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CANADA CAN'T WEATHER THE STORM
The Globe and Mail
March 1, 2012 Thursday
Amid 'monsoon' conditions, national team starts well against Armenia
before getting blown away
Canada started brightly but eventually paid the price for some slack
play as Marcos Pizzelli scored twice to give Armenia a 3-1 win in a
soccer exhibition here Wednesday.
Captain Kevin McKenna gave Canada a fifth-minute lead at Tsirio
Stadium but the Armenians took control as the game wore on and had
far more scoring chances.
Armenia is ranked No. 41 in the world, compared to No. 71 for Canada.
"We still have a lot of work to do but I'm really happy we played
this game because the quality of the opposition, the way they played,
the speed at which they played at was fast," coach Stephen Hart said.
"Something we badly needed. We looked like a team that has not played
in four months."
The Canadians came into the match riding a seven-game unbeaten string.
Their last loss was 2-0 to the United States in Detroit last June.
"We started out quite well and I think we got a bit optimistic there.
They were a lot better team than I personally thought," admitted
forward Iain Hume, who came on as a second half substitute. "I think
3-1 was a fair score."
Armenia failed to quality for Euro 2012 but still managed a 5-3-2
record in finishing third in its group behind Russia and Ireland. And
the Armenians led the group in scoring with 22 goals.
Armenia showed flashes of its attacking skill against Canada, probing
the defence with runs and passes. But its finishing was sub-par on
the day.
Despite the score, Hart was pleased with the play of both his
goalkeepers.
"Now you have decent competition in the goalkeeping department. We
still have a lot of work to," said Hart, who did not summon regular
'keeper Lars Hirschfeld.
Armenia brought 31 players to its Cyprus camp, using a different
lineup in a 2-0 loss to No. 25 Serbia on Tuesday. Hart's 18-man squad
featured 16 European-based players.
It was Canada's first game since a November win over St. Kitts and
Nevis in World Cup qualifying play.
Canada plays an exhibition against the United States in Toronto in
June before opening the next round of World Cup qualifying.
The weather in Toronto in June should certainly be much better than
what the Canadian team faced over its three days in Cyprus.
"We've been here since Sunday in ridiculous conditions," Hume said.
"It's been monsoon weather. It's been tough to train in and tough
to really get anything out of the training but we started really
well tonight."
The Globe and Mail
March 1, 2012 Thursday
Amid 'monsoon' conditions, national team starts well against Armenia
before getting blown away
Canada started brightly but eventually paid the price for some slack
play as Marcos Pizzelli scored twice to give Armenia a 3-1 win in a
soccer exhibition here Wednesday.
Captain Kevin McKenna gave Canada a fifth-minute lead at Tsirio
Stadium but the Armenians took control as the game wore on and had
far more scoring chances.
Armenia is ranked No. 41 in the world, compared to No. 71 for Canada.
"We still have a lot of work to do but I'm really happy we played
this game because the quality of the opposition, the way they played,
the speed at which they played at was fast," coach Stephen Hart said.
"Something we badly needed. We looked like a team that has not played
in four months."
The Canadians came into the match riding a seven-game unbeaten string.
Their last loss was 2-0 to the United States in Detroit last June.
"We started out quite well and I think we got a bit optimistic there.
They were a lot better team than I personally thought," admitted
forward Iain Hume, who came on as a second half substitute. "I think
3-1 was a fair score."
Armenia failed to quality for Euro 2012 but still managed a 5-3-2
record in finishing third in its group behind Russia and Ireland. And
the Armenians led the group in scoring with 22 goals.
Armenia showed flashes of its attacking skill against Canada, probing
the defence with runs and passes. But its finishing was sub-par on
the day.
Despite the score, Hart was pleased with the play of both his
goalkeepers.
"Now you have decent competition in the goalkeeping department. We
still have a lot of work to," said Hart, who did not summon regular
'keeper Lars Hirschfeld.
Armenia brought 31 players to its Cyprus camp, using a different
lineup in a 2-0 loss to No. 25 Serbia on Tuesday. Hart's 18-man squad
featured 16 European-based players.
It was Canada's first game since a November win over St. Kitts and
Nevis in World Cup qualifying play.
Canada plays an exhibition against the United States in Toronto in
June before opening the next round of World Cup qualifying.
The weather in Toronto in June should certainly be much better than
what the Canadian team faced over its three days in Cyprus.
"We've been here since Sunday in ridiculous conditions," Hume said.
"It's been monsoon weather. It's been tough to train in and tough
to really get anything out of the training but we started really
well tonight."