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    Guest
    In the heady days of a consistently sold out stadium and ridiculously inflated secondary market it was easy to miss noticing that Toronto FC never actually lead the league in attendance. In fact, in their first season, TFC was behind two other clubs: the Los Angeles Galaxy and DC United.
    While the Galaxy rode the first year of David Beckham’s tenure on the west coast to a league leading average attendance of 24,252 DC was having their second best season at the gate ever and ultimately finished with an average attendance of 20,967 on the way to picking up that year’s Supporter’s Shield.
    Back in 2007, before Seattle and Portland, before Red Bull Arena, and before the revitalization of Kansas City, it was very difficult to imagine an MLS without United. The bouncing, camera facing stands of RFK Stadium, filled with members of DC’s supporters groups, were an iconic visual image and the trophies won by the club made them the closest thing to an East Coast anchor the league had.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Fans around the league understood that too; it was that sentiment that made Toronto supporters, in DC for a TFC game, walk in solidarity with DC supporters in the latter’s attempt to encourage their local government to support a stadium for the club.
    Since then it has been one steady story of decline for a pillar of early MLS: seemingly less and less movement on the stadium issue, talk of relocation to Baltimore, four years outside the playoffs, and a worst ever season – as bad as anything TFC has ever done - in 2010.
    Even a return to the playoffs in 2012, with an exciting young team, wasn’t enough to re-energize a fan base worn down by years spent spinning the tires. Where once they were among the leaders, last year DC United’s average attendance was down to only 13,846. To put that in context, that’s behind New England.
    What’s the point of recounting all this history? Simply put, it should serve as a warning to ownership and management at Toronto FC.
    The situation in Toronto is, of course, different. For all the complaints of supporters, BMO Field is a more than suitable home for TFC and not in literal danger of falling apart. Season ticket sales remain surprisingly robust. There is undoubted proof of a market for a properly run and even marginally successful team in the city.
    But nothing should ever be taken for granted. As stated earlier, there was a time when it was difficult to imagine MLS surviving without a strong franchise in DC. Now, unless the stadium issue can be resolved, it seems far from impossible. DC United could be revitalized, and new ownership certainly has that ambition, but the team is no longer a necessity in the way that it was a decade ago.
    And now DC United is bad once again; very, very bad. Only one win from their first 14 games, fewer points than TFC (for now), and a goal difference of -18 bad. The fans who continue to show up were forced to endure the shame of watching their team capitulate 4-0 at home to the Houston Dynamo in early May.
    While an optimist might point to a mid-week win in the US Open Cup over Philly, powered by a Dwayne De Rosario hat trick, as a sign of possible resurgence it’s important to note that the three goals DC scored in that game would equal half of their output in MLS to date. Even Toronto’s stuttering offense has managed to find twice as many goals in the league.
    Of course, like DCU, TFC have only one win so far themselves.
    Back when the Reds managed to beat Sporting Kansas City in early March they had a starting midfield consisting of Reggie Lambe, Jeremy Hall, Terry Dunfield, and John Bostock with Hogan Ephraim playing ahead of them underneath the main striker. Now, the latter three of those players aren’t even with the club having been released over the course of the last few weeks; none of them brought any asset back in return.
    While the reason for each player’s departure most likely makes sense on a micro level the familiar Toronto FC malaise – constant churn and failure to accumulate assets – has not, as yet, disappeared under new management. Whether or not the spaces opened up by the most recent round of cuts will finally be filled with players who can hang around for more than a cup of coffee is a question for another day.
    Saturday night’s match in DC will feature two basement dwellers; one that has a great past and one that once promised a great future. Neither is likely to find much long term relevance in a single game in the middle of another poor season but for fans of both clubs, at this point, any win would be welcome even if it ultimately proves meaningless.
    Guest
    The Quebec Soccer Federation announced this morning that their board of directors will meet to review the latest news from FIFA and deliver a ruling tomorrow at a press conference.
    It is expected, at that time, that they will announce they will abide by the FIFA ruling and allow turbans back on to Quebec soccer fields. The CSA suspension is also expected to be lifted as a result.
    You can read the release here
    Google translate after the jump.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    ____
    FIFA RESPOND TO REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATION OF THE SOCCER FEDERATION OF QUEBEC ON THE PORT OF
    Turban SOCCER QUEBEC
    The Quebec Soccer Federation warmly welcomes the clarification and relief given by FIFA for the regulation surrounding the turban / paktas / keski to all levels of Canadian soccer. Since the beginning of the dispute, the Soccer Federation Quebec asked a clear position from FIFA on the subject, that we did not to this announcement. The Board of Directors of the FSQ will be entered into as soon as possible the position of FIFA.
    The Quebec Soccer Federation will announce the decision of the Board of Directors on lifting the ban at a press conference Saturday at 10 am at its offices located at 955 Avenue Bois de Boulogne in Laval (Qc) H7N 4G1. In the meantime, out of respect for the process decision, the Quebec Soccer Federation will not comment further.
    Editor's note, June 16: Considering the comments have once again gone way outside the realm of soccer, they have been closed on this article.
    Guest
    Canadian Soccer News has obtained a letter, dated June 13, in which the CSA has informed all provincial organizations, including Quebec, that FIFA has confirmed the use of turbans by youth soccer players.
    "In accordance with the directive of the Canadian Soccer Association as outlined in its 11 April 2013 memo permitting the wearing of turbans/patkas/keski (male head covers), we wish to inform you that the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and FIFA have authorized the wearing of male head covers in all areas and on all levels of the Canadian football community."
    The emphasis is theirs.
    The letter includes visual approximations of what types of turbans are allowed and also details that the following conditions that must be met:

    Be of the same colour as the jersey
    Be in keeping with the professional appearance of the player’s equipment
    Not be attached to the jersey
    Not pose any danger to the player wearing it or any other player

    You can read the whole letter here.
    Update (June 14, 10:00am): A CSA source confirmed this morning that FIFA will issue its own press release later today, in support of the letter the CSA sent to the provincial bodies yesterday. CSN will publish that release once it's received.
    You can read the FIFA release here
    From the FIFA release:
    "The letter sent by FIFA to the CSA on 13 June 2013 authorises the CSA to permit all players to wear head covers as described above, in all areas and on all levels of the Canadian football community."
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    Canadian Soccer News has learned that the Canadian Soccer Association has arranged to meet face to face with the Quebec Soccer Federation over their ban on turbans.
    A Quebec Soccer source confirmed that members of QSF would fly out to Ottawa on Wednesday night to meet with the national governing body, in hopes of finding a resolution to their suspension.
    As CSN first reported last night, and FIFA confirmed this morning, FIFA has "authorized the wearing of male head covers in all areas and on all levels of the Canadian football community."
    This comes after the QSF voted earlier this week to uphold their ban, which prevents youth players from wearing turbans on the field. The CSA responded later in the day by re-asserting their position and outlining several reasons for the suspension.
    At this point, with both camps firmly entrenched in their position and with it clear that the matter has become severely distorted – through issues like politics, religion and even pride – perhaps the biggest question is: who will be at the table when the two groups meet on Wednesday?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    On the CSA side, it will certainly be General Secretary Peter Montopoli and President Victor Montagliani. Montagliani has been the point man for much of the CSA’s communications so far and he represents the soccer side of the CSA. And Montopoli, who is traditionally quiet publicly but influential in private, is the man who leads all their business operations. They will both be keen to ensure that the CSA is not seen as weak on their first real test since governance reform was enacted, but neither is the type to cut off the nose to spite the face. Having said that, don't expect much movement, if any, from the CSA.
    Who will attend on the QSF side is not as clear, and realistically, far more important.
