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    Guest
    It was a bit unrealistic to expect that the women's national team could -- just eight months after being demolished 4-0 by France at the Women's World Cup -- pull a full 180 and defeat a full-powered French side in the final of this year's Cyprus Cup.
    But in their 2-0 defeat on Tuesday, Big Red showed something that is, at this point in the team's evolution, arguably just as valuable as a third straight Cyprus Cup championship trophy would have been.
    Progress.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Now, it's not an apples-to-apples comparison, of course. On Tuesday, Canada featured seven of the same starters as in that infamous meltdown in Bochum, while France fielded six. A few of Canada's starters on Tuesday have earned more chances to start due to injuries (Desiree Scott and Melissa Tancredi in place of Diana Matheson and Jonelle Filigno), while one starter wasn't even in the Canadian system last summer (Lauren Sesselmann).
    And the biggest change of all has been at the head coaching position, with John Herdman having taken over for Carolina Morace. One of his first priorities was to try to erase the psychological sting of the team's performance at Germany 2011... the most stinging performance was, of course, the one against France.
    Last summer, Canada was outplayed, outskilled and downright awestruck by the French. In fairness, the French team caught many by surprise with their tactical precision and utter explosiveness. Still, being humbled by France, on the biggest stage in the women's game, left Canada with some significant soul-searching to do. The question was, quite simply, as teams such as France rocket their way into the upper echelon of the women's game, does Canada have what it takes to reassert itself as a global power?
    If Tuesday's match was to give us an answer, it would be: "Maybe, but there's still plenty of work to be done."
    Still, let's not kid ourselves: The Cyprus Cup final was in no way a repeat of the World Cup showdown. And that should be the most positive takeaway from the match.
    Unlike at the World Cup, where the team often seemed skittish and non-committal, Canada kept possession and, when placed under pressure by the French attack, refused to fold easily. That attack was relentless for the first half hour, until France finally got the breakthrough in the 31st minute. Scott -- no slouch in the physicality department -- was outmuscled and dispossessed, allowing Marie-Laure Delie to fire one home from 20 yards out.
    The French doubled their advantage in the 62nd minute, when Louisa Necib was gifted with a chance from the penalty spot, after Rhian Wilkinson had committed a foul in the area. Mere minutes later, what seemed to be a stone-cold penalty at the other end of the field was denied, with the ref taking no interest in Sophie Schmidt being bundled over in France's 18-yard box.
    Sadly, that movement into France's penalty area would represent the zenith of Canada's attacking prowess on the day, save for a few long-range efforts and a golden opportunity for young Chelsea Buckland with minutes to play, a chance from eight yards that she left-footed directly into the French keeper's arms. Even seemingly-superhuman Christine Sinclair was kept quiet on the day, restricted as she was to one tame effort on goal in injury time (persistent double- and triple-coverage has a way of doing that).
    The loss, surely, is disappointing. The idea of redemption against France, so soon after the World Cup meltdown, was an attractive storyline, even if it was highly unlikely to take place. But the team has shown that France isn't in an entirely different stratosphere. This Canadian team can aspire to compete with the French. That realization will likely do as much to heal the psychological wounds of Germany 2011 as anything else that Herdman's staff as done to this point.
    And there were other positives to be taken from the Cyprus Cup final.
    Fullbacks Wilkinson and Sesselmann were highly effective in neutralizing France's play on the wings, particularly the dangerous Sonia Bompastor. Kaylyn Kyle, whose national-team performances can be unpredictable, was certainly in what the kids would call "beast mode", with plenty of energy. Erin McLeod couldn't be faulted on either France goal, and looked solidly in command of her area. And Kelly Parker, who came on as a second-half sub, provided a good spark to the team, similar to her performances in the Olympic qualifying tournament.
    Unfortunately, against a team as organized and ruthless as France, such efforts did not cumulatively amount to anything more than a moral victory on the day.
    Still, a moral victory is much better than a moral loss, at this juncture. The team, all in all, can hold its head high as it heads into a pair of friendlies at the end of the month, a two-week training camp in Vancouver in April and, of course, the Olympics this summer.
    Hey, wouldn't you know it, France is also in the field for the 12-team women's tournament in London. That would be a really nice time for some revenge, don't you think?
    .
    Guest
    Today, we're joined by Richard Whittall, editor for the Score’s Footy Blog, and a man who helped carry out the national league study that is now before the Canadian Soccer Association.
    We’ll talk to him about that, his vision for the a national league and the rapid growth of the game here the past few years and if it has been a completely good thing.
    We’ll also get into some of the key matchups in the Toronto v LA game, talk about what preseason told us, if anything, about all three Canadian teams and on the cusp of Canada having three pro teams at the D1 level, look at the health of the game here and what’s coming next.
    The archived show is now up
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Our next show will be Thursday morning with a quick wrap up of the CCL quarterfinal
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    Guest
    It’s been a very interesting off season if you’re a Vancouver Whitecaps fan.
    A new management team, over a third of the squad are new players, fan favourites have gone, new fan favourites will have surely arrived and the team has a harmony we haven’t seen in these parts for what seems like an age.
    There is also an optimism to match, that this year we might, just might, actually do something pretty special.
    Martin Rennie has put together a squad full of talent and depth. Just how talented and how deep remains to be seen in actual hard, competitive MLS action.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The pre-season games played have all been promising and it’s been interesting to watch the team, and especially certain players, grow and develop as the training camp has gone on.
