Dasovic: Canada’s previous wins over Americans mean little ahead of Tuesday’s key U-20 quarter-final

As part of its preparations for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship, coach Nick Dasovic’s Canadian team beat the Americans. Last year, in Nashville at the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament, the Canadian team beat the Americans, 2-0. Centre back Doneil Henry scored in that game, and midfielder Samuel Piette played 90 minutes. Both of those players will likely start in Tuesday night’s CONCACAF U-20 quarter-final against the Americans, as the Canadian side has stated that the team has no injury issues and that all players are available. The winner not only goes to the semifinal, but earns a berth in the U-20 World Cup, to be held later this year in Turkey. So, what will all those recent positive experiences against the Americans means for the Canadians? According to Dasovic, nothing at all. “We had some great results… but it doesn’t mean anything right now,” Dasovic said from Mexico during a conference call Monday. “This is a different moment, different circumstances. The only thing that matters is what the U.S. team is playing like right now? What’s their indentity? What’s their motivation?” The key to Canada keeping its current hot streak going against the Americans, at least at the youth levels of the game, is discipline, said the coach. It will be about sticking to the game plan. It will be about attention to detail, such as a player knowing when not to dive in or leave his feet, which was a problem in the tourney-opening 2-1 loss to Cuba. “It’s a game where the boys will need to be focused for 95 minutes, 120 minutes if that’s what it takes or into penalty kicks,” said Dasovic. But keeping focus, for a teenager, is difficult. And Dasovic admitted that it’s even tougher in an era of Twitter and Facebook, where “every time you get a few tweets or comments it gets you excited.” He said he doesn’t want the kids to be too excited well before the match, or else they could “burn out” at game time. It’s all about timing, getting the team up at the right time, so the players are emotionally ready for the match. Dasovic understands that he isn’t just prepping the kids for this big game against the U.S., but the discipline angle is a life lesson for young footballers. “It’s not just for today,” said Dasovic. “It’s a learning process for the rest of their careers.” Dasovic made some changes that paid off in the team’s second game of the tournament, a 5-1 win over Nicaragua. The most notable difference was the decision to drop striker Keven Aleman for Caleb Clarke, who scored twice. But Dasovic admitted that the first loss against Cuba allowed his team — and Canadian fans — as well, to reflect on the game and fix mistakes rather than panic. “We didn’t panic on that loss (to Cuba). Those things happen in tournament play. “It’s about correcting mistakes. I thought we did a good job of that against Nicaragua.”