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    Let's go to the Hex!

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    We’re going to the hex!
    The Canadian men’s national team went into Honduras today and did what many thought was impossible – they got the result that was needed to bring them back to the final six of CONCACAF for the first time since the 1998 cycle.
    A decade of pain and frustration can be finally put behind us. Instead, the soccer community can today celebrate its growth and dream of what may lie ahead a year or so from now.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The hard work is done. A group with Honduras and Panama (even Cuba, a tricky Caribbean opponent at times) was a tough ask. It’s likely that Honduras can feel hard done by today. Its draw in the group was likely unfair. Canadians aren’t likely to shed any tears, however. Canada’s draw was unfair, too.
    Now that the job is done, the tough semi-final group can be seen positively. Canada earned its way back to the hex. There were no easy touches in this round – even Cuba made all three teams work at times. That should serve them well in the final round.
    It won’t be easy, of course. The teams are better. However, the odds are better too. Mexico is likely a sure thing to win the round, but five teams (and it is five. The USA has hardly been inspiring) chasing two automatic slots, and a home and home with New Zealand, has to warm the heart.
    For the better part of 25-years the World Cup has been a drug-induced fantasy for Canadian soccer fans. Today, it’s a better than average proposition.
    Even if Canada fails to take the final step you can’t ignore the importance of 10 highly competitive games – games that will inspire the next generation and that will continue to grow the community and sport.
    But, today’s not about community and growth -- it’s about winning. It’s about having the guts and determination to go into Central America and not be a victim. It's about living up to expectations.
    It’s about belonging and earning the respect of the rest of CONCACAF.
    Canada hasn’t belonged, or been respected in a very long time.
    Today we do. Today we’re back. Today we’re winners.
    Guest
    "There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire. The other is to gain it."
    - George Bernard Shaw
    So, here we are.
    Within eight hours of this writing, Canada will have either knocked its hated rival Honduras out of World Cup qualifying and advanced to the Hex... or vice versa. There is no middle ground. No scoreboard-watching. No excuses.
    Utter, unrestrained ecstasy or bitter, implacable agony. No third option. And no way to truly prepare for either.
    The scenario couldn't be any better for the Canadian men's national team and its fans -- but it also couldn't be any worse.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    If you'd asked us at the beginning of the qualifying campaign, we'd surely have said we'd be delighted to have our fate in our hands, needing only a draw on the final matchday of this round to reach the Hex for the first time since 1997. It would beat the hell out of the early flame-outs the team has endured in the last few qualifying cycles.
    But if you'd added "... and that game will be in Honduras, and their World Cup fate would also be on the line", well, that would give even the most optimistic Voyageur reason for pause. Putting aside the hostile environment, the heat and the inevitable bags of urine being hurled from the stands, funny things seem to happen when Canada plays Honduras.
    "Funny" is, nearly always, not a good sign for the Canadian team.
    Sometimes, though, it is. The funniest, and most improbable event in the history of the Canadian men's national team came in St. John's, Newfoundland on Sept. 14, 1985. A 2-1 victory in front of a raucous crowd put Les Rouges into the World Cup for the first (and thus far, only) time. The opponent, whose own World Cup aspirations were crushed on that day?
    You got it: Honduras.


    A result in San Pedro Sula today wouldn't come close to matching that victory in terms of absolute significance, but it would be the men's team's biggest result in a generation -- and a wonderful topper on a remarkable year of Canadian soccer that's been highlighted by the women's national team's unexpected Olympic medal.
    But really, you know all this. You know the scenarios, you know the team's issues (who's going to score? can the so-far-excellent defence hold up in such an environment? will Stephen Hart be able to adjust to the circumstances? does the team have the mental strength to get it done?).
    Our role, right now, is not to pretend that we can predict what is going to happen down in San Pedro Sula. No matter what anyone says or does, there are three possible outcomes to this game, any of which could realistically take place.
    Our role is to hold our breath, bite our nails and stare at a screen for 90 minutes of the most excruciating sporting event most of us have ever witnessed.
    And then, when it's all over, to come back to this site, to the other CanSoc sites, to the online discussions, to the pub discussions, and to bandy around our answers to the question "Can you believe that happened?"
    This day is all we would have wanted, and all that we would have feared.
    But if our boys in red can suppress the fear and seize the golden opportunity they've created for themselves, then maybe -- just maybe -- we'll all be OK.
    .
    Michael Mccoll
    'Found In The Attic' is AFTN's look at some of the wonderful pieces of Whitecaps, Canadian and North American footballing memorabilia and collectibles from both yesteryear and more recent times.
    We continue the series with a look at some Canadian national team memorabilia.
    With World Cup qualification hopes on the line tomorrow in Honduras, it seemed a very fitting time to dig this one out.
    As each World Cup cycle comes around, it’s always hard not to think back to the one time that Canada did qualify.
    Mexico 86 will long live in the memories of Canadian football fans and for those of us who still have the Panini sticker album from the tournament, it will live on even longer.
    There was lots of memorabilia produced for the World Cup that year, as every year, but for me, you can’t get much better than a Panini sticker album.
    Long time readers of AFTN will already know our love for Panini sticker albums.
    The Mexico 86 one has always been one of my favourites, partly due to the fact that it’s the oldest one I still have that was originally mine.
    I bought an Espana 82 one off ebay, but it doesn't have the same sentimental attachment when it’s not yours.
    Add in the fact that it’s the only one that features both Scotland and Canada and now it’s even more special!
    Remember when we both qualified for World Cups? Sadly a whole generation on both sides of the Atlantic doesn’t, but we always have our Panini memories.
    The 52 page album featured 427 stickers in all, featuring World Cup posters of years gone by, host cities, stadia and, of course, the teams and players. It cost 20p in the UK, 49c in Canada and 35c in the US.
    Sadly my sparsely completed album will cost an arm and a leg to try and complete now, but I do at least have a completed Canada page!
    And what a hairdresser’s nightmare that now looks!
    With Canada being minnows they weren’t afforded the two page spread reserved for the bigger sides. They were reduced to a single page effort, along with the likes of South Korea, Iraq, Algeria and Morocco. Only Iraq and Canada have never qualified for the Finals again. .
    The players couldn’t even get a sticker each and had to share their moment in the spotlight with a team-mate.
    You did at least get the squad photo and the highly sought after silver foil badge in the ten sticker collection.
    It’s interesting to look back on the 16 players featured.
    When I was sticking those into my album 26 years ago, I never thought I’d be living in the mysterious country of Canada, never mind chatting regularly with many of the players featured.
    Bobby Lenarduzzi still has his full head of hair, but the others haven't fared so kindly!
    Carl Valentine isn't quite sporting an afro in the photo but it's certainly more than he has now. Current media pundits David Norman and Paul Dolan must be looking back on these photos and reminiscing about many things, and like myself, combs being one of them.
    Ten of the 16 players played for Vancouver Whitecaps/86ers at some point in their careers. How times have changed with the current Canadian national team, never mind the actual Canadian content with the Whitecaps first team.
    Will Canada ever reach another World Cup finals? Will it be Rio, or will we have a longer wait?
    Whenever it does happen again, I'm looking forward to adding a new set of Panini stickers to my collection.
    Guest

