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    Guest
    So, are you nervously counting down the hours, minutes, milliseconds until Canada's road to the 2014 World Cup officially begins on Friday? Yeah, us too.
    If you'll be heading down to BMO Field, don't wait for the 8 p.m. kickoff to get in the spirit. A pair of pre-game events will give you a chance to get psyched (whatever that may mean to you) and meet some of your fellow Canadian supporters.
    The Voyageurs (the supporters group for Canada's national teams) will have a pre-game party at Maro (135 Liberty St.) kicking off at 5 p.m. with prizes, giveaways and (plenty of) delicious and inexpensive local beer. All are welcome, and Maro is opening its doors early especially for Canada supporters. More details on the event after the jump (click "read more").
    Meanwhile, literally across the street at Lamport Stadium, Umbro Canada is hosting its own family-friendly event, featuring CanMNT veterans Adrian Cann, Jim Brennan and (I'm sure) a whole whack of excitable fans.
    Ideally, everyone at both events will coalesce after 7 p.m. for a massive march down to BMO Field. Suit up in your finest red and white gear, come on down to one or both events, say hello to the CSN crew, and get ready to support the boys as Mission 2014 kicks into high gear.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Addendum: Below is a note from Jamie MacLeod, one of the Voyageurs' behind-the-scenes heroes...
    Maro is family friendly. It's a restaurant not a bar, so kids can come in. The giveaways at Maro are:
    First 200 people:
    - 40% discount card for the Umbro outlet store (not just Umbro, it's a big store) (e.g Canada jersey = $40)
    - 10 Support Local Soccer / Voyageurs cards
    - Song sheet
    - Raffle ticket
    First 50 People: Canada Flags
    Unconfirmed: Maro may be setting up a BBQ for us, and the first 50 people might be getting a hot dog.
    Please include yourself in the Facebook event for Maro
    http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=183155491755292
    On a side note, I know many people want to go to the Ex. Please find the time to to come by Maro and have a beer. They open up just for us, pay staff etc... They look after us so, please help us support them. Thank you.
    Guest
    Of course they blew the lead. That’s kind of what TFC does. The loss of two points is close to meaningless, but the loss of a brief positive feeling – happy players waving to happy fans as they leave the pitch, cell phones pointed to singing Red Patch Boys outside gate 4, etc – was the real loss.
    Toronto FC often makes fans feel vaguely ripped off. Saturday was one of those days. Coming on the heels of the Wednesday/Thursday double dip of frustration in the Champions League made it all the more difficult to process.
    There were legitimate reasons for a late game error. If Manchester bloody United played essentially four games in seven days it would be affected. Toronto FC is more comparable to Hartlepool United. It was a tough ask.
    Despite that they got a lead, played OK, may have been robbed of a goal and were right there at the end. That’s, within the overall context of this year, actually alright. Except it’s never alright. The late goal winner/equalizer is every bit a regular part of the TFC experience as singing Danny Dichio’s name in the 24th minute is.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Talk of playoff runs are absurd. Champions League advancement likely now requires a road win in either Dallas or Pumas. It’s bleak. It’s hard to make a pep talk – even two days later.
    Thoughts instead start to drift towards wondering what kind of damage this season has done to the base. With ticket prices frozen there will be no repeat of last year’s season seat holder revolt, but what might happen could even be worse. There might not be any yelling and screaming this time. Rather, a bunch of fans might just quietly cancel. Without the buzz around the product – actually it’s more of a smell that surrounds the team now – that was there in the early years, there won’t be as many looking to come on board.
    The diehards are also getting burned out. It’s important to remember that many of the single, 27-year-olds of 2007 that filled the stadium then are now married 32-year-olds with a kid on the way. They haven’t completely lost interest, but they also don’t live the experience in the same way. Each year there seem to be less new faces in the supporter’s sections and more old faces that seem to have disappeared.
    It will never be the disaster that some suggest. There won’t be regular season crowds of 10,000. However, the days of expecting sell outs are likely long gone. Recapturing the excitement of the early days might not be possible.
    Even winning – the ultimate cure all – would likely only provide a temporary bump.
    There is a small core of fans – and they are likely reading this – that will always live and die with this club. For them, TFC is more than a weekly 90 minute experience. It’s become an all encompassing lifestyle. They likely represent less than five per cent of the fan base, but get 95 per cent of the attention.
    The last two months of the season has to be about the silent 95 per cent. If the Reds can convince enough of them that season 6 will be worthwhile then maybe there could be a second wind to the party.
    Guest
    Saturday in Vancouver was a day of firsts, as the Whitecaps defeated the Houston Dynamo 1-0.
    A first goal for Shea Salinas as a member of the Whitecaps. The first look at what a Jay DeMerit-Alain Rochat central defensive pairing looked like. And, the club's first clean sheet in over two months.
    And while the result left fans and players alike with a feel-good energy following the game, it was hard not to think about the year that could have been.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Salinas, the headline maker on Saturday evening, in many ways embodies the Whitecaps of this campaign. Like the team, he is blessed with talent you can’t teach, but time and time again has teased more often than delivered.
    The Texan acknowledged as much after the game.
    “This year I’ve had a lot of chances,” Salinas told Canadian Soccer News on Saturday. “I’ve hit the post a few times, missed a few times, even in the first half [tonight].”
    “Finally,” Salinas said, was what his teammates told him after the goal. “I’ve missed a few chances, so a few of them were happy that I scored.”
    While Salinas stole the glory, Long Tan was the difference maker on the game-winning play. The Chinese-born striker controlled a poor pass from the tricky winger, and then turned his marker Hunter Freeman with ease before finally sending Salinas through on goal with a perfectly weighted pass.
