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    Guest
    Today, we're joined by La Presse columnist Patrick Leduc to speak about the Montreal Impact's selection for a new head coach, what's going on between UM02 and the Impact FO and if the team is doing enough in its build towards MLS.
    We'll also look at Vancouver's choice for their new head coach, discuss what MLS going to NBC will mean for the league and look back on Stefan Frei's time at TFC as he prepares to become the all-time appearance leader.
    The archived show is now up.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
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    Guest

    MLS to NBC

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    MLS has finally landed its long desired over the air US TV contract. NBC will broadcast two regular season games and two playoff games each of the next three seasons. In addition, the network will air two US national team games.
    The majority of games will be pushed to the cable channel currently known as Versus (and formally as Outdoor Life). Re-branded as NBC Sports Network in January, the channel will broadcast 38 games, replacing the coverage currently on Fox Soccer Network.
    Canadian TV coverage is not affected.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Versus is the current home of the NHL in the United States. Although controversial when that deal was first signed, most hockey fans have grown to appreciate the effort Versus has made to promote the NHL. Without larger American TV products such as the NFL, Versus give the NHL its full marketing push. MLS fans will hope that the same effort will be made towards soccer. Production values are also first rate and will likely represent a step up in quality from what FSC is capable of providing.
    Having games on NBC may further legitimize the product in the eyes of sponsors.
    The financial details of the deal are unknown, but you can expect any right’s fees paid will be minimal.
    Guest

    Neophyte to lead Impact

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    As expected, the Montreal Impact named Jesse Marsch to be the club’s first MLS manager. It’s his first job as a manager at any level.
    He was acting as an assistant coach with the US national team and had spent 14 years as a player in MLS.
    It’s a risky move to bring in a guy with so little experience. Former players have been successful as head men at MLS – SLC’s Jason Kreis is likely the best example. However, Kreise struggled out of the gate early and, based on Montreal’s history with firing managers, one wonders whether Marsch will be given enough time.
    There are also a lot of big personalities in Montreal. Can a 38-year-old with no previous managing experience negotiate that environment?
    Time will tell.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    In news pretty much irrelevant to Canadian MLS fans, the league released its playoff schedule today.
    Below the jump:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Wild Card Games – hosted by higher seed; single elimination(Currently Chivas USA at Colorado Rapids and Sporting Kansas City at Real Salt Lake)
    o Wed., Oct. 26
    o Thurs., Oct. 27
    • Conference Semifinals, First Leg – hosted by lower seed
    (Currently LA Galaxy at lowest remaining wild card; Columbus Crew at other remaining wild card; FC Dallas at Seattle Sounders; and Philadelphia Union at New York Red Bulls)
    o Sat., Oct. 29
    o Sat., Oct. 29
    o Sun., Oct. 30
    o Sun., Oct. 30
    • Conference Semifinals, Second Leg – hosted by higher seed; winner by aggregate goals
    (Currently lowest wild card at LA Galaxy; other remaining wild card team at Columbus Crew; Seattle Sounders at FC Dallas; and New York Red Bulls at Philadelphia Union)
    o Wed., Nov. 2
    o Wed., Nov. 2
    o Thurs., Nov. 3
    o Thurs., Nov. 3
    • Conference Championships – hosted by higher seed; single elimination
    o Sat., Nov. 5
    o Sun., Nov. 6
    NOTE: A break occurs here due to FIFA fixtures on Nov. 11 &15.
    • MLS Cup 2011 – at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.; single-game final
    o Sun., Nov. 20
    Guest
    As many members of the media had predicted, Vancouver announced today that current Carolina Railhawks Head Coach Martin Rennie will in fact be the new head coach of the Whitecaps.
    Paul Barber claimed that "We are thrilled to have Martin joining our club" and "Martin is Widely recognized as one of the top young coaches in North America"Rennie will step in next season to allow current Director of Soccer Operations Tom Soehn to refocus on his original role. Soehn currently fills the head coaching void left by Teitur Thordason after he was unceremoniously released by the club at the end of May.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Rennie's high praise as one of the up and coming young coaches in North America does not come unwarranted; since coming across to North America he has done nothing but win and will look to continue his solid run of success on this side of the Atlantic. His coaching style tends to focus on maintaining possession of the ball in the opponents half of the pitch. This falls in line with what Tom Soehn has set up for him here in the Terminal City.
    Thordason's kick and chase up the wing approach failed to bring results and seemed to be a waste of his squads talents.
    Since joining the Raleigh based Railhawks his squad has out scored their opponents 272 to 147 in the last 3 seasons. Rennie is slated to begin his tenure with the Whitecaps once the Railhawks season is finished and at their current pace it could be a long season. Carolina currently sit atop the leagues standings with 9 regular season matches remaining. They have already clinched a playoff birth and have outscored their opponents on the season 40 to 16. A big stat Whitecaps fans will appreciate is that he only has 21 draws in his last 91 games.
    Guest

