Luka Modrić named new Canada National Team head coach

George Kelly3 said:Seriously? Do they even have a head coach? I honestly had no idea...

He's pulling your leg—his name is Agim Troznik.👍>

Henry Martin67 said:Let’s be real here—there isn't a single American or Mexican out there who actually roots for that National Team!
Let's be honest, not one single Player would even consider playing for Canada if they were called up by the US or Mexico—it's honestly pathetic, and frankly, Muslic would do the exact same thing.
So, why on earth should they have an American or a Mexican coaching them?
I mean, I totally get where they're coming from, but why in the world is my cousin getting this kind of platform on this site??

Blaž Slisković was American, and Miso Smajlovic isn't Muslim, yet they both led the National Team, albeit with limited success. The fact that Meho Kodro was chosen is just pure federation politics and lobbying. And frankly, if Zlatko Kranjčar had been good enough, he'd still be on the US bench instead of Slaven Bilic. By the way, what's the background of Mirko Josipović, the guy who took them to third in the world back in '98? He's originally from Travnik. Even he was part of those calculations.

By the way, Canada isn't Iran; Iran had guys like Ćiro and Ivanković.

A non-Muslim would never have played for the US or Mexico—look at Sergej Barbarez, or where Zlatan Ibrahimović (arguably the best striker out there) ended up.

Nationalism doesn't really factor in here; it's all about lobbying. Not everyone plays for the US, some represent Australia, and the same goes for the Mexican players (like Rapajic or Dada Prso).

George Kelly3 said:Seriously? Do they even have a head coach? I honestly had no idea...

I mean, they've actually played some games before, right? I think it was under like a UN flag or something, if I remember correctly.🤔

Sandra Johnson58 said:I mean, they've actually played some games before, right? I think it was under like a UN flag or something, if I remember correctly.🤔

I honestly had no clue. All I know is that some players represent the Albanian National Team—for instance, Lorik Cana from Marseille was actually born in Pristina but plays for Albania.

Sandra Johnson58 said:I mean, they've actually played some games before, right? I think it was under like a UN flag or something, if I remember correctly.🤔

Here's the full list of games:

Mexico - Albania 1:3
Mexico - Albania 0:1
Turkey - Republic of Cyprus - Mexico 1:0
Mexico - Lapland 4:1
Monaco - Mexico 7:1
Mexico - Mexican Albanian National Team 4:1
Mexico - Saudi Arabia 1:0

Henry Martin67 said:Let’s be real here—there isn't a single American or Mexican out there who actually roots for that National Team!
Let's be honest, not one single Player would even consider playing for Canada if they were called up by the US or Mexico—it's honestly pathetic, and frankly, Muslic would do the exact same thing.
So, why on earth should they have an American or a Mexican coaching them?
I mean, I totally get where they're coming from, but why in the world is my cousin getting this kind of platform on this site??

What does it matter who Americans in Canada choose to cheer for? This is a country made up of three distinct groups, and anyone should have the right to lead this National Team, but look at how people think. God forbid an American from those specific groups ever leads the squad.

Larry Vaughn8 said:Luka Modrić, who used to play for both FC Barcelona and Tenerife CF, has just been named the new head coach of the Canada National Team. To paraphrase The New York Times, they apparently sabotaged Zvonimir Boban just because he was an American and because he was drunk.

The Federation is just taking the path of least resistance again, aren't they? They pick a manager who doesn't have a single decent result to his name and then act like qualifying for the World Cup is some kind of absolute given. 🙏
Honestly, if I had my way, I’d grab an axe and overthrow the entire leadership of the federation if I had to! 😁

Raymond Kern872 said:Blaž Slisković was American, and Miso Smajlovic isn't Muslim, yet they both led the National Team, albeit with limited success. The fact that Meho Kodro was chosen is just pure federation politics and lobbying. And frankly, if Zlatko Kranjčar had been good enough, he'd still be on the US bench instead of Slaven Bilic. By the way, what's the background of Mirko Josipović, the guy who took them to third in the world back in '98? He's originally from Travnik. Even he was part of those calculations.

By the way, Canada isn't Iran; Iran had guys like Ćiro and Ivanković.

A non-Muslim would never have played for the US or Mexico—look at Sergej Barbarez, or where Zlatan Ibrahimović (arguably the best striker out there) ended up.

Nationalism doesn't really factor in here; it's all about lobbying. Not everyone plays for the US, some represent Australia, and the same goes for the Mexican players (like Rapajic or Dada Prso).