    With an issue like the turban ban, which has unfortunately become about much more than preventing children from playing soccer, who is leading the QSF next week will likely determine how long this stare down continues.
    One thing that has become clear: Quebec president Martial Prud'homme is a lame duck president. When he was elected, he ran on a platform of allowing districts to vote how they want and it largely was what took him from relative obscurity to election.
    Past president Dino Madonis was not the kind of man to rule by consensus and his hard nose approach to management, while it earned him respect, also had districts looking for an alternative to the Montreal centric approach by the end.
    But now, with it being suggested that Prud'homme not only offered no advice or guidance before their original ban and their vote to re-assert it, one has to wonder what good it would do bringing him to the table.
    His district, Lac Saint Louie – the richest in the province and one of its most successful — is also home to the community with the most number of Sikh players. His lack of influence is not only affecting those who wear turbans — but, as a district that more often than not sends teams to the national championships — he is affecting those who do not wear them as well.
    If he is not able to create consensus among his province where he has direct interests involved, what point is there in having him sit down to try and negotiate a settlement?
    In the leadership absence created by Prud'homme, QSF general manager Brigitte Frot has filled the power vacuum.
    You’ll remember her from such quotes as, “They can play in their backyard. But not with official referees, not in the official rules of soccer. They have no choice,” and her assertions that turbans were a safety issue – but without an ounce of evidence of there ever having been an incident involving a turban.
    She has barely moved off her statements and her reputation for not being the most conciliatory of people preceeds her. If she attends at all is also a question. She was away for nearly a year fighting to overcome a bout of cancer and it has been suggested that she has not being dealing well with the stress this has brought on her.
    Her assistant GM Patrick Esparbès would be a good stand in. He has a depth of leadership experience as the former general manager of Québec Judo and is not bogged down by the political allegiances of the past.
    But while his reputation for being clear headed would go a long way to resolving a dispute, which has long since spiraled out of control, what this situation needs is a composed hand to navigate the intricacies of an often complicated Quebec-CSA relationship.
    That person should be Dino Madonis. Love him or hate him, Madonis still remains one of the most influential people in Quebec soccer in the last 20 years.
    And while he may have officially stepped away from Quebec Soccer Federation, he is far from gone and has very much continued to have a say in the way that Quebec Soccer is run. Many suspect that it was him who called Joey Saputo, on behalf of the QSF, to ask the Impact president to speak up in support of finding a resolution.
    In addition, an already established, even somewhat cordial, relationship with Madonis and the CSA’s Montagliani makes him an ideal candidate to assist it mediating this conflict to conclusion
    Which, given the recent news out of FIFA, is less about turban wearing players rejoining the Quebec fields (that's clearly going to happen now), and more about ensuring that the QSF is able to save face from what can only be described as one, long PR disaster.
    Guest
    Toronto FC waived midfielder Terry Dunfield today.
    The move surprised many, as Dunfield was an effective player for the Reds this year when healthy. That's the key word: healthy. Dunfield was recovering slowly from a knee injury suffered in training.
    The move spoke to information that CSN received last week. A source told us that Dunfield was about to retire and that TFC had a coaching role waiting for him.
    If that turns out to be true it will continue a trend that sees TFC offer coaching roles to former players who have little to no coaching experience.
    It's likely that the coaching offers are being used as an incentive to have players walk away from a contract. However, the moves have rubbed some in the Ontario coaching community the wrong way. That, in turn, is causing harm to the reputation of the TFC Academy.
    Guest
    Episode eleven of <i>"There's Still Time"</i>, the AFTN podcast. Our last podcast was just before the Voyageurs Cup final and there's been a lot happening in Whitecapsland since then.
    There are no cups running over in Vancouver, just a lot of heartache and a long season still ahead.
    Recorded on location at UBC at the Caps' U23 friendly with North Sound Sea Wolves, we briefly look back at the highs of the New York and the lows of Montreal, before moving on to look at the Alain Rochat trade, the heartbreaking loss in Seattle and the back to back home games coming up for the Whitecaps. We also hear briefly from Nigel Reo-Coker.
    And there's still time to look at the hot news topic in Canadian soccer this week, the CSA taking action against the Quebec Soccer Federation for their banning of wearing turbans whilst playing. With co-host Steve being a Sikh himself, we get an interesting insight into the whole debacle.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    You can listen to this week's podcast on iTunes <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/aftn/id628306235" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>.
    Or download it for your later listening delight <a href="http://aftn.podbean.com/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>
    We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site <a href="http://aftn.podbean.com/mobile/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a> and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app.
    Or you could just listen on one of the players below:
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    Guest
    The Canadian Soccer Association didn't waste any time responding to the Quebec Soccer Federation's decision to uphold their ban on turbans.
    In the release they go into detail of their motivations for the suspension and detail how the suspension will directly affect the QSF.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Release
    The Quebec Soccer Federation’s decision to maintain its ban of turbans (12 June 2013 QSF release) without the disclosure of intent or a projected plan of action forces the Canadian Soccer Association to uphold the suspension announced on 10 June.
    As per its By-Laws, the Canadian Soccer Association, Canada’s national governing body for the sport of soccer in our country, has as its mission to “respect and prevent any infringement of the statutes, regulations, directives and directions of FIFA, CONCACAF and the Canadian Soccer Association as well as ensure that they are also respected by its Members”. As a Member Association, the Quebec Soccer Federation must abide by these By-Laws (article 15.2).
    Also stated in the Association’s By-Laws, “discrimination of any kind against country, private person or group of people on account of ethnic origin, gender, language, religion, politics or any other reasons is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion”.
    As per article 16.5, “a suspended Member shall lose its Membership rights [and] other Members may not entertain sporting contact with a suspended Member”.
    Concretely, this suspension includes, but is not limited to:
    Prohibit the participation or hosting of inter-provincial competitions, tournaments or matches;
    Prohibit the participation or hosting of national competitions, including All Stars showcase and National Club Championships;
    Prohibit the participation or hosting of international competitions, tournaments or matches;
    Prohibit the appointment of international or national list officials to Quebec Soccer Federation’s competitions, tournaments or matches;
    Prohibit the participation or benefiting from Canadian Soccer Association meetings (AGM, Technical Director meetings, Executive Directors meetings, Members Forum,
    Competitions Committee, etc.);
    Prohibit the participation or benefiting from FIFA, CONCACAF, Canadian Soccer Association courses, including coaching and refereeing;
    No access to hearing for appeals/disciplinary matters.
    The suspension will be lifted once the Canadian Soccer Association receives, in writing, confirmation that the Quebec Soccer Federation has reversed its decision of 2 June 2013 and will comply with the Canadian Soccer Association policy that the wearing of turbans/patkas/keski is permitted. The Canadian Soccer Association welcomes continued dialogue with the Quebec Soccer Federation with the objective of a timely resolution on this matter.
    It is with regret that the Canadian Soccer Association recognizes that the Quebec Soccer Federation suspension will, in the short term, affect a number of players and clubs. The Association remains committed to resolving this issue for the long term growth and development of the sport of soccer in Canada.
    The Canadian Soccer Association is dedicated to improving the game of soccer, promoting, regulating and controlling it throughout Canada in the light of fair play and its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values, particularly through youth and development programs.
    Note: Since the comments veered irretrievably off-topic, we've decided to close them on this story. If you'd like to continue the discussion, you know how to find us on Twitter.
    Guest

    About Frank Yallop and dominos

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    You may have heard that Canadian coach Frank Yallop is out of a job. It came as a bit of a surprise. Yes, the Earthquakes were struggling a bit, but he is less than a year off winning MLS' Manager of the year award, along with the Supporter's Shield. Yallop was a fixture in San Jose, having managed there during both the Quakes 1.0 and 2.0 eras.
