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    Guest
    We're going all heavy metal for this week's edition of the podcast. Bronze to be exact, as we're joined by three heroines of the Canadian women's Olympic football squad.
    Karina LeBlanc, Sophie Schmidt and Emily Zurrer drop by to chat about London, becoming Olympic medalists, looking ahead to the next three years and what the reaction and reception the team has received means to the women's game in Canada.
    And if that's not enough, Karina and Emily even serenade us and share their musical talents! It was just their little way of thanking us for providing the trough of popcorn we like to give all our guests!
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    We wanted to keep things positive, so there's no talk about Norwegian referees. Let's just focus on the plusses of the tournament and going forward.
    We obviously needed to balance the good looking quota to the bad looking quota on the show, so joining us on that scary flip side is AFTN and Prost Amerika writer Steve Pandher.
    Between us we pick over the bones of a horrible defeat for Vancouver Whitecaps against Dallas, look ahead to the Seattle game on Saturday and touch on the Indo-Canadian Summer Soccer Association non story that was making some big news this week.
    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>.
    <p>
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    Guest

    Hazard Gallery - Toronto FC v Portland

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    These are the images and emotions from Toronto FC's 2-2 draw to the Portland Timbers. 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
    We might be biased but these are some of the best shots of the year.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]







    Guest

    MLSE: The elephant in TFC's room

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    Is it possible to owe a huge debt of gratitude to someone who made one of your dearest dreams come true, and still wish, at times, they would simply go away?
    Is it possible that the very people who did the heaviest lifting to bring MLS soccer to Toronto are also the ones who are keeping the team from winning?
    If we accept that all involved mean well, how much patience must we all expend waiting for them to do well?
    These questions have hung – like a lingering, thickening haze – over Toronto FC since, really, the beginning.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It’s like driving a hilly road on a foggy night. One minute, you can see everything clearly. The next, all definition and direction is swallowed by a bland blanket of blah.
    Suddenly, you don’t know where you are, let alone how to get to where you want to go.
    If life were a wildlife show, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment would be a puzzling beast, indeed. A predator, for certain, but you can never really know for sure if it makes its own kills. Just to confuse things further, it leaves multiple, differing sets of footprints -- one for each executive whose decisions have affected or altered the course of the club.
    As an exasperated Yosemite Sam once smouldered at Bugs Bunny: “Ah don’t know how ya done it, but ah KNOWS ya done it!!!”
    So last month, I banged out a short series of stories comparing Toronto FC’s six-year start to 57 different NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB expansion teams, dating back to 1967.
    I discovered that, while there have certainly been worse starts – in all four leagues – no team as bad or worse than TFC has ever burned through seven different head coaches in under six seasons.
    That level of chaos, that chronic doubt and uncertainty, that staggering number of restarts, has battered and crippled a club that began, in 2007, as one of the best feel-good Toronto sports stories in recent memory.
    It also left behind a bill of ultimate responsibility – one that has yet to be paid.
    There are many different reasons for what has occurred, but the one constant – throughout it all – has been Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.
    A couple of things we know for sure:
    - MLSE is great at making money. They’ve built a thriving ticket-selling, arena-running, condo-building empire that makes its investors very happy. An imminent takeover by Rogers and Bell underscores how profitable and successful this company has been.
    - MLSE teams are lousy at winning championships. Check that – MLSE teams can’t even make the playoffs. GMs, coaches and star players come and go, and the Maple Leafs, Raptors and Toronto FC go nowhere.
    And yet, the tickets sell. Empty seats dominate at many TFC home games, but MLSE assures us that season-ticket sales remain strong. No one’s yet been able to successfully refute that.
    It must be fairly noted that Major League Soccer “owners” do not actually own their teams. The league retains single-entity ownership, while MLSE hires, fires, pays for Designated Players and runs the overall business.
    Yes, there’s been a huge investment in the TFC Academy, and yes, that’s good for the future of Canadian soccer. But there was also a huge investment in Aron Winter and total football, and that turned into a naïve, futile and seriously expensive footballing fiasco.
    What seems clear, entering this investigation, is that Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment has created more than it has destroyed, where the ongoing embattlement of Toronto FC is concerned. But when they have destroyed, it’s been deeply damaging. That unpaid bill is growing by the day.