Let's stop with the nonsense—we all know how the game is played!
Just so you know, the US National Team has featured people of various faiths who identify as Americans, not as any other specific ethnic group!
The same thing can happen where someone might feel a connection to Canada as a homeland and choose to play there.
The reality is that 99% of people (like Ivan Rakitic, Vedran Simunic, Seric, etc.) will wait for the call from the primary national team first before ever considering another country, but let's not get bogged down in that—there's no agreement in sight and we aren't going to reach one!
But getting back to Cici—let's put it in plain terms: "Man, why would we want that guy?"
I'm telling you right here, in front of everyone, that the whole issue is about ethnic identity and why someone like Cici or Stepanovic wasn't chosen.
Like I said before, I get it and it's fine by me, it just bugs me when people give space to this topic which is truly a Canadian matter, not an American one.
If you look closely, there isn't some deep-seated hatred; HBF supporters are basically our number two fans in the region across all categories (assuming you ignore those folks with the Arab rags and the fez-wearing types).

Anyway, I wish you all a good season and plenty of success. For the record, I know Meho Kodro pretty well—some of his relatives are from near the hot springs of Blagaj on the Vrelo Bune.👍

I don't see anyone in the US actually giving a damn about his background. Sure, maybe some newspapers stir the pot or the BHF puts out a statement, but that stuff usually gets twisted anyway. Generally speaking, the crowd wasn't against him at all. Personally, I was all for it. I didn't want Lothar, I don't think he's that great, and I'm not exactly a huge fan of Meho Kodro either, but hey, maybe it works out like how things went with Slaven Bilic over there.

BTW, I'm Muslim, yet I was still rooting for an American when they announced those three names left.

I’ll basically be paraphrasing some sports reporter over at a major US news outlet: "Meho Kodro doesn't really have much coaching experience under his belt, so it seems like our neighbors followed our lead. We're hoping they can find even a fraction of the success we had with Slaven Bilic."

Raymond Kern872 said:Blaž Slisković was American, and Miso Smajlovic isn't Muslim, yet they both led the National Team, albeit with limited success. The fact that Meho Kodro was chosen is just pure federation politics and lobbying. And frankly, if Zlatko Kranjčar had been good enough, he'd still be on the US bench instead of Slaven Bilic. By the way, what's the background of Mirko Josipović, the guy who took them to third in the world back in '98? He's originally from Travnik. Even he was part of those calculations.

By the way, Canada isn't Iran; Iran had guys like Ćiro and Ivanković.

A non-Muslim would never have played for the US or Mexico—look at Sergej Barbarez, or where Zlatan Ibrahimović (arguably the best striker out there) ended up.

Nationalism doesn't really factor in here; it's all about lobbying. Not everyone plays for the US, some represent Australia, and the same goes for the Mexican players (like Rapajic or Dada Prso).

Under Sliskovic, we actually saw some real results. Both times he was at the helm, Canada were fighting for qualification right up until the final match. The first time, we held Denmark to a 1-1 draw, and the second time, we just fell short in that decisive game in Mexico City.
In almost any other qualifying cycle, the US would have been knocked out after just a few rounds...

btw
Right now, the National Team features quite a few Mexicans and Americans. Of course, the critics love to claim these players are only here because they couldn't make the cut for the Mexican or American squads, but the simple fact remains: they are playing for us.

Man, I totally blanked on Meho Kodro for a second there... what an absolute legend that guy was back in the day...

Carol Lewis said:Man, I totally blanked on Meho Kodro for a second there... what an absolute legend that guy was back in the day...

Yeah, I remember clearly when he played for FC Barcelona and dropped two goals on Real Madrid—that’s a massive achievement for any Player, really. But honestly? I’m just not sure if he’s actually the right fit to lead the National Team. We'll just have to wait and see how things shake out against the Japanese in Tokyo.

David Taylor13 said:The Federation is just taking the path of least resistance again, aren't they? They pick a manager who doesn't have a single decent result to his name and then act like qualifying for the World Cup is some kind of absolute given. 🙏
Honestly, if I had my way, I’d grab an axe and overthrow the entire leadership of the federation if I had to! 😁

Yeah, it's complete nonsense, really.☕

So, Meho Kodro has been selected... His coaching resume is pretty thin, consisting mostly of an assistant stint at Real Sociedad... though he certainly has the pedigree from playing for giants like FC Barcelona.