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    Guest
    Vancouver Whitecaps’ training continued apace today. Not only did the sun come out for the first time this week, but it was joined by two players making their first training camp appearances of 2012.
    Last season’s top scorer Camilo returned from Brazil, after a family illness, raring to go and with the imminent offer of a new, improved contract following his goalscoring exploits in 2011. Also making his first appearance in camp was South Korean defender Y-P Lee, who himself was returning to Vancouver after a family illness.
    Both players saw limited training time today, with the goal being to have them gently ease back into things and avoid any unnecessary injuries after their long lay-off. They are expected to train a little bit more tomorrow and Monday, before the team heads down to Arizona for a ten day training camp in much warmer climes.
    Of those that did the full session, there were a few standout performances and none more so than from Lee Nguyen, who scored a couple of cracking goals and showed not only a nice turn of pace, but also the willingness to go in for some tough tackles. He’s certainly a player I’m looking forward to seeing in an actual match.
    With the 25 signed players going through their paces, safe(ish) in the knowledge that they have a MLS contract, for nine of those in camp, the key is to try and impress Martin Rennie and the coaching team enough to earn one of the few remaining spots.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Maltese striker Etienne Barbara is still expected to be a given to join the squad, and new assistant coach Jake DeClute told us after the game that he’s a little banged up at the moment, but should be good to go at full pace soon.
    The Caps three Supplemental draft picks, and SuperDraft selectee Chris Estridge, have shown the odd glimpses of what has them here, but from what we’ve seen so far, none of them are standing out enough to be considered worthy of a MLS contract just yet.
    What interests us a lot more than the draftees, is how well the three Whitecaps Residency guys do this week, and going forward in pre-season training.
    Striker Caleb Clarke hasn’t done anything wrong, but equally hasn’t stood out so far, whilst goalkeeper Callum Irving had a great session today, with a string of fine saves and looked the much better keeper over draft pick Andrew Fontein. The last member of the Residency trio, forward Ben Fisk, has looked good all week, and took some nice goals in his group’s mini game this morning.
    It’s great to see all three of these Vancouver born and bred players in the camp (technically Richmond in Clarke’s case) and hopefully adding to the homegrown talent of Russell Teibert and Bryce Alderson in the Caps MLS squad down the line.
    How does Martin Rennie feel the Residency guys have done in camp so far?
    <i>”I think they’ve done well. I think Ben Fisk did really well today. His finishing was good and his movement was good.
    The thing with the Residency guys is they’re used to playing at this kind of tempo. The way I like to do it, is the way that Richard [Grootscholten, the Caps Residency Technical Director] likes to do it, so they’ve kind of got a little advantage in that area, so they’ve all done well.”</i>
    Having later told Carl Valentine that Ben Fisk was the player that stood out most for him today, if the Caps do add another homegrown talent to the squad for this season, Fisk looks to be the prime candidate right now. Signing a MLS contract for his hometown Club must be his main footballing goal right now:
    <i>”Definitely. I’m going to be 19 this year. All my idols were playing in the first team when they were 19, so for me that’s what I want to try and do.”</i>
    How has Ben found the camp so far this week?
    <i>”It’s been good. It’s just really nice to be involved. I really like Martin and the coaching staff. For me, it’s really exciting.”</i>
    For a young prospect to be singled out by Martin Rennie as his stand out guy today, with all the more experienced talent out there, it must be a huge confidence boost. Does it mean a lot to hear that?
    <i>”Yeah, definitely. I’m one of the younger guys so it’s really nice to be recognised, but it’s got to be more than one good day. I got to keep that up for the whole camp.”</i>
    Tomorrow sees an 11 v 11 game to round off week one of training, and it’s a match that will allow Fisk, and all the others, to show in gametime action just what they can add to the Caps squad.
    <i>”A lot of it right now is just judging where the players fit together and seeing where we need extra players or extra characteristics or seeing where a guy maybe fits the bill or doesn’t.”</i> was Rennie’s take on what he’s looking for out of tomorrow.
    There’s still a lot to prove for many of the guys in camp right now. If Ben Fisk continues going the way he has in training, and with the Residency these last few seasons, then hopes are high that he will become the latest Canadian on the Whitecaps MLS squad.
    We’re certainly rooting for him.
    <p>
    Guest