    These stories will examine key aspects of the TFC/MLSE relationship, one by one. We’ll look at all of TFC’s coaches and general managers, check in on ownership’s deteriorating relationship with the support, and try – as best as is possible on a dark and foggy road – to shine a light on anything that can actually help us steer.
    I’ve got a request in official channels to interview MLSE chief operating officer Tom Anselmi, who’s had the soccer file on his desk since Toronto FC was born. I encourage him to join the conversation. These stories will be fairer – and better – with his input.
    Up next: TFC’s coaches.
    Onward!
    Guest
    Canada's going to be ready for anything at the U20 Women's World Cup.
    That, at least, is the hope from head coach Andrew Olivieri, four days ahead of Little Red's group-stage opener against Argentina on Monday.
    "We've worked extremely hard in the short amount of (preparation) time we've had to be as versatile as we can," Olivieri said Thursday. "We have the ability to adapt ... We do the best we can to undo the opposition based on the weaknesses they give us."
    Well, if Canada's recent result against one of the world's top teams -- and one of the game's brightest young stars -- is any indication, then Olivieri might be onto something:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnOXpvZIrKU&feature=youtu.be
    That's Canada nabbing a 2-2 result against Japan on Monday, in their last friendly prior to the Women's World Cup. Canadian goals came from Jenna Richardson and Adriana Leon, while Japan's first tally came from a player who could very well be the breakout star at the 2015 Women's World Cup, Kumi Yokoyama.
    "We knew that it would give us some good insight into what we'd need to do," said Olivieri of the Japan tune-up. "If you'd seen the game, you'd say that it was a great result."
    But now onto the big show, where Canada faces Argentina, Norway and North Korea. Argentina is "a very physical, very athletic" team, while Norway is "very disciplined, very organized," says Olivieri. As for North Korea? "It's very difficult to get information on them," says the coach, though he notes that 13 of their players were on the squad at London 2012.
    "We're confident in what we have to do against each opponent," said Olivieri. "We're as prepared as we can be. Our goal is absolutely to progress from the group and to meet a big team like Germany, the U.S., or even China in the quarterfinals ... and then, hopefully, progress beyond that."
    Bold ambition -- but then, the senior national team's performance in London has given soccer-playing youngsters in this country full permission to dream big. The U20 squad was, naturally, inspired by Big Red's performance -- "it's been a great tool for us, not having to do any extra work in that area" (inspiring the players, that is).
    Could some of these youngsters be joining the senior national side in time for that 2015 Women's World Cup? Olivieri preferred not to single anyone out ("I would hate to label someone, but I would hate even more not to label someone"), instead saying that "it's in tournaments like this that they make names for themselves."
    He did, however, point to the performances in the World Cup qualifying tournament of Nzem Ezurike (Lower Sackville, N.S.) and Catherine Charron-Delage (Longueuil, Quebec) as difference-makers, though he said "I would expect big things from almost anybody."
    Indeed, Canada's 15 goals in that tournament came from seven different players (Richardson led the way with four). There's some versatility for you. Only one of those goal-scorers -- Amelia Pietrangelo -- is absent from the U20 WWC squad, which was somewhat surprising, given that Pietrangelo already has six caps and one goals for the senior national team. Olivieri said it was a personnel decision, rather than an injury or other circumstances.
    "Right now, based on the numbers we had, we had two players we couldn't justify bringing in," he said. "Unfortunately, Amelia wasn't able to make the cut at the moment. It was a difficult decision. (But) Amelia's been good for the program and she's not someone we're going to forget about."
    Pietrangelo -- and a number of members of this squad -- could indeed be part of the senior national team's plans going forward, on the road to Canada 2015. Olivieri says that once the U20 Women's World Cup is over, he'll begin months of preparation work with CanWNT head coach John Herdman to map out a plan for the future of the women's program.
    "In a nutshell, the bottom line (for the program) is we need to not only put together top performances," said Olivieri, "but do it against top teams on a consistent basis."
    The senior national team certainly put in some top performances in London. Now let's see if the next generation of Canadian stars can repeat the charm.
    Canada's group-stage matches take place on Aug. 20 (Argentina), Aug. 23 (Norway) and Aug. 27 (North Korea). Kickoffs are at 6 a.m. ET / 3 a.m. PT and games will all be shown on CBC and streamed at cbcsports.ca.
    .
    Guest

    Vancouver Whitecaps v FC Dallas Photo Gallery

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    Christopher Vose is AFTN's photographer and here is a gallery of some of his photos from the Whitecaps' game against FC Dallas on Wednesday August 15th.
    For a full high quality slideshow of all of Christopher's Dallas photos, click <a href="
    " target="_blank">HERE</a>.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <center>********************</center>
    <center>
    (BC Place security are still searching for the mysterious sniper)

    (That's not a foul in my country)

    (A flying Scotsman)

    (They could at least have bought them a drink first)

    (Caleb Clarke. Superstar)

    (What we call a stramash in Scotland)

    (A Dallas player in his natural habitat)

