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    Guest
    2012 was a great year for Whitecaps Residency product Ben Fisk.
    The midfielder was a key figure in the Caps U18 side that reached the USSDA Championship game, in their first season in the League, and was named the ‘Player of Finals Week’ for his seven goals in the four games, including two hat-tricks and the opening goal in the Championship game. He also featured prominently in the Canadian U20 set up and went to Europe to train.
    All that was missing to help make it a near perfect year was to finally become the latest Residency product to earn a MLS contract and make the step up to the Whitecaps first team.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Some MLS rules regarding homegrown players and their salaries have no doubt got in the way, but for those of us that have followed the development of Fisk and the other Residency guys these last few years, one of our main hopes from this year’s training camp is that Fisk finally secures that elusive contract that his skills and play have more than merited.
    So how is he feeling being back in the Caps training camp?
    <i>”Good. Really excited to be back. I spent a bit of time away so I feel good coming in.”</i>
    Having hit 19, and unable to play in the USSDA any more, that time away involved some quality training time over in Germany.
    <i>”I went for a training spell. Originally I was going for three weeks. I was with FC Kasierslautern and they really liked me so I ended up staying for a couple of months. Now I’ve come back here to see how it goes in pre-season.”</i>
    It kind of goes without saying, but what are Ben’s hopes from this year’s training camp?
    <i>”I’d like to sign a MLS contract. This is my hometown and I’d love to play here.”</i>
    We’d like him to sign one and play here too, because if the Caps don’t, we’re pretty sure it won’t be long before someone else does.
    As one of the outstanding talents on the Residency team, it’s frustrating to see others come in as trialists and secure MLS contracts whilst Fisk still waits in the wings. Surely it kind of defeats the purpose of producing all of this local talent?
    Fisk is performing well in camp, as he did last year, and the Caps management speak very highly of him at every given opportunity. So will this finally be his year?
    Caleb Clarke didn’t get his MLS contract until April last year, so even if there isn’t an offer on the table by the time the season kicks off, then there is still hope.
    At this stage of his career Fisk needs to play and be getting regular game time. Even if he does sign a MLS contract, his opportunities are going to be limited.
    It may even be better for him to make a move to Europe at this stage of his career and then revisit MLS later. He’s in a prime developmental period of his fledgling career.
    Whatever happens, we’re pretty sure Ben Fisk will have a professional contract and will be playing somewhere this season. Let’s hope it’s not a case of the Whitecaps loss being someone else’s gain.
    <p>
    Guest
    It has been written here before - and frankly it will continue to be espoused for some time - but if there was a silver lining to last year's 8-1 loss to Honduras it was that it made Canada take stock of where it is in the world. Or more accurately, where it is in CONCACAF. That has spawned various conversations. Some out-the-box, some crack pot, some more practical.
    The more practical have focused on what can be done right now - most notably on improving our coaching and player development. This week, on the newly minted podcast Counter Attack, there is a good discussion (starting at 21:00) on player development, how it relates to our World Cup success (or lack thereof) and getting over the proverbial 'hump.' Additionally, Jason deVos at TSN has been banging the drum for some time now on the need for a high performance league and why we need to change the recreational mentality in this country.
    By recreational, he is referring to the volunteer force that is largely being deployed to develop the next generation of players that will lead us to a World Cup. Something that, frankly, is never going to happen when the soccer Mom's and Dad's who coach them are at best, qualified to bring the kids to practice and supply them with juice boxes.
