Jump to content

  • Articles

    Manage articles
    Show all categories
    Guest

    TFC trades allocation rank

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Toronto FC announced on Canada Day that the team had acquired an international roster spot through the 2014 season from Chivas USA and a 2015 First Round MLS SuperDraft pick in exchange for TFC's first overall allocation ranking position.
    Chivas USA intends to sign defender Carlos Bocanegra from the Glasgow Rangers as a result.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    MLS Week in Review – Round 18

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    With the heat and humidity ratcheting up, the Gold Cup on the horizon, and a festive season on either side of the border approaching, one could be forgiven for assuming Round 18 would sink into the background.
    But no, this weekend, which featured seven matches on Saturday and a lone, eighth fixture on Sunday, was just about as crazy and controversial as any other of the season.
    The eight matches provided 27 goals – an average of over three per match – a full one-third of which (nine) – were scored in either stoppage-time (four) or the final fifteen minutes of regulation (five) and only one from the spot.
    The officials were once more the centre of attention, with 33 yellow cards and four reds – two of which were straight (Doneil Henry and Tony Beltran for their shoves in Toronto) – but equally contentious were the calls they didn’t make.
    The decisive penalty kick in DC, the one uncalled in Toronto, the late goal-line clearance in Philadelphia – not to mention the even later equalizer, a couple of dicey second yellow cards, and of course, all those late goals - including the kindling of a certain team at Stanford Stadium with a conclusion very much reminiscent of their Supporter’s Shield season last year – made for an entertaining weekend.
    But before the results, the goals of the round.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    As with last week, a pair of goals for your viewing pleasure, each wonderful in its own right - leave your vote in the comments section below.
    Up first is Montreal’s Hassoun Camara with his self-made bicycle volley, lying on his back in the Colorado box.
    Rapids keeper, Clint Irwin, made a mess of the initial service into the box, flapping on the corner kick delivery. The ball bounced off Nathan Sturgis at the back-post, giving Irwin another chance to collect, but he could only fumble the ball towards Camara lying prone with his head closest to goal.
    He popped the ball up into the air with his right foot before poking a finish with the same boot to level the match after Atiba Harris had put the Rapids in front.

    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/H2PI8BNLnJU?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


    Very different, though equally entertaining, was Los Angeles’ opener in front of fifty-thousand at Stanford Stadium in the California Clasico.
    Robbie Keane, after a fractious opening that saw him irate on two separate occasions, was on fire. He collected the ball near the centre-circle and headws towards goal before feeding up to Gyasi Zardes. The young forward in turn played out to Landon Donovan on the right.
    Donovan moved in-field, chipping a pass to Keane who had continued to move towards the box. The Irishman touched the delivery first time into the path of the unmarked Marcelo Sarvas, who deftly directed his effort towards the right-side of the goal with a flick off the outside of his right-foot.

    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jfe9-qsTtPg?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


    Two goals, each marvelous in their own way; which do you prefer? Or did another strike catch your eye this round?
    Results in Brief
    Toronto 0 – Salt Lake 1
    A lone early afternoon fixture in Toronto kicked off the weekend and despite a change of ends, TFC conceded another late goal – in the final minute of the first half – falling to Salt Lake, who stretch their lead atop the league with a fourth-consecutive win.
    Cuban defensive midfielder, Yordany Alvarez slammed a right-footed blast into the bottom left-netting through a crowd, leaving Toronto keeper, Joe Bendik rooted to the ground, after Olmes Garcia perfectly laid a pass back to him at the right corner of the box.
    In the midst of his third season in MLS, his first goal proved decisive after a dramatic conclusion that twice saw goalkeeper Nick Rimando deny equalizers late in the match. Though too early for proper fireworks, Tony Beltran and Doneil Henry each saw red for a fracas that escalated quickly – in truth, there could have been several more cards.
    Toronto boss, Ryan Nelsen, will rue those missed chances – and the stone-wall penalty (in his mind, at least) denied his countryman Jeremy Brockie when Nat Borchers appeared to drag a leg, upending the attacker in the box – as Toronto’s modest unbeaten run comes crashing to a halt.
    Post-match, Jason Kreis beamed about the unheralded depth of his squad, reserving special praise for Aaron Maund, who made his league debut for RSL at centre-back against his former employers.

    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GgpLpYX5hNg?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


    Philadelphia 2 – Dallas 2
    If the earlier match was chippy – six yellows and a pair of reds – this one was equally, if not more so, contentious – nine yellows, resulting a red to Je-Vaughan Watson for his second booking - as the two sides met in a cross-conference clash, each in search of points to assert their position.
    The home side entered in second place in the East, though tied with New York and within reach of both Kansas City and Houston, while the visitors had only recently been knocked off their perch atop the West, by the surging form of Salt Lake and Portland.
    Crossing and headers proved the order of the day, as Sheanon Williams and Michel each proved their worth from set-pieces.
    It was Williams who provided the opener, when his long throw from the right found Amobi Okugo unmarked at the near-post in the 20th minute. But Michel responded four minutes later when his deep free-kick, curled towards the right-post, was met by the head of rookie defender, Walker Zimmerman, making his fifth appearance and marking his second consecutive start with a second goal to go with that he scored in his first.
    The Union would take the lead once more with three minutes remaining, when Michael Farfan played out wide to Williams on the right touch-line. His perfectly placed cross was met in front of the River End and the Sons of Ben by Aaron Wheeler, a player who drew rave reviews in reserve and Open Cup matches, making only his second ever appearance for the club. He now has one goal in twelve minutes of play – not bad.
    But the celebrations were short lived.
    Blas Perez appeared to have the ball over the line in the 92nd minute – Williams was on hand to clear it, perhaps a fraction too late, before another deep Michel free-kick in the seventh minute of stoppage-time forced an equalizer.
    Philly keeper Zac MacMath could not collect the ball – was he fouled? Not really – and David Ferreira looped the loose ball to the back-post, where Perez was on home to nod home the leveler.
    Union boss, John Hackworth was steamed at the decision to extend the match well past the allotted five minutes, but will secretly be quite satisfied with the maturation of his young team.
    Dallas’ Schellas Hyndman will once more beam about the commitment of his side in the face of adversity and their ability to move on from a disappointing midweek exit in the Open Cup at the hands of Portland.

    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wDxkXx8asgU?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


    Montreal 3 – Colorado 4
    As that match was finishing off, another perhaps more dramatic one was kicking off in Montreal.
    Atiba Harris opened the scoring in the 24th minute, placing a header from a Dillon Powers free-kick beyond the reach of Troy Perkins in the Montreal goal. Camara’s volley equalized before Daniele Paponi put the Impact in front with a cracking curling effort, cutting onto his right-foot after Marco Di Vaio played his through – his first in MLS.
    Powers himself leveled the score fourteen minutes after the restart, placing a low first-time shot to the near-bottom corner from a low right-sided Nathan Sturgis ball into the box.
    Paponi scored his second of the night – touching in a left-sided ball through the goalmouth from the fit-again Davy Arnaud – in the 72nd, but Deshorn Brown re-equalized five minutes on after a good spell of pressure – and at least two blocked shots – allowed Chris Klute in down the left. His cutback was smashed into the net by the first year forward, setting up a hectic final quarter of an hour.
    Tony Cascio, who has found minutes few and far between this season, netted the winner in the 96th minute, after Arnaud dawdled on the ball and was dispossessed by an excellent tackle from Klute. The left-back raced up the pitch, he and Brown with only Patrice Bernier and the keeper to beat. Bernier cut out the pass, but Cascio, trailing the play, collected and hit a right-footed effort, that kicked up off the leg of Bernier and over Perkins in goal for the winner.
    Montreal coach, Marco Schallibaum, will be furious with the loss – their first at home, snapping a run of four-straight victories at Stade Saputo – and with an eighth goal against in the final fifteen minutes of a match.
    Oscar Pareja’s Rapids snap a three-game losing skid of their own, but failed to address the glut of goals they have allowed – twelve in their last five matches.

    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Xr1NhEe0Fw8?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


    DC 0 – Vancouver 1
    Seven goals were not needed in DC, where one was enough to decide the outcome – and what a controversial one it was.
    In the second minute after the restart, Kenny Miller laid a ball down the left-channel for Matt Watson to steal in on goal. Bill Hamid raced out to challenge, Watson got the first touch, but Hamid the second – pushing the ball wide of the path of the attacker, before clattering into him.
    The referee pointed to the spot; the red-hot Camilo converted the penalty kick for his ninth goal of the season – sixth in the last four matches – and DC were left fuming at the decision.
    Post-match, as will be addressed shortly, Ben Olsen let loose with a tirade that will live long in the memory, as the good work his side has put in over the last few weeks – snapping their winless run and progressing in the Open Cup – was undone with the tweet of a whistle.
    Martin Rennie, cocksure as ever, could not see what the fuss was about, reveling in his side’s third-straight win – including two on the road, where they have historically struggled.

    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Sukm6ubbAI8?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


    Kansas City 3 – Columbus 2
    The goals returned, while the controversy stayed, in the next match of the evening, as Kansas City and Columbus played out a contentious match of their own at Sporting Park – this one should have had far more than three yellows.
    Kei Kamara scored the first in the 34th minute, taking down a defense-shattering cross-field ball from Soony Saad on the left before ripping a left-footed drive past Andy Gruenebaum in the Columbus goal.
    Jairo Arrieta leveled three minutes after half-time, sauntering up-field after collecting a Federico Higuain flick, and crafting a low right-footed finish under Jimmy Nielsen, despite being the lone attacker in a sea of four KC defenders and with the keeper still to beat.
    Straight from the restart, as the announcers discussed the dangers of conceding after scoring, Claudio Bieler nabbed his eighth of the season, volleying a Chance Myers cross that fell kindly to him after skimming off the head of Crew defender, Josh Williams.
    Not to be outdone, Dominic Oduro netted his eighth three minutes later, latching onto a weak back-pass from Seth Sinovic and rounding the keeper to tie the match at twos.
    Late goals were the order of the day and Kamara would not be denied, scoring his second of the night after a broken play fell to him on the right-side of the box and he lashed a finish under the onrushing Columbus keeper.
    Peter Vermes, KC’s manager, will appreciate snapping a four-match winless skid, but will not be happy with the manner in which his side conceded. Columbus’ Robert Warzycha, whose side has now lost three of their last four, bemoaned that Sporting’s winner came with Bernardo Anor lying up-field, in need of attention – not very sporting, eh?

