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    Guest

    Sinclair's seven-peat

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    As expected, Christine Sinclair was named the female player of the year today. It is the seventh straight year she has won the award.
    It wasn't close. Sinclair finished with just under 50 per cent of the votes (49.3%), with second place finisher Sophie Schmidt well behind with 12.4 per cent.
    Rounding out the voting was Karina LeBlanc (10.85), Diana Matheson (10.3), Candace Chapman (7.3) and Kaylyn Kyle (5.3).
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    The Montreal Impact announced on Thursday that five Canadian players from the 2011 roster have been invited to the team’s first MLS training camp, in hopes of earning a contract with the team for the 2012 season.
    Defenders Nevio Pizzolitto and Simon Gatti, as well as forwards Eduardo Sebrango, Reda Agourram and Mircea Ilcu, have been invited by Impact head coach Jesse Marsch to join the team on the first leg of its training camp in Guadalajara, Mexico, from January 18 to 29.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    'Caps, TFC after Lee Nguyen

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    There is better than a 33 per cent chance former youth international Lee Nguyen will be claimed by a Canadian MLS team today.
    Both Vancouver and Toronto have indicated that they wish to be part of the weighted lotto that will take place this afternoon. Actually, because of their record in 2011, the two clubs will have the greatest chance to land the player. Houston, Dallas, Salt Lake and the Galaxy are also involved.
    The league uses a lottery to place young domestic players that did not join MLS through the SuperDraft, but who are not current internationals.
    Nguyen last played for Becamex Bình Dương in Vietnam. He spent a brief time with PSV earlier in his career.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    TFC adds coach

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Toronto FC named Stewart Kerr its new goalkeeping coach today. He replaces Mike Toshack, who took a position with the Portland Timbers.
    Kerr, a native of Bellshill, Scotland spent the majority of his playing career with Celtic F.C. of the Scottish Premier League from 1993 until 2001. During his time at Celtic, Kerr won two Scottish League titles and two Scottish Cups. He went on loan for one season with English side, Brighton during his time with Celtic. Kerr finished his career at Wigan in 2002. Kerr was most recently hired on as goalkeeping coach for Scottish club, Motherwell before moving to Canada.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    The best of the rest

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Christine Sinclair will be named Canada’s female soccer player of the year Thursday. It’s not much of a cliff-hanger – at this point they might as well name the award after her. Even in her off years she is clearly miles above the next best candidate and, as I pointed out yesterday, is a once in a lifetime talent. So, the wins are deserved.
    Regardless, it makes for a boring debate each December. So, let’s assume that Sinclair is going to win and have a look at who the Non-Sinclair Canadian female player of the year (NSCFPOTY) is.
    The candidates below the jump:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    5th - Kaylyn Kyle
    Kyle might have had a slight slip back in 2011, but that shouldn’t be held against her too much. She is one of the most talented young players in the country and when she’s on her game she can play a box-to-box role as well as anyone. Like many, her World Cup was disappointing. In Kyle’s case the performance at the highest stage might have been the most disappointing of all – a testament to just how good she could be, but also why she can’t be the NSCFPOTY.
    4th - Diana Matheson
    It’s a bit of a cliché, but Matheson might be one of the best “pound-for-pound” players in the world. If only she were just a little bit more physically commanding she would be talked about in the same way Sinclair is. Regardless, she remains a very skilled and important player just the way she is. Matheson didn’t do anything out of the ordinary in 2011. She was just her normal, skilled self. That’s enough to put her in the NSCFPOTY discussion every year.
    3rd - Karina LeBlanc
    The veteran keeper looked as though she might be about to lose her spot as Canada’s No 1 before her heroics at the Pan Am Games re-established her as a key part of Big Red. In a year of frustration, it was LeBlanc ‘s gold medal penalty save that acted as a redemption moment for a frustrated program and it alone puts LeBlanc in the running for the NSCFPOTY award.
    2nd - Sophie Schmidt
    However, my pick for NSCFPOTY is the underrated Schmidt. She played in every game Canada was involved in this year and was the most consistent Canuck in Germany – she arguably was the only Canadian player to step up her game at the World Cup. Schmidt plays an unheralded, but vital, role in the midfield and she did it with distinction all year for both club (she was a WPS finalist with magicJack) and country.
    Guest
    The article we ran to open AFTN's <i>Canadian Soccer News</i> era, took a look at <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?2533-How-Deep-Rooted-Are-The-Whitecaps-Problems" target="_blank">how deeply rooted the Whitecaps problems are</a> and whether there are even any underlying problems at all.
    The piece was well received and generated some healthy debate, both here and elsewhere, producing differing opinions. Always fantastic to have and is what football is all about.
