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    Guest
    (This article originally appeared at Canadian Soccer News on April 13, 2011. Wondering what this is? Click here.)
    As David Beckham prepares to suit up against Toronto FC for the first time, news that the L.A. Galaxy star might return to Major League Soccer in 2012 came as a shock to some soccer fans.
    Others, however, weren't quite as blown away.
    "Yeah he's, like, a thousand years old, so I guess it's weird that he'd come back," said TFC fan Aiden Marsh, 10. "But of course he's gonna play in MLS. Where else would he play, the NHL?"
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Aiden, who says he became hooked on soccer after being taken to BMO Field for a game last summer, was unable to identify any of the clubs Beckham had represented prior to signing with L.A. in 2007.
    "I heard he went to Italy for something last year, but I thought that was, like, a vacation. Or I dunno, some kind of party, like a bunga bunga or whatever."
    Mentions of Manchester United, Real Madrid, the red card, the Greece free kick and the Spice Girls were met with glazed expressions.
    "But he did kick all three balls into those three garbage cans on YouTube!" chimed in Aiden's friend Cody Johnson, 11. "That was pretty sick."
    "Oh that was fake, you idiot," posited Aiden. "It's just an ad for Pepsi."
    "Just 'cause it's an ad doesn't mean it's fake," retorted Cody. "I heard he practiced for, like, three days. Someone could probably do it."
    "You're so stupid," concluded Aiden.
    The two were asked why, since they're obviously technologically savvy, they'd never thought to google Beckham's name.
    "Why would I bother?" asked Aiden. "He's not even that good."
    "His wife is hot, though," said Cody.
    "Yeah, you would say that," said Aiden. "Idiot."
    Guest

    Timewasting: Whitecaps 12 Days Of Christmas

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    <p>
    <p>
    <i>Two more sleeps till the twelve days of Christmas begin.
    So to get us all in the mood, AFTN brings you a festive Vancouver Whitecaps Christmas sing-a-long....</i>
    <p>
    <p>
    On the twelfth day of Christmas, the Whitecaps gave to me,
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    12 goals from Camilo
    11 ponchos flying
    10 games from Jarju
    9 assists from Chiumiento
    8 half time leads
    7 pens awarded
    6 wins all season
    5 draws on the road
    4 First Kick goals
    3 Hassli reds
    2 stadiums
    And a new coach, Martin Rennie
    <p>
    Guest

    A history worth celebrating

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Eusébio, the great Portuguese international, is ill. Although reports of the seriousness of the problem vary – some are suggesting that his hospitalization is merely precautionary, while others are preparing for the worst – it is a reminder that even the great ones have a limited time on this earth.
    It’s also a reminder that we in Toronto are often too quick to forget our past, especially when it comes to the rich and, yes, at times successful soccer history in this city.
    Eusébio is part of that history. The Black Panther only played one season here, but he’s remained connected to the city ever since. He’s traveled back to Toronto whenever asked, recently returning to promote the South Africa World Cup and, quietly, taking part in a 35th anniversary celebration of the Toronto Metros-Croatia Soccer Bowl championship.
    He was undoubtedly past his prime when he led Toronto to that oft-forgotten title, the last this city has seen in the sport. However, a strong argument can be made that he remains the greatest footballer to ever play for a Toronto team.
    It’s interesting to compare how Toronto and Vancouver treat their NASL past. The Whitecaps have “est 1974” stitched onto the back of their strips, whereas TFC seemed to go out of their way to distance itself from all previous Toronto teams.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    You can sort of understand why they might not want to be associated with the Lynx – the on-field failure (eight of 10 seasons without playoffs, including the last six it spent at D2) was only matched by inept business operations. The Lynx were a minor league operation in all ways.
    The NASL history, however, should not be ignored. Toronto was a part of the league from 1971 to it folded in 1984 – and, technically, the Blizzard never did go under. It was just hard to continue without a league to play in. They were successful on the pitch, winning one title. Although attendance was inconsistent from year to year it would be wrong to suggest that the team didn’t have a following.
    It’s a great piece of trivia that the final NASL game was played in Toronto at the sadly departed Varsity Stadium. The Toronto fans defiantly invaded the pitch at the final whistle, many likely aware that it would be a long time before top flight soccer would return to the city. I know for a fact that some of the folks that rushed from the stands that day were also there in 2007 when TFC launched. I know because I stand with some of them today.
    In short, the NASL was, in no way, a failure in Toronto.
    Isn’t it about time that we embrace and celebrate that past a bit more?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc2x6FiC73Y


    Guest
    <i>Every week (or whenever takes our fancy) we think of a subject for a football team to be based around, then fill it with our starting eleven of MLS players with some appropriate name changes, or even better, just as is!
    Your scouting job is to come up with the subs bench, from any player from around the world, and leave your player suggestions in the comments section.
    With the festive season now fully upon us, this week we bring you our <b>"Christmas XI"</b>...</i>
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <center>******************************************************************</center>
    <b>GK:</b> Jay Holly (Chicago Fire)
    <b>D :</b> Bauble Boswell (Houston Dynamo)
    <b>D :</b> Grotto Loewy (ex New England Revolution)
    <b>D :</b> Wreath Pearce (Chivas)
    <b>M :</b> Brian Mulledwine (Colorado Rapids)
    <b>M :</b> Sebastian Le Mistletoe (Philadelphia Union)
    <b>M :</b> Elfaro Fernandez (Seattle Sounders)
    <b>M :</b> Brian Carroll (Philadelphia Union)
    <b>F :</b> Adam Cristmas (Los Angeles Galaxy)
    <b>F :</b> Macoumba Kandi Cane (Colorado Rapids)
    <b>F :</b> Maicon Santas (Dallas)
    Hopefully the defence doesn't give out too many presents.