    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hN7lkYxn7aY?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


    San Jose 3 – Los Angeles 2
    They’re Ba-ack – oops, wrong Eighties movie…
    The late fireworks – literally in this case – continued in the marquee fixture of the weekend, with San Jose hosting California Clasico rivals, Los Angeles, in front of a massive crowd at Stanford Stadium.
    The Galaxy, riding the play of the dynamic Robbie Keane, appeared to have a strangle hold on proceedings, taking the lead in the 20th minute – through Sarvas’ deft finish of some fine passing – before doubling down in the 65th on a similarly well-constructed passage that resulted from Donovan and Keane crisscrossing as the former fed the latter on the left-side of the box before the Irishman squared to the open side for Hector Jimenez to finish.
    But – must not use the G-word – San Jose did as they used to do, clawing back into the match three minutes later with an Alan Gordon header – his first goal of the season - at the near-post from a left-sided Shea Salinas cross.
    Salinas himself turned in the equalizer in the second minute of stoppage-time, pouncing on a long throw in from Justin Morrow on the left that skimmed off Omar Gonzalez, struck AJ De La Garza, and was saved by Carlo Cudicini, only to fall kindly to the wide midfielder.
    Then, barely a minute later, Salinas chased down an over-hit ball on the right and cut back to Sam Cronin at the top of the box on the near-side. Rather than have a go, he hung a ball up to the back-post, where Gordon - against one of his former clubs, of course - was on hand to power home the winner and kick off the explosive celebrations – there was indeed a fireworks show post-match – earning himself a yellow card for his shirtless frivolity.
    Newly-installed bench-boss, Mark Watson, celebrated the sequel to last season’s drama at Stanford – where San Jose similarly won a thriller at the death; it was his second win in three matches at the helm, and they will hope it will provide the spark that their season has been missing.
    For Bruce Arena, there was no joy, blaming poor play and “a lack of intelligence” for their failure to close out the two-goal advantage – ignoring for a moment how dangerous of a score-line that is: the most dangerous. They were the league-leading twelfth and thirteenth goals LA had conceded in the final stage of a match, not to mention the four they allowed in the Champions League.

    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6hlOW_eaZDo?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


    Chivas 1 – New England 1
    The team closest to LA in the late-concession category is also the one nearest geographically speaking – and Chivas would not be outpaced by their more glamourous neighbours and yet of course, their failure was less spectacular – and there were no fireworks.
    The Ameri-Goats took a shock lead in the 18th minute when a bouncing ball fell to Laurent Courtois – making his first start since March – on the right-side of the arc. He lashed the opener, which may have skimmed off of Chris Tierney, into the top-right corner of the New England goal.
    Chivas had lost seven-straight matches and were mired in a longer – ten-match – winless run. Just as they let themselves dream of snapping both skids, Chad Barrett, having joined the fray a mere five minutes earlier, somehow turned in a Diego Fagundez left-sided cross at the back-post – bundled would be a better term for what transpired.
    Barrett’s left-footed touch was blocked by a Chivas defender, but the ball trapped between them, hitting each several times before finding its way between the legs of keeper, Dan Kennedy to level the match in the 88th minute.
    It was the eleventh goal Chivas had allowed after the 76th minute.
    Head Goat, Jose Luis Real, picked up his first point as manager, after losing his first two league fixtures, and will take some heart in a hard-fought point, though they are now winless in eleven – changes continue as the club announcer four players, including goal-scorer Courtois would be leaving the club; what is going on in Chiva-land?
    Jay Heaps will gladly take the point on what was a bit of an off-night for his young team, though a three-match winless streak will be of some concern.

    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZVyQznLeyuQ?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


    New York 2 – Houston 0
    And finally, the lone Sunday match – a meeting between two of the more high-profile sides in the East, though both struggling at the moment – was a touch disappointing, with New York handily disposing of Houston.
    Neither side could press the advantage, until on the hour mark Eric Alexander laid a lovely through-ball down the right-side for Fabian Espindola. The Argentine striker made a great run mirroring the movement of the ball from outside to in, blazing past a turning Jermaine Taylor and in on goal.
    Espindola opened up his body and placed a low left-footed shot to the far-side of the goal to open the scoring.
    Jonny Steele capped off the match with New York’s second from the left, collecting a visionary through-ball from Thierry Henry, before taking a touch and lashing a left-footed effort high into the top-right corner.
    Mike Petke’s New York, snuff out their winless run at three matches – including back-to-back losses; while Dominic Kinnear and Houston see their fruitless march stretch to seven, creating little without the creative presences of Brad Davis and Oscar Boniek Garcia.

    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WrzD_W6BXto?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


    CanCon
    As usual the extended look at the Canadian performances this round will be up midday tomorrow (Tuesday), featuring another red card to Toronto’s Doneil Henry, an unfortunate end to Patrice Bernier’s evening, and a trio of Canadians going head-to-head when Russell Teibert’s Vancouver made the trip to Dwayne De Rosario and Kyle Porter’s DC.
    See It Live
    The DC event staff betrayed just how desperate things are in the US capital, rushing to open up the sign boards less they infringe on a corner kick at the death - frimly clinching to whatever straws are available as they search for answers, but showing some excellent hustle.
    Robbie Keane was very angry at the physical play Victor Bernardez and other ‘Quakes confronted him with on Saturday, but it only served to energize the fiery Irishman, who was running rampant through the first hour of their match.
    The image of Steven Lenhart knocking over two LA defenders on one header attempt - like bowling pins – was most enjoyable.
    Kei Kamara, hitting his stride after returning from his English spell, scored his third and fourth goals of the season and celebrated with a pretty snazzy slow jam – and most likely some Chipotle - after the winner.
    Overheard
    Somebody – whether a spectator, a player, or someone on the touch-lines – shouts, “It’s not over; Come on!” when LA went up 0-2 at Stanford – prescient.
    The San Jose announcers lost their rag when Gordon scored the winner, as did Colorado’s, both getting a little too caught up in the moment, when Cascio nabbed the decider. No cheering in the pressbox.
    But the top comment goes to DC’s Ben Olsen, who let rip on referee, Matthew Forrester for his penalty decision, saying, “It’s a joke. We get the same clown show every weekend. ‘They all even out, they all even out.’ [Expletive]. They don’t even out. Not this year they haven’t. Again, nobody wants to hear the coach in last place complaining about the referees. Nobody wants to hear that. But I’ve got a group of men in there that have fought their tails off today. And they’re gutted, because I asked them to give me everything this week.”

    <iframe src="http://player.theplatform.com/p/9KPFDC/TMRr3YD6Euak/embed/select/MEORNed_Xi5k?params=zone%3Ddc_united&autoPlay=true" width="533" height="300" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe>


    Judge for yourself - What did you make of the decision?
    Vancouver’s Martin Rennie, offered no sympathy, “I think it was a stonewall penalty. I didn’t have any doubt in my mind that that was a penalty kick,” while Matt Watson was a little bit less sure, “I got a little bit of a touch but the goalkeeper also got a touch on it. I’m going to have to watch it again but he definitely got a piece of the ball and definitely went through me as well, so I guess it’s a PK. He took out my feet and that’s what the referee called the penalty for, and there’s nothing I could really do. But hey, obviously I’m happy with the PK and Camilo put it away.”
    Controversy
    The penalty called in DC was the most decisive decision, but not alone.
    How about the one not given in Toronto, when Nat Borchers seemed to clip Jeremy Brockie in the box? Was he looking for it? Or did the little back-heel from the defender catch him as the Kiwi tried to skip around towards goal? Note – of course, video of the incident is not available at Big Site (MLSsoccer.com), check later for their Instant Replay segment.
    And what about the two red cards in that match? Warranted? Would Tony Beltran have been dismissed if Doneil Henry hadn’t come crashing in? Were both clubs lucky only two reds were shown? Luis Silva – for his kick out, Yordany Alvarez, Aaron Maund, Jonathan Osorio, and Robbie Findley were all heavily involved.
    A pair of further of dismissals were highly contentious. Did Dallas’ Je-Vaughan Watson deserve to be booked for this “dive”?
    And what of Victor Bernardez’ second yellow for San Jose? Does he even touch Juninho?
    Did Blas Perez’s first equalizer cross the goal-line? And should
    , as Philadelphia wanted, on the late tying goal?Opinion Poll
    When should the game be stopped? Whenever a player is down or at the referee’s discretion?
    The strategic feigning of injury is indeed a blight, but is missing a dangerous situation worth the risk of refusing to fall victim to gamesmanship?
    Take Kansas City’s winner. Bernardo Anor is laying up-field and Columbus wants the ball played out. Their defending is shambolic and Kamara nets his second of the night.
    Post-match, Crew keeper, Andy Gruenebaum said to MLSsoccer.com, "It's one of those things I'd like to have seen them kick the ball out. Obviously, that would have been ideal. It's not the first time a team has done that and probably not the last."
    While coach, Robert Warzycha “absolutely” thought play should have been stopped, adding, in an interview with the same site, "The referee didn’t stop the play for a head injury, at some point you hope a player would knock the ball out of bounds. You have a player with a history of concussions go down. The play should have been stopped." – referring to an incident where Chad Marshall, a player with a history of concussion troubles, was twice down in need of treatment, once after a clash of heads with Kamara.
    KC’s Peter Vermes, offered, in his post-match conference, the explanation that, ““There's a gamesmanship in this game. People, a lot of times, will pick very, very interesting moments to decide that they need to go down and get a little bit of treatment. And, as Kei will tell you, when he played in the EPL, there's no stopping for those things. You just go.”
    Should sole responsibility for stopping matches rest with the centre official who already has far too much for one man to deal with on his plate? Or should players decide? Does the game situation matter? Or is the health of the players, faking or not, trump all other concerns?
    Upcoming Fixtures
    Another massive double-game week in MLS prior to the kickoff of the Gold Cup on Saturday – lots on display for one’s viewing pleasure.
    Wednesday: Toronto-Montreal; Chicago-San Jose; Kansas City-Vancouver; Salt Lake-Philadelphia; Seattle-DC. Thursday: Dallas-Chivas; Colorado-New York; Los Angeles-Columbus. Saturday: New England-San Jose; Houston-Philadelphia; Vancouver-Seattle. Sunday: Chicago-Kansas City; Columbus-Portland; Montreal-Chivas; Colorado-DC; Los Angeles-Dallas.
    Each week James takes a look at the league as a whole.
    You can follow James on twitter @grawsee or read more of his writing at Partially Obstructed View
    Guest
    Empty your mind; be formless, shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. That water can flow, or it can crash. Be water my friend.