    “Long Tan has been awesome,” Salinas said. “He’s been on fire the last month, scoring goals in reserve games, in practice and creating goals. So, it’s nice the coach gave him his chance and he definitely performed well.”
    Back on the topic of firsts, the DeMerit-Rochat partnership was a big talking point this week. Both have struggled with injuries this season, and when they have played have often been partnered with defenders lacking the experience or skill level required for MLS.
    “The minute you get experience, you can see things shore up a lot better,” head coach Tom Soehn said. “They complement each other. One’s a ball winner, and one’s a really technical guy, but the two of them together have worlds of experience and that’s what this team craves, but the two of them on the field made an impact and made everyone around them better.”
    The Whitecaps now take an extended break, as they have no matches scheduled until September 10th, when they take on the New York Red Bulls in New Jersey.
    __
    Martin MacMahon is a broadcast journalism student at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He covers Vancouver Whitecaps FC for a number of soccer websites.
    Follow him on Twitter: @martinmacmahon
    Guest
    The dog days of summer.
    It's a term usually reserved for those stifling hot days in which everything is seemingly slower. People move about with a bit more pensiveness than usual, the water is calmer, and even the air itself seems to be too lazy to care.
    For Toronto FC, the dog days of summer can describe just about every league match from early August onward, as the days get shorter and the matches become increasingly meaningless. Now in their fifth year, TFC can count 2011 among those dog days, where they are still mathematically eligible for the post-season, but everyone knows it's not going to happen without a miracle.
    Things get magnified when they play against teams mired in a similar malaise.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The San Jose Earthquakes are definitely one of those teams. A terribly un-entertaining bunch who haven't won a league match since early June, the Quakes are arguably worse off than TFC right now. In the standings they are still above the Reds, although much of that is due to a strong month of May (which no doubt seems like eons ago for San Jose supporters).
    The two sides last met back in April, with the result being a 1-1 draw at Buck Shaw Stadium. Since then, both teams have gone through significant overhauls, although -- like the rest of the league -- San Jose's was nowhere near the scope of Toronto's.
    Most notably, the teams exchanged players (and some other intangibles) between them. Toronto got Ryan Johnson, an international spot and some allocation money for Alan Gordon, Jacob Peterson and former TFC darling Nana Attakora.
    And, despite what Peterson will tell you, TFC came out of that deal looking like bandits.
    Johnson has become something of a revelation for the Reds since heading to Southern Ontario, fitting in seamlessly with Aron Winter's vaunted formation. Meanwhile, Gordon and Peterson have spend most of their time injured, and Attakora has been an unmitigated disaster in the extremely limited time he's suited up for Frank Yallop's side.
    Of course, this game is about more than those players, but there is no doubt that the returnees will bear the focus of the TFC faithful (while Johnson will surely want to stick it to his old team in the same fashion that countless players have done to his current club).
    In a match between two relative bottom-feeders, it's easier to focus on individual storylines rather than the "bigger picture" of league play. No storyline is likely going to affect the game more than the one day of rest that TFC got, after having played 45 minutes of their Champions League game versus Dallas on Wednesday night, then playing another 90 the following morning against the same team due to a ridiculous electrical storm.
    With many of Toronto's veterans logging time on both days, will there be anything left in the tank on Saturday night? It was always going to be tough to get up for a team like San Jose given the circumstances (that neither are likely to make the playoffs regardless of what happens), and having less than 55 hours rest will make it that much tougher.
    Untimately, what we'll see Saturday is a haggered Toronto FC versus an all-round awful San Jose Earthquakes.
    Thank God the CNE is in town.

    Toronto FC v. San Jose Earthquakes
    Saturday, August 27, 2011. 7:00pm EDT.
    BMO Field. Toronto, ON.
    Watch: GolTV Canada, MLS MatchDay Live
    Listen: Sportsnet Radio FAN 590, FAN590.com
    Rudi Schuller contributes Toronto FC and Canadian national team content to the 24th Minute. He manages the Euro File here at Canadian Soccer News, and is MLSsoccer.com's beat writer for all things concerning Canada's men's national teams. Follow Rudi on Twitter, @RudiSchuller.
    Guest
    Today, we're joined by the author of The Fix, Declan Hill, to talk about what's being done to clean up the world's game, how there have been encouraging signs things could be changing and what every federation needs to do to protect itself from the fixers.
    We'll also discuss if Toronto's Champions League hopes are still alive, assess the play of a few of the homegrown players and dissect Canada's roster selections.
    The archived show will be up at 6pm ET
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/25338/aug262011final.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>
    This will be our last show for a couple weeks as I head out to the West Coast. Our next show will be on Sept 8th.
    Guest
    This afternoon, something happened in Canadian soccer that hasn't happened in years.
    Men's national team head coach held a 25-minute-long media conference call to discuss the roster for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers... and not a single person asked about David "Junior" Hoilett.
    There were questions about Atiba Hutchinson, Josh Simpson, Ante Jazic and Iain Hume, all of whom will be there. There were questions about Marcel de Jong and Rob Friend, national-team vets whose names weren't on the roster. But about the 21-year-old Canadian-born striker for Blackburn Rovers... not a peep.
    Yes, it's ironic that I'm leading off talking about no one talking about a player who isn't on the squad. But the fact that Hart didn't need to trot out his familiar "he's establishing himself at his club, we're doing what we can, we'll keep the door open" response is a positive sign.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Perhaps it's because no one really expected Hoilett to make his Canadian debut (if that's ever going to happen) against a resort island ranked #184 in the world. Or perhaps it's a moment of realization that Canadian soccer media and supporters (and whatever hybrid we here at CSN are calling ourselves) should no longer sit back and wait for a supposed saviour. The squad is what it is. Let's focus on who's here, and what they can do for the team.
