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    Timewasting: MLS Back Catalogue - Pink Floyd

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    <i>It's time for another "MLS Back Catalogue".
    In this feature, AFTN revisits artists' discographies, authors' bibliographies and different genres of music, books and films, all re-imagined with the current and recent players and managers of Major League Soccer.
    And it's all done in a full 'Top of the Pops' style top ten countdown.
    On November 30th 1979, another one of our all-time favourite albums was released - Pink Floyd's seminal double album "The Wall".
    With this in mind, sit back, zone out and enjoy today's MLS Back Catalogue from <b>Pink Floyd</b></i>....
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <center>************************************</center>
    (10) Wish Ugo Ihemelu Were Here
    (9) Not Now John Thorrington
    (8) Young-Pyo Lee Lust
    (7) Alan Gordon's Psychedelic Breakfast
    (6) Lucifer Sam Cronin
    (5) Atom Soehn Heart Mother
    (4) Astronomy Domine Oduro
    (3) Run Like Jeremy Hall
    (2) See Emilio Renteria Play
    (1) Another Brick In The Tyson Wahl
    <p>
    Guest
    The harshest critics of Paul Mariner were disappointed.
    “Paul Mariner is the coach of Toronto FC. I have a great deal of respect for him,” was how new TFC president and GM Kevin Payne answered the inevitable question about the possibility of another coaching change with the Reds.
    He put the knife in further when he later made it clear that Earl Cochrane wasn’t going anywhere. In fact, he indicated that Cochrane would be the “point man” for all trades and signings of the club.
    Still, for most, the appointment of Payne to the position was seen positively, if occasionally tempered by MLSE-induced cynicism. This is, after all, exactly what fans have been screaming for since, well, forever.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    At last TFC has a MLS experienced leader calling the shots. And, it was clear that he would be calling the shots. In later interviews, MLSE COO Tom Anselmi said that Payne would have “full autonomy” in running the club. In fact, he stressed that he would have even more power than the Toronto Maple Leafs' Brian Burke and Toronto Raptor’s Bryan Colangelo. Anselmi also was clear that he had no interest in interfering in soccer decisions.
    As of today, BMO Field is now the house of Payne, both figuratively and literally.
    Since the day wasn’t about Mariner or Cochrane there is little use speculating on their future at the club except to say that it lies in the hands of Payne. History tells us that he’s not a manager that favours rash firings (in fact, DC United fans once hired an airplane to fly a banner that read ‘it’s the coach, stupid’ to express their frustration with sticking with Thomas Rongen in 2001). With only a few exceptions, he’s given coaches at least two years to implement their vision.
    It is highly, highly unlikely that he’s going to change his philosophy now. He is, however, going to evaluate their performance and, for the first time, most fans feel confident that he’ll make a decision on the current staff’s future that is based on their performance moving forward, and with the best interest of the club in mind.
    Only those truly not please-able will have a problem with that.
    The question then is did TFC hire the right man? It’s next to impossible to judge in the early afterglow of a feel good press conference. You can point to four MLS Cups and two Supporter’s Shields and say it’s evidence he can’t go wrong. Or, you can point to the record since 2008 and say that MLS 2.0 has passed him by – DC United went through its worst four-year period from ’08 to ’11.
    He’s been widely praised by many as being pro-supporter and having good relationships with Supporter’s Groups. However, he also once referred to the supporters as “Internet nuts” and oversaw a 30 percent reduction in attendance during the recent lean years.
    He’s also a hands on manager. A critic might suggest that’s meddling. A fan will say it’s passion.
    Can Payne recapture the magic of DC United’s glory years? It’s no sure thing, but at least TFC fans now have a clear understanding of who is running the show.
    After six rudderless years, it’s about time.
    Guest
    It's official. FIFA hates Canada.
    That's obviously untrue, unless FIFA has a strange policy of awarding its marquee tournaments to a country that it hates. And it wouldn't even really be relevant in this case, even if it were true, since the shortlist for the game's year-end awards was determined not by a collection of Zurich-based sportocrats, but by "a poll in which the captains and head coaches of the men’s and women’s national teams, as well as international media representatives selected by France Football, voted for candidates."
    Either way, FIFA is an easy, identifiable target for the outrage about the exclusion of Christine Sinclair and John Herdman from the top-three shortlist for their respective awards (women's player of the year and coach of the year in women's football).
    But whoever or whatever the rightful target may be, that outrage is justified. The exclusion of both Sinclair and Herdman for top honours in 2012 is nothing short of a farce.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Now, you could make the argument that these glitzy award ceremonies are meaningless, and that the true measure of greatness is on-field performance and results. You'd be right. You could also make the argument that it's impossible for me, or anyone else who follows the Canadian national team, to be truly impartial about the selections, especially given our reinforced persecution complex following the outcome of the Olympic semifinal. You'd be right there too.