    - Bruce Lee


    Much has been made of the improvement shown this year by the Montreal Impact, Portland Timbers, and FC Dallas. But are the Whitecaps really so far behind? Today, Vancouver sits fourth in the Western Conference. We have earned 25 points from our 16 matches. By comparison, Montreal tops the Eastern Conference with 29 from 15, while Portland and Dallas have each amassed 30 from 17. You may note the conspicuous absence of Salt Lake, which has quietly climbed to the top of the table on the back of their 33 points from 18 matches.
    The reality is that that Vancouver is eight points behind in the race for the Supporters' Shield. And while we have a lot of football yet to play, 27 hours plus stoppage time, we are still four games behind. And that’s after a run of five wins, one draw, and one loss in our last seven matches.
    And yet, reality is boring. Today I’m more in the mood for fantasy. What kind of fantasy you might ask? Well, how about one where the referee has the benefit of hindsight, one where he has a bird’s eye view, and not just any bird, but a flock of them, from every possible angle. In this fantasy, the referee gets every decision right, and never hears the crowd chant "I'm blind, I'm deaf, I want to be a ref, referee, referee."
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The first major controversy of the season came in the 79th minute of Vancouver’s second match. Lee Young-Pyo passed the ball to Kenny Miller. Although it was a close decision, Miller was on side when the ball was passed. The flag stayed down. But while in the box, and beyond the penalty spot marker, he passed the ball to Erik Hurtado. It was an unselfish play. The kind a Captain would make.
    Hurtado moved forward to receive the ball, and promptly put it in the back of the net. It was only then that the linesman flagged him for being offside. Hurtado is still looking for his first competitive goal of the season. Despite this, Vancouver won the match 2-1, and collected all three points. But this could come back to haunt Vancouver as goals for is the first tie breaker.
    In the 90th minute of our match against Chivas at the Home Depot Center, Kekuta Manneh was fouled by Chivas goalkeeper Dan Kennedy while both were outside the box. As Kennedy was the last man, and denied Manneh a clear goal scoring opportunity, he should have been sent off. At the time, Chivas was leading by one goal and had already used all three substitutes. While this would not have resulted in a penalty kick, the chances of Vancouver managing to score from the ensuing free kick, against ten men, and with an outfield player in goal would be somewhat high. That would have meant at least one additional point, and quite possibly three.
    Of course, while there are decisions that go against the Whitecaps, there are those that go in their favour. Alan Gordon and Victor Bernardez left the field of play in the 62nd minute to change their shoes. Less than a minute later, and before they were permitted to return, Corey Hertzog had levelled the scoreline for Vancouver. The Earthquakes were not happy, although their commentators reacted incredulously as <i>"the Quakes voluntarily were playing two men down".</I>
    In our first match against Dallas, the Texans scored twice. However, the second should not have counted. Kenny Cooper attempted a shot while Blas Perez was in an offside position. The ball hit Lee Young-Pyo, and ricocheted towards Perez, who buried it. There is nothing wrong with scoring after a ball struck an opposing player, but the play should have been whistled dead when Cooper attempted the first shot. Still, it alone wouldn’t have changed the game, only our goal differential.
    As we all know, controversy is not limited to Major League Soccer. It has reared its ugly head in the Voyageurs Cup as well. As much as Camilo Sanvezzo has improved in this regard, it's likely that he deliberately left a trailing leg in the box, so that he would trip over Mallan Roberts' foot, and win a penalty kick. The referee pointed to the spot and he scored from it. At the time, the Rabbits had been leading two goals to one. Although Vancouver did eventually get the winner, it was the Sanvezzo penalty kick that took the wind out of their sails.
    Matt Hedges' 47th minute strike in Vancouver's second match against Dallas was described as a "dangerous situation" by the Dallas commentators because Hedges kicked the ball out of Joe Cannon’s hands, and nearly hit the goalkeeper in the face. Poor Joe, he almost ended up like Alain Rochat. Hedges scored from that kick, but the referee could have just as easily given Vancouver a goal kick, and Hedges a card for dangerous conduct. Instead, the goal stood, and Vancouver would later score two goals to force a draw. But it could have just as easily been a Vancouver win.
    When Vancouver met Edmonton for the second leg of the CSA Cup Semi-Final, Adrian Leroy was issued a red card for denying a clear goal scoring opportunity outside of the box. While it was probably the correct decision by the letter of the law, the referee could have exercised his discretion. It was a harsh decision, and for the second time in as many games, the referee had a huge influence on the Semi-Final. They would win the two-legged affair by an aggregate score of five to two. And yet, the Eddies might very well have won if not for the referee.
    Already down by a goal, Nigel Reo-Coker was fortunate not to concede a penalty to RSL when the ball struck his outstretched arm. Salt Lake went on to win by two goals, and Reo-Coker’s handball was quietly forgotten, at least for a little while.
    When the match against Los Angeles <i>"was crying out for some imaginative flair from one of the players in a Whitecap uniform"</i>, it was Russell Teibert who stepped up, and did it. He picked <i>"the ball up with lots of space on the right flank,"</i> and he cut <i>"in onto his favourite left foot,"</i> created the shooting angle and drove <i>"it beyond the reach of Carlo Cudicini, into the corner of the Los Angeles goal, and the Whitecaps"</i> got a big lead. Apparently Paul Dolan believes that a single goal is a big lead. But we suppose that comes from being a former goalkeeper who expects clean sheets! In the sense of the occasion, and never having beaten LA, it was huge in that sense, especially coming right after the Galaxy came within inches of taking the lead themselves. Of course, this has absolutely nothing to do with the hypothetical presented above and below, but it was the first goal by the Canadian Soccer Jesus, and is thus included anyway.
    When Portland came to town, there were two significant controversies. In the 81st minute, Mamadou Danso, otherwise known as Futty, was sent off, presumably for forcibly pushing Camilo Sanvezzo down as the Brazilian was running towards the ball. This would qualify as yet another professional foul, as Futty was the only defender between Sanvezzo and Portland's goalkeeper. Like Leroy earlier in the season, it was a harsh decision.
    Red Card or not, the true turning point happened three minutes later as Jose Valencia "received" the ball on his right arm, then shifted it to his left arm, so that it would drop squarely at his feet while in the box. Portland's commentators described it thus: <i>"he keeps his eye on the ball, he does nothing wrong here; it’s a brilliant control, and then the coolness just to roll it past Knighton."</i>
    And of course there was the Andy O’Brien injury against Seattle. Although these things do happen, it’s virtually unheard of to have four centre backs hurt at the same time. Had he remained on the pitch, Greg Klazura would never have come on for him, and Jordan Harvey wouldn't have been deployed as an emergency centreback. In all likelihood, Harvey would not have conceded the penalty that Klazura did. It should be said that Greg did get a piece of the ball, he just also happened to get the man.
    On top of that, O’Brien, a man of tremendous experience in his chosen position, would not have been caught out of position the way Harvey was on the winning goal. The O’Brien injury was the turning point in the match. In the span of 19 minutes, Vancouver went from a winning position to a losing one. And we just can’t see that happening with Andy O’Brien commanding the back line.