    <p>
    Guest
    (This article originally appeared at Some Canadian Guys Writing About Soccer on November 20, 2009. Wondering what this is? Click here.)
    In an effort to increase the sport’s visibility and popularity across the country, Canadian soccer officials have undertaken a bold venture to rename and rebrand the entire sport as “foot hockey”.
    Officials with the Canadian Foot Hockey Association (formerly the Canadian Soccer Association) say that the move will help those in the Great White North form a deeper emotional bond with the beautiful game, conditioned as they are to equate anything hockey-related with their own fragile, conflicted idea of self- and national identity.
    “We saw the way the country came together after the Canadian teams won gold medals in ice hockey at the 2002 Olympics,” said one CFHA official. “We want to create that same visceral excitement with soc… err, foot hockey.”
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The name is derived from a popular Canadian schoolyard game in which two teams of players kick a ball (usually a tennis ball) in an attempt to score on the other team’s net. Despite bearing a striking resemblance to soccer, the game has traditionally been known as “foot hockey” because Canadians are only allowed to enjoy or be proud of anything athletically-related if it’s hockey.
    While the rebranding will not change the way the game is played in Canada (that is to say, poorly), CFHA officials have already rolled out slogans they think will help people start seeing the game-formerly-known-as-soccer as just another variety of the only game Canadians are allowed to love.
    “Ice is nice, but grass will kick your ass!”
    “Who needs a puck when you’ve got balls?”
    “Cleats: They’re like having 12 skates on each foot!”
    “If you liked Bobby Orr dramatically sailing through the air after barely being touched, you’re going to love this!”
    Some prominent media figures are already beginning to pick up on the change.
    “Don’t count out this Canadian foot hockey team, Gord,” said commentator Pierre McGuire. “I really like this Gerba kid. He goes hard into the boards — or he would, if they were there — and then, whammo! He’s a MONSTER!”
    “When you look at the foot hockey squad, right away, one thing comes to mind: heart,” said Bob McKenzie. “They don’t always have the skill or the speed or the finesse, but sometimes it’s just about those intangibles. Those are the things you can’t teach, and in this sport, sometimes that’s enough.”
    “Dah, yeah, well them gotta foot hockey, yeah!” bellowed Don Cherry. “Good Canadian boys, foot hockey, no visors on any’a them! Bah dah rah! Givin’ it all, yeah, support the troops, Gump Worsley, bah!”
    “Give them a foot and they’ll run all over you,” chirped Ron McLean, prompting a confused grin from Cherry.
    Fan reaction thus far has been mixed; however, Field Hockey Canada has already filed a formal complaint.
    “We have enough trouble generating excitement for our game as it is,” said one official. “We don’t need these soccer people dragging us all down into the muck with them!”
    Guest

    "Soccer is a sissy sport!"

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Warning: This is a very long read, much longer than I originally intended.
    ***
    Everyone reading this column has heard it over and over.
    The refrain of the ill-informed: "Soccer is a sissy sport!" or "Real men don't play soccer!" or Insert variation along the same theme here.
    If you're like me, you've heard this refrain come from all angles -- from friends, overhead at a sports bar, spoken by some blowhard on television, etc. And if you're like me, you've spent a lifetime laughing it off, knowing that the people who say such things are products of a North American sporting consciousness that simply doesn't know any better.
    "Let them laugh it up, they have no idea what they're missing."
    The above attitude has gotten me through years of ignorant ridicule, mostly coming from those who've never kicked a ball -- in anger or otherwise -- in their unenlightened lives. My laissez-faire approach to it has served me well over the years. I truly didn't care what people thought about the sport I held so dearly.
    I mean, if I cared that much, I would have given up a long time ago, right?
    Despite this, I'm still a (somewhat) normal person, and my mood on a particular day will dictate how I react to certain things. On a bad day, I may take offence to the refrain much quicker than I would regularly.
    Last week I had one of those days.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Sitting amongst some of my closest friends, the discussion turned to soccer. Aside from myself, only one of these people had ever played the game growing up, be it at a competitive level or otherwise. However, there were a few self-professed admirers of the game within the group.
    One friend of mine is a fellow journalism grad who now works in the industry and grew up a baseball and American football guy. Over the past decade, he gained an appreciation for soccer and is now a City supporter (it's not Duane, although like the esteemed Mr. Rollins, he was a fan of the blue half of Manchester well prior to that club hit the oil jackpot).
    Oddly enough he is also one of the people who, as a teenager, used to give me the most grief over soccer players' perceived fondness for falling over at the drop of a hat. Now he's as well-versed in the world's game as most of the footy people I know.
    Also among the group is a dyed-in-the-wool Leafs fan. Like many in Canada, hockey is number one through ten on the sporting totem pole, with everything else competing for a distant eleventh. That said, he, too, has in recent years developed a soft spot for the beautiful game.