    But seriously?! What in the flying hell has Marta done to deserve a spot among the top three in 2012, ahead of Sinclair?
    It's a question I rhetorically asked on Twitter earlier today, and one which John Leung over at Waking The Red endeavoured to answer. Among his conclusions: Marta was a legacy pick, included by voters who probably didn't pay too much attention in 2012 but who recognize her name because she's won the award five times, and hasn't finished lower than third in the voting since 2003. Makes perfect sense to me.
    Also, Sinclair's suggestions of impropriety by the game official in that Olympic semifinal -- and subsequent refusal to back down from those comments, even as she was handed a four-match ban by FIFA -- surely played into the equation. Or, in the words of Gerry "voice of Canadian soccer" Dobson:
    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>For those suggesting Sinclair's Olympic comments had something to do with her omission, you're wrong. It was the only reason. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23blackballed">#blackballed</a>.</p>— Gerry Dobson (@SNGerryDobson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNGerryDobson/status/274158010128015361" data-datetime="2012-11-29T14:28:57+00:00">November 29, 2012</a></blockquote>
    <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
    It's tough to argue against the other two top nominees, Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan (27 goals and counting in 2012) -- and maybe that's it, too. Maybe voters were leery about a shortlist that would be too regionally weighted, and felt compelled to give some non-CONCACAF recognition.
    In any event, despite my bias, despite my bitterness, I think it's reasonable to say that Marta ahead of Sinclair (in 2012) is a real head-scratcher for fans of women's soccer.
    As for Herdman's exclusion... well... let's turn to another voice of Canadian soccer for his thoughts:
    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>The Sinclair snub I can understand (but not agree with), but John Herdman not being a finalist for women’s coach of the year is a joke.</p>— Jason deVos (@jasondevos) <a href="https://twitter.com/jasondevos/status/274177805921701888" data-datetime="2012-11-29T15:47:37+00:00">November 29, 2012</a></blockquote>
    <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
    The finalists for coach of the year in women's football were Pia Sundhage (USA), Bruno Bini (France) and Norio Sasaki (Japan), the same three who made the shortlist in 2011. For some insight here, let's remind ourselves of who voted on these awards (emphasis added by me):
    "the captains and head coaches of the men’s and women’s national teams, as well as international media representatives selected by France Football"
    This is not to cast aspersions on all of those media representatives. One of those voters is Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl, who's made no secret of the fact that he agrees with embittered Canadians (this time, anyway):
    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Marta is a great player, but I can think of at least 6 players that deserved to make Ballon d'Or final 3 ahead of her in 2012.</p>— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) <a href="
    " data-datetime="2012-11-29T13:30:10+00:00">November 29, 2012</a></blockquote><script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
    Still, Bini finishing ahead of Herdman, combined with the fact that some number of voters were chosen by <strike>the French federation itself</strike> a French publication, just stinks to high heaven. That's to take nothing away from Bini or the French team, whose explosion onto the world stage in 2011 was nothing short of breathtaking. And no doubt, the team was similarly impressive in 2012, winning the Cyprus Cup (over Canada) and taking fourth place at the Olympics (behind Canada).
    But does Bini deserve more credit for a year-over-year continuation of something he's already previously established than Herdman does for taking a shattered team that finished last place in the Women's World Cup, rebuilding them tactically and psychologically, and bringing them onto the podium at the Olympic Games?
    My biased Canadian mind says hell no. Yours probably does too.
    Maybe Herdman was blackballed by association after some of his players lashed out at the semifinal referee. That, if it's the case, is idiotic. Maybe Bini got the nod over Herdman because -- even though Canada won the bronze medal game -- France still controlled large portions of the game. That, if it's the case, is idiotic. Maybe there's a sense that Herdman is a fluke, and that he doesn't deserve the top recognition until he's performed similarly on a year-over-year basis.
    And that, too, would be idiotic.
    But you know what? In the end, none of this is really even worth getting agitated about. Because when it comes to the legitimacy of the 2012 FIFA year-end awards, all you need to remember is that this goal -- scored on November 14, 2012 -- somehow missed the cut-off for consideration as goal of the year.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbslWQh-R_U
    Ibra, Sincy, Herdman -- clearly, getting unfairly overlooked happens to the best of 'em.
    .
    Guest

