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    Guest

    Simeon gets one!

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    For the first time since 1896 (give or take) a current Canadian international has scored in the Premiership (Photo of Sir S. Occ Er of Brampton, Rover, Preston North End above).
    It wasn't the most artistic of strikes, but they all count.
    Simeon Jackson's first Prem goal below the jump.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <iframe frameborder="0" width="480" height="270" src="http://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/xn51lz_wolverhampton-wanderers-2-2-norwich-city_sport"></iframe><br /><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xn51lz_wolverhampton-wanderers-2-2-norwich-city_sport" target="_blank">Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-2 Norwich City</a> <i>by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/Futbol2101" target="_blank">Futbol2101</a></i>
    Guest
    While Canada 2015 surely looms large in the minds of all members of the women's national team, that shot at World Cup glory on home soil is still a distant three and a half years away. Between then and now, the squad's highest-profile shot at glory will come at next summer's Olympic Games in London.
    Sorry, correction: that shot at glory should come at the 2012 Olympics. They've got to get there first. And even in CONCACAF, nothing is a slam dunk anymore -- as the Americans showed us during qualifying for the 2011 Women's World Cup, with their shocking semi-final loss to Mexico.
    With that in mind, John Herdman has opted to take the following 20 players into battle at next month's Olympic qualifying tournament in Vancouver:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    GK - Karina LeBlanc
    GK - Erin McLeod
    D - Candace Chapman
    D - Carmelina Moscato
    D - Shannon Woeller
    D - Melanie Booth
    D - Robyn Gayle
    D - Lauren Sesselmann
    D - Chelsea Stewart
    D - Rhian Wilkinson
    M - Kaylyn Kyle
    M - Diana Matheson
    M - Kelly Parker
    M - Sophie Schmidt
    M - Desiree Scott
    M - Brittany Timko
    F - Chelsea Buckland
    F - Christina Julien
    F - Christine Sinclair
    F - Melissa Tancredi
    Surely, the most encouraging news is the return of Diana Matheson to the Canadian roster sheet. The midfield stalwart had missed the team's last two camps with what head coach John Herdman called "an ongoing (physical) problem she'd had", for which she decided to undergo surgery in November. Nothing's guaranteed yet, though -- Herdman said the Canadian medical team is doing its best to get the veteran back to match fitness for the qualifiers, but the timing would be "tight".
    With or without Matheson, the squad will have plenty of experience, as Herdman said this was "not one of those events where you can start testing players." Still, 21-year-old Chelsea Buckland wriggled her way into the lineup, largely on the strength of her showing during a recent camp and friendly against Sweden.
    "(Buckland) certainly showed the coaching staff some things to be excited about," said Herdman, including her movement, timing and ability to work within a two-striker system. Plus, she scored her first goal for the national team in that Swedish friendly, which "can make all the difference."
    Fans shouldn't assume, though, that this is the exact group that will carry the Canadian flag in London next summer (presuming the team qualifies). Herdman noted that several players -- including Marie-Eve Nault and Jonelle Filigno -- currently fighting injury concerns could compete for a spot, as will youngsters such as Alyscha Mottershead and 2011 U-20 player of the year Amelia Pietrangelo (who was "pretty unlucky" to miss out on the Olympic qualifying squad).
    Herdman stressed that his focus is on maximizing the available talent based on the circumstances, both on a game-by-game basis and over the long term. For the January tournament, that will likely mean "thinking outside of the box" as it relates to Canada's two "world-class" goalkeepers, LeBlanc and McLeod, making the decision as to the starter based on the situation.
    And that situation for the team's first three games -- against Haiti, Cuba and Costa Rica -- will, by Herdman's estimation, involve a lot of potential frustration, as the inferior squads bunker in an attempt to eke out a result (think back to the men's national team's recent World Cup qualifier against Puerto Rico).
    "We've been preparing for a style of football that we'll probably come up against," said Herdman, noting that precise scouting of the three first-round CONCACAF opponents is tough.
    "People have probably got to get it in their minds that Canada will be breaking teams down for the first three games," he said, adding that after that, fans can expect more wide-open and end-to-end play.
    Style-wise, Herdman also emphasized his preference for engaging fullbacks in the attack and "taking some more risks at the back." He noted that Canada's "default setting" has been to desperately hoof the ball away when the pressure is put on (which comes as no surprise to Canadian fans), but that he is working on instilling a "shift in mindset, particularly with some of the players at the back."
    "We'll certainly see a team that is more versed in playing around (rather than straight ahead)."
    In fact, Herdman's seemingly done as much work on the psychological side of the game as the physical side since taking over -- which makes sense, given the tumultuous 18 months that most of these players have been through. Part of that has been bringing on Dr. Ceri Evans as the team's "mental trainer". Evans has been tasked with trying to "dissolve some of the trauma of the World Cup."
    Hopefully, those bitter memories will be replaced by positive ones of success on home soil in Vancouver next month -- with a berth at London 2012 to show for it.
    "There's definitely an excitement (around playing at home)," Herdman said. "This is a dream for them."
    But before any dream can be achieved, of course, the hard work must be put in.
    "The players aren't going to have Christmas off; they're going to work right through."
    The team convenes in L.A. on January 3 before heading to Vancouver for final preparations on January 14.
    .
    Guest