    You could say he is everything Toronto FC had hoped to cash in on when they took a gamble on this soccer thing a few years back -- a hockey guy with an open mind who took in a TFC game and was hooked. A teacher, he's told me stories of he and his fellow faculty members taking in Euro 2008 matches during their lunch breaks, and is now actually the head coach of his school's boys soccer team (a damning statement about the grassroots of Canadian soccer, but I digress).
    Another guy in the group was actually born in England, and through familial ties is a lifelong supporter of a lower-league side from the outskirts of London.
    I could go into brief primers of each member of the group, but that's beside the point. I just wanted to illustrate that this circle of friends isn't what you'd call anti-soccer. Of the dozen or so of us that were there, at least nine had been to numerous TFC and/or Canada games at BMO Field.
    That's what made this discussion -- and my reaction to it -- so weird.
    Someone mentioned a recent soccer game, and one of the hockey-lovers immediately chimed in that soccer players are, for lack of a better word, "sissys". The comparison was instantly made -- no soccer player would ever block a puck, go to the locker room to get stitched up, then merrily slog back onto the ice like a hockey player would.
    I just shook my head at that comment, muttering something under my breath about logical fallacies.
    My friends -- as close friends are wont to do -- sensed an opening and piled on. Your closest friends will always find a way to push your buttons, and mine are no different.
    Usually, I'll roll with the punches and give as good as I take, but on this occassion I was just not having it for some reason. I got genuinely angry at such an absurd assertion.
    If you watch enough soccer, you'll eventually witness the same kind of toughness on display that hockey fans love to puff their chests out about. It's just not as abundantly obvious though, as hockey is a much faster game played in very tight confines.
    Hockey embraces violence, it's in the sport's DNA. That doesn't mean that it can automatically stake a claim to all the "tough" athletes in the world.
    I tried to relay that point in the discussion, but it was met with scorn and derision.
    Bringing up my own injuries -- of which I'm currently carrying quite a few just from my twice-weekly rec league participation -- didn't help. Nor did it help when I mentioned the time I walked off the pitch with -- unknown to me at the time -- a fractured ankle.
    Of course, this made me angrier. And of course, being the group of a-holes that I've grown up with, they piled on some more.
    It took me a while to calm down, but like always, I did. After a few days I started thinking about the subject again, and upon further reflection it was no less ridiculous to me than it was at the time.
    The notion that one can take the most extreme example -- the heroic hockey player who stopped a puck with his face yet doesn't miss a shift -- and apply it to the entire sport was simply ludicrous to me. Especially when that same principle was applied to soccer, but in a negative context.
    "I've never seen a soccer player get stitched up and continue playing," one friend said that night. Of course, when asked how many soccer games said friend has actually watched, the answer was predictably low. Very low.
    As a Canadian soccer fan, I've seen captain-turned-pundit-turned-grassroots crusader Jason de Vos play with a blood-soaked bandage on his head, going into challenges with the same vigour that made him a feared centre half in two of the most brutally physical leagues in the world.
    And who could forget Christine Sinclair, the fearless leader of Canada's women's team, getting her nose broken in the 2011 Women's World Cup and actually getting visibly pissed off when the medical staff were taking too long in getting her dented appendage fixed up enough to allow her to get back on to the pitch?
    Sinclair would finish the tournament wearing a protective mask, despite worries that the covering was insuffiecient to protect against further concussion possibilities.

    Pretty bad ass, right?
    Of course, it wouldn't be fair for me to get upset about sweeping generalities regarding the perceived softness in soccer players while also submitting the most extreme examples of footballers "getting on with it" as Exhibits A and B of the inherent toughness of footballers everywhere.
    The fact is, there are many, many soccer players the world over who don't hold a candle to our Canadian captains in terms of resiliency. And only a select handful would ever approach the bravery of Iain Hume, who damn near lost his life in a game and battled his way back to the field just months later.
    But the existence of the De Vos', Sinclairs and Humes of the world prove that there are soccer players cut from the same cloth as the toughest athletes you'll ever see.

    THE DIVING FALLACY


    "But what about all the diving that goes on in soccer? You never see that in hockey."
    That was actually said to me, almost verbatim, during the discussion. It was also said to me during a completely separate conversation with an acquanitaince just a couple of weeks previous.
    On both occassions, I could barely contain my laughter.
    Let's be real. There is a ton of diving in soccer.
    As an undersized player who was always among the smallest on the field of play yet never took a dive in his life, it disgusts me that diving is so prevalent in my beloved game. But moreover, diving offends me as a fan of fair play.
    I hate it. I've almost gotten into fights on the pitch when others have done it. And I'll be the first to yell every obscenity known to man (and some not) when I witness it from the stands or on my television screen.
    The problem with diving in soccer is that the rules of the game allow such chicanery with very little consequence. It's become just another way to gain an advantage, and unfortunately it's worked so well that -- barring a huge shift in the way the game is officiated -- it will never disappear.
    Despite my hatred of diving, I'll never confuse divers with sissies (despite what I might say in the heat of the moment). The guy who dives, rolls around feigning an injury, then pops back up when the official has made his decision is not a pansy.
    Rather, the diver is a cheat, trying to gain an advantage within the rules as they are established. That's not an indictment on his toughness or lack thereof. It's something different altogether.
    Regardless of how one feels about diving, the implication that only soccer players do it is hilarious.
    A quick search on YouTube will yield some fabuolously heinous fakery from the stick-and-puck pros. And not just from the "Europeans" (as some neanderthals will have you believe), but from Canadian-as-maple-syrup compatriots.