    "These individual players, they want to get to a World Cup," Hart said on the call. "And be remembered as the team... a team that got there, and hopefully they will do everything to achieve that."
    In assembling the 19-man squad, Hart said he ran into "complications", including injuries and his desire to pick players who are currently active for their club teams. "However," he said. "I think we got the best possible squad available together."
    Strikers Rob Friend and Ali Gerba are absent due to injury, while defender/midfielder Marcel de Jong has "a family situation" upon which Hart didn't elaborate, which could have necessitated an immediate, emergency return home. Whatever that situation is, we of course hope for the best for de Jong.
    Potentially in his place along the back line will be 35-year-old Ante Jazic, one of the more surprising picks.
    "I thought this season he has been exceptional (for Chivas USA)," Hart said. "Last season he was very consistent as well. It was a matter of him coming in, giving us some more depth.
    "And of course, (he has) leadership qualities and experience."
    But what about building depth by giving some youngsters a shot? Potential depth players (though not necessarily at Jazic's position) who are playing domestically include Ashtone Morgan and Matt Stinson at Toronto FC, or Russell Teibert in Vancouver.
    Hart "considered bringing in some younger player, but overall I think I'm happy with the squad here."
    Hart refused to name which youngsters he'd been keeping an eye on, but left open the possibility that, if Canada looks comfortable in the later stages of this opening round, he could name some of them to the roster in November. He noted that he's always been open to giving new or inexperienced players a shot with the national team.
    "I'll continue to do that if the situation allows me to," he said.
    In the absence of several other veteran strikers -- and any younger substitutes -- Iain Hume is back with the national team, set to make his third appearance for Canada since his catastrophic skull fracture a few seasons ago. Hume went on a bit of a scoring tear for Preston North End toward the end of the last Championship season, and Hart said he's expecting a lot out of the 27-year-old.
    "I'm bringing him in to play a certain position and hopefully he does his best," said Hart. "Every time he's come in he's been professional, he's worked very hard. ... I think he's getting back to his best."
    Another pleasant surprise on the roster was Atiba Hutchinson. There was some question about his status, given his ongoing recovery from a leg injury picked up during this spring's Gold Cup. But Hart -- while he declined to discuss the injury in detail -- said that Hutchinson has been giving him frequent updates, and noted that the PSV Eindhoven man has returned to full training.
    "PSV thinks that he can come and contribute. But we have to keep an eye on him and make sure that he's 100% and we promise to do so."
    There could, of course, be a few players at less than 100% -- or at least, not in full match fitness -- given that the season in Turkey has been delayed due to, um, alleged shenanigans going on in that part of the footballing world. Josh Simpson, Mike Klukowski and Milan Borjan all ply their trade there, but Hart said he wasn't too worried, noting that the Turkish clubs have been playing "quite an exhibition schedule against a variety of different clubs."
    "I'm quite aware that some players have not even started their season yet," he added. "So we've got to be careful we don't over-extend those players too much."
    As for Simpson in particular, Hart noted that he seemed tired mentally -- if not physically -- during the Gold Cup, but that he was expecting the Manisaspor man to be in good spirits once qualifying begins.
    So, that's our team. How about the competition?
    Uh... yeah, kinda tough to figure that one out, since they rarely play.
    "From reports on St. Lucia, they do a lot of running ... (and are) quick in key positions," said Hart. "The main thing about the opponents is how we approach the away games because from all accounts, the fields are not the best ... it could become an equalizer."
    As has been seen in recent years in the CONCACAF Champions League, field conditions are indeed usually less than ideal (by which I mean, severely less than ideal) in some jurisdictions. But Hart emphasized that, in games of this sort, one of the key attributes players can have is the ability to adapt to different situations and circumstances.
    "When you come to a World Cup qualifier, everything becomes a bit magnified," said the coach.
    Indeed it does... as we shall see in a week.
    .
    Addendum: Hart was asked about Hoilett on Thursday in an appearance on The Footy Show prior to the media call by a very apologetic ("I just have to ask") James Sharman. Unsurprisingly, Hart said there was no update.
    Guest
    The Canadian Soccer Association has announced 19 players who will be with the men's national team for its first two World Cup qualifiers, against St. Lucia on Sept. 2 and in Puerto Rico on Sept. 6. Head coach Stephen Hart is scheduled to give a media conference call at 2 p.m. (ET) today, after which CSN will provide further details and reaction. But for now, here is the lineup, courtesy of the CSA:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    1- GK- Lars Hirschfeld | NOR / Vålerenga Fotball
    2- D- Nik Ledgerwood | GER / SV Wehen Wiesbaden
    3- M- Mike Klukowski | TUR / Manisaspor
    4- CB- Kevin McKenna | GER / FC Köln
    5- D- André Hainault | USA / Houston Dynamo
    6- M- Julian de Guzman | CAN / Toronto FC
    7- M- Terry Dunfield | CAN / Toronto FC
    8- M- Will Johnson | USA / Real Salt Lake
    9- M/F- Tosaint Ricketts | ROM / FC Politehnica Timişoara
    10- M- Simeon Jackson | ENG / Norwich City FC
    11- M- Josh Simpson | TUR / Manisaspor
    12- D- Ante Jazic | USA / Chivas USA
    13- M- Atiba Hutchinson | NED / PSV Eindhoven
    14- F- Dwayne De Rosario | USA / DC United
    15- D- Dejan Jakovic | USA / DC United
    16- F- Olivier Occean | GER / SpVgg Greuther Fürth
    17- M/F- Iain Hume | ENG / Preston North End FC
    20- D- Jaime Peters | ENG / Ipswich Town FC
    22- GK- Milan Borjan | TUR / Sivasspor
    Guest
    Author’s note: Alex Chiet is the new chief technical officer of the Ontario Soccer Association.