    Gerba v Impact

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Informed fans have known for some time now that Ali Gerba is being paid not to play by the Montreal Impact - While appearing on the Team 990 last month, Gerba talked about his situation for more than an hour. Details of that conversation were reported on by CSN that day.
    Apparently some fans had forgotten.
    A French language report today confirmed that Gerba is still out of luck. It's causing quite the reaction amongst those that are just starting to pay attention to the team.
    Sadly, Gerba continues to blame everyone but himself for his bizarre career. The blunt truth is that if there was a MLS team, or even a D2 team, interested in Gerba the Impact would waste no time in releasing him. Montreal is not holding the player back out of spite -- they can't extend his contract without risking having his salary count on the cap,and they can't bring him to camp without extending the contract.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    So, Gerba sits. However, if he's serious about continuing his career after this is over then he'd better not be spending much time literally sitting. The time has come for Gerba to stand up and prove that he can provide the workload needed to stick with a club.
    If he goes out and does the work to attract a team and then, more importantly, he keeps that work up to (finally) keep a team, then we all will be cheering for him.
    Guest

    Jono the Red-Faced Midfield

    By Guest, in Some Canadian Guys,

    (To be sung to the tune of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer)
    Jono the red-faced midfield
    Had some very shiny skills
    And as a boy he took them
    To a place with fewer chills
    All of the other Dutchmen
    Used to laugh and call him names (like "Canadian")
    They never let poor Jono
    Play in any senior games
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]So for weeks and months on end,
    Stephen Hart would say,
    "Jono, give this Dutch crap up;
    Help us reach the next World Cup."
    Now most Canucks, they love him
    Even though they gave some flak
    Jono the red-faced midfield,
    Get your freakin' passport back.
    Guest
    Today, we’re joined by Phillipe Germain from Montreal's Soccer Plus podcast to talk about Patrice Beriner’s return home, if he’s equipped to handle the pressure and who else might be on Montreal’s radar.
    We’ll also talk about what could lead to the death of Canada’s provincial teams, preview CSN’s year end awards and given that it’s our last podcast of 2011 look back on the stories that came to define Canadian football in the last year.
    The archived show is now up.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/28089/dec192011final.mp3%27,initialScale:%27scale%27,controlBarBackgroundColor:%270x778899%27,autoBuffering:false,loop:false,autoPlay:false}" width="400" height="25" scale="fit" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>
    Subscribe and download It's Called Football on iTunes
    Subscribe and download It's Called Football for other devices
    This is the last show for 2011. We will be airing a best of series for the next few weeks. Tune in to hear the better interviews from the year that was.
    Guest
    In a season which has contained more Whitecaps lows than highs, one of the shining lights for me has been the continued excellence of the Caps residency teams, and in particular the current U18 squad.
    Coming from a life-long lower league football background, I still find it a weird experience to be part of a 20,000+ crowd! I’ve missed the intimacy, the banter and really feeling part of the action, but thankfully the PDL and USSDA games have still been able to give me that this year and I’ve had most of my football enjoyment this season at them.
    What has surprised me most though is the quality of football on display in these games.
    The Whitecaps have put together a crazily talented U18 squad, that have been head and shoulders above the opposition I’ve seen them play so far this USSDA season.
    The U18’s latest action saw them taking on their Seattle Sounders counterparts at Starfire on Saturday, in a feast of football that also saw a U16 USSDA game and two U14 friendlies.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The Sounders had put a call out to the ECS, and other supporters, to take a break from the Christmas shopping and to come out to Starfire to cheer on their boys with Cascadian pride on the line.
    Over 100 fans did just that, and they, along with the players’ families, saw two cracking games of football.
    Four Southsiders also made the trip down south, myself included.
    Saturday afternoon football, with a nip in the air and lots of banter. The way football should be and just like old times.
    You don’t get the officials explaining their decisions to you during MLS games! Admittedly there was a misunderstanding when the referee thought that one of our number shouting was Caps coach Richard Grootscholten. That old Dutch-Canadian accent mix up thing again.
    Was also fun to see the officials come over to read AFTN’s flags and mutter puzzledly “East Fife Football Club”. That’s a common reaction!
    It was also fascinating to hear the half time team talks from both benches. Really insightful.
    Vancouver dominated the U18 game from start to finish, running out 3-1 winners in the end, but they could have been about six up by midway through the first half if they had been able to bury their chances.