    Mike Ribeiro is the most obvious example, but
    , , and Canadian royalty have all been known to hit the ice rather easily.And that's just scratching the surface.
    Again, like soccer divers, these are extreme examples that don't reflect the overall nature of the athletes in the sport. Yet why is it kosher to label all soccer players as equivalents of their worst (or softest) particpants, while not doing the same for every other sport in which physical contact is a regular occurrence?
    I know that despite my writing damn near a novel on the subject, my words won't even have the slightest effect on the negative perception about the sport that we North American soccer fans have had to defend against since we were born.
    But I did get it off my chest.
    I'll get back to my egg nog now.
    ***
    Post-script: I did not write the above piece to denigrate hockey. I'm actually a lifelong Leafs fan and former Mississauga IceDogs season ticket holder who enjoys the fast pace and, yes, inherent violence that the sport is known for.
    Being a Canadian who grew up loving soccer, I've been challenged countless times to defend the sport vis a vis hockey, which I think is a rather silly exercise in that the games are vastly different and both bring something great to the table.
    Basically, the above piece was born out of frustration, stemming from a lifetime of derision coming from (mostly) hockey-only fans who parrot the tripe they hear from Don Cherry types who, to be frank, just don't know what the hell they're talking about.
    At least I know I've got a sympathetic ear (eye?) here.
    Rudi Schuller contributes Toronto FC, MLS, and Canadian national team content to the 24th Minute. He is MLSsoccer.com's beat writer for all things concerning Canada's men's national teams, and he has spent time as soccer editor for Reuters' online publications. He has also contributed to Goal.com and other soccer media. Follow Rudi on Twitter, @RudiSchuller.
    Guest
    Apparently I hate women’s soccer.
    It’s news to me, but that’s the consensus. An article on the future of WPS as well as one on the Vancouver Whitecaps commitment (or lack thereof, depending on your perspective) to the women’s game has lead to a couple articles (here and here) that have questioned my credibility and professionalism.
    It’s possible I’m being defensive when I suggest that those articles would have been better off attacking me less and instead focusing on my arguments. God knows I’ve involved myself in Internet peeing contests far too often in the past (and RealMatt and I go way back). Regardless, it seems intuitive to me that there needs to be a conversation about the future of women’s soccer at the professional level in North America. Ideally, that conversation should not be clouded by people’s perceptions of those that are making the argument.
    So, let’s start with a blunt statement: I, Duane Rollins, do not wish for professional women’s soccer to cease to exist. I want girls playing the sport today to have role models to look up to and dreams to aspire to. I think women’s sport is valuable, full stop.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    I also think that the financial model that WPS continues to hold onto is counterproductive to the long-term growth of the sport. By holding onto the idea that there is this league of five teams that are “professional,” there seems to be less incentive for clubs below to increase their commitment to the sport.
    In both Canada and the US there is hundreds of thriving youth clubs that make a nice profit off of the game. At those clubs, girls often make up more than half of the players. Yet these clubs do next to nothing to support the women’s pro game. Ideally, these clubs should have a semi-pro outlet at the top of their pyramid, but that the very least they should not sit back and do nothing as the game collapses in front of them.
    In her critique of me, Ciara McCormack talked about the lack of compensation the Whitecaps women received (and a request has gone out to the Caps to respond to McCormack’s claims. As of 11:30am EST, Dec 22 they have yet to respond). I agree with her. The Caps women should be compensated. Professionalizing more D2 women’s teams is the cornerstone of my argument. To me, having 20 or so teams paying women something (albeit less than what the five WPS teams will. So long as they don’t go under) is a good thing. In fact, I think it’s a way to eventually have 10 or so stable teams paying women something that approaches a living wage.
    People seem to get stuck on the term “semi-pro.” Is a team that, for example, pays a player $5,000 for a summer of playing semi-pro? If it is, is that somehow an insult to that player? Semantics are important and you can understand how calling a team semi-pro might turn some people away. If you are truly stuck on the term, then fine – call it pro. Call it “Bob” if you need to. The point is that the economics need to work otherwise short term and surface gain is being traded for long-term stability.
    The evidence strongly suggests that there is a very limited market for professional women’s soccer. That’s unfortunate, but one cannot guilt Americans or Canadians into caring. What you can do is re-think your approach to growing the pro women’s game.
    A temporary stay of execution for WPS is being held up as a victory by fans of the women’s game. It seems that a re-think will need to wait until the next crisis, which, based on past history, should come sometime in the middle of next summer.
    Note: The Whitecaps have informed me that they are unavailable to speak to this at the moment. However, they have given assurances that they will do so as soon as it becomes possible.
    In the meantime they have released the following statement:
    One of our core values as a club is to grow the game of soccer in British Columbia and Canada. The Major League Soccer side, W-League team, Residency and Elite programs for boys and girls, as well as the numerous community camps and clinics are all integral parts of our club model.
    Guest
    So, it's done, finally. The decision has been made -- or, at least, announced. We'll likely never know for sure if the club really did take weeks and weeks to decide on the venue of its CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal, or whether the Rogers Centre was a fait accompli all along, merely awaiting the public announcement of MLSE's sale to the Rogers/Bell consortium.