    A recently arrived native of New Zealand, he discusses the many changes in coaching and player development now being implemented at the OSA – and similar problems he has already faced in his homeland.
    It’s a wide-ranging interview, but please stay with it to the end. There’s a lot of useful information here.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    CSN: Canada’s been very much of a soccer island unto itself. It’s one of the very few countries that doesn’t have its own professional soccer league, which there’s very good reasons for. When you came here, what was your perception of how business has been done here in the past?
    AC: I’m still putting that puzzle together. A big part of what I’m doing now is still listening and understanding. Every day, I’m still turning over things that give me a green light to understanding what happened. To capture it quickly, I suppose the words that come to mind would be fragmentation, disconnect, lack of unity and people pulling in a common direction, people who are after their own agendas rather than what’s good for the game. Those are the sorts of things I’ve seen, broadly, and I’m just trying to understand why and how that’s happening – and working on how we change that, because I think that’s one of the things that is holding the country back.
    CSN: This is a great period of change at the OSA, since Ron Smale has become the president here. There’s been quite a shake-up here, and there’s been a lot of new directions taken. How would you characterize the direction the OSA is taking now?
    AC: I think it’s positive. One of the big things that Ron’s been championing and supporting is that the technical department drives the plan for change and where we need to go. There’s a board meeting coming up in September where I’ll be pitching to them a plan for long-term player development – an initial plan over the next twelve months. From what I understand, that hasn’t always been the case. The technical side hasn’t guided decisions. I think it’s great we’re being given that opportunity, and now it’s a matter of making informed decisions, listening to the right people and doing consultations to take things in the right direction.
    CSN: The angle we’re focusing on right now in these stories is coaching development, and the fact that there are essentially no Canadian-trained professional coaches out there – aside, perhaps, from the Montreal Impact, and they get fired every June anyway. Obviously, coaches are a huge part of player development. What is the vision now, at the OSA, for developing coaches who can help these kids become flourishing professional soccer players?
    AC: I’ll go wide, and then come back to coaching. Obviously, coach development and player development are in correlation, okay? Without one, you don’t have the other. It’s critical that we get coach development right. We’ve put together an advisory technical council on how we implement long term player development (LTPD), because it’s bigger than just coaching; it’s bigger than the competitive structure. We’re looking at a holistic approach, taking into consideration referee development, coach development, player development, facilities, infrastructure, everything like that. Then out of those meetings, we identified three priorities in the short term. One being education – communication about what it is, because there’s still a lot of unawareness out there about LTPD is. Two being a vision and a competitive structure that’s going to meet the needs, and three being coaching. Coaching is one of the priorities for us, moving forward. It’s one area where you’re going to see a lot of change in the next twelve months. First and foremost, this new coaching curriculum that’s coming down from the CSA. Are you familiar with the new direction in coaching and what will be happening there?
    CSN: Let’s assume that our readers aren’t, and that that’s going to be the next stop in this series.
    AC: Okay, so …. Basically, in regards to long term player development, the whole coaching pathway is being reshaped to fit the philosophy. Rewriting content, looking at how it’s delivered, the approach, and making sure it’s appropriate and in line with best practice around the world. The first step in that direction is 2012, where within Ontario there’ll be four new modules: Active Start, FUNdamentals, Learning to Train and Active for Life.
    CSN: That’s all right out of the CSA’s Wellness to World Cup plan?
    AC: Correct. So, physical literacy coaching modules. There’s no certification. It’s more come, go through an education process more targeted at, I suppose, going on towards competitive coaching. What’s great about this stuff is now we’re giving coaching materials that are not just vertical progression. It’s horizontal and vertical, specific to each development stage that coaches will be working with. So if you’re with kids that are 4-6 at the start, these are the sorts of things you need to be reinforcing with players in this environment. It’s all specific to the different development stages that players go through – that coaches need to be aware of.
    CSN: For a concrete example, Jason de Vos is always saying we’re wasting – we’re hugely wasting – a chance, when the kids are very young, when they’re entering puberty, when they’re in their early teen years, to ground them in the fundamental physical training needed to become professional soccer players. Obviously, most of them won’t, but the players we have who will still go through that stage, and are still – he feels – being coached inadequately, and a lot of people agree with him.
    AC: Correct. I completely agree. And part of that is the competitive structure, which is driving the approach of coaches. But part of that is also the coaching curriculum, which hasn’t been addressing the needs of players as they progress. So what LTPD is is that as children develop, just like in an educational setting, they have windows of opportunity where they need to get certain learning. That isn’t being recognized and worked on, and that deprives a child of the opportunity to reach their potential. So it’s critical that we get the right information to them at the right stage.
    CSN: Alex, what is the population of New Zealand?
    AC: Four million.
    CSN: Equal to the greater Toronto area, essentially.
    AC: Correct.
    CSN: How many professional soccer clubs?
    AC: We have a similar situation to Canada, where we have one professional team that plays in the A-League in Australia.
    CSN: Okay, so the two nations have some very similar problems. New Zealand is a narrow country and a long and mountainous country, so they have geographical challenges as well. What have they done there that your experience of is going to be useful here?
    AC: There’s a lot of synergy between what’s happening in the two countries. Obviously different scale, and the population’s different. In regard to that, there’s been a whole new approach and philosophy coaching that’s been introduced that I’ve been part of. This is what’s now happening here with LTPD and the new coaching courses. Previously, my understanding is that New Zealand and other countries have had a coaching course – it’s an ex-player, a qualified player, someone that’s been through the trenches and has a wonderful understanding of the game. So you take a course, this is what you do, and off you go, go do it. But there’s a shift now. We need that information, but the shift is towards the how. How do you understand the player? The needs of the player? The environment of the player? So I suppose the big experience that I’ve been though in New Zealand is shifting that philosophy, and people understanding that there’s a more beneficial way to learn to affect what’s going on. Because as a coach, you don’t make decisions out on the field. The player does. You can shape and mold that environment, but ultimately the player needs to be involved in the learning process.