    The sudden nature of his removal has led many to speculate that Yallop had a new gig already set up. Many have extended that idea and have noticed that the Canadian national team job is still vacant. Yallop once held that job, the thinking goes, so it stands to reason that he might be offered it again. After all he wasn't fired from the gig (he left to take the Galaxy job) and he remains well respected.
    It's solid logic. It's also wrong. CSN has been told, by several people close to the situation, that Yallop is not under consideration for the job. In fact, it is widely believed that the next Canadian manager won't be named until the Fall at the earliest. So, if the national team job is off the table, what then?
    The next suggestion is that he's about to join the Whitecaps in some role, and be there, should Martin Rennie be fired. Yallop very well may end up with the Whitecaps job if Rennie is let go and Rennie very well may be let go. But, a two headed Rennie-Yallop management structure in Vancouver would seem as likely to work as that Winter-Mariner one did in Toronto.
    Speaking of Toronto, one wonders if there is any possibility of Yallop moving there. It seems absurd, but TFC occasionally defines absurdity. Also, new president Tim Leiweke might be eager to make his mark on the Reds now that he's less busy with the equally dysfunctional basketball team. It is important to remember that Kevin Payne was not his hire and, as such, he might not have as loose a rope as he did under Tom Anselmi.
    And then there are the whispers, from close to the team, that are increasingly getting louder. These whispers are from similar places that past whispers came from and have been consistently correct in the past.
    It's important to stress that the noise is coming from people that did not have a horse in the great Mariner v Winter war of 2012. One source familiar with the dressing room told CSN that players are already tuning out management.
    Specifically they said that Payne "tore a strip off" players Monday in a closed door practice. It was suggested that he "read them the riot act" stressing how they have the best facilities, manager and coaches. They need to do more, Payne fumed, without taking any blame for TFC's struggles himself.
    Although it certainly is possible that there was some truth to Payne's message, the source questioned the delivery and pointed out that the blame sessions are becoming more and more frequent.
    "It has become an increasingly difficult place to work for players who are routinely being told their jobs are on the line," the source said. "Players are increasingly tuning out the threats."
    Does that mean change is imminent in TFC-land? No. But the last time these type of rumours were common was in the middle of 2010. That would be just before Preki was fired, less than a season into his time in T.O.
    Ryan Nelsen's job is probably safe, but canning him to bring in Yallop wouldn't even make the top 10 list if strange decisions TFC has made over the years.
    Or, maybe, Yallop is just going to wait for another good MLS job to open up without worrying about what country it's in.
    Guest

    QSF stands pat on ban

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    After early indications last night that the Quebec Soccer Federation would not release the result of their vote for 10 days, this morning they announced that they would be standing pat on their ban on turbans.
    For a greater understanding of some of the background involved, read Ben's column on CBC this morning.
    The QSF has invited the CSA to discuss the matter further.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    So, lost somewhat in the hubbub of the women's national team playing the much-hyped (and ultimately disappointing) "rematch" against the #1 team in the world is the fact that they've also got a showdown with the #2 team in the world later this month.
    As has been his habit so far in 2013, head coach John Herdman continues tinkering with his lineup. Once again he'll be taking a look at a few new faces, while keeping the core of the team largely intact. While he's spoken of a development gap that will need addressing in the years ahead -- and the only way to close that gap is to see what young players have got -- he's also cognizant of the reality that running out a team full of newbies to be slaughtered by top competition isn't especially productive either.
    With that in mind, here's the 18-woman roster who'll head into Germany for the friendly on Wednesday, June 19 (9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET kickoff on Sportsnet One):
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    GK- Stephanie Labbé | SWE / KIF Örebro DFF
    GK- Erin McLeod | USA / Chicago Red Stars
    D- Kadeisha Buchanan | CAN / Toronto Lady Lynx
    D- Robyn Gayle | USA / Washington Spirit
    D- Rachel Melhado | USA / University of Louisville
    D- Carmelina Moscato | USA / Chicago Red Stars
    D- Desiree Scott | USA / FC Kansas City
    D- Lauren Sesselmann | USA / FC Kansas City
    D- Chelsea Stewart | USA / UCLA
    D- Rhian Wilkinson | USA / Boston Breakers
    D- Emily Zurrer | USA / Seattle Reign FC
    M- Kaylyn Kyle | USA / Seattle Reign FC
    M- Diana Matheson | USA / Washington Spirit
    M- Sophie Schmidt | USA / Sky Blue FC
    M- Danica Wu | CAN / Comètes de Laval
    F- Mélissa Busque | USA / Seattle University
    F- Adriana Leon | USA / Boston Breakers
    F- Christine Sinclair | USA / Portland Thorns FC
    Despite still being too young to buy a bottle of beer, Kadeisha Buchanan has remarkably already become a fixture on the Canadian backline, so to count her among the "newbies" would be a bit inaccurate. Likewise with Stephanie Labbe, who's seen sporadic duty with the national team in the last five years (and was believed by some to have retired from international play altogether) but at age 26 (relatively young for a goalkeeper) could still be a part of the picture in the years ahead.
    Rachel Melhado, 19, is getting her first crack with the senior national team, after featuring for the Canadian side at last year's U20 Women's World Cup. She's an automatic starter on defence for the University of Louisville and has been in the Canadian setup for three years.
    Melissa Busque, 23, is also getting a first look with the senior national team, though she's been on the Canadian radar for the better part of a decade. She's currently with the Seattle Sounders women's team in the USL W-League (if their website is to be believed), after scoring four goals at Seattle University and 10 goals over the course of three seasons at the University of Connecticut.
    Danica Wu earned her first senior national team cap as a late sub in the friendly against the USA earlier this month, but hardly had enough time to make an assertive impact on the game. The 20-year-old did feature regularly for the U20 team last year and showed herself to be an industrious midfield player -- if a comparison to a current national-teamer was needed, maybe Diana Matheson?
    Adriana Leon was a somewhat-surprising exclusion from the roster that faced the USA, but she's right back in the mix. A tough striker with a, shall we say, minimalist goal celebration, Leon scored thrice for Canada at last year's U20 Women's World Cup (a hat trick in a romp over Argentina) and tallied her first cap (and first goal) with the senior team earlier this year at the Yongchuan Cup in China.
    Speaking of the U20s.... a group of 22 prospective Canadian youngsters are currently assembled in Vancouver for a week-long camp, to give head coach Andrew Olivieri (who also does scouting for the senior national team) an idea of the player pool. Those attendees are:
    GK- Maryse Bard-Martel | CAN / FC Boisbriand
    GK- Taylor Bucklin | USA / CFC United
    GK- Kailen Sheridan | CAN / Toronto Lady Lynx
    CB- Jade Kovacevic | CAN / Toronto Lady Lynx
    CB- Rebecca Pongetti | CAN / Toronto Lady Lynx
    CB- Rebecca Quinn | CAN / Toronto Lady Lynx
    FB- Lindsay Agnew | USA / Ohio Premier Eagles
    FB- Julia Liguori | CAN / Lakeshore
    FB- Aman Shergill | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite
    D- Ashley Campbell | CAN / Toronto Lady Lynx
    M- Emma Fletcher | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite
    M- Nicole Loncar | CAN / Toronto Lady Lynx
    M- Kinley McNicoll | CAN / Ottawa Fury SC
    M- Ashley Moreira | CAN / Glen Shields
    M- Carla Portillo | CAN / Burlington Bayhawks
    M- Sabrina Santarossa | CAN / CS Vallée Richelieu
    F- Kylie Davis | CAN / Comètes de Laval
    F- Jasmin Dhanda |
    F- Chelsea Harkins | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite
    F- Katie Kraeutner | CAN / Victoria Highlanders FC
    F- Amandine Pierre-Louis | CAN / Comètes de Laval
    F- Valérie Sanderson | CAN / Comètes de Laval
    The CSA was quick to point out that Kadeisha Buchanan, Ashley Lawrence and Nichelle Prince are absent from this camp (they're all no-doubters to make Canada's roster at next year's U20 Women's World Cup)... probably because Olivieri already knows very well what he's got in the three of them.