    I described the Caps as a team in turmoil, rather than a club in crisis. Some readers may see no difference between those two statements. There is a fine line, but coming from my footballing background, I always associate the latter term with financial peril and clubs fighting for their very existence.
    Tumultuous is definitely the one word I would use to sum up Vancouver Whitecaps' 2011.
    Whitecaps fans certainly shouldn't be hitting the panic button just yet, but the concerns are there and should most definitely be brought to the forefront. Everything in Vancouver's garden is certainly not rosy, but I am still very optimistic about what lies in store next year, on the pitch at least.
    When I wrote the article, little did I know what was going to be coming out on Monday on <a href="http://blogs.thescore.com/footyblog/2011/12/12/the-footy-show-podcast-dec-12th/" target="_blank"><b><i>The Score's Footy Show podcast</i></b></a>.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    There has already been much discussion surrounding the podcast, which featured a very interesting interview with ex-Whitecap defender Chris Williams. He was very scathing about his time in Vancouver and what was going on behind the scenes with the Club.
    Now some Whitecaps fans will be asking "who?". Many of us who actually watched the Caps in our last D2 year may also ask the same question.
    I have to be honest and say I hardly even remembered him being there at first! That might just be because that season was simply woeful on an entertainment level and I've tried to block it from my memory. It all came flooding back in the end.
    Williams didn't feature much during the 2010 NASL campaign, making 15 appearances over the course of the season. Despite what Williams clearly thinks of his own talents, as far as AFTN was concerned he was never going to make the jump to MLS with the Caps. We didn’t see him as anywhere near the calibre needed and would have struggled to be on our squad this year if we remained at D2 level. He's a journeyman.
    Before we look at what he said during the interview, we would be wrong not to point out that a scorned player, seemingly with an axe still to grind, isn't the most legitimate source for taking what is said as gospel.
    When we ran our feature on <a href="http://aftncanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/paul-barber-he-came-he-saw-he-failed.html" target="_blank">Paul Barber's resignation</a> on Friday, we featured some comments from an ex Front Office employee. Comments were made regarding the same legitimacy of our source, but as we pointed out, this was a long term employee, who I personally knew and trusted, and who also left of his own accord for bigger and brighter things and was certainly not bitter.
    Again, fine line.
    <i>The Score</i> are fully aware of this and know that some listeners will take what Williams had to say with a pinch of salt.
    I’m really not sure what to make of the interview.
    Any player that describes himself as a <i>“character guy”</i> immediately makes me rolls my eyes. One manager’s character guy is another manager’s problem player.
    From the off, Williams calls out the Caps and seems to clearly have little time for those movers and shakers at the Club. When a player has that many gripes, is there any wonder as to why he’s still not in Vancouver?!
    Williams felt that Thordarson's days were numbered very early on when he saw that it was Tommy Soehn who was bringing in the players. We've always been led to believe that Teitur had the final say in personnel matters, but this would appear to indicate otherwise.
    Did Thordarson have no real say, and just went along with decisions to make his life easier, or did he challenge any outside interference and died on his sword as a result?
    It was clear when Soehn took over as Head Coach at the end of May this year that he wanted his own players on the pitch and to stamp his own design on to the team. One by one, all of Teitur's guys have been sent packing, with just the Residency products remaining.
    Williams’ comments give the impression that Soehn was Head Coach in all but name.
    The interesting question that now arises is what is the current lie of the land?
    Does Martin Rennie have the final say on players, is it a joint decision, or will he be steamrollered in taking on guys that Soehn, or somebody else, thinks is the right player for the Caps?
    It's been mentioned various times that collective consensus is likely to be the order of the day.
    From what I know of Rennie, and from what I can gauge from our few chats so far, he certainly strikes me as a man with a firm direction and plan, and not someone that is going to be dictated to.
    Where does all of this leave Tommy Soehn? Williams thinks he should be worried. So some positive news from the podcast anyway!
    The interview moves on to Paul Barber’s resignation and the front office, somewhat echoing what we said on Friday.
    All the spin in the world that Barber’s job is done here, doesn’t make us forget the fanfare that greeted his arrival and the thoughts that he was here for the long term.
    <i>”Strong personalities”</i> is the phrase used to describe the Caps FO, as Barber’s autonomy is questioned. From other sources, the lack of autonomy was the opposite of the problem.
    We might question the credence of Williams’ comments when it comes to his take on playing matters, but his views around off the pitch problems are what we’ve been hearing from a lot of people now.
    Was it simply a case of too many chiefs? Who was really calling the shots and what really were the roots of the problems?