    (Pick on someone your own size)
    </center>
    You can view all of Christopher's Whitecaps photographs at <a href="http://www.consulphotography.com" target="_blank"><b>ConsulPhotography.com</b></a>.
    Be sure to check his photos daily, as he is will have regular shots up from training, as well at Caps matches at all levels.
    All of his photos are copyrighted and cannot be used without his permission.
    <p>
    Guest
    Vancouver Whitecaps playoff push suffered a setback at BC Place this evening as a listless Caps side went down 2-0 to FC Dallas.
    With LA Galaxy dropping two points in Columbus the scene was set for Vancouver to take third place and open up a little gap over LA. Instead, Dallas pulled themselves back into playoff contention and Vancouver dropped to fifth in the west ahead of a hard stretch of away games.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The Whitecaps made five changes to Saturday’s starting line-up, four of them enforced.
    Joe Cannon reclaimed the keeper’s jersey after serving his one match suspension and Andy O’Brien continued to deputise for the concussed Jay DeMerit. With Gershon Koffie suspended, John Thorrington came into the middle and it was a new look attack with Atiba Harris filling in for Dane Richards and Kenny Miller getting his first start for the Caps as the lone striker, with Darren Mattocks away on international duty for Jamaica.
    Vancouver came closest to opening the scoring when Harris nearly turned in a Camilo corner in the seventh minute, but Miller was adjudged to have fouled the Dallas keeper.
    The closest the visitors came to troubling the Caps goal were all coming from long range efforts which flew well over.
    The Caps were producing some nice build up work from Barry Robson and especially Camilo, but the final ball was lacking.
    As a pretty uneventful half came to a close, Vancouver came within the width of the crossbar of going in with the lead.
    Harris won a free kick 30 yards out, which was handled by the wall. As Camilo stepped up for the retake on the edge of the box, he rattled the bar with a curler that had Kevin Hartman beaten.
    Vancouver started the second half with most of the possession but were doing little with it.
    Dallas were looking quick and dangerous on their breaks and they made it pay on the hour mark.
    Zach Loyd took a quick throw on the left, just inside the Caps half, and David Ferreira neatly flicked the ball into the path of Fabian Castillo, who ghosted into the box unmarked. The Colombian lost his footing under the pressure of the Caps defenders tracking back, but managed to stick out the important foot to guide the ball past Cannon, and off the left hand post into the net.
    Dallas made it two in the 70th minute.
    Ferreira got on the end of a long ball forward and easily shook off O’Brien before rounding Martin Bonjour and playing in substitute Jonathan Top.
    The young Dallas academy player, who made the Caps life miserable in the recent USSDA Championship game, showed composure beyond his year by coolly finishing past Cannon.
    Camilo had a chance to pull one back with fifteen minutes remaining, but he was only able to deflect Jun Marques Davidson’s pass over the bar.
    Vancouver started to finally turn up the heat and Alain Rochat headed a Robson free kick into the side netting.
    Davidson and Ferreira got into a pushing match in the closing minutes after the Colombian took a dive under pressure from Y-P Lee. Both players picked up bookings as the little momentum the Caps had going was completely stamped out.
    A Robson corner right on top of Hartman was all that the Caps could muster in stoppage time and with it looking like Vancouver could have been out there all night without finding the scoresheet, the referee blew his whistle on only the Caps second home defeat of the season.
    The absence of key players was definitely a factor in tonight’s poor performance, but with a tough four game road stretch coming up, Vancouver need to regroup quickly or else they face being in a real playoff battle in the final weeks of the season.
    FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 0 - 2 FC Dallas
    ATT: 19,006
    VANCOUVER: Joe Cannon; Young-Pyo Lee, Martin Bonjour, Andy O’Brien, Alain Rochat; Jun Marques Davidson, John Thorrington (Matt Watson 76), Barry Robson; Atiba Harris (Michael Nanchoff 65), Kenny Miller (Caleb Clarke 81), Camilo Sanvezzo [subs Not Used: Brad Knighton, Greg Klazura, Jordan Harvey, Bryce Alderson]
    DALLAS: Kevin Hartman; George John, Zach Loyd, Hernan Pertuz (Bryan Leyva 77), Matt Hedges; Fabian Castillo (Bruno Guarda 83), Jair Benitez, Andrew Jacobson, Daniel Hernandez, David Ferreira; Ruben Luna (Jonathan Top 63) [subs Not Used: Chris Seitz, Victor Ulloa, Bobby Warshaw, Jackson Gonclaves]
    <p>
    Guest
    It was, indisputably, the best game the men's national team will play this month.
    Haha -- get it? -- because it's their only game this month! Lolololo. Braaaaaaappp. So on and so forth.
    There's only so much you can say about a game that wasn't shown live in any form. And that amount is very little. But what the hell, let's cobble together information provided via Twitter from the few in attendance and throw in some Grade-A hogwash to round things out, shall we?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Canada tossed out a starting lineup of Lars Hirschfeld (GK), Andre Hainault, Doneil Henry, Dejan Jakovic, Ante Jazic, Julian de Guzman, Terry Dunfield, Nik Ledgerwood, Patrice Bernier, Will Johnson and Tosaint Ricketts. This part is true.