    Either way, no matter what your opinion about the ultimate venue (and playing surface) choice, you now know when it all goes down: March 7 v.s. the L.A. Galaxy. And if you have ever considered yourself a fan of Toronto FC, it is your responsibility to be there. Barring the scheduled birth of your child on that date, you have absolutely no excuse not to.
    Oh, and you've got one other responsibility: Bring your friends.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    I'm not one for arbitrary distinctions between "casuals" and "supporters". To me, it just smacks of divisiveness and exclusion, even if that's not its intent. Yeah, of course, the folks in certain parts of BMO Field make more noise and create more of a visual presence than folks in other parts of it. But with few exceptions, BMO Field is generally full (or close to it) with people who paid money to buy a ticket, and paid money for some variety of team merchandise.
    I think, then, it's safe for me to assume that they would like to see Toronto FC win. They like the team. They follow the team. They are all Toronto FC fans.
    And this is to say nothing of the hundreds or thousands or who-knows-how-many people also follow the team closely but who -- for one reason or another -- can't make their way to BMO Field to watch them live on a regular basis, or at all.
    The point is, there's no question in my mind that Rogers Centre could be filled with Toronto FC fans. Every single seat could be occupied (well, paid for, anyway) by someone with a rooting interest in the home side. If the ticket prices as reported on CSN earlier this week are accurate, then the financial barrier is removed too.
    So, yes, there are unquestionably 55,000 people who have an interest in TFC, could make it to Toronto on March 7, and will be able to scrounge up $20 for a ticket between now and then. The game should be sold out.
    Will each person in attendance know the names and positions of every player on the roster? Nope. Will they know the words to the chants? Nope -- heck, it might be their first time at a live TFC game. But what they will do is help create a massive boost for the club, not just on the field on March 7, but in the public perception when footage of the game is shown later (a la Montreal's Olympic Stadium sell-out in 2009).
    Those who talk of the Rogers Centre as being "cavernous" are generally right -- when the attendance is 20,000 for a baseball or football game. But having been to two sold-out sporting events at the former Skydome in the last few years (a World Baseball Classic game and a Grey Cup), I can tell you that a sold-out, engaged crowd at that ol' park can still create one hell of an atmosphere.
    Now, upon whose shoulders does the responsibility fall for promoting the game and ensuring such an exciting atmosphere? Well, of course it's the club. The multi-million dollar marketing machine that is MLSE hardly needs help circulating word of the game's existence. But mere knowledge of something doesn't necessarily translate to sales. The old adage is true: The best advertising really is word of mouth.
    So to you, Toronto FC fan reading this -- yes, you -- do your part.
    If you've got friends who like the game of soccer, who've always wanted to see a TFC game live or, hell, who would just like to be part of a grand footie spectacle in the city, tell them about the game. Tell them about its importance. Tell them it's not just some preseason exhibition game (as some may incorrectly believe); convince them, theoretically, a victory here is a step towards TFC being the team to get smoked by Barcelona in the final of next year's Club World Cup.
    I'm making no distinctions between groups of fans here. Whether you've spent hundreds of hours drawing up banners or you still think Frings is a side order at Harvey's, you -- we -- are all in this together.
    At the heart of it, anyone who calls themselves a fan of a team ultimately wants the same thing: for the team to succeed. And success on March 7 -- both in this tournament, and in rebuilding the internal and external perception of the club -- starts with Toronto's ability to pack the house.
    Can you do it, Toronto? Will you do it?
    .
    Guest
    Ask and you shall receive. Well, apart from in this case in which we’ve ignored your emails begging us to stop, and the court injunctions, and are forging ahead with Episode 2 of Vancouver’s new football podcast, <i><b>West Coast Soccer Weekly</b></i>.
    Pierce Lang and myself are back for another hour of chat and this time we know what all these buttons do on the sound system.
    Christmas is coming and the moose is getting fat, so we try and get into the festive spirit by giving out gifts and inviting along our own three wise men to chat about Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS and all things BC football and beyond.
    To help get us in the mood, I'm dressed up in my FC Santa Claus jersey and hat - Lapland's finest.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    We're joined by blogger extraordinaire Benjamin Massey, who will be emptying his sack all over Pierce's bedroom and sharing what gifts he has for the Vancouver Whitecaps, chatting about the Caps senior and U18 teams and telling us all he knows about Tommy Soehn's wiener.
    We bid farewell to a "Dear Leader", as outgoing Southsiders President John Knox joins us. He may be bowing out as the head off the supporters' group, but he has no plans on putting on his slippers just yet and lets us know about the Southsiders new charity initiative, discusses the growing pains of the group in this new MLS era and the way ahead for supporters culture in Vancouver.
    Our third wise man is Andrew Latham of Vancouver Island Wave. Andrew talks to us about football on the island, the logistical problems and looks at the future of football in Canada and the chances for Canadian players to make it in the game.
    So pull up a chair. Pull a cracker or two. And pour yourself a large glass of special eggnog. It’s about time you did something for you…
    [* You can download this podcast <a href="http://westcoastsoccerweekly.podbean.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a>, listen to it on either of the players below or find it on iTunes *]
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    Guest
    Over my past three years as some Canadian guy writing about soccer, I've lost count of the number of times someone has completely missed the point of something I've written. More often than not, such an item has fallen under the banner of The Reserve Squad.
    Seeing yet another "duh, is this serious?" reaction fills me with a special alchemy of sentiments -- a mixture of disappointment and delight. Since reading The Reserve Squad is usually three parts disappointment to one part delight, it's a fitting nod to the altruistic spirit of the season for me to share some of that feeling with you folks.
