillet's creativity against a 10-man side would have been a major asset.

Like I said just because a coach plays him as a LWB doesn't make him a LWB... He has played LW majority of his career because that's his position. And no I don't tend to take interest in watching horrible players at club level where it doesn't matter and teams aren't even giving 100% all the time as opposed to big games/tournaments where teams are actually trying all the time and that same player never shows up.

You do realize everything you just mentioned that he is "there to do" is exactly the job of anyone who plays LW in any league right? they just also provide offense as well. No coach just let's a LW stay forward and not come back to defend or tells them to go forward when the LB pushes up it's a pretty basic rule in any sport when your teammate pushes up you cover for them and vice versa. If you're using a LW to get your LB involved then your LB should be the one playing LW.

 

[robertmac43]

Like I said just because a coach plays him as a LWB doesn't make him a LWB... He has played LW majority of his career because that's his position. And no I don't tend to take interest in watching horrible players at club level where it doesn't matter and teams aren't even giving 100% all the time as opposed to big games/tournaments where teams are actually trying all the time and that same player never shows up.

I'm genuinely baffled at this. You say he has played LW for the majority of his career and then say you don't take interest in watching him? So your takes on him and any player outside of "Big games/tournaments" should not be taken seriously . You clearly don't know anything about the Championship, it's an incredibly hard league to succeed in due to the pace, physicality, and how hard players go.

You do realize everything you just mentioned that he is "there to do" is exactly the job of anyone who plays LW in any league right? they just also provide offense as well. No coach just let's a LW stay forward and not come back to defend or tells them to go forward when the LB pushes up it's a pretty basic rule in any sport when your teammate pushes up you cover for them and vice versa. If you're using a LW to get your LB involved then your LB should be the one playing LW.

The above just isn't true. Look at the difference in setup and player role between Millar and Shaff for example. Millar stays on the left to take and receive passes, Shaff runs at the back line more to look for passes in behind. A LW on Brighton has different responsibilities then Barca, City, Preston, Canada, Andora, etc. Coaches utilize their players and roles differently. For instance Salah doesn't need to track back as much at Liverpool as March does at Brighton...


I don't even know what to say for your last sentence, it's just out of touch.

 

[Bjindaho]

I'm genuinely baffled at this. You say he has played LW for the majority of his career and then say you don't take interest in watching him? So your takes on him and any player outside of "Big games/tournaments" should not be taken seriously . You clearly don't know anything about the Championship, it's an incredibly hard league to succeed in due to the pace, physicality, and how hard players go.

The above just isn't true. Look at the difference in setup and player role between Millar and Shaff for example. Millar stays on the left to take and receive passes, Shaff runs at the back line more to look for passes in behind. A LW on Brighton has different responsibilities then Barca, City, Preston, Canada, Andora, etc. Coaches utilize their players and roles differently. For instance Salah doesn't need to track back as much at Liverpool as March does at Brighton...


I don't even know what to say for your last sentence, it's just out of touch.

Also, he's played the equivalent of 15 matches worth of minutes over his 31 appearances in 7 competitions.

 

[jetsforever]

If Núñez is out that could be helpful

 

[NJG]

I'm genuinely baffled at this. You say he has played LW for the majority of his career and then say you don't take interest in watching him? So your takes on him and any player outside of "Big games/tournaments" should not be taken seriously . You clearly don't know anything about the Championship, it's an incredibly hard league to succeed in due to the pace, physicality, and how hard players go.

The above just isn't true. Look at the difference in setup and player role between Millar and Shaff for example. Millar stays on the left to take and receive passes, Shaff runs at the back line more to look for passes in behind. A LW on Brighton has different responsibilities then Barca, City, Preston, Canada, Andora, etc. Coaches utilize their players and roles differently. For instance Salah doesn't need to track back as much at Liverpool as March does at Brighton...


I don't even know what to say for your last sentence, it's just out of touch.

You don't need to watch someone to know what position they like to play... Big games is when what you have to offer matters and what separates the average players from the stars.

And what i said is exactly true, just because the coach chooses to use him in a certain way like you claim he does, doesn't make him a good player, any player regardless if they are just fully offensive players or a mix of offense and defense can change their games a little bit and play how the coach wants them to play... Millar is not a unicorn. He was horrible every game for Canada I'm sorry if the facts hurt your feelings.

 

[Bjindaho]

You don't need to watch someone to know what position they like to play... Big games is when what you have to offer matters and what separates the average players from the stars.