    Canada vs Cuba - Post-game show

    By Guest, in SoccerPlus,

    Hear comments from Atiba Hutchinson, Tosaint Ricketts, Olivier Occean and Andrew Hainault following what many have called a very frustrating 3-0 win over Cuba.
    Frustrating, but important nonetheless since Stephen Hart's squad now hold their destiny heading to Honduras for their ultimate semifinal round match.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Click here to listen.
    Guest

    Hazard Gallery - Canada vs Cuba

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    These are the images and emotions from Canada's 3-0 win over Cuba. All photos are courtesy of Chris Hazard at Hazard Gallery.
    You can follow him on Twitter here

    You can find these and other photos here
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]










    Guest

    Sober Second Thoughts: Almost there

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    If only Kevin McKenna placed the ball 6-inches to the right.
    In the final seconds of Canada’s frustrating 0-0 draw against Honduras last spring the big defender, Canada’s best player this qualifying round, flashed the ball just past the post. If he had scored then Canada would be on 12 points. Honduras 7. The hex would be ours.
    Woulda, coulda, shoulda, of course. The ball went wide. Canada still has work to do.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    But, it’s in their hands. Friday’s comprehensive 3-0 victory over Cuba means that the boys in Red are one point away from the final six in CONCACAF. There are all kinds of ways to negatively spin the results Friday – Canada should have scored more, Panama could have helped, we never win away, but the truth is it’s right there.
    After the 2008 disaster, that’s significant. With 10 points in this round Canada has absolutely stepped up. It’s trite to say that they should be proud regardless of the outcome Tuesday, but it’s also true. The dark days are done. It will only get better from here.
    But, God does Tuesday matter. No one wants to wait another four years to get to the pinnacle of CONCACAF. The mere thought of it is enough to drive a fan mad. Losing in Honduras would be devastating. Fully, completely, mind-bending devastating. No amount of logic about growth, improvement or showing well would heal the wounds that a loss Tuesday would bring.
    If you’re a fan of this team you are terrified by Tuesday. Canada simple does not win games like Tuesday.
    But they have to. There is too much on the line. It would be too cruel.
    This team is so close to breaking through to the mainstream consciousness of Canadians. People want to care. If they can make the hex, it’s going to explode.
    And, that’s why long-time fans don’t want to let themselves believe it’s possible.
    But, it is. As long as the players believe it is, that is.
    Canada has scored more goals than Honduras and allowed less in this round. They thoroughly outplayed them last Spring. On paper, they are more talented. Still, last month’s spineless loss in Panama is hard to shake. On that day they played scared. They can’t play scared on Tuesday.
    They have to play like a team that believes they belong in Brazil. It says here that if they get the result in Honduras they will be there.
    So, let yourself dream. Tuesday could be devastating, but it also could be the best day in Canadian men’s soccer in 12 years.
    I believe it will be. Do you?
    Guest
    Every week we feel like doing it, we think of a subject for a football team to be based around, then fill it with our starting eleven of current and recent MLS players with some appropriate name changes, or even better, just as is!
    Your scouting job is to come up with the subs bench, from any player from around the world, and leave your player suggestions in the comments section.
    It's hard to walk around Vancouver at the moment without seeing some ads for MCDonald's latest Monopoly promotion. I'm sure it's the same all over Canada. So, with this in mind, there's no better time for us to do this week’s "MLS Team of the Week" is the <b><i>"Monopoly XI"</b></i>…