    Help from above

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    The first step, always, is to admit you have a problem.
    Ten games into the season just past, acting Toronto FC president Tom Anselmi fired coach/GM Aron Winter, tossed all the keys to Paul Mariner, and finally admitted to himself that the biggest anchor holding back ye goode shyppe TFC was a brutal lack of soccer-savvy leadership.
    There were many options available at that point, but all the twelve-step programs agree on the need to surrender your addiction to a higher power.
    And yesterday, with the hiring of D.C. United founder Kevin Payne as incoming president and general manager of Toronto FC, that’s exactly what Anselmi did.
    The higher power in question wasn’t god or the universe, however. In the end, solving the problem fell to the real and ultimate owners of this baffled, embattled franchise:
    Major League Soccer itself.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Oh sure, the spin at yesterday’s presser was how much Anselmi and Payne admire each other, and what a great opportunity Toronto is for a man who built a franchise that has brought four MLS championships to the banks of the Potomac River.
    But the obvious under current is that the league – with the unacknowledged urging of commissioner Don Garber – whisked Payne out of an ever-decreasing role in Washington, to sally north and show Anselmi and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment how the game of salary-cap soccer in Our Little League is really played.
    All involved can thank their lucky stars for that!
    Anselmi – who has freely admitted at multiple times in the past that he really doesn’t know a thing about soccer – has never been more dangerous than when he’s had to pick a leader for Toronto FC. And while he may, indeed, have had strong encouragement from league office to hire Mo Johnston back in the beginning, both Anselmi and the league have likely made up for that with the hiring of Kevin Payne.
    There are still a couple of concerns, however.
    Payne told the media yesterday he’d been in Toronto for all of five hours, and had no real idea yet of the inner workings of MLSE. Let us all profoundly hope it stays that way!
    Then, of course, there’s the issue of TFC head coach Paul Mariner. Payne spoke fondly of the man, citing the long competitive rivalry between his D.C. United and Mariner’s New England Revolution. He rightly praised Mariner as a man with great and useful experience and success in MLS.
    But he also, when asked about his “philosophy,” made a key point: In MLS, he said, you get the best players you can, and teach them to be better. Makes perfect sense, given the salary cap, but everyone I later chatted with in the assembled press corps had the same idea at the same time.
    Mariner is not a great teacher.
    I grew up the son of an inspired university professor. I’ve valued great teachers all my life.
    Paul Mariner is not a great teacher.
    Payne is clearly remembering Mariner as the number-two man to Steve Nicol in New England. He likely doesn’t know about the screaming, relentless, glad-chatting, hammer-smashing, challenging-fans-to-fights Hulk Mariner who emerged from Aron Winter’s shadow after the Dutchman got dumped.
    Hulk Mariner is not a great teacher.
    Payne also praised player-personnel boss Earl Cochrane, whom he has supervised before back at D.C. Payne said that while he will have significant input on player moves, Cochrane will remain in his present position, and will be the person other teams contact when they want to make deals with TFC. (That’s the same Earl Cochrane who has now helped seven different TFC coaches not win.)
    This basically means the entire cast of management characters who pancaked TFC into a smouldering slobber of runway mush in 2012 is back running the team in 2013 – minus Winter and Anselmi, plus a genuine MLS leader in Payne.
    Certainly a trade you’d want to make, but unlikely to be ultimately enough.
    Interestingly, both Payne and Cochrane told reporters afterwards – in separate scrums – that Payne was in no way even consulted on the recent decision to bring oft-injured striker and designated player Eric Hassli back for 2013. If anything, that adds more credence to the idea that MLS – not MLSE – came up with the idea of shipping Payne north to TFC, and that it all came together rather quickly.
    Payne freely admits he knows nothing, as yet, about the structure of Canadian soccer. Youth soccer experts I talked with yesterday bitterly charge TFC has bungled its academy program, alienating many local clubs without actually boosting the MLS chances of promising future prospects.
    So …
    Meet the new boss; NOT like the old boss – and that’s a good thing.
    Toronto FC took a good turn in the right direction yesterday, but a long, bumpy and difficult road remains.
    Onward!
    Guest