    On Saturday, we finally got a controversial decision to go our way when it mattered. In the 47th minute, Kenny Miller threaded a ball past three DC defenders, into the box, where it was picked up by Matt Watson. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid, a homegrown player by the way, came out to challenge Watson. Matty poked the ball away from goal; Hamid got a glove on it, and then took out Watson due to his forward momentum. To his credit, Watson did not appeal for a penalty. He simply got up and began to chase the ball, which was trickling away, as the penalty was awarded. Of course Sanvezzo buried it, and it proved to be the only goal of the match.
    If things had played out as we have described above, Vancouver would have 31 to 33 points, depending on the outcome of the Chivas match, while Montreal, Portland, and Dallas would have 29 apiece. Salt Lake would still have their 33, but we’d be right up there with them, and have two games in hand. We would have scored 27 or 28 goals, again depending on Chivas, and a goal difference of at least five.
    Of course, there have been other controversies, a free kick here, a corner there, and these could result in goals, but we have chosen to concentrate on the big ones, the deciding factors. And in them, Vancouver has generally come out on top when it did not affect the final outcome, while the errors that have gone against us have cost us goals, and more importantly, points.
    Every team has these moments. The teams mentioned above have no doubt had some too, but that's for their writers to look at. At the end of the day, they mean nothing and can't be changed. What is done is done, and that's football, but when you are looking at just how well or how poorly the Whitecaps are competing this season, how well Martin Rennie and his team are doing, these "what if" situations do help to add a little more perspective.
    As the great Bruce Lee once said, water can flow, or it can crash. Only time will tell which way the Whitecaps go from here, but I know what my money’s on. Do you?
    <p>
    Guest
    We're always looking to add to our gameday and postgame coverage here at AFTN, so in our new section, "Caps Countdown", we're going to do player rankings with a twist. The starting eleven is ranked from eleven to one, from worst to first. Who was the 'man of the match' and who had a game to forget against D.C. United?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    No photographer at the game this week, so we mocked up a starting photo with a very short JMD! Here's how I feel they performed. As always, we look forward to your thoughts.
    11 - Daigo Kobayashi
    - An average game from a player that is needed to be more of a threat in the final third. Kobayashi played more with the ball but his decision making ability when he had it was poor.
    10 - Jun Marques Davidson
    - There were no major mistakes from Davidson, which is a positive considering his previous performances. He was caught out of position a couple of times which forced him to concede a number of fouls.
    9 - Jordan Harvey
    - Once again Harvey was a threat going forward and made some excellent runs. However the majority of chances came from his side of the pitch with Nyassi and Korb able to get free far too easily and too often.
    8 - Johnny Leveron
    - Another smooth performance by Leveron who helped keep Pontius and De Rosario away from goal. He wasn’t needed as much in this match to push the ball forward since the Caps scored first.
    7 - Nigel Reo-Coker
    - Reo-Coker moved to the right side of defence to take over for Lee and had a very solid game combining with Teibert. His only mistake could've been a big one as he was unable to clear the ball that led to the Porter chance in the first seven minutes.
    6 - Camilo
    - It was a quiet game for the reigning MLS Player of the Week as D.C. were keeping close tabs on Camilo. However he was able to convert the penalty which gives him nine on the season in MLS play and continues Vancouver’s win streak.
    5 - Russell Teibert
    - His assist streak ended at four games but the Canadian was all over the pitch in his battle against former teammate Alain Rochat. Teibert held his own and almost scored from a tight angle, crashing his effort off the left hand post.
    4 - Brad Knighton
    - The keeper made the big save early off Kyle Porter but other than that it was a quiet game for Knighton, who is desperate to keep his starting spot.
    3 - Matt Watson
    - A tireless worker Watson earned the penalty that led to the only goal of the game. While he once again struggled in his passing Watson played an important part in clogging up the middle for DC.
    2 - Kenny Miller
    - Miller once again had excellent work rate and did a lot of little things right in this win, both defensively and in final third. It was his pass early in the second half to Watson that led to the penalty call that won the game.
    1 - Carlyle Mitchell
    - Great game for Mitchell before he leaves for the Gold Cup. There were a number of key blocks and last minute tackles made. As usual he was great at defending the box through the air and his absence will definitely be felt on the Vancouver backline.
    <p>
    Guest
    No one booed at the end.
    As the final whistle blew, the crowd at BMO Field simply turned and walked away.
    Ho-hum, another loss. Did you want to grab a beer and watch the Jays game?
    Apathy has fully hit. When you go 347 days without winning a league game at home that will happen. TFC has become the world's biggest buzzkill. Going to games is a bit like being an agnostic in church: you don't fully believe and don't really want to be there, but you keep going back because you've been told there might be a payoff at the end and you don't want to risk missing out.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    So here we are. Going through the motions of yet another lost season. The club talks about improvement from last year with limited evidence there has been any (TFC is now on pace for 25 points. They had 23 last year. It's about time people started to call Ryan Nelsen out when he talks about the great strides the club is making).
    This is historic stuff. MLS is a league designed for teams to turn things around quickly. Look at Portland this year. They are in the conversation for the Supporters' Shield. As is Wednesday's opponent, the Montreal Impact. Combined those two clubs have played two fewer seasons than TFC.
    The Reds defy logic. It's impossible to be this bad for this long in MLS.
    Some will want to point to positives in the game. Sure, TFC played alright at times. The stats were pretty much even and with a little luck at the end the Reds could have pulled a draw out.
    But, they didn't.
    Again.
    In the end, that's all that really matters.
    Guest
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]3308[/ATTACH]
    It looks like those Kenny Miller to Rangers rumours just got a whole lot of fuel thrown into the fire.
    Before the body of Vancouver’s 2012 season was even cold, Whitecaps Designated Player Kenny Miller was rumoured to be heading back across the Atlantic. Major League Soccer had not been kind to him that year. He appeared on the pitch for a total of 748 minutes, out of a possible 1350, or just over half. In that time, he managed two goals, which was not exactly a blistering pace. If you stretched that out over the entire MLS campaign, including CSA and MLS Cup matches, he was on pace to score 5.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    He took his cue from Barry Robson, who had arrived in Vancouver two months prior, and formed a strong friendship with Andy O’Brien. The three of them would regularly arrive at practice together, and back each other up when disputes arose.
    Even before the preliminary round of the MLS Cup, he was linked by The Telegraph to a loan deal to Scottish Premiership side Hibernian. However, the player himself poured some cold water on it by saying that <i>"Hibs are top of the league, they don’t need me now. After this game I’ll have a wee think about what I’m going to do."</i>
    In December, his agent had lined up a loan to move to Scottish Premiership side St. Mirren, but the Whitecaps vetoed this move. Having played 4,918 minutes of football over the European 2011-12 season and second half of the 2012 MLS campaign, it’s not hard to wonder why. They preferred that he train only.
    A month later, he was doing just that with then Scottish Division Three side Rangers, a club he had two previous spells with between 2000-02 and 2008-11.
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]3309[/ATTACH]When asked in January by a Scottish reporter whether he would be open to a return, he said <i>"There is no doubt I would come back"</i>, going on to say, <i>"I would definitely do it. It’s whether it could happen."</i> And finally, he added that <i>"Rangers hold a strong place in my heart."</i>
    It would have been interesting to read what he said in between those quotes, but that probably didn't fit with the story.
    He trained with the full blessing of Vancouver Whitecaps. Indeed, the rumours of a move abroad worked in both directions, as Vancouver were thought to be keen to unload him and Barry Robson.
    When Vancouver’s preseason began, Miller returned, but Robson was nowhere to be seen. A few hours later, Vancouver announced that they had terminated his contract by mutual consent.
    In April, more stories emerged about Kenny’s possible return to Rangers, only this time it appeared that Rangers owner at that time, Charles Green, was pouring cold water on them by suggesting he only wanted to buy players with a sell-on possibility. At Kenny’s age, that appeared unlikely. Those three quotes by Kenny from January were trotted out again.
    In May, Miller’s name appeared on a list of transfer targets of Rangers manager Ally McCoist. This was apparently enough to fuel another round of speculation in the Scottish press.
    Vancouver’s number nine said, <i>"I’m contracted with Vancouver until the end of the season. It’s as simple as that. Obviously you can’t control what’s said or written by other parties, but for me, I’ve just been firmly focused on getting back and getting back on the field for Vancouver."</i>
    However, his compatriot Kris Boyd, now with Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock, had a lot to say on the matter. Before we get into those comments, let’s consider the source. In December of 2011, Boyd terminated his contract with Turkish side Eskişehirspor over a payment dispute. He thought he should be paid. How quaint.
    He signed as a Designated Player with Portland Timbers in January, took part in their preseason camp, and played his first game in March, almost five months after his last competitive match. All in all, it was a fairly smooth transition, with a lengthy end of season break.
    The 2012 campaign started well enough for him, scoring three goals in his first six matches for the Timbers. But it did not end too well. In the last 11 matches he was in the 18, he failed to score, and in three of them, he was an unused substitute.
    When asked about Kenny’s situation, Boyd said, <i>"Kenny’s made his decision and he wants to come back home."</i> At the time, Boyd thought that <i>"he’ll do well. Rangers probably need a couple of experienced players to help the youngsters coming through."</i>
    <i>"When you’ve played at the level Kenny has,”</i> such as in captaining Vancouver Whitecaps, <i>"and you have as many caps as he has,"</i> many of them as captain of Scotland, <i>"he would be an asset."</i>
    And if that wasn’t enough, he added this nugget of insight, <i>"I’m sure he’s now thinking he wants to help the Rangers kids mature into the kind of player Kenny has turned into. He’ll be eager to pass on all of his experience."</i>
    Strange, and here we thought that he was already doing that in Vancouver, taking the likes of Kekuta Manneh, Darren Mattocks, Russell Teibert, and of course, Camilo Sanvezzo under his wing. But alas, that kind of talk doesn’t sell papers in Scotland.
    When asked about Boyd's comments, Miller played them down and said he'd have to have a word with him about them.
    In June, Miller again appeared on Ally McCoist’s transfer target list. But given Rangers financial difficulties, I imagine the tablet he wrote it on was made of stone.
    In July, the Scottish papers reported yet again that Miller was on his way to Rangers. Clearly there were no other important topics on the Scottish game that they could write about. This time they incredulously made the claim that he was quite willing to take a hefty pay cut to play for Rangers. No quotes or sources were given. What is happening to the UK tabloids? They didn't even bother to make one up.
    Today, Kenny Miller has put pen to paper on a six-month contract extension, which will keep him with Vancouver until June 2014. Now, obviously the 2014 schedule has not been released, but he should be eligible for around 15-20 matches between MLS and the Voyageurs Cup.
    Martin Rennie offered his thoughts on the extension, <i>"This is an important move for our club and speaks to the value we place on continuity as we grow."</i>
    Having assumed the captain’s armband in Jay DeMerit’s absence, it is not surprising that Rennie would say that <i>"Kenny is a great leader and his contributions both on and off the pitch have been instrumental to the success of our team. It's an exciting time for the club and we look forward to a strong finish to the 2013 campaign."</i>
    <i>"I’m delighted to sign a contract extension with the Whitecaps,"</i> said Miller. <i>"I’ve really enjoyed my time in Vancouver and so has my family. The fans here are unbelievable, the club is always very professional, and I think we have a special group of players."</i>
    Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about what this really means. This deal is all about flexibility. Shortly after the MLS Cup Final on December 7th or 8th, when the Vancouver Whitecaps will take on the Montreal Impact in a re-match of the... okay, I made that last part up.
    But shortly after the MLS season officially ends, Kenny Miller will be free to sign a pre-contract. This is what happened in 2013 when we signed Barry Robson while he was still under contract to Middlesbrough.
    By limiting the extension until June, it will give the Kenny the chance to sign with a European club during their off season, and Vancouver will have the chance to sign a replacement in the July transfer window.
    Let’s call a spade a spade here. By then, he’ll be 34-year old striker, halfway to 35, and who knows how his body will hold up. One only has to look at the change in Lee Young-Pyo’s form from last season to this to see how cruel time can be on a professional athlete.
    And if you’re one of those people who have been enjoying all the speculation about a possible return to Rangers, you’re in luck. This deal is the surest sign yet that Miller intends to return to his old stomping ground.
    Currently, Rangers are under a transfer embargo that runs until September 1st, 2013. It’s no great leap of faith to suggest that come December, Miller will sign a pre-contract with Rangers, pay Vancouver a transfer fee, or risk him getting hurt in the first half of the 2014 MLS campaign. By then, they’ll hope to have been promoted to the Scottish Championship.
    He’d join them after a proper off season for their fight to win promotion to the Scottish Premiership.
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]3311[/ATTACH]In case you were wondering, earlier today the newly formed Scottish Professional Football League voted to rename the four divisions to Scottish Premiership, Scottish Championship, Scottish League One, and Scottish League Two.
    Of course, Miller could re-sign with Vancouver, either another six month extension for the balance of the 2014 season, or beyond. That’s why this deal is so good for Vancouver. It keeps an asset that’s been doing so well on the books, but they aren’t tied to it long term in case things go awry.
    We always knew Miller’s time in Vancouver would be short. We didn’t get him until he was already in his early thirties, but if nothing else, this will allow him to focus on the 2013 campaign, and the distraction of a pre-contract won’t emerge until after the season ends.
    What will the Scottish press fill their column inches with now?
    <p>
    Guest
    "Hey, going to the TFC game?"
    That's the inquiry I received on the subway shortly after 11 a.m. on Saturday. The inquisitor was a guy, probably late 20s, sitting next to a girl of similar age. While I'd like to say it was the visible sense of dread and foreboding that was gripping my soul in the hours leading up to a TFC kickoff that was the giveaway, it was more likely the red jacket and scarf I was wearing.
    "Yeah. Are you?"
    "No, no, we don't have tickets," said the guy, clearly somewhat excited to be talking to one of those people who goes to those soccer games. "Do those games all sell out? Can you even get tickets to them?"
    He was serious. And then it hit me.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It's easy -- and emotionally destructive -- to become entirely ensconced in the insular little world that we Toronto FC fans have created for ourselves. The self-evident truths of this universe include such things as BMO Field never sells out, the announced attendance is always a lie, the atmosphere is nowhere near what it was, the team sucks, the team has always sucked, the team will always suck, we're idiots for continuing to care and the 80th minute and onward constitutes "Tobias Time".
    But perpetually sucking in the toxic fumes of this environment tends to make one forget that outside of this biodome of misery is a wider world of sporting fandom. All of these truths that we hold to be self-evident... they really aren't, to the vast, vast majority of sports fans in the city of Toronto.
    Sure, they may be vaguely aware of the fact that Toronto FC doesn't tend to win very often, and that the team tends to change its manager, players and uniforms with alarming regularity. But probably holding equal weight in whatever minuscule portion of their memory that's devoted to the team is the idea that BMO Field is a hopping place to be, that going to a soccer game is exciting, and that Toronto FC is still kind of neat novelty, "something we really should get around to doing some time this summer".
    The reality, as we know, is quite different.
    From the south end of BMO Field during Saturday's 1-0 loss to Real Salt Lake, the mood ranged from "simply going through the motions" to outright hatred. That's not to throw anyone under the bus. I'm well aware that the regular denizens of that area have invested far more time, energy and money into the team than I have, and are fully entitled to approach each game in yet another doomed, pointless season in whatever way they deem appropriate.
    But whatever the mood amongst the diehards may have been, there were still plenty of folks lining up at the merchandise stand after the full-time whistle.
    "Really?" I thought as I walked by. "You just watched that game, from this team, and after everything we've seen, and everything we've been through, your first reaction is 'hey, I wanna get a new t-shirt'? What's the matter with you?"
    Then I realized -- whatever supposed tribulations I'm describing are of little consequence to those folks. They're just happy to have had an entertaining day out at the soccer field. And sure, it was a decent enough game. The strong majority of the first half was in fact controlled by the home side, and the crowd could be forgiven for believing that a goal was imminent (of course, one was; just not for the right team).
    And the goal-line scramble that finished things off -- thrilling stuff. I badly bruised my hand smashing it on the seat in front of me in profane exasperation at yet another example of the soccer gods collectively spitting in our eyes.
    But as successive management teams have made clear, through words and actions, I'm not the type of fan that they're worried about. They know I'm a stubborn idiot and will be watching next week no matter what. They know the long-suffering folks in the south end will continue to show up, even if attending TFC games seems like nothing more than a painful chore, entirely sapped of the joy it once held.
    The ones that really matter are the folks who lined up to buy licensed crap at full time. And the young couple on the subway who still think going to a TFC game is exciting. And the old guy on the subway ride home, who quite badly misidentified the nature of my scarf and asked "how did the Argos do?"
    None of them are reading this, or know this site exists. They don't follow me on Twitter, or have any clue who "Tobias" is. They might get excited by the idea of Roma coming to town for a friendly, and they couldn't name five current members of the squad but probably know Danny Dickero, "that bald guy who scored an important goal or something".
    Toronto is a very big city. Whatever pall may have fallen over the south end of BMO Field and the general outlook of the team's hardcore supporters, TFC isn't dead. TFC isn't going anywhere. They'll just keep on keeping on, as a generic, non-descript team in the league, the type that makes up the numbers and occasionally does something sorta noteworthy (probably negative) but more often than not, just kinda serves as fodder for one of the marquee squads.
    That's kinda the team's fate, at this point. It's a fate that can be overcome, but 6.5+ years of evidence don't suggest that shift is happening anytime soon. The team has settled into that comfortable level of mediocre existence that has characterized most Toronto pro teams over the last 20 years. Just kinda show up, play a game, sell some shit, provide tickets to companies as something to bribe employees and clients with, and then everyone goes on their merry way.
    For what it's worth, I didn't blow smoke up the ass of the guy on the subway asking about the team. I told him they're bad. I told him it was probably a waste of his time to go out to a game. Why the hell should I lie to him? Why should I enlist someone into this ongoing psychological purgatory? That's not my job. That's the team's job. And clearly, they're still doing a good enough job of it.
    So I'll let them do their thing, I can do my thing, the team can do its thing (i.e. not win) and everyone can just continue to go on their not-so-merry way.
    And let me be clear -- I'm not trying to create artificial divisions between "supporters" and "fans" or any of that such nonsense. Every way that any person chooses to engage with a sports team that they like is totally fine and legitimate. So I'm not really sure what I'm trying to get at, or what the point of this post was. Probably nothing. But who cares at this point, really? Another TFC game happened, TFC lost and the world keeps on turning.
    .
    Guest

