juneof86

I didn’t know that. That’s interesting. I try to see as many club matches as possible to keep tabs on the players, but the Belgian second flight is hard to catch. I’ve only seen him play there once and the level was a little better than I expected and he played well. I am very surprised he couldn’t get a better move than that. Poorer former MLS players than Fraser have played a lot in the Belgium top flight. He was dropped in September and with Osorio, Hutchinson and Wotherspoon returning to health I didn’t see how he would get in. But Deinze let him miss league play to join the pre-tournament camp and he didn’t start Friday, but came off the bench and played well - as he always does. Whenever he has been given an opportunity he’s done a job for us. I just wasn't sure there were enough midfield spots to go around. He has some size and is more of a defensive midfielder, but he’s not overly physical and he’s not really a ball-winner. What he does best is see the game well and as soon as he receives the ball, he knows where he wants to play it and he plays it quickly. I don’t know if the SPL would have been a good fit for him. I think he can play at a much higher level than the one he is at, but I don’t know if he would have been a good fit at St. Johnstone. I think he’d be better in the Netherlands or Portugal. He was sobbing when he called his parents to let them know he made it. I am gutted for Doneil Henry, a heart-and-soul leader, who was injured Friday to open the door for Fraser, but it was great to see Fraser’s emotional reaction.

I hope Wotherspoon actually wears 8 at the tournament. Liam Fraser appears to have benefited from another late injury and Fraser has also often worn 8 and he has more caps than Spoony (which I wouldn't have guessed), so Fraser has first right to it if he wants it. [edit] Yeah Fraser has 8 and looks like Spoony has 24.

That's wonderful news. It was a bit of a sentimental pick, but I was hoping he would make the 26. At the end of the day, none of the younger players did enough and a lot of the fringe players were poor in the friendly Friday. I thought Spoony looked good again today. He had some nice touches - particularly the goal - he looks quick closing down, I think he could give Canada 60 or 70 minutes if he had to. The official announcement is at 3 p.m. tomorrow afternoon your time. I am off to Qatar Friday. I don't know why any neutrals would be making the trip, but if you are there's some Canadian events being organized through the opening round, any Saints supporter would be more than welcome.

I think his chances are on the rise every week. And I think he’ll get named to the squad Sunday. Realistically I think there’s two spots left up for grabs. Canada’s best reserve defender was just injured, so that maybe changes some plans in the back. So I think maybe a third reserve central defender will be named which to my mind is probably not necessary, but we may want the extra cover. I thought the other spot would go to an attacking wide player (which, to be fair, is a role Spoony has played for us) or even two wingers, but I don’t think any of the three young players contending for that spot have done much this fall to stake a claim. Canada plays Bahrain on Friday with a (nearly) all-NA based squad. Between that camp and the friendly, maybe someone plays their way into the 26th spot (particularly a wide left player given Alphonso Davies’ injury), but Spoony’s versatility helps him. Ultimately, I think it’s very unlikely that either of these last two players see the pitch, so having someone who is good in the change room probably has some value. The team unity of this group has been a big reason for our success and Spoony was with us from the start. He did make the flight over to Toronto for the match when Canada qualified. That says a lot about him as a man and the group. I’ve only caught a little of him this season (if I knew he was going to start v Rangers I would have gotten up before dawn to watch), but to me he looks quicker and sharper than I expected. He looks pretty close to fit. Certainly not 90-minutes fit, but very close to his normal level. What do you folks think?

At the moment Tunisia are ahead of Canada, but if Canada win in Panama they move into Pot 3. I was thinking the lads may still be drunk when they took to the pitch in Panama City, but thanks to Ghana and Tunisia (and I suppose Mali), the door is open, so hopefully they're motivated Wednesday. Baring something shocking happening to either the US or Mexico, Canada/Tunisia is the only question still left in terms of the pots. I thought Algeria got their just deserts for focusing on literally everything but the job at hand in added time...

Spoony flew in to be part of the celebrations Sunday and got a good ovation in Toronto. I think that speaks to his status in the squad. I agree with senorsoupe though, he’s going to be in tough. I think the last couple of squad places are totally up for grabs. There are a couple of young players coming back from serious injury, a couple of very promising teenagers, and a few promising players who haven’t committed to Canada yet who all could push some squad regulars. Wotherspoon’s versatility and his involvement in the group through qualifying are both big marks in his favour. They aren’t going to break up the chemistry of this group much, if at all, in the next six months.

Canada v Jamaica Sunday at BMO Field in Toronto. 37 years of waiting and it was bitterly cold and perfect.