    Eight matches played, five wins, two draws and technically one loss, isn’t exactly a bad record. If you want to dismiss yesterday’s penalty shoot-out in Carolina, which you probably should, then we’re unbeaten pre-season and there’s not many of us that would have predicted that when the 2012 training camp opened in January.
    Nor would we have predicted 14 goals scored, only five conceded, and four clean sheets, all of which came against MLS rivals.
    There’s been a lot of positives to take out of the pre-season games. We were never outplayed, our defence looks far more solid than it did last year, and the wealth of attacking talent at Martin Rennie’s disposal is mouthwatering.
    Some players have had a stand-out camp, whilst some have found their feet as the camp went on and had excellent showings in Orlando.
    Some players, like Lee Nguyen, started well and then seemed to be treading water. It was no surprise that he was let go on Friday. What was a surprise was that we didn’t get anything for him and he went to New England for nothing.
    Davide Chiumiento has really re-lit his fire in the last few weeks. He had to. We’ve been critical of him in these pages before, but now that he has strong competition for a starting spot, he has turned it back on and is looking leaner and sharper than he did at any point last season. He’s scored goals, provided assists and shown some good leadership out there. He would get my ‘Player of the Camp’ award, if such a thing were to exist!
    Sebastien Le Toux looks like being a key addition to the team. He was posted missing a bit in Carolina yesterday but on the whole he is another who has shown some great leadership. He is very vocal, encouraging the younger players around him and he has built up a great relationship and understanding with Long Tan, who can only benefit from being around such a pro.
    Tan himself has also impressed. He still has that impetuousity of youth, and should never be let near a penalty kick again, but his pace has caused problems and drawn three penalties (some of them fairly soft ones it has to be said). Carolina showed yesterday that if you keep him close and don’t allow him to run, he can struggle, but what an asset to bring off the bench and run at tiring defenders. He was proving to be a real handful for Carolina in the second half.
    Darren Mattocks is another such asset. Bringing one, or both, of these guys off the bench could have devastating results for us this year. Mattocks hasn’t quite built up an understanding with his striking partners yet. He is closest to having that with Camilo, but Hassli and Salgado have both been frustrated with the rookie for not passing to them when in good positions. He will learn, and quickly, that he isn’t the main go to guy anymore and has to also be a provider. Rennie won’t leave him any doubt that selfishness won’t be tolerated.
    Young-Pyo Lee has been great at right back. I was doubtful of just what a player of his age could bring to the team. I shouldn’t have been. He is one fit guy and could seemingly run up and down that wing all day. His ball distribution, in particular, has been excellent.
    As a back up, Greg Klazura has had a strong camp and developed with every week. He doesn’t look out of place out there, but needs to watch that he doesn’t let his attacking instincts overtake him too much and get caught up the field. Taking too many touches to his favoured left side could also be heavily punished. As he adapts his game to the pros, this will fall into place. Martin Rennie described him as a “project”. He could be a very good one.
    In the middle, the two stand out guys for me over the last five games, were Matt Watson and Michael Nanchoff.
    I would prefer to see Watson in the middle than Gershon Koffie. I’m not as big a fan of Koffie as others out there. He’s talented but still has a lot to learn when it comes to shooting and tackle control.
    Watson is ahead of him in both of these aspects at this moment in time, as he should be. He has looked excellent going forward, providing a real goal threat, and is hard to get off the ball. His distribution has also been excellent and he was just behind Chiumiento in my ‘Man of the Match’ stakes against the Railhawks.
    Nanchoff has been excellent in the latter stages of camp and is finally getting the chance to show us what he can do. Rennie is a big fan and it will be no surprise to see him as a gameday eighteen regular.
    I want to give one final nod to Bryce Alderson, who has not looked out of place with his MLS team-mates and opponents so far. Very impressed for the young Canadian. He was very composed and effective in Carolina and will only grow as the season gets on, although his first team chances may be restricted to bench outings in the Voyageurs Cup.
    Before we get too carried away, it’s not all been positives. There are still some works in progress and things to fine tune. Some may be tweaked in time for ‘First Kick’, others will take a little bit of match practice to iron out. Some may not be able to be fixed and that will lead to more squad changes down the line.
    The fact that the Whitecaps’ last two games have been a little patchy have been a bit of a blessing. It should counter fan and media expectations at least a little. We had enough gusto and bravado from Paul Barber to last us a few seasons.
    We struggled to put away a Toronto academy team, and Carolina dominated us at times, especially in the first half before they tired.
    The team is talented but is nowhere near the finished article. We need to have consistency this season, and starting strong will mean nothing if we finish weak or have a bad spell in the middle of the season.
    Although the depth has improved in a number of positions, and I would be happy with a number of the fringe guys moving into the first team, injuries and possibly extra Champions League games could take a toll.
    The midfield depth still seems the weakest. We can have an excellent defence keeping goals out and an exciting attack waiting to score them, but if the creative play isn’t producing chances then it’s not going to matter.
    Losing John Thorrington to injury and not getting Barry Robson until July hurt us in this position on the field. The central holding role is still my main area of concern right now.
    Another worry is the form of Eric Hassli. I’d say he’s blowing a little cold right now. One goal in pre-season, and when was his last competitive goal? He provided no assists in pre-season and hasn’t really had a chance to form any sort of striking partnership with Le Toux. Of course, he’ll go out now and score a hat-trick against Montreal now that I’ve said that.
