Colin Miller refuses to dwell on the past.
The interim coach of the Canadian men’s soccer team also refuses to slam his players for what many considered to be one of the side’s most embarrassing results.
Ever since Canada’s surprising 1-0 loss to Martinique Sunday at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, media pundits and fans alike have mercilessly raked Canada over the coals, comparing the setback against the tiny Caribbean nation to the infamous 8-1 loss to Honduras last October.
But for Miller, Sunday’s loss is behind him, and he’s clearly focused on Thursday’s contest against Mexico in Seattle, which he called a “terrific opportunity to try and get that result against Martinique out of our system.”
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“These are occasions that don’t happen very often in your career,” Miller said. “(The players) can’t be intimidated, so if they’re not motivated to play against these players then there’s something wrong.”
They better be motivated against Mexico if they have any hope of advancing to the next round.
The top two nations in each of the three opening round groups, along with the two-best third-place teams overall, move on to the quarter-finals.
Panama defeated Mexico 2-1 in its opening match, and is tied with Martinique for first place with three points apiece. A chance to pick up what should have been an easy three points against Martinique has passed, which means the Reds will have to win at least one of their remaining games, against Mexico or Panama on July 14 in Denver.
That’s no easy task, considering Mexico is ranked No. 20 in the current FIFA rankings (Canada is 88th) and that Panama is a rising power in the CONCACAF region.
The fact that Mexico is fielding a somewhat experimental side at this tournament (star forward Javier Hernandez of Manchester United is not on the roster) doesn’t mean it is any less dangerous, according to Miller.
“People will say it’s their ‘B team’ or ‘C team’. I could care less if it was their ‘Z team.’ Anyone who wears the Mexico (jersey) has got to have very high standard and very good quality,” Miller warned.
Miller argues there were positives to take away from Canada’s performance against Martinique.
He felt there were 10 to 15 sequences during the game when Canada effectively passed the ball, and that his wingers were able to get behind Martinique’s fullbacks and into dangerous areas.
However, he concedes that his team will have to be more aggressive in creating scoring chances in the final third of the field and get more shots on goal versus Mexico.
He also said that Canada’s final ball into the box has to better, and that his players have to show a “bit of craft, and bit of devilment that other teams seem to have.”
“We also have to try to get players up closer to the ball, get more bodies into the box so that we gave one or two more options when we get into that final third,” Miller explained.
That could be difficult, though, considering recent losses to the Canadian squad.
The Canadian Soccer Association confirmed Wednesday afternoon that captain Will Johnson returned home to Portland, Oregon, to recover from an undisclosed illness and that he won’t be available for the Mexico game.
The CSA said that Johnson remains on the team’s roster and he could potentially play Sunday against Panama “if he recovers sufficiently.”
Also on Wednesday, Miller confirmed winger Russell Teibert was questionable as he was suffering from a “fever and the shakes” and was being monitored by doctors.
All of this comes on the heels of Randy Edwini-Bonsu leaving the Canadian squad with a knee injury and fellow forward Simeon Jackson departing camp after signing a contract with a new pro club, Eintracht Braunschweig of the German Bundesliga.
Also, Miller originally named Nana Attakora to his 23-man roster, but the defender never reported to camp due to post-concussion symptoms.
A former star for Canada during his playing career, Miller has only called up one replacement, D.C. United forward Kyle Porter, so he’s dealing with a rather depleted squad.
“(Goalkeeping coach) Paul Dolan and myself are warming up, getting ready to go,” Miller quipped.
The loss of players from this camp just underlines Canada’s lack of quality and depth, a fact not lost on Miller.
“Some (players) have done reasonably well, some have done very well and some, if I’m being honest with you, haven’t been at this level yet,” said Miller. “Not everybody’s capable of going from club level football to international, particularly the younger players.”
With Jackson and Johnson gone, and Teibert questionable, look for Porter to start up front with Marcus Haber, and winger Tosaint Ricketts to get more involved in the attack.
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