    If you're going to talk about re-defining how we develop players, then you have to talk about re-defining how we develop coaches to assist in that grooming. I reached out to Thomas Rongen, head of Toronto FC's Academy and former head coach of the U.S. U-20 team, to talk about what he sees as things Canada can do to change the culture.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    "That 8-1 loss hit hard for people in this country. Sometimes it takes a watershed moment to force people to make change. I think that game alone made people think that we have to look hard at the provincial programs, we need to look hard at coaching education and we need to look hard at long term player development," Rongen said. "Canada is ready to make changes. They have a new president. They have a new technical director who is going to go a different route. I’m glad they’re going away from the provincial programs because it hasn’t worked for them."
    The provincial programs have long been charged with not doing enough to develop the elite level players in this country. The training they get a few weeks a year - where they are pulled away from their clubs to be put in high performance centres - just isn't a model that works anymore.
    "For a long time in the U.S. we had the REP program – pay to play – similar to the provinces here. It didn’t reach out to certain parts of the soccer family, that went unnoticed because they couldn’t afford to pay for the travel, or play at the bigger clubs where the best players were," Rongen said. "Again, referencing the 8-1 loss, it really clearly spells out that Canada isn’t developing the players it perhaps once was when they qualified in 1986, or perhaps has never. That in itself tells me that the system isn’t working. And at the end of the day, if you look at the world, coaches still make the players."
    The development of coaches starts with a commitment from the clubs and the CSA to seek more. The badges and licenses here are focused too heavily on nutrition and health and not enough on the tactics of the game. There are very few, even with the CSA, who will say that the coaching programs in North America are suitable to train a coach so that they are capable of leading an elite level team.
    "We’re sending Danny Dichio and hopefully one other coach to France for a two year UEFA course. Where you go for a few weeks a year, you do practical sessions and you to go to three or four pro teams and you report back and run sessions," Rongen said. "It’s very hard for me to imagine that in a weekend, week or 10 day course, which is done in North America in general, you can produce some high quality coaches."
    Rongen didn't mince words when he addressed the lack of commitment by some in the region when it came to development and coaching development.
    "There are some very big local clubs around here but I hate to say it, but it’s still not done the way it’s supposed to be done. We invest $1.2 million in our Academy every year."
    That may seem like a lot. And for many clubs it is. But when you look at the biggest youth clubs in the region and across Canada, those with massive registration numbers, they are more than capable of investing in the development of coaches and ensuring their professional infrastructure provides the best environment for growth.
    "It becomes an incubator. You’re going to develop great players. And then when you give them good training, and meaningful games, their potential is massive," Rongen said. "And that’s something, with the high performance league that is starting next year, that we hope to be able to provide more of. With our younger players getting into those high performance games we’ll be able to produce a higher quality of player. But clubs here have to invest in the infrastructure and that means coaching."
    That may be received by some as either overly ambitious or cocky, but in a country that has long been short on vision, it is at least offering an honest assessment of what Canada can strive for.
    "(At Toronto FC) we’re far from where we need to be. But we need to be the leaders in terms of player development and also in coaching development... We are demonstrating that now by committing a budget to the coaching education we do," Rongen said.
    And what's it going to take to get there? What will drive the clubs to see the need for better coaches here?
    "That those that are doing it show results. That us as Toronto FC are able and capable to produce players for our first team. Homegrown players are becoming ever more important because the college ranks and the draft, in terms of quality, is getting less and less," Rongen said. "And that we are able to produce players for our national teams too."
    Guest