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <center>********************</center>
    <b>GK:</b> Stefan Get Out Of Jail Frei (Toronto)
    <b>DF :</b> Chance Myers (Sporting KC)
    <b>DF :</b> Jeff Free Parking (Seattle Sounders)
    <b>DF :</b> Upassgo Ihemelu (Dallas)
    <b>DF :</b> Go To Jalil Anibaba (Chicago Fire)
    <b>DF :</b> Zach Scottie Dog (Seattle Sounders)
    <b>DM :</b> Iron Maund (Toronto)
    <b>MF :</b> Calen Carr (Houston Dynamo)
    <b>MF :</b> Tax McCarty (New York Red Bulls)
    <b>FW :</b> Jonathan Top Hat (Dallas)
    <b>FW :</b> Bright Dice (Portland Timbers)
    It's a very defensive team, so hopefully you wouldn't get too board watching their games.
    <p>
    Guest
    It's Wales v Scotland in Friday's World Cup qualifiers.
    For the Whitecaps' assistant coaches, that means a battle for pride and dressing room bragging rights between Carl Robinson and Paul Ritchie.
    Both countries badly need the three points to keep themselves on the Road To Rio. A draw or defeat helps neither. It's going to be messy and there can only be one happy coach at the end of it all. Sorry Carl!
    With the showdown approaching, we had to catch up with both Carl and Paul at training today and ask them what's it been like this week between the two of them?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <b>Paul:</b> It's been good. A bit of banter. Carl's always reminding me of my last game for Scotland, which was a 4-0 defeat against Wales and Carl was playing. So hopefully we can rewrite history tomorrow and get a little victory for Scotland in Cardiff.
    <b>AFTN:</b> Do think Wales will let six goals in again Carl?
    <b>Carl:</b> No. Definitely not against Scotland. They might let one goal in though. It'll be a good game. Obviously there's a lot of respect between the two teams They're both not in form at the moment, so it's an important game for both teams. I'm very confident with the Welsh boys.
    <b>AFTN:</b> How would you sum up how the campaign's gone so far for Wales?
    <b>Carl:</b> Terrible! It's been a very rocky start for Chris. A win over Scotland on Friday will kick start it again before they head to Croatia. So it's a massive game for us. Whoever loses this game is probably going to be out of contention. So we know that, we're prepared for that and hopefully we'll turn up on the day.
    <b>AFTN:</b> Two disappointing draws so far for Scotland Paul. Do you think we can turn our campaign around?
    <b>Paul:</b> Hopefully. If we can get a victory in Wales on Friday, I think that makes up for the two draws at home. We've got to win our home games to qualify for Rio. If we can get three points against Wales, as Carl was saying, it'll kick start the campaign, so whoever does lose on Friday, from my opinion, is out of the qualification. Whoever wins gives themselves a small chance.
    We go to Belgium on Tuesday, which is another extremely difficult game. So if we can come out of this double header with four points, I think that more than makes up for the last double header.
    <b>Carl (interupts):</b> You're in dream world if that happens! That's dream world!
    [laughs from both]
    <b>Paul:</b> That puts us back to where we want to be. Everybody, when the campaign starts, everybody wants to think that they can make the World Cup, but whoever loses on Friday, in my opinion, is finished for the qualification.
    <b>AFTN:</b> So are there any little bets between the two of you?
    <b>Carl:</b> Yeah! We've had a few bets. We'll keep them in house, but obviously there will be one sad person on Friday night. And it won't be me!
    <b>AFTN:</b> Well, let's hope it is!
    [more laughs and handshakes]
    It's always nice to see the Caps camp relaxed and laughing, so it's good to have these international rivalries to get the banter going.
    A happy dressing room, is always more productive, and the Caps are lucky to have guys like Paul Ritchie and Carl Robinson around. Guys who have played at the highest level and can share the experience and the fun with the younger guys in particular.
    The Caps have also done a fun video about the big game. Take a look:


