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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 42m

-Lastly, the goalkeeper battle remains pretty close to dead-even, but it helped Dayne St. Clair's case to make that big save he did at the end. While I wondered if Marsch would make a decision on his goalkeepers by the end of next window, I wonder if that gets bumped to March now...

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 42m

-Credit to Niko Sigur and Luc De Fougerolles for bounceback performances last night. For young players, that's no small feat, but it shows once again - while they're two players for the future, it's becoming harder and harder to leave them out of current plans

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 42m

-It feels like Ismaël Koné and Stephen Eustáquio cemented themselves as the first choice midfield duo yesterday. There will be lots of room for Nathan Saliba/Mathieu Choinière/Niko Sigur to push them, but that Koné/Eustáquio duo were excellent. Gives Canada clarity in midfield

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 42m

Some things that stood out:
-I thought Jesse Marsch's comments on Richie Laryea were very interesting. I have to feel that when everyone is healthy, he leads Alistair Johnston in the race at RB, with Alphonso Davies going in at LB, and the winger pair of Ali Ahmed and Tajon Buchanan staying in

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 46m

It was a solid October window for the #CanMNT, as they put in 2 good performances vs. Australia and Colombia

They didn't win or score, but they were strong defensively and continued to develop their identity

I dive into that, and more, in my window takeaways👇
onesoccer.ca/a/key-takeaw...

KEY TAKEAWAYS: What we learned from the CanMNT’s friendlies vs. Australia, Colombia

What did we learn from the CanMNT's two matches vs. Australia and Colombia? We dive in.

onesoccer.ca

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 20h

Those are the sorts of risks that can pay off, as the best teams flood the box and create 2v1s all over the field

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 20h

Oh yeah it’s far from a bad result - definitely encouraging that Canada held them to a draw. Just felt like the game was there for Canada to take - and they’ll need to tale those chances next summer

For overlaps, you just have to be strategic, you can have some plays where just your RB goes up

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 20h

It's interesting, because in this 🇨🇴 game, I thought the #CanMNT's final third entries were quite good, but they looked lost once they got there

One thing I felt was missing this window was a lack of wide overlaps, but there was also a lack of movement in attack and not enough numbers in the box

Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 20h

For the 1st time since the 2024 Copa América, the #CanMNT have failed to score in back-to-back games

Yet, they conceded just 1 in 2 games vs. 🇦🇺and🇨🇴 despite their defensive injuries

The press+defence continues to be quite strong under Jesse Marsch, but the attack remains inconsistent at the moment

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 20h

For the 1st time since the 2024 Copa América, the #CanMNT have failed to score in back-to-back games

Yet, they conceded just 1 in 2 games vs. 🇦🇺and🇨🇴 despite their defensive injuries

The press+defence continues to be quite strong under Jesse Marsch, but the attack remains inconsistent at the moment

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 22h

I think he just wants to augment the depth, and this helps them both do that (and by extension pushes Waterman and Miller). So a bit of column A and column B!

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 23h

📸🇨🇦

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 23h

Of course, there are still some big auditions - Oluwaseyi up front, St. Clair in goal, and Niko Sigur at RB (in context of the mistake he made on Friday)

Otherwise, hopefully the #CanMNT can have a strong game defensively given what they're up against - from there, it'll be good to see some offence

Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 23h

The #CanMNT XI is out for tonight's friendly vs. 🇨🇴

Looks like:
DSC
Sigur-LDF-Cornelius-Laryea
Eustáquio-Koné
Buchanan-Ahmed
Oluwaseyi-J.David

4 changes from 🇦🇺 for a big test. Looks close to a first-choice XI (with what's available), having Eustáquio back in will be key, in particular

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 1d

Since the start of 2023, they've got a record of 17W-11D-8L if you count shootouts as draws - if not, that record shifts to 18W-7D-11L if you factor the results of the shootouts

11 matches were friendlies, the other 25 were competitive (Gold Cup x8, Nations League x10, Copa x6, Copa qualifier x1)

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 1d

Some interesting news came out last night (h/t @joshuakloke.bsky.social) about the #CanMNT's next prospective dual national - CB Alfie Jones

So what to make of Jones?