Looking forward to seeing how Bair gets on in Scotland. Nice to have another Canadian to follow at McDiarmid Park. I've watched him a lot over the years and I hope this is the opportunity he's been needing. He looked like he had real potential and then he got stuck on a Vancouver side that doesn't play their own youth players and were also playing a dire, defensive style that didn't suit anyone, but really made playing up front a thankless task. Bair would get a rare appearance and then be trying to close down the back four as they knocked it around and trying to do something with clearances vaguely aimed in his direction. That being said he got a chance to have a bigger role for the Canadian U23s in Olympic qualifying and had a really poor tournament. I was thinking he might just not amount to much and maybe the lack of playing time when he was 20 and 21 had held him back, but it looks like he did better in Norway as his side won promotion, so hopefully he'll continue to improve. It's hard to understate just how big of a man he is. That photo of him has to be really old because his hair hasn't been that short in years. And, his full first name is Thelonious (as in Monk), do with that what you will.

Definitely not shite. He has rarely played his natural position as a professional and I am unsure about his fit for Scottish football. So I am very cautious about how I think he might get on. I hope he adapts well to the pace of the SPL and that his game fits well with how Dundee wants to play (I say this having no idea what that is), but this is an unexpected landing spot.

I am going to slightly disagree with senorsoupe, I think Chapman is ideally a playmaking, attacking midfielder, but he rarely got to play that role in MLS. In Toronto he was always behind a very expensive No. 10 (if not 2 very expensive 10s) and in Miami they had Rodolfo Pizzaro (who was controversially left off Mexico’s squad for Russia) and Blaise Matuidi. I was shocked that he started 13 matches last season. Inter Miami were such a mess that they spent $6M on a young Argentine Pellegrini in that position and then signed Matuidi and Gonzalo Higuain and weren’t able to use Pellegrini because of the salary rules and had to loan him out. Chapman is tall for a midfielder, but he’s not a physical player. He’s got some skill and keeps things ticking along. I have no idea how he is going to fare in the SPL. It seems like an odd fit for him in terms of style of play, but he has a bit of quality and I want to see how he does if he is tasked with providing that final ball. His dad is English, so surely the work permit shouldn’t be an issue. I wouldn’t read too much into his international appearances. Canada has annual January camp with the Scandanavian players on break and the MLS players in the off-season. It always features a few new faces or players on the fringe of the squad and a closed-door friendly to end the camp that is a glorified training match. In his debut, Canada subbed keepers at half, the debutant keeper hit the post in the 55th, went off and Canada finished with a defender in goal and still won 4-2. In his last appearance in 2020 he only appeared in one of the two matches against Barbados and didn’t feature in the “proper” match against Iceland.

I liked what I've seen of Paton with County and was happy to see him earn the call-up. Unfortunately, the covid scare really limited his chances to make an impression. This was really his chance to make a case to be a squad option in case of injury or suspension for the last stage of qualifying and unfortunately I think it's gone now after being in quarantine for the group stage. I was really hoping to see him get on the pitch at some point in the tournament, but it's hard to imagine it happening now. Should be fun tonight, full crowd of 72,000 in Houston for Mexico v Canada.

I am assuming Wotherspoon asked to be left off. A few of the veterans gave the tournament a pass which makes sense to me, we have matches that really matter in September and it's been a long 14 months for everyone. Canada has two midfielders who may not be involved in qualifying or may not be involved for every match, but if they are both available then I think Spoony is going to be hard-pressed to make the squad when World Cup qualifying resumes. With his form from last year and his character I would include him, but there is a lot of competition for the last couple of squad places. I hope he starts the year brightly for Saints and stays healthy.

Wotherspoon is not on Canada's provisional 40-man roster for the Gold Cup. Also Alphonso Davies (who is left-footed, but plays on the right for his club) passed his citizenship test this morning and is flying out to join the team. It seems unlikely Wotherspoon is going to be involved any time soon. Thanks for the reply about the Europa League. It's incredible how early it starts. cheers, matthew

For a friendly it doesn't matter at all. Official matches get more complicated depending on your situation. Immigrants generally do need a passport and citizenship. And after Qatar gave citizenship to every Brazilian in their league, FIFA mandates a residency requirement now too. But for players who qualify through their parents or grandparents, I don't believe they need an actual passport to play (I could be wrong). The other small hurdle for Wotherspoon is that since he had Scottish youth caps, he would have to officially change his citizenship with FIFA (assuming one of those caps came in an official match and not a friendly), which isn't terribly complicated, but needs to be done. Is it normal for St. Johnstone (or other clubs) to have such a short close season? It seems preposterous to me. The season is long enough. You would think a month away from the pitch would do them more benefit than the extra training. cheers, matthew

Not yet. All of the talk today was about Ballou Tabla declining a call-up again, Hutchinson taking an international hiatus and a few other players who weren't called. I don't think most people have heard of Wotherspoon or are aware he is eligible for us. I didn't read anything about the status of Bryan Cristante from Atalanta and I know the new manager flew to Italy a few weeks ago to talk to him. We have to name a 40-man provisional roster for the Gold Cup fairly soon and that often has some a few names that are more wishful thinking than reality (Fraser Aird was on one of those 40-man rosters a couple of years before he decided to come back to Canada after getting youth caps with Scotland). So I think it will be telling whether Wotherspoon is on that preliminary roster at all. cheers, matthew