    Now, only one of those players could generally be described as a striker (Ricketts), so let's say the formation was 4-5-1. Or maybe a 4-3-2-1. Or perhaps the rarely employed 3-2-4-1. Or they just all ran around in the chase-the-ball bumblebee formation employed by U6 squads across the country. Who knows.
    The game was played on a cricket oval in Lauderhill, Florida. This part is true. According to Gavin Day, "Some Trinidad fans (were there) and a handful of kids in Canada gear has volunteered to be ball retrievers." How charming.
    Milan Borjan played in goal for the second half, and Pedro Pacheco also appeared, probably to ask directions. Marcel de Jong also came on, causing at least a few people reading this to momentarily misread his first name as "Nigel". Don't worry. Happens to the best of us.
    Russell Teibert came on too, and in the course of less than one half of play, got more playing time than he has all season with the Vancouver Whitecaps. I'm not sure if this is true, but it wouldn't surprise me. He apparently also did very well, if the CSA's official Twitter account is to be believed. And why wouldn't it?
    Ricketts scored a goal! Yeah! A goal! This came after Canada created a bunch of chances but hadn't done sweet F.A. with them, which is an accurate synopsis of pretty much any game anyone's ever seen. We don't know for sure if Ricketts exploded with patriotic excitement upon finding the back of the net, but let's assume he did.
    As a reward, Ricketts got some nice bench-sitting time so that Lucas Cavallini could catch Teibert and Henry in all-time caps for the senior national team, with one. Evan James was (possibly) heard to murmur, "Whatever, I'll show them!"
    Then at some point, some Trinidad player did something evil and Canada got a penalty kick. Maybe the ref was from, uh, the opposite of Norway. Yeah, timely! Whoo! Anyway, Will Johnson scored, which I think now means he's a striker too. Congrats, Will!
    Anyway, yeah, there ya go. Our patchwork lineup beat a team that hasn't played in nine months and is eliminated from World Cup qualifying! What does this get us? I dunno, maybe a little bump in those idiotic FIFA rankings. Or maybe we'll go down, because who even knows how those work I mean OMG England at #3 what a load of bollocks am I right lolololo.
    Even head coach Stephen Hart's attitude towards the game was "meh, better to play than not play." So, in that spirit, better to win than not win. But we can't really glean too much from this match as it relates to the team in general, other than to confirm that all of the men named on the roster are, in fact, still alive. Though, until the highlights come out, we can't even be totally sure of that.
    The real important test, as we know, is on September 7. World Cup qualifying resumes against Panama. It's not a "must-win" -- since I'm fairly anal-retentive about that term -- but it's as close to one as you're going to find, given the circumstances.
    We had no way of watching this one -- but you've got no excuse for not watching that one.
    .
    Guest
    <b>KEY PLAYERS :</b>
    ATTACKING
    With Mattocks and Richards both out due to international duty it will be up to <b>Atiba Harris</b> to be one of the players to come off the bench and move to the starting eleven. There will be a drop off in speed due to rust of recovering from multiple knee surgeries but Harris will add size and physicality in the box when the Caps are on the attack.
    One of the team’s youngest starters <b>Fabian Castillo</b> was bought at the age of 18 and halfway through his second season he is starting to show his abilities. The Colombian has excellent pace, is quick in tight spaces and has creativity skills that allow to him create his own goals and set up others.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    DEFENCE
    It was a baptism of fire for the newly acquired <b>Andy O’Brien</b> who was forced into Saturday’s game after Jay DeMerit was taken off due to a potential concussion. It was a successful debut for the Irish international, who was able to organize the backline effectively and kept a desperate RSL team off the scoresheet until the final moments of the game.
    It looked as though <b>George John</b> was heading overseas a couple of times, but deals with Blackburn and West Ham fell through. Unfortunately it seems to have affected his play this season and he hasn’t looked sharp as he had in his previous years.
    <b>WHO'S ON FORM :</b>
    After a couple of solid performances <b>Camilo Sanvezzo</b> was finally rewarded with a goal against RSL in the second half of the game. He displayed the confidence he played with last season as MVP, when he led the expansion Caps in goals. The Brazilian striker was not afraid to take his chances on net in the last game, forcing Nick Rimando into a couple of spectacular saves.
    It has been almost 16 months since <b>David Ferreira</b> broke his ankle at Empire Stadium on a hard, but legal, challenge by Jonathon Leathers. He only returned as a starter at the beginning of July and has since started seven straight games, picking up one goal and three assists. Those stats have all come in fact in the last four games for the Colombian and the 2010 League MVP is looking like he is regaining his form.
    <b>2012 RECORD :</b>
    Vancouver:
    10W-7D-7L
    4th in Western Conference
    Last Match: 2-1 Win vs Real Salt Lake
    Dallas:
    6W-8D-11L
    6th in Western Conference
    Last Match: 3-2 Win vs Colorado Rapids
    <b>PROJECTED LINE-UPS :</b>