    Toronto FC falls to Real Salt Lake

    By Guest, in PhotoHazard,

    The rain stayed away from BMO Field for a rare afternoon match. but the results witnessed by the 20,841 people (really?) were familiar.
    The only goal of the afternoon was a screamer from Yordany Alvarez for RSL in the final minute of the first half. A series of passes (Garcia & Beltran) resulted in him being alone outside the box and he capitalized. It was all that was required as Toronto was not able to capitalize when it gained field position and their crosses into the box were about as memorable as the flares that were lit before the game in the south end. (I prefer the confetti canon myself)
    In a league that is known for it's physical play, this was a match that seemed to get away from the official, resulting in 6 yellow cards and 2 red cards, evenly distributed between the 2 squads. In the lead up to the large altercation between the 2 teams in the second half, there had been a lack of respect being shown to the referee, with players appearing to take liberties when questioning him about calls being made.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    On a positive note, the Reds did challenge late in the game, with Joe Bendik even getting involved with the offense as he pushed up to the opposing net for a corner kick in injury time. It was not enough to capitalize on the late push, yet they also did not allow a late goal, so that can be seen as a positive, even when they connoted their home winless streak.











    Full Slideshow
    <param name="movie" value="http://www.photoshelter.com/swf/CSlideShow.swf?feedSRC=http%3A//photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Toronto-FC-v-Real-Salt-Lake-June-29-2013/G0000uZlgK1gfTbE%3Ffeed%3Djson"></param><param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#AAAAAA"></param><param name="flashvars" value="target=_self&f_l=t&f_fscr=t&f_tb=f&f_bb=f&f_bbl=f&f_fss=f&f_2up=t&f_crp=f&f_wm=t&f_s2f=t&f_emb=t&f_cap=f&f_sln=t&imgT=casc&cred=iptc&trans=xfade&f_link=t&f_smooth=f&f_mtrx=t&tbs=5000&f_ap=t&f_up=f&btype=old&bcolor=%23CCCCCC"></param><!--[if !IE]><!--><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.photoshelter.com/swf/CSlideShow.swf?feedSRC=http%3A//photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Toronto-FC-v-Real-Salt-Lake-June-29-2013/G0000uZlgK1gfTbE%3Ffeed%3Djson" width="600" height="500" ><param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#AAAAAA"></param><param name="flashvars" value="target=_self&f_l=t&f_fscr=t&f_tb=f&f_bb=f&f_bbl=f&f_fss=f&f_2up=t&f_crp=f&f_wm=t&f_s2f=t&f_emb=t&f_cap=f&f_sln=t&imgT=casc&cred=iptc&trans=xfade&f_link=t&f_smooth=f&f_mtrx=t&tbs=5000&f_ap=t&f_up=f&btype=old&bcolor=%23CCCCCC"></param><!--<![endif]--><a href="http://photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Toronto-FC-v-Real-Salt-Lake-June-29-2013/G0000uZlgK1gfTbE'>http://photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Toronto-FC-v-Real-Salt-Lake-June-29-2013/G0000uZlgK1gfTbE"><img src="http://www.photoshelter.com/gal-kimg-get/G0000uZlgK1gfTbE/s/600/500" alt="" /></a><!--[if !IE]><!--></object><!--<![endif]--></object><br><a href="http://photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Toronto-FC-v-Real-Salt-Lake-June-29-2013/G0000uZlgK1gfTbE'>http://photohazard.photoshelter.com/gallery/Toronto-FC-v-Real-Salt-Lake-June-29-2013/G0000uZlgK1gfTbE">Toronto FC v Real Salt Lake - June 29, 2013</a> - Images by <a href="http://photohazard.photoshelter.com">Chris Hazard</a>
    Guest
    Vancouver Whitecaps made it a 12 point June with an uninspiring but important 1-0 victory at lowly DC United.
    It wasn't a performance to strike the fear into the rest of the West but the Caps did what they needed to do and came away with all three points thanks to a Camilo Sanvezzo penalty at the start of the second half.
    Although Vancouver have looked better in their last two games on the road, their overall away form and style of play is still a concern. Things wouldn't come much easier than a game at the home of a team who have only scored eight goals all season, the lowest in the league, and conceded the second greatest number.
    In the end, there wasn't too much to trouble Vancouver but they didn't exactly shine themselves.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Coming off ten days rest and back to back home wins, Vancouver made only one change to the starting line up that took on Chivas. Young-Pyo Lee was left at home to enjoy the weekend Canada Day celebrations and Nigel Reo-Coker dropped back to fill his spot, with Jun Marques Davidson returning to the DM role.
    If the Caps thought that the goal shy home side weren't going to be an attacking threat, they got a warning just two minutes in when Dwayne De Rosario hit a Kyle Porter corner inches past the right hand post.
    DC had another great chance in the 7th minute when Porter found space at the back, picking up a cross and forcing Knighton to be tall and block his shot on goal from point blank range.
    The Caps had their first chance of the game when the ball hit off the shoulder of Daniel Woolard into the path of Russell Teibert, and the young Canadian crashed it off the near post from the tightest of angles.
    Chris Korb found himself in acres of room on the right side midway through the half but Chris Pontius hit a weak effort wide left under good pressure from Carlyle Mitchell.
    The action soon deteriorated, with neither side posing too much of a goal threat. The closest anyone came was when Sainey Nyassi drilled a low shot into the side netting seven minutes from the break.
    Martin Rennie seemed keen to give his team a half time kick up the butt and it worked just over a minute into the half.
    Matt Watson did well to get on the end of a brilliant long ball from Kenny Miller into the box and as he tried to round United keeper Bill Hamid, he was sent tumbling and the referee pointed to the spot.
    DC were furious as they felt Hamid had nudged the ball away, which he did, but his trailing arms and momentum also brought the Cap down.
    Up stepped Camilo and he drilled the penalty right down the middle to give the Caps an unexpected lead. It was the Brazilian's 12th goal of the season, nine of them coming in MLS.
    DC tried to push forward for an equaliser but the Caps defence were looking more solid than they have of late and there was not much of an end product.
    Daigo Kobayashi came within inches of doubling Vancouver's lead as the hour mark approached, after picking up a neat pass from Miller from a short corner, firing narrowly wide right.
    Hamid made some amends for his earlier penalty giveaway when he produced two fine saves within seconds of each in the 64th minute to keep his side in the game.
    Miller, who seemed to be everywhere on the pitch. played a shot ball inside to Jordan Harvey and the defender hit a fierce shot which Hamid parried. The Caps kept the pressure on from the rebound and the keeper produced an even better stop to keep out a Teibert curler from the edge of the box.
    The game again fell in to a bit of a lull, with both teams having half chances but nothing much of note, despite their rash of substitutions.
    Even Hamid causing some stoppage time problems in the Caps box couldn't bring the woeful home side back in to it.
    It wasn't a pretty performance from the Whitecaps. It wasn't a statement to the rest of the West. But it was a rare road win, a vital three points and made it three wins on the bounce.
    Sporting KC are the next challenge this coming Wednesday. They will prove to be a much tougher opposition for the Whitecaps than DC and they will need to raise their game accordingly if they are to take anything from that one.
    FINAL SCORE: DC United 0 - 1 Vancouver Whitecaps
    ATT: 13,122
    DC: Bill Hamid; Alain Rochat, Daniel Woolard, Ethan White, Chris Korb; Sainey Nyassi (Carlos Ruiz 71), Perry Kitchen, John Thorrington, Kyle Porter (Casey Townsend 60); Dwayne De Rosario (Lionard Pajoy 69), Chris Pontius [subs Not Used: Joe Willis, James Riley, Conor Shanosky, Taylor Kemp]
    VANCOUVER: Brad Knighton; Nigel Reo-Coker, Carlyle Mitchell, Johnny Leveron, Jordan Harvey; Daigo Kobayashi (Gershon Koffie 68), Jun-Marques Davidson, Matt Watson (Brad Rusin 86); Russell Teibert, Camilo Sanvezzo (Darren Mattocks 77), Kenny Miller [subs Not Used: Joe Cannon, Greg Klazura, Kekuta Manneh, Tommy Heinemann]
    <p>
    Guest
    Phase one of Vancouver Whitecaps' new National Soccer Development Centre (NSDC) at UBC was officially opened at the end of February.
    You can read all about it, and see photos of many aspects of it, <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?4231-Phase-one-of-Whitecaps-training-facility-ready-for-business" target="_blank">HERE</a>, but what it has meant for the Caps is that they finally have a place to call home for their teams at all levels, even though it's still not a complete one.
    Everyone will be under the one roof, sharing and training together at the same facility. For the young guys in the Residency they'll be so close to their dreams of becoming a professional footballer that they can both see and touch it. And if they wander into the laundry or kit room, smell it too.
    Such a visual and such an environment is in place at many of the top football clubs in Europe and the finished NSDC will provide that here in Vancouver. This can only be beneficial for the Caps development of young talent, which we'll discuss with Club President Bobby Lenarduzzi and Head Coach Gordon Forrest later in this piece.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The Whitecaps Residency program officially moves into the facility in September, but they have already made a partial move, playing their last six regular USSDA season games up at UBC.
    From the next school year, the Residency players will move from their schooling in Burnaby to University Hill Secondary School on the UBC campus and new billet families are currently being sought out.
    After years of playing at pitches all over Burnaby and Surrey, it's nice for the program to finally have a fixed abode, albeit one that many feel is like travelling to the end of the earth at times.
    For the Whitecaps it is just another continued part of their development and growth as a footballing family. The Caps have always been a football club not a franchise.
    Now the young Residency players can live, work, play and learn alongside the first team. They will share facilities, get help and guidance from MLS players and see the actual progression that they can make from playing with the Club in the USSDA to PDL to MLS. They can look along the corridor or across a field and see where they may be in a few years time.
    <i>"That's the way it is at most clubs with the young players, if they actually start off in the youth program at that club."</i> explains Whitecaps President Bobby Lenarduzzi.
    Gordon Forrest takes up that point.
    <i>"I think a lot of teams around the world try and create that environment, where the first team's there, where the reserves are there, the 18s, the 16s, even the younger ones.
    "It's going to be a bit of a bigger transition but once it all comes together, the positives for me are that you could possibly have the first team training on the field next to the U18s. If they need an extra player they can drag them across, they'll be mixing with these guys, the guys can give them advice, they'll be looking up to them. So there's a million and one different things that we can think of as the positive side."</i>
    With the move to UBC, will the Caps aim to bring anything different or extended to the existing program?
    <i>"We're hopefully going to schedule that we've got more contact with the players, which is great."</i> added Forrest.
    <i>"So not just one session a week, we need two or three sessions a week, whether it's on the field or in the classroom or discussions or physical. It's hopefully going to give us the opportunity to schedule even more in.
    "It's going to take time but we have a vision there and a goal we're trying to reach, with this move hopefully it'll all come together."</i>
    The goal for the Academy should always be to develop young local talent with the ultimate aim of them playing for the Whitecaps first team.
    They may not have gotten many minutes in the two and half years in MLS so far, but former Residency players in the MLS squad like Russell Teibert, Caleb Clarke and Bryce Alderson are examples that the current crop of young talent can aim to emulate.
    It all enthuses Lenarduzzi but he is keen to stress that the correct development plan must be in force for the young players.