    The whole team on Saturday looked a little ring rusty and maybe haven’t been playing together as much as they should have. Le Toux and Chiumineto have been with the “other guys”. I’d have both of them in my starting line up against Montreal, so will the chemistry be ready to click into place immediately? We’ll soon see.
    I also still have some concerns about how Rennie is going to keep a squad of this talent completely happy. Some players just won’t be. It’s a better position to be in than not to have enough talent in the first place, so we shouldn’t complain too much.
    So what has pre-season taught us about Martin Rennie and his tactics? Not a whole lot.
    We’ve seen signs of what we were told before he came here. That he likes teams that play a passing game from the back, with fast wing play. That he likes to build a team from a solid defensive footing. We also know that he likes to win, no matter what is at stake.
    That’s good enough for me for now and we only have five more sleeps to wait until we see what the 2012 MLS season has in store for us.
    I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait!
    <p>
    Guest
    As the old saying goes, revenge is a dish best served cold.
    So as the women's national team makes final preparations ahead of the Cyprus Cup final against France on Tuesday, head coach John Herdman's approach seems particularly fitting.
    "We've asked players to be very cold-blooded tomorrow," he told media on Monday. "There's still a lot of work to be done."
    France, of course, took Canada out behind the woodshed at the 2011 Women's World Cup, winning 4-0. And while Herdman is definitely aware of that result, and of how dangerous the French team can be, he's not looking to dwell on the past.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    "We've tried to shift our focus away ... (we're) just looking at the future," said Herdman, who brought in a sports psychologist several months ago to help the Canadians overcome the disappointment of Germany 2011. "The big test in this one is the mental aspect (and) the pressure the French team can put on you."
    Canada felt that pressure in Bochum last summer and buckled, often resorting to desperately sending the ball upfield. That fact isn't lost on Herdman, who said that his team's performance in their win over Italy at this year's Cyprus Cup -- a game Canada won on an injury-time goal from Robyn Gayle -- represented a bit of a "watershed moment".
    "The team said, normally we would have launched it," said Herdman. Instead, "we had our team playing right out of the back instead of lumping things forward... We're starting to see a team that can play a better brand of football... the test for us now (is whether we can do it against a team like France)."
    That's no small ask against a squad ranked sixth in the world and coming off a fourth-place finish at Germany 2011.
    "We saw them beat the English up (on Sunday)," said Herdman. "They were able to close England down, beat them in 50/50 balls... can we impose ourselves on a team physically?
    "Across the pitch they might be faster than us... bigger and stronger ... that's the test, when we play against those strong, world-class players, can we keep our resilience?
    "If we can stay tight and compact, stick to our possession strategy, we could be alright."
    It's a refreshingly frank assessment from a coach that has done hard work not only on the psychological side of things, but on the physical side, introducing new technology to the dressing room in order to more accurately assess his players' fitness and determine the areas of improvement. He says that in order for Canada to have a chance at earning a medal at the upcoming Olympics, and rejoin the echelon of truly elite teams, the squad can't have weaknesses at any position.
    "The challenge is not to be the best in Canada," he said. "The challenge is to be world-class."
    A medal performance in London could, in Herdman's words, make Canada "irresistible" to the organizers of the invitation-only Algarve Cup, a tournament that runs concurrently with the Cyprus Cup and which, this year, features four of the top five ranked nations in the world.
    But for now, the focus is on the Cyprus Cup final, and the Olympic Games. Canada has two scheduled friendlies prior to the Olympics (against Brazil in Foxborough, Mass. on March 24 and against Sweden in Malmo on March 31), in addition to a planned "Olympic send-off" game on home soil, the details of which are yet to be announced.
    "Time is running out and every detail needs to be worked out in these games," Herdman said of the Olympic run-up. "Moving into these next few games, players are really going to have to earn their shirts."
    There would surely be no finer way for a player to cement themselves on the roster than with a solid performance in the final of the Cyprus Cup.
    Guest
    As CSN puts the final touches on its pre-season prediction, we open things up to you the readers. In the comments below make the following predictions:

    Ranked No 1 to No 19, where will each of the three Canadian teams finish?
    What team will win the MLS Cup?
    What team will win the Voyageurs Cup?
    Who will be the highest scorer on the three Canadian teams?

    The preview will be published by tomorrow morning.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    The Montreal Impact would place 16th out of 19 MLS clubs at the conclusion of the presesason calendar of games on Sunday, March 4. The standings are based on intraleague matches only with positions based on a point-per-match average.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The Philadelphia Union is last, but hasn’t played a single preseason match against an MLS foe.
    The two teams which placed 17th and 18th at the end of last year’s regular season, the New England Revolution and Vancouver Whitecaps are topping the charts this winter while the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup winners are only one spot above Montreal.
    Toronto FC placed eight, having only played a pair of prep matches against MLS opponents, a 3-0 win over Dallas and a 1-0 loss to Vancouver at the Disney Pro Soccer Classic, in Orlando.