    SoccerPlus - Weekly Show (Nov. 28, 2012)

    By Guest, in SoccerPlus,

    Who is Enzo Concina? Who will run Toronto FC? Who will win Saturday's MLS Cup final? Who's going to run Brazil's national team at home for the 2014 World Cup?
    Answers to these questions and more on this week's show with our guests Bob Iarusci, Rudy Doliscat, Marc Dos Santos, Jonathan Tannenwald and more.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Click here to listen to our 50 minutes show : SoccerPlus - November 28, 2012
    Guest
    Episode 27. Always a sad number that. Reminding us of all the rock stars that went to the moshpit in the sky too early. It's enough to make you grumpy.
    So we decided to not just be grumpy but to go out and get him.
    Our main guest on this week's show is <i>'Once Upon A Time'</i> and <i>'Pirates of the Caribbean'</i> actor <b>Lee Arenberg</b>.
    Lee plays Grumpy in the hit ABC show, but he's also a huge LA Galaxy fan and he's excited about this weekend's MLS Cup. We talk about the big game, his love for Man United and of course since he's in one of my favourite shows on TV at the moment, there lots of chat about Storybrooke and I try and score a date with Little Red Riding Hood.
    We're also joined in the studio by Sportsnet and Goal Canada writer <b>Martin MacMahon</b> to discuss all the comings and going in North American football this week.
    We talk Colin Miller, Kenny Miller, the Whitecaps nominees for Canadian 'Player of the Year', Don Garber's 'State of the League' address and a lot more besides, including your latest 'Sweet Ride Brainfreezes of the Week'.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Have a listen!
    You can listen to this week's podcast (and the previous ones) on iTunes <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/westcoastsoccerweekly/id491781299" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a> or download it for your later listening delight <a href="http://westcoastsoccerweekly.podbean.com/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a> or have a listen below.
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    Guest
    Former men's national team player and Whitecaps assistant head coach Colin Miller will be the new head coach of FC Edmonton, the team announced on Tuesday.
    Miller was a member of Canada's World Cup team in 1986 as a player, and went on to serve as assistant head coach and interim head coach of the national side in the early part of last decade. He later had a brief stint on the coaching staff of Derby County before returning to coach the Victoria Highlanders and, eventually, move into the Whitecaps system.
    FC Edmonton had been in search of a new head coach since it fired Harry Sinkgraven in September. Miller's appointment will unite a long-serving member of the Canadian soccer community with a team that has prided itself on offering opportunities to young Canadian players during its first two years of NASL play.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Coinciding as it does with word that Frank Yallop has won MLS coach of the year honours for 2012, Miller's appointment surely already has some wondering whether we'll have another Canadian head coach in Major League Soccer before too long.
    But for now, the focus should be on what Miller will be able to do in the city of Edmonton, both with the franchise and with the young players he'll have at his disposal, and what effect that could have on the Canadian soccer landscape.
    Guest