And what i said is exactly true, just because the coach chooses to use him in a certain way like you claim he does, doesn't make him a good player, any player regardless if they are just fully offensive players or a mix of offense and defense can change their games a little bit and play how the coach wants them to play... Millar is not a unicorn. He was horrible every game for Canada I'm sorry if the facts hurt your feelings.

You have no idea what you are talking about.

We are talking about a 24 year old who is the 13th most used player on the Copa squad (and he'd be 14th if Hoilett was available.

Canada - Squad statistics

This is compact view of the national team of Canada with performance data of the competition Copa América 2024 .

www.transfermarkt.us

Also, Johnston didn't look particularly good a couple of years ago before his transfer to Celtic, but getting better competition has grown his game by leaps and bounds.

Players can get better (and hopefully they will). Also, if more young players have better opportunities, there will be more competition for these spots.

Edit: If you factor in Tajon (who was trending up and would likely have ended up with more minutes, he'd be 14th on the Copa squad. Also, Canada has much bigger dropoffs at other positions between the starter and backup (even if you consider that Shaffelburg has been playing at an extremely high level).

One of the big concerns moving forward is Laryea, Osorio, and Larin are all 29+ and approaching their last legs. While Canada seems to have a few CM options, their FB pool is thin (unless de Fougerolles plays FB and hits the ground running). Up front, Canada has relied on Larin for so long that they haven't really given a whole lot of opportunities to other strikers (other than David). At some point, the striker pool has to become 3 or 4 deep if Canada wants to really take another step.

 

[NJG]

You have no idea what you are talking about.

We are talking about a 24 year old who is the 13th most used player on the Copa squad (and he'd be 14th if Hoilett was available.

Canada - Squad statistics

This is compact view of the national team of Canada with performance data of the competition Copa América 2024 .

www.transfermarkt.us

Also, Johnston didn't look particularly good a couple of years ago before his transfer to Celtic, but getting better competition has grown his game by leaps and bounds.

Players can get better (and hopefully they will). Also, if more young players have better opportunities, there will be more competition for these spots.

If you think Millar is a good player you have no idea what you're talking about. Just because he's the 14th most used player doesn't make him good... Coaches can make bad decisions and play average players, that doesn't make them good players.... There's a reason why no big teams are lining up to sign him even after the World Cup and even now. Like you said right "14th most used player" so many big teams had their chance to see him in action and none of them we're clearly impressed either.

Johnston wasn't bad for a "good couple of years" if that was the case he would of never had the opportunity to go to Celtic.

 

[Bjindaho]

If you think Millar is a good player you have no idea what you're talking about. Just because he's the 14th most used player doesn't make him good... Coaches can make bad decisions and play average players, that doesn't make them good players.... There's a reason why no big teams are lining up to sign him even after the World Cup and even now. Like you said right "14th most used player" so many big teams had their chance to see him in action and none of them we're clearly impressed either.

Johnston wasn't bad for a "good couple of years" if that was the case he would of never had the opportunity to go to Celtic.

Again, you are completely missing the point.

The quality of Canada's 14th best player is not high enough for where Canada wants to be. I think everyone can agree on that.

Where we disagree is your complete presumption that Millar can't improve. He could become a decent player.

And you are completely off on Johnston. He had a lot of the same struggles as Millar. The thing is that a lot of the things that Millar is struggling with would improve with reps at a higher level. And if Canada is as ambitious as we hope, he won't be part of the squad if he doesn't improve.

Something to keep in mind, is that we are only a couple of years removed from the dark days where a Liam Millar would be in the top 10 for usage. If Canada can continue the progress, there is a possibility where a current Osorio/Laryea/Larin level player might be 14/15 on the squad in a couple of years.

 

[NJG]

Again, you are completely missing the point.

The quality of Canada's 14th best player is not high enough for where Canada wants to be. I think everyone can agree on that.

Where we disagree is your complete presumption that Millar can't improve. He could become a decent player.

And you are completely off on Johnston. He had a lot of the same struggles as Millar. The thing is that a lot of the things that Millar is struggling with would improve with reps at a higher level. And if Canada is as ambitious as we hope, he won't be part of the squad if he doesn't improve.

Something to keep in mind, is that we are only a couple of years removed from the dark days where a Liam Millar would be in the top 10 for usage. If Canada can continue the progress, there is a possibility where a current Osorio/Laryea/Larin level player might be 14/15 on the squad in a couple of years.

I'm not missing any point because that was my original point from my first post... He's not good, he's played for this team for years now and still hasn't improved and in the Copa America he was horrible... he had his opportunities so now it's time to try someone else and give someone else that same opportunity.