    MLS PRESEASON RANKINGS
    POS TEAM GP W L T PTS PPM
    1 New England 4 3 0 1 10 2,50
    2 Vancouver 6 4 0 2 14 2,33
    3 Portland 6 3 0 3 12 2,00
    Seattle 2 1 0 1 4 2,00
    Colorado 3 2 1 0 6 2,00
    6 Sporting KC 5 2 1 2 8 1,60
    7 San Jose 7 3 2 2 11 1,57
    8 Toronto 2 1 1 0 3 1,50
    9 Real Salt Lake 6 2 2 2 8 1,33
    10 DC United 4 1 1 2 5 1,25
    11 New York 5 2 3 0 6 1,20
    12 Chicago 6 2 3 1 7 1,17
    13 Houston 8 2 3 3 9 1,13
    14 FC Dallas 3 1 2 0 3 1,00
    15 Los Angeles 8 2 5 1 7 0,88
    16 IMPACT 7 1 3 3 6 0,86
    17 Chivas USA 6 1 4 1 4 0,67
    18 Columbus 2 0 2 0 0 0,00
    19 Philadelphie 0 0 0 0 0 -
    Top 15 scorers (Goals = 2 points, Assist = 1 point)
    POS PLAYER G A PTS
    1 WONDOLOWSKI, Chris (SJ) 4 0 8
    2 LETOUX, Sebastien (VAN) 3 1 7
    3 BRUIN, Will (HOU) 2 2 6
    4 ROWE, Kelyn (NE) 2 1 5
    5 PERLAZA, Jorge (POR) 2 0 4
    ROMERO, Cesar (CHV) 2 0 4
    KEAT, Dan (LA) 2 0 4
    SAAD, Soony (SKC) 2 0 4
    COOPER, Kenny (NY) 2 0 4
    SILVA, Luis (TFC) 2 0 4
    MARCELIN, James (POR) 2 0 4
    MAGEE, Mike (LA) 2 0 4
    MATTOCKS, Darren (VAN) 2 0 4
    CAMILO (VAN) 2 0 4
    15 ALHASSAN, Kalif (POR) 1 2 4
    Guest

    We are family!

    By Guest, in SoccerPlus,

    What an honour and a privilege for our team of professional reporters to join the CSN family. For the last few months we have offered the soccer community a weekly look at the Montreal Impact and at Major League Soccer activities as well as our Canadian National Teams and major international action in our country’s other official language. What a great way to reacquaint yourself with your high school language classes!
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Let me introduce you to our cast of guest collaborators:
    Former Impact player Patrick Leduc who traded the boots for a pen and a mic to be one of the top pundits in the province for La Presse and RDS.
    Marc Tougas, former Montreal Supra and Montreal Impact PR Director and editor in chief of Journal Québec Soccer (North America’s longest-running soccer publication). He now writes for The Canadian Press.
    Mathias Van Halst wrote for major publications in Belgium before crossing the Atlantic to become Quebec Soccer editor in chief and one of the main pundits on all things soccer in La Belle Province. He runs ImpactSoccer.com home of the largest French-language soccer forum in Canada.
    Fred Lord, former Impact beat reporter for Radio-Canada.ca who is entering his first year as play-by-play for the 20-odd games shown on TVA Sports.
    Pascal Milano, a Marseille-born columnist covering MLS activities with lots of depth for LaPresse.ca
    Jean Gounelle, a long-time colour commentator working on RDS’ broadcasts of international, EPL and North American games.
    Jonathan Tannenwald, our Eastern USA correspondent, writer for Philly.com covering MLS.
    Lisa Erickson, our Western USA correspondent based out of California and writer for CenterLineSoccer.com covering MLS.
    Cedric Ferreira, our European correspondent based in Paris, sportscaster on France24, a French 24-hour news network.
    Sophie Drolet, former Canadian Women National Team pool player and professional coach at UQAM and with the Quebec Soccer Federation, covering the beautiful game on the women’s side of the picture.
    Raphael Larocque-Cyr is our rookie reporter and communications student at Université
    de Montréal, who will be SoccerPlus’ beat reporter on Montreal Impact games.
    I trust you will be just as excited to listen to our shows that we are when we produce them. Looking forward to read your comments here.
    Philippe Germain
    Host & Producer
    SoccerPlus
    Guest

    Railhawks Give Rennie A Losing Farewell

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    Vancouver Whitecaps wrapped up their pre-season matches in Carolina this afternoon and ended it on a losing note, but it took penalties to do it.
    Today’s game was the fourth year the Railhawks have hosted a Community Shield match pre-season and it was the home side who went home with the silverware.
    Carolina took the lead five minutes in, doing what four MLS teams couldn’t do, and finding the Vancouver net.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Brian Ackley sent a corner in from the left and the Whitecaps defence let the ball bounce through straight to Amir Lowery, who easily fired home from four yards out.
    The Railhawks could have made it two in the 12th minute, but Brian Shriver was inches away of connecting with a through ball, with Caps keeper Brad Knighton just getting there first.
    It took the Whitecaps 25 minutes to get their first shot of the game, which posed no real problems for Akira Fitzgerald in the Railhawks goal.
    It was eight minutes before they had another one, with Fitzgerald saving well from Davide Chiumiento.
    The half came to an end and it wasn’t the performance from this group of players that we had seen in Orlando.
    Martin Rennie clearly gave the team a bollocking at half time, and with no Caps changes at the interval, it was a more intense Whitecaps from the first whistle of the second half.
    After a few forays forward, the Caps got back on level terms in the 49th minute, when Chiumiento sent a delicately flighted ball onto the head of Long Tan, whose flicking header gave Fitzgerald no chance.