    <b>INJURIES/MISSING :</b>
    Vancouver:
    Out: FW Omar Salgado (foot), DF Jay DeMertit (concussion symptoms)
    Suspension: MF Gershon Koffie
    International Duty: Russell Teibert (Canada), Etienne Barbara (Malta), Darren Mattocks, Dane Richards (Jamaica), Carlyle Mitchell (Trinidad & Tobago)
    Dallas:
    Out: DF Ugo Ihemelu (concussion symptoms), DF Alex Lee (lower abdominal strain), FW Blas Perez (R foot sprain), MF Ricardo Villar (R foot strain)
    Doubtful: MF Jackson (concussion symptoms)
    International Duty: Brek Shea (USA), Julian de Guzman (Canada)
    <b>GAME ANALYSIS :</b>
    Vancouver Whitecaps will have a new look when they take the pitch at BC Place tonight as they host FC Dallas for the second time this season. As a result of international duty, injury, a new suspension and a player returning from suspension, the Caps will have five new starters from the side that played on the weekend. The starting eleven will have to gel together quickly if they look to sweep and get the full six points from these two home games.
    The number one kit returns to Joe Cannon who returns from a one game suspension that he served on the weekend. In front of him will be the regulars Lee Young-Pyo on the right side with Alain Rochat on the left and Martin Bonjour in the middle. After suffering a possible concussion Jay DeMerit’s spot on the pitch will be taken by Andy O’Brien, who makes his first start for his new club.
    The midfield will be missing Gershon Koffie, who is suspended due to yellow card accumulation, and he will be replaced by John Thorrington in the line-up, with Jun Marques Davidson and Barry Robson holding down the other spots.
    Another two starters will be missing up top, as both Dane Richards and Darren Mattocks are with the Jamaican national team. Joining Camilo in the attacking positions will be Kenny Miller, who makes his first start, and Atiba Harris, who is returning after a lengthy absence due to injury.
    There is one major piece that the Caps will have track carefully around the pitch and that is David Ferreira, who broke his ankle at Empire Stadium more than twelve months ago. If they can cut him out, as well as the dangerous winger Fabian Castillo, it will go a long way in securing another cleansheet. The hoops also have very dangerous fullbacks and both are capable moving forward and join in on the attack.
    The Caps will not be able to utilize the pace of the Jamaicans in their attacks so they will most likely not use the sidelines as much. However if they do it will fall to the efforts of YP Lee and Alain Rochat to make those runs and defend when needed.
    Despite FC Dallas being on the lower end of the standings the Whitecaps can’t afford to overlook this match, even though they may have one eye on the Cascadia derby this weekend against Seattle. A win against Dallas and the Whitecaps will reach the 40 point mark, which is a total that helps them inch closer and closer to the MLS playoffs.
    <b>AFTN Editor's Prediction: Vancouver Whitecaps 2 FC Dallas 0</b>
    <p>
    Guest
    By: Michael Crampton
    A struggling team - not horrible but certainly unlikely to make the playoffs without a drastic improvement in form - having trouble finding consistency, especially on the road, decides that a change is necessary and part ways with their coach. The result: four straight losses and no wins in their first five games under the new head coach. For the Portland Timbers, replacing the popular and charismatic John Spencer with general manager (and former USL Timbers head coach) Gavin Wilkinson wasn’t supposed to work out that way. Wilkinson may only be an interim solution with no ambitions of keeping the job long term but, regardless of your opinion of Paul Mariner’s time in charge of Toronto FC, the Portland provide a stark example of everything that can go wrong when a club tries to get results by changing coaches mid-season. A little over five weeks ago the Timbers were still talking about going on a run to make the playoffs; now, ahead of Wednesday evening’s match in Toronto, the limit of their ambition is simply not falling back into last place overall in the league.
    Incredibly, with a win, Toronto will have more points than another MLS team for the first time in all of 2012. Sadly, for the Reds, the game against Portland almost could not come at a worse time. Major League Soccer’s policy of playing games on FIFA international dates has been much criticized in the past, particularly in Toronto, and, to their credit, the league has made an effort to reduce the number of occasions it happens. However, sometimes there’s just very little way to fit a 34 game season, playoffs, national cups, friendlies, and Champions League games into the available calendar. The result for Toronto is that five players, three of them regulars who started the team’s last game, will be away on international duty and unavailable for selection: Terry Dunfield, Doniel Henry, Ryan Johnson, Dicoy Williams, and Darren O’Dea.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    While the much improved Terry Dunfield will be missed in midfield and Ryan Johnson’s league iron man streak will come to an end up front the impact is most pronounced on Toronto’s back line. After struggling for any consistency under Aron Winter the signature feature of Paul Mariner’s recent team selections has been a stable centre back pairing. Logan Emory’s red card earned in Chicago and resulting suspension would have caused a shuffle regardless of Mariner’s intentions but the unavailability of Henry and new signing O’Dea, along with injuries to Jeremy Hall and Matt Stinson, limits options immensely. Rookie draft pick Aaron Maund’s recent conversion to a defensive midfielder could see him used as cover for Dunfield alongside Torsten Frings if Mariner wants to keep a robust and physical holding pair at the centre of his team but that would eliminate another potential centre back.