    Vancouver's Olympic sized challenge

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Earlier today BC Place announced that it was releasing more tickets for the Olympic qualifying semi-final double header Friday. It didn’t say who was buying the tickets so we have no way of knowing whether they fans that show up will be wearing red and white, red, white and blue or green (we can assume Costa Rica fans will not be an overwhelming force).
    We do know that about 6,000 Mexican fans showed up on a weeknight to watch the final game of the group stage against the United States. We’ve heard that more will be in the stands on Friday.
    So, the potential of Canadian fans being outnumbered (again) in their own country is there. This is not shocking for those that have followed both the men’s and women’s national teams for very long. For a multitude of reasons – frustrating reasons – Canadians are reluctant to wave the flag for our soccer teams.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Without turning this into a regional pissing match there is a lesson to learn here. Pro away support isn’t a Toronto problem, as many outside of the GTA have suggested in the past. It’s a Canada problem and one that won’t be fixed by the efforts of supporters alone. So, if the crowd is mostly green Friday let’s not go throwing BCers under the bus. Glass houses and all.
    However, let’s not let them off the hook completely either. Not the ones that are there – no, the Voyageurs/Southsiders have done as much as you can ask of them. Rather, the ones, particularly the ones that go to Whitecaps games but have yet to set foot inside BC Place this week, that are not there. Those folks should be gently chastised and less gently convinced to get off the lazyboy and get out to the stadium.
    The 11 young women wearing red Friday are representing you. Cheering them on is the least you can do. If you are in the Lower Mainland and are on the fence about this get off. The Canucks aren’t playing and you’re an Olympic city for God’s sake. Get out there. No excuses.
    Unless you are a self-hating Canadian with a great-great-great grandfather that might have came from Mexico in 1786. You can stay home.
    If you are from the Lower Mainland, let us know in the comments if you are going.
    Guest

    A Red Dawn: Bienvenida a Toronto

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    He’s a defender and that’s a good thing. However, at this point that’s all we really know about Geovanny Caicedo, the Ecuadorian defender that TFC singed today.
    The resume looks good. He’s an international. He’s big. And he’s South American (and therefore likely relatively cheap on the cap). So, there is reason to hope.
    So, don’t shoot the messenger (that would be me) for telling everyone to take a deep breath. There have been promising signings before. We simply don’t know enough about Caicedo to judge whether he’s the guy to finally plug the hole in TFC’s back-line. We will at least need to see him play against MLS competition first.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    We won’t have to wait long. About a month from now Toronto will be in the thick of its preseason schedule. The Disney tournament holds the potential of illumination far more than past pre-season friendlies have. Watch that Web stream carefully for evidence of hope.
    There are two pitfalls that take down players like Caicedo in MLS. The first is the physicality of MLS. Judging by his size – it looked like the Argos and TFC mixed up their signings today when he was introduced – that shouldn’t be a problem. The only real question is whether he’s quick enough, but the Ecuador caps suggest he might be.
    The second is less easy to brush aside. Language. That Joao Plata can’t really speak a lick of English yet is less of an issue than having the guy that is supposed to be marshalling your back-line screaming at defenders in Spanish – paging Rosetta Stone.
    The caveat here is that the rumours of another Latin American coming in to start beside him continue. And half TFC’s midfielders speak Spanish. The team’s starting to have quite the Latin feel to it actually. So, maybe it doesn’t matter.
    Regardless, it’s hard to remember a day in recent TFC history full of so much hope. Caicedo and the full-time move of Richard Eckersley has the Reds faithful in a tizzy.
    It’s been a while. Feels good, doesn’t it?
    So good I won’t bother you with my concerns that Eckersley is slightly overrated by Toronto fans. For that, I’ll wait until tomorrow.
    Guest
    The Canadian Soccer Association confirmed the format and the fixtures for the Voyageurs Cup today.
    Clubs were seeded based on their 2011 league results in MLS and NASL respectively and the two legged semi and final format remains for now.
    Toronto FC (1) will face the Montreal Impact (4) on May. 2 and May 9, with the Vancouver Whitecaps (2) and FC Edmonton (3) squaring off in the other semi.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The highest seed will have the option to start or finish the two-legged final at home.
    The CSA also announced that it is renaming the Canadian Championship the Amway Canadian Championship*
    ____
    SEMI-FINALS
    2 May:
    Impact Montréal v Toronto FC – in Montréal
    FC Edmonton v Vancouver Whitecaps FC – in Edmonton
    9 May:
    Toronto FC v Impact Montréal – in Toronto
    Vancouver Whitecaps FC v FC Edmonton – in Vancouver
    FINAL:
    16 May:
    Winner of Semi-Final 1 v Winner of Semi-Final 2 – Location TBD
    23 May:
    Winner of Semi-Final 2 v Winner of Semi-Final 1 – Location TBD
    * - Coincidently, or perhaps not, CSN released a similar press release at the exact same time re-affirming its commitment to ignoring silly titles and calling the tournament by its rightful title: The Voyageurs Cup.
    Guest