    We’ll soon find out. If 2012 is another year of internal turmoil, with numerous personnel changes at all levels and a string of Front Office clusterfucks, then things clearly haven’t been fixed by Paul Barber moving on and issues still exist.
    I think if we find Martin Rennie still as Head Coach this time next year, then that’s a positive indication that the problems are ironed out and the Whitecaps are back on the right path.
    Just imagine it. A whole year with the same man in charge of the team. And they said it couldn’t be done.
    So there we have it. Interesting stuff from Williams if you’re a Vancouver fan.
    Have a listen to the podcast, if you haven’t done so already, and let us know what you think.
    A player with a grudge stirring the shit or an honest assessment of what the last two years have been like behind the scenes at Vancouver Whitecaps FC?
    Unless you're in there, you'll never know for sure, but the alarm bells can't help but go off when you listen to Williams. Unhappy ex-player or not, he isn’t going to come out with such stuff without some truth to back it up.
    The concerns we had before certainly haven't gone anywhere and if anything, seem vindicated.
    Onwards and upwards though. In Bobby we trust, and all that.
    Like a bald man who has just lost all his hair, it's going to be a new Barberless era soon. We can only hope that lessons have been learned, attitudes have changed and a brighter future lies ahead.
    We're still optimistic!
    <p>
    Guest
    It's almost impossible to argue against Dwayne De Rosario as the 2011 Canadian men's player of the year.
    In what may have been the most obvious choice in the history of the award, the CSA announced today that De Rosario had topped the voting; just another feather in the cap of the man who had already wrapped up Major League Soccer's Golden Boot and Most Valuable Player trophies.
    But for all the amazing things DeRo has achieved on the club level this year -- and make no mistake, it'll likely be a long time until another male player from this country dominates a league the way De Rosario did this season -- his play for the national side was, by the very standards that the man set for himself this year, sub-par.
    Given that a player of the year award is purportedly recognition for an entire body of work over a 12 month period -- which includes the national team, especially since the honour is awarded by the CSA -- should his less-than-stellar form for Stephen Hart's side matter? [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It's certainly an interesting question, especially in light of the fact that DeRo also achieved a milestone while playing for the national team this year.
    De Rosario stepped up and etched his name alongside that of Dale Mitchell, as the two now share the title of all-time leading national team goalscorer. It's almost a foregone conclusion that DeRo will surpass Mitchell and claim the record as his own in the near future. And yet, there was something very underwhelming about it all.
    Perhaps it's because he tied Mitchell via a penalty kick, one that someone else earned. Or perhaps it's because all four of his national team goals in 2011 came from the penalty spot. Don't get me wrong, the proficiency that De Rosario shows on penalties is a great weapon to have in any team's arsenal, especially a side like Canada that struggles to score goals at the best of times.
    But there was something undeniably off about DeRo in Canada colours this year, especially when comparing him to the absolute monster who terrorized MLS defences and carried a poor DC United team on his back for large stretches.
    That De Rosario was sorely needed by Canada during the Gold Cup. That De Rosario would have dropped a hat-trick on each of the minnows that the Canadian side faced in World Cup Qualifying this year, thus eliminating much of the navel-gazing by many fans that immediately followed what was ultimately a successful qualification round.
    If that De Rosario showed up for the national team in 2011, then the debate for Best Canadian Player Ever almost becomes moot.
    But he didn't.
    As it is, DeRo remains a great club-level player who only shows flashes of the same brilliance when wearing the Maple Leaf on the international stage. In 2011, that is good enough to win the Canadian player of the year award. But in 2012, with so much more on the line, it better not be.
    Photo: CanadaSoccer.com / Giamou


    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

    Mission Cuba

    By Guest, in It's Called Football,

    The Voyageurs are organizing an invasion of Cuba (Hi CSIS!) for the next round of World Cup qualifying.
    No hype needed. No upsell necessary.
    Simply put: you do not want to miss this trip.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Contact information is on the poster above or you can head over to this thread on the Voyageurs to get involved.

    And yes, they're making Stephen Hart/Che Guevara shirts.
    Guest
    It appears as though soccer was once again all but ignored in the deliberations to name Canada’s top athlete in 2011.
    World Champion figure skater Partick Chan captured the award, with shot putter Dylan Armstrong (World No 1; silver medallist at World Championship), baseball's John Axford (43 consecutive converted save opportunities) and Joey Votto (led the NL in doubles (40), base on balls (110), and on-base percentage (.416)), speedskater Christine Nesbitt (triple gold at World Championship) and show-jumper Eric Lamaze (world No 1) the finalists.