    So, all things considered, the stage is set for the return of either Adrian Cann or Ty Harden or possibly both. The real question is whether Mariner has the confidence to pair them together in the centre of defence or insists on keeping Richard Eckersley there and moves Harden (or a midfielder) to right back. Fortunately, Ashtone Morgan was left off the Canadian roster and will be available for selection in his regular left back position. Make no mistake though: Toronto FC is thin at the moment and whatever backline takes the field will be nothing close to Mariner’s first choice.
    The other disappointment for Toronto supporters will be missing the opportunity to see Darren O’Dea in action for the first time against another former Scottish Premier League player, from the other side of Glasgow’s infamous Old Firm, Kris Boyd. Boyd, a Scottish centre forward famous for his seeming lack of effort but incredibly consistent goal scoring, hasn’t exactly been setting the league on fire but remains a dangerous threat on corners and balls into the box. After waiting six years for the “boss man” centre back they’ve so often longed for O’Dea might be an underwhelming signing to many TFC fans but there’s no doubt he has a pedigree and background that could make him a dramatic improvement to what they’ve been used to if he lives up to his potential. Waiting another game or two for O’Dea’s debut is a small price to pay if he works out in the medium to long term but, in a game that’s meaningful for pride if not playoffs, it’s an extra frustration that signing a player involved in his national team set-up, normally a sign of ambition from clubs, has once again hindered TFC’s ability to compete in their league. That might not feel fair but, if Toronto want to move off bottom, they’ll have to overcome the roster limitations they face and definitively prove that they’re no longer the worst team in the league (or world).
    Guest
    A BC soccer league has punished a u13 team because it had too many players who weren’t of South Asian decent on its roster.
    The absurd decision was reported in the National Post today. The Indo-Canadian Soccer Association requires that teams in its league have no more than four non-South Asians on its roster.
    The B.C. Tigers of the Surrey United Summer Soccer Association were in compliance with the rule until unaffiliated players (players that signed up as individuals, rather than as part of a team) were added to the roster. At that point they were pushed over the four player quota.
    For the most part the children were allowed to compete without adults getting in the way. However, common sense can never last long in the world of youth soccer.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    After the Tigers beat a team on the pitch fair and square, the losing coach decided that he needed to pull out the race card to get his team into the final. He filed a protest, which was accepted. The Tigers were asked to leave the pitch.
    Their coach fought to allow the children to continue the game, reached a compromise that would see their opposition get the shiny trophy regardless of the outcome (they forfeited, but asked to let the kids finish the game so they could, you know, have fun and get some exercise), but that wasn’t enough. About 10 minutes after the game was re-started the opposing team, in a moment that can only be described as profoundly disappointing, walked off the pitch in protest.
    Apparently the idea that a league can restrict access based on race is technically legal in B.C. It’s morally reprehensible, but it would stand up in court.
    Let’s be clear. And it’s offensive that I even have to write this. There is no competitive advantage for a team to have non-Indo-Canadians on the roster. There are 107,000 South Asians in Surrey out of a population of 394,976. So, this isn’t a case of an ethnic minority trying to protect an environment for the community to socialize and practice its culture. It’s a massive and hugely powerful demographic shutting its doors on those not like them.
    Somehow I don’t think this is what Pierre Trudeau was thinking about when he pushed for official multiculturalism in Canada.
    The only positive thing about this whole mess is that it is drawing attention to an offensive, antiquated and unjustifiable rule. It will give people the opportunity to express their displeasure with it.
    That’s the Indo-Canadian Soccer Association. The executive director is Mantej S Dhillon. He can be reached at 604-830-7631.
    Guest
    Our <b>3-2-1 Award</b> is AFTN's Player of the Year trophy.
    After every Whitecaps game we give three points to who we feel was the best Whitecaps player of the match, two for the second best, and then one for the third. You can usually find them in our <i>"In The Cold Light Of Day"</i> pieces.
    Points are tallied up and then, at the end of the season, we have a winner! And this year, we're going to do what we've done for the East Fife players since 2004 and give the winning Whitecap an actual trophy.
    So much silverware for the players to win this season!
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <center>**********</center>
    With back to back games against Real Salt Lake in the bag, where does that leave the current standings for 2012, with ten games left of the regular season?
    Here's how they stand...
    Joe Cannon - 30 points
    Camilo Sanvezzo - 18
    Young-Pyo Lee - 18
    Davide Chiumiento - 16
    Alain Rochat - 13
    Gershon Koffie - 10
    Barry Robson - 8
    Martin Bonjour - 7
    Jun Marques Davidson - 7
    Sebastien Le Toux - 7
    Darren Mattocks - 6
    Jay DeMerit - 5
    Omar Salgado - 5
    Jordan Harvey - 4
    Eric Hassli - 4
    John Thorrington - 4
    Dane Richards - 3
    Greg Klazura - 1
    Brad Knighton - 1
    Andy O'Brien - 1
    It's looking like Joe will be raising the prize at the moment. Do you agree? We know this point system maybe doesn't take into account a consistent team performer, so who would be your players of the season so far?
    20 Whitecaps players have now earned mentions. Who will step up to the plate and shine in the next few games? Find out in our next update!
    <p>
    Guest