    Hurtado and Manneh ready for challenges of MLS

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    Of all the young players in Vancouver Whitecaps’ preseason training camp, perhaps the two with the most eyes focussed on them are SuperDraft picks Kekuta Manneh and Erik Hurtado.
    Any SuperDraft pick would be under scrutiny, but when it’s two top five picks, that come to the Caps highly rated, everyone wants to see just how well they perform and adjust to the new challenges posed by Major League Soccer.
    At least they are safe in the knowledge that they have MLS contracts, unlike some of their fellow young campers, although Paulo Jr, Corey Hertzog and Tom Heinemann were officially added to the Caps’ MLS squad today.
    Both Hurtado and Manneh have shown really well so far, with enough glimpses to excite fans as to what both players can add to the Whitecaps for many seasons to come.
    Hurtado started the camp off the better, scoring a fantastic goal on Monday after a blistering run up the wing, and has continued to show this strength and commitment as the week has gone on. Manneh has become stronger every day, capping things off today with two fine goals in an 11 v 11 game.
    It’s important not to get too carried away and put too much pressure on the pair. It’s a big step up from NCAA to playing at the top level of the game in North America, and this is something that both players are certainly fully aware of.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <i>"It’s going to be big learning for me."</i> admitted Manneh. <i>"It’s different players, different speed of play and different style of play. I’m just going to have to get up to speed. It’s not going to be easy for me but I just have to adjust."</i>
    And Hurtado agrees.
    <i>"It is a big gap. In the NCAA you’re working all the time. You don’t focus too much on your skill and your touch and your crossing and your finishing. You focus more on the physical attributes because you can sub throughout the game, but here in the pros you don’t get as many subs so you have to focus on those skills more."</i>
    Quite a telling statement when you consider the bad reputation many give NCAA for stunting player development.
    Some of the questions we are all waiting to see answered is how Martin Rennie will utilise both of these talents. Both can play successfully as out and out strikers, and out wide. Manneh has no real preference:
    <i>"I like both. Either one is fine by me. I can play right side, left side and top forward."</i>
    Hurtado is another versatile player and is happy to play wherever the coach wants to play him (as every young player should always say!) and <i>"wherever I can help the team the best"</i>.
    <i>"I’m an attacking player, so anywhere along the front line. But if they see me dropping back into midfield, or even in the defence, I’m willing to adjust."</i>
    Hurtado usually plays on the right side but likes to <i>"go back and forth from right to left"</i>. He has also seen a small amount of time as right back in college when the team needed cover.
    With all the challenges and learning ahead of them, have the players set their personal goals for the season?
    <i>"I always do that before the season starts, so I’m kind of looking at 15 goals this year. If I get playing time that’s definitely what I’m aiming for."</i>, is Manneh’s lofty target.
    If any Whitecap reaches double figures, then the fans will no doubt be delighted, but you have to love Kekuta’s confidence and self belief in his talent. If he produces at the top level expected of him, it would be a tall order but can be achievable.
    Hurtado was more conservative with his goals for the year:
    <i>"I’m just focussing right now on coming out and doing the best I can and working as hard as I can for the team. I got to earn their respect before I can start setting those high goals, cos if I’m going to set those high goals I got to get minutes on the field. I think I got to earn my spot first and then start going for those goals."</i>
    When you chat with both players on their own, the pair seem well grounded, keen to learn and know their place in the squad. They’ve both been lugging equipment off the field at the end of the day’s training. But they also have that swagger and confidence of youth that you need these days to get ahead in the game.
    It’s going to be interesting to see how they progress in their rookie seasons. Darren Mattocks set a standard last season, but without getting too ahead of ourselves and putting that pressure on them we said not to, you could easily see both of these young talents set the benchmark even higher.
    <p>
    Guest
    Toronto FC confirmed today that the Reds will not have a USL-Pro affiliation in 2013. The club will continue to play its reserves in the MLS reserve league.
    "We will be participating in the reserve league, but do not have a partnership with a USL team," a team spokesperson said in an e-mail to CSN.
    "We are having several conversations that may result in one down the road."
    It was announced today that all MLS teams will be eligible to take part in a partnership with USL-Pro to either put a full reserve team into the USL-Pro league, or affiliate themselves with a team currently in the league.
    Teams that have an affiliation will place at least four long-term loan players on the USL-Pro side.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    John Molinaro of Sportsnet.ca let the news drop on Wednesday afternoon.