    Tan had been pretty ineffectual in the first half, with Carolina closing him down really quickly and not allowing his pace to shine, but the goal continued his impressive pre-season run of form.
    Matt Watson had a long range drive from the edge of the box saved by Fitzgerald, as Vancouver continued to press.
    Chiumiento was sparking the Whitecaps attack and sent a dangerous ball to the near post in the 56th minute, which Austin King headed out before Russell Teibert could meet it.
    Two minutes later and Chiumiento was in the thick of the action again, with a curling shot from the edge of the box which Fitzgerald had to acrobatically turn round for a corner.
    Carolina had a great chance to re-take the lead in the 70th minute and had the Whitecaps defence scrambling, with Knighton making point blank saves from first Nick Zimmerman and then the impressive Shriver.
    And it was Shriver who gave the Railhawks back the lead a minute later, firing home from the edge of the box after Knighton had kept out a Zimmerman effort with a good stop.
    The match was now end to end, and an enjoyable encounter, with both teams having half chances as the clock ticked down.
    Vancouver tied it up again in the 90th minute, when Tan played a neat ball through to Chiumiento who took a perfect touch before burying it for 2-2.
    Carolina pushed for a stoppage time winner, but with no further goals, the final whistle signalled penalties to decide the Community Shield.
    Vancouver went first, with Sebastien Le Toux and Davide Chiumiento scoring for the Caps, and Sam Stockley and Tommy Drake doing the business for Carolina.
    Long Tan then missed his second penalty in a week, but at least this time he didn’t try to chip it, before Cory Miller made it 3-2 to Carolina.
    Then in a nice touch, former Railhawk Brad Knighton took the next kick. Maybe he shouldn’t have, as he ended up giving Carolina a gift back by blasting it high into the woods behind the stadium, allowing Ty Shipilane to step up and drill home the winning penalty, with a kick to spare.
    It may have been a slightly disappointing end, and display, from the Caps, in what has seemed like a long pre-season, but I was at least impressed to see the fight Vancouver had after the interval and they played some nice football against a tiring Railhawks side.
    Davide Chiumiento probably did himself the most good today, running the show for the Caps, but Matt Watson and Bryce Alderson also impressed in the middle.
    Carolina were clearly up for the game and gave Vancouver more problems than most of our opponents pre-season, with Brian Shriver and veteran Kupono Low particularly impressing.
    The Railhawks certainly raised a few questions about defensive depth, especially when the Caps face a team with pace.
    With all the friendlies now out of the way, the countdown is well underway to Saturday’s ‘First Kick’ against Montreal.
    Only then, will we be able to truly tell just how talented a Whitecaps squad Martin Rennie has put together.
    Final Score: Carolina Railhawks 2 - 2 Vancouver Whitecaps (Carolina win 4-2 on penalties)
    Carolina Railhawks: Akira Fitzgerald; Justin Willis (Jordan Graye 65), Cory Miller, Austin King, Kupono Low (Sam Stockley 90), Amir Lowery, Nick Zimmerman (Ty Shipilane 72), Michael Palacio (Tommy Drake 46), Brian Shriver (Craig Dargo 83), Brian Ackley (Kitson Bain 83), Fredrico (Andre McCreath)
    Vancouver Whitecaps: Brad Knighton; Greg Klazura, Michael Boxall, Carlyle Mitchell, Jordan Harvey; Matt Watson, Bryce Alderson, Russell Teibert (Omar Salgado 71), Davide Chiumiento; Sebastien Le Toux, Long Tan [subs Not Used: Bilal Duckett, Michael Nanchoff, Caleb Clarke, Callum Irving]
    Guest
    The final is set, and the tournament has played out precisely the way we suspected it would so far.
    Canada will get a chance on Tuesday to not only claim its third consecutive Cyprus Cup title, but to earn a bit of revenge against a French team that utterly humiliated them at last summer's Women's World Cup.
    Of course, it's been just over eight months since that blowout in Bochum, and while Big Red has enjoyed success under a new head coach in John Herdman, the roster remains largely the same. So there's certainly no guarantee of fairy-tale redemption for the ladies in red and white.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    France -- to the surprise of no one who watched their run at Germany 2011 -- powered their way to the top of Group A at the Cyprus Cup, finishing off the group stage with a convincing 3-0 win over England on Sunday.
    Canada, like France, also went 3-for-3 in the group stage, but needed an 84th-minute goal from defender Emily Zurrer to scratch their way past the Netherlands 1-0. Coincidentally, Zurrer was the unlikely scorer of the winning goal in the final of the 2011 Cyprus Cup -- against, wouldn't you know it, the Netherlands.
    But Canada can look to no such inspirational parallels in the rematch with France, given the 4-0 scoreline in last year's World Cup showdown. In that game, Zurrer and her defensive counterparts looked outmatched and, at times, outright desperate against the smooth and ruthless attack of the French.
    Herdman, in his months as Canada's head coach, has put much of his emphasis on the backline, working on increasing their composure in the defending third, as well as getting the fullbacks more involved in the attack. In the Pan Am Games and Olympic qualifiers, we've seen the fruits of that labour, with one notable exception: the Olympic qualifying tournament final against the U.S.
    That game, of course, also ended 4-0. And, once again, Canada found itself exposed by a more technically prepared and proficient opponent.