    <i>"Some of them [young players in general] are exceptional, and like in the case of Wayne Rooney, they make the jump real early, but most of them will need to go through the system and earn their stripes and ideally forge their way through to the first team.
    "In our case, you look at a Russell Teibert right now, he's been with us three years now in the Residency program and just this year he's playing well and making a good case to get significant minutes this year."</i>
    Lenarduzzi feels that the NSDC could be that added incentive to helping push more of the Caps young talent to make that jump in the future.
    <i>"When it comes to player development, they don't come in bunches. It's a numbers game and some of them will progress and some of them will regress but we're committed to that whole youth development movement. So having the senior players here [at UBC] and having the Residency program here and being able to walk through and see what this is all about and strive towards being here, it's important."</i>
    As we've said ad nauseam this week, what Vancouver needs to really capture the public's imagination is a young local kid come good. A BC boy who has made the grade and not just made the journey from the youth team to the first team, but also getting significant minutes and making a repeated valuable contribution in MLS.
    We're close.
    It looks a little unlikely right now, but maybe Caleb Clarke will be that guy. Maybe it will be Ben Fisk. Could Derrick Bassi come back into the mix after a strong PDL season? Or maybe it will be one of the current crop coming through the Residency ranks and turning heads at the USSDA playoffs.
    With some of the talent around the Caps system at the moment, you genuinely feel that we're not just going to be looking at just one or two that could earn the promotion, but a few.
    There's a chance that some of the more outlying families and players may drop out of the program with the move to UBC. The extra travel or prospect of having their kid away with a billet family may prove too much for some.
    But once it is fully finished and all the pitches and finishing touches are in place, the NSDC will certainly help make that step from the Residency to the MLS team a lot smoother and the path more visible for the young in years to come.
    And that can only be good for both Vancouver Whitecaps and Canadian soccer.
    <center>**********</center>
    <i>[And that concludes our Residency Week for 2013. We hope you've enjoyed the feature and are excited about the Caps future as we are. If you missed any of the pieces, you can find them all in one easy place <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/tags.php?tag=residency+week" target="_blank"><u><b>HERE</b></u></a>.
    The actual 'Week' may be over but we're obviously not just going to forget all about the guys till 2014, so watch out for some more articles over the course of the year and we'll have a few in the build up to Finals Week.]</i>
    <p>
    Guest
    Saying it’s been a good week for Vancouver Whitecaps Residency U18s is a bit of an understatement.
    If you’ve been following <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/tags.php?tag=residency+week" target="_blank"><u><i>"Residency Week"</i></u></a> here on AFTN then you’ll know that the young Caps qualified for the USSDA Finals for the second consecutive year and in some style too.
    The Caps won all three of their Group 1 games, scoring 11 goals and conceding just three. They were the only one of the 32 U18 teams in the playoffs to finish with a 100% record, they scored the most goals over the week and had the best goal difference.
    Impressive stuff and it certainly turned some heads down in Dallas.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It extended the U18 team’s unbeaten streak to 15 matches (with 13 wins) and they have now lost only three games since Gordon Forrest took charge of the team back at the start of November.
    There were certainly stars over the week but overall it was an incredible team performance and one which Forrest is extremely pleased with.
    <i>"As a group we are very pleased with the outcome of the play offs. We set our goals as a group and individuals and most of these were achieved during this period. The players really focused on the effort and performance, both individually and as a team, which gave us the end results."</i>
    So what proved to be the most pleasing aspect of such a good week?
    <i>"Pleasing for me is the character and desire that the players showed against some tough opposition and in very difficult conditions......not easy playing that many games in a short spell. Another thing is the level of technical ability on show......we played some great football at times and scored some quality goals."</i>
    The Caps weren’t even firing on all cylinders this week, with the in-form Spencer DeBoice going off with an ankle injury just ten minutes into the first match against Chicago on Monday and playing no further part in the tournament.
    DeBoice has been a key cog to the Caps attack, both at U18 and PDL levels. Is there any danger he may miss out on the Finals in Houston?
    <i>”Spencer will be assessed again on our return and the medical team will be working hard to make sure he is fit for the Finals.”</i>
    Hopefully he will be good to go because it’s a tough looking final eight, as you would expect, and the Caps will need all the firepower at their disposal. Not that they haven't got enough already.
    The Finals groups draw hasn’t been made yet but Vancouver will have to see off the seven other groups winners if they want to bring home the silverware.
    The other teams heading to Houston for the week of July 14th are: Seattle Sounders, Albertson SC, New York Red Bulls, Shattuck St Mary's, New England Revolution, De Anza Force and St Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri.
    The incredible aspect of the final eight is that two of the teams play in the Northwest Western Conference of the USSDA alongside the Caps, in Seattle and De Anza. The other pleasing aspect of the qualifiers is that none of them are going to be used to playing in the blazing heat of Dallas.
    Whilst the Sounders and the Force may be familiar foes for the Whitecaps, the rest are something of an unknown right now. Half of the final eight are MLS academies but only New York and Albertson are currently ranking higher than the Caps in average points per game.
    Whoever Vancouver end up with in the group stage, it's going to be a tough set of games.
    <i>"The Finals stage is always going to be tough and all teams that made it there will have deserved it somehow along the way. We have some familiar teams in there and also some teams that would be good to match up against for the challenge and development.
    "We will review our group once selected and make sure the players are provided with every little detail we can give them to help their performance."</i>
    As the team get set to head home to Vancouver, they will clearly be on a high. After narrowly losing out in the Championship game last year, what's the feeling and desire like in the squad to go one better this time around?
    <i>"The players are in good spirits just now and we have a bit of a run going that we can hopefully keep building on. It's their own unique group from last year's squads as there is a mixture of players born 94, 95 and 96 and they are now focused on doing the best they can for the club.
    "With some of the players' experiences and feelings from last year, this will put them in a good place for the Finals preparation."</i>
    We can't wait to seeing how it plays out and will be bringing you full coverage of the Finals week, and the build up to it, here on AFTN.
    The whole team have already done themselves, the club and the fans proud. Whatever happens now is just the cherry on top. Let's hope it's a nice trophy shaped one.
    <p>
    Guest
    Toronto FC isn't exactly right to be publicly criticizing the CSA's seeming refusal to allow the club to keep two of the four national team call-ups an additional day.
    It's an honour to have players called to a national team and the Reds benefit from the association.
    However, Kevin Payne and Ryan Nelsen aren't wrong to be frustrated either. The truth is they are being forced to play a meaningful game with four players missing. That their opponent isn't missing any and, in fact, gets to keep its one important Canadian, makes it even more understandable that they'd be pissed.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    So, no one should be surprised that both Payne and Nelsen lashed out through the media today when they claimed that the CSA is happy to take TFC's help, but not so quick to provide assistance of its own.
    Equally unsurprising is the reaction to the reaction, with most Canadians taking a black and white approach -- either TFC is having a temper tantrum or the CSA in being unreasonable.
    Few, if any, people are attacking the real villain here: Major League Soccer.
    The game falls within the five day window that teams are required to release their players for in a continental championship. Yet, the possibility of moving the game to a time where it did not adversely affect the competitive integrity of the contest does not appear to even have been considered. Since TFC was refused in a request to move a game in 2008 in similar circumstances, one can safely assume that MLS does not allow such things.
    So, to be clear, MLS is a league that lets teams move fixtures to accommodate the needs of big European clubs to play friendlies, but won't move a game where one of the two sides has nearly 20 percent of its roster away on international duty.
    M-I-C...
    Much of the reaction against TFC's reaction has fallen along partisan lines -- Whitecaps fans of the national team telling TFC to get over it is a common refrain -- but the truth is this is something that all three Canadian clubs needs to stand together on. Due to the domestic needs of the teams and the difference between the size of the American and Canadian player pool, the Canadian MLS teams are far more likely to face these types of issues. If Vancouver's promise of focusing on developing starters through their academy holds true then it could as easily be the Whitecaps facing this issue in a couple years time as it is TFC.
    If MLS insists on playing games during the Gold Cup then it is just common sense that it should do what it can schedule-wise to ensure that teams aren't being punished for having internationals.
    It wouldn't be hard: try and give the Canadian teams byes during the group stage of the Gold Cup and scheduling a league-wide bye near the end of the year where rescheduled games could be placed if X number of players were lost to a team due to international call-ups.
    Simple.
    Yes, TFC should have kept this battle behind closed doors (although who knows how long they've been trying to reach a comprise) but that doesn't mean there isn't some validity in their concern. And, those outside of Toronto that wish to focus their anger solely on the Reds would be wise to remember that karma has a way of evening things out in the long run.
    Guest
    Toronto FC returns to BMO Field Saturday, on the heels of their successful road swing, for a pair of difficult looking home games sandwiched into a short week ahead of the upcoming mini-break for the first weekend of the Gold Cup’s group stage. First up is co-league-leading Real Salt Lake and then on Wednesday is Eastern Conference leading Montreal.
    To say what RSL head coach Jason Kreis has done so far in 2013, with the newest edition of his Royals team, is impressive is an understatement. Already considered one of the best young coaches in MLS due to his success at turning around a once flailing young franchise and leading them to an MLS Cup Championship and subsequently the final of the CONCACAF Champions League, Kreis is now in the process of cementing himself as an as close as you can get to sure thing by rebuilding his old team on the fly and staying successful.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Much was made of the fact that, due to budget constraints, Salt Lake had to part ways with players the calibre of Will Johnson, Jamison Olave, and Fabian Espindola during the off-season. All three were staples of the team that hadn’t missed the playoffs since 2007 and it’s not like they were completely past their sell-by date: Johnson is on the fringes of becoming a legitimate Player-of-the-Year candidate in Portland and Olave and Espindola are significant pieces in a powerful (if inconsistent) Red Bulls side.