    It's also been confirmed to CSN that Sportsnet will be on-site in Houston for Canada's friendly next Tuesday against the U.S., meaning that over the next week, fans will get two chances to watch a whole whack of youngsters and newcomers get their feet wet with the senior national team, live. The U.S. friendly will be shown on Sportsnet at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Pleased to announce sportsnet.ca will live stream the Canada-Denmark friendly: <a href="http://t.co/EuXeVMGe" title="http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/canada-denmark-soccer/">sportsnet.ca/soccer/canada-…</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23canMNT">#canMNT</a> @<a href="https://twitter.com/sportsnet">sportsnet</a> @<a href="https://twitter.com/canadasocceren">canadasocceren</a></p>— John Molinaro (@JohnMolinaro) <a href="
    ">January 23, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>The friendly against Denmark kicks off at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT on Saturday, with a half-hour pre-game show.
    Anyone in Toronto with nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon than bemoan the state of the men's national team is welcome to head to the Duke of Gloucester to join some like-minded masochists for a Voyageurs meet-up. Anyone planning similar events in other cities, feel free to leave that information in the comments section below.
    Guest
    Details of the proposed partnership between MLS and USL-Pro are expected to be released today or tomorrow.
    Last month it leaked out that MLS was planning to incorporate its reserve system into the D3 USL-Pro league. MLS teams would either be affiliated with an existing USL-Pro team nearby, or they would operate a separate USL-Pro team in their own market.
    Yesterday, Rochester’s WHEC reported that the Rhinos would be affiliated with a MLS team starting this year. It also came out that full details of the plan would be released within 36-hours.
    The report suggested that there would be four USL-Pro teams taking part in the partnership in 2013.
    The information is in line with what the respected IMSoccerNews reported last week.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    In a series of Tweets, IMSsoccer revealed that 2013 would be “transition year.” MLS teams would have an option to play MLS reserve league games, or join USL-Pro.
    It was expected that most MLS teams would be participating in USL-Pro fully by 2014.
    Additionally, it as reported that most reserve games under the new plan would be played at MLS venues, often as part of a double-header with the senior team.
    IMSsoccerNews also indicated that MLS would work with USL-Pro joint marketing efforts, with MLS providing extra technical assistance to the USL teams.
    UPDATE:
    MLS made it official today. Some details from the press release --
    CSN contacted TFC to ask if the Reds will be participating in 2013. We will update if the club responds.
    There is a press conference called for tomorrow at 11: 00 a.m. EST.
    UPDATE 2: (Thanks to a CSN commentator for picking up on this) --
    Although TFC has not responded to CSN's request for comment, fans have uncovered a place holder page on the TFC website for a u23 team.
    It's possible that this is to do with the USL-Pro partnership.
    You ca see it here.
    Guest
    Swansea midfielder Jonathan de Guzman called up for Netherlands friendly (The Independent).
    At long last, this ridiculous "will he or won't he?" charade can be put to bed. Finally, the brothers de Guzman can cease toying with the hearts of Canadian soccer fans by dangling promises that they knew (or should have known) would never be fulfilled.
    On our end of the pond, this was never a mystery. Jonathan de Guzman was never going to play for Canada, whatever his feelings of national pride or lack thereof. The simple fact is, his passport situation was such that he'd either need to live here for several years, or get special government intervention, in order to play for Canada. The probability of either of those happening was always minuscule at best.
    The only mystery was whether he'd ever achieve what most angry Canadian fans bitterly dismissed as a pipe dream: A call-up to the national team of his adopted home. Well, it's 2013, and here we finally are.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Who knows where this leads. Perhaps Jono's form cools down, he falls off the Dutch radar, and this call-up ends up being nothing more than a one-off. Perhaps, through a remarkable series of events, he finds his way onto the Dutch squad for next year's World Cup, becoming the most high-profile Canadian-born player at the big tournament since a certain Englishman.
    Most likely, the reality will fall somewhere in the middle.
    But while this day was never inevitable, the truth is that Jono was ultimately more likely to sit on the sidelines of the international game for his entire career than to ever suit up for the land of his birth. Anyone holding out hope to the contrary was simply deluding themselves -- though they can be partially forgiven, considering the obfuscatory media leaks occasionally provided by the elder de Guzman.
    Some in this country will be angry at the news. Some will wish Jonathan well. And others -- a group into which I fall -- have become so utterly tired of the "will he or won't he?" drama, about de Guzman and a certain other Premier Leaguer, that I can truly, honestly say at this point that I simply don't care, and would rather focus my attention on players who actually have chosen to be a part of the Canadian program.
    A very young Canadian squad plays a few friendlies next week, as the program looks towards the future. Now there is no doubt that that future won't include Jonathan de Guzman.
    And, hopefully, the future won't include the repeated pattern of Canadian fans ravenously hanging onto every word of a player with multiple eligibilities, in the desperate hope that they'll deign to represent us in international play.
    Well, maybe I'm the one being self-delusional now.
    .
    Guest