    On paper, the Canada-France matchup is as even as could be, with France currently ranked #6 in the world, and Canada sitting at #7. But as the old, tired cliche goes, they don't play the game on paper. As we saw, all of the high expectations and supposed momentum that Canada carried into Germany 2011 ultimately translated into a last-place finish.
    So France come into the Cyprus Cup final as favourites. As soothing at it would be to the collective psyche of Canadian fans for the ladies in red and white to resoundingly exorcise their World Cup demons on Tuesday, the match should more realistically be looked at as a measuring stick for how far Canada has come since last summer -- and how much work is yet to be done ahead of this summer's Olympics.
    A win would be marvelous and cathartic. A hard-fought loss would be demonstrable evidence of progress. But another lopsided, embarrassing loss?
    Well, let's just hope we don't have to cross that bridge again.
    .
    Guest
    A quick look today shows multiple tickets to Wednesday’s CCL game still available for sale – if you’re willing to pay an outrageous mark-up (I'm not linking because I don't want to promote the sites).
    As expected, ticket speculators gobbled up seats and are using the Beckham brand to try and turn a profit far beyond what is reasonable. It’s greed, pure and simple, and it’s something that should concern everyone. Even if you have your tickets sorted, you should still want a full and involved Rogers Centre for the game. The scalpers need only to sell a portion of the seats they are looking to move at the prices they are asking to cover their costs. They will eat handfuls if they have to, leaving empty seats throughout.
    In the final days before the game, it stands to reason that there will be fans that find themselves with extra seats, or with unexpected commitments that prevent them from going to the game. Let’s make sure those extra tickets end up in the hands of true fans.
    If you have extras that you are willing to sell at cost, please contact me at duanegrollins@gmail.com or on Twitter at @24thminute. Utilizing the reach of CSN, we will find buyers for the seats. Yes, you might be able to make a few bucks by selling to a scalper, but one look at the glutton of tickets out there suggests that any profit you receive will be minimal at best.
    Let’s get real, interested fans in the stadium at an affordable price.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    Rennie Returns For Railhawks Send Off

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    Fresh from winning his first piece of silverware as Vancouver Whitecaps manager in Orlando last night, Martin Rennie makes an early return to Carolina today for the Caps last pre-season match before the MLS campaign gets underway on Saturday.
    It’s bound to be an occasion of mixed emotions for Rennie, who spent three happy seasons in Carolina, guiding them to back to back NASL regular season titles, before losing the Championship game in 2010 and going out on penalties in the playoff semis last season.
    We caught up with Martin after last night’s game and asked him what it meant for him personally going back there:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <i>”Exciting. I’m looking forward to it. Obviously I’ve got a lot of friends there and a lot of happy memories from my time there.
    I also know it will be another tough game. Another bit of silverware on the line as well, the Community Shield.
    So lots to look forward to. It’ll be a good crowd and a lot of people up for the game. I’m hoping we can put on a good show and, again, I’d love us to get another good result.”</i>
    For Railhawks fans it will not only be another chance to say goodbye to their former manager, but also to their three former players who are now Whitecaps – Brad Knighton, Matt Watson and Etienne Barbara – and assistant coach Paul Ritchie.
    Knighton and Watson will start tomorrow. The starting eleven from the game against TFC last night are all heading home to Vancouver, but substitutes Russell Teibert, Bryce Alderson, Omar Salgado and Bilal Duckett will all make the trip to Wakemed Soccer Park.
    It should be a good test for the Caps that have made the short trip north, all of whom are still trying to earn a spot in at least the gameday eighteen next Saturday.
    The Carolina players will be sure to want to impress their former management team and put on a show for the home fans.
    After four clean sheets, this could be the biggest test in recent games for the Whitecaps defence.
    With the way that this group performed in Orlando, we can expect a lot more fight and bite than the rather lacklustre performance against Toronto.
    So one final game, then down to the real business of preparing for ‘First Kick’. It’s been a long time coming and everyone at the Caps just can’t wait for it to finally come around.
    It’s going to be a good year.
    <p>
    Guest
    The instinct of the Toronto FC fan will be to try and find meaning in tonight’s gritty 1-0 loss to Vancouver in the final of the Mickey Mouse Cup.
    After all, the ‘Caps played what was close to a first choice line-up against a Toronto side that for the most part can’t legally enjoy a beer after the game. With the regulars already back in Toronto it was the TFC Academy and friends on the Magic Kingdom pitch tonight.
    They did OK. Although Vancouver carried most of the play, TFC did compete. There was a stretch in the second half where the team in red clearly had its tail up.
    That Vancouver only managed one goal – and it off a strange giveaway – might give a Reds fan reason to question their Canadian rivals.
    You could barely beat the academy! Good luck in the Voyageurs Cup final (if Edmonton doesn’t take you out that is).
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    A little cross-country trash talk is understandable, but it’s also misguided. In the second half, the Whitecaps were more or less trying to get through the game without getting hurt. They wanted to stay organized to avoid the embarrassment of allowing against the kids, but to suggest they were going about things with any sort of intensity would be inaccurate.
    The game told us nothing about the relative strength of the two teams. Both clubs can feel good about their overall performance in Florida – and it’s a shame the game couldn’t have featured a more evenly balanced match-up – but no one goes to pre-season tournaments looking to win them. Trophies are for sponsors. This was about fitness.
    There was, however, one thing we did learn from Toronto’s performance tonight. And it was something that should make all Canadians, regardless of club affiliation, feel good.