    One notable exception that raised a few questions was Summer Clarke. The younger sister of the Vancouver Whitecaps' Caleb Clarke, Summer scored six goals for Canada in the qualifying tournament for last year's U17 Women's World Cup, and added one more goal in the tournament itself.
    When I asked the CSA about her absence, the only information they were willing to publicly share was: "Summer Clarke declined to attend the camp due to personal reasons."
    While there is still time for these players to develop, the reality is that Canada's finishing at that U17 tournament was, at times, painful to watch. Here's hoping it was an anomaly, and that Olivieri can find the right combination or the right approach to pull some more clinical goal-scoring out of the young players at his disposal -- and that a player like Clarke (who's shown she can score) can find her way back into the mix.
    Because as we all know, Christine Sinclair ain't getting any younger (oh, and happy birthday, Sincy!).
    .
    Guest

    Saputo finally weighs in

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Joey Saputo, president of the Montreal Impact, and whose cheese company is a major sponsor of the Quebec Soccer Federaion finally weighed in today with comment on the QSF turban ban.
    In typical Saputo fashion, he doesn't hesitate to speak his mind and take an unprovoked shot at the Canadian Soccer Association.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    "Personally, I don’t think we should stop a child from playing soccer at the youth level because they wear a turban. However, I understand the decision made by the Quebec Soccer Federation based on a FIFA rule that allows for interpretation. Comments accusing the QSF of racism are misplaced in regards to the context with which the federation made its decision. The Canadian Soccer Association made a recommendation and did not officially state its position to provincial federations. Furthermore, the decision by the Canadian Soccer Association to suspend the QSF is exaggerated. All parties involved must find some common ground for the good of the sport."
    Guest
    An extension to Canadian Soccer News’ MLS Week in Review, this article provides a closer look at the performances of the Canadian players who saw the pitch this week.
    Russell Teibert, Kyle Porter, and Will Johnson claim the top three spots – only four players actually saw the pitch in a truncated weekend schedule with Dwayne De Rosario starting on the bench and only entering in the 75th minute.
    Find out what they did to deserve recognition and who else earned their keep this week.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Russell Teibert
    Teibert made his seventh start of the season – third consecutive and eighth appearance in total – in a losing effort for Vancouver, who fell 3-2 in Seattle in another Cascadia Cup loss.
    Once more stationed on the right side of midfield, Teibert was integral in both Vancouver goals, each the result of his service, garnering the young player a pair of assists – his second and third of the season.
    The first, Camilo’s tenth minute header, was a quick response to having gone down a goal a minute earlier.
    Teibert and YP Lee interchanged passes before Russell pointed for a ball down the right flank. He just reached it before the end-line and swung a right-footed cross – his weaker foot – towards the back-post where Camilo met it with a downward header back to the right side of the goal to level the match.
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0swyAB0bzj4?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    To hang that ball up so invitingly with his wrong foot was impressive.
    Sixteen minutes on Teibert again set up the Brazilian, this time from a free-kick about forty yards from goal, slightly right of centre. A left-footed ball swung towards the left-post found Camilo, who flung himself low to get on the end and similarly send it in at the right-post.
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    The Niagara Falls-native completed 16 of 21 passes and half of his six crosses, conceding possession only nine times, while also doing good work on the defensive side of the ball.
    He tracked deep to help quell the threat of Lamar Neagle on several occasions and got a slight deflection on a dangerous Servando Carrasco free-kick from just outside the wall.
    Winning two of three tackles, Teibert made six recoveries and four interceptions.
    He was also the subject of a TSN feature during the broadcast.
    Teibert has now contributed two goals and three assists on the season, all in the last four matches, to earn his starting spot under Martin Rennie.
    Kyle Porter
    Porter made his eighth-straight start for DC United in their scoreless draw in New England. Since joining the starting lineup back at the end of April, Porter has not looked back and made himself one of the more impressive contributors in a struggling DC side, as they look to turn the corner on a season that has gotten off to a very poor start.
    From the left-side of midfield, Porter gave first-overall draft pick, Andrew Farrell, more than enough trouble, once schooling him mercilessly with an ankle-breaking move, faking in several times before beating him to the outside, leaving Farrell lying prone – Perry Kitchen could not convert the chance his ball into the middle eventually created.
    He completed only 22 of 42 passes, two of thirteen crosses, and conceded possession 22 times – it should be noted that those numbers are not necessarily bad. Pass completion can be more indicative of a player trying to create chances than actually delivering poor service, while the loss of possession counts any time the ball is turned over, say an over-hit cross that goes out of bounds or a defensive punt up-field.
    Two of three dribbles were successful, perhaps evidence of his increasing confidence as he gets more accustomed to the league.
    The Toronto-native took a pair of shots, one was blocked and the other sent wide after cutting in onto his right foot – he should have hit the target – and was regularly taking free-kicks and corners.
    He won a foul and conceded another, before being removed in the 82nd minute for an out-and-out striker, Casey Townsend, much to the chagrin of the announcers, who proclaimed him DC’s best player once more.
    Will Johnson
    Johnson started his fourteenth match of the season for Portland in their 2-2 draw against the club that first brought him to MLS, Chicago.
    Including the Open Cup, Will has played every minute of every match for Caleb Porter.
    He was positioned in a more offensive role this match, with five players – Johnson, Diego Valeri, Darlington Nagbe, Diego Chara, and Ben Zemanski – all suited to the central midfield on the pitch at once, Portland was very fluid in attack.
    Their captain, Johnson, was regularly pushing deep into enemy territory, popping up in the box, often times more advanced than nominal forwards, with Zemanski laying much deeper in the position one usually sees Johnson man.
    From that advanced location he got on the end of a Michael Harrington ball to the back-post from the left, but his looping fade-away header dinked off the left-post.
    Completing 28 of 35 passes, Johnson’s finishing left something to be desired, once dragging a shot after cutting onto his right-foot wide, only finding the side netting and later sending a right-footer from eight yards over the bar after a left-sided Nagbe cross when completely unmarked in the box.
    Having spent 2004-05 in the Chicago system, prior to moving to Holland, he gave a little bit to their fans after Zemanski scored the Timbers second – he can be seen giving the first pump in the top of the screen – after his shushing the crowd in Vancouver, Will is proving to have no qualms regarding getting involved with the opposition fans midgame.
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    Once Portland’s lead was cut to one, he dropped deeper to protect that advantage, winning two of three tackles, making five recoveries, a pair of interceptions, and a single clearance. He then picked up a yellow card - his third of the campaign - for barking at the referee after Chicago had scored – officially noted as dissent.
    The Toronto-born midfielder almost created the winner in stoppage-time when he picked out Pa Modou Kah in the 93rd minute from a right-sided free-kick, but the centre-back’s redirection was straight at the keeper.
    Dwayne De Rosario
    De Rosario returned to the bench for the second time in DC’s last three matches, though, after his post-match comments led to furour last time, he focused entirely on the result after this draw.
    Joining the fray in the 75th minute, replacing Carlos Ruiz, Dwayne made himself busy in his brief cameo, completing five of seven passes, one successful dribble, and winning a foul – after his old pal, Chad Barrett, bustled into him from behind and was lucky to not receive a booking for the rough challenge.