    Women's league update

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Details of how the CSA plans to provide funding for up to 16 players for the new professional women's league are limited at this time.
    CSN contacted the CSA for clarification on where the funding was coming from, how much is expected and whether they were committed to providing the maximum amount of players with funding. A CSA spokesperson responded today.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    When asked if the money is new the spokesperson said that "not all of (the sources) had been finalized" and that "a lot of details had yet to be worked out."
    When asked if the money would be coing from the Canadian Olympic Committee money that the program receives the spokesperson indicated that they could not provide an answer at this time.
    However, they stressed that the funding was a priority and that they worked closely with the team to come to the decision to get involved.
    "What I can say is that this has been identified as a core priority by John (Herdman) and the technical staff and we are committed to making it happen," the spokesperson said.
    "We are committed to ensuring that it happens in a responsible way."
    The spokesperson confirmed that the CSA would take steps to make sure that other areas of the program would not be impacted by the funding.
    The spokesperson indicated that they would work with Herdman to identify what players would be funded and that it was their expectation that all 16 spots would be filled.
    "That's our understanding, but it's better asked of (Herdman)," the spokesperson said.
    The CSA will not be releasing details of how much each individual player will receive.
    Guest

    Yallop wins coach of the year

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Canadian Frank Yallop has been named the MLS coach of the year.
    He lead the San Jose Earthquakes to the Supporter's Shield this season, after finishing 14th in 2011. They finished just two points off the all-time record for most points in a single season.
    He on the award in a landslide. The second place finisher was almost 170 points behind Yallop in the weighted ballot results.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    Report: TFC to hire president