I never said he couldn't improve, I'm saying he's had more then enough time to prove something and he hasn't so now it's someone else's turn to get a shot. You have to use other players to see what you have you can't keep running the same 16 players all the time.

 

[Bjindaho]

I'm not missing any point because that was my original point from my first post... He's not good, he's played for this team for years now and still hasn't improved and in the Copa America he was horrible... he had his opportunities so now it's time to try someone else and give someone else that same opportunity.

I never said he couldn't improve, I'm saying he's had more then enough time to prove something and he hasn't so now it's someone else's turn to get a shot. You have to use other players to see what you have you can't keep running the same 16 players all the time.

He's the 3rd choice LW. While Hoilett is getting older, the only other LW who has played in the past two years is Nelson (who is 21 and playing for Rosenburg professionally). If he doesn't improve, Nelson will catch and pass him.

Also, Koleosho is 19 and with Burnley in the Championship as another guy who will push the LW depth (though he hasn't been capped).

 

[robertmac43]

You don't need to watch someone to know what position they like to play... Big games is when what you have to offer matters and what separates the average players from the stars.

And what i said is exactly true, just because the coach chooses to use him in a certain way like you claim he does, doesn't make him a good player, any player regardless if they are just fully offensive players or a mix of offense and defense can change their games a little bit and play how the coach wants them to play... Millar is not a unicorn. He was horrible every game for Canada I'm sorry if the facts hurt your feelings.

You actually kind of do need to watch games to understand a players position/role... Big games are important but for judging quality, a larger sample size across an entire season is much more important.

The point i'm trying to make is that the coach clearly has a way in which he wants Millar to play. It's less free flowing and more of a stabilizer on the left side to give Davies more room to roam.

There is also nothing pointing towards Millar being as poor as you are making him sound. My guess is you only heard about him recently and wanted to find a scapegoat for losing to the world #1 team twice in 2 weeks.

I never said he couldn't improve, I'm saying he's had more then enough time to prove something and he hasn't so now it's someone else's turn to get a shot. You have to use other players to see what you have you can't keep running the same 16 players all the time.

Okay so let's go with your crap for a bit. Millar is trash and the next 3 options to replace him are? In your opinion....

 

[fancy lad]

Apparently there won’t be any suspensions to Uruguay for the third place game? I have read this in a few places. Suspensions will take place for World Cup qualifying? Seems odd that something like that happpens and they play the next game like everything is all normal.

 

[ACC1224]

Apparently there won’t be any suspensions to Uruguay for the third place game? I have read this in a few places. Suspensions will take place for World Cup qualifying? Seems odd that something like that happpens and they play the next game like everything is all normal.

Were they not given red cards because the game was over?

 

[al secord]

Apparently there won’t be any suspensions to Uruguay for the third place game? I have read this in a few places. Suspensions will take place for World Cup qualifying? Seems odd that something like that happpens and they play the next game like everything is all normal.

World Cup qualifiers are a bigger blow to them than a 3rd place copa game....especially if it's a multi game suspension, which I assume it will be.

 

[fancy lad]

World Cup qualifiers are a bigger blow to them than a 3rd place copa game....especially if it's a multi game suspension, which I assume it will be.

Oh I know. I was just hoping for more of a competitive advantage for Canada lol.

 

[Bjindaho]

Were they not given red cards because the game was over?

No, officially the only red card given out was to Guillermo Varela (their RB).

The answer is likely that the investigation won't be done in time.

Edit: Also something to keep in mind is that while they would normally want to request that the red cards be put in place for anyone involved under normal conditions (to ensure that the 3rd place game is game 1), the precedent on Nunez suggests that he will a suspension based on time vs games (meaning that they have no incentive the punishment).

 

[al secord]

Oh I know. I was just hoping for more of a competitive advantage for Canada lol.

Oh for sure. Bigger question, how have they not been arrested?? Even the Hanson brothers spent the night in jail.

 

[Burnie97]

1-1 at the half and Canada looking deeeeeecent. Let's f***ing go.

Get a couple more.

Canada in the right group at the world cup is looking like that have a shot.

 

[Burnie97]

Wow....
Keep this up and we're getting ready for the world cup.

 

[Burnie97]

That was such a bullshit yellow lol

 

[joepeps]

playing well but again we need to finish

yeaaah baby

 

[joepeps]

why are they pushing for another goal and exposing the back end???? makes no sense with mins left

 

[Burnie97]

f*** sakes. I thought that was offsidec earlier before the goal. Way off side but they didn't even look at that.

f***

Shootouts .. worst creation ever. Play until you die.