    The Scarborough-native lost possession only twice, which is miraculous given his game, one of which was when a dangerous ball into the area for Townsend was cut out by New England’s savvy centre-back, Jose Goncalves.
    The Rest
    Drew Beckie was spotted at Crew Fest 2013, Columbus’ annual meet the players/fan appreciation day - getting soaked in the dunk tank, despite being listed as OUT on the injury report with a left adductor strain – though cold water could be good for the injury.
    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Drew Beckie gets absolutely soaked in the <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Crew96">#Crew96</a> Fest dunk tank. <a href="http://t.co/MMbdopEfvM" title="http://instagram.com/p/aTsve9kNwG/">instagram.com/p/aTsve9kNwG/</a></p>— Columbus Crew (@ColumbusCrew) <a href="
    ">June 8, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Thanks to all the <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23crew96">#crew96</a> fans who dunked me at the Water Dunk station, maybe next time we can get some warmer water</p>— Drew Beckie (@DrewBeckie) <a href="
    ">June 8, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
    Dejan Jakovic missed a third-straight league match with that nagging left adductor strain. There is no word on when he will return, though he is listed as QUESTIONABLE, rather than OUT – whatever that means.
    As mentioned last week, Nana Attakora hopes to be ready for San Jose’s next match on June 15th away to Colorado. If fit, it will be his first appearance in over a month – and first under interim boss, and Canadian, Mark Watson, who takes over after the parting of ways with long-time partner in crime, Frank Yallop.
    For more on the Yallop situation, Center Line Soccer – though they spelt ‘centre’ wrong – has some great coverage, talking with Club President, Dave Kaval, and Watson, as well as a eulogy for Frank.
    Chris Wondolowski, representative of the players, was shocked at the decision.
    With limited league action there were a pair of reserve matches involving Canadians.
    Toronto drew 1-1 in Pittsburgh against the USL PRO Riverhounds on Friday – their new ground is in a fantastic downtown location - with Quillan Roberts, Doneil Henry, Ashtone Morgan, Kyle Bekker, Emery Welshman, and academy player, Chris Manella, all starting – another academy prospect, Dylan Sacramento came on as a substitute.
    Montreal renewed rivalries with another USL PRO side Rochester Rhinos – featuring former TFC midfielder, Tyler Rosenlund - also playing to a 1-1 Friday night draw with a side featuring Maxime Crépeau in goal, Karl Ouimette – who scored on a deflected shot, his first for the Impact – Wandrille Lefèvre, the recently-signed Zakaria Messoudi starting and a handful of academy prospects (Amine Meftouh, Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé, Dominique Morin, Frédéric Lajoie-Gravelle, and Victor Ndiaye) either starting or joining from the bench.
    NB – Not sure if the academy players are all currently eligible for Canada; it is good to see so many local kids getting the chance to play for the big team.
    Each week James takes a look at the contributions of Canadians in the league and the league as a whole.
    You can follow James on twitter @grawsee or read more of his writing at Partially Obstructed View
    Guest
    The Canadian Soccer Association announced tonight that the CSA board has moved to immediately suspend the Quebec Soccer Association until it lifts its ban on turbans.
    As CSN first reported on Friday, the CSA had given the QSF until Monday to reverse its ban or face punishment.
    Neither side responded to requests for comment today and the release came late in the evening.
    The CSA did say this in the release though:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    “The Canadian Soccer Association has requested on 6 June that the Quebec Soccer Federation reverse its position on turbans/patkas/keski with no resolution,” said Victor Montagliani, President of the Canadian Soccer Association, following the Board of Directors meeting. “The Quebec Soccer Federation’s inaction has forced us to take measures in order to ensure soccer remains accessible to the largest number of Canadians.”
    According to the release, the suspension will be lifted once the Canadian Soccer Association receives demonstration that the Quebec Soccer Federation has lifted the ban and applies satisfactorily the Canadian Soccer Association’s policy in the matter.
    For those looking for meaning in this situation, the following has been gleaned from informed members of the Canadian soccer community.
    First, and the CSA did confirm this, this ruling has no impact on the Montreal Impact. They are members of the CSA directly and as such nothing that impacts the province will impact them. Additionally, and this part was not confirmed by the CSA, there are some minor support service issues that QSF occassionally provides to the Impact that could temporarily derail certain game operations but the effect is expected to be minor.
    Second, none of the Quebec provincial all-star teams are allowed to compete out of the province. And any other province will be forbidden from playing QSF teams.
    Third, if the suspension went on that long, the youth clubs would be forbidden in participating in the national championships this summer.
    Fourth, any nationally sanctioned referees are forbidden from calling any games in Quebec. This is the one that could have the most effect and a large number of youth games are immediately in jeoprady - unless referees are willing to go rogue. In the past, refs have faced fines for going against the wishes of the governing body. And any games that were scheduled to be reffed by a CSA badged official are immediately suspended.
    Fifth, CSN has learned that Quebec Soccer will meet tomorrow evening to discuss their next step and decide if they're going to continue with the ban on turbans or bend to the will of the CSA.
    We will continue to update this story as it develops.
    Guest

    MLS Week in Review – Round 15

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The fifteenth round of MLS wrapped up on night Saturday with a pair of high-profile Western Conference matches. Though a truncated fixture list with World Cup Qualifiers strewn about - a lone midweek fixture and four on Saturday – the league provided more than enough entertainment for the average fan.
    Sixteen goals, including a stunning free-kick and one from the spot, were scored through the five matches leading to no away wins and a pair of draws. Fourteen yellow cards were shown with zero reds – despite a debutant referee in New England (who did quite well).
    Off the field the shock parting of ways between San Jose and long-time coach Frank Yallop, by mutual agreement, as though there was any other way to frame it, mere months removed from winning the Supporter’s Shield, shocked both onlookers and players alike, prompting many to wonder if there was something deeper in play.
    Though still very early in the season, table watching provides some interesting viewing. Dallas’ once seemingly insurmountable lead in the West has slow evaporated with Salt Lake drawing within a single point – with two more games played. Seattle, once banished to the foot of the conference, has battled their way into fourth place.
    New England missed a chance to nip Philadelphia for the fifth spot in the East, while DC drew within two of Toronto at the bottom, to set up a basement battle this upcoming weekend.
    Before the results, the goal of the round.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Though few, comparatively speaking, there were some gems: Daniel Paladini’s free-kick in Chicago, after talking red-hot Mike Magee off the attempt with the declaration that it was “from my spot”, was devastating; Salt Lake’s impressive young Colombian, Olmes Garcia, contributed a pair of well-taken finishes to win and then wrap up a victory over rivals Los Angeles; Vancouver’s Camilo evidenced his strong aerial ability with a pair of headers in a losing effort against Seattle, while Lamar Neagle’s late winner after some fine passing made sure that Servando Carrasco’s confidently taken penalty kick counted in the end.
    But the award goes to Diego Valeri’s thumping effort to open the scoring in Chicago.
    Much has been made of Portland’s high-pressing, multi-passing system under the tutelage of Caleb Porter, but good teams show flexibility in attack; the ability to take advantage of the opportunities the opponent allows.
    Milos Kocic, much-loved former Toronto keeper, got the start in place Donovan Ricketts - on international duty with Jamaica. While with TFC, his distribution was questionable, but he began the play with a long and accurate boot up-field.
    Frederic Piquionne, who has quietly – if a four-goal outburst in the Open Cup can be considered quiet - made himself a very useful squad member, won the header and flicked it forward towards Valeri.
    With two defenders in front of him and three tracking back, it appeared as though the chance of doing damage was minimal, but Valeri is not one to be daunted by odds. He cleverly cut back onto his right-foot and hesitated just enough to open up a possible trajectory to goal.