    <p>
    Guest

    SoccerPlus - Weekly Podcast (Oct. 11)

    By Guest, in SoccerPlus,

    The Impact is mathematically out of the playoff picture following their 1-1 tie in Houston and we discuss Justin Mapp's "non pass" to Marco Di Vaio, who will lead the squad in Toronto following Jesse Marsch's suspension after being ejected last Saturday and the state of the race with the Whitecaps for the first seed in the 2013 Amway Canadian Championship.
    First we go to Quebec City to talk with Royal Beauport's manager Samir Ghrib to celebrate his region's first ever Challenge Trophy conquest, the first since 1998 for this province and the second for a non-Montreal-based club (following Sherbrooke's Mistral-Estrie in 1995).
    Jonathan Tannenwald discusses the eventual coming of a second MLS side in New York City and how this could affect business for the Red Bulls.
    Half of the show is also dedicated to the coming World Cup qualifiers, with specific talks on Canada and U.S. MNTs, but also the situation in Brazil with our Sao Paulo-based expert and former Impact head coach Marc Dos Santos and with our man in Paris, BFM-TV and France24 reporter Cedric Ferreira.
    All this and more on French Canada's most complete soccer podcast.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Click here to listen (56 minutes)
    Please take note also we will be live from BMO Field on Friday to webcast the Canada vs Cuba WCQ match in French beginning at 7:30 pm ET www.soccerplus.ca.
    Guest
    There are few storylines in sports more compelling than a personal tale that comes full circle.
    Be it a star returning to their hometown to win a championship, a breakout performance that's mirrored in a player's waning years, or an idiosyncratic journey like that of baseball's Adam Greenberg, sports fans simply love it when discrete events can be seen to fit into a grander, triumphant narrative.
    Sports fans also love deluding themselves into believing that their individual thoughts, beliefs or actions can have a tangible impact on the outcome of a game in which they're not participating.*
    With all of this in mind, allow me to give you a quick glimpse at the last four years of my life and demonstrate why -- if the soccer gods truly do possess a sense of symmetry and justice -- by next week, Canada will have advanced to the Hex.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    ***
    I'm most assuredly not alone in looking back on 2008 with less-than-fond memories.
    The series of events alternately dubbed the Great Recession, the "economic crisis" and "the beginning of western civilization's steep decline" sent millions worldwide into a financial panic. Few escaped the carnage untouched, either directly or indirectly, and that includes yours truly. My only source of employment (previously relatively reliable and stable) suddenly and unceremoniously dried up.
    Losing a job for reasons beyond one's control is a harrowing and disheartening experience on its own. But in my case, it ended up being combined, within a few weeks, with the equally unceremonious dissolution of a long-term romantic relationship (sidenote: long-distance relationships don't work). Doubleplus ungood.
    How dangerous was this emotional powder-keg? My grip on reality was so tenuous that I decided to fill the suddenly-gaping existential void with Canada's quest to qualify for South Africa 2010. Yeah.
    A long-time fan of the team, I plumbed the depths of the Internet to fill my head with the requisite knowledge to safely define myself as gung-ho supporter. A long-time lurker, I became an overnight fiend on the Voyageurs' message board. A long-time aimless blogger of the various and sundry nonsense that entered my mind, I became the co-proprietor of the groundbreaking (sort of) Some Canadian Guys Writing About Soccer.
    I desperately plopped all of my eggs into one basket, which I then mailed to Dale Mitchell along with a handwritten note: "Please handle carefully."
    Yeah, well, we all know how that turned out.
    ***
    OptaFact: 30. The approximate number of minutes I slept the night of Aug. 19-20, 2008. Nerves.
    Hopes were high -- unrealistically so, as it turned out -- as Canada headed into its first-ever World Cup qualifier at the newly-minted BMO Field, against Jamaica. My first live World Cup qualifier ever, to boot. Unbeknownst to them, the psychic baggage of a lost job, a failed relationship and general uncertainty about the course of my life hung on the shoulders of the boys in red.
    Then, as quickly as it had come, the World Cup dream was all but extinguished with a draw and a loss in two home games, including the infamous night in Montreal where the vastly-outnumbered contingent of Canadian fans endured 90+ minutes of Honduran theatrics on (diving, time-wasting, etc.) and off the field (thrown beers, fistfights, hurled rocks, etc.).
    Mere weeks later, a Canadian loss in San Pedro Sula officially squelched our World Cup dreams. Post-game, after being thrown out of a bar and nearly arrested, I wandered off into the night, as unsure, worried and downtrodden about the state of my existence as I'd ever been in my life.
    That night was October 11, 2008.
    ***
    Skip ahead exactly four years, and nearly everything has changed.
    Canada is still in very realistic contention to qualify for the next World Cup. Sure, it's still a long and torturous road, but a win and a draw in the next five days will almost definitely see us through to the Hex, a place Canada hasn't been since 1997.
    And while Toronto FC has unfortunately descended into an utter and complete farce, the game of soccer in Canada is as healthy as it's ever been. Governance reform is being enacted, the viability of a new Canadian league is being investigated, fresh sponsors are being brought on board at a steady clip -- and, oh yeah, FC Edmonton has burst onto the scene, Major League Soccer has expanded into Vancouver and Montreal, and our women's national team defied the odds (and captured the nation's hearts) with their medal-winning performance at the Olympic Games.
    And as for me? Well, that little website eventually became part of this behemoth known as Canadian Soccer News. Our podcast enjoyed a healthy run on Sportsnet.ca. I've built up a wealth of experience and made connections I couldn't have imagined in those dark days in 2008. And even more unimaginably, just this past weekend, I got engaged to a woman I love, respect and want to build a life with -- and we're currently grappling with all of the terrifyingly exciting upheaval that the grand life adventure entails.
    So, suffice to say, I'm smack-dab in the middle of an entirely new chapter of my life. But for the transition to be complete, the demons of the past must be shed.
    The Canadian team I knew -- the Canadian team I've known, cycle after cycle -- was one that couldn't qualify for the Hex. The semifinal qualifying round was their inevitable banana peel, their ceiling, the peak it was always assumed they couldn't surmount.
    Yet, I've emerged from the darkest depths of self-wallowing and reached some points I'd never thought possible. And with all due deference to the good fortune and circumstance inherent in life, those are things I've worked to achieve. I've had some measure of control over them.
    But I've got no control over this one. It's all up to the team.
    This time, I'm holding nearly all of my eggs to myself. I'll send only one rotten, years-old egg to Stephen Hart. This time, the note reads: "Please dispose of this. And, while you're at it, Honduras."
    So, to the 2012 edition of the boys in red, I beseech you: Do this for yourselves, and your careers, and your country. But, if I may be so selfish, please, do it for me too.
    I need the closure that only you can provide.
    ***
    * To be clear, I'm not foolish enough to suggest that my life circumstances, or anything else that I've done or will do, will have any bearing whatsoever on how Canada performs in these next two games. Nor am I presumptuous enough to think that I'm the only person whose life has undergone a massive positive transformation in the past four years in a way that's somewhat linked to Canadian soccer. Hell, I'm not even the only person who writes for CSN that falls into that category (hi, B.K.!) This is just, y'know, my personal tale. Also, please don't blame me if the team screws it all up again.
    Guest