    RSL themselves, however, were always quick to point out that they were actually still returning 14 of their top 19 players, in terms of minutes played, from 2012. Further, many of the players expected to step up and fill gaps in the line-up were already at the club and had been groomed over the previous two seasons. That, a handful of smart acquisitions, and a core of flexible and dependable non-star MLSers such as Chris Schuler, Tony Beltran, and Ned Grabavoy, who supplement the big names like Morales, Saborio, and Beckerman, has allowed the club to keep rolling right along.
    It’s a style of managed transition and long-term vision that has always been dreamed of but never achieved in the tumultuous world of TFC.
    Still, to succeed so early and (so far) so thoroughly is remarkable. The Lakers head to Toronto the hottest team in MLS on current form: four wins and a draw from their last five league games, undefeated since May 11th in all competitions, and comfortable winners in their US Open Cup quarterfinal over lower-league Carolina in midweek. For the first time in three seasons RSL won’t be competing in continental play but they seem poised to make a run at all or any of the three major domestic trophies available to American MLS teams.
    One player enjoying the renewed success in Utah will be all too familiar to Toronto supporters. Joao Plata is revelling in the super-sub forward role he’s been given by Kreis and, linking up excitingly with the always dangerous Javi Morales, has re-found the form that made him so popular at TFC in 2011.
    In fact, Plata’s success has somewhat stolen playing time from young Colombian forward Olmes Garcia. A major transfer acquisition in the winter – RSL paid a transfer fee – Garcia has been far from unsuccessful so far with four goals already from somewhat limited minutes. With regular forward Alvaro Saborio away on Gold Cup duty with Costa Rica it will be interesting to see if Kreis hands the other starting position beside Robbie Findley to Plata, Garcia, or second round SuperDraft pick Devon Sandoval. Picked 29th overall in the draft Sandoval has already made 11 appearances in his rookie season.
    Concerning TFC’s forwards, word from training on Friday was not encouraging as multiple sources indicated that Robbie Earnshaw might be unavailable due to a problem with his calf. That might mean a start for Danny Koevermans who looked ready enough in his substitute appearance at the conclusion of the draw in Houston.
    Alternatively, TFC head coach Ryan Nelsen may prefer to continue his conservative approach to the big Dutchman’s return and hand a start to the energetic Jeremy Brockie in a more like-for-like switch. Even forgotten-man Justin Braun is available again and, like Koevermans, potted a goal in the Red’s Reserve match win over Montreal in mid-week. Braun was an offensive spark during the spring, before a surprising attempt to convert him into an impromptu left midfielder, and provides a different, more physical option up top.
    Toronto FC has done well so far in the month of June and may even be moving closer to a settled side. Two matches against two quality MLS teams is a chance to establish, for home fans, that the latest rebuild is actually starting to take but, as always, the danger of another false dawn looms.
    Guest
    One of the hot topics amongst fans at Residency games is always which players do we think can go on and become professional footballers, either with the Whitecaps MLS squad or somewhere else in the world.
    Last year we put together a Top 20 countdown of who we felt were the top prospects in the Whitecaps Residency program and how we would rank them, looking at only the then current U16s and U18s (who had not signed a MLS contract).
    We're going to make this a yearly list and have tweaked it a little this year, bringing you a Top Ten 'Ones To Watch' countdown, along with a special note to those just bubbling under and missing the cut. We complete the countdown today with a look at the Top Five (you can read part one, featuring numbers 6 to 10, HERE), along with a look at the youngest players who could be taking the next step in the program and we revisit some of last year’s Top 20 and take a look at where they are now.
    The following rankings are a snapshot of where the players are in their development combined with the potential they show to develop into professional footballers.
    Because potential is so hard to predict, it is not an even measurable with the player’s current status. Included in this review is an independent coach/scout who has seen the Residency players in action on a number of occasions. We feel there is no reason for any of the lower ranked or unranked players couldn’t develop into future professionals.
    Taking The Next Step
    We looked at some of the players currently just bubbling under the Top Ten in part one, but the Whitecaps also have a number of players that are coming up through the ranks who by next season may find themselves a spot in the Top 10.
    Midway through this season Alex Comsia made the move up to the U18 side where he saw limited action but proved his ability with the U17 Canadian side in Panama. While most local supporters knew how talented Matthew Chow was, he became known to a nation when he showed his abilities at U17 World Cup qualifying.
    The leading scorer for the U16s Dario Zanatta will make the move up one level where he will compete for a starting spot as an attacking midfielder/striker. Both Thomas Gardner and David Norman Jr are 98s who should return to the U16 team for a second year as regular starters. With Carducci moving up one level, the team will most likely look to Ottawa native Aidan Aylward to be their number one keeper.
    Where Are They Now
    Before we get to this year’s Top Five let’s take a look back at the players who were part of the countdown last year and have left the academy program.
    Midfielder Sebastian Cabrera started the season with the U18s but decided to move to Chile to continue his development while Sadi Jalali returned to FC Edmonton and signed a professional contract.
    Former left back Adam Polakiewicz moved to Poland and signed with Slask Wroclaw of the top division before he returned to Canada and joined KW United FC of the PDL. On the other side of the backline Declan Rodriguez went the NCAA route with the University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin, where he earned conference 2nd team honours.
    Last season Wesley Cain led the NAIA’s University of Northwestern Ohio with ten goals which led to a transfer to NCAA Division 1 Wright State. Staying local Alex Rowley started 19 of 20 games for SFU where he earned a Conference honourable mention.
    The biggest breakout season was by Ben McKendry who scored seven goals ranking him among the top 15 by freshman and earning him Conference newcomer of the year and a place in the NCAA 2nd all-freshman team by several publications. The freshman year wasn’t as successful for keeper Callum Irving who was unable to win the starter’s spot and only started three games, but will be looking to reclaim that spot next season.
    Defender Daniel Stanese started the season at Florida Gulf Coast, where he earned a spot on the 2nd team in the southeast region, moved to FC Nurnberg U19 in January and now has transferred to FC Augsburg II for next season. Our number one player in the countdown, Ben Fisk, went through a couple of trials in Germany before deciding to join Charleston Battery on loan where he had an impact start to the season before hitting the injury wall. He is back in Vancouver rehabbing and still hopes to be able to see some more playing time before the end of the season.
    You can find all the details of our 2012 countdown HERE.
    2013 'Ones To Watch' Top Five
    5 - Spencer DeBoice
    POS: MF
    HT: 5'9"
    YR: 1994
    HOMETOWN: Surrey, BC
    STATS: 26GP, 22GS, 11G
    ANALYSIS: It was a struggle early on for DeBoice as he had some big shoes to fill taking over for Ben Fisk at the left sided winger position. However he picked up his game in the second half of the season contributing offensively especially when Huitema went down with an injury. DeBoice is a very quick hardworking wing player who can take on defenders and either beat them into the box or deliver a cross into danger areas.
    OUTLOOK: For at least one season he will be staying local and joins the SFU program that plays in NCAA Division 2.
    SCOUT’S TAKE: "Spencer really came on as the year went on and showed more confidence when he takes on defenders in 1v1 battles. He should really excel next year with SFU where they play a high tempo style that suits his particular skills."
    4 - Jackson Farmer
    POS: CB
    HT: 6'2"
    YR: 1995
    HOMETOWN: Edmonton, AB
    STATS: 26GP, 26GS, 1G
    ANALYSIS: One of the most consistent performers on the U18 team, Farmer took over from the year before as the captain on the pitch and leader of the backline. He is a physical player who is filling into his large build which hasn’t affected his technical ability on the ball. Farmer is very effective defensively whether it’s in the air, on his feet or when he takes away the ball with a slide tackle.
    OUTLOOK: While he is eligible to return for another season with the U18s there is a chance Farmer leaves for college or be loaned out by the Caps to get playing time with another club.
    SCOUT’S TAKE: "He is an extremely smooth player for a physical defender of his size. Jackson might be the least known residency player since he makes every play look so easy and rarely makes a mistake."
    3 - Marco Bustos
    POS: CM
    HT: 5'7"
    YR: 1996
    HOMETOWN: Winnipeg, MB
    STATS: 21GP, 15GS, 7G (U18) / 5GP, 5GS, 2G (U16)
    ANALYSIS: It was clear early on in the season that Bustos was too dominant on the U16 team so the Caps decided to move him up a year early to the U18s. Once he joined the senior squad the Winnipeg native became the engine of the team, similar to what he did for the U17 Canadian team that qualified for the World Cup. Bustos is a tireless worker who is excellent on the ball in tight spaces and is capable of scoring in multiple ways as well as setting up teammates.
    OUTLOOK: While it is expected that he will return to the U18s for another season, there is a chance for him to explore other options.
    SCOUT’S TAKE: "A truly dynamic player who could become the best player from this season’s group of academy players. The biggest improvement in his game is the high work rate which combined with his skills makes him a very dangerous attacking player."
    2 - Sam Adekugbe
    POS: DF
    HT: 5'11"
    YR: 1995
    HOMETOWN: Calgary, AB
    STATS: 25GP, 25GS, 2G
    ANALYSIS: As his stock rises Adekugbe continues to show enough skill and
    athletic ability that could make him the next homegrown signing for the Caps. The left back not only played for the U18s but has also started for the U23 PDL side and has a couple of starts for the Whitecaps reserves against MLS competition. Adekugbe is a solid defender who is very aggressive on his runs down the left side and delivers a solid cross into the box.
    OUTLOOK: It doesn’t seem like he will be going the college route instead going pro with the Whitecaps with a possibility to play with the U18s or going out on loan.
    SCOUT’S TAKE: "Of all the players in the academy he might be the most ready to go pro in MLS because of the maturity he demonstrates in his play. Sam has an excellent base of skill and talent but like most young players he will need to work on the defensive part of his game."
    1 - Brody Huitema
    POS: ST
    HT: 6'2"
    YR: 1995
    HOMETOWN: Chilliwack, BC
    STATS: 22GP, 18GS, 26G
    ANALYSIS: There was absolute no drop off in the play of Huitema as he moved up to the U18 level this season. He had a better season when it came to goals per game compared to the outstanding year that earned Caleb Clarke a contract in 2011-12. When it comes to finishing his chances Huitema is capable of doing it several ways whether in the air, from in close or from distance.
    OUTLOOK: He will be heading to the NCAA Division 1 ranks where he has accepted a scholarship to Duke located in North Carolina.
    SCOUT’S TAKE: "I wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to keep up his goal scoring as he moved up but he exceeded my expectations. The Whitecaps may need to break the bank if they want to retain him because Brody will get quite a bit of attention from European clubs."
    ******
    And that’s it for our 2013 countdown. An interesting crop this year and it will be interesting to see where both the 2012 and 2013 noted players will be playing this time next year and how their development has gone.
    Guest
    <center><i>"Oh Russell Teibert,
    You are the love of my life
    Oh Russell Teibert,
    I'd let you shag my wife
    Oh Russell Teibert,
    I wish I had your hair, too"</center>
    - Curva Collective</i>