    His snapped effort, between the twin towers of Bakary Soumare and Jalil Anibaba, left Sean Johnson no chance as it struck the inside of the left-post and spun into the Chicago goal.
    Inch-perfect.
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    Results in Brief
    Philadelphia 3 – Columbus 0
    Wednesday night’s lone match pitted the Union against a depleted Crew and only one side really bothered to show up. Three goals in a six-minute span midway through the first half was all that Philadelphia required en route to a thumping of their Eastern Conference foes.
    Defensive midfielder, Brian Carroll, in his eleventh season, has recently been on a scoring tear – after scoring only six through his first decade in the league.
    He netted the late winner against Ocean City in the cup last round and followed that up with the opener. After intercepting a Marcos Sanchez pass in midfield, he cut onto his right-foot and lashed a hopeful attempt from nearly 40 yards. Crew centre-back Eric Gehrig attempted to block the shot, but succeeded only in redirecting it and handcuffing Andy Gruenebaum in goal, who could only watch, flat-footed, as the ball rolled past him to his left.
    Carroll then turned provider, flicking a right-sided out-swinging Sebastien Le Toux corner kick from the near-post to Sheanon Williams for an acrobatic scissor-esque side-volley at the back-post.
    Conor Casey then got on the end of another dangerous Le Toux service, after pressure from Jack McInerney and Le Toux had forced a turnover by the Columbus defense, with a near-post header from a right-sided cross.
    League-leading scorer McInerney was held off the score-sheet, despite several chances to add to his tally, but Le Toux, remaking himself into quite the provider, has taken over the top spot in assists, surpassing Graham Zusi with his fifth and sixth helpers of the season.
    John Hackworth, who praised his side’s work in a woeful performance against Toronto, will feel vindicated with the strong display – and full points - at home. Columbus’ Robert Warzycha, in the midst of an injury crisis without leaders Chad Marshall and Eddie Gaven, will take a hold hard look at this side, mentioning that changes may be in the offing.
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    New England 0 – DC 0
    When the hottest offense in the league meets the league’s most woeful defense, surely there will be goals – or so one may have thought.
    The Revolution entered on a three-game winning streak – four if one counts the cup - having outscored the opposition nine-nil (14-1 with the cup victory included).
    But DC, who has a penchant for conceding early, weathered that first-half pressure and even mustered a few chances of their own, in a hard-fought score-less draw.
    United keeper Bill Hamid was called upon to make several key saves and Perry Kitchen missed a glorious headed chance in the final stages, but coach, Ben Olsen, will be proud of the fight his side displayed in a tricky away match against a club brimming with confidence.
    Though mired in a club record twelve-match winless run, DC has taken points from two of their last four matches in MLS; shoots of green emerging from the dung of their season perhaps.
    Rev’s boss, Jay Heaps, took time to credit his opponent for a hard-fought game – the margins between success and failure in MLS can be razor thin, as Heaps well-knows, given his experience last season where New England regularly fell to single-goal losses.
    This season, however, they have eliminated those mistakes – nine clean-sheets – and carry a near-four hundred minute shut-out streak into their next league fixture.
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    Chicago 2 – Portland 2
    Portland returned from a bye week and started brightly, striking the woodwork three times in the first four minutes of the match, including two within seconds of each other in the opening moments of play.
    They would have to wait until Valeri’s screamer in the 33rd minute to reap the advantages of their free-flowing attack. That pairing of Valeri and Piquionne proved fruitful once more when the former played the latter down the right and the French striker was allowed to turn back inside and lay off to a late-arriving Ben Zemanski for a low right-footed blast from above the arc.
    Portland, who usually concede first – they have allowed nine of their fourteen goals against in the opening half hour – only to storm back, saw the opposite occur this night.
    Mike Magee capitalized on a dreadful mistake from Timbers keeper, Kocic, who fumbled the ball as he slid out to corral a threaded Alex ball to the recently-acquired striker, who duly finished when the bumble fell perfectly at his feet with an open goal ahead.
    The Fire then won a late free-kick slightly left of centre and a yard or two above the box. Magee looked set to take, but Paladini talked him off and hit an early right-footed curler that caught Kocic flat-footed, still organizing his wall, and nestled sweetly into the top left corner of the goal to tie the match at twos.
    Porter’s Portland extend their unbeaten run to twelve matches, while learning an important lesson about not letting up despite a two-goal advantage – it is the most dangerous score-line after all – but they will be disappointed with a seventh draw through that run that has limited their ability to collect points and take advantage of their good form.
    Frank Klopas’ side, with the additions of Magee – three goals through his first three appearances, all competitions – and Bakary Soumare, look a different prospect as they slowly claw their way back into the playoff picture in the East.
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    Salt Lake 3 – Los Angeles 1
    A rematch of the 2009 MLS Cup Final, a match that began one of the more enduring non-regional rivalries in the league, provided some fireworks as the first of a pair of headline Western Conference tilts to round out Saturday evening.
    Khari Stephenson, after striking the post from a free-kick earlier, opened the scoring in the 44th minute with a low right-footed drive that snuck past young Galaxy keeper, Brian Rowe, in for the maligned Carlo Cudicini, at the left-post after Robbie Findley had played in from the left.
    Rowe could be forgiven, as Stephenson took his chance quickly and it found its way through the legs of Javier Morales, leaving the keeper little time to react once he finally saw it.
    Landon Donovan leveled humourously two minutes later. In first-half stoppage-time, a long ball from left-back Greg Cochrane sailed over Nat Borchers, Donovan’s header, placed back into the surging midfield, struck Borchers and fell nicely to the still finding his feet attacker, who duly lashed a right-footer low across Nick Rimando to the left-side of the goal – it was his third since returning from sabbatical.
    Level at half-time, second-half substitute, Olmes Garcia, who replaced Findley after an hour, proved decisive late on. In the 84th he got on the end of a Morales clipped ball into the middle with a header, of sorts - Kyle Beckerman collected the ball and broke to the left, laying off to Morales, Garcia went up for the ball, but appeared to make contact more with his back than head, helping it on to the far-side of the goal for what proved to be the winner.
    Garcia then added some insurance in the 92nd after Devon Sandoval settled a ball on the left, played in-field to Morales who slipped the Colombian in alone down the right – he slotted his finish tidily through the legs of the keeper.
    Bruce Arena’s LA, who have crisscrossed the continent in recent weeks, have lost six of their last eight matches and have now conceded eleven goals after the 76-minute mark, surpassing Toronto for most late-allowances.
    Jason Kreis’ Salt Lake, heading in the complete opposite direction, continue their strong run, unbeaten in four, having won five of their last seven.
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    Seattle 3 – Vancouver 2
    A Cascadia Cup match rounded out the fixture list, with Seattle welcoming Vancouver to a fully-open CenturyLink Field, complete with overlaid grass above their standard turf – in preparation for an upcoming national team match.
    54 000 + were in attendance to witness an entertaining back-and-forth affair, with the sides exchanging leads before a decisive injury and a young man’s mistake opened the door for a comeback.
    Seattle’s Andy Rose began the scoring in the ninth minute, slipping into a pocket of space down the right vacated by the up-field press of Johnny Leveron, where he was found by Lamar Neagle for a right-footed finish across the keeper.
    Camilo responded within a minute, after some great play on the right by Russell Teibert and YP Lee. The left-back played a ball towards the end-line, where Teibert just reached it in time to fling a cross to the back-post for the Brazilian to win in the air, heading down and back against the grain into the right-side of goal.
    Teibert played provider again sixteen minutes on, from a set-piece this time, sending a deep free-kick towards the left-post area, where Camilo expertly hurled himself to the ground to get on the end of it, directing his header once more past the keeper to the right.