    CIS round-up for Oct 9

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Men's rankings
    1. York (1)
    2. UBC (2)
    3. Saint Mary's (3)
    4. Alberta (4)
    5. Trinity Western (5)
    6. McMaster (6)
    7. Queen's (7)
    8. Laval (8)
    9. Sherbrooke (9)
    10. Carleton (10)
    Women's rankings:
    1. Ottawa (1)
    2. Montreal (4)
    3. Trinity Western (2)
    4. Alberta (8)
    5. Wilfrid Laurier (3)
    6. McGill (6)
    7. Cape Breton (9)
    8. Victoria (5)
    9. UBC (10)
    10. Queen's (7)
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Men's schedule
    Oct10 -
    Dalhousie v Saint Mary's -7:15 PM ADT York U v OIT - 8:00 PM EDT
    Oct. 11
    Montreal v UQAM - 8:00 PM EDT
    Concordia v McGill - 8:30 PM EDT
    Oct. 12
    UPEI v Mount Allison - 6:15 PM ADT
    UQTR v Laval - 8:00 PM EDT
    Calgary v Winnipeg - 7:00 PM CDT
    Oct. 13
    Saint Mary's v StFX - 3:15 PM ADT
    UPEI v Dalhousie - 3:15 PM ADT
    Moncton v Cape Breton - 3:15 PM ADT
    RMC v Laurentian - 2:15 PM EDT
    Queen's v Nipissing - 2:15 PM EDT
    UFV v UNBC - 12:00 PM PDT
    McMaster v Guelph - 3:15 PM EDT
    Western v Laurier - 3:15 PM EDT
    Trent v Carleton - 3:15 PM EDT
    Windsor v Waterloo - 3:15 PM EDT
    UOIT v Brock - 3:15 PM EDT
    Lethbridge v Mount Royal - 2:00 PM MDT
    UBC v Alberta - 2:00 PM MDT
    Trinity Western v Saskatchewan - 2:15 PM MDT
    Memorial v UNB - 6:15 PM ADT Video
    Calgary v Winnipeg - 7:00 PM CDT
    Oct. 14
    Sherbrooke v Laval - 1:00 PM EDT
    McGill v UQAM - 1:00 PM EDT
    Montreal v Concordia v 1:00 PM EDT
    Memorial v UNB - 3:15 PM ADT Video
    Saint Mary's v Cape Breton - 3:15 PM ADT
    RMC v Nipissing - 2:15 PM EDT
    Queen's v Laurentian - 2:15 PM EDT
    UFV v UNBC - 12:00 PM PDT
    Dalhousie v Acadia - 4:15 PM ADT Video
    Moncton v StFX - 4:15 PM ADT
    Windsor v Laurier - 3:15 PM EDT
    Ryerson v Toronto - 3:15 PM EDT
    Brock v York - 3:15 PM EDT
    UOIT v McMaster - 3:15 PM EDT
    Western v Waterloo - 3:15 PM EDT
    Trinity Western v Alberta - 2:00 PM MDT
    Lethbridge v Mount Royal - 2:00 PM MDT
    UBC v Saskatchewan - 2:15 PM MDT
    Men's standings:
    AUS
    GPWLTGFGAPTS
    Saint Mary's 7 5 0 2 18 2 17
    Acadia 8 5 1 2 12 8 17
    UPEI 8 5 1 2 16 10 17
    Moncton 7 3 2 2 13 10 11
    UNB 7 3 3 1 8 9 10
    Cape Breton 7 2 3 2 11 15 8
    Dalhousie 7 2 3 2 12 11 8
    StFX 7 2 3 2 5 8 8
    Mount Allison 7 1 6 0 6 13 3
    Memorial 7 0 6 1 3 18 1
    CANADA WEST
    Prairie Division
    GPWLTGFGAPTS
    Alberta 9 6 1 2 27 4 20
    Saskatchewan 9 5 2 2 16 8 17
    Lethbridge 9 3 2 4 7 13 13
    Calgary 9 3 4 2 13 13 11
    Mount Royal 10 2 7 1 5 28 7
    Winnipeg 10 0 7 3 4 20 3
    Pacific Division
    GPWL TGFGAPTS
    UBC 8 8 0 0 34 4 24
    Trinity Western 8 6 0 2 18 7 20
    Victoria 10 5 3 2 21 12 17
    UFV 8 1 3 4 13 14 7
    UNBC 10 0 10 0 4 39 0
    Note: Winnipeg forfeits 2 wins & a tie due to ineligible player. Click here for press release.
    OUA
    East Division
    Queen's 11 8 1 2 22 6 26
    Carleton 12 8 2 2 25 13 26
    Ryerson 11 6 1 4 18 7 22
    Toronto 10 5 5 0 17 14 15
    Nipissing 10 3 3 4 10 9 13
    Laurentian 10 4 6 0 9 14 12
    Trent 10 1 8 1 9 24 4
    RMC 10 0 9 1 4 27 1
    West Division
    York 11 10 0 1 30 5 31
    McMaster 11 9 1 1 27 8 28
    Laurier 12 5 3 4 12 12 19
    Guelph 12 5 5 2 19 15 17
    Windsor 12 5 5 2 15 11 17
    Western 12 4 4 4 13 12 16
    UOIT 13 3 9 1 7 25 10
    Brock 11 1 7 3 8 25 6
    Waterloo 12 1 9 2 8 26 5
    RSEQ
    Laval 6 5 0 1 14 5 16
    Montreal 6 4 2 0 15 7 12
    UQAM 7 3 3 1 11 9 10
    McGill 7 2 2 3 8 8 9
    UQTR 6 2 3 1 8 8 7
    Sherbrooke 7 2 5 0 5 16 6
    Concordia 7 1 4 2 6 14 5
    AUS
    Saint Mary's 7 5 0 2 18 2 17
    Acadia 8 5 1 2 12 8 17
    UPEI 8 5 1 2 16 10 17
    Moncton 7 3 2 2 13 10 11
    UNB 7 3 3 1 8 9 10
    Cape Breton 7 2 3 2 11 15 8
    Dalhousie 7 2 3 2 12 11 8
    StFX 7 2 3 2 5 8 8
    Mount Allison 7 1 6 0 6 13 3
    Memorial 7 0 6 1 3 18 1
    CANADA WEST
    Prairie Division
    Alberta 9 6 1 2 27 4 20