    A team featuring a lot of young Canadian players were matched up against a fully professional team and they stood up and accepted the challenge. They played with confidence and they tried things. No one sat back afraid to lose.
    Bluntly, the kids had balls. In the past, young Canadian players tended to play like eunuchs when faced with the type of challenge TFC faced tonight. From a development standpoint that’s gold.
    A 15-year-old tried a dummy tonight. Could you imagine a 15-year-old Canadian getting a run out against a professional side five years ago, let alone one that would have the audacity to be creative?
    TFC academy is making young Canadian players believe they belong. We saw evidence of that tonight and that was far more rewarding than winning would have been.
    NOTE: Yes, I’m aware that the Whitecaps are doing a good job on the academy side too. And, that’s wonderful. It’s just not a topic for a TFC post-game column.
    Guest
    Vancouver won their first silverware of the MLS era, beating Toronto 1-0 to lift the 2012 Disney Pro Soccer Classic at Hess Field in Orlando this evening.
    It may only be a pre-season tournament but after the season the Whitecaps had last year, every little crumb of comfort is great.
    With Toronto having sent their first team back to Canada to concentrate on the upcoming Champions League game with LA Galaxy, the Whitecaps decided to keep their first string guys in Orlando, with the rest of the squad heading to Carolina for tomorrow’s friendly against the Railhawks.
    Vancouver were expected to win, and by some margin, but the doubters would be out in force if they didn’t put in a good showing against the TFC fringe players. In the end, it was a bit of a lacklustre performance, but a win is a win.
    It soon turned into one way traffic, with Vancouver dominating proceedings.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The opening goal of the game came in the 10th minute. Camilo showed a burst of pace on the left and waltzed past the Toronto defence. With players waiting in the middle, and a pass looking likely, the Brazilian took an extra touch before blasting high into the net.
    Vancouver continued to push forward and Eric Hassli broke into the box before cutting back with no-one there. The understanding between Hassli and Darren Mattocks isn’t quite there yet, but it will come, as it will with Sebastien Le Toux.
    Toronto forced a couple of corners which came to nothing, before the Whitecaps went back on the offensive.
    Atiba Harris was moving well all over the field and he nearly set up Mattocks in the 21st minute.
    Harris turned nicely on the edge of the box and played through Mattocks only for Toronto keeper Quillan Roberts to deny the Jamaican with a sprawling leg save.
    Two minutes later and Camilo sent a perfect long ball into the box from just past the halfway line on the left. Hassli met it first time and fired just over.
    The Caps pressure kept coming and a Harris cross come shot had Roberts scrambling but the effort was well wide in the 27th minute.
    Gershon Koffie played a nice one-two with Mattocks in the 34th minute but fired high and over from a good position when he should have done better.
    Another example of the Hassli/Mattocks understanding not being there yet came with eight minutes of the half remaining when Mattocks broke and Hassli expected the pass, which went to Camilo instead and the move broke down.
    Joe Cannon had his first real save of the match to make in the 44th minute, when Keith Makubuya was put through but the Caps goalie smothered both the initial chance and the rebound.
    So 1-0 to Vancouver at the half and it all felt a little like going through the motions for the Caps with Toronto posing no real attacking threat.
    The second half started as a bit of a snoozefest, with nothing of any note happening for either side.
    The game suddenly burst into life in the 62nd minute when Toronto had a great chance to equalise when Junior Burgos found himself clear in the box and forced a good save out of Cannon.
    Toronto kept the pressure on and Moises Orozco went close seconds later.
    The Whitecaps were offering nothing much in reply. Koffie fired wide in the 74th minute and Mattocks curled an effort past the post in the 81st minute, as their hearts didn’t really seem in the game.
    Whitecaps substitute Omar Salgado nearly killed the game off for Vancouver with two minutes remaining, with a speculative effort that had Roberts scrambling.
    This was to be the final action of note in a game that Vancouver were never in danger of losing from the first whistle to the last, and I think this came across in the performance on the park in the end.
    So the first trophy of the Martin Rennie Whitecaps era.
    The final may not have been won in the greatest of style, but the way that Vancouver got there certainly was impressive.
    The lack of action that the first team guys on display tonight got in Orlando probably added to their rustiness. If this is to be pretty much Vancouver’s first team going into the Montreal game next Saturday, they need to shake it off quick and add a bit of intensity to their play. Which they surely will with the Impact in town.
    As we said earlier, a win’s a win and a trophy is a trophy and the Whitecaps are the proud owners of a nice shiny one right now.
    Final Score: Vancouver Whitecaps 1 - 0 Toronto
    Vancouver Whitecaps: Joe Cannon, Young-Pyo Lee, Martin Bonjour, Jay DeMerit, Alain Rochat, Atiba Harris (Omar Salgado 71), Jun Marques Davidson, Gershon Koffie, Camilo Sanvezzo, Darren Mattocks, Eric Hassli (Russell Teibert 54)
    Toronto (starting line up): Quillan Roberts, Michael Green, Jay Chapman, Kevin Huezo, Logan Emory, Eric Avila, Oscar Cordon, Junior Burgos, Keith Makubuya, Nick Soolsma, Moises Orozco
    Guest

    The absurdity of Torsten Frings

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    That Torsten Frings plays for Toronto FC is absurd.
    Unbelievable, really. This is a player that was part of the global elite throughout the late 90s and early 00s. He was part of the spine of the German national team and would be instantly recognizable in any major city in the world outside of North America.
