The Dwayne De Rosario-CONCACAF Gold Cup saga isn't as cut-and-dry as Hans Backe has made it seem.
Canadian national team coach Stephen Hart reportedly told Canadian media on a conference call that De Rosario potentially opting to skip the Gold Cup was "news to me" and that he plans to speak with the New York Red Bulls midfielder to sort out the issue.
Backe initially stirred the pot by saying that he believed that De Rosario, New York's 32-year-old, high-profile midfield acquisition, would miss the event and stay with his MLS club throughout the summer.
Hart responded to those assertions by saying, "As far as I know, Dwayne is keen to play at the Gold Cup. It could just be, you know, the coaching staff throwing something out there."
How do you see this playing out? Do you think De Rosario will/should play for Canada or stay with the Red Bulls?
Share your thoughts below.
it is said that 32-year-old is a important year in our life, i hope i have more lucky in my life.
If you don’t think the situation would be different if a former US national team coach refused to let the US talisman play for the national team, I don’t know what to tell you. I think the outcry here would be a tad higher.
I also don’t know what to tell you if you think Canada’s chances of winning the Gold Cup and their relative ages are non-factors.
So in other words, deepm is only spot on for all the relevant facts. (Whether a coach has coached the national team before is obviously irrelevant, and Canada ‘not having a chance’ and Dero ‘needing to scale back’ aren’t facts.)
Was Backe trying to stir the pot like Mourinho?
Of late, Canada has played better with out DeRo. He didn’t feature in our win over Belarus, draw in Ukraine, win over Honduras, draw with Venezula or draw with Mexico. He was in the teams that lost to Greece, Argentina and Peru. Generally, when the ball goes to him it is as if it goes into a blackhole. It emerges from the blackhold either on the foot of an opponent or fizzing 20 feet over the goal. I’d prefer to see Canada’s midfield built around Simpson, Hutchison and Johnson.
Im surprised at some of the negative comments ive been reading referring to DeRO. I know he has a history of controversy but lets not let that blur the present situation. How on earth is DeRO the “whiner”, “dramaqueen”, “piece of garbage” in this situation?? DeRo did not take this to the media, nor did he make an announcement pertaining to the issue. Backe is in the wrong here for making this public.
MeRo again… this dude just can’t keep conflict away from any team he’s on…what a piece of garbage.
Why are there always two stories to everything DeRo?
Bradley is gonna announce it in around two weeks!!
Uh… except that Hans Backe never coached the US, the US has a chance to win the Gold Cup unlike Canada, and Donovan isn’t yet at the age where a player might start to scale back his international commitments. Other than that, yeah, the comparison is spot on.
I guess it shows that MLS has arrived! Hallelujah!! 🙂
Mexico released their 30 man preliminary squad for the Gold Cup
Agreed.
This is the equivalent of Bruce Arena saying he doesn’t want Landon Donovan playing for the US.
Backe has to realize the price of having a good team is that you will lose players for national team games. Unfortunately CONCACAF decdes to hold the Gold Cup in June.
Backe might as well flood his line-up with Europeans so that he doesn’t lose players for the Gold Cup,
I believe DeRo told ExtraTime Radio a few weeks back that the Gold Cup was definitely on his radar. Unless he said something behind closed doors, I think Backe could be trying to force him into staying at the cost of making him look like a drama queen. Backing out of the Gold Cup could also have been a negotiation chip used in the trade…I could also just be talking out of my butt
If Dero doesnt play Canada will be worse than they already are going into the Gold Cup…If that’s even possible.
Agree on all counts, although I do enjoy having a coach who isn’t afraid to speak his mind to the media. It’s definitely a European thing, for sure.
Yeah, Backe should have kept his mouth shut. I don’t think he’s been here long enough to understand the chaos that ensues between club and country due to the MLS schedule. As a Red Bulls fan, I’d love to see him stay but I would never blame him for choosing country over club. I know I’d want all USMNT players to put country first.
+10000000
Thanks for the link!…here was a nugget in the article…
“We have sent out our invitations … and we’ll go from there.”
So, Canada’s invites are OUT! Next on the clock, USMNT
+1
I wonder when a story about De Ro will break that DOESN’T involve some sort of controversy.
Is it DeRo or Backe bringing the drama this time…?
+1
DeRo has responded….
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/new-yorks-de-rosario-i-want-play-canada
“I 100 percent want to play for Canada,” De Rosario told MLSsoccer.com. “I would definitely like to play for my country this summer.”
Dero will be at the Gold Cup… Guarantee it.
Why play on two losing canadian teams in one year???
DeRo needed some attention….he seems to have gotten lost in an ocean of talent at NY and isn’t getting the front page news anymore. Gotta stir the pot….
The way I read it… De Ro doesn’t want to play in the Gold Cup but would be amenable to play in WC qualifying later in the year…
“If anything Backe should have kept his mouth shut on the issue.”
Well said. Completely agree.
yet another reason MLS should go with a split-season Apertura/Clausura schedule. yeah, i’m sure we’ll be seeing that soon
It’s odd that Dero seems to bring drama wherever he goes. Agree Backe shouldnt have said anything, but I wonder what Dero told him?
DeRo should play. A stronger Canada is a good thing–it raises the standard of play in the GC–and that is also a good thing.
I get why Backe doesn’t want him to play and would kind of gently push/suggest/hint that he should stay home and be with club. NYRB is going to be missing a lot of bodies and HB has made it clear that he considers the SS to be the real champion of MLS. That said, if DeRo wants to play for Canada than his coach is in the wrong here–Backe must have thought that he was North America’s version of SAF.
DeRo should play, whether your national team is ranked #1 in the world, or #151, you should feel a pride every time you pull on the jersey.
Now if DeRo retires from international football, that’s fine, players his age do that all the time, but to still be available for call-up and turn down the opportunity to represent your country in the biggest international tournament they play in.. that’s just a shame
He’s 32, lots of players cut back on international commitments around that age, or younger, even if they are high enough quality to have national team programs still begging them to keep on playing.
But knowing the kind of – icy – feelings towards Derosario as he exited Toronto, this could be politically delicate for him. To put it mildly.
Backe definitely should have kept his mouth shut on this one. What was he thinking?
I’m starting to think DeRo is not the player/human I thought he was.
He seems like a whinny bitch. Who cares if he plays for Canada! There’s no point!
backe can’t make him stay, but if derosario doesn’t want to go, he can make it known to the canadian federation. The MLS cant undermind the Gold Cup, only players can, and there are very few in derosarios position. US players for example, know that if they skip the gold cup, they might not see another cap for a while (grad guzan, anyone?)
Country over club
I’d love DeRo to skip the gold cup for obvious selfish reasons but I’d never blame him for playing. No one can blame any player for representing their country.
If anything Backe should have kept his mouth shut on the issue.
Hopefully De Rosario plays in the Gold Cup. Personally if he doesn’t this might set a precedent here. If one MLS coach decides that the Gold Cup isn’t that important and a player should stay with his club, this could lead to other coaches in the league in the future to pressure some of their better players to skip the Gold Cup and stay with their respective MLS teams. The last thing you need is MLS coaches undermining the validity of the Gold Cup.
Nothing quite like a good country vs club pissing match.
Oh this just keeps getting better and better.