    So, over the next 12 days, CSN will be littered with some "classic" Reserve Squad posts from the last 36 months. Consider it my gift to you. Sorry, no refunds or exchanges.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    Sportsnet is reporting that Toronto FC will play the LA Galaxy in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals at Rogers Centre. Sources close to the club confirmed the accuracy of the report to CSN and that the game will be played on FieldTurf.
    The majority of seats will be sold between $10 and $15, with field level seats in the lower deck going for a yet to be determined price. The supporters groups were offered the chance to sit at field level, closer to centre pitch, but instead opted to go behind the south goal.
    Supporter’s section seats will be sold for $19.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    League sources have confirmed to CSN that the first Toronto-Montreal derby will take place April 7 in Montreal's Olympic Stadium.
    The game will be in the afternoon, with a NHL game between Montreal and Toronto scheduled for that evening.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    Long Balls this week intended to type a lengthy diatribe on how Canadian defender Marcel de Jong receives far too little respect for what he has accomplished this year in Germany. Timed to coincide with de Jong's return to Augsburg's starting 11, Long Balls planned to hold up the pitiful number of votes de Jong received in the male player of the year and fans' choice awards as evidence, asking rhetorically, 'What does Marcel de Jong have to do to get some respect?'
    Well, scoring a goal would be a good start. That's what Simeon Jackson did Tuesday afternoon for Norwich City, instantly creating the most exciting news of the week in Canadian football.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Jackson's goal (which no longer seems to be available online) was not emphatic. In fact, on examination it seems he almost missed the excruciatingly simple tap in from the perfectly weighted pass into the wide open net from two feet out. That would probably have spawned a viral sensation and instantly transformed Jackson into a global punchline. But that didn't happen, and as ugly as it may have been, Jackson is not in the business these days of asking how.
    Jackson's Premier League goal drought is a reflection of his limited opportunities more than anything else. But now that he's shown he can come on as a substitute and change the game in Norwich's favour (or at the very least position himself properly so that the ball unintentionally bounces off him and changes the game in Norwich's favour) he gives his gaffer reason to use him in a similar role more often.
    Marcel de Jong
    Unlike Jackson, Marcel de Jong doesn't struggle with selection issues. He played regularly prior to being injured at the start of October and has now made his return to the Bundesliga with 90 minutes played in a 1-1 draw with Hamburger on Saturday. The he did the same on Tuesday in a cup match against Hoffenheim. Long Balls hands to Google translation for a local perspective on his return to the lineup.
    The left-back turned when it went, again and again on the offensive (four dangerous edges). Rescued in the weakest phase just before the half time again on the line. Is uncompromising and straightforward. His return, which you can see, brought stability to the defence.
    Nothing but positives to read into that review, we think. And another enjoyable thing about poking around Google trying to find information related to Marcel de Jong: uncovering oddities like this recent interview in which de Jong tells his interloceur that he idolizes Roger Federer and wouldn't mind sneaking a peek at Catherine Zeta-Jones so long as his wife isn't paying attention.
    Kevin McKenna
    Canada fans will find out next summer whether Koln defender Kevin McKenna is past it when it comes to preventing marauding Honduran strikers from tearing the Canadian defence apart, but we can console ourselves with the knowledge he remains partly capable of preventing a marauding Franck Ribery from tearing another human being apart. Watch the video here.
    #JuniorHoilett
    When Long Balls logged into Twitter late Tuesday afternoon we were shocked to see the Blackburn forward's name listed as a trending topic. After quickly confirming our location wasn't set at Lancashire or that we weren't eyeing a sponsored hashtag for some sort of new breakfast sandwich, we were left to ponder the significance of Hoilett's performance in a 2-1 loss to Bolton. And the significance is this: Hoilett is clearly quite good. No matter how Long Balls or anyone else tries to brush that off, it is becoming increasingly hard to ignore. Whatever Hoilett decides pertaining to his international future there will be no middle ground when it comes to the effect on Canada supporters. Soaring joy or searing pain.
    Guest
    <i>Last week we kicked off a three part series looking at the issue of <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?2517-Canada-v-Cascadia-Where-Do-Whitecaps-Fan-Loyalties-Lie" target="_blank"><b>"Canada v Cascadia"</b></a> and asking where the loyalties of Whitecaps fans lie and where Vancouver fits in to both sets of rivalries.
    Over the next two parts, we will talk to a couple of fans who feel passionately about what games and what rivalries are most important to them.
    Today it is the turn of a proud Canadian, Drew Shaw.
    Drew is a long time Whitecaps fan, who first chanted "WHITE - CAPS" as an 8-year old at Empire Stadium in 1978. He has cheered for them ever since (except during 1989 and 1990 when the Victoria Vistas were in the CSL). A regular poster on the <a href="http://www.southsiders.ca" target="_blank">Southsiders</a> forum, Drew is also currently a season ticket holder at Victoria Highlanders FC.
    We wanted to know what Canada meant to him compared to Cascadia, how important strong Canadian rivalries are to growing the game here, the importance of the Voyageurs Cup and what feelings TFC, Montreal, Seattle and Portland each bring out in him....</i>
    <b><center>********************</center></b>
    Nationality means something different to everyone. Many people have multiple allegiances (like nation, region, city, family, religion, etc), all of which they celebrate or express in differing ways and degrees. Having been born in Canada and having lived my entire life here, I am not a hyphenated Canadian - this is my one and only nationality. I love (and participate in) the music, history, food, and historical legacy of my Scottish and Welsh ancestry much more than most people do; but I have one nationality, and one national allegiance.