    Caleb Clarke, in particular, was unlucky not have the earliest hat-trick he would probably ever score. He was touch and go for the game, due to fatigue and illness, and these no doubt played a part in his sharpness, as he looked to add to his 12 goals this season.



    It was an onslaught from the off and Alex Rowley scored a peach of a long range strike after just four minutes. The Caps could already have had three goals by that point, as the woodwork, goalmouth scrambles and near misses peppered the whole half.
    As is so often the way in such games, the missed chances proved costly for the Whitecaps and the Sounders hit home a controversial equaliser midway through the second half.
    The young Caps were adamant the ball hadn’t crossed the line. Where’s goalmouth technology when you need it?
    The goal just reignited the Vancouver fire and they turned the heat back up to re-take the lead with seven minutes remaining, after a perfect through ball from Ben Fisk found Carlos Marquez, who coolly and collectedly slotted the ball past the onrushing Sounders keeper.
    A neat passing move saw sub Yassin Essa wrap things up in the closing minutes to seal a well deserved 3-1 victory.
    There were a number of impressive performances on display and the Florida trip has brought the best out of Ben Fisk again, who looked sharp, creative and was playing a little deeper at times.
    Alex Rowley and Wesley Cain also had strong showings, and the defence seemed seldom troubled, although I can’t remember seeing so many passbacks in a game for a long time, as Seattle tried to hustle to find a way back into the game.
    We can only hope that Sounders striker Dominique Dismuke makes it into the Sounders MLS squad. With 11 goals so far this season, he has a shot down the line. Here’s a guy that the Southsiders will take an instant dislike to. He seems to have a penchant for examining the turf and spent much of the latter stages of the game on his back before some miraculous recoveries. Hallelujah! It’s a Christmas miracle.
    It was a tremendous all-round team effort from the guys. Each player played their part and earned plaudits.
    The squad had been hit by injuries and illness. Fatigue also played a part, with the squad having taken part in the hectic Florida combine earlier this month and three of the starting eleven also just back from the Canadian U20 training camp.
    You do get the feeling that this squad are only going to get stronger as the season goes on, and I can’t wait to not only see how they fare in the playoffs come July, but also in the PDL season from May (the fixtures for which should be out very shortly, for what we've had confirmed will be a 14 game season).
    The extra games could certainly take their toll on some players, but ultimately, it will help their development no end. Certainly exciting times lie ahead for this squad and the Whitecaps.
    The Whitecaps U16’s were simply outclassed in the second match, going down 4-0. It would have been a lot more if it hadn’t have been for an outstanding ‘Man of the Match’ performance from Caps keeper Marco Carducci.
    It looked like men against boys out there at times, but Carducci produced a string of top drawer saves to keep the Caps in it until the second goal went in ten minutes into the second half.
    I really can’t speak highly enough about Carducci’s performance. Definitely one for the future and it will interesting to see him develop over the next few years.
    Vancouver do have a very talented squad at this level, as shown by their current standing in the league table and only two losses prior to this game, but Seattle have put together an impressive squad who looked physically bigger and more mature in every area of the park.
    Most of Seattle’s U16 guys looked older and bigger than the U18 side and some of their guys could easily have passed for 20 and gone straight into one of the local PDL sides.
    The Caps clearly have the ability at this level but need to either bulk up or bring in a few bigger boys to compete with the more physical sides. It’s hard to see too many of the current group be able to make the step up to the next age level and compete right at this stage.
    The two friendly kickabouts, prior to the two competitive matches, saw the senior U14 side go down 5-0 and the junior U14 side grab a 2-2 draw.
    The U18 guys have a Christmas break now, before embarking on four games in California during January and February. Some nice post Christmas weekend breaks await in LA and San Francisco for any Caps fans who fancy heading down to see some entertaining live football action.
    They don’t return to Vancouver for a home game until Satruday February 18th, when they are scheduled to take on Irvine Strikers FC at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby.
    Hopefully a few more fans can get out and watch the team next year. I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed by the skill or entertainment on display. The players also truly appreciate the support and tell us it spurs them on even more during the games.
    Seattle come a calling on Saturday April 28th. It would be nice if the Caps and the Southsiders could mobilize a turnout at SFU to match the enthusiasm of the ECS at Starfire at the weekend.
    There’s four months to get this done, so let’s make sure it happens.
    #SupportTheFuture
    <p>
    Guest