    CSN: One of the things that concerns me – since we’re talking long term – is that in Canada we still have that real shortage of professional clubs. There will be, therefore, a shortage of Canadian coaches who can even get those jobs at all. Right now, a lot of them go to the Aron Winters and the Bob de Klerks, so it’s difficult to break through. Similar problem in New Zealand, I would think?
    AC: Well, obviously there’s professional coaches at the various age-group levels, and then there’s one professional team. And the national men’s coach is also the coach of the Phoenix, which is the professional team! I think you have to look at what you’re trying to develop – and how – and trying to accelerate and fast-track looking at personal growth and development, targeting people, sufficient planning and having a vested interest in their development, getting them to other places to experience different environments, and then looking at opportunities for them within the province and nationally. I think that’s the only way that people are going to grow and learn. Yes, we need to develop more Canadian coaches that understand the culture and the people. Part of that is gathering other experiences from other parts of the world, and bringing that back into the solutions here.
    CSN: Now this is being modeled, obviously, on the CSA’s Wellness to World Cup plan, which is the first national vision we’ve really had in a while. A lot of the things that have happened in Canada in the last ten years have really happened because a professional team arrived, or a pro team started an academy, or an academy forced its way into being recognized – in other words, without a lot of direction or leadership from above. TFC Academy is a factor, Montreal and Vancouver are doing this, too. I’m sure FC Edmonton will do this as well at some point, if they stick around. Does the OSA run the risk of being pushed out of the main plot-line by the efforts that are being taken by professional clubs and private academies?
    AC: I suppose there’s a risk, but our approach to things at the moment, in the planning and conceptual stages – there’s always going to be a professional element of the game, but our vision is for the professional and amateur sides of the game to work hand-in-hand. There’s so much that we’re doing that’s complementary to what they’re trying to achieve. If we can form closer relationships and understand what each other’s doing for our mutual benefit, I think there’s definitely a place to work closer together rather than working against each other. We’ve got this huge base of participation, which we’ve got to do a much better job of educating and training, and if we can get that right – which is going to be hard work – there’s some really positive signs that we’re moving in the right direction, that the OSA board’s prepared to back the technical direction and make the changes that are required.
    CSN: I think the fear from out here is that obviously the majority – the vast majority – of soccer in Canada is club soccer, amateur soccer, recreational you can even call it. The significant majority of coaches we develop are obviously going to go that way. And as they move toward their Canadian A-licences, as they move towards working with the national teams – let’s face it: international men’s soccer at the top level is a professional game. They are professional players, they have careers, they play at a professional level and they have professional expectations. That’s the void I’m afraid that we’re not filling when we don’t have Canadian coaches out there in the global professional game.
    AC: So you think there’s just a huge gap in the transition between amateur coaches to international ones, and we can’t bring enough through to get that experience?
    CSN: Or how long it’s going to take, given the practical reality of the shortage of professional teams in Canada.
    AC: Yeah. Look, there’s some obvious challenges there. But I think we can only take a glass-half-full approach, look at what we’ve got, and try to put plans and strategies in place to address those things. The things that we’re talking about, the things that we’re working on, will help create more professional paid positions in the game – maybe not at the international level, but within a development level. Yes, you need professional elite coaches, but you also need different coaches at each development level. We need to raise the standards and expectations – and qualifications – of people that are working with the players of the future.
    CSN: We also have people who have come from other countries, with professional coaching experience, and some of them have told me they’re frustrated because they feel like the doors aren’t open here. And part of it is the old Old Boys Club at the CSA, which is fading away. But I think there’s a real frustration among people who already have A-licences from various other places in the world that there hasn’t been a role for them. How do we fix that?
    AC: I think that’s part of the technical qualifications – ensuring that we recognize and acknowledge qualifications from other places. It’s all legitimate. There are things that we need to look at in more detail, and we’re looking into ways of doing that. But I also think some of the frustrations have been from these coaches, and some I’ve talked to as well, is that all the things that we’re now changing have been in place for thirteen-plus years, and for coaches coming to the system and the way things have been has been frustrating. They probably found it very annoying that things were done the ways they were. With that all changing, there’ll be more opportunities for these people. They’ll already be a few steps ahead. They have a technical expertise that our kids need to benefit from.
    CSN: Let me ask you, also: The traditional route in Canada for player development has been the provincial teams. This always struck me as very strange, because if you just take Southern Ontario, from Windsor to the edge of the suburbs of Montreal, we’re talking about an area the size of Great Britain. And that’s a place where you have literally hundreds of professional soccer teams. Moving forward, with academies now on the rise, with Toronto FC Academy which is obviously a professional environment, is Ontario’s provincial team going to continue to be the focus of player development as far as the OSA is concerned?
    AC: We’re looking at all these things now. We’re looking at LTPD implementation and what will be needed in the future. Competitive structure is one of those things – for every player. When we change things, it will change the format of what is happening, which means there will need to be changes to co-ordinate what’s happening. We know there are challenges with the provincial program currently, in regard to access due to geography, narrowing the number of players too soon, talent exclusion. One thing I will say, though, is at the moment, at the top end of things, we’ve just got complete fragmentation and disconnection. There’s TFC, there’s CSL, there’s academies, there’s the provincial program – all these different providers, all basically working in opposition to each other, rather than working together. We have a small percentage of talent, and we really need to come together at the top end as well, to understand what’s best for the player. It may be there’s a first choice, a second choice, a third choice. How we fix it is a big challenge, because of all the different business models in play. But at the end of the day, what’s most important is the player.