    TFC sign Ecuadorean defender Caicedo

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Toronto FC are currently holding their annual pre-season Media Day, and head coach Aron Winter has used the opportunity to announce the signing of Ecuadorean centre back Geovanny Caicedo.
    The 30-year-old arrives at TFC from LDU Quito, which is also the former club of starlet Joao Plata. He has earned eight caps with his national team, including one versus Canada at BMO Field in 2011.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Caicedo was one of two long-rumoured defensive acquisitions for the Reds, with the other being Chilean Miguel Aceval. When asked about whether TFC will be signing another defender from South America, Winter simply said, "yes." The Dutch coach answered the follow-up question -- whether the defender is from Chile -- by saying "the chance is big."
    Guest
    It was a Burns Night hootenanny, and the "West Coast Soccer Weekly" guys were in celebratory mood. Not only for Scotland's national poet, but also for the Canadian Women's National Team, now one game away from reaching the London Olympics in the summer.
    There's haggis, scotch pies, shortbread and the usual tiresome dodgy jokes and innuendo that has listeners tuning in every week in their thousands, or was that turning off?
    In amongst it all, we're joined by not one, but two members of Canada's Olympic squad.
    Regular listeners will know our show is all about the nonsense at times, so we wanted a couple of guests that were great sports and liked a laugh. You don't have to look any further than local lass Chelsea Buckland and Carmelina Moscato.
    We talk about the group games, how the girls are preparing to handle a big semi and what it would mean to beat those primadonna Yankees on home soil. Carmelina looks at the past, present and future of the women's game in Canada and we find out what Chelsea's favourite position is and what the Southsiders gave her for her birthday.
    There's jokes about Beavers and which lucky girl is going to get an offal doggy bag after Friday's game?
    The girls also have a message for Canadian fans ahead of the Mexican game and if it doesn't get you pumped up and wanting to head along and cheer them to victory, then you have no maple syrup in your veins.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    If there's ladies around, then Southsiders VP Brett Graham won't be far behind and he becomes the podcast's first (and probably last) guest to come along to the actual studio, as he tells us how he's enjoyed the tournament so far, discusses the group's new charity venture, which has been helped out by the CWNT, and addresses criticism levied at the supporters' group for being too 'Southsiders' and not enough 'Voyageurs'.
    There's also time to chat about all of the comings and goings in Whitecapland, Pierce's sister, Sportsnet and of course, our show sweetheart Chelsea Stewart.
    Pierce even finds time to try and pick a fight with Toronto's U Sector. We don't know why either and I think we all know that will just end in tears.
    All that and lots more. Have a listen, remember it's a light-hearted show, no staid analysis here, and get in the mood for Friday's crunch semi final.
    You can listen to this week's podcast (and the previous ones) on iTunes HERE or download it for your later listening "pleasure" HERE.
    Or have a listen on one of the players below:
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    Guest

    Addition by lack of subtraction?