    Montreal brings Patrice Bernier home

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The Montreal Impact added a bit of Canadian content today, signing hometown boy Patrice Bernier ahead of the 2012 season.
    The long-time national team veteran returns to the club with whom he started his profressional career at the turn of the millenium, before moving to clubs in Norway, Germany and Denmark. Bernier becomes the second Canadian on Montreal's roster after goalkeeper Greg Sutton.
    Unlike Sutton, it is expected that Bernier will compete for a starting job when the MLS season commences in early March.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    A short video featuring FC Edmonton's Kyle Porter and David Monsalve hit the web Saturday, presumably in an effort to keep the players (and the team) on people's minds during the chilly off-season (and, obviously, it's working). Generally, I'm all in favour of club utilizing the means at their disposal (including social media) to build a connection with their fans -- and when it's an upstart Canadian club showcasing two young Canadian talents (Porter is 21, Monsalve turns 23 next week), all the better.
    And contrary to what you may automatically assume (as a self-effacing Canuck), the vid actually looks half decent. The video is after the jump, if you wanna check it out.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]


    Guest
    The Vancouver Whitecaps completed a player move today by adding Matt Watson.
    He played the past four seasons with the D2 Carolina RailHawks - including the past three seasons under new ‘Caps head coach Martin Rennie. An Englishman, he had three goals and added two assists in 24 appearances to help Carolina capture the NASL regular season title in 2011. He ranks second all-time in club history after starting 98 of his 107 total appearances for the RailHawks.
    He’s been in the US since college, so it’s possible that he has domestic status. However, there are unconfirmed reports that he will be an international player for the ‘Caps.
    He’s a solid D2 player, but the question Vancouver fans will be asking is whether success in D2 can translate to success in MLS (and, if he is an international, whether he’s worth the additional expense of an international spot). It’s hard to find raw data to study this – you would need to manually collect it – but anecdotally the evidence suggests the Caps, at best, added a depth player today.
    Nothing wrong with that -- you need solid guys that can play roles, but it’s important to keep things in perspective.
    However, in effort to take a harder look things, CSN looked at each player that entered the league from D2 in 2010 (the date was picked simply because the data was fairly easy to find and there was enough time to measure whether the signing was successful). Also, data from pre-2007 would be all but useless as MLS was a much different league prior to then (MLS 1.0 vs MLS 2.0...)
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]In total, 11 players entered the league from the lower divisions in 2010. However, two – Jeff Parke and Steve Ralston – could not be considered typical transfers. Parke was given a one year time out by MLS after he failed a drug test and Ralston attempted to retire in his hometown St. Louis, but was forced back to MLS after Jeff Cooper was shown to be using mirrors to finance the club.
    So, taking those two out of the mix, we are left with nine guys. More than half are out of MLS already. They are listed below with their total MLS appearances.
    Tim Melia – 0
    Cristian Arrieta – 16
    J. T. Noone – 0
    Alec Dufty – 0
    J. P. Rodrigues – 1
    Of course guys fail in MLS from all kinds of leagues. Hell, the Red Bulls currently are dealing with a bust that came from Barcelona. So, we need to factor in how well the successes are too. The four players still in the league, with appearances.
    Danny Earls– 22
    Joey Gjertsen – 34
    Sheanon Williams – 40
    Paulo Araujo Jr.– 14
    Not the most inspiring list. Williams is likely the best of the bunch, but these are by and large depth players. As stated, you need depth players, but in MLS you also have to factor in what they are costing you.
    Danny Earls – $32,604
    Joey Gjertsen – $75,000
    Sheanon Williams – $42,000
    Paulo Araujo Jr. – $42,000
    That’s an average of $47,901. That’s hardly breaking the bank, but one needs to ask whether there is better value available. Prior to the addition of the homegrown rule there probably wasn’t. MLS teams dipped into D2 all the time to find useful plumbers. Today, however, a club with a solid academy program could fill those slots with kids they developed themselves. They’d be free on the cap, have a much higher upside and, as a bonus, could be from the community the club represents.
    In the short term, the kids might be slightly less capable than the older D2 pros, but, to use a baseball term, the VORP on the D2 journeymen guys would likely not be worth it to the club.
    Basically, signing D2 players is very much a MLS 1.0 strategy. Eventually, the clubs that refuse to evolve to the MLS 2.0 model of thinking will be left behind.
    There are always outliers, of course. Every few years a true late bloomer could emerge from the lower leagues and maybe the ‘Caps have found one in Watson. Those that know the player say he’s a valuable dressing room guy (the worth of that is always up for question, but we’ll take it for what it is for now). However, this conversation isn’t really about the Watson signing specifically. He’ll have a chance to prove himself and it’s up to Whitecaps fans to decide for themselves if it was a worthwhile move (also, the connection to Rennie likely makes this a one off signing rather than evidence of Rennie’s transfer philosophy).
    However, fans shouldn’t waste too much time studying the rosters of NASL and USL-Pro sides looking for the next breakout MLS star.
    Note: Players that are “promoted” up with the expansion clubs they played D2 with must be thought of differently. Those types of players are in a different class, clearly signed with MLS in mind. A D2 side not preparing to enter MLS would be highly unlikely to sign them. As such, it is felt that they aren’t representative of the typical D2 player, nor are clubs that are a year away from joining MLS from D2 in a typical situation. So, don’t tell me about Sébastien Le Toux* in the comments.
    *Yes, I know he was signed before the franchise was awarded, but he was very much signed with MLS in mind.
    Guest

