July 7, 2006 U-20 International Friendly Canada vs USA (from Sportsnet.ca News)

Canadian boys lose friendly to U.S.
July 07, 2006

Sportsnet.ca News

By Ryan Johnston
Sportsnet.ca

Toronto, ON -- Robbie Rogers and Josmer Altidore scored first-half goals to give the visiting American under-20 team a 2-1 win over Canada at the Rogers Centre on Friday night.

In what was certainly a prelude to the FIFA under-20 World Cup in Canada next summer, the visiting Americans opened the scoring thanks to a brilliant 31st minute strike from Rogers, a product of the University of Maryland. Canada looked to have cleared their end from danger, but Rogers intercepted a clearance attempt and beat Canadian goalkeeper David Monsalve from the edge of the 18-yard box.

With the Canadian team reeling, the U.S. went up 2-0 thanks to an individual effort from Altidore, who plays domestically for Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls. Altidore was initially stopped by Monsalve, but a fortuitous bounce allowed an easy tap-in for the striker.

"The goal (Rogers') was from a special player, and then we got the second from the big man from the Red Bulls," said American coach Thomas Rongen. "It was a tale of two different halves, we took our chances well."

Canadian head coach Dale Mitchell agreed with Rongen's assessment, pointing to the Canadians' lack of jump in the first 20 minutes as their downfall.

"I was very disappointed with the first half because the first thing you have to do when you play against team like the U.S. is compete against them physically because they're strong boys, athletic boys, they're also technically very good. That's why, in our region, they're the best under-20 team," Mitchell said.

Mitchell made several substitutions (six were allowed instead of the normal three) at the half, which seemed to inject life into the team. A faster, more athletic attack produced several quality runs from players like AJ Gray and Selvin Lammie. The Canadian persistence paid off in the 80th minute when a Gray cross deflected in to U.S. keeper Mike Gustavson's net off defender Julian Valentin for an own goal.

With the score 2-1, the Canadians pressed for an equalizer, but in the end it just became a case of too little, too late. Some great work around the box in the 89th minute by Canadian Gabe Gala allowed Lammie a free shot from close in, but he fired off the side netting.

Mitchell was pleased with the effort in the second half, giving credit to the speed of his attackers.

"We had a little bit more speed," he said. "We started to play a little bit more directly and get the ball in behind their defence."

The game showcased the calibre of talent that will be a part of the FIFA U-20 World Cup here in Canada, starting next July. The Canadian team was eliminated after the first round of the 2003 tournament, but in 2005 it faired much better in losing to powerhouse Spain in the quarter-finals.

"We need a lot of games like this, even if they end up being defeats, to get us ready for next year," said Mitchell. "We know that we'll have a team that can compete."

Canada plays the second game in the series against the U.S. on Sunday in Kingston, ON. Kickoff is set for Richardson Stadium at 7 p.m. ET.

NOTES: The game was played on the field turf at Rogers Centre, which Mitchell claimed changed his club's approach due to the difficulty of tackling on an unnatural surface … The announced crowd of 5,325 was deceptively small thanks to a Rogers Centre policy that prohibits the consumption of alcohol in the stands during an under-20 event, thus the concourse at the Rogers Centre was full of soccer fans drinking alcohol and watching the game on the television screens.

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