    Details of other athletes discussed are unknown, but it’s somewhat surprising that neither MLS MVP Dwayne De Rosario nor, especially, Christine Sinclair were on the final list.
    A soccer player has never won the award.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Was Chan a worthy pick? Sure -- he won the World Championship and broke a world record during the year. Figure skating isn’t everyone’s thing, but it is undoubtedly an athletic endeavour and the sport remains very popular (mostly with your mom’s friends, but still...). All of the athletes on the list are remarkable and suggesting that Sinclair should have been in the discussion is not a knock on their accomplishments.
    But, she should have been (DeRo is a harder argument to make due to the quality of MLS. A player in a second tier league has not won the award since 1969 when CFL QB Russ Jackson was named).
    Sinclair was the WPS championship game MVP, scored the championship winning goal, had 10 goals in 15 appearances and lead Canada to a gold medal at the Pan Am games. She also had one of the best goals of the Women’s World Cup. Canada’s performance at the World Cup hurt her chances, but it’s telling that her club record seemed to be ignored. Unlike De Rosario and MLS, Sinclair plays in a league that is in the discussion as the best in the world.
    So is Sinclair. There are some that think she is one of the top 5 players worldwide. On her best day she might be, but even a conservative estimate of top 25 is impressive. Vastly more women play soccer than speedskate. Yet Nesbitt is a finalist but Sinclair isn’t? Seems a bit inconsistent.
    Last year I asked someone at the CSA whether they thought the sport got the short end during these type of things. They felt that it was possible, although they didn’t think winning the overall award was in the cards anytime soon. The Bobbie Rosenfeld Award for top female athlete, however, was a different story. According to this CSA official the organization was gently lobbying for Sinclair to win the 2010 award.
    She didn’t, of course. The voters bizarrely went with figure skater Joannie Rochette, who was about the 10th best candidate. In a year that saw multiple Canadian women win gold medals they gave it to a bronze medallist for sentimental reasons (her mother died while she was at the Olympics. A sad story, no doubt, but not one that should have allowed voters to eschew logic when casting their ballots).
    The 2011 award will be named sometime before Christmas. Let’s hope that Sinclair is at least in the conversation.
    Guest
    With AFTN having moved under the <i>Canadian Soccer News</i> umbrella now, we felt it was the ideal opportunity to look at the issue of whether Whitecaps fans are more interested in the Canadian or the Cascadian rivalries, and do they have their priorities right?
    It might not be a burning question for everyone, but I feel it’s a good discussion to have and we’ll be looking at both sides in a three part series this month, with some fans who have strong feelings on both sides sharing their viewpoints.
    A few weeks back I was talking to a Toronto based friend and we were chewing the fat about AFTN’s switch to CSN.
    “That’ll be good for you to have the banter with your fellow Canadian fans” he said, going on to add “Your abuse is bound to be good for the rivalries!”.
    He was somewhat astounded when I told him that a lot of Whitecaps fans don’t really give two hoots about the Canadian rivalries when it comes to MLS, only when the Voyageurs Cup is involved.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    I’m pretty sure that the feeling is mutual with Toronto, and now Montreal, supporters.
    We care very little about them. They care very little about us. Toronto and Montreal have each other to hate, and TFC has had the intense rivalry with Columbus stoking their fires the last few years. All of which takes the edge off the Vancouver games a little.
    Major League Soccer clearly thinks otherwise.
    With Vancouver hosting Montreal for their 2012 First Kick on March 10th, it’s the second consecutive year that the Caps will be opening their MLS campaign against Canadian opposition.
    It’s certainly not a forced rivalry. There will always be added spice to games when Canadian pride is on the line, but how much further does it go than that?
    Sure, we want to see both teams lose and fail to make the playoffs. You do that with your rivals. I want them to crash out of the Champions League at the earliest opportunity. Screw all that “they’re doing it for Canada” crap.
    For many supporters, that’s as far as it goes and the real animosity is reserved for Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers.
    Members of supporters’ groups may love the Cascadian games, but there are also a lot of people who just don’t care about Cascadia. To them, it’s just another visiting American team for the Caps to try and beat and it’s the Canadian ones that matter.
    It’s a strange one, and opinion is clearly split, but Canada needs intense rivalries between all three of our MLS teams for the game to continue to flourish and grab more attention of the casual fan.
    Personally, I do feel that I should “hate” Toronto and Montreal solely because they are both in the same league and the same country as me. I would probably be putting out the bunting for the street party if Montreal were to bite the dust and go out of business mind you! We have history after all.
    That’s my Scottish upbringing. Those kind of feelings towards your footballing rivals is instilled in you from a very early age, where local tribalism always wins the day. There’s not a lot of love for anyone that isn’t your own team.