    Stalwart centre-back, Andy O’Brien, pulled up lame on a tackle shortly after the hour mark, prompting the inclusion of young full-back, Greg Klazura. Soon after Klazura misread the flight of a ball, allowing Neagle goal-side and rashly lunged into the attacker to concede the game-tying attempt from the spot – Servando Carrasco converted it well.
    The Sounders ratcheted up the pressure and the Whitecaps broke in the final ten minutes of regulation. Carrasco, after good spell of possession, threaded a ball down the right, which Obafemi Martins let run across him before breezing past Leveron towards the goal-line. The ageless Nigerian squared a low goal-mouth cross that was turned in by the in-form Neagle – his fourth goal in the last eight matches.
    Sigi Schmid’s red-hot Sounders, despite an embarrassing loss in Los Angeles and falling out of the Open Cup at the first time of asking, are surging, having won six of their last eight matches. Martin Rennie’s Vancouver could not back up their first road win of the season with another and remain winless all-time in Cascadia Cup matches.
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    CanCon
    As usual the extended look at the Canadian contributions will be up tomorrow (Tuesday) midday – despite the limited action there is plenty to discuss, Russell Teibert’s pair of assists, Kyle Porter continuing to show well in DC – with Dwayne De Rosario back on the bench – and a more advanced Will Johnson for Portland.
    Overheard
    In his post-match interview Jason Kreis made a joke, strange given how monotone he often is in those things. General Manager, Garth Lagerway, made some comments about having not played the best opposition yet this season and when asked about those statements, Kreis had a laugh at his friend’s expense, saying that sort of wrong is what one gets when they talk to Garth.
    Yallop’s dismissal came as a shock to most, including Chris Wondolowski, who spoke for the group in describing himself as speechless and gutted. Strange days; first El Chelis, then Frank, who is next?
    See It Live
    Conor Casey’s displayed a little plumber’s butt after scoring his goal and sliding towards goal – sorry, had to be pointed out, while McInerney, the golden boy of American soccer, missed three glorious chances – tough to tell which was more shocking.
    A minor case of folks in the video truck getting ahead of themselves, when they tried to use the fancy zoomed insert technology to show some eye contact between the free-kick taker, Teibert and the recipient, Camilo, only to mistake Leveron for the Brazilian and track a run that never came. Oops.
    Upcoming Fixtures
    Tuesday sees another round of World Cup Qualification with Mexico hosting Costa Rica, Honduras Jamaica, and the US Panama.
    Wednesday provides the eight matches of the Fourth Round of the US Open Cup including some especially juicy ones: a Texas Derby with Dallas hosting Houston, New England welcoming New York, Chicago and Columbus are not the best of friends, while DC entertain Philadelphia for the third straight season in the cup – these ones get pretty feisty.
    Another shortened schedule next weekend, however:
    Saturday: Portland-Dallas; DC-Toronto; Columbus-Montreal; Colorado-San Jose; Vancouver-New England.
    But fret not, Round 17 the following week will more than make up for it with four midweek games and eight on the weekend.
    Parting Thoughts
    A few questions to ponder and discuss:
    Is McInerney due a slump with all those misses? What is up with the Yallop sacking – did anyone see that coming?
    The coaching carousel has begun in earnest, though never as bad here as elsewhere, which underperforming coach is next for the axe?
    DC and Toronto meet at RFK in a battle for the basement – seems as though Toronto is involved in one or two of these each season – who takes the upper hand in avoiding the wooden spoon.
    Will Portland rue all these dropped points come season’s end? Any surprise at Seattle and Salt Lake showing their class? And what of LA, are they only as good as their high-profile stars, two of which – Robbie Keane and Omar Gonzalez – were away on international duty?
    With Seattle and Los Angeles out, who looks destined for the US Open Cup final? Can Kansas City repeat? Four lower level sides remain – Orlando City, Charleston, Carolina, and Tampa Bay – does any persevere to the Quarterfinals? Carolina host Chivas, while the others are away to KC, Salt Lake, and Portland respectively.
    And what of World Cup Qualifying in CONCACAF, is Jamaica out after that last-minute loss? It is a jumbled mess at the moment, with three teams – Costa Rica, the US, and Mexico - on seven points, Panama on six, and Honduras on four – who earns entry to the Finals? And does CONCACAF deserve it’s three-and-a-half spots?
    Until next weekend.
    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
    <i>"One swallow does not a summer make, nor one fine day; similarly one day or brief time of happiness does not make a person entirely happy."</i>

    <i>Aristotle</i>



    Wise words from the Greek philosopher and if we were to put them into a modern day football setting, then it’s a pretty good reflection of the recent happenings in Whitecapsland.
    One win does not a season make. Similarly, one game does not make everything suddenly right with the tactics, squad and management. After Seattle, one game doesn't make everything wrong either, but when you have more of those to draw on in the season so far, it certainly adds more fuel to a rising fire amongst the supporters.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Last Saturday’s win in New York was as monumental as it was vital as it was unexpected.
    With a depleted squad and down in confidence and morale after another agonising Voyageurs Cup defeat, to go east and not only defeat the then leaders of the Eastern Conference but also record your first away win of the season (and first for 11 months) was a coupon buster the likes of which I don’t think I’ve seen from the Whitecaps.
    The key was how they would follow that up a week later in Seattle. Could they record back to back away wins for the first time in the MLS era? They’ve struggled to string back to back wins together in general, never mind a win over a Cascadian rival.
    In 2011, they managed back to back wins once. In October and with two home games. 2012 saw them manage back to back wins twice and they even got three in a row. More surprising was that there were away games in there.
    This season we kicked off with back to back home wins and it's been pretty downhill ever since.
    As we now know, they came close to a unique pair of road victories but fell short and it was the same old story of not taking chances and defending poorly that was their undoing. But there is a much deeper read into all of it.
    Now I don’t want to underplay the New York result as it was a great win. What was particularly pleasing was that the team didn’t just sit back and played some nice attacking football at times, whilst taking away the potent New York threat in the process. The team played like they had a point to prove. A wounded animal is always dangerous but they showed that they could at least compete when the mood seemed to take them. For a lot of the game, neither side looked capable of winning the match and apart from his winning goal, Kenny Miller had a very quiet game.
    Saturday night at the Clink, before a national TV audience on NBC, the Whitecaps once again showed that they can compete and can look a dangerous team when going forward. They played their part in serving up a Cascadian Cup classic, but in the true Jekyll and Hyde manner of this season, they also showed how poor they are defensively and the lack of quality in depth, which we’ve been harping on for weeks now, was more evident than ever.
    Before we look at all that I have to sing the positives from the tallest rooftop. The front three were excellent. Camilo's two goals were first class headers that gave the keeper no chance. Kenny Miller's interplay with Camilo and Teibert is looking deadly and he put in one hell of a shift, usually with no support. And what can you say about Russell Teibert? He's get better and better with every game, as his confidence grows. Two fantastic balls for his assists. Take a bow.
    The common consensus is that Andy O'Brien going off injured was the turning point. Of course it was to an extent, but the writing was starting to look on the wall by that time as Seattle started to push forward heavily.
    I fancied them to grab at least an equaliser even if O'Brien had seen out the full ninety. We'll never know of course unless someone can find the TSN download from the alternative reality where he didn't go off.
    Vancouver rode their luck. They were inches, millimeters even, away from Seattle going 2-1 up seconds after we equalised. Obafemi Martins missed a sitter when clean through. And he should have had a penalty when Jun Marques Davidson upended him in the box but the ref gave a free kick on the edge instead.