    SoccerPlus Weekly Podcast (Jan. 22, 2013)

    By Guest, in SoccerPlus,

    An episode entirely dedicated to the opening of Montreal Impact's training camp.
    There's only one chance to make a good impression and all we can say is so far so good for Swiss coach Marco Schällibaum with Les Bleus.
    Hear comments and analysis on the first training session with Raphael Larocque-Cyr, Marc Tougas, Patrick Leduc and our newest addition: Philippe Dos Santos.
    Also quotes from Felipe Martins, Davy Arnaud, Marco DiVaio, coach Schällibaum and Sporting Director Nick DeSantis.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Click here to listen to our 55 minutes show.
    Guest

    Four players to get look at TFC

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Toronto FC selected four players in today's supplementary draft. Forward Ashton Bennett, who holds Canadian residency, midfielder Jose Gomez, midfielder Nik Robson and forward Taylor Morgan wil get a chance to impress at TFC's training camp.
    Unlike the SuperDraft picks, these players are not guaranteed roster spots for the year. The odds are long that any will be part of the Reds in 2013.
    Due to his domestic status, Bennett likely has the best chance. However, with the four academy graduates likely occupying TFC's four non-cap positions on the roster these players are going to have to out perform an established roster player to have a chance to stick.
    There might be another option for Bennett if he's willing to occupy one of the $33,750 roster spots.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    Brad Rusin's Winning Mentality

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    Brad Rusin hadn’t even set foot in Vancouver before he had reason to loathe Toronto. He <i>"flew in Friday, but the plane got delayed in Toronto, so I got in at like one in the morning on Saturday".</i> Far be it for a little thing like that to dismay the 6'4" centre back.
    Literally and figuratively, he hit the ground running, venturing out into the city.
    <i>"I’ve got to explore a little bit, but the weather is pretty much the same, maybe a little colder actually in Denmark. Some of the guys are complaining about the weather here, but it’s actually better than Denmark and what I came from".</i>
    Paired with Alain Rochat in his first training session, they made an effective partnership. Corey Hertzog, a striker on trial, won’t soon forget his sound defensive marking.
    With Brad Knighton, Matt Watson, Jun Marques Davidson, and Paul Ritchie around, he has plenty of familiar faces from his days with Carolina RailHawks, but it was Martin Rennie that convinced him to come here.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <i>"I played for Martin, and of course I knew some of the guys from playing in Carolina, but ultimately I just came because it’s a good organisation. To play under Martin again was something I was interested in doing, and I’m glad everything worked out and I’m here."</i>
    During those days in Carolina, he became Captain at the tender age of 24.
    <i>"It was kind of tricky because at the time I was actually on trial in Europe, but I was still under contract in Carolina, and then when I came back from Europe, things didn’t work out because they couldn’t sign me over there. The Danish Federation wouldn’t let the team sign players because there’s some rule in Denmark about having 25% of their salaries in the bank or something."</i>
    Coming from a league with rules like that, he’s sure to fit in nicely.
    <i>"So I was basically just running around the field in Carolina, and when I came back and actually started playing, he gave me the captain’s band and we did pretty well."</i>
    During his two and a half years in Carolina, the RailHawks won the league once, and finished second twice; pretty well indeed.
    It’s not hard to see why Martin Rennie made him captain of the RailHawks. He preaches teamwork and a winning mentality.
    <i>"To succeed you have to win, of course a tie here and there, but ultimately winning, and winning a championship."</i>
    And what of the new challenges Major League Soccer represents?
    <i>"I've had a couple of opportunities to come back before, but ultimately I wanted to play in Europe. I think the experience is going to help me here. I definitely think I’m prepared."</i>
    But it’s not just about the league this year.
    <i>"I know the Cascadia Cup's a big one and I know we need to win it. We haven't done too well in the past, but I'm looking forward to getting out there and winning it."</i>
    With his help, the Whitecaps just might do that.
    <p>
    Guest

