Canada-based TWTD Message Boarder Readtheleaguetable watched Canada's 1-0 defeat in Greece this afternoon, replete with our very own Craig Forrest providing the analysis, and says Jaime Peters impressed as he won his 24th international cap.
Paul Jewell may have decided that Jaime Peters is not a right-back, but Canadian coach Stephen Hart has decided that he is. Jaime was selected on the right of a very inexperienced back four for Canada in their friendly in Greece today against a team a mere 70 places above them in the national rankings.
It was a wet field in unappetising weather for an afternoon kick-off for a ‘nothing game’, but there was still a noisy sell-out crowd.
The MLS players for Canada are of course in mid off-season, and a number of European- based players cried off with the kind of injuries Arsene Wenger approves of, so it was very much a makeshift side assembled by Hart in his preparations for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Detroit later this year.
However, Peters played the whole game at right back while former Spurs man Paul Stalteri remained on the bench and he turned in a performance which surely impressed his coach and Canadian fans.
The consensus on the Canadian Voyageurs fanzine after the game was that Peters, Toronto’s Dwayne De Rosario and Turkish-based Josh Simpson were the stand-out performers for a Canadian team which threatened rarely and conceded a howler goal, but competed determinedly and effectively against a much more experienced and integrated outfit.
One measure of the relative preparedness: Greece dressed 23 players and used 17 of them, whereas Canada dressed only 16 and eventually fielded all of them except Stalteri.
Canada fell 1-0 behind to a second half goal from Fetfatzidis after a schoolboy clearance by left-back Adam Straith, who plays for Bundesliga side Energie Cottbus. Greece also had a goal disallowed for offside and debutant goalie Milan Borjan made a couple of brave saves, but the Greeks were unimpressive in front of goal.
De Rosario had one brilliant freekick effort for Canada and Simpson and Atiba Hutchinson pulled long range efforts wide.
Hertha Berlin’s Rob Friend came off the bench to miss a late sitter, but the Greeks were the better team throughout and were worthy winners.
The East Anglian connection of Peters and Simeon Jackson combined well on the right, and Peters got forward often and delivered a couple of excellent crosses, one of which was left-footed from near the right corner flag and had the Greek goalie flailing.
If Paul Jewell was watching, Carlos Edwards might be moved back up to the wing in the near future.