    CSN: Toronto FC, for example, as a professional club, is doing what ambitious professional clubs do all over the world – trying to set up an academy and bring their own players in, work them into their system and have them there when they need them. It seems to me it’s going to be hard to alter that, or ask them to change that.
    AC: We’ve had discussions, and we’re bound to be having more. There’s many ways that we can work together, and if we can change things and do things in a more professional way – which is what we’re working toward – it’s only going to benefit what they are trying to do. And it might mean that they can work with us even more directly. These are the things we need to get around a table and discuss.
    CSN: Do you look out on that giant field at OSA headquarters in Vaughan sometimes, and see kids in their early teens or young children, and wonder “Is what I’m doing here today going to help one or two of those kids play in a World Cup someday?”
    AC: Oh, definitely. It’s what we’re all here for – working for the children, ensuring that the problems I experienced as a player in New Zealand, that every Canadian experienced in the previous structures, aren’t there. A parent bringing a player to a club at five or six years old should know there’s a clear pathway, and that we know what needs to be done. And given the right opportunity, players will progress rather than there being barriers and blockages along the way. We’ve got to come together, and work together on a solution, rather than working against each other. And that’s what drives what we’re trying to achieve.
    Also in this series:
    - Charlie Cuzzetto interview
    - Frank Yallop interview
    - Ron Davidson interview
    - Rafael Carbajal's vision
    - Some preliminaries
    - Canadian coaching: a new CSN investigation
    Guest
    It's kind of early in the CONCACAF Champions League for a do-or-die game, isn't it?
    Truth be told, tonight's Toronto v. Dallas match isn't really a "must win" for the Reds, although it certainly feels like it.
    Dallas' shock win in Mexico to kick off the group stage put the pressure squarely on TFC, who were expected to battle their MLS cousins for second place behind Pumas UNAM. Instead, the side from Texas threw a monkey wrench into everyone's expectations, and effectively created a three-team race for the top two spots.
    Theoretically, that scenario should be better for Toronto, a team that -- on paper -- entered the group stage as the clear third best. But the Reds have yet to play Pumas, and no one knows if the Mexicans will be motivated enough by the opener loss to dress a full squad (they arrogantly ran out a slew of kids against FCD and ultimately paid for it).
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Aron Winter and company will need to assume that the Mexican side will be at top strength for the rest of the group stage and motivated to earn back the points that they so foolishly dropped at home last week. With that in mind, Toronto's ultimate goal doesn't really change all that much -- they will need to focus on picking up maximum points from the other two teams in Group C while hoping for the best against the Mexican qualifiers.
    To that end, they did what they needed to do in Panama, picking up all three points in maddening circumstances.
    Now, the focus shifts to a highly-talented FCD team that spoiled the coming out party for TFC's two newest designated players last month.
    Dallas will look a bit different than they did during that 1-0 result on July 20. Central defender George John -- who has been a revelation for Schellas Hyndman over the past two seasons -- is in the process of transferring to Blackburn Rovers of the EPL. John's presence was sorely missed, especially by running mate Ugo Ihemulu, who looked out of sorts without his backline partner over the weekend as Dallas lost a rare home match to Seattle in league play.
    Also missing from the defensive corps for FCD is Zach Loyd, a dependable-if-unspectactular backliner who surely would have been called upon if not sidelined due to injury.
    That leaves new Dallas player Jeremy Hall or rookie Bobby Warshaw to fill in for the departing John, a massive downgrade on what has been a rock solid backline.
    Defensive uncertainty aside, Dallas are still a formidable side, one that has earned the right to represent the U.S. in the CCL. Going forward, they still have the same weapons that looked so potent the last time these two teams hooked up. Brek Shea and Marvin Chavez are having standout seasons, with Shea especially stepping in to replace the production of injured teammate Davide Ferreira. Much will hinge on how Toronto can contain the 22-year-old Shea, along with the surging runs from the back and the midfield involving Jackson and Ricardo Villar.
    It's not an impossible task -- for all of Dallas' firepower they only escaped their previous visit to the Exhibition grounds with the slimmest of victories, and that was against a disjointed TFC side still reeling from numerous trades and transfers. Now, with Toronto a lot more cohesive and familiar with one another, the possibility of taking all three points from FC Dallas is not as nearly as far-fetched as it was when the groups were first drawn back in May.
    --
    Notes: Neither Maicon Santos nor Eric Avila can play for their respective clubs for the group stage, as they have been cap-tied to their former teams per the CONCACAF rulebook.
    Also, Stefan Frei may get another night off as he heals from a lingering knee injury. The stellar play of Milos Kocic has allowed Winter to take his time bringing Frei back into the lineup, although Toronto's number one is said to be at or near 100% now.

    Toronto FC v. FC Dallas
    Wednesday August 24, 2011. 8:00pm EDT.
    BMO Field. Toronto, ON.
    Watch: GolTV Canada, CONCACAF.com (requires registration)
    Listen: Fan590.com
    Rudi Schuller contributes Toronto FC and Canadian national team content to the 24th Minute. He manages the Euro File here at Canadian Soccer News, and is MLSsoccer.com's beat writer for all things concerning Canada's men's national teams. Follow Rudi on Twitter, @RudiSchuller.
    Guest
    "This is nasty little bunch of corrupt men who steal from FIFA who brutalize FIFA and they get away with it because of dumb football association like the United States Football Federation, the Canadian federation ... they all just won’t say anything."
    That was Andrew Jennings, the man behind the Panorama World Cup vote rigging report earlier this year, speaking to It's Called Football on Monday about alleged corruption at FIFA and the passive football federations who allow it.