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Although TFC has yet to make a significant off-season signing, they did manage to keep two key players from the 2011 side in Richard Eckersley and Joao Plata.
    It was suggested by many, including this writer, that it was unlikely that they could find a way to get both back. So, credit must be given to the club for finding a way.
    Until we learn the full value of the contracts we cannot fully evaluate the moves, but it was important from a symbolic level to get two of the more popular players back. There has been far too much turnover in Toronto over the years and keeping two fan favourites matters.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    As I think we all know by now, the Canadian Soccer Association is getting a new governance structure in May.
    Gone will be the old system, where all provincial and territorial soccer association presidents get an automatic seat on the board, even if they have profound conflicts-of-interest, and lack the experience and ideas needed to help the game at the national level.
    As many as three of these folks may, in fact remain. But a year from now it drops to two. Another vanishes in 2014, and they’re all gone in three years. They can remain at Metcalfe Street, but would have to give up their provincial post.
    The new board will be a president and vice-president, with six elected regional reps and six appointed experts – three this year, three next.
    We’ve already talked a fair bit about the appointed positions, and much more is coming very soon.
    This morning, though, let’s focus on the six elected regional reps, and how they will be selected.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    In the long-required and much-needed interest of efficiency, this compacting of the board requires certain territories and provinces to bunk in together. The six regional reps will represent:
    1) B.C. and the Yukon
    2) Alberta and the NWT
    3) Saskatchewan and Manitoba
    4) Ontario
    5) Quebec and Nunavut
    6) The Maritimes
    I might not be completely clear on the placement of the various territories, but you get the general idea.
    What I’ve learned is there will not be six separate elections for these six board seats. Anyone who wants to run throws his or her name into one big hat.
    Literally anyone. You, me and a four-piece rumba band can stand for election – as long as each of us represents a different geographical region.
    The idea, apparently, is to remove the idea that these new members will specifically represent the issues of a single region. What the CSA Nominations Committee really wants is people who, first and foremost, can contribute to the national agenda and debate.
    So – once all the names are in the hat, the voting membership of the CSA casts ballots, voting for one candidate each. Anyone with 50% or more is welcomed to the board – provided their regional seat hasn’t already been filled by someone with more votes.
    If that doesn’t fill all six seats (and I don’t see any mathematical way it can), the last-place candidate drops off – along with any remaining candidates who no longer have a free seat to run for – and a new round of voting is held. This goes on (six rounds, maximum) until all six regional elected board seats are filled.
    This leaves behind a couple of intriguing questions, answers for which are not yet clear at press time.
    1) What happens if there is only one candidate from a particular region? Ontario, for example, is setting up a panel to choose its preferred nominee. I’d be shocked if no one else stepped forward, but who knows? Apparently, the election proceeds until the single candidate clears the 50% threshold.
    2) What happens if the only candidate from a small region finishes dead last in a round of voting? Unlikely to happen, but this is just exactly the kind of soft, fuzzy, naïve blind spot the Canadian Soccer Association has been known to accidentally inflict on itself.
    The other thing to bear in mind is that the provinces vote disproportionally, based on the membership fees they collect.
    Ontario wields a quarter of the votes all by itself. Once their rep is in place, they could theoretically use that power to pick and choose who they’d prefer to hold any one vacant seat in any and all subsequent rounds. That could prove very interesting, setting the table for trans-regional agenda building, which may not be what some of the smaller regions are expecting – or hoping for.
    That’s about enough to chew on for now. Up next, a discussion of who actually gets to vote – and who doesn’t.
    Onward!
    Guest
    Barring a terrible training camp, TFC academy stand-out Stefan Vukovic is likely to become the next home grown signing for TFC.
    Vukovic had 18 goals for TFCA in the 2011 Canadian Soccer League season. He was the league's leading scorer -- impressive considering he was a teenager playing in a semi-pro league against men.
    CSN learned several weeks ago that the club was leaning towards offering Vukovic a contract. He's currently in camp with the club and would need to have a truly terrible performance to not be offered. There is no indication that the Vukovic camp would turn down an offer.
    An official in the CSL told CSN that Vukovic "has nothing left to learn" playing in the league and that he expected him to be in MLS in 2012.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    Ecks move nears

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    According to English media, Richard Eckersley has officially parted ways with Burnley today.
    It’s expected he will re-join TFC this week .
    More as it develops.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    Jackson on the move?

