Canada did not look especially bad against the United States during their 2-0 loss in their 2011 Gold Cup opener. But that didn't initially soothe the anger over at 86 Forever. No matter that the loss happened on American soil or that Canada rarely beats their southern neighbors. He wanted blood. Since then, however, he's calmed down a bit:
The cold light of dawn shines on a Canadian national team that's last in their group and yet in pretty good shape. They've proven, thoroughly and comprehensively, that they aren't ready to win this tournament. They don't have the stones, at least not yet. There's no unstinting belief in themselves which characterizes the upset champion. They've proven that, tactically, this team needs to adjust against good sides or they're not going to get results. They've also proven that they have bags of skill and that the holes on this team are less deep than first feared. There's ability there, some perseverence, some strength. There's a team that can almost assuredly beat Panama and Guadeloupe (barring catastrophe) and coast into the knockout stages.