    2012 FIFA women's u20 preview

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    With the Olympics now in the rear view mirror it’s time for Canadian soccer fans to try and build on the attention and success that London brought. The first opportunity to do so comes on Japan in just six days.
    There the Canadian u20 women’s side starts its World Cup with a game against Argentina in Kobe on August 20..
    Canada will stay in that city to face Norway August 23 before travelling north to Saitama to face the enigma of North Korea.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It’s a tough draw. North Korea has been strong at the youth levels of women’s football, winning the 2006 u20 event and finishing runner-up in 2008. They failed to advance past the quarterfinals in 2010, losing to host Germany 2-0 at that stage. In qualifying, they finished second in the Asian championship behind Japan. They were just one point behind the champions, having lost to Japan in the round-robin format 2-1.
    Norway is a traditional power in the women’s game. However, they failed to make the knock-out round the last time they appeared at the u20 event, finishing with just 3 points in 2008. They did finish runner-up at the 2010 UEFA u19 event, but lost 8-1 in the final to Germany. Forward Melissa Bjånesøy was the leading scorer in that tournament.
    Argentina should be an easy touch. Outside of Brazil the South America teams have struggled at the Finals. Non-Brazilian teams from South America are 2-2-5 all time. Argentina was once again second best to their rivals, losing 2-0 in the final round of CONMEBOL qualifying.
    For Canada it was a familiar story in qualifying – dominant in the group stage and semi-final, just short in the final. The Canucks outscored opponents 15-2. Unfortunately the United States outscored its opposition 24-1, including a 2-1 win over Canada in the final.
    The star for Canada is Vancouver Whitecaps forward Jenna Richardson. She is a physically powerful forward that has a touch more skill on the ball than the previous generation of Canadian star did. Additionally, the Canucks don’t rely on her scoring to the same degree that earlier teams (and arguably the senior team still does with Christine Sinclair) have.
    Of interest is the amount of Quebec players on the roster. In total there are nine players from La Belle Province, including seven from the Comètes de Laval program.
    If Canada does advance to the quarters they will likely face a stiff test. They will cross-over to group D, which has two of the three main favourites to with the tournament in the United States and Germany (Japan is likely the other favourite).
    The tournament runs to Sept. 8 when the final will be played in Tokyo. The next women’s u20 will be played in Canada as a preparation tournament for the 2015 World Cup.
    Guest

    Canadian women come home

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Canada's bronze medal winning women returned home to Canada today and were met by a crush of fans and media in both Toronto and Vancouver. The challenge for the CSA over the next months and years will be to keep the attention up as this country builds to the 2015 World Cup.
    Below the jump a couple images captured by members of the Voyageurs/Southsiders as the B.C. women, including flag bearer Christine Sinclair, returned home for some well deserved R&R.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Sinclair shows off the medal with fans.