    A Christmas challenge

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    There is little doubt that it takes sacrifices to be an Olympian – personal, physical and financial. And the members of the Canadian women’s team exemplify that dedication.
    This is a year that saw the women encamp in Italy for months to prepare for the World Cup – giving up what limited professional opportunities they might have had by doing so – and enter into a long and emotionally draining battle with the CSA for better funding. Then, after a devastating World Cup and the loss of their coach, they had to gear themselves back up almost immediately to prepare for Olympic qualifying.
    Despite the set-backs, they represented Canadians with distinction at the Pan Am Games, winning gold in a dramatic shoot-out victory over Brazil. There is every reason to believe that they will complete the rebound and qualify to London next month, where they will enter as a legitimate medal contender.
    But, they need our support. All Canadian athletes do. Although things have improved, Canadian Olympians are still at a financial disadvantage compared to many other nations.
    Enter the Canadians Athletes Now Fund (CANFund). Relying on donations from Canadians, CANFund provides direct financial support to the men and women that entertain and inspire us through elite sport. Included in those that receive support through the fund are eight members of the Canadian women’s team.
    CANFund is currently raising money for the lead-up to London. The effort is going well – as of Dec 16, 86 per cent of their goal of $175,000 has been raised – but there is still work to be done.
    Christine Sinclair has asked Canadians to make a donation of $12 (for her jersey number 12) each to help push the goal over the top. Seems like the least we can do considering how entertaining her play has been to Canadian soccer fans over the years.
    But, I’m going to go a step further. Since 2008, I have never asked you to pay to read my work at The 24th Minute, Canadian Soccer News or to listen to It’s Called Football. I hope you find what I, and the other writers, provide valuable. If you do, why not double up Sinclair’s challenge and help us help Canadian Olympians -- including our women’s team.
    $24 for the 24th Minute!
    Please click here to make your donation though Sinclair's page.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    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 Christmas approaching it's time for many of us to overload on chocolate, so this week we bring you our <b>"Sweet Treat XI"</b></i>...
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <center>******************************************************************</center>
    <b>GK:</b> Jay Lolly (Chicago Fire - so weird typing that)
    <b>D :</b> John Kennedy Hurtadonut (Seattle Sounders)
    <b>D :</b> Pie Harden (Toronto)
    <b>D :</b> Chad Marshmallow (Columbus Crew)
    <b>D :</b> Andy Aero (Toronto)
    <b>M :</b> Javier S’Morales (Real Salt Lake)
    <b>M :</b> Gershon Koffie-Crisp (Vancouver Whitecaps)
    <b>M :</b> Flake Wagner (Real Salt Lake)
    <b>F :</b> Thierry Oh Henry (New York Red Bulls)
    <b>F :</b> Juan Pablo Angelfoodcake (Chivas)
    <b>F :</b> Flandon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)
    Teal Bunbury was going to play for this team but defected to the "Colour XI" instead. Traitor!
    If the Caps were to sign Carolina's Etienne Barbara, then he will be going straight into this team. Why? Cos he's a big Malteser of course.
    <p>
    Guest