    Yes, he’s on the back-end of his career, but he could still perform at a high level and most certainly could have made more money outside on MLS.
    He came to Toronto to blend in. There are a lot of soccer fans in the city, but they are spread out and generally maintain a certain Canadian modesty when it comes to approaching celebrity.
    Perhaps that’s why Frings doesn’t get the attention that he deserves. If you were to ask a casual sports fan who the most accomplished professional athlete currently playing for a Toronto team was he’d likely be overlooked.
    It’s Frings though. It’s not even close. Actually, he’d be on a short list of most accomplished professional athletes to ever play for a Toronto team.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    In soccer only Eusébio compares.
    Basketball would add Vince Carter and, despite how poorly he played while here, Hakeem Olajuwon.
    Baseball probably adds the biggest names to the debate. Roberto Alomar, Dave Winfield, Roy Halladay, Paul Molitor and Roger Clemens are all superstars that once wore the Jays cap.
    Oddly (and tellingly), hockey doesn’t add much to the conversation. There have been very good Leafs, but few that would be truly world class.
    This conversation is hardly scientific and I’m sure I’m missing someone. So, what are your thoughts? Where does Frings rate in terms of an all-time ranking of most accomplished professional athletes to represent Toronto?
    Guest
    As Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto prepare to do battle in today’s final of the Disney Pro Soccer Classic in Orlando, TSN’s decision to broadcast the match is huge for the domestic game.
    This isn’t just about fans getting to see two Canadian teams square off for some silverware, a major network has changed their schedule at the last minute to show a pre-season game which means very little in the grand scheme of things.
    For me, that’s massive for football here.
    Moving to Canada from a football crazy nation, where every little thing is over analyzed in all aspects of the media and stories don’t just make the back pages of the papers, but also the front, it’s been hard to get used to seeing the game fight for fleeting mentions on TV sports news round ups and column inches in newspapers.
    Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand why this is the case. It just wears you down seeing back to back hockey clips (or basketball as it turns out to be at this time of year in Florida).
    But maybe, just maybe, things are starting to slowly change and showing a Whitecaps pre-season game is a step on the road to getting there.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It’s certainly not something I thought I would ever see happen at this point in time.
    For anyone still unaware, as soon as Toronto reached the final, fans of both teams wanted to know how they could watch the game. The group matches after all were all broadcast on MLSsoccer.com, but rumours quickly circulated that this wouldn’t be the case for the final.
    ESPN3 are broadcasting the 3rd/4th place Texan derby between Houston and Dallas, and the final between the Caps and TFC, across the US and initially it looked like the game would not be able to be seen legally in Canada due to streaming blocks.
    With fans up in arms, in stepped TSN and the final will now be streamed live online on the TSN website and on delayed coverage, of around an hour, on TSN2 and TSN mobile.
    TSN were already committed to showing lacrosse and curling at kick off time, but their desire to move swiftly to allow Canadian fans to see this game should be applauded and shows the network’s commitment to MLS, the three Canadian teams and the sport in general:
    <i>”TSN is extremely excited to work with presenting sponsor Bell to bring live coverage of the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic to Canadians who would have otherwise been unable to see two homegrown teams in action this weekend,"</i> said Shawn Redmond, Vice-President of Programming for TSN.
    <i>"Soccer fans across the country can now get primed for the start of the MLS regular season as Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC battle it out for pre-season bragging rights on Saturday night."</i>
    So what prompted the quick decision to change original plans and show the game? Whitecaps shirt sponsors Bell had a part to play in it all, as did fan pressure:
    <i>"With three MLS teams in Canada, we can feel the passion that is building in the pre-season work-up to the March 10 season opener in Vancouver,"</i> said Loring Phinney, Vice-President of Corporate Marketing for Bell Canada. <i>"Our sponsorship commitment has always been to help fans get closer to their team, and with this quick action in partnership with TSN, we’re thrilled to help make that connection better."</i>
    TSN and RDS are the official broadcasters of Major League Soccer in Canada, with a national broadcast package that includes 36 games featuring the Caps, TFC and the Impact.
    Even more importantly, in some ways, for the domestic league, the channels also have live coverage of 34 games featuring U.S.-based teams, along with exclusive Canadian coverage of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the MLS Cup 2012 and the MLS All-Star game.
    The commitment is excellent and shows the foothold that football is taking in the sporting consciousness of not just the fans here but also the television executives. For those that constantly dismiss the sport as being nothing compared to the American "big four", it shows that it does have a place and an audience on TV here.
    We all know there’s no other sport like it and now the rest are starting to cotton on.
    You don’t need to watch the Premiership and UEFA Champions League to see good football on your TV screens, or even better, in person. Support the local game, and that’s just what TSN and Bell are doing.
    Measure this up with the way Sportsnet treated their Whitecaps coverage last season, with game broadcasts delayed or starting during the match to accommodate over-running baseball games between two American teams.
    At the end of the day, this may just be a broadcast of a match from a pre-season tournament most people won’t even have heard of, but for the future of the game and the television coverage of it in Canada, this is a very significant decision indeed and one brought about in part by demands from the fans.
    This may seem a bit of an over-reaction to all of this, but I do feel it's a big step in the right direction for the sport here.
    Let’s hope that everyone gets a game worthy of all this effort and commitment, and a Whitecaps win of course!
    <p>
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