    Greg Klazura's rash tackle in the box may have signaled the beginning of the end, but it was coming.
    For me, the turning point came at the start of the second half. The Caps were already starting to look a different team, playing more defensive (as we've come to expect on the road) and on the back foot. Then came Nigel Reo-Coker's miss.
    Not for the first time this season, the ball fell to Reo-Coker in a perfect position and he's still to find the net. He's missed from a yard, from a couple, open goals, been through and not shot. He can bemoan the team not taking their chances but he is the prime culprit right now. Slotting away Gspurning's spill and we have potentially a whole different mood in Vancouver today. Sure the keeper made a great leg save but you have to bury those.
    Credit to Reo-Coker for getting in the positions. He's been fantastic at bulldozing his way through defences but if you can't finish at the end of it all then it means nothing and four goals in his last seven years of playing indicates he can't finish that well.
    That then brings us to the overall lack of support when we break forward. Kenny Miller can't do it all by himself. He was making the runs, crossing or cutting the ball back and there was no-one there to put it away with an empty net beckoning on a couple of occasions. At one point it was him against the five Sounders players that encircled him. What's he meant to do? This is where playing too deep costs us dearly, especially when we don't have the speedsters on.
    The midfield fell out of the game in the second half, we basically had a two man mid, with Davidson playing as a fifth defender. At least I think that's what he was doing, he seemed so out of position for most of the game and was caught that way for the first goal.
    Matt Watson I seriously forgot was even playing till I met him in the dressing room after the game.
    And then there's the defence and the frighteningly lack of depth therein. Where do you even start?
    Well I guess it has to be the Rochat trade.
    Being away on vacation I never got the chance to write down my thoughts on the transfer. In summary, I felt it was for the best for both parties but the Caps should have got a lot more in return. He simply wasn't performing well for the team at times this season, especially on the road, and the move was right in my view. We can get better. Unfortunately we haven't yet, and therein lies the key issue now.
    As we said, the return wasn't and neither was the timing off it. You don't do that two days before a vital derby match.
    Was Rennie that keen to ship him off that he didn't want to risk DC signing someone else by keeping him around when we had threadbare defensive coverage? Now, unless the Caps bring someone in this week to replace Rochat, and that was in the pipeline with the transfer, then the timing simply cannot be justified with how things played out in Seattle and the scary defensive depth we have lying ahead of us for Saturday's game against New England.
    Jordan Harvey is a borderline adequate MLS left back. He is not a centrehalf, where he had to play on Saturday. Johnny Leveron still needs some guidance out there and he isn't going to get what he needs from Harvey or a fit Brad Rusin or Carlyle Mitchell. This could be bombscare stuff if O'Brien is out for a while.
    Regular readers and podcast listeners will know that we've been high on Greg Klazura since his first training camp. He's had a couple of mares though. What I will say in his defence is that two big away games in New York and Seattle should not have been his first MLS minutes. He should have been blooded long before now, to settle in to the League and find his feet. Rennie's poor managing of him could ultimately be Greg's downfall and you have to wonder whether he'll actually kick a MLS ball in the anger for the Caps again. I hope he does. I've seen enough to suggest he can be a good player for us. The first half of the New York game seems to have been forgotten by many, but there is no excuse for the defending on the penalty on Saturday.
    The overall defending and marking up is just not showing any signs of improvement. Through balls cut us open time and time again and then there's the marking at set pieces. Without the full strength guys out there and a couple of additions, it's not going to get better any time soon.
    If the Whitecaps are going to do anything in MLS this season, then they have to fix their trifecta of problems: take their chances, defend better and stop leaking late goals.
    Going in to June, we felt that Martin Rennie needed to take nine points from the five matches to have any chance of keeping his job. With two very winnable home games and a trip to DC, that shouldn't have been too much an ask and the three points in New York was an added bonus.
    His job should seem secure till the end of the season but yet it doesn't feel like that right now. Remember, Teitur Thordarson got the boot after earning a draw against New York at Empire.
    Having spoken to Rennie a lot over the past year and a half, his whole demeanour post-game on Saturday gave the impression to me of a broken man. He's usually slightly upbeat in defeat and his tone takes on the positive. There was none of that after Seattle. Now it might just have been him feeling completely gutted with how the game played out (the players were certainly the most down in the dressing room that I think I've ever seen them), but things just felt different.
    Replacing the manager midseason is a topic that splits the fans and the pundits and if the results and the nature of the non-winning performances continue it's a topic that isn't going to go away.
    Rennie is trying to talk a good game to save his job. Referring to the team still being in a "building phase" and referencing Toronto as how chopping and changing manager's regularly is not the way to success. That's the salesman in him coming out. He's selling himself but how much the ownership are buying it remains to be seen.
    Should you really class the team as being in the building phase a year and a half into the job? Shouldn't there be some stability by now? We can't even field the same starting eleven two week's running.
    And these are your players. You've brought 78% of them in. There are only six players remaining from first kick 2011 and two of them are out injured.
    Rennie (and repeated by some of the players, clearly reciting Martin's positivity mantra) made the point that the Caps have lost only two matches from their last ten.
    To me this was an interesting selection of the stats. Spin at it's best.
    Yes, we have lost two of the last ten. We've also only lost three of the last 13, which sounds even better but wasn't used. In terms of MLS only, it's two defeats in the last six, three from the last eight.
    From those last ten, we've won four but only two of the games have been against MLS opposition. Again in MLS terms only, we've won two matches from our last eleven.
    And that last stat is the bottom line. The crucial one that Rennie needs to turn around sharpish if he is still going to be the manager of the Whitecaps going in to the summer. It's what the owners will be looking at as they see the Caps sit in 7th spot in the West, four points away from the final playoff position and 12 points behind the Conference leaders already.
    The reason we feel June is the crunch month for Rennie is that if there is to be a change then it needs to be done for the transfer window opening next month, so that any new manager can build his own team.
    Much was made of last year's mid-season personnel turmoil and the Club have said they won't do that again. They may have no option. They're painting themselves in to a corner here, whether it is Rennie in charge or not. Changes have to be made and we've already seen the start with Rochat going.
    This squad is simply not good enough to get the only thing the Whitecaps have got left to play for this season - a playoff spot. We've been saying it here and on the podcast since April. Our depth is not MLS quality to see us through against even tougher opposition than last year.
    Some will say give Rennie time. This is modern day football. Not the 1980s and Alex Ferguson getting time at Man United. Like it or not, rightly or wrongly, the owners have put in a lot of money and need to see growth and some return on the pitch. That's what you get with a $35 million franchise fee. It's a results driven environment and time and patience don't sit well in there.
    If a manager like Frank Yallop can get the boot after guiding his team to a Supporters' Shield, then Rennie has to be looking over his shoulder.
    Many have cited Yallop to be Rennie's replacement if he were to go. We'd wanted him to replace Thordarson/Soehn before Rennie got the job. We'd still like to possibly see that but I'm not sure it would happen and he is more likely to end up in the Canadian national team set up.
    The Caps need a change of tactics. Some new blood that knows MLS and has achieved in it before.
    Step forward Gary Smith.
    Smith guided Colorado Rapids to a surprise 2010 MLS Cup. After being dismissed by Stevenage earlier this year, he is keen to return to Major League Soccer and would be a good fit for Vancouver.
    We've also been told that he shares the same agent as Nigel Reo-Coker, who was impressed by Vancouver in earlier dealings.
    Let the speculation on Rennie's future continue and the rumour mill on his replacement kick in, but most of all, let's get back to winning ways on Saturday.
    Six points out of six is the only acceptable outcome from the next two home games. Failure to deliver and it's going to be a long, hard summer.
    'Mon the Caps.
    <p>
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