    Canada is my home; the place that I was born in and the place where my parents and my children have all been born and live. Canada is my extended family.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]



    I have a common culture with the other people who live here, and a common history with them which stretches back centuries before my ancestors came here. I choose to live in what I consider the most beautiful province of the country, British Columbia, but my allegiance to my country is more important to me than the province I live in. I would live in any other province in Canada before living in another country. I take pride in the accomplishments of other Canadians, and feel the hurt and pains of other Canadians a little bit more than I share in the emotions of people from other countries. My country is better than most and the equal of any; but through its successes and failures I love it not because it's "better", but because it's mine.
    In terms of sport, I am a fairly consistent patriot and "homer". I support and follow professional hockey, football, and soccer. My football league is the CFL: I do not follow the NFL. My favourite professional teams are the Canucks, Lions, and Whitecaps. I support local sport within a national context, and national sport within a global context; again, not because it's "better", but because it's mine.
    Cascadia means nothing to me beyond MLS soccer, and I only use the term as it is used in an MLS context - to describe the Whitecaps, Sounders, and Timbers collectively. It originated recently as a conceptual term, by a small number of people in Washington and Oregon who don't want to be lumped in with California as "the west coast" when viewed by their countrymen in internal discussions within the United States.
    I understand why Washington and Oregon would feel a regional identity within their country, but their regional identity stops at the international border. Just like the Cascadia mountain range covers much of Washington and Oregon, but almost none of British Columbia, so too the concept of Cascadia is largely unknown among British Columbians, because it's not ours, it belongs to people in another country.
    There is virtually no interest in establishing Cascadia as a separate political entity or country, because countries and nationalities are emotional as well as historical and physical constructs. Emotional ties to "Cascadia" are virtually non-existent, compared to the emotional and historical attachment people on both sides of the border have to their nations (Canada and the USA) and their respective provinces and states. People in Washington and Oregon are our neighbours, and we share some things with them - but they are not our family. You live next door to neighbours, but they're not your family.
    When it comes to soccer, I wouldn't say that I prefer the Canadian rivalries to the Cascadian ones; I enjoy them both for different reasons.
    The Toronto and Montreal rivalries are for national bragging rights, which is the emotional component of those rivalries. There is also the Voyageurs Cup and entry to the CONCACAF Champions League that goes with it, which is the practical component. The practical element alone makes the stakes higher than any other games, even without the emotional component.
    With only 3 MLS teams, the rivalries within Canadian soccer are obviously not as numerous as those in the NHL or the CFL, nor are they yet on par with them; but they will be able to be considered in the same category after 2011 by a much larger audience, in a way they were not while these cities only had Tier II soccer teams.
    In British Columbia, we have a natural rivalry with Toronto and Ontario for the sports "leadership" in English-speaking Canada, in which we are numerically smaller, but smug about living in what we consider to be the best part of our country, and having just won the Grey Cup, having a better hockey team, and having recently hosted the Winter Olympics.
    Our rivalry with Montreal is across a linguistic divide, as well as one which has a fairly intense recent soccer-specific context.
    Edmonton, and any future Tier II Canadian rivals, will take on the flavour of Giant-vs-Minnow that soccer cup competitions around the world have always had. We will dismiss them as small-town upstarts who don't really belong in our league, mixed in with whatever regional rivalry we already enjoy with the province or city they come from.
    The Cascadia games against Seattle and Portland are border battles - the continuation of the rivalry that exists in all sports when we take on our neighbours and biggest sporting rivals.
    In virtually every sport, the national team we enjoy beating the most is the USA, and that can spill over into professional sport as well.
    The Cascadia games take on that flavour more than most NHL games do, and more than MLS games against distant eastern US teams like Columbus ever will. Seattle and Portland are OUR local enemy to be repulsed, just like Buffalo or Detroit are for Toronto, and Boston is for Montreal. The Cascadia games are our sporting opportunity to successfully repel the Americans like our ancestors did in 1775-6 and 1812-14, and MLS is the only professional context in which we get to do so.
    There is the flavour of a border raid to away games, and the spirit of defending your borders in the home games. We're either burning Washington or defending Fort York when the Whitecaps play the Sounders or Timbers. You don't get the same "border" intensity against American teams that are further away, and do not have a large travelling "army".
    Both sets of League rivalries invoke different emotions, but then we have the Voyageurs Cup to add into the mix, and this is important for two reasons.
    It represents the national championship. Now that it is contested by 3 Canadian MLS teams, it is much more than it was at Tier II level, because it has a larger audience, and has reached what I think might be the minimum threshold needed for a professional sport championship to be meaningful to the country as a whole. It's important to win for bragging rights, much like local derbys are.
    In addition to its emotional component, it is the entrance requirement to continental competition. I am looking forward to competition against Mexican teams, in Vancouver, as much or more than I looked forward to most visiting American MLS teams for the first time.
    The Voyageurs Cup has less "prestige" to me than an MLS Cup or Supporters Shield would have; but it is more important to "win" than the Supporters Shield due to what it represents, and what it leads to.
