It would constitute “a crime” not to summon Mathieu Choinière to the next gathering of the Canadian team, according to Samuel Piette. That’s good, because a certain Mauro Biello is the interim head coach of the selection. And he “knows very well” the CF Montreal environment.
Although Choinière has not yet played any minutes with the senior team, he was recalled by Canada for a training camp in Bahrain last winter, before the World Cup. And his current good performance at the club has not gone unnoticed, either.
“For us, it’s certain that his career will tell us something,” emphasizes Biello. We are selectors, and if a young player is doing well at his club, it will help him to be selected. »
Choinière has emerged as the Swiss army knife of Hernán Losada’s squad this season. Used in the center, right or left of midfield, the Quebecer scored four goals and four assists, making him the comebacker and leader respectively of these two columns for his team.
But Biello nuance.
He gives some examples of the principles his team staff will follow in choosing the players who will be in the game against Japan in Niigata on October 13.
“If the player is in good shape. Who he is fighting against for his position. With that, we make our selection choices. But it’s certain that a player who plays well and whose career tells us something, puts himself in a good position. »
After a CF Montreal training session last week, we asked Samuel Piette if the position Mauro Biello now occupies, albeit potentially temporarily, could help local guys get noticed more by the national team . After all, the technician is from Quebec, and he made his legend with the Impact.
“Yes and no,” replied the CFM captain. Yes, I think that naturally, when you come from a certain part of the country, you preach a little for your parish. But at the same time, when it’s a national team, you have to call up the best players available. In all honesty, Mathieu is one of them. This is my personal opinion, but it would be a crime not to call him up for the upcoming game in October. »
“Afterwards, it’s not me who makes the decisions,” Piette reminds us cautiously. Yes, it can play a role. But at the same time, it shouldn’t be too political either. »
Biello’s predecessor, John Herdman, insisted that for Canada to achieve its goals on the international scene, its players had to leave MLS to join the elite circuits in Europe. The reasoning was that by facing the best players in the world every week, Canadians could reach the level necessary to compete with the best nations.
But Canada’s interim head coach is not putting blinders on that much.
“I also understand the importance of MLS,” assures Biello. There are good players in MLS. I was a coach in MLS. And if a player is doing well in MLS, that means something too. I’m definitely going to watch MLS. I know a lot of players, and if I think they can help the group and fit in, I totally agree with that. »
We wrote it last week: Mauro Biello wants the “interim” label removed from his title as head coach of Team Canada. The next few months at the head of the selection will be his audition.
But already, he can count on the support of a veteran of the team.
“I had the chance to work with him here and in the national team,” recalls Samuel Piette. I know what he can do. He is a very intelligent person, with a very, very high football IQ. »
The midfielder also praises his human qualities.
“He’s a very good person, who gets along well with all the players. He knows when it’s time to let go a little more and be close to the players, but he also knows when to be serious and prepare for a match. I wish him. »