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Rumours have surfaced linking Simeon Jackson to a £1.5 million move to Championship side Reading.
    It's a classic case of a player looking to move to where he'll be the first choice. He's played limited minutes for Norwich City this year, scoring just two goals.
    However, there could be some worry that Jackson might end up following the career path of the last diminutive Canadian striker of note in England -- Paul Peschisolido.
    Peschisolido had a long and successful career in England, but never managed to break through at the top level despite helping several Championship clubs to promotion.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    OWQ Day 6: The rest of the story

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    It’s telling when you have to attach the word “only” to a 4-0 win.
    Yet, here we are. The United States could only muster a 4-0 win against their rivals last night. Mexico even had a couple attempts on net. No saves for Hope Solo, but she did have to move a couple times.
    Actually she might have moved a bit too much, somehow tweaking something in her leg on a routine kick. Like the stubborn fool that she is she stayed in the game after, despite the game being well under control.
    For their part Mexico looked like they were at least playing the same sport as the Americans. In fact there were stretches, especially in the latter part of the first half, where they were the equal to the Americans. Mexico has some technical skill, no doubt, and is much, much more athletic than it was just a few short years ago (and much, much, much, much more athletic than the rest of the field in Vancouver, sans Canada). Based on the evidence on hand they will push Canada Friday in the semi-final.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    They’ll push them, but they probably won’t beat them. As Canadian soccer fans we are inclined to see the negative in every possibility. However, worrying too much about Mexico is silly.
    Canada handled this same team twice in Mexico a year ago in World Cup qualifying. One of the games was a 3-0 whitewash. Although Canada doesn’t do much better against the US than the Mexicans do they do perform better against them. In any comparison you can pull out Canada comes out on top.
    What settles it, however, is a feeling that this Canadian team is psychologically stronger than teams in the past. Whether it’s the simple relief of getting out of a relationship that was more abusive than you realized at the time (hello Carolina – still don’t have a job I see...), or if John Herdman has managed to change the attitude is unknown. However, something is different.
    Mexico won’t be a pushover. Let’s call it a hard fought 2-0 win for the Canucks. Then the real work of preparing for London can begin.
    Guest
    One by one the players have trickled back to Toronto. Whether they are fresh faced supplementary draft picks or former German internationals, it’s like Christmas morning at BMO Field with Aron Winter a Dutch version of a moderately dysthymic Santa.
    Fans, of course, are the Grinch – well, a more sarcastic, less hopeful and generally bitter version of him anyway.
    After all, they are living through year six of Mo’s five year plan, rather than the second of Winter’s three year one. They keep the noose off the neck only with the realization that they aren’t Whitecaps fans preparing to see Martin Rennie’s great D2 in MLS experiment play out.
    They also have five games with the Impact to look forward to – no such thing as too much of a good thing in MLS 2012! Tic tac and all that.
    But, by and large though this isn’t baseball – you’ll find no over the top, sappy analogies about the meaning of life and glory of $13.75 beers in soccer. Nope, there is no poetry in soccer. Just pain. Lots of pain.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Pain of another damn year without a centreback in Toronto, apparently. Hopefully that’s a “yet” and Winter and Co are going to fix that glaring problem soon. Those nooses might go on the necks if we hit year seven of the Scotsman's plan.
    A Red Dawn will appear during the pre-season. It shall provide all the links, snarky comment and occasional insight that any Reds' fan could ever need.
    Will it provide hope too? Sure, it will. Against our better judgment we do have hope for Toronto in 2012. You’d think that the law of averages would set in at some point. Making the playoffs in MLS is the epitome of shooting low hanging fruit in a barrel (or something like that anyway).
    However, we’ve also been there. We’ve heard the promises and followed the infamous chase for the great centreback pairing of Du’etime and I. M. Minent. Our cynicism is well earned.
    It’s said that the definition of insanity is to repeat the same behaviour over and over again while expecting a different result.
    Welcome to 2012 – let’s get crazy!
    Guest
    The Supporters' Groups from the three Cascadia MLS clubs have agreed on new rules for the Cascadia Cup after Major League Soccer moved to an unbalanced schedule in 2012.
    The Emerald City Supporters, Southsiders and Timbers Army agreed that all matches will count towards the Cascadia Cup, even though the new unbalanced MLS schedule means each team will play a different number of home games against their Cascadia rivals this season.
    <i>"We all agreed that this was the simplest format, one that all fans will find easiest to follow"</i> commented Southsiders' spokesperson Brenton Walters.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Portland Timbers will host both Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps twice, Vancouver will see Portland once and Seattle twice at home, and Seattle will only host each team once.
    Despite this imbalance, the three Supporters' Groups agreed to count all matches equally in order to keep the 2012 Cascadia Cup format simple.
    <i>"It’s unfortunate that the league didn’t work out a balanced schedule for the Cascadia teams"</i> added Garrett Dittfurth of the Timbers Army. <i>"We think the league should fix this for next season so that no team has an unfair advantage in Cup matches."</i>
    The Cascadia Cup will be awarded to the team with the most points after all matches have been played, or when there is a clear winner. In the event of a tie, the Cup will be awarded to the team with the best goal differential.
    With the MLS schedule likely to remain unbalanced in 2013, the Emerald City Supporters, Southsiders and Timbers Army are insisting that it should allow for a fair distribution of the home and away matches amongst the Cascadia clubs.
    Greg Mockos of Seattle's Emerald City Supporters had a message for the League:
    <i>"Cascadia is home to the oldest and strongest rivalry in North American soccer, and the value that the supporters put on the Cascadia Cup reflects that. The league should pay attention."</i>
    Once the schedule had been announced, fans of all three sides were wondering what format this year's Cascadia Cup would take.
    For us, there was only one reasonable decision, and thankfully all three Supporters' Groups have now made the correct one.
    The Cascadia Cup was established in 2004 by supporters of all three sides in the Pacific Northwest. Vancouver and Seattle have lifted the Cup on three occasions, with Portland claiming the silverware twice.
    Seattle comfortably won the 2011 version, which saw the trophy return to a three team format for the first time in three years. With Vancouver last winning the Cup in 2008, and Portland never winning it with all teams competing, the 2012 version could be the most competitive one yet.
    Let battle commence.
    <p>
    Guest