    Saskatchewan 9 5 2 2 16 8 17
    Lethbridge 9 3 2 4 7 13 13
    Calgary 9 3 4 2 13 13 11
    Mount Royal 10 2 7 1 5 28 7
    Winnipeg 10 0 7 3 4 20 3
    Pacific Division
    UBC 8 8 0 0 34 4 24
    Trinity Western 8 6 0 2 18 7 20
    Victoria 10 5 3 2 21 12 17
    UFV 8 1 3 4 13 14 7
    UNBC 10 0 10 0 4 39 0
    Note: Winnipeg forfeits 2 wins & a tie due to ineligible player.
    Women's schedule:
    Oct 10
    York U v OIT - 6:00 PM EDT
    Oct. 11
    Montreal v UQAM - 6:00 PM EDT
    Concordia v McGill - 6:30 PM EDT
    Oct. 12
    UPEI v Mount Allison - 4:00 PM ADT
    UQTR v Laval - 6:00 PM EDT
    Sherbrooke v Bishop's - 6:00 PM EDT
    Carleton v Ottawa - 6:00 PM EDT
    Calgary v Winnipeg - 5:00 PM CDT
    Lethbridge v Manitoba - 6:00 PM CDT
    UNBC v Trinity Western - 5:00 PM PDT
    Victoria v UFV - 5:00 PM PDT
    Oct. 13
    Saint Mary's v StFX - 1:00 PM ADT
    UPEI v Dalhousie -1:00 PM ADT
    Moncton v Cape Breton - 1:00 PM ADT
    Queen's v Nipissing - 12:00 PM EDT
    RMC v Laurentian - 12:00 PM EDT
    UOIT v Brock - 1:00 PM EDT
    Western v Laurier - 1:00 PM EDT
    Windsor v Waterloo - 1:00 PM EDT
    Trent v Carleton - 1:00 PM EDT
    McMaster v Guelph - 1:00 PM EDT
    Mount Royal v Regina - 12:00 PM MDT
    Alberta v Saskatchewan - 12:00 PM MDT
    Memorial v UNB - 4:00 PM ADT Video
    Lethbridge v Winnipeg - 5:00 PM CDT
    Calgary v Manitoba - 7:00 PM CDT
    UNBC v UBC 5:00 PM PDT
    Oct. 14
    Memorial v UNB - 1:00 PM ADT Video
    Saint Mary's v Cape Breton - 1:00 PM ADT
    RMC v Nipissing - 12:00 PM EDT
    Queen's v Laurentian - 12:00 PM EDT
    Dalhousie v Acadia - 2:00 PM ADT Video
    Moncton - StFX - 2:00 PM ADT
    Ryerson v Toronto - 1:00 PM EDT
    Western v Waterloo - 1:00 PM EDT
    Windsor v Laurier - 1:00 PM EDT
    UQTR v Bishop's - 1:00 PM EDT
    Trent v Ottawa - 1:00 PM EDT
    UOIT v McMaster - 1:00 PM EDT
    Brock v York - 1:00 PM EDT Video
    Mount Royal v Saskatchewan - 12:00 PM MDT
    Alberta v Regina - 12:00 PM MDT
    McGill v UQAM - 3:00 PM EDT
    Montreal v Concordia - 3:00 PM EDT
    Sherbrooke v Laval - 3:00 PM EDT
    Women's standingsAUS
    Cape Breton 7 5 0 2 13 6 17
    UPEI 8 5 1 2 6 2 17
    Dalhousie 7 4 2 1 16 8 13
    Mount Allison 7 3 3 1 8 7 10
    Moncton 7 2 3 2 6 8 8
    Saint Mary's 7 2 3 2 7 5 8
    UNB 7 1 2 4 8 9 7
    Memorial 7 2 4 1 3 12 7
    Acadia 8 1 4 3 6 11 6
    StFX 7 1 4 2 6 11 5
    CANADA WEST
    Trinity Western 9 8 1 0 34 3 24
    Victoria 9 7 1 1 44 4 22
    UBC 9 6 1 2 27 5 20
    UFV 9 6 2 1 23 7 19
    Alberta 8 5 0 3 20 3 18
    Regina 8 5 3 0 12 11 15
    Saskatchewan 8 4 4 0 13 13 12
    Calgary 8 2 3 3 15 20 9
    Manitoba 8 2 6 0 13 17 6
    Lethbridge 8 1 6 1 6 30 4
    Mount Royal 8 0 5 3 5 19 3
    UNBC 10 0 7 3 6 51 3
    Winnipeg 8 0 7 1 1 36 1
    OUA
    East Division
    Ottawa 13 12 0 1 40 1 37
    Queen's 12 8 2 2 42 9 26
    Toronto 12 7 3 2 26 17 23
    Carleton 13 7 4 2 25 19 23
    Laurentian 12 7 4 1 14 12 22
    RMC 12 4 8 0 11 26 12
    Trent 11 3 7 1 9 26 10
    Ryerson 13 1 11 1 7 36 4
    Nipissing 12 0 10 2 7 35 2
    West Division
    Laurier 12 9 1 2 29 9 29
    McMaster 11 7 2 2 18 5 23
    Western 12 7 3 2 16 6 23
    Guelph 12 5 3 4 13 9 19
    York 11 4 1 6 18 6 18
    UOIT 13 5 5 3 15 16 18
    Waterloo 12 3 8 1 10 16 10
    Windsor 12 0 8 4 8 28 4
    Brock 11 1 10 0 4 36 3
    RSEQ
    Montreal 8 7 1 0 37 4 21
    McGill 8 6 1 1 22 5 19McGill 8 6 1 1 22 5 19
    Sherbrooke 8 6 2 0 21 4 18
    Laval 8 4 3 1 23 12 13
    Concordia 8 3 2 3 14 15 12
    UQAM 8 1 6 1 2 30 4
    Bishop's 8 0 6 2 2 34 2
    UQTR 8 0 6 2 4
    [TABLE=class: stats-table, width: 0]
    [TR]
    [TD=class: stats-team][/TD]
    [TD=class: stats-field, align: center][/TD]
    [TD=class: stats-field, align: center][/TD]
    [TD=class: stats-field, align: center][/TD]
    [TD=class: stats-field, align: center][/TD]
    [TD=class: stats-field, align: center][/TD]
    [TD=class: stats-field, align: center][/TD]
    [TD=class: conf-field, bgcolor: #808080, align: center][/TD]
    [/TR]
    [/TABLE]
    Guest

