No one knows for sure whether Benito Floro made it onto Santa’s “nice” list in 2014.
But one thing is for sure – Canada’s head coach has a long list of things he’s hoping that jolly old St. Nick (or, perhaps, the soccer gods) can deliver to him as he looks ahead to 2015.
While none of the items on this wish list will fit under a tree or into a stocking, Floro and Canada’s long-suffering fans would surely be glad to receive any or all of them – especially with the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the start of World Cup qualifying coming up in the next six months.
Consistent goal-scoring
It’s no secret that finding the back of the net has been Canada’s Achilles heel for many years. That attacking impotence has reached critical levels over the past 24 months, a period in which Les Rouges have found the scoresheet in just four of their 18 matches. The top item on Floro’s wish list will be finding a way for his team to score more often, whether through a change in tactics, a change in personnel or simply a change in luck.
Get some fence-sitters down off the fence – and into Canadian colors
The names are well known by now – Junior Hoilett, Fraser Aird, Lucas Cavallini, Tesho Akindele and others – and so is the story: Canadian-born players who either have yet to commit to Canada or who have turned down national team call-ups recently. Each individual situation is different, but adding one or more of these names to Canada’s talent pool would provide an immediate boost.
Success at the U-20 World Cup
Optimism is running high after Canada’s Under-20 team rattled off a trio of impressive results in November. But the true tests will come in January during the CONCACAF U-20 Championship and then, hopefully, the U-20 World Cup May-June in New Zealand. Canada have not appeared at the U-20 World Cup since a disastrous run as hosts in 2007, but getting back to that stage would provide some crucial big-game experience for promising youngsters such as Michael Petrasso, Marco Bustos and Hanson Boakai.
A full recovery for Will Johnson
The 27-year-old Portland Timbers captain is recovering from a broken leg suffered during a league match in September. Though he has not featured regularly under Floro, Johnson will have a crucial role to play in the Canadian midfield as World Cup qualifying approaches. Given that the sad story of Josh Simpson – who broke his leg just before qualifying for Brazil 2014 began and has not played since – still looms large in Canadian soccer, everyone associated with Les Rouges will be keeping their fingers crossed for Johnson.
Fewer Canadian regulars playing for Unattached FC
While every national team finds itself calling up unattached players now and again, it’s such a fixture up north that Canadian fans often joke that “Unattached FC” is the national team’s best feeder club. All joking aside, if Floro is to continue calling up players such as Julian de Guzman and Adam Straith, it’d really be swell for everyone involved if they could supplement their national team time with a steady club situation. Speaking of which …
Minutes, minutes, minutes
It’s the classic conundrum: Is it better for players to get sporadic playing time with top clubs or be regular contributors at lower levels? Floro and his predecessor, Stephen Hart, have both spoken of their desire to have their squad playing regularly at their clubs, so Floro will be hoping that in 2015, his Canadian charges find a way to play as many minutes as possible, wherever they may happen to be employed.
Successful progress through World Cup qualifying, and a berth in the Copa América Centenario
At the end of the day, Floro’s main wish will be that his team can get wins when they matter the most – in World Cup qualifying and the Gold Cup. Perhaps it’s overly optimistic to expect both of these goals to be accomplished – but hey, if Floro has been extra nice this year, Santa just might deliver.