    OWQ Day 5: the Rest of the Story

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Make no mistake the American women came to Vancouver with one thing in mind – beat Mexico and beat them bad.
    The rest is just details. Qualifying for the Olympics? Meh. That’s expected. Winning the Olympics is the USA’s goal, not getting there.
    Beating Canada? Ha! Canada is so far from their radar that it’s silly to even suggest that the Canucks play any motivating role for the US at all. They (kind of) respect Canada (a bit) and many of the women are friends with the Canadians, but that’s about it.
    The rivalry is Mexico. It is in the men’s game and it is with the women too. It doesn’t matter that the Americans have beaten Mexico in 96.1 per cent of games played between the two countries. It’s that 3.9 per cent that drives the USA women.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    As most would know, the one loss came against Mexico last year in World Cup qualifying. It forced the Americans to take the back door to the World Cup by beating Italy in a playoff.
    Although it worked out for them – a runner’s up medal in German attests to that – the loss embarrassed them. This is a team that does not like to lose ever. It has a stated goal of scoring eight goals per game in CONCACAF for God’s sake. They are more than a bit ruthless.
    They might get eight tonight. They are pissed, motivated and damn good. Even those in the United States that were a bit uncomfortable with the size of the previous two wins in this competition are out for blood.
    Mexico has improved a great deal and has some issues of its own with the Gringos. However, the perfect storm – U.S. in possibly its worst form in history, Mexico playing a perfect game and a rowdy, partisan crowd (that wasn’t being told by stadium security to tone it down...) behind them – is not in play.
    In the bland and neutral environment of B.C. Place you can expect a clinical performance by the United States.
    It’s what they came here to do after all.
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