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    It appears that Toronto FC has hired Kevin Payne to be the club's president.
    Soccer by Ives reported that the deal was done today.
    Payne has been the top man at DC United since the birth of the franchise. It's said that he was interested in leaving DC United because his role with the club had been reduced by new ownership.
    There is no timetable in place for when he will take over in Toronto.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    The commish spends 75 minutes with the North American press on his annual State of the League Address.
    Expansion into Queens, New York, relaunching Chivas USA, and the life after David Beckham were some of the topics the MLS commissioner brushed on during Monday's phone conference, but Garber also took time to express his trust in the new ownership structure at TFC and in Tom Anselmi.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Click here to hear to whole event.
    Guest
    The Canadian Soccer Association has released its list of nominees for player of the year awards in six categories: men's, women's, men's and women's U-20, and men's and women's U-17. Media and coaches will select the winner in the men's and women's categories, while coaches will pick the winners in the four youth categories.
    Below the jump is a list of all the nominees, along with my guesses as to who'll take the awards.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    #CanMNT
    Patrice Bernier
    Julian de Guzman
    Dwayne De Rosario
    André Hainault
    Lars Hirschfeld
    Atiba Hutchinson
    Kevin McKenna
    Olivier Occean
    My guess: Occean
    #CanWNT
    Diana Matheson
    Erin McLeod
    Carmelina Moscato
    Sophie Schmidt
    Desiree Scott
    Christine Sinclair
    Melissa Tancredi
    Rhian Wilkinson
    My guess: Who do you think?
    #CanM20
    Bryce Alderson
    Keven Aleman
    Jon Dollery
    Ricky Gomes
    Doneil Henry
    Samuel Piette
    My guess: Piette
    #CanW20
    Sabrina D'Angelo
    Adriana Leon
    Christabel Oduro
    Jenna Richardson
    Danica Wu
    Shelina Zadorsky
    My guess: Leon
    #CanM17
    Hanson Boakai
    Marco Bustos
    Marco Carducci
    Ian Fernandes
    Kianz Gonzales-Froese
    Jordan Hamilton
    My guess: Bustos
    #CanW17
    Kadeisha Buchanan
    Summer Clarke
    Ashley Lawrence
    Nichelle Prince
    Rebecca Quinn
    Valérie Sanderson
    Kailen Sheridan
    My guess: Clarke
    Who do you think deserves recognition for their play in 2012? Weigh in below.
    .
    Guest
    For Episode 26, we're going to the land of Lindt chocolate and cuckoo clocks, with a Swiss Miss (kinda) and a Swiss Mister.
    Our first guest is Canadian Women's National team player, Olympic medallist and now business entrepreneur, <b>Emily Zurrer</b>.
    Emily tells us all about her future playing plans, nearly shares tales from the Olympic Village and we chat about her new frozen yoghurt food truck business venture that she's going in to with fellow player Selenia Iacchelli - 'Sweet Ride'.
    If you want to play Innuendo Bingo, then this is the interview for you! More importantly though, you can find out all about Emily's Fro-Yo business <a href="http://www.sweetridefroyo.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a> and also vote for the girls in the 'Small Business BC's Successful You Awards - Best Concept category'. We urge you to do so. Closing date is the end of the month.
    Our second guest this week is Swiss journalist <b>Oliver Dufour</b>. Pierce has a chat about the Swiss League, Davide Chiumiento, Eric Hassli and a lot more.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    We also find time to talk nonsense between ourselves on the MLS playoffs, the SFU Clan's great run to the NCAA Div 2 'Final Four', Spanish football teams and porn, and more besides.
    Have a listen!
    You can listen to this week's podcast (and the previous ones) on iTunes <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/westcoastsoccerweekly/id491781299" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a> or download it for your later listening delight <a href="http://westcoastsoccerweekly.podbean.com/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a> or have a listen below.
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    Guest
    What if a Torontonian ran the Montreal Impact locker room? This week, we discuss the candidacy of former Impact player and current Napoli assistant coach Enzo Concina as a possible replacement to Jesse Marsch.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    We also talk about the rebirth of the women professional league in the U.S., the upcoming MLS Cup final in L.A. and a crisis in the Montreal suburb of Brossard, who gave us Canadian internationals Gabriel Gervais, Patrice Bernier and Olivier Occean, currently in big turmoil with allegation of financial mismanagement.
    All this and more in this week's show.
    Click here to listen (55 minutes)
    Guest
    After scoring the goal that clinched Olympic bronze for her country, Diana Matheson finally became a household name among Canadian sports fans.
    Now, she's hoping that the establishment of a new professional women's league in North America can help set up more young Canadian players for similar success.
    "I was excited that the new league was finally official," Matheson told Canadian Soccer News. "I know a lot of players and executives and coaches on both sides of the border have been working very hard to put something in place."
    And Matheson -- who has had several stints playing in Europe over her career, and is currently a member of Norwegian champions Lillestrøm -- says the new league might be enough to lure her back to playing on these shores.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    "I would definitely consider it, as I think many of my teammates would," said Matheson, who counted fellow Canadian Rhian Wilkinson as a teammate as Lillestrøm. "We all want to be playing in the top leagues in the world, and it's tough when the only options are in Europe or further.
    "As a group we want to help continue to grow soccer in Canada, and it's hard to do that when you are in another continent. It would also be nice to be in the same time zone as family and friends! I think we all welcome the option to play top club soccer in North America."
    With Melissa Tancredi, Erin McLeod, Emily Zurrer, Carmelina Moscato, Kaylyn Kyle and Stephanie Labbe among the Canadians who've gone abroad (Sweden, specifically) to play in 2012, it's clear that opportunities do exist for national-team members looking to play in a professional environment.
    But Matheson says the importance of players having a domestic option can't be overlooked, particularly in the build-up to the 2015 Women's World Cup on Canadian soil.
    "It's huge," she says. "It gives young players something to follow and aspire to in their own backyard.
    "We need our players in professional environments, and this provides the opportunity to get more Canadians playing top soccer year-round. Having a stable U.S. league with a large number of Canadians will also hopefully get most of us on the same schedule, which the national team can then work around."
    As to whether the league actually can provide the stability Matheson says is so important? Like many, she believes the cooperation between the CSA, USSF and FMF in backing the league is a source of optimism about its chances, saying "the new setup will help alleviate some of the financial burden for the leagues and owners."
    "I think that's a positive sign that they don't plan on making the same mistakes that caused (WUSA and WPS) to fold before."
    While the new league will consist of eight U.S.-based teams in 2013, Matheson remains positive about the prospect that, over the long term, it could follow a similar trajectory as Major League Soccer.
    "Hopefully this league will be sustainable and will include Canadian teams in the future. Hopefully it will eventually emulate what the MLS has done on the men's side."
    The only question, then, is what to call the new league. Any ideas, Diana?
    "How about North American Soccer Association? No one is using that acronym, right?"
    Well, it's unlikely she and other Canadians will be suiting up for NASA any time soon, but hopefully, as it relates to this new professional league, the sky truly is the limit.
    .
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