    Building Canadian rivalries is vital to growing professional mens soccer in Canada, and this means not just rivalries between MLS teams, but with and between Tier II teams like FC Edmonton.
    We now have the only 3 Canadian MLS teams that we will ever have. The next step is to build Tier II soccer in Canada. Edmonton, Calgary, Hamilton, and Ottawa (and possibly Winnipeg and Quebec) are all capable of supporting successful and profitable Tier II soccer clubs within a North American context, but Canadian fans and owners need to accept that those cities will never get MLS teams. There are too many US cities, that are larger than they are, ahead of them in the queue.
    An entirely Canadian Tier II pro league is unlikely to be established because the three largest Canadian cities are already in MLS. Future Canadian growth will be one team at a time, as it has been in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal.
    Given the regular failure of Tier II soccer teams in North America, what will ensure success?
    Better facilities, stable ownership, and stable leagues are the three ingredients necessary for success; but the Voyageurs Cup matches with MLS teams are one of the best ways to increase interest in, and paying customers for, Canadian Tier II professional soccer teams. The MLS teams don't need the Voyageurs Cup nearly as much as FC Edmonton currently does, and as much as future Tier II soccer in Calgary, Hamilton, and Ottawa does.
    So how do I feel about Toronto FC and the Montreal impact?
    I wish them both off-field success, as I wish all Canadian NHL and CFL teams off-field success. I wish them success on the field when they represent Canada in the CONCACAF Champions League, and will watch them on television in such competitions, because any success they have will be good for soccer in this country.
    However, I will never love them, because I will be cheering against them in every MLS and Voyageurs Cup game that we ever play against them, and because I have a lifetime's worth of rivalry and competition in multiple sporting competition against the cities they come from.
    With Toronto FC, it's cliche to call them plastic, but it's true. They ignored both the Blizzard and the Metros (76 NASL Champions) heritage when creating their team, which I find short-sighted and unfortunate. They don't wear their civic colour - blue - like the Maple Leafs, Argonauts, University of Toronto, and the (lacrosse) Rock do. Their logo is unimaginative and devoid of any visual image. There are many things that visually represent Toronto and/or Ontario, beyond the Maple Leaf, which could have been used by Toronto FC (though perhaps in fairness they might have thought at the time that there would never be other Canadian MLS teams). Everything about TFC is either wrong or artificial, from their mis-coloured jersey, to their bland insignia, to their stadium without overhead cover. The only good thing about them is the Red Patch Boys, and that's a supporters group, not the club. I watched them from 2007-10, tried to like them, but found it hard to love them. In contrast, I rather like the Argonauts, and consider the Maple Leafs to be hopeless losers worthy only of scorn and pity.
    Then we have Montreal Impact. I dislike the Impact for their recent battles with the Whitecaps and their "personality": from spitting on Whitecaps fans to what we feel was basically throwing a game, they are genuinely unlikable. They are the sporting villain to our White(caps) Knights (even without Wes). In contrast, I am generally neutral towards the Alouettes, and have a childhood love of the Canadiens, which ranks them second for me after the Canucks.
    When it comes to Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers: I wish them nothing but misery and failure on the field, more so than any other American teams in MLS.
    I respect Seattle and Portland for the size of their crowds and the organisation of their supporters groups, but I certainly don't feel any affinity for them compared to other American MLS teams just because they happen to be the nearest US teams to me.
    I don't wish them the same sort of off-field failure that I would like to see for American NHL teams, because I don't see them as taking away from Canadian soccer in the way that American NHL teams have taken away from Canadian hockey since 1922.
    Though I would have preferred to have seen the CSL of 1987-92 survive and grow, I accept that Canadian professional soccer couldn't survive then, and couldn't exist now in Tier I form without MLS.
    No matter who and where we play though, it will always be the Maple Leaf forever for me.
    <b><center>********************</center></b>
    <i>Thanks to Drew for taking the time to speak to AFTN and explaining what supporting a Canadian team in a North American League means to him. Makes me wish that First Kick was just days away and not months.
    It’s interesting that even as a proud Canadian, who loves the national rivalries, the cross border games still gets his blood pumping and animosity building. Proximity will always play an important part in football passions.
    Canadian rivalries can’t be forced, but we really do need them to continue to build in intensity to aid the growth of the game in this country.
    When I read <i>Tuscan's</i> comments in the first part of this feature, where he talked about what possible teams/cities could be in a strong Canadian D2 league, just the very thought excited me.
    It’s certainly a long way off, and without firm foundations would just be on a road to failure from the start.
    The Voyageurs Cup certainly seems to be the thing that ignites a lot of the current excitement and passion in the Canadian games. We need to carry that forward into regular MLS games. Then we’re moving in the right direction.
    <b><center>********************</center></b>
    Next time, we bring you the thoughts of a fan who tells us how the Cascadian rivalries embody more than just three teams playing football and what Cascadia means to him.</i>
    <p>
    Guest

    No Beckham for CCL seeming more likely

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    On Twitter, Le Parisien's Julian Laurens is reporting that David Beckham is set to join PSG tomorrow.
    According to his Tweet, Beckham has agreed to an 18 month contract that will pay him €800,000 a month.
    Although there has been much rumoured about Beckham since the ends of the MLS season, this is the first report from an established source that suggests that the deal is done.
    Toronto FC fans will be hoping that Beckham makes a move away from the Galaxy to avoid facing him in the season opening CONCACAF Champions League match March 7.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
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