    Hassli denies rumours

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Eric Hassli denied rumours that he has demanded a transfer out of Toronto.
    It was reported last week that the Frenchman had asked to be moved after former head coach Paul Mariner was fired. However, Hassli said he was excited to start the season with TFC.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    “Everyone knows that I have a great bond with Paul, but Ryan Nelsen is a good guy too," he said during the club’s media day.
    Hassli went onto express confidence in his ability to work with injured striker Danny Koevermans once he returns from his ACL injury.
    “Everyone keeps asking is I can play with Danny,” Hassli said. “Who can’t play with Danny? Everyone knows he’s a great player.”
    TFC opened training camp yesterday.
    UPDATE: The Toronto Sun quoted Kevin Payne today on the subject. He indicated that the issue isn't related to Hassli himself, but rather his wife. She is uncomfortable with the idea of living in Canada. However, the club is working with Hassli to find ways to help her adjust and is not going to move him unless the right deal is offered.
    Guest
    It came out last week that former Canadian international Pat Onstad was leaving DC United, where he was the club's keeper coach, and joining TFC.
    At the time, it was suggested that he would be joining TFC as an assistant coach.
    However, today TFC announced that Onstad will not be on the first team bench in 2013. Instead he will serve as the club's head scout and "Manager of football partnerships."
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The latter position may cause some to scratch their head. What the club says is that Onstad will be "responsible for liaising and managing relationships with football clubs in Major League Soccer and internationally. He will also work with football agencies and foreign soccer development academies."
    When you consider some of the slip ups/misunderstandings TFC has had in the past (DeRo's training at Celtic/Plata's loan situation) it might be a position that the club needs filled.
    Guest
    Vancouver Whitecaps kicked off their 2013 preseason at Burnaby Lake on Monday with a sea of new faces and some well kent ones too.
    After last season's brief playoff appearance, the bar has been set and 2013 has to be even better.
    For Whitecaps fans that means several things: winning the Canadian championship for the first time and qualifying for the CONCACAF Champions League; and reaching the playoffs once again, but this time hosting and winning at least one game once we get in there.
    Looking around at those who were there on day one of training, and pondering on those who were absent, it was clear that the Caps class of 2013 has a long way to go before they are likely to achieve any or all of those goals.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Some more new additions are a must, preferably with experience and/or a MLS track record. The biggest issue now is the growing gaping hole in the middle of the park.
    Barry Robson's <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?4118-Barry-Robson-A-Farewell-to-Arms" target="_blank">departure</a> has pleased some, but the manner of his parting also raised many an eyebrow.
    With Martin Bonjour also missing the opening day of training camp for "personal reasons", it's clear that the roulette wheel still has a few spins left in it before we start to see the ball settle into the final squad numbers and make up.
    Martin Rennie confirmed that there are still changes to come, with so many signed players and trialists playing for their Whitecaps futures right now.
    And talking of squad numbers, Kenny Miller has shed the jinxed number 7 shirt for number 9, and Camilo has inherited the jinxed number 7 shirt instead! Not that you could see any of them through the fog.
    What you could see were some players keen to impress.
    SuperDraft picks Kekuta Manneh and Erik Hurtado didn't look out of place and Hurtado in particular wasn't shy at showing some of his skills, with a blistering run up the wing and a top drawer finish in one of the mini games. These two are going to be electric.
    It's a young squad out there and new U18 head coach Gordon Forrest has been brought in to work with the younger players and, for some, continue the transition of moving from Residency and college football, to the first team.
    Brad Knighton produced a number of excellent stops, whilst Joe Cannon enjoyed some time away on his honeymoon.
    Andy O'Brien limped off injured after around a hour. Hopefully nothing too serious, but Brad Rusin looked more than capable cover.
    And there were some nice moves and goals from Ben Fisk and Greg Klazura.
    Klazura had a great camp last year and is continuing it in what may be an even tougher test for him this time around, whilst Fisk is just class and we just hope he finally gets his MLS contract.
    Others shone, others didn't. It's really far too early to draw any reasonable conclusions as to who may be sticking around long term.
    There will also be another new face Tuesday, when 25 year old Canadian international midfielder/defender Jaime Peters comes on trial, having been without a club since being released by Championship side Ipswich Town in August.
    So with all these new boys out there, it's good to put a face to a name. It took us long enough on Monday to try and do that and so you don't have to struggle, here's Christopher Vose's pictorial guide to the new faces you may be seeing in a Caps jersey this coming season:
    <center>
    [brad Rusin]

    [Corey Hertzog]

    [Crispin 'Alfie' Olando]

    [Erik Hurtado]

    [Kekuta Manneh]

    [Paulo Jr]

    [Tom Heinemann]
    [You can find all of Christopher's photos from day one of training <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vosie/sets/72157632571701669/with/8403891524/" target="_blank">HERE</a>]</center>
    <p>
    Guest