    Hindsight bias and TFC

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    What went wrong with Toronto FC?
    It’s a simple question that doesn’t have a simple answer – at least not one that everyone can agree with. There are many that want to say that it’s all on management. No doubt a lot is, but suggesting that a simple change in management would immediately change things is a bit naïve.
    First off, you don’t know who Toronto could bring in at this point. Without any indication that there is a plan to bring in a MLS experienced president it would be the same people replacing Paul Mariner that hired him in the first place.
    Needing a quick solution you’d likely be looking at an internal hire.
    Come on down Jason Bent, you’re TFC’s manager of the week…(or, God help him, Danny Dichio).
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Regardless, in Toronto frustration has reached the point that most just want to blow the whole thing up. Outside Toronto, most preach more patience. No one wants to listen to those calls.
    There will be no answers today. There will be no answers soon and none, likely, until next season. We simply don’t know what the right approach is.
    So, all we can do is look for past failures. Finding more and new scapegoats might not help, but it may briefly make fans feel better.
    So, let's look at the history of discovery signings post Mo Johnston.
    Since Johnston gave Preki the keys to the car in 2010, TFC has signed 25 players either through discovery or of waivers – i.e. these are free players.
    You have to nail your free players if you are going to be successful.
    Those players are:
    Under Preki
    Martin Šarić (has played 2 games in Paraguay since being released)
    Jon Conway (retired after playing 6 games for Chicago)
    Dan Gargan (has played 30 games for Chicago)
    Miloš Kočić (Still with TFC)
    Raivis Hščanovičs (has played 38 games in Latvian league)
    Maxim Usanov (has not played since)
    Adrian Cann (still with TFC)
    Mista (retired – did not play after TFC)
    Maicon Santos (has played 30 games for DC United and FC Dallas)
    So, Preki found two players that managed to play for TFC and two that stuck in MLS. It’s likely that most TFC fans watching the current season could see a role for both Gargan and Santos, two players that fell victim to the move to a more possession-based system under Winter.
    No team is perfect with its discovery signings, but a 50 percent success rate isn’t all that bad.
    Now let’s look at Winter’s first year.
    Elbekay Bouchiba (has not played)
    Nick Soolsma (has not played)
    Javier Martina (has not played)
    Gianluca Zavarise (has not played)
    Mikael Yourassowsky (has not played)
    Dicoy Williams (still with TFC)
    Danny Koevermans (Still with TFC)
    Torsten Frings (Still with TFC)
    Eddy Viator (played one game in Malaysia)
    Peri Marošević (played three games in Croatia)
    Three of 10 players – two high profile DPs – are left. More concerning is the fact that 50 percent of the Winter signings have yet to play a game for another club, a number that goes up to 70 percent if you include players that have played less than five games after leaving Toronto.
    Regardless of whether that record is Winter’s fault or shared fault between Mariner and Frings you cannot debate the fact that there was a serious problem with identifying MLS talent.
    To fully evaluate this season we’ll have to wait until the season ends and there is a full release of players. But, for now we look at 2012 under Winter and Mariner.
    Reggie Lambe (Still with TFC)
    Geovanny Caicedo (played seven games in Ecuador)
    Miguel Aceval (has not played since)
    Logan Emory (still with TFC)
    Freddy Hall (Still with TFC)
    Darren O'Dea (Still with TFC)
    So far four of six have stuck and one -- O’Dea -- has likely improved the club. Lambe is a work in progress, but will likely be back in 2012. Regardless, as stated, it’s too early to fully evaluate.
    The one lesson that does jump out is that Preki may be remembered poorly but he found four useful players and, you could argue, a couple of his other guys might have stuck around if he had.
    He didn’t play an attractive game and there were problems in the dressing room at the end – it’s long been suggested that TFC’s star players, in particular Dwayne de Rosario, told TFC management that it was Preki or him. They didn’t care for the authoritarian attitude he brought and felt that they would respond better under a more liberal coach.
    When TFC threw Johnston out the door it took the opportunity to get rid of Preki too. Should they have? He did produce a couple good teams in Chivas, a franchise that has largely been horrible before and since he left.
    The question doesn’t matter, of course. TFC once again went away from conventional MLS thinking and went outside the league to hire a European after firing the experienced MLS lifer who had past success in the league.
    And here we are.
    Guest
    The Whitecaps are hoping to bring the players and fans closer together with their fun new <i>Off The Pitch</i> feature.
    The idea is that fans can teach their favourite Caps player their hobby or job.
    The first instalment is now up, as <a href="http://www.whitecapsfc.com/news/2012/10/offthepitch-demerit" target="_blank">Jay DeMerit learns to tap dance</a>. We can only hope it helps his footwork at the back.
    So what else could we see from the feature in the coming weeks? Which fans out there have weird or wacky jobs or hobbies that they could get some Caps players involved in?
    Here at AFTN, we've put together the top ten things we'd love to see the Whitecaps players doing "Off The Pitch"....
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    (10) Anyone into Medieval re-enactments? Sir Brad Knighton would surely be down for a joust or two. We have the tagline for the piece already - "Get your Knight on".
    (9) Gersh the Barista. In a city of coffee shops, there has to be several Whitecaps fans who work in them, so get in touch with Caps HQ and ask for your favourite Ghanaian to come along and help you out for a Koffie morning to remember.
    (8) Some hobbies are more dangerous than others, so who out there likes to go skydiving? Camilo would be the very player to take your next dive with you. He might even be able to teach you a thing or two.
    (7) Not all of the activities should be confined to Vancouver. Caps fans are worldwide after all. We're hoping there's one who works for Mars Canada or Mars in the UK so that Etienne Barbara can spend the day making Maltesers.
    (6) Putting Michael Nanchoff into an Apple store to flog iPod Nanos all day would be a little bit too obvious. That's not for us. No siree. We want to see him dressed up as the Star Trek comic book character 'Nano' and spend the day wandering around downtown as a Lirin in the company of other Trekkies.
    (5) Is there a doctor in the house? Or a sexy nurse? Then you'd be the ideal candidate to spend the day with John Thorrington. Not only would it make for a fun and caring featurette, but Sicknote would have round the clock medical attention for all his injuries.
    (4) Any fans running for class presidency? Any Mexican fans in particular? Greg Klazura can come along and help you campaign to get elected. It would be dynamite.
    (3) One well known Southsiders is a flight instructor and he's already revealed that he has been filmed taking up a Caps player and giving him some tuition. It surely has to be Kenny Miller. Not only is he good in the air anyway, it would literally make him 'The Flying Scotsman'.
    (2) Talking of our Scots, let's hope we can find someone in the Caps support who is a naval aviator. Better still, a landing signal officer. You know, the guys that bring planes in to land using hand signals and by waving flags around. Barry Robson would be ideal for this and he's already been getting in the hand and arm practice.
    (1) There can only be one thing at number one - <b>#shootjoecannonoutofacannon</b>.
    Make these happen people!
    <p>
    Guest