    Aron Winter: man of mystery

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Aron Winter is hard to read at the best of times. As a European man who has spent most of his life in a far different football environment than you find here in North America, he often seems slightly bewildered by what he is expected to deal with.
    This is especially the case with the media. In Europe, the players are protected from the prying eyes of the unkempt fourth estate. Access is granted reluctantly and rarely. The manager does the talking, but it’s on his terms – throw the bums a few quotes; they’ll make it all up anyway.
    So, imagine his confusion here when he suddenly has to talk to every Tom, Dick and Blogger with a pulse. The early season dispute about dressing room access aside, he’s generally good natured about it all – he was in the habit of shaking reporter's hands in pre-season – but he’s developed an effective strategy.
    He says nothing. Ever. Forget clichés, Winter doesn’t even really go that far. Instead, he sort of gives a different variation of the same response over and over again.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]“What did you think of Julian de Guzman’s play?”
    “Julian is a good player, yes, and he’s played alright, but we all need to be better.”
    Do you think the club can make the playoffs?”
    The playoffs are always a goal, of course, and we’re making improvements, but we all need to be better.”
    “Would you like to shoot the referee dead?”
    It’s important that we play better so the referee doesn’t influence our improvements.
    You get the idea.
    So, don’t take too much from the article that appeared yesterday that seemed to suggest that Winter would view a non-playoff year in 2012 as, possibly, successful. He didn’t exactly say that, although that was the headline that was used on the article and the conclusion the writer seemed to draw.
    "The most important thing is that we are making the right steps. When we get started in 2012, we're going to continue how we finished the end of the season.”
    Translated: we’re doing better; need to improve still. It’s the same message as always.
    However, if you listen to Winter long enough you can sometimes draw a more complete conclusion. The truth is, he’s had a consistent, if vaguely worded, goal since he arrived almost a year ago.
    Winter has a three year contract. He talks a lot about that three year period – not in an infamous Mo Johnston 5-year-plan way, but rather in a matter of fact this-is-what-is-expected-of-me fashion. So, when he says making the playoffs in 2012 isn’t the goal, he’s being sincere. It isn’t – not exactly, anyway.
    The goal of Winter and TFC is to be a realistic championship contender by the end of 2013. They aren’t naive enough to not understand that winning a title requires a significant amount of luck on top of good planning. So, you’ll never hear them say they will win it all with certainty. But, they are working towards the goal of making TFC a year in, year out contender within that three year time frame.
    Winter won’t view his job done, nor failed, until the end of that timeframe. So, it’s possible that the club could miss the playoffs next year and, in his mind, still be on track.
    He also likely knows all hell will break loose if that happens. It’s unclear if he cares though. To him, it’s all about the plan. The playoffs are not an end goal. Clearly, they need to make the playoffs to win a title.
    The other thing that comes through when you follow Winter over a long time is a lack of desperation. It appears that he does not believe that his job is in question – not until the three years are up, anyway.
    What's not clear is whether TFC fans understand any of this, or whether they’ll accept improvement in 2012 without an identifiable payoff.
    It seems unlikely.
    But, should they?
    Guest
    Vancouver Whitecaps’ busy close season shows no signs of abating.
