Jump to content

  • Articles

    Manage articles
    Show all categories
    Guest
    It's been a very strange two months for followers of the men's national team.
    This sextet of World Cup qualifiers was held up as merely ceremonial; Canada would do away with the minnows in style, all the while sharpening their swords for the more difficult battles that lay ahead next summer. That sense of world-beating (or at least, small-Caribbean-island-beating) confidence lasted all of seven minutes. Ever since Tremain Paul unexpectedly grabbed an equalizer for St. Lucia in that first match, supporters have been jittery. Very jittery.
    So while Tuesday night's matchup with St. Kitts and Nevis is, indeed, the victory lap that most assumed it would be (with advancement to the next round already sewn up), the Canadian squad does have one very important task on its plate...
    Calm us the hell down.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    To their credit, the CSA has realized the soup may have already gone cold, and has put together what essentially amounts to a mea culpa for the team's last two stultifying 0-0 draws, and a promise that things will change on Tuesday (I was half-expecting Dan Savage to show up at the end of the video to reassure the Voyageurs that "it gets better"):


    Now, no one should doubt the sincerity of the two players involved in the clip. David Edgar has been to hell and back in his club career and, despite years of being ignored by the senior team, has done his best to make his mark for Canada now that he's been given a chance. Tosaint Ricketts, meanwhile, is a player whose passion just can't be denied, and a man who clearly delights in suiting up for his country.
    But words won't cut it now, and certainly won't cut it next summer. Words got us into this mess, duping us into believing Canada would pull off six victories by a combined score of 143-0. Words are done; it's time for action.
    That's why for us -- the supporters, from coast to coast -- as well as for themselves, the Canadian squad needs a resounding victory on Tuesday night. No one's worried about a clean sheet. A score line of 6-2 is acceptable if it simply means we fell victim to the counterattack while trying to be too brave going forward. Do recall that in Canada's patchwork backline, only Mike Klukowski could be considered a senior-team "regular" at this moment -- and even he was playing out of position in the last game.
    Hell, another 7-0 victory -- to mirror the one in St. Lucia last month -- would be terrific, though hardly realistic given what we saw unfold on Friday evening down in Basseterre.
    Either way, the team needs to thump in some goals. They need to show that the last two games were anomalies, and that there's a realistic chance that they can translate a favourable draw in next summer's round (Cuba, Panama, Honduras) into a long-awaited appearance in "the Hex" come 2013. They need to reassure long-time, long-suffering supporters that, contrary to what they may currently believe, Mission 2014 is not already a lost cause.
    Call me an apologist if you will. Myopic. Rose-coloured glasses. So on and so forth. Maybe you agree that the focus should already be on 2018, or that it's time for Hart to be fired, or that we've seen the best that this group has to offer and, quite simply, it's nowhere near good enough. As long as you've got reasonable arguments to back up those assertions, you're more than entitled to them, as far as I'm concerned.
    And don't get me wrong, I'm worried too. When Paul slipped the ball past Lars Hirschfeld in September, I got the same sinking feeling in my gut as I did watching Andy Williams get a fortuitous equalizer for Jamaica at BMO Field back in 2008. After that game -- a 1-1 draw in Canada's first match of the third round -- I was convinced the 2010 dream was over. A few nights later, after the debacle in Montreal, my fears were more or less confirmed.
    Given that backstory, perhaps I'm naive to give the team the benefit of the doubt this time. Or masochistic. Or an idiot. Again, I'll leave it up to you folks to decide.
    But I can't be the only one. Surely there are others who believe the team still has something with which to wow us on Tuesday night. Alright, wow isn't the word... really, all we need is to be brought back to where we were two months ago: a mental space wherein we believed Brazil 2014 -- or hell, just making it to the hex -- is a conceivable possibility.
    Stupid as it may be, I'm still in that space. But as for where I -- and my fellow supporters -- will be on Wednesday morning?
    That's for the boys in red to decide.
    .
    Guest
    Canada is through to the third round of CONCACAF qualifying.
    It wasn’t pretty – a second straight 0-0 draw against a Caribbean opponent clinched the deal – but the bottom line is the bottom line. The Red and White are through. They’ve played pretty before and lost. In World Cup qualifying, an ugly result is a million times better than an attractive moral victory.
    There is clearly plenty of work to be done. Canada struggled to work the ball through the middle of the park and was playing far too deep in its own end. The attack has been naive over the past two games. Faced with teams packing the middle, Canada continues to throw hopeless crosses into the box towards undersized forwards. There is next to no creative thought in the passing game and the back-line, well, is damn lucky the quality of opposition is what it is.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    There are questions about Stephen Hart as well. Either he directed his players to play behind the ball and to force St. Kitts and Nevis to play with it on their feet, or he could not get his players to play aggressive. Either way, you can question him. It was St. Kitts and Nevis. Canada should not be playing not to lose against an Island of 50,000 people.
    The post game discussion amongst fans will almost certainly and entirely be focused on the negatives from this match. That’s understandable. Supporters – especially Canadian supporters – are prone to see the negative. However, a little perspective is necessary.
    They didn’t lose and they are going through. As stated, there is work to be done, but to try and draw any type of conclusion from games against these teams is a stretch. That Canada struggled to score against St. Kitts and Nevis is unfortunate, but there really is very little correlation between that and whether they will struggle to score against Panama. Big(ger) teams are shut down by minnows all the time. It’s probably a sign of the program’s growth that they didn’t actually lose tonight.
    This call for balance will likely fall on deaf ears, but before you take to the comments section with new and creative insults ask yourself this: If Canada had won by five or six goals would that then have made you think that they were all set to walk all over the competition in the next round?
    Of course not. You’d still see the issues and realize that there was work to do. It goes both ways. These games predict nothing.
    But, they do determine who goes through to the next round.
    In this case, it’s Canada.
    Guest

    Simply the best

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Thierry Henry spoke to the New York media yesterday and gave his thoughts on a variety of subjects. For Canadians, there was one particular thing that he said that should be of interest.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Wow. Put aside your personal thoughts on DeRo, or on how he left Toronto FC, and absorb that for a minute.
    Thierry Henry, French international, World Cup winner, Arsenal legend, Ligue 1, La Liga and Premiership winner (oh, and the Champions League too), thinks that Dwayne de Rosario, kid from Scarborough, is the best player he’s seen in MLS.
    He went on to suggest that DeRo is “the face of the league” and that he is not talked about enough.
    As said, wow.
    There is little doubt that the De Rosario camp did not handle the end of TFC well. There is also little doubt that he occasionally earns the MeRo tag. However, he is incredibly talented and has had an amazing career. Not an amazing career for a MLS player, but rather an amazing career, period.
    DeRo has never played the game in the keep-your-head-down-and-know-your-role way that Canadians are supposed play. And that’s a good thing that needs to be celebrated more.
    Henry is absolutely right – the league needs to talk about DeRo more. Canadians do too.
    Guest
    We’re joined today by Canadian international Patrice Bernier to talk about his return to international football, a scary ride into St. Kitts and where he sees Canada compared to the rest of the region.
    We'll also be talking about David Testo's decision to come out (and the greater impact it could have on the sport), what Toronto drawing LA means for the team (as well as the city) and on the eve of a sure thing, we'll look back on other sure things and what should have been for Canada.
    The archived show is now up
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:'http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/27234/nov112011final.mp3',initialScale:'scale',controlBarBackgroundColor:'0x778899',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>
    Follow us on Twitter for updates on guests and shows
    Guest

    Please just let it be over

    By Guest, in Some Canadian Guys,

    Barring something disastrous, Canada should easily grab the lone point it needs against St. Kitts tonight to advance to the next round of World Cup qualifying. When I initially learned Canada would play this round against the weakest teams in Concacaf I focused on the six extra “meaningful” matches and the chance they would provide the Canadians to better “get to know each other.” Not to mention the opportunity for fans to get behind the team following some easy victories.
    But something happened in the meantime. These games came to symbolize -- for me at least -- a relationship whose charm has faded even before the first date is over. The whole thing drags on for five more increasingly awkward and at times excruciatingly painful dates because both sides really want it to work, but at the end there is nothing more than sweet relief that it's finally over.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Now I’m sure the playersdid get to know each other better over the course of these matches. Whether they developed any better sense of how to play soccer with each other is a far trickier question. Was anyone prepared for St. Lucia to be so bad? Puerto Rico offered stiffer resistance, but also illustrated the no-win situation Canada found itself in. Is there really that much inspiration to be taken from blowing a team of part-timers from a small Caribbean nation off the pitch 7-0? I would argue there isn’t. But if Canada doesn’t beat them by a touchdown then they’ve played like shit, the coach is shit and their chances of getting anywhere near the World Cup are also, by extension, shit.
    Another writer on this site said it plainly: teams like St. Lucia and St. Kitts are so poor that there is nothing at all a side like Canada can extrapolate from playing against them. Meanwhile, on the international friendly front, Costa Rica is playing a friendly against Spain, the U.S. has lined up France and Honduras takes on Serbia.
    Even being in the stands felt underwhelming. I love going to Canada matches but for the first time ever I had a hard time revving myself up for that initial game against St. Lucia. I brought two friends who I wouldn't classify as sports fans to the thrilling come-from-behind draw last spring against Ecuador at BMO Field and they had a blast. Then I brought them to the halting victory over St. Lucia in September -- the one where the opposition transformed the pitch into a field hospital for long stretches while they flopped around pretending to be hurt -- and so disturbing was the spectacle I’m worried my friends might not return.
    The social media hashtag meant to drum up support for Canada this go around was #tastethesoup. And I sincerely hope that many new fans did slurp up the fun that supporting a side like Canada can be. I just had a hard time tasting that soup myself. At least for now.
    I’ll spend this evening steadily drinking red wine and toasting Canada’s small step closer to the World Cup. I’ll also be hoping this first round never has to happen for Canada again. I never thought I’d actually look forward to staring down a stadium three-quarters full of bloodthirsty Hondurans, but the real stuff next summer can’t arrive soon enough.
    Guest

    Albe ... rt ... a ......

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    Got an e-mail this morning from a grand old soccer pal, curious to know if I'd ever want to write a follow-up story on the Alberta soccer situation.
    I answered simply, and honestly.
    While I am deeply thankful to everyone who helped, and continue to have great admiration for the way the Alberta Soccer Association freed itself from the loathsome grips of the former regime ...
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    I would rather be dipped in nettles and cough syrup and thrown to the pigs than get involved with that story again.
    Sincere thanks and blessings to Wild Rosers everywhere.
    Onward!
    Guest
    In the end, the decision will probably come down to toilets. As in, Toronto FC will decide whether to play its home leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal against L.A. based on whether they can have functional bathrooms at BMO Field on March 8 (the Leafs play both March 6 and 7 so, if MLSE has anything to say about it, you can likely mark the 8th down on your calendar).
    There were problems with the plumbing last year for the home opener against Portland, which happened nearly three weeks later in the season. It’s a bit pedantic, but you can’t host an event with room for 20,000 without giving your guests a place to pee.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    So, the whole debate about whether the game should be played at the Rogers Centre or BMO Field is more of a “debate.” Without a solution to the plumbing issue, the decision has all but been made for the club. BMO Field was not designed for winter use. Why would it have been?
    However, if there is a choice to be made it’s clear where the game should be played – BMO Field. And it has nothing to do with the cold weather giving TFC an advantage over the Galaxy. That’s absurd. The Galaxy have as many players from cold climates as do TFC.
    No, it’s about playing the game in their home stadium – a place that is comfortable for the players, familiar to the fans and part of the (however limited) history of the club. It doesn’t matter how many cheap tickets are sold for a game at Rogers Centre, the Reds and their fans will be visitors.
    Many people have a vision of MLSE papering the former SkyDome and having a big, ole’ party like Montreal had back in 2009. It’s a nice thought, but it’s a pipedream. There is no evidence that MLSE will do what the Impact did and all but give tickets away to fill the house. It’s simply not in their corporate culture to do so. There are lots of (valid) arguments as to why that’s short-sighted, but that doesn’t change the reality that it isn’t.
    That means that the only way that there are 50,000 at Rogers Centre is if the excitement of a CCL quarterfinal berth is enough to make three times more people pay full price to go to a game against the Galaxy than went to the group stage games. If Beckham is in town, maybe there would be. What’s more likely is less than 20,000 people watching a soccer game at a baseball park being played on plastic grass. If you have been to an Argos game at the Dome you’ll have an idea what less than 20,000 people at Rogers Centre looks like.
    Hopefully, TFC will at least put the supporter’s in the good seats to give the place some atmosphere, but that doesn’t seem all that likely (see above paragraph for reasons why).
    There is some excitement about this game. There might even be enough excitement to sell out BMO Field. The idea of watching soccer in winter in Canada could, and should, be used as a marketing hook to get people out to the park. With four months to sell the tickets, it’s not that crazy to think that they could fill the stadium. If they did, then that would be every bit as special a moment as the 50,000 at the Big O was – and it would be unique to Toronto. A big crowd at SkyDome is really just the same thing the Impact already did.
    BMO Field is TFC’s home. The game should be played there. Unless, of course, they can’t get the toilets working.
    Guest

    Youth development camp roster

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Canada began its preparation for the next two u-20 FIFA World Cups. In total, 20 players have been called to a camp, which is being held in Costa Rica.
    As with other youth camps lately, the majority of the players come from the three professional academies. Toronto FC leads the way with seven, Vancouver has six and Montreal has three in camp.
    Only one player, Luca Gasparotto, is based in Europe. Gasparotto is in the Glasgow Rangers’ system. Two players are with the Erin Mills Eagles (Mississauga, ON) and one is with Edmonton Juventus.
    The full list is below the jump:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    GK- Marco Carducci | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    GK- Joseph Kuta | CAN / Erin Mills Eagles U-16
    CB- Stephen Almeida | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
    CB- Mitchel Bringolf | CAN / Académie Impact Montréal
    CB- Jackson Farmer | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    CB- Luca Gasparotto | SCO / Glasgow Rangers
    FB- Quinton Duncan | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    FB- Christopher Flores | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
    FB- Deon Rose | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
    M- Adam Bradshaw | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
    M- Dylan Carreiro | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
    M- Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé | CAN / Académie Impact Montréal
    M- Ali Musse | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    M- Mitch Piraux | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    M- Michael Wagenknecht | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
    M/F- Sebastian Cabrera | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    M/F- Michael Petrasso | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
    F- Yacine Ait-Slimane | CAN / Académie Impact Montréal
    F- Sadi Jalali | CAN / Edmonton Juventus U-16
    F- Mark Wadid | CAN / Erin Mills Eagles U-16
    Guest
    You may have heard by now that David Testo, a former member of the Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps, has announced that he's gay. Chances are, your reaction falls into one of three camps: "So what?", "Who's David Testo?" or "Oh yeah, I kinda figured."
    Indeed, as the CBC notes, "Testo's sexual orientation wasn't a secret to his family, friends, or even his teammates" -- surely, then, this is hardly surprising to some fans of his former teams. But even if you've never seen Testo play, or never had any intention of trying to sleep with him, this story has significance.
    On The Footy Blog, Richard Whittall predicts that the announcement "could give courage to other gay players to come out", while over at 86 Forever, Ben Massey says that while closeted players are perfectly entitled to keep their privacy, if a player conceals their orientation "because he's not sure what the reaction to his sexuality would be, then that's a problem."
    It's a problem that, hopefully, we can all help solve.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    While there will always exist some segment of the population unwavering in their view that homosexuality is abhorrent (in the same way there will always be racists, sexists,
    , and so on), contemporary Canada seems to, by and large, adhere to some variation of Trudeau's old aphorism about the state's absence from the bedrooms of the nation. Still, a professional sports club's locker room -- fuelled by testosterone and decades' worth of tacit codes of accepted behaviour -- isn't Main Street. The old cliche about there being "no 'I' in team" cuts to the heart of an attitude that the pathway to sporting success is paved with the subsumption of one's own character into the collective.
    It's why superstar prima donnas are frowned upon, but it's also surely a motivating factor behind bit players constantly re-spouting those same cliches: "well, it was a team effort", "we did it as a team", "couldn't have done it without my teammates", on and on. It isn't merely a lack of creative verbal flair; it's an act of self-preservation. Setting oneself apart from the rest of the team, in whatever way, can get one noticed for the wrong reasons -- and for those without truly transcendent skills, such self-exclusion can be career-killing.
    So an athlete deciding to come out of the closet isn't simply about going against the "macho" grain of pro sports (which is a problematic assertion in and of itself) or about prurient concerns about teammates "checking each other out" in various states of undress.
    Statistically speaking, homosexuals are a small minority of the population, and thus also a small minority of any team's roster. So an athlete's decision to place themselves in that minority -- deciding to put an "I" in "team", essentially -- can be dangerous to their career for reasons that go beyond homophobia, whether real or perceived.
    While Testo's announcement is gutsy, the fact that he's currently without a club removes fear of the sort of immediate alienation that could have taken place had this been in mid-season. But this shouldn't reduce the impact of what he's done, or diminish the positive role it can play going forward.
    This announcement has given fans of pro sports yet another chance to galvanize around a common subject: to reinforce to the athletes themselves, and to the graying pundits and to the creaking infrastructure of sporting culture that surrounds them, that we really don't care.
    That's right. We don't care. David, we wish your coming-out wasn't news. And one day, an athlete's sexual orientation will be as meaningless a piece of biographical trivia as their favourite movie. But before that day comes, a prominent, in-their-prime athlete will reveal that they're gay.
    And before that day comes, young aspirant athletes who happen to be gay will need to know that their biggest audience and, in a way, the biggest part of the team -- the fans -- care less about their choice of sex partners than about the traits that should really matter to any team: athleticism, dedication, resilience and... yes, courage.
    Testo's shown a good deal of it this week. Let's show him -- and those debating whether it's safe to walk in his footsteps -- that we appreciate it.
    .
    Guest

    Who is MLS' best Designated Player?

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Last week, I wrote a bit about Rafa Marquez's meltdown in New York, and I raised the possibility of Marquez as the biggest DP flop since Major League Soccer implemented the rule back in 2007.
    Marquez's fall from grace has been well-documented in MLS circles, and many believe that his post-game antics following the Red Bulls' final 2011 playoff game would be the last we'd see of the Mexican legend in the league. In fact, he has openly talked about moving back to his first professional club, Atlas, despite being under contract with New York for 2012, so it's a decent bet that he's as good as gone.
    Following my post about Marquez, an interesting debate broke out in the comments section and on Twitter. Many were debating about who was the worst DP (and I presented some candidates within the post), but also wondering who has been the best.
    With the Designated Player Rule now having been in place for five full seasons, I think it's fair to discuss both the worst and the best that the DP Rule has brought to MLS.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    My top five Designated Players, in no particular order:
    Juan Pablo Angel (NYRB: 2007-2010, LAG/Chivas: 2011-present)
    Despite his obvious decline over the past year-and-a-half, Juan Pablo Angel has been nothing short of prolific in his five-year tenure in MLS. The Colombian striker tallied 58 regular season goals for New York in just 102 matches, which works out to a slightly better than goal every two games average over an astonishing four year period.
    He joined LA prior to this season and his numbers never held up to his own high standards (just three goals in 22 league matches), but a move across the hall to Chivas USA gave the 36-year-old a bit of a rejuvenation as he struck 7 times in 9 matches for the Goats.
    Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy: 2010-Present)
    Technically only a DP since the beginning of the 2010 season, Landon Donovan has been earning Designated Player money for much longer than that.
    The face of American soccer for a decade, the 29-year-old is one of the most successful MLS players ever, looking on pace to catch the league's career scoring record before his current contract is up at the end of 2012.
    He overcame a well-publicized rift with fellow Galaxy star David Beckham to help form the nucleus of one of the best MLS teams ever assembled. If LA can win MLS Cup this season, Donovan becomes -- for me -- the best DP and greatest player in league history.
    David Beckham (LA Galaxy: 2007-Present)
    Speaking of Beckham, he's perhaps the most controversial player on this list.
    The superstar came to North America to be an ambassador for the sport here, and -- on the field, at least -- he was an unmitigated disaster for the first two-and-a-half seasons in the league. Frequent injuries, ill-advised loan spells, and even a bit of petulant behaviour made the Beckham Experiment look like a total flop from '07 until halfway through '09, as the Galaxy were amongst the league cellar-dwellars for much of that time.
    But a renewed commitment to his team and league, along with a run of good health and extraordinary form have helped Beckham climb back atop the heap that he himself created.
    It doesn't hurt that, even during the dark years of the Beckham Experiment, the league and the Galaxy were making money and headlines hand over fist. Without Beckham, there likely isn't a Thierry Henry or Robbie Keane to follow.
    Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Chicago Fire: 2007-2009)
    The Mexican idol was the only person to come close to Beckham's impact on attendance throughout the league. The "Blanco Effect" was a slightly smaller version on Goldenballs' road attendance, as hundreds of thousands of Mexican-Americans flocked to MLS stadiums to see their hero play live and in the flesh.
    Blanco wasn't just a big name, though. The man could still play, despite his sloth-like lack of speed and athleticism. His play earned him back-to-back shouts as a finalist in the MLS MVP voting, and he also claimed the
    and the 2008 MLS All-Star Game MVP honours.




    Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew: 2008-2010)
    The lowest profile player on the list, yet the only one to have won an MLS Cup during his tenure as a DP (although this is disputed, as some sources say he did not become a Designated Player until 2009.)
    Schelotto was similar to Blanco in that he relied on his soccer brain to dominate much more than his athleticism, yet he also seemed much more of a leader to his Columbus teammates. The Argentine took on the role as mentor and on-field coach, as well as the key offensive catalyst, for a Crew side that was top-to-bottom among the best teams in the league during his stay.
    --
    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
    Time was when the footballers the Canadian Mens’ National team coach selected came largely from North America. “Time was” in this case referring to the country’s 1986 World Cup entry, of which Long Balls carries only the most faint memories. That squad culled nine North American-based players, several amateurs and a dash of foreign spice in the form of Paul James’ stint at CF Monterrey.
    Canada's 2000 Gold Cup winning squad utilized a much higher percentage of players from abroad, specifically from England or Scotland.
    The current Canada squad is more balanced, featuring players who play club football in both North America and Europe. All over Europe. In fact, should this Canada side overcome the tremendous odds set against them and qualify for the World Cup in 2014 it will be due in no small part to three guys who randomly ended up in Turkey.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Canada’s heir apparent in goal, Milan Borjan, grabbed attention last weekend by backstopping his side Sivasspor to a 2-0 win over league-leading Fenerbahce. This no doubt offered him a huge boost of confidence, especially since a wild sending-off in the middle of September shunted him to the backup role for over a month. The bench is not where Canada fans want to see their goalkeeping hope for the future plopped for any length of time this season, especially considering the real business of World Cup qualifying starts next June.
    Meanwhile, Josh Simpson (arguably Canada’s most important forward) and Mike Klukowski (arguably its best leftback) each started and played 79 and 90 minutes respectively as their club Manisaspor beat Anatalyspor 1-0 to move into fifth place and within three points of the Turkish Süper Lig summit.
    The Süper Lig will send two clubs to the 2012-13 Champions League. The winner goes into the competition directly while second spot enters the third qualifying round. Spots three through five may also gain access to the Europa League depending on outcomes in other competitions. It may be premature to start getting excited about seeing Josh Simpson grace the pitch at the San Siro or Camp Nou in the group stages a year from now, but harbouring impossibly-high-bordering-on-delusional expectations is nothing new for either Long Balls or most Canada supporters.
    Long Balls would think that the more Canadian players playing in more European countries learning different styles of play under different coaches in different footballing cultures would be something that benefits the national team. Keen observers of Canadian soccer, however, will glance back over the past decade and conclude that this diversity hasn't benefited the team very much at all.
    If Long Balls knew why that was we probably wouldn't be doing what we are doing. But European leagues remain the best in the world and the best Canadian players should aspire to play in them. Which brings us to Andre Hainault. Canada watchers dug up a story this week that linked the young defender to Bordeaux. And to quote one of the comments on said message board: Bordeaux? Wow.
    Hainault's agent later confirmed the interest but said there was nothing concrete yet from over in Europe. As long as we're deluding ourselves, Long Balls thinks it would be fantastic to add Ligue 1 to the list of European leagues Canadian footballers inhabit.
    Correction: The sixth paragraph of this article has been rewritten to show that the Süper Lig only receives two Champions League spots, not four.
    Guest
    Rogers Sportsnet announced today that they will be providing a live stream of Canada's upcoming World Cup Qualifying match in Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis.
    Due to costs and lack of infrastructure in the host stadium, it was decided months ago that there would be no live television broadcast of the match available to Canadians. With that in mind, this turn of events should come as a pleasant surprise to Canadian fans, who listened to a live audio-only stream last month for Canada's game in St. Lucia.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Sportsnet tweeted that Gerry Dobson and John Molinaro will have the call. The stream will be shown here.
    Guest

    Goin’ down the ‘Dome

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    I’m going to go against my own desires this morning.
    (Never an easy task for an early-Taurus male!)
    The TFC fan in me would love to see next March’s L.A.-Toronto CONCACAF quarterfinal played in the icy confines of BMO Field. Fired-up supporters screaming “This is our house” while the La-La-Landers run around in shorts in the teeth of a Great Lakes March. Coldest, windiest place in the whole city.
    Home. Field. Advantage!
    There are, however, some compelling plus-points to taking a one-game exodus from the red-plastic wind chamber. The team – nay, the sport – could garner some very real long-term benefits to moving the Galaxy game … to the ‘Dome.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The Concrete Chasm. The Thing With The Lid On It. Or (as they would never let me say in my Sportsnet days) the SkyDome.
    The argument runs a little something like this:
    BMO Field has 21,000 seats, a third of which are routinely empty for most TFC games.
    The ‘Dome has 50,000, most of which will likely be unsellable for a TFC game – at full price.
    So let’s borrow a page from the Montreal Impact, who put damn near 50,000 keesters in the Big Owe for this very self, same match three years ago.
    They didn’t even try to sell most of those tickets for full price. Instead, they sent them out cheap to schools and soccer clubs, creating The Big Event to try and turn on an entire future generation of fans.
    Of course, we won’t know for years if it actually changed anything. But there’s another opportunity for TFC here, and it shouldn’t be lightly dismissed.
    Throw a big soccer happening at the big barn, advertise the flip-flap out of it, and let the entire city come to terms with the outside possibility that MLS and CONCACAF soccer might be actually, sort of, kind of, just maybe …
    Cool?
    A happening, in other words.
    I must admit, I don’t have a whole lot of faith in the Montreal Impact. Wildly unpredictable ownership, tons of internal strife, and a tendency to fire coaches every spring that I’ve been making mocking jokes about for two years, and which still continues unabated.
    And yet – they pulled off that one huge crowd for that one big game.
    Toronto FC needs to address its dwindling fan base. Maybe the best way to do that is put on a real show – and pack the upper deck with school kids and youth soccer players paying $5 a pop – and bringing their parents along at the same price.
    Down below, you’ve got your surviving season ticket holders, intrigued onlookers and whatever walk-up crowd a solid month of pre-game hype can muster – all with the reassuring certainty that the game will be played, and the temperature inside the ‘Dome will be comfortable.
    Of course, it would boost the gate if David Beckham re-ups four one more tour of Hollywood duty. But even if he doesn’t, Landon Donovan doesn’t turbosuck as a gate attraction, whatever you might think of The Great Man (Honest!) © personally.
    It’s time to throw a really big party, in other words.
    The opportunity is clear, and the stage is set. Let’s pack the place with fans, kids and good ol' Toronto hipster douchebags.
    Onward!
    Guest
    (This story was updated at 5:45 p.m. on November 10, with updates in italics.)
    No rest for the weary, as they say. With a gold medal at the Pan Am Games still fresh in the collective memory, the women's national team will assemble in Phoenix this Saturday for a 10-day camp ahead of a closed-door friendly against Sweden on Nov. 22. The game itself holds little value, other than as an opportunity to put what's learned on the training ground into effect against live opposition.
    The real value here is in giving the team a solid opportunity to connect with (relatively) new head coach John Herdman, and reconnect with each other, ahead of the all-important Olympic qualifying tournament in Vancouver this January. There's plenty of experience in the squad with, as you'd expect, a little bit of youth and experimentation mixed in:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    GK- Stephanie Labbé | SWE / Piteå IF
    GK- Karina LeBlanc | Unattached / sans club
    GK- Erin McLeod | SWE / Dalsjöfors G.o.I.F.
    CB- Candace Chapman | USA / Western New York Flash
    CB- Emily Zurrer | SWE / Dalsjöfors G.o.I.F.
    FB- Melanie Booth | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    FB- Robyn Gayle | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    FB- Marie-Eve Nault | CAN / Ottawa Fury
    FB- Lauren Sesselmann | USA / Atlanta Beat
    FB- Rhian Wilkinson | NOR / Lillestrøm SK Kvinner
    M- Laura Chénard | CAN / Amiral de Québec
    M- Christina Julien | CAN / Ottawa Fury
    M- Kaylyn Kyle | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    M- Carmelina Moscato | SWE / Piteå IF
    M- Alyscha Mottershead | USA / Syracuse University
    M- Kelly Parker | USA / Atlanta Beat
    M- Tina Romagnuolo | USA / Syracuse University
    M- Sophie Schmidt | Unattached / sans club
    M- Desiree Scott | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
    F- Christine Sinclair | USA / Western New York Flash
    F- Melissa Tancredi | SWE / Piteå IF
    Herdman told It's Called Football last week that his tactical approach included getting the fullbacks involved with the play -- and it shows. Newcomer Lauren Sesselmann earned her spot on the Canadian squad with a strong performance at the Pan Ams, but it will be interesting to see how she fits into the mix alongside four other fullbacks with a combined 260 Canadian caps between them.
    Another Pan Am standout, Christina "Corky" Julien, is back with the squad and -- despite being listed as a midfielder -- will surely be working alongside the veteran duo of Sinclair and Tancredi on the striking side of things.
    Mottershead, 20, is getting her first crack with the senior team, though 21-year-old Romagnuolo has but a single senior cap to her name, while Chénard's next appearance for Big Red will be her fourth. The CSA made the effort to note that all three are arriving from universities, and on Thursday, a CSA official noted that "there will be a couple of additions" to the roster in the coming days, based on developments with NCAA and CIS teams.
    An astute reader noted the conspicuous absence of Canadian stalwart Diana Matheson. The CSA has yet to respond to a request for clarification on why she's not included in the squad. Any new information received will be posted in this space.
    For the most part, what you're looking at is the core squad that will take Canada into those Olympic qualifiers. While the Pan Ams were indisputably a big emotional and psychological boost for the program, the real work begins this weekend. It's now that we'll begin to find out just what the Herdman Era could hold for the Canadian team.
    Guest
    The Canadian D2 feasibility study is in full swing and while they're talking to everyone from administrators to some of the finest soccer minds in the country, they're interested in hearing from you too.
    The project is broken up into two phases, and right now we're in the information gathering stage with a report expected by the end of December; the next phase will deal with concrete financing issues. I realize the skepticism about the study, but ReThink has been adamant about giving the soccer community a chance and a voice to give their input on the matter.
    So, they're encouraging each and every one of you - supporters, coaches, soccer moms - to weigh in on what will and won't work in this country when it comes to having a D2 league all our own. And for your time, they're willing to reward you as well.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    First, head over to ReThink and answer these five questions (there is a submit form on the side of the page).

    If a new league were to be established in Canada, what do you think would be the best administrative and legal framework structure to ensure the league had the best opportunity to succeed, (e.g. national versus regional; single entity versus club owned; closed fixed-membership versus promotion/relegation) and what would be an optimal number of teams?
    What other leagues, football or otherwise, should Canada look to as possible archetypes to model its own league and why?
    What do you see as being the greatest obstacle that stands in the way of division II football succeeding in Canada, and what steps can be taken to mitigate these barriers to success?
    Implicit in the goal of developing a new division II league is the need to engender a commercial base of local committed supporters. What socio-demographic group should a new league focus its marketing efforts and resources on and what strategies and actions could a new entity take to broaden its appeal?
    What role, if any, should the CSA play in the founding and ongoing operations of a new division II league?

    You will then be entered in a draw to either win a pair of tickets to the next World Cup qualifying game or a Canadian National team jersey.
    Lastly, go out and tell your soccer loving friends about the study and encourage them to participate.
×
×
  • Create New...