    Jennings didn't mince words either when asked about the Canadian Soccer Association and the United States Soccer Federation's response to the latest allegations leveled against CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    "It’s about time Canadian sport officials and football officials stood up and said ‘What are you doing CONCACAF? Why are you kissing his (Blazer's) posterior?” Jennings asked. "It’s a dirty mess run by crooks and every national association should be standing up and saying ‘we’ve had enough of this. We’re embarrassed by that joke election.’ And I suppose the Canadians like the Americans voted for Blatter in that one horse race. Continental football should rise up and throw these bums out."
    Jennings turned his withering glare on the Canadian soccer media for its lack of questioning of the CSA on its vote (or non-vote) for Blatter, in the last presidential election.
    "People belonging to the Canadian federation should be interrogated by the media. ‘Did you vote for Blatter? Why did you vote for Blatter? Aren’t you embarrassed? You’re shaming Canada by doing this. They can’t get away with this much longer. The same with the spineless U.S. soccer federation keeping its mouth shut because its leader Sunil Gulati wants to replace Jack Warner. Warner’s gone. Gualti wants the top job at CONCACAF. How does he get it? Don’t say a word... Gualti is not corrupt, but he’s patronizing and allowing corruption. It’s a disgrace."
    He finished by appealing to the local clubs and grassroots organizations to demand change and accountability of their own federation and leadership.
    "The (Canadian) leadership is not standing up for anything except those nice trips to Zurich and talking big. It is up to the rural counties, it is for the grassroots organizations across the land to say ‘hey! how dare you vote for Blatter in our name. He’s scum. He’s disgusting... we need uprising from grassroots to throw those bums out and elect leaders with the cojones to go to Zurich and say to Blatter, “we don’t like you, we don’t want you, we wouldn’t vote for you again."
    You can listen to the full interview here.
    Guest

    JDG2 to Villarreal

    By Guest, in It's Called Football,

    Villarreal appears set to complete an 8 million Euro transfer for Jonathan De Guzman from his current side Mallorca.
    The Dutch-Canadian midfielder has been in talks to join Villarreal for weeks now but had been waiting to see if the club could qualify for Champions League - something that would free up more capital for the La Liga side to sign him, as well as provide a greater profile for the 23-year-old.
    Mallorca had held firm with their transfer request of 8 million Euros, while Villarreal had said to only be interested in paying 6 million Euro.
    With Villarreal going through yesterday, it all but clears the way for JDG2 to make his move.
    What does this mean for Canadians?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Well, if there were any left in the 'he could still return home one day' camp, for them it means JDG2 will now be playing for a side very much on the radar of the Dutch national team. High level club play or Champions League participation are big on the Dutch per-requisites list. It still doesn't guarantee him a spot, but the step up will once again guarantee him a look.
    For the rest of us, it doesn't mean a whole lot. At tomorrow's press conference, when Canadian national team head coach Stephen Hart talks about his selections for this round of World Cup qualifying, someone will inevitably ask the question: 'What's the latest on Jonathon De Guzman?'
    Hart's answer will be much the same as it always is: 'We're working on it, we're keeping the door open, we're hopeful.'
    It's a rehearsed, lip service more than anything. If Hart was prone to shooting off, I'm sure he would have said long ago: 'Guys, he's gone, lets move on.'
    That time has probably come and gone long ago, but, like it or not, until he's officially capped, it's a question that is going to continue to get raised.
    Guest
    Like the popular snack mix, I'm going to break down these news hits into the flavoured Shreddie (the best part), the Cheerio (you never see it coming), the pretzel (you've got to acknowledge it, like it or not) and that cheese-stick thing (what the hell is it?).
    The Shreddie: Welcome to the Premiership, Simeon Jackson
    As you may have already heard, proud Canuck Simeon Jackson got into Norwich City's match against Stoke City over the weekend. Though he didn't do anything in his limited time on the field, his inclusion should be heartening to those of us who worried that he'd be the forgotten man in the Canaries' lineup now that they've made the jump. You know what should also be heartening? This:

    Yep, there's ol' Jacko, lovingly displayed across the top of NCFC's official website, alongside other players who I can only assume are of emotional significance to the team's devoted fanbase. Clearly, Jackson is an integral part of this squad for the long term! (Note: Shortly after writing this paragraph, I glanced at a Toronto FC fridge magnet I acquired at the beginning of this season which prominently features Dwayne De Rosario, Jacob Peterson and Nick LaBrocca.)
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    For what it's worth (plenty, I think!), Jacko is the first member of the men's national team to play in the Premiership since Paul Stalteri in 2008. David Edgar, of course, was also featuring for Newcastle in the Premier League around that time (even scoring against Manchester United), but he hadn't yet won his first senior cap. And there's, of course, Canadian-born David "Junior" Hoilett currently plying his trade for Blackburn Rovers, but still (ostensibly) undecided about his national-team career.
    But forget all those guys. This is Simeon's day. Because he's frakking awesome.
    The Cheerio: Julian de Guzman is a scoring machine! (Maybe pass on the extended warranty, though.)
    If at first you don't succeed, try try again. Clearly this message was drilled into JDG's head as a young boy, as months and months of unsuccessful chest-high shots from about 25 yards eventually, finally, mercifully translated into not one, but two goals for Toronto FC in the past few weeks. Say what you will about his tenure in Toronto (ooh, lemme guess, did the phrase that came to your mind include the word "disappointing"? Sweet, points to me) but Jules getting some confidence can only be seen as a good thing for not only TFC, but the men's national team.
    On the other side of the coin is the fate of Terry Dunfield. He's been riding an awful lot of pine as of late -- though, to be fair, he is recovering from injury. But once he's fit, what happens? He's obviously below de Guzman and Torsten Frings on the depth chart. Where does he fit in? Perhaps we can all hope that Aron Winter's long-term plan is to use Frings as a permanent centre back, use de Guzman and Dunfield in central midfield, and send Ty Harden on a quest to find buried treasure in Papua New Guinea.