    The latest transaction has seen a possible further addition to the Caps squad, with 25 year old American attacking midfielder Lee Nguyen being acquired by the team after a MLS weighted lottery this morning.
    The deal sees Nguyen become a Major League Soccer player at the third attempt, but the consensus is that it won't end up being as a Whitecaps player.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    As we covered on <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?2536-Whitecaps-Pass-On-Re-Entry-Draft-As-Needs-Become-Clear" target="_blank">Monday</a>, the remaining gaps in the Whitecaps’ squad are now very apparent, after all the recent comings and goings, and midfield is still one of the problem areas.
    Although a former American international, Nguyen is not exactly going to be a household name to those in the States, never mind in Vancouver, having been playing the last three years in the Vietnamese V-League.
    He comes to MLS with a promising background as a youth player, having won an American national championship at Under 18 level, along with countless local and state-wide championships whilst growing up in Texas.
    Nguyen has represented the US at youth, Under 23 and full international levels, winning all three of his full caps in 2007.
    2005 saw Nguyen represent his country at the FIFA World Youth Championships and he was named ‘National Boy Soccer Player Of The Year’.
    His talents and potential saw him attract an offer from MLS, but he declined and headed off to university to become an Indiana Hoosier on a scholarship, winning two ‘Freshman Of The Year’ awards in the process.
    The stay at college was brief and Nguyen made the move to Holland in 2006 to join PSV Eindhoven after impressing Guus Hiddink. He failed to win a first team spot and made only one appearance for the Dutch giants before being transferred to Danish club Randers FC in the 2008 January transfer window.
    One year, 22 appearances and no goals later, Nguyen was again off to pastures new, this time to Vietnam, where he has played for Hoàng Anh Gia Lai and Becamex Bình Dương.
    14 goals in 29 appearances is a pretty nice record, but the standard of play and opposition is a complete mystery to us, so we have no real gauge as to how this would transfer into a league like MLS.
    We’d never heard of the guy until this lottery was announced on December 7th, but his career stats certainly give the impression that Vancouver have acquired someone who was an exciting young talent who hasn’t lived up to his full potential or produced the goods at the top senior level yet.
    Nguyen now has the chance to rebuild both his domestic and international careers with Vancouver. That is if they want to keep him and if the player even wants to come to Canada.
    AFTN's feeling is that the Whitecaps are likely to trade him away to one of the Texas clubs.
    A deal to move back to his home state with FC Dallas fell through last year. They may want another crack at him.
    There is always the chance that AFTN's dreams could come true and we can trade him to Houston with A.N. Other and land Adam Moffat.
    If they decide to keep him, Nguyen could prove to be a key cog for the Caps and another marketing boost.
    He is a player who not only scores goals, but provides a bucketload of assists as well, and we were badly missing that last season.
    You don't win all those plaudits throughout your career without being a good player. Vancouver may bring out the best of him.
    There are some concerns around Nguyen that we should look at.
    Why has he been playing in the Vietnamese league and what kind of level is that? Can he turn it on at the top level, when he hasn’t so far in his career.
    And why has he been a free agent since June? Holding out for a move back home or just that no one wanted him?
    A goalscorer is a goalscorer, but then, so was Mustapha Jarju in Belgium.
    On paper he looks like an exciting acquisition, that can add a dangerous attacking quality to the team.
    As we know only too well here in Vancouver, football isn’t player on paper.
    <p>
    Guest

    New Vancouver Based Football Podcast Launches

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    Football fans in British Columbia, and the world over, have a new weekly podcast to listen to.
    Looking at all aspects of the game in the province, <a href="http://westcoastsoccerweekly.podbean.com/2011/12/15/episode1-december-14th-2011/" target="_blank"><b><i>West Coast Soccer Weekly</i></b></a> will naturally be heavily Vancouver Whitecaps focused, but will also bring interviews and insight into the soon to be launched BC Premier League, the women’s game, Canada’s national teams and a lot more besides.
    Although based on the west coast, the aim is to provide an entertaining podcast that will have something of interest to football fans countrywide and worldwide.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The podcast is the brainchild of CSN writer Pierce Lang, with the added benefit/drawback (delete as you feel appropriate) of myself coming along for the ride as co-host most weeks.
    As a professional cynic and all-round bitter and twisted old fashioned football fan (I even have the t-shirt), there’s a good chance I’ll be taking the show to some dark places most weeks! That's why perky Pierce is there.
    We’re a good mix. Pierce has a voice for the radio, I have the face.
    The inaugural edition of the podcast is now up and you can download it <a href="http://westcoastsoccerweekly.podbean.com/2011/12/15/episode1-december-14th-2011/" target="_blank">HERE</a> or listen to it below.
    We think we’ve brought you a pretty interesting debut show.
    Our first guest is former Canadian national team boss Dale Mitchell, who is now Director of Coaching with Coquitlam Metro Ford in the BCPL.
    Dale talks us through the exciting times ahead for youth football in the province and takes a look at his own career, whether Canadian players can thrive in fundamentally American leagues like MLS, the current state of the CMNT and whether Voyageurs have unrealistic expectations about how the country should be performing on the international stage.
    Following on from Dale we chat with <i>Sportsnet</i> and <i>MLSSoccer.com</i> correspondent Martin McMahon about the busy week for the Whitecaps and he gives us the scoop as to what he knows about where Paul Barber is heading next and what Bobby Lenarduzzi had to say about all of the rumours surrounding the Englishman’s shock departure.
    On top of all that, Pierce and myself review the many Whitecaps stories making the news in the last week including Barber’s resignation, Bryce Alderson winning the Canadian U17 Player of the Year, the re-signing of ‘Sicknote’ and the enigma that is Mustapha Jarju.
    Hopefully a little something for everyone, so go have a listen and let us know anything you’d like us to cover.
    Be gentle with us. It’s out first time. But we’ll be back for more next week, whether you want us or not.
    <p>
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    Guest

    Vancouver wins rights to Nguyen

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Lee Nguyen is a member of the Vancouver Whitecaps -- for now, anyway.
    The 'Caps landed the rights to the former US youth international in a weighted lottery today. Vancouver had the best odds of winning the player's rights.
    It's unknown whether he'll play for Vancouver yet. Often, teams will claim a player in a weighted draft with the idea that they will move him for another asset. There are suggestions that Nguyen wants to play in Texas for either Dallas or Houston.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
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