    These feelings are not as deep rooted amongst the general football fan in Vancouver, if they even exist at all, and a lot of that comes from the diverse ethnic nature of the city. It would be very interesting (to me at least!) to find out how many regular Whitecaps fans are ‘homegrowns’, and born in Canada, and how many are football loving ex-pats.
    For those Canadians that have come from a traditional hockey background, there is a lot more interest in their eastern cousins.
    A lot of that comes from those that hate Toronto and all she stands for. Justifiable centre of the universe loathing or jealous chip on the shoulder?
    As a non Canadian, the cities of Toronto and Montreal mean as little to me as New York and Boston.
    I don’t hate TFC just because they come from Toronto. That’s just foolish. There’s so many other reasons to despise and mock them. I certainly don’t hate the city. It was the first place I ever went overseas and I’m a longtime Leafs fan (can’t be accused of being a gloryhunter there!).
    Both cities though are far removed from my own life in terms of culture and lifestyle, not to mention on the other side of the country.
    I find it hard to get too het up about cities and teams that are thousands of miles away from me and if I want to shout abuse at them I have to hop on a plane.
    I’m used to hopping in my car every week, making a short drive to wherever and following my black and gold heroes of East Fife across Scotland. I still find it hard that I can’t do that with the Caps, but it has led to my love for watching the PDL, U18 and U16 guys to fill the gaps instead. And that’s been very rewarding to a lover of lower league football like myself.
    It’s as a result of such travel logistics that AFTN, and many other Vancouverites, feel a lot more affinity towards the cities, people and lifestyles of the laid back towns and cities in Washington and Oregon.



    If you looked around Empire Field and BC Place last season, especially in the Southside, sure you saw the odd Maple Leaf flag, but Cascadia flags were in abundance.
    At the Man City friendly in July, the Southsiders had a huge <i>“Welcome To Cascadia”</i> banner. All season long they sold Cascadia flags and Cascadia flag patches, which many fans sewed onto their replica kits in addition to their Maple Leaf patch.
    I'm proud to own a Cascadia scarf and have a Cascadia flag pin adorning my Southsiders scarf.
    Some won’t feel such an affinity with a region that exists more as a mindset than a reality, but some, like myself, really identify with the ethos behind the <i>Republic of Cascadia</i>.
    If I could only go to BC Place to watch two MLS games all season, the Sounders and Timbers would be my opposition of choice. That said, if I was to pick from ANY two games in a season, it would be the two Voyageur Cup games.
    They mean more to me than the regular MLS season. There’s your Canadian pride right there.
    That might not be a good thing, especially if we want to grow the game countrywide. The League games <i>should</i> matter just as much.
    I would love more deep-seated hostilities amongst the Canadian teams and fans. It can only benefit the sport here. Any current lack of that is one of the downfalls from playing in a continent-wide North American league, coupled with the vast expanse of Canada.
    Vancouver does have the pure, unadulterated ‘hatred’ towards Montreal Impact embedded in some of their support, after various souring shenanigans in the last few years, and for me, that’s a good base to try and build up the Canadian rivalries.
    Long term Whitecaps fans are a bit sick to the back teeth of playing the Quebecois. We’ve seemingly played them endlessly these last few years, and not with the greatest amount of success either. That in itself just leads to agitation.
    But I love it. We need games with a real heat in them like this and I’ll tell you why.
    Vancouver fans may not like to admit this, but whether it is the Cascadian or the Canadian rivalry, the Whitecaps are the outsiders. Sure we get to play with the toys when we visit our cousin, but it’s a bit grudgingly.
    Portland and Seattle have a longstanding dislike of each other. So do Toronto and Montreal.
    With all four cities, this goes way beyond football. This is intense city rivalries.
    You cannot understand the scale of the hatred Portlanders feel towards their northern rivals until you pay a visit to the city and talk to them about it. It honestly blew me away when I first went there.
    Whether we like it or not, if you took Vancouver out of the Cascadian or Canadian equation, it wouldn’t affect the intensity of the remaining matches one iota.
    If anything, Vancouver needs a more local rival solely of our own, like a MLS team in Edmonton, Calgary or Victoria. It’s not going to happen any time soon, but the Whitecaps would greatly benefit from it.
    Football thrives on animosity.
    Hate in football is not a bad thing. It’s not a bad word, as long as it’s tempered. If anything, it can be used a major factor for growth if marketed fully.
    And that’s where the fans have a big part to play.
    It should always be remembered that we don't hate our rival fans. It's the teams. Football fans in North America are a small enough minority without turning on each other. That's important.