    The Pretzel: Hey everyone, is that an elephant? Over there, in the room!
    Alright, I'll be the one to say it.
    Canada's road to the 2014 World Cup begins in less than two weeks, with its first qualifier against St. Lucia. But there's a chance that it will be over less than three months from now.
    On paper, there's no reason why we can't make it out of a group with the likes of St. Lucia, Puerto Rico and St. Kitts and Nevis. By any imaginable measure -- skill level, population, experience, FIFA rankings, annual days worth of snow, donut shops per capita, Stanley Cup victories, whatever -- we are the class of this group. Most are assuming, not unreasonably so, that Canada will take full points from these six games; or, perhaps, that we'll drop a few in a later game, once advancement has been sewn up, by playing a bunch of inexperienced kids who fail to gel on the field.
    But some weird, wacky, messed-up shit happens not only in the game of soccer, but in life in general. And weirder shit has happened than "Canada failing to win games it probably should have" in international soccer.
    When it comes down to it, this is World Cup qualifying. This is what matters. This is what borderline-obsessive weirdos like the folks running this site live for. I'm not a religious person, but suffice to say, I'll be inventing soccer deities simply to ask them to prevent the unthinkable from happening in the latter part of 2011.
    I suppose that's my roundabout way of saying, if you live near Toronto, get your tickets now!
    The Cheese Stick: Keepers? Nah, we're good, carry on
    So I was reading this story about former Whitecaps backup goalkeeper, 21-year-old Simon Thomas, signing with third-division Huddersfield Town in England, and the last few lines of the Victoria Times-Colonist piece were like a worryingly familiar kick in the sack:

    Pfft, yeah, whatever kid, like we need goalkeepers. Oh, wait a minute.
    Now, in fairness, the U-23 pool does include a number of other keepers with notable pro-club connections, including Roberto Stillo (Genoa), Michal Misiewicz (Polonia Bytom, formerly Sunderland) and Adam Street (who had a long-time connection with West Ham)... not to mention former Finnish champion and current FC Edmontoner David Monsalve.
    Maybe Simon Thomas has nothing on those kids, and has no future with the national team. Or... maybe he does. And it's that little fiery jolt of worry I get every time I see stories like this -- about the chance that we could be witnessing the next one to get away -- that keeps me up at night.
    Wait, no, that's excess caffeine and a lifetime of sleep problems. But whatever, you get the point.

    Guest

    Atiba returns

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Atiba Hutchinson returned to action yesterday, playing the final 21 minutes of PSV Eindhoven's 3-0 win over ADO Den Haag.
    The Canadian international last played in Canada's first Gold Cup game against the United States. He sustained an injury in that game that took him out of the rest of the tournament, although it was suggested at the time that PSV were pressuring Canada not to play him.
    His return yesterday went without incident.
    Canada will announce its World Cup qualifying roster for the Sept 2-6 CONCACAF second round games this week. Stephen Hart will be under pressure to bypass Hutchinson due to the low quality of opposition. The thinking being that re-establishing himself in Holland is more important than having him on the pitch against teams made up of semi-pro quality players.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    Now, we can probably move on. If there was a miracle charge to the playoffs for TFC were to have happened it probably involved beating Chicago, one of the worst teams in the league. Prior to the game, they could afford to drop 7 points to hit 40 on the year. Now, it’s four.
    So, that’s where it’s at.
    It was a bit of a harsh result. Toronto played well, had a lot of the ball and hit the bar twice. When you consider the travel week they’ve had, it’s hard to get too worked up about things. Certainly, you should walk away with some hope for Wednesday’s Champions League match against Dallas.
    At this point you have to look for the positives and last night they came in two forms. Miloš Kocić, a man most were ready to throw off the Bloor Viaduct last month, and Matt Stinson, a young Canadian clearly thriving under Winter’s system.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Is Kocić better than Stefan Frei right now? Clearly not, but he has shown that he is more than capable of stepping up. Distribution is the weakness, but he is a terrific shot stopper – a fact underlined by another MLS Save of the
    Week worthy effort in the first half last night.
    Although I don’t think Europe is as close for Frei as many think (his EU passport helps, but it’s still not a sure thing), Kocić’s play of late should make TFC fans less nervous of the day he does leave.
    Winter has shown himself to be a manager that plays those he thinks are on form regardless of their history or resume. So, don’t be surprised if he gets another run out even if Frei’s injury is fully healed.
    Stinson is quietly becoming the best story of the season, especially for Canada-first fans. The academy graduate took a lot of time to make his debut, but is thriving now. His confidence moving forward betrays his youth and is decidedly un-Canadian (but hopefully a sign of what Canadian kids might play like moving forward after the academies really start to grind out players).
    In the off-season, CSN first reported that Stinson was leaving school and looking to turn pro. At the time, it was speculated that he would be a player making regular appearances by the end of the year. If we got the TFC to finish 10th prediction wrong, then this isn’t a bad secondary prize.
    Although Winter’s first season in charge has not been without reason to legitimately criticise, one refreshing development has been his trust in the young, mostly Canadian, kids. Unlike past TFC managers he doesn’t seem blinded by their passport and, more importantly, he seems to be able to bring out the most in their game. Ashtone Morgan, Doneil Henry and, now, Stinson have all stepped up. That makes the year a little more tolerable, don’t you think?
    Guest

    Why NBC matters

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Just watch.
    No amount of ad dollars spent has the same impact as NBC playing that...
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    (Having problems with the embed. We will re-upload later. For now just click the link)
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