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    Guest
    According to the club’s official website, striker Iain Hume may lose his starting spot with Preston North End today despite scoring the opening goal for Canada in a must-win World Cup qualifier in Puerto Rico on Tuesday.
    Earth shattering news? Nope. But comments from Preston manager Phil Brown provide a window into the challenges facing both the CSA in getting players released for international duty and the players themselves in terms of prevailing attitudes.
    (Edit, 4:33pm ET: In the end, Hume started today vs. Yeovil Town and played 76 minutes.)
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Canada is not a glamour soccer country. But if a country calls and the player wants to go, broadly speaking the club must acquiesce. Hume has played most of his club football in the lower English divisions so it’s not like he’s been socking away Premier League-like wages. He probably depends on his paycheque just as much as most of us depend on ours.
    The fact he’s willing to risk his club position (his livelihood, basically) to answer the call for Canada should be applauded. Hell it’s Friday, so all Canada players should be applauded, because they are all largely in the same boat.
    Of course, Hume may yet end up starting today. He's already started three of Preston's first five League One matches, coming on as a sub in another. Phil Brown's comments below don't suggest that his spot is in long-term danger, but once you drop out of a starting lineup it can be hard to get back in.
    As for Brown’s comments, here’s the best bits.
    And later in the article.
    At least it looks like Hume got a first-class ticket back to England out of the deal. I wonder if all the Canadian goal scorers enjoyed that luxury?
    (Edit, Sept. 12 8:57am ET: The CSA emailed me this weekend and confirmed it is standard practice to fly all players in business class to and from World Cup qualifiers.)
    Guest

    FC Edmonton: Canada's team

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    It’s been a historically bad year for the “big three” Canadian club sides. Toronto FC’s struggles have been well documented and the Vancouver Whitecaps launch into MLS has been a major letdown for many – predictions of the ‘Caps having a superior way of doing things looking increasingly absurd.
    The Montreal Impact, in many ways, may be having the worst season of all. Pegged to win the NASL championship by many – including this very space – at the start of the year, the Impact find themselves only ahead of the team the league put into the league to meet the minimum requirements of the USSF. The playoffs are still possible, but even if they do squeak in no one is feel good about the way 2011 has played out for Montreal.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    There has, however, been a quiet bright spot in Northern Alberta. Yesterday, FC Edmonton, predicted by many – including this very space – to finish second from bottom, clinched a playoff spot. With two games remaining FCE could finish as high as third in the table, a remarkable accomplishment for a first year club that has no fewer than 21 young Canadians on it.
    Edmonton face the Impact on the final day of the season. The Impact are currently three points out of a playoff spot and that game could end up being a must-win for Montreal. It would be quite remarkable if Edmonton ended up eliminating Montreal.
    As mentioned, FCE is a club that has valued young and local players. Although, based on how easily a very weak TFC handled them in the NCC, the talent gap between MLS and a mid-table NASL side is significant, it’s still likely the best story of the year in Canadian club soccer.
    Unfortunately Edmonton has been largely ignored by media – including this very space – this year. That can mostly be chalked up to the fact that they play in Edmonton, away from 95 per cent of the soccer media. As well, their games are hard to see for those not in Edmonton. However, if you are a fan of the game in this country you might want to throw a support behind the club as it looks to knock off one of the two power sides, Puerto Rico and Carolina.
    You should also hope that other Canadian investors see the value in D2 soccer and in the local first philosophy of FC Edmonton.
    Guest

    Reds seek Trillium Cup glory

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    If Toronto FC wins the Trillium Cup I want a parade.
    No, really. Yes, it’s an artificial competition with no history, meaning or profile but that doesn’t matter. TFC doesn’t win stuff. Ever*. The city of Toronto doesn’t really either – unless it’s in lacrosse, a sport that only matters to about 15 people worldwide that aren’t of Six Nations ancestory.
    So, a parade is in order. After TFC fans take to the streets in mass numbers following the final whistle, of course.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It doesn’t have to be a big parade. Maybe start at Queen and Dufferin and walk to BMO. The Red Patch can lead it, North End Elite can bring the flares and U-Sector will travel 15 minutes behind the rest of the group after having failed to leave the pub on time. Someone should get David Miller drunk. Maybe the club can let Matt Gold come.
    See, we need the celebration. TFC fans need to find the humour in the thing again before collectively they all lose it. If the Carlsberg taps started to have a purple kool-aid option right now I fear how many would be in line.
    Yes, a parade. It will be grand. Children will be conceived. People in town for the TIFF will be confused and life will be worth living again. You know, until Colorado beats the Reds on a 89th minute overhead volley from Marvel Wynne. Still, the vacation from the misery will make it worthwhile.
    Columbus fans will, of course, make fun of the TFC faithful. That’s OK though. All TFC fans will need to do is remember that A) they live in Ohio; they have a tendency to use the word MASSIVE! over and over again in the manner of a 8-year-old; and C) many of them wear matching t-shirts proclaiming themselves to be hooligans.
    Let them have their fun. It’s all they really have. We’ll on the other hand, have a parade!
    And, everyone loves a parade
    *Unless beating Vancouver is all that is required
    Guest
    Alright, it's not quite "catch the taste!" as far as catchphrases go, but Canada head coach Stephen Hart just might be onto something with his latest urging to soccer fans in this country.
    "It's almost like, taste the soup," he told the media Thursday, when asked about support for the men's national team. "Come out and see what it's about and push the team along. If it's truly something you want to see, your team getting to a World Cup, you could be a part of that. And you could also have bragging rights to say you were there from the beginning."
    So that leads us to the obvious question: What kind of soup is the Canadian men's national team?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Tomato would be a good potential answer, what with it being red and slightly bland. But then, tomato soup is also smooth and consistent, and enjoys a high level of visibility and popularity in North America. So, that doesn't quite work.
    Chicken noodle? No, not the sort of associations you want: noodles flop all over the place, and chickens do a lot of squawking. Hey, maybe that could be Honduras.
    How about a cream soup? It evokes the old Wu Tang song about cash ruling everything, which is a good explanation for why some "Canadians" choose not to represent their country in international play. But then, that's not something you'd want to be constantly reminded of, is it?
    No, I think the perfect soup for our national team would be minestrone. Taken straight from the infallible wellspring of knowledge known as Wikipedia: "There is no set recipe for minestrone, since it is usually made out of whatever vegetables are in season."
    Perfect! Hart is always emphasizing the importance of utilizing players who are getting playing time with their clubs (as he did again on Thursday) and there's often a tendency to toss something into the pot, just to see how it will taste (as in the case of trying Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault and David Edgar at right back against St. Lucia and Puerto Rico: "it was a matter of a little bit of experimenting and trying to see where we can try to have some sort of depth at that position").
    There's also the possibility of tossing in ingredients that no one would have expected, as Hart has done in the past few years by unearthing previously unknown Canadians such as Pedro Pacheco and Milan Borjan. When I asked if any such similar players may find their way into the national setup in the near future, he actually said there were "one or two" players he's got an eye on, but who are currently dealing with some "complexities" when it comes to citizenship.
    When I asked what countries they may be from, or playing in, he laughed and declined to answer.
    There's also the chance of trying out some veggies that aren't quite perfectly ripe yet, in the form of younger and/or domestic players: "If the scouting reports that I get suggest that (a) player is worth a look and he can definitely compete and push then yeah (they might get a shot). I've never been afraid to do that."
    But again, no names. Some cooks are so secretive with their recipes.
    To make things delicious, a soup -- like a soccer team -- always needs the right finishing touch. Though grated Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper won't get Canada to the World Cup, a better nose for the net just might: "We could still be more clinical with the chances we got (against St. Lucia and Puerto Rico). We created so many chances and we need to be a little more clinical, a little more composed."
    The right taste can only come once you've made a few bowls and know exactly what you're working with, of course. Like, giving Josh Simpson a shot up front? "You had quite a few injuries up front and you never know what your options are going to be."
    And of course, the more time you get in the kitchen, the better your chances of finding just the right flavour and being able to replicate it when guests come over.
    "If we get through all of this and no disasters happen, then (it's a good thing)," Hart said of the opening six-game round. "We're getting to play a fair amount of games and more importantly, in environments that are very difficult. In the Puerto Rico game, the night before we only trained 45 minutes on a wet pitch with a ball we've never played with. Then, the next day, the pitch was like concrete and the ball was all over the place."
    Yes, in the CONCACAF kitchen, sometimes you need to make soup with an arm tied behind your back, rusty knives and Gordon Ramsay dishing out inexplicable yellow cards. Even so...
    "All in all I thought it was a good performance (in Puerto Rico), in the sense that some of the playing relationships look like they're coming together," said Hart. "We know where we need to improve and I think you will see us building from game to game upon each performance."
    Plus, minestrone is often tomato-based (red!), the soup has an Italian background (as do plenty of folks in the upper echelons of the Canadian Soccer Association) and given its frequent inclusion of beans, it can often produce gas (though in the case of watching Canada play, let's blame it on the anxiety and beer).
    Unlike in most cases, though, too many cooks won't spoil the soup. In fact, the more cooks (fans, that is), the better. So, who'll get to taste, uh, Canada?
    While Hart praised the work of the Voyageurs and the Toronto FC supporters groups (as well as corporate sponsor Umbro) in rallying a strong contingent for the Sept. 2 game against St. Lucia, he did say that there is still building to be done -- while also hinting that it would be "nice" for the team to move around to other cities in future rounds of qualifying.
    "Canada's football team," he said, "belongs to Canada."
    Hart stressed, though, that the #1 concern is doing what it takes to qualify. He noted that forcing players coming over from Europe to cross several additional time zones -- while an opposing team, with most players plying their trade domestically, wouldn't be in the same conundrum -- could potentially put Canada at a disadvantage.
    Still, he said, "it would be nice to be in a position to move the team around."
    Open wide, Canada. Allez les soup.
    Guest
    We're back after a short lay off to talk about the health of Toronto FC, share our thoughts on the new Women's National team coach and discuss the turnout for the Canada game.
    We'll also be joined by the Fan590's Nigel Reed to breakdown Canada's first two qualifying games and discuss what the national team program should define as 'success'.
    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/2540/25625/sept72011final.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>
    Follow us on Twitter to find out about guests for Friday's show
    Guest

    Why blow-outs are over-rated

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    Canada continues to be the grizzly bear in the minnow stream, downing Puerto Rico 3-0 on the road last night. Coupled with last week's 4-1 win over St. Lucia at BMO Field, Our Lads sit comfortably atop their World Cup qualifying group, likely unconcerned with whatever opposition will be put their way by St. Kitts and Nevis.
    So why is there so much gnashing of hair and pulling of teeth amongst Canada fans?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Well, we’re nervous, you see. The first half against St. Lucia wasn’t so hot, and last night dragged on and on with Canada clinging to a one-goal lead in the Caribbean, where it never takes much for everything to go snakeshit in the closing moments.
    And it did, of course – but not for Canada. It was the home-standing Puerto Ricans who had to endure two late goals-against.
    So even though got two clear wins and a +6 goal difference, there aren’t a lot of Voyageurs this morning leaping up and down in their cubicles and hollering “hooray!”
    So let me see if I can make you feel better.
    Blow-out wins (which the fans feel strongly that neither of these three-goal victories was) are (at this point and this level) baloney.
    Let’s start with goal difference. In a group with three happy squads of ultimate-no-hope islanders, goal difference is utterly irrelevant. If enough calamity ensued that Canada actually needed goal difference to advance, they would simply not deserve to go through. By that point, they’d be so bad that Cuba, Honduras and Nicarpanama would skeletonize them in the next round anyway. It’s not worth thinking about, so let that be the final end of that conversation.
    As to winning every game by lots and lots of goals – let’s think about that.
    The Canadian men’s national soccer team, at any given moment, is a hands-on work in progress. It’s not exactly up on blocks in Stephen Hart’s driveway, but there is constant tuning – and replacing of parts – to be done.
    There was a lot of anguish when Cuba slipped past Canada in the FIFA world rankings, forcing the Canucks to play these six extra matches against very small opposition. But it may have been a blessing in disguise. This essentially turns into a two-month pre-qualifying training camp, played in essentially the same conditions Canada will face when the real games start.
    Okay, Bayamon ain’t Tegucigalpa, but that was a good old CONCACAF nail-chewer of a road game last night, and you want a few of those under the old belt before you look up and it’s Honduras away and it matters and rule 19, sub-paragraph 6 down there is that Canada Can’t Be Allowed To Win. (Ask Squizz. He’ll tell ya.)
    So the real goal of these games isn’t to wax St. Lucia 9-0, however many happy pint glasses would be raised on King Street. Far more important is to build the team. No one’s particularly happy they were in tough for so long in Puerto Rico last night, but the team created chances, and eventually won 3-0.
    Even against weak opposition, the simple fact that Canada gets to play an extra half dozen full internationals has to be good for the cohesion. They can readily afford to make mistakes now – assuming, of course, that they learn from them.
    And there’s another rare luxury here, too. If Canada happens to get a couple of goals up, or a blow-out just seems to be taking shape anyhow, they can start test-running any particular fine points they might want to polish up before things get significantly tougher in the next round. Combinations of players, tactical give-and-goes, a piece here, a piece there – any of it could result in an utterly priceless goal much further down the qualifying road.
    Canada will win this group going away. Puerto Rico away was the tough one, and that’s neatly and safely in the win column now. The lads won’t really learn anything by blowing out islanders. I’d certainly rather they not be even the least bit giddy or over-confident in Havana or Honduras.
    If a blow-out win happens, hail and hallelujah. If not – so wot?
    If your road to the 2014 World Cup has to include giving up a soggy, thirty-yard diagonal goal at home, do it against St. Lucia – in 2011.
    For the next four games, it’s more important to build the team than it is to destroy the opponents.
    Onward!
    Guest
    Ahead of Tuesday night's World Cup qualifier between Canada and Puerto Rico, we speak to Jay "Yankiboy" Long of IMS Soccer News, who lets us know whether or not our worries about stumbling against the Puerto Rican side are justified.
    Jay discusses the state of the national program and the sport's stature in Puerto Rico, keys in on some of the players to watch on Tuesday night and draws some very interesting parallels between the place of soccer in Puerto Rico and in Canada.
    Listen/download: The Puerto Rico Preview w/ Yankiboy (mp3)[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    No one will ever mistake Iain Hume for Matthias Sindelar. Nor does it seem likely that Canadian soccer will ever be mistaken for a art form closer to dance or poetry than sport, as many contemporary (and, likely, drunk) writers did of Sindelar’s great Austrian teams of the 1930s.
    Canadian soccer was not forged in the coffee houses of Vienna, but rather on the bumpy gridiron pitches of Thornhill, Ontario. Ideas of romance and style within the Canadian game are absurd as, well, as they would be anywhere on earth. Like Sindelar, coffee house football is long dead, replaced by a pragmatic game where Jose Mourinho is lionized for suffocating Barcelona on way to a decidedly un-poetic Champions League win.
    Just win, baby – the trite cliché of our generation, but yet one that rings true. There are few moral victories and fewer prizes for those that obtain them. So, to bring this back to Hume and the Canadian national team, it’s time to get over ourselves and focus on the bottom line.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    4-1. Three points. A chance to put a strangle hold on the group with a win tomorrow in Puerto Rico (they of a 0-0 draw with St. Kitts-Nevis).
    It’s telling that many Canadians found the negative of a 4-1 win. As a nation we tend to be a cynical lot, always obsessed on what we aren’t rather than living in the moment and embracing the good. Italy beat the Faroe Islands 1-0 on the same day and I doubt you’ll hear too many moans at College and Clinton.
    So, get over it. Canada had 90 per cent of the ball (note: stat may be exaggerated) and 140 per cent of the chances (note: stat not exaggerated). They could have scored 10 and might on the return leg. St. Lucia was time wasting down three goals to avoid a bigger blow out. Relax, people.
    As stated, a perfect pair of results (Canada win, St. Lucia/St. Kitts-Nevis draw) could see Canada top of the group by four points Tuesday night. Then you can breathe a little. Actually, breathe now. Based on the evidence at hand Canada will walk away with no less than 16 points and will score a boatload of goals.
    And, Canadians will moan that they should have scored more.
    Guest
    It was always going to be difficult to read much into a match where the opposition features only a few professional players (along with one who reportedly works during the day as a mailman) even if you’re as far from being a soccer powerhouse as Canada is.
    There were enough chances to cement a 12-0 final score, and that would have still offered very few clues as to how the Canadians might cope with Honduras or Costa Rica on a suffocating Central American night. By the same token, had DeRo missed his second-half penalty and St. Lucia nudged up its already preposterous levels of time-wasting to frustrate Canada into just a one-goal victory there would have been cries for Stephen Hart’s head on one of those sticks loaded with pizza outside at the CNE.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Canada dominated possession against St. Lucia on Friday night and never looked remotely close to actually losing, but dominating possession is the bare acceptable minimum against a country like St. Lucia.
    This was no Faroe Islands. These islanders were awful. Their gameplan consisted broadly of hacking the ball desperately in the general direction of the Canadian goal no matter how close they actually were to it. Given the resources at their disposal you can hardly criticize them for that. If you want to criticize them do it on account of their incessant time-wasting (estimates range between seven and nine stretchers called out onto the pitch). On several occasions there were two St. Lucia players lying prostrate on the ground at the same time. I understand the tactical diving and time-wasting when a team suffers such a massive talent deficit compared to its opposition, but what’s the point when you’re already down two goals?
    As for Canada, it should be no surprise a collection of guys flung together to play seven or 10 games a year have difficulty finding cohesiveness right away. Especially in the final third. Every national team deals with the same challenge, even Spain, the trick is learning how to overcome it faster. Canada has yet to solve that trick. The first half against St. Lucia was frustrated desperation against Panama at the Gold Cup, all over again.
    The only individual performance I’ll single out is that of Simeon Jackson. I really, really want this guy to score for Canada, and I want to be in the stands close to the pitch when it happens because I think the sweet release will translate into a reaction roughly equivalent to what an old Australian friend said happens when you put a frog into a sock.
    How many glorious, gilded opportunities can this guy miss in a Canada shirt before you just have to assume somebody, somewhere is sticking pins into a doll crudely fashioned in his resemblance? I’m still holding out hope that he’ll explode for a 10-goal in six-game deluge at some point in late 2013 along similar lines to what he did with Norwich last season, rendering all this other stuff a faint memory.
    Off the pitch, an area of definite improvement was the crowd in the stands at BMO Field. The overall number was still too low - officially announced at 11,500, I pegged it about 9,000 based on my view from the south-end stands - but the effort to involve youth players from youth clubs around the GTA was readily apparent by the fact at least 80% in attendance were actively cheering for Canada. The massive challenge will be replicating that against a Honduras, Mexico or Costa Rica.
    Another minor confusion centred on whether the supporters’ section was general seating. My group and at least one other were pulled from our spots mid-cheer when people showed up late and demanded to sit in the exact seats printed on their tickets. I (probably incorrectly) was under the impression that sections 113 and 114 were basically a free-for-all in terms of where you stand, as has been the case at every other Canada match I’ve attended at BMO. I understand wanting to enjoy quality seats, but at least show up on time to claim them. It kind of kills the camaraderie of a supporters’ section when the stewards have to get involved to play Mommy and Daddy.
    Otherwise, Canada fans don’t have to wait long for what should essentially be the rubber match in this first round of qualifying: the away game to Puerto Rico on Tuesday. That will be tougher. The opposition will be better (or at least I thought they would be until I learned they drew 0-0 with St. Kitts tonight) and playing on the road in hostile conditions will show whether the Canadian players are finally learning to “get” each other on the pitch and finish off some of their solid-yet-peripheral buildup play earlier in the match.
    Guest
    The new head coach of the Canadian women’s national team was not setting himself up for any excuses as he was introduced to the media Thursday.
    “This is a massive country and a wonderful opportunity,” former New Zealand women’s coach John Herdman said via telephone. “It’s a dream job.”
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Herdman said he left his post in New Zealand because he was looking for new challenges and that the Canadian job was, in his mind, the best opportunity available in women’s soccer right now. Notably, New Zealand just cancelled a North American tour, citing financial concerns. Several times in the press conference Herdman stressed that the CSA was “fully committed to supporting” the program.
    “I have a big smile on my face,” he said about the prospect of leading Canada as it prepares to host the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. “It’s a chance to make people’s dreams come true.”
    Herdman will start immediately. He will be on the bench for this fall’s exhibition matches against the United States. He said that it was too soon to truly evaluate the players in his pool, but that he would be using this fall’s games as an evaluation tool. January’s Olympic qualifiers offer a good “medium term” goal for the program to work towards. Herdman said that he is confident that Canada can qualify for its second straight Olympics and stressed how important getting to London is to 2015 preparations.
    Under Morace, the team based itself in Europe for the majority of its preparation. Herdman said he is committed to having the women’s based in Canada far more moving forward.
    “It’s important for the grassroots to see their heroes play,” he said.
    The CSA confirmed that it will be making another hire to fill the still vacant u-20 head coaching position. Departed coach Carolina Morace previously held both positions. She failed to qualify for the 2010 u-20 World Cup in Germany. Canada is hosting the 2014 tournament. The 2012 event will be help in Uzbekistan, August 18 to Sept. 8. CONCACAF has yet to announce the location or dates for the regional qualifying procedure.
    Guest
    There was a cartoon in the New Yorker back in 1993, long before the joke would have made any sense, in which a dog at a computer terminal tells a canine companion, "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog." In the 18 intervening years, we've come to learn that you can fairly effectively replace "dog" with pretty much anything. In this case, on the Internet, no one knows I'm a tactical dunce.
    Whoops. Cover blown. Full disclosure and all that. Nonetheless, I present to you my projected lineup for Friday night's World Cup qualification opener not from any position of authority or expertise, but rather to start a dialogue. A debate. Heck, the title of this post is a question. So, help me answer it.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Anyway, here's my shot in the dark:

    DeRosario -- Jackson
    Simpson -- de Guzman -- Hutchinson -- Johnson
    Klukowski --- McKenna --- Hainault --- Peters
    Hirschfeld


    This is essentially who I perceive to be the starting 11 out of this group, in a configuration that could change slightly (or massively). Yes, it goes against the psuedo 4-3-3 that coach Stephen Hart has been utilizing as of late, but lacking all of the regular target men (Rob Friend, Ali Gerba, and even the red-hot Olivier Occean), methinks we could see an up-front pairing of DeRo and Jacko. Hasn't really been tried before, but hey, only one way to find out if it'll work, right?
    Hirschfeld gets the nod over Borjan based simply on experience. Yes, everyone's falling over themselves to anoint Borjan as the saviour, but I've got a suspicion that Hart will "dance with the one that brung him", as it were, at least for the opening game or two. But this one could come down to a coin flip, really.
    Maybe I'm unfairly favouring youth over experience (and placing less emphasis on current playing time) by including Jaime Peters over Ante Jazic. So there's a chance we'll see the 35-year-old King of Donair alumnus in the starting 11. Given that David Edgar only got onto the side as a member of the taxi squad, I'm guessing he won't be going 90 minutes, as much as some supporters may want him to.
    Given that Hart is going to be cautious with Atiba Hutchinson, it wouldn't be shocking to see him leave the game prior to full-time, have DeRo drop back a bit and bring either Iain Hume or Tosaint Ricketts into the fray as an offensive super-sub.
    So what do you think? Does it make vague sense? Am I so far off the mark that it hurts? Who do you see lining up in red on Friday evening? Add your thoughts below.
    .
    Guest

    Ashtone Morgan: Canuck

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    A young Canadian with options to play internationally for another country has actually committed to Canada.
    TFC academy graduate Ashtone Morgan told the Jamaica Gleaner that his heart is with Canada, rather than the country of his family heritage, Jamaica.
    He suggested that the amount of resources Canada has put into him so far contributed to his decision. He said:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    TFC academy stresses the value of playing for Canada as part of its program.
    Morgan, 20, is not likely to feature in the full national team anytime soon, but seems to be in line for the starting left-back position for next year’s Olympic qualifiers. He has two youth caps for Canada.
    Morgan has appeared in eight senior games for TFC this season, his first as a professional.
    Guest
    The CSA will announce tomorrow that former New Zealand manager John Herdman will take over the women’s national team.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Herdman has been working in New Zealand since 2003 and has led the senior women’s team there since 2007. New Zealand has qualified for the last two major events under Herdman.
    A source close to the CSA said that the federation underwent an “exhaustive” search to replace Carolina Morace and was never prepared to hire an under qualified domestic coach to save money. Herdman’s salary was not disclosed, but it’s expected to be close to what Morace received.
    In New Zealand Herdman also acted as a technical director and he’s expected to undertake the same role here in Canada.
    The announcement is set to becomes official tomorrow at 1 p.m. EDT.
    Guest
    Long Balls spent the past week on vacation, but it was far from a relaxing one. We've been nervously trying to get our thoughts away from the upcoming, sort-of preliminary round of World Cup qualifying that by any reasonable measure should be a light stroll for the Canadian mens' national team, what with its group containing a couple of Caribbean resorts-cum-nations and an island who's defining question involves whether or not to become the 51st U.S. state.
    But given Long Ball's long history of bottling things when they appear almost unbottleable, it shouldn't come as a big surprise that we're projecting similar insecurities onto our beloved Canada team.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Maybe then the fact that Junior Hoilett flubbed a penalty on the weekend against Everton should be taken as a good omen - not for the Canada team itself of course, because he continues to reject calls to play for it - but for indications he is equally nervous about his native country's seemingly can't-miss group as we are.
    As for players preparing to take the field against St. Lucia on Friday evening, Kevin McKenna takes performance honours this week after coming on as a late sub against Hamburg to score an 88th minute winner. It appears that the goal came as a result of a keeper error more than anything else, but Canada supporters will hope McKenna operates in a similarly clinical fashion over the next few days.
    The burly defender has played 180 minutes on three appearances over the first four games of the Bundesliga season.
    Middling news from the Championship. David Edgar is enjoying something called "playing time" this year with Burnley, as he has already collected two starts in the first three matches of the season as opposed to three all of last year. Great to see a Canadian getting minutes but it's a tad regretful that he plays in the centre of defence rather than on the right side of it, considering Canada desperately lacks depth in that position.
    Yes, the rightback position. Jaime Peters has yet to see the bench with Ipswich Town this young season, what with him being kept blindfolded at a remote location until being mercifully released for international duty this week. Yes, his career at Ipswich seems to be on a depressingly downward trajectory, so the fact he wasn't shipped out of Ipswich ahead of today's transfer deadline - as various Internet sites of varying credibility were suggesting - is truly disappointing.
    Simeon Jackson knew life in the Premier League wasn't going to be easy. One substitute appearance for six minutes is all he has to show for Norwich's first three matches of the season. For the match against Chelsea on the weekend, Norwich manager Paul Lambert instead went with Steve Morison as his attacking sub, and it appears that he and Chris Martin are the two main obstacles keeping Jackson from the pitch.
    Last-minute Canada callup Marcus Haber is off to a decent start in Scotland, with four appearances and 224 minutes in the first five matches for St. Johnstone.
    He wasn't called for the upcoming Canada matches, but frontline plodder, tall-man and sometime scorer Rob Friend signed with 2.Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt. The Coles Notes on this move? While Canada theoretically loses out on having a striker playing in the German first division it was unlikely that he was going to see much of the field with Hertha Berlin this season. At least Friend will get minutes in the second division. Whether that helps him actually score goals for Canada, well that's a different story.
    Correction: This article originally said Kevin McKenna headed in the winner against Hamburg.
    Guest

    Legal problems for Impact forward

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Montreal Impact forward Mignane Diouf has been detained at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport for suspicion of shoplifting. The Impact said today that they have retained council for the Senegalese national, but are making no further comment.
    Diouf is on loan from Diambars of the Senegal league. He has three goals this season.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
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