    For me, football has always been about good natured pre and post match drinks and banter, but 90 minutes of intense dislike sandwiched inbetween.
    If we want the Canadian rivalries to grow, we need to stoke the fires a little online, in the media and with tifos and chants.
    Of course, maybe we don’t want that. What say you?
    * * * * * *
    <u>Coming Up:</u>
    Canada v Cascadia - The Maple Leaf Forever
    Canada v Cascadia - Vive La Republique
    <p>
    Guest

    Morgan named U-20 player of the year

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Toronto FC's Ashtone Morgan has been named the U-20 player of the year by the Canadian Soccer Association.
    Morgan, who broke through into regular first team duty with TFC earlier this year, saw his first call up to the men's national team as well.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Amélia Pietrangelo was named U-20 player for the women's side. The Laval striker also saw her first taste of national team duty this year and will be eligible to represent Canada at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship and U-20 World Cup. She attends Rutgers University where she is a freshman with the school's soccer team.
    Guest
    We were told last week – before the press release naming the CSA Nominations Committee (which was never released to the press) – that interviews with CSA governance types would be permitted after.
    Nope. The Onward!-induced muzzling of Metcalfe Street continues, with a vague second-hand promise that committee members might be approachable after their first meeting (approx. December 20), unless, of course, they aren’t.
    Fortunately – and as always – there’s a big difference between official silence and actual silence. And while I can’t currently attribute my sources, here’s what’s going on:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The Nominations Committee consists of CSA directors Jeannette Kuc (Saskatchewan) and Greg Anderson (B.C.), with outside consultation from promoter Grant MacDonald (Nova Scotia), financier J.D. Miller (Quebec) and Oakville Soccer Club mover/shaker Paul Varian (Ontario).
    It’s actually an encouraging lineup. Their job is to fill the six appointed positions on the reform-restructured CSA board.
    Check that – three of those positions.
    Turns out there are some real restrictions of what this committee can do – and they’re written right into the reform package passed at the CSA’s 2011 annual general meeting back in May.
    Three of the six appointed seats – for one year only – will be granted to current CSA directors Kuc, Steve Reed and Ken McLean, to allow them to finish serving their two-year terms. Legitimate concern was raised by Ben Rycroft – on It’s Called Football late last night – that this might be a new development.
    Well, it’s been confirmed overnight that this was always the plan. So the implementation of six appointed board members is going to take a year longer than many of us realized – but that reflects a basic misunderstanding, and not an actual change in the fabric of the reforms.
    So – three seats to fill, but there are restrictions there as well.
    The new structure demands that there be at least three CSA directors of each sex. Please understand, I support this idea completely – which makes me perfectly entitled to highlight the obstacles it might create.
    Jeannette Kuc will be there for one more year. The only other woman currently on the CSA board is Christine O’Connor from Manitoba, and there has been no sign – so far – that she intends to stand for election next spring.
    (There’s always the possibility of new candidates emerging. Just no sign – anywhere, as yet – that they will.)
    So, very likely, two of the three appointees are going to be women. This is fine for gender equality, but removes half of the entire human race from consideration for a couple of pretty important postings.
    Also – one member of the overall board must be a former athlete. I’m pretty sure current vice-president Victor Montagliani fits this bill nicely.
    Also – one member must be from professional soccer.
    So, instead of six outside-expert directors with bright ideas and bankable connections, we’re getting three grandfathered sitting directors and three folks who pretty much have to meet some strict, basic requirements.
    Sigh.
    Okay, this was always going to take time. The good news is – and remains – that CSA 2012 will be significantly different from the one we have now.
    Even with only three appointed members, perspective will broaden. The tightening up of the rest of the board – and huge reduction in the membership of provincial and territorial soccer association presidents – will clarify the vision, and sharply reduce the amount of politicking and infighting needed to get anything at all done.
    And one year later, the full vision – with six appointed board members hugely expanding the CSA’s vision, scope and connections – will be in place.
    There will also be a new president, but we’ll talk more about that later in the week.
    Any questions?
    Onward!
    Guest
    Depending on who you ask, the very future of women's soccer in North America may well have been hanging in the balance on Monday night, when the U.S. Soccer Federation sat down to decide whether or not to grant Women's Professional Soccer Division 1 status for 2012. The WPS was already operating under a special waiver from the USSF in 2011 with only six teams -- a number chopped to five after the utter debacle that was magicJack.
    But as Beau Dure reports for ESPNW, this provisional sanctioning is a big deal for WPS and its players:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Another of the league's top players is, of course, Canadian women's national team captain Christine Sinclair (a teammate of Marta's, incidentally). The Canadian contingent in WPS in 2011 also included Candace Chapman, Karina LeBlanc, Erin McLeod, Kelly Parker, Sophie Schmidt and Lauren Sesselmann.
    Now, whether a new investor will step up to add a sixth team prior to the start of the new campaign is unknown. But even the league's most ardent fans would have a tough time justifying a five-team league retaining Division 1 status over the long term. So clearly, something needs to change in order for WPS to bring itself to the level that its current owners, players and fans envision.
    Some would say that WPS's current model is untenable (CSN's Duane Rollins among them), pointing to the W-League (where a number of other Canadian national team members currently play) as a viable -- or preferable -- alternative. But as Canadian-born defender Ciara McCormack, who's had several tours of duty with the Vancouver Whitecaps, pointed out in a blog post late last week, conditions on teams in that league can certainly be less than ideal as well:
    Ultimately, both the WPS and W-League model appear to be fraught with real or potential problems -- though that, of course, describes any organization as large and complex as a nationwide sports league. The important takeaway from the WPS announcement, though, is that the league has been given, as Dure puts it, "a big reprieve".
    The WPS announcement isn't a long-term solution. Far from it. What it is -- or what it should be -- is one big, solid and perhaps final reminder to those invested in the game on these shores that if a coast-to-coast professional women's league is to be viable, it's going to take work, and that work needs to happen now.
    But it's also important to remember, as Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.com said on Twitter:
    Guest
    Today, we're joined by CSN's new Whitecaps editor, Michael McColl, to talk about the real reason behind Paul Barber's desparture, if Martin Rennie can manage some of the egos he's inherited and talk about what's coming to CSN in the months ahead.
    We'll also check in with Ben Knight about the CSA selection committee, completely ignore the non-story of Stefan Frei training with Liverpool and talk at length about what the MLSE sale means for soccer and soccer coverage in Toronto.
    The archived show is now up.
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    Next Monday will be our last show before the holidays but we're aiming to a live show between now and then. We'll also be re-airing a package of our best interviews from 2011 to keep your soccer stomach full.
    Guest
    As expected, Vancouver Whitecaps passed on their pick in the second stage of the MLS Re-Entry draft today.
    After passing up their first round pick last Monday, Martin Rennie <a href="http://aftncanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/martin-rennie-impresses-fans-at.html" target="_blank">told AFTN</a>: <i>”We believe we can sign players that are better than that and hopefully we’ll prove that in the next couple of months”</i>. He was true to his word.
    With no new additions to the Whitecaps squad today, unless Santa delivers an early stocking stuffer, 21 players will be taking Vancouver into 2012, with another seven or eight signings expected to be in place by the start of the new season.
    Although there are no names firmly linked to Vancouver, where the remaining gaps are in the squad have now become a lot clearer.
    As it currently stands, Vancouver’s 2012 MLS squad is shaping up as follows:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <u>Goalkeepers :</u> Joe Cannon; Brian Sylvestre
    <u>Defenders :</u> Michael Boxall; Jay DeMerit; Jordan Harvey; Young-Pyo Lee; Carlyle Mitchell; Alain Rochat
    <u>Midfielders :</u> Bryce Alderson; Philippe Davies; Gershon Koffie; Michael Nanchoff; Russell Teibert; John Thorrington
    <u>Midfielders/Forwards :</u> Davide Chiumiento; Atiba Harris; Mustapha Jarju
    <u>Forwards :</u> Eric Hassli; Omar Salgado; Camilo da Silva Sanvezzo; Long Tan
    There is still the distinct possibility that some of these players will be subject to trades or transfers over the next few weeks, so fans shouldn’t order their replica jerseys quite yet.
    Whether the Whitecaps will re-look at Greg Janicki, Jonathan Leathers and Peter Vagenas, none of whom were picked up in the re-entry draft, is unknown, but also unlikely.
    If the season was to start tomorrow, the Caps could certainly field a semi-competitive team from their current choices, but the midfield would be a serious concern, as would be depth.
    It’s now a case of filling in the gaps and building a strong squad to take the Whitecaps forward.
    The addition of a third goalkeeper is a given.
    Although Sylvestre is a good young prospect, he is nowhere near ready to be a MLS back up or challenge Joe Cannon for the number one jersey. He had mixed performances in the PDL games we saw last season, in a year which was plagued by injury woes for the big stopper.
    The Caps will be bringing in a strong new keeper and one who will be expected to challenge Joe Cannon right away for that starting spot.
    There’s some speculation out there that Carolina Railhawks’ Brad Knighton could be that guy. Rennie knows him well and he had impressive stats last season in the NASL, along with previous MLS experience with New England and Philadelphia.