    With it being <i>'Residency Week'</i> here at AFTN, I thought I would take a look at the journey Russell Teibert has taken from playing in the Whitecaps Residency program to becoming a important fixture in the current starting eleven. It is a journey that sets the standard and gives hope and aspirations to the current crop of talent coming through the program.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    After a brief spell with the Toronto FC academy, Russell came to Vancouver in 2008 to join the Whitecaps Residency program. For the first two years in Vancouver he played friendlies all over Europe against some very prominent youth academies.
    He quickly became a fixture with the Residency team and started getting recognized on a national level for his potential and ability.
    Teibert first suited up for Canada in 2009 at the CONCACAF U-17 Championship. In his first game (vs Honduras) he put Canada up 1-0 from the penalty spot, as Canada went on to finish 4th in their pool.
    His play in these tournaments were a major contributing factor in earning him the Canadian U-17 Player of the Year award in both 2008 and 2009, garnering him a lot of attention and speculation as to what the young starlet could go on to achieve.
    In 2010, after showing promise in the USL PDL season, he earned his first senior team call up, making his debut on July 31st 2010 at the age of just 17yrs and 221 days old.
    With Vancouver joining MLS for the 2011 season, the Whitecaps where able to sign Teibert to a homegrown player Generation Adidas contract. This gave the Caps the luxury of not having to lose him in the MLS Super Draft and having his contract not count against the tight MLS salary cap.
    Head coach Teitur Thordarson had belief in the young Canadian's skills and prospects and Teibert made his MLS debut in the Whitecaps first ever MLS match (against Toronto FC at Empire Field on March 19th 2011), playing 69 minutes. He went on to make 11 appearances in MLS that season, five of them as a starter, before falling out of favour with new coach Tommy Soehn and suffering injury in the now infamous cycling in flip-flops incident.
    2012 saw a lot of criticism from supporters regarding the way Martin Rennie was not giving Teibert any minutes, let alone quality minutes, to help with his development. Rennie said numerous times that he didn't think he was ready for Major League Soccer action. Reports have come out saying that during the 2012 season Rennie was thinking of loaning Teibert out due to the lack of effort and impact he saw. If it wasn't for Paul Ritchie showing belief in the player and realising the talent that Teibert could bring to the team, he might not even be in a Whitecaps jersey today.
    For a player that just turned 20 last December he has shown this year that he is capable of being a regular starter in MLS. Not only a starter but a player that can make a difference game in, game out for the Whitecaps.
    With his success this season it means Teibert is getting a chance to wear the Canadian kit for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Depending on what happens on the pitch, he could miss between two to five Whitecaps matches.
    As fans we want to be greedy and have him wearing blue and white instead of the white and red but this is a chance for him to earn the experience that almost all quality All-Star players in front of him have.
    Lets just hope he doesn't pull a Omar Salgado and get injured (knock on pitch).
    In my opinion Teibert will be a MLS All-Star in the next three seasons. I have discussed this with some people on the Whitecaps coaching staff who predict he will continue to improve and be one next season. The feeling is that with having Nigel Reo-Coker leading him on the pitch this season they have seen him gain confidence and bring his game to the next level this season.
    Finally getting a consistent run in the starting eleven has also helped that confidence, as has grabbing his first two goals as a professional in the game against LA in May.
    The result has been on display in his most reason performances, where he has contributed six assists in the last four MLS matches.
    Here's a look at Russell Teibert's Caps' stats to date from the MLS era:
    <b>2011 Season:</b>
    15 Appearances (11 MLS - 5 starts, 6 as sub / 4 Canadian Championship - 2 starts, 2 as sub)
    503 MLS minutes played
    232 Canadian Championship minutes played
    735 Total minutes played
    0 goals
    1 assist (in Canadian Championship)
    <b>2012 Season:</b>
    4 Appearances (all 4 MLS - 1 start, 3 as sub)
    117 MLS minutes played
    000 Canadian Championship minutes played
    117 Total minutes played
    0 goals
    0 assists
    <b>2013 MLS Season: (As of June 19 game vs Chivas)</b>
    14 Appearances (10 MLS - 9 starts, 1 as sub / 4 Canadian Championship - 4 starts)
    827 MLS minutes played
    360 Canadian Championship minutes played
    1,187 Total minutes
    2 goals (both MLS)
    7 assists (6 MLS, 1 Canadian Championship)
    As the legend of Canadian Soccer Jesus grows, the questions are now what is the limit with his game, how long will he play in Vancouver, and is Vancouver in his long term plans?
    No one can answer these questions but him. So lets sit back, drink our beers, stand and sing and enjoy the show. By the looks of it, it's only going to get better.
    <center>**********</center>
    [Michael - It's great to finally have a Residency product not just regularly starting in the first team, but also being a key component and contributing heavily. The additions of others like Caleb Clarke and Bryce Alderson are also great, even if they aren't seeing action on the pitch.
    All of these successes give inspiration and aspiration to the current crop of young talent as to what they can go on to achieve. They need to see that and have examples of the pathway that can lie ahead for them.
    Russell Teibert is currently the prime example of that pathway. He is now setting that bar for others to follow and let's hope he is the first of many.]
    <p>
×
×
  • Create New...