I dove in for OS, looking at what Jones can bring and the shifting reality for dual nationals like him
onesoccer.ca/a/prospectiv...

Prospective commit Alfie Jones an example of changing reality for CanMNT dual nationals

onesoccer.ca

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Reposted by Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic

Joshua Kloke @joshuakloke.bsky.social · 1d

Canada's October window is one of the final chances for players to earn World Cup roster spots.

And they could welcome a new dual national into the mix, changing the outlook with less than eight months to go.

What I'm hearing on #CANMNT's roster battles, at @theathleticfc.bsky.social

What I’m hearing: Inside Canada’s roster battles as World Cup approaches

The battle for places on Jesse Marsch's Canada World Cup squad is hotting up

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic

Josh Healey @joshrjhealey.bsky.social · 2d

A result against Colombia could be the espresso shot @canmntofficial.bsky.social needs following an anti-climactic loss in Montréal. But they'll need to be at their best to find their form against Colombia's possession-hungry system.

My latest preview for @onesoccer.bsky.social.

MATCH PREVIEW: CanMNT look to bounce back in ‘challenge we’re excited about’ vs. formidable Colombia

The CanMNT take on Colombia in New Jersey on Tuesday night (Watch on OneSoccer & TSN starting at 7PM ET / 4PM PT) as Jesse Marsch's side continue their march toward preparing for the 2026 World Cup.

onesoccer.ca

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 2d

It’ll be interesting to see. In theory it should be a massive recruitment boost

In the CPL we’ve only seen Cavalry and Forge, but both were able to load up with impressive domestic and international signings because of that CCC pull.

But also those 2 are perennial CPL trophy contenders🤷‍♂️

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 2d

Correct! Byes are for the Carribean champion, Central American champion, Leagues Cup winner, one of the Liga MX winners (based on points) and the MLS Cuo winner

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 2d

Feel like her form should’ve had her in, especially over a Nichelle Prince for example. Prince always brings value to a frontline but hasn’t scored a bunch or played a lot of minutes

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 2d

Remarkable - the last place #CanPL side, Vancouver FC, is officially heading to the Concacaf Champions Cup!

There will now be 3 CPL teams in next year’s CCC - and 2 teams from the Lower Mainland with #VWFC back in a 4th straight tournament. Going to be fun 👀

Imagine seeing this months ago…

📸CCC

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 2d

We've got a #CanWNT/#CanXNT squad for the October window!

As expected, some new faces - Kaylee Hunter and Florianne Jourde are in, which is quite exciting. Lots of injuries again, so no Vanessa Gilles/Kadeisha Buchanan/Simi Awujo; and no Annabelle Chukwu due to NCAA commitments

No DB Pridham is🤔

CANWNT @canwnt.bsky.social · 2d

Our #CANWNT Roster for the October International Window is HERE! 🇨🇦 🆚🇨🇭🇳🇱

Read more: news.canadasoccer.com/canwnt-roste...

Join CanadaRED today to continue to support our Women’s National Team: canadared.canadasoccer.com

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 3d

Yeah I feel like we might not see that for a while, only problem with Promise is that while he’s dangerous he can sometimes be very static and not as lively up front. Sometimes he deals with that at USG, too. He’s a great supersub for Canada, but he’ll need a tad more of above to start

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 3d

I think it’s all about recognizing his role. For example last weekend he comes off the bench for Feyenoord and assists the winner - that could be a role that works for Canada. Come in against tired legs and make an impact. But as a starter it’s just not working for him

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Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic @alexgangueruzic.bsky.social · 3d

It depends on the game. He’s had some fantastic matches playing deeper, especially if the game is stretched or if there’s space between the lines

Against an Australia side with a 5-4-1… that’s where you’re bang on - you want David closer to goal, either on his own or with a clearer target #9