    Barry Robson: A Farewell to Arms

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    Another MLS year, another Whitecaps Designated Player leaves Vancouver. I'm beginning to think the initials DP actually stand for Departing Posthaste.
    Barry Robson and the Caps have parted ways, with the Club and player having mutually agreed to terminate the contract.
    The official word from the Club, via Bobby Lenarduzzi, is that <i>"Unfortunately Barry and his family never fully settled in Vancouver, and we’ve mutually decided to move in different directions"</i>. It's hard not to speculate that there are other footballing reasons behind the departure.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    When Robson was announced as joining the Caps in February last year, there was genuine excitement at what the experienced midfielder could bring to the team. He had played at the top levels of club and international football and Martin Rennie hoped he would raise the standard in the dressing room and bring another YP Lee-esque quality to the team.
    Unfortunately, once he started playing in July the reality was a player from a different footballing culture who just didn't seem to have what it takes to cut it in Major League Soccer.
    Is the game really that different in North America to the UK? Others have struggled. Kenny Miller is another example at the Whitecaps and Kris Boyd at Portland. Maybe it's just Scots!
    The sometimes lengthy travel between games takes some getting used to. So do the referees. How you deal with such things, and frustrations in general, tend to shape people's perceptions of you and Robson's biggest struggles seemed to be shaking off the perception of him by some fans and the media.
    There were fans the resented him from early on when they saw him as being brought in to replace one of their favourites, Davide Chiumiento. The fact that they play different positions and Robson stated that he was disappointed that Chiumiento had been sold didn't really matter.
    Others didn't like his on field attitude and he was plagued by rumours of dressing room disharmony. He was certainly hard to like at times out there.
    If you were to ask fans for their lasting impressions of Robson, it wouldn't be his standout performance in the LA game in July or his sweet left foot, instead it would be the constant arm waving, the berating of team-mates, the failure to track back or look interested at times, the sitting on his ass complaining about non calls when the game was going on round about him, sometimes to the detriment of the Caps.
    All sadly true and all attributes of a player that will always find it hard to settle into the North American game and win the warm affection of the fans here.
    When he arrived in Vancouver he <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?3349-Barry-Robson-arrives-in-Vancouver" target="_blank" target="_blank">told us</a>: <i>"I wear my heart on my sleeve. That’s the type of guy I am."</i>
    And he did. For all to see.
    I can't knock him for that to an extent. I want to see passion and the desire to win. At least he showed he cared.
    Some will argue that certain things should be held back till the confines of the dressing room, such as his shouting at team captain Jay DeMerit in Salt Lake. I still feel he was right to berate him for giving away the penalty, but probably chose the wrong place to do it.
    People complained he acted like the team captain and he wasn't, but as I've said all along no-one knows what role Rennie sent him out on the pitch to do and how he told him to act.
    It's just how he went about things that rubbed people up the wrong way.
    Fans in particular can accept such actions if the player himself is without sin. Sadly Robson performed so far below his game on many occasions that it really was a case of pots and black kettles and his actions were clearly born out of frustrations at himself at times.
    He was seen and portrayed as dour and surly by sections of the media, but it has to be remembered that he came from a background where the football media are not to be trusted. He wasn't used to be forced to chat to the press pack on a daily basis and less than enamoured by the post match open dressing room, which he never liked or got used to.
    I never found him to be hard to deal with personally. He always had time to speak with me. We shared a laugh and joke about a few things. Maybe it was just being a fellow Scot in unfamiliar surroundings, but as his time went on he did start to crack some smiles in the press scrums and come across as more friendly and approachable. Not that such things make as interesting reporting of course.
    The DP tag and salary were like a chain around his neck, used to drag him down and constantly beat him with for not performing. Whether this is fair or not, we do need to see more bang for our buck with these guys and in Whitecaps terms, we just simply are not seeing that from any of our past or present Designated Players.
    In the end we got 17 appearances and three goals from the "Ginger Pele"/"Ginger Whinger".
    Are the Whitecaps a better team now without Robson? At this precise moment, no. There is now a huge gap in the midfield.
    Will they be a better team when Rennie brings in a younger, more creative, productive and athletic midfielder in his place? Undoubtedly.
    As it stands, Barry Robson was the best midfielder on the Whitecaps books. Yes, older players start to lose it a bit as time goes on, but you don't go from being named the player of the season for a Championship team to being a busted flush overnight.
    Given a full season here, I think the fans would have seen the Barry Robson I've watched since his early days playing against East Fife. Unfortunately we only ever got to see some very rare glimpses of that player in MLS.
    Something didn't work with the Robson experiment. Whether it was the player, the tactics, the team-mates, the environment or a combination of all of that, we may never truly know.
    I had high hopes for Robson at the Whitecaps. I'm sure so did he, Martin Rennie and yourself.
    Unfortunately none of us are left with all that many great memories.
    It's time to move on, put another DP disaster behind us, and wonder who the next one will be.
    Whoever it is and whoever replaces Robson in the middle of the park, they need to be strong, creative and someone to build our team around for several years to come.
    <p>
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