    Mariner dealing with family emergency

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Paul Mariner left Toronto immediately following TFC's 1-0 loss to DC United Saturday to attend to his father, who is gravely ill.
    There are several unconfirmed reports that his father died this morning.
    There is no indication as to how long Mariner will remain in England.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    As Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday across the country, in Vancouver, there was a lot of thanks heading down to southern California and to Chivas USA.
    The Goats surprise draw with Dallas on Sunday stunned many. The Texans dropped two vital points in the chase for the last playoff spot in the West, and by the end of the game, Dallas were fortunate that they came away from the Home Depot Center with anything.
    It was hard to believe that this was the same Chivas side that looked so very poor at BC Place on Wednesday night.
    When looking ahead to Chivas' clash with Dallas, Martin Rennie had said post-game last week that it <i>"depends what Chivas team decides to turns up. They've got enough quality to cause Dallas problems, but it depends if they've mailed it in or not, I don't know."</i>
    They hadn't and Rennie joked yesterday that he reacted <i>"pretty calmly"</i> when watching Chivas' equaliser go in, before adding that Dallas dropping points <i>"was a nice bonus"</i>. I'm pretty sure he was as surprised as the rest of us.
    Both Vancouver and Dallas now have two games remaining. The gap is four points and the situation is now very simple. Sunday October 21st is likely to be the date of destiny for the Caps.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    For the Whitecaps to grab that final playoff spot they just need three points over the course of their final two matches. They can also claim the place by not taking any more points whatsoever if Seattle beat Dallas, in a game that kicks off just as Vancouver finish up against Portland.
    Vancouver have two chances to clinch the spot on the same day, but everyone at the Club wants to earn it and not be gifted it.
    It clearly won't be easy. As poor as the Timbers looked against the Sounders on Sunday, they have a hell of a lot of motivation going into the match, not to mention the Caps poor record in Cascadia derbies in the MLS era.
    Only a win can clinch the Cascadia Cup for Portland. That may not seem like much to those of you reading this outwith of the Pacific Northwest but it will be huge for the Timbers fans, in a season where they have done little else. It's not a play off spot, and it's not going to make the pain of this season's failures disappear, but Cascadian bragging rights, and the chance to lift a shiny trophy in a rivals lair, would be taken as some nice consolation.
    It is also the last chance for them to record an away victory this season and a great opportunity for them to spoil the party of a fierce local rival. They would love the Caps not to be in the playoffs, just as we would love to be the only Cascadian and Canadian team in there. Half of that will need to do!
    With so much on the line, what does Rennie and his management team say to the players going into a game like that?
    <i>"It's still a little bit away so right now it's just focussing on training and working on the performance. Like what are the things we have to do to do well in the game? How do we need to attack, how do we need to defend? What are the key parts of the game for us? Stay focussed on that.
    I think the motivation will certainly be there because, of course, it's probably one of the bigger, or biggest, games we've played in. There will be plenty motivation and now it's more about the focus of what we need to do to do well in the game."</i>
    The international break couldn't have come at a much worse time for the Caps, as they look to build on their momentum and eagerness to just get out there and get the job done.
    With two weeks still to pass until the Portland match, is it hard having such a long time until the game comes round?
    <i>"Not really, because we knew we were going to have this, so when we set out our training we knew that and we knew what we would do in terms of days off and what we do in terms of extra work and things like that.
    I think we can make the most of it, so I'm not too concerned about that."</i>
    Apart from finally securing their own playoff spot, the Whitecaps have three other issues that need to be decided by the end of the season.
    First up, of course, if who they will face in the playoff "play-in" game.
    For the longest time we felt a trip to Salt Lake City was going to be on the cards twice in a week. RSL's recent resurgence now has us feeling that another trip to LA to face the Galaxy is what lies ahead. It was really the one game we didn't want.
    The 2nd, 3rd and 4th spots in the West are all still up for grabs and RSL, LA and Seattle could each finish in any of those positions.
    RSL have Seattle away and the Caps at home, to round of their season. LA have San Jose away and Seattle at home, whilst the Sounders have three games remaining - Real Salt Lake and Dallas at home and LA away.
    How those games are going to pan out is anybody's guess right now!
    The other two issues affecting the Caps in the season run-in is whether they can finish above Montreal Impact in the overall standings and secure the number one seeding in next year's Voyageurs Cup (and the easier tie against Edmonton), and how good a first round SuperDraft pick will they get from Philadelphia?
    Montreal trail Vancouver by a single point right now, but have two relatively easy looking games remaining against the bottom two clubs in the East (away to Toronto and at home to New England). Six points from those should see Montreal claim the number one seeding. Anything else is likely to see the Caps claim it.
    Philadelphia's recent revival has hit the Caps hard and they now look to have the sixth pick in next year's SuperDraft. With the Union ending their season away to Houston and Sporting Kansas City and at home to New York, that looks like being the worst it's likely to get, and Colorado could still make that a fifth pick if they finish strongly away to Chivas and at home to Houston.
    Still so much to be decided, but as long as the Caps can make history and become the first Canadian club to make the MLS playoffs, the cards can fall as they do everywhere else.
    The waiting is always the hardest part.
    <p>
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