    As you can see a few journalists swung by to say hi.
    As stated, Canadians are paying attention. Now the hard part begins.
    Guest
    Saturday's win over Real Salt Lake was one of those games that the Whitecaps simply had to win if they wanted to keep pace with those around them.
    They were up for the challenge and with the way other results in the West went, it could have an important part to play in the Caps quest to host at least one playoff game this season.
    Seattle's last ditch lost at San Jose leaves Vancouver sitting joint third and two wins in the next two games would give us at least third place on our own and open up a little gap over both the Sounders and Galaxy.
    This Saturday’s Cascadia Cup clash just got that bit more tastier.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It was a strange performance on Saturday.
    Vancouver probably played better in Salt Lake, but came away empty handed. That said, this was a comfortable 2-1 victory for the Caps, even though they didn’t look at their best.
    Some players were more prominent away from home and Barry Robson was a prime example of that. He ran the show at Rio Tinto and everything was going through him. This time though he was more ineffectual, either as a result of being closed down more or a plan by Rennie to go through other means.
    You never really felt that the Whitecaps weren't going to get the result. RSL just didn't really seem at the races and only when they scored very late on did you wonder if they could storm back and take a point.
    It could all have been very different if Saborio's first half header was just a few more inches to the right, but you still have to think that the Caps would have fought back.
    Once again Vancouver were a team of two halves. Whether by plan or by the play of the opposition, the Caps only looked truly dangerous in the second half. It’s becoming the norm.
    Darren Mattocks seems to struggle to have a good ninety minutes and always seems reinvigorated after Martin Rennie's half time team talks.
    If he gets the goals and assists that help us win, we can take that, but at some point he needs to either step up or take a little rest.
    He'll get that rest from the Caps at least on Wednesday as he heads off to play for Jamaica in a friendly.
    The Caps were already going to be missing five players to international duty on Wednesday (as we discussed in our <a href="http://metronews.ca/voices/all-caps-the-vancouver-whitecaps-blog/332996/away-from-the-numbers-international-call-ups-not-friendly-to-whitecaps/" target="_blank"><b>Metro column</b></a> this week), and now they will also be missing Gershon Koffie through suspension and possibly Jay DeMerit after his head knock.
    Of the Jamaican duo that will be missing, I think we're actually going to miss Dane Richards more than Mattocks.
    Richards has been a revelation since he made the move to Vancouver. We knew he was talented but he’s really been turning it on for the Caps and Saturday was another example.
    He covered a lot of that pitch and is proving a handful to every defence. They know he’s going to do a speed burst, but there’s not much you can do to stop it (legally). The fact that he has a cool and accurate finish in his locker just makes him dangerous both inside and outside of the box. He’s proving to be a magnificent pick up.
    Another player putting in one hell of a shift these days is Camilo.
    A few weeks ago Martin Rennie said it was like having a new player the way the Brazilian had been playing. The last few games have shown that, as he tracks back to defend and do it well.
    Saturday showed something else different for Camilo. The selfishness he has been criticised for in the past was gone. We hope not temporarily either.
    The Camilo of old would have shot on goal and not set up Richards for what proved to be the match winner.
    I just thought his all round game was fantastic and the departures of Chiumiento and Hassli has rejuvenated him. He was given his chance of reclaiming a regular starting berth and he grabbed it with both hands and he’s going to be a key player for the Caps going in to the playoffs.
    Martin Rennie was asked post-game what he felt the difference was between the loss two weeks ago and the win this weekend. The defence was the prime factor.
    They looked far more solid and Brad Knighton proved once again what a great back up he is to Joe Cannon. And whenever the veteran does decide to hang up his boots, the Caps goalkeeping future looks to be in safe hands.
    We didn’t seem to miss Jay DeMerit one bit when he went off, which bodes well for our central defensive cover down the line.
    I thought Andy O’Brien had an excellent debut, even more so when you consider his mind wasn’t really in game mode.
    To come in after just four days training and marshal the defence so well gives an indication that he could be a great pick up for Vancouver. There didn’t seem to be too many communication issues with Martin Bonjour and we even noticed a few times that Bonjour was giving instruction to O’Brien and he made the necessary changes, and vice versa.
    It’s all looking pretty good but obviously we can never be complacent in such a tight league.
    Galaxy destroying Chivas gives us a chance to really separate the top five from the rest if we can do the same against Dallas.
    It’s not going to be easy with the missing personnel, but Dallas will be missing key players too like Brek Shea and Julian de Guzman.
    San Jose look to be running away with the top seeding but the 2nd to 5th seedings are all very much still there for anyone’s taking.
    At this moment in time, I’m not too bothered which position Vancouver finish. I just want us to avoid LA in the first and second rounds. My money is on them finishing second by the end of the season so a 4th place finish for us might not be too at all.
    It’s all about to start to get very close and interesting indeed.
    <center>********************</center>
    <b><u>AFTN 3-2-1:</u></b>
    It's one of those games you really want where there are a number of player vying for the points. Went back and forth a couple of times with this but eventually settled for the following:
    3 points - CAMILO SANVEZZO (Really getting back to his best form from last season and covering a lot more of the pitch than he ever did before)
    2 points - DANE RICHARDS (Was the more dangerous and lively of our Jamaican duo and put in some shift on both sides of the pitch, as his chalkboard shows)
    1 point - ANDY O'BRIEN (Giving him the one for doing so well and coming in when he wasn't fully prepared or expecting to get the call. Looked solid and organised the back well)
    <p>
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