    One of the major problems for the Caps last season was the defence. With the worst goals against record in the West, and the third worst in MLS overall, it is a clear priority, and a further two or three defenders are likely to be added to the squad.
    Rennie is known for building teams that are strong at the back and ones which are not afraid to start attacks from back there. This will almost certainly be the basis of his new-look Vancouver team.
    Right back roulette seemed to be the game of choice with Vancouver last season, and that has already been addressed with the addition of veteran South Korean defender Young-Pyo Lee.
    The signing of Lee may have caught the local media and Korean community’s attention last week, but there are concerns.
    He’s no spring chicken, and will be 35 by the time the 2012 season gets underway. How much of a toll will the long season of travel, varying pitch quality and nippy young wingers running at him take? There’s a big difference between playing in MLS and the Saudi League, no matter how high a level you have previous experience at.
    Lee will certainly bring experience and leadership to a back line that appeared to have no real coherence at times last season.
    He’s clearly a quick fix and not a long term solution, as his reported one year deal, with a one year option suggests. As a professional cynic, it’s still hard to not see this as more of a marketing ploy, but I will reserve judgement till I see him play. At least it can’t be any worse than last year!
    Another recognised right back will be added before the season starts for sure.
    The left back position is strong with Alain Rochat. Jordan Harvey is capable cover, but impressed more when pushed up to left midfield towards the end of last season.
    Another centre-half will likely be added to the squad. Injuries, international duty and performance issues meant a major lack of consistency with centre of defence partnerships last season.
    Jay DeMerit will be hoping for an injury free year. Whitecaps fans certainly haven’t seen the best of him and he definitely needs to step up and play his Captain’s role next term.
    Who will partner him?
    Trinidad international Carlyle Mitchell impressed in the few games we saw him in towards the end of the season. I expect him to be the main man back there, depending on who else the Caps may bring in.
    I’m actually quite excited to see how Mitchell and DeMerit works out.
    Kiwi Michael Boxall was patchy last season, but would be an adequate short-term back up, but Vancouver’s best bet would be to add a further player to the defence that is versatile enough to come in and play in a few positions.
    The Whitecaps midfield is needing bolstered and I would expect around three further additions to the squad there.
    A ball holding midfielder with real dig is what is most needed. We badly lack someone who isn’t afraid to put themselves about a bit.
    Newly named Canadian U17 ‘Player of the Year’, Bryce Alderson, can certainly do that in the USSDA games, but that would be a huge ask for a 17 year old in his rookie year. Give him a couple more years though…
    If we were going to go down the experienced veteran route in some positions, I would much rather it would have been in the middle of the field than at right back.
    This seems an apt time to bring Houston’s Adam Moffat back up (I know, I know. Again!! Bear with my obsession regular readers).
    For AFTN newbies, <a href="http://aftncanada.blogspot.com/2011/08/houstons-adam-moffat-speaks-of-exciting.html" target="_blank">Martin Rennie brought Moffat over to North America from Scotland and the pair remain in touch</a>. A player like Moffat is just what the Caps are needing. Houston aren’t going to give up the Scot without a nice reward, if at all, so the move is probably nothing more than an AFTN pipedream.
    Someone of his ilk and style though is the requirement.
    A leader in the middle was lacking last year. Gershon Koffie came on leaps and bounds when playing alongside the experienced Peter Vagenas, but the rest of the team didn’t benefit.
    The Caps need someone who can not only help the Ghanaian continue to develop, but also others around him. That’s key.
    If Russell Teibert and Davide Chiumiento play to their full potential then we will have some exciting wingplay, but cover is needed on both flanks to challenge and support them, or at the very least be an impact player off the bench to run at tiring defences.
    It would be worth adding a bit of an old head up front as well.
    I wouldn’t have minded if the Caps had picked Jeff Cunningham up from the Re-Entry draft for a fair price salary-wise. Having someone of his reputation and track record coming off the bench would be nice, not to mention to cover Eric Hassli’s suspensions!
    He would be a pricey bench player, but a better value one than Mustapha Jarju.
    The Caps were being linked with Carolina’s Etienne Barbara, before it was announced that Montreal were holding his MLS rights. If Rennie want to bring the former Maltese international to the Club, then I’m pretty sure we’ll see a deal be made to secure his rights, maybe even giving them local lad Philippe Davies to help the Impact’s Canadian numbers.
    Vancouver have a solid, core group on which to build. Rennie already has a clear vision of the road ahead and plans for where he needs to strengthen. Whether he gets the players he wants, under all of the MLS restrictions, is another matter entirely.
    If the start of the close season is anything to go by, then the next few weeks will be a busy and exciting time for Whitecaps fans.
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