    Drama the new normal in Montreal

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The club is called the Montreal Impact, but, at times, it seems like Montreal Drama might be a better fit. This is a club that always seems to have something going on, someone being fired or some protest being planned. It works for them. The Impact have won more Voyageurs Cups and have gone deeper in the Champions League than any other Canadian side.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Montreal is a passionate city and its football team reflects that. So, it stands to reason that even something as simple as a logo launch would result in some sort of controversy. Upset over....something, they aren't really talking to anyone to clarify what exactly...the Ultras staged a walk-out during the game of the launch.
    That, in turn, caused Joey Saputo to release an open letter asking the group to, well, chill basically. So, just another day in Montreal, really.
    As a quick aside, at the risk of turning CSN into a fashion blog, it's a nice logo -- certainly about 20 times better than the cartoony thing they currently use. The Inter inspired look could result in one of the nicest strips in the league too. So, good job.
    As for the supporter's group conflict, we all should hope that they find a way to sort it out. Montreal has a unique atmosphere and will add a lot to MLS -- so long as the league and management don’t try to sanitize it.
    Guest
    Former Vancouver Whitecaps prospect and Victoria, B.C., native Simon Thomas has impressed English side Huddersfield Town enough that he was offered a one-year contract last week.
    The goalkeeper went on trial with the League One outfit at the tail end of the English 2010/11 campaign, and on Friday the team offered him a deal, having been impressed with his performances in training sessions and practice matches.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    “England and Europe was always the goal,” Thomas said during a phone interview with Canadian Soccer News. “From day one, that’s always where I said I wanted to play. I think I said that during my time with the Whitecaps as well – I always wanted to be over [in England] playing. My priority is to get my foot in the door, get playing and progress. It’s a dream right now.”
    Standing at 6’3”, Thomas grew up idolizing the likes of German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, Chelsea starter Petr Cech and Manchester United’s Dutch ‘keeper Edwin van der Sar.
    In recent years, the 21-year-old Thomas played his soccer with the Vancouver Whitecaps, going through their residency program from 2008-2010. He was eventually released last year, but credits Mike Salmon, the Whitecaps goalkeeping coach during that period, for accelerating his growth as a player.
    “I feel like my development really took off to the next level when I met Mike Salmon at the Whitecaps,” Thomas said. “He was instrumental in changing my game up and teaching me. He believed in me and put confidence in me that I could step up to the next level. I can’t say enough good things about Mike Salmon.”
    Salmon, 47, said Thomas’ release from the Whitecaps “was in his best interest.”
    “It wouldn’t have done him any good whatsoever to stay with the Whitecaps, because he wouldn’t have got the games he needs and he wouldn’t have developed at the same rate,” Salmon said by phone on Friday. “The fact that he’s been given an opportunity [in England], he’ll definitely get games, and play with better players and against better players. I can only see his game going forward.”
    Salmon, best known in England as Charlton’s No. 1 goalkeeper from 1989-99, used his connections in the United Kingdom to set up a number of trials for Thomas. While a trial at Charlton didn’t work out for Thomas, a former teammate from Salmon’s days at the club, John Vaughan, now goalkeeping coach at Huddersfield, liked what he saw.
    “[Vaughan] saw things in him that I saw in him,” Salmon explained. “His attributes without doubt are his attitude, and – he’s probably the bravest ‘keeper I’ve ever worked with. Day in, day out, he puts his body on the line. He makes saves that other ‘keepers wouldn’t even think about going for. He throws his body at everything and makes some unbelievable saves.”
    Vancouver Whitecaps assistant coach Colin Miller echoed Salmon’s thoughts after the team’s practice on Friday.
    “I’m not surprised that he’s been picked up,” Miller said. “His attitude was fabulous, he’s brave, and he just needed games. I think he could become a good goalkeeper. The first thing that stood out was his bravery – he stopped so many balls with his face, I thought he should have put the gloves on his teeth! His commitment to being the best he could be was impressive.”
    Thomas now looks forward to competing for a place in Huddersfield’s starting lineup, but he hasn’t forgotten about where he’s come from. He was quick to acknowledge key figures from his time as a player in Victoria.
    “My club coaches were fantastic -- Mark Brittain, Chris DeGroot – they believed in me,” Thomas said. “I put ownership [for this progress] on my goalkeeping coaches in Victoria. I mostly dealt with Bob Stankov. He was and still is a major part of my development. Raegyn Hall was there too, and he brings a different aspect to my goalkeeping. I met those two through Shel Brodsgaard’s Island Keeper’s clinic, so that was massive.”
    When asked about the prospect of eventually playing for the Canadian national team if he proves himself in England, Thomas displayed the workmanlike attitude his former coaches at the Whitecaps couldn’t stop talking about.
    “I’ve always wanted to wear the Canadian badge on my chest, but right now I need to focus on the baby steps and get established over here and get playing. I believe everything will come in time. It’s just about getting up and working every day at practice.”
    __
    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
    There are <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/IndyweekSports/status/100758093062864897">some</a> <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/MikeMartignago/status/100761312602234880">pretty</a> <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/aftncanada/status/100762859054694400">solid</a> <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/JeremiahOshan/status/100725739653050368">reports</a> coming out that <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?2102-Rumours-Swirl-as-Whitecaps">tomorrow's mysterious Vancouver Whitecaps press conference</a> will in fact be to announce a new head coach, specifically the Carolina RailHawks' Martin Rennie. It's still somewhat up in the air whether Rennie will start immediately or finish out the North American Soccer League season with Carolina first, but it does seem that he's on his way. If that's the case, the Whitecaps management team should answer two critical questions: "Why?" and "Why now?"[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    First, on the "Why?" front, some of the reasons are obvious. Rennie is widely seen as a rising star on the North American coaching circuit, and one who's had success on a variety of levels. He's only 36, but he's already won a league championships (with the USL-2's Cleveland City Stars in 2008), made the league finals another time (with the RailHawks in 2010), and claimed two coach of the year awards (with Cleveland). He's shown an ability to turn a roster around and get a new, diverse group of players to gel together in cohesive fashion, something he did with Carolina in 2010, and that could be an absolutely critical skill in Vancouver. The Whitecaps' current roster is still very much a work in progress, and will need plenty of revamping before they can successfully compete at the MLS level. Rennie may not have MLS experience, but he's been a hot MLS coaching prospect for a while (the Montreal Impact apparently also were sniffing around him), and he certainly has a promising background.
    However, just about every qualification in that list applies to the Whitecaps' initial MLS coach, and the man they so <a href="http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/top/blog/canada/post/With-Thordarson-firing-are-Whitecaps-on-TFC-s-p?urn=top-358832">recently and unceremoniously fired</a>: Teitur Thordarson. Thordarson had coached at a wide range of levels before coming to MLS, including stints with club teams from Sweden to Norway to Iceland and the Estonian national team, and he won two USL-1 championships with the Whitecaps (and made the USSF-2 semifinals with them in 2010). Moreover, he showed a tremendous ability to achieve results under difficult circumstances, particularly in the 2008 season and the 2010 run to the semifinals, both of which featured dramatic and repeated roster changes (in 2010 in particular, as that was a young team primarily focusing on building for MLS at the expense of immediate results). Despite predominately poor results in MLS competition this season, many of which weren't necessarily his fault, Thordarson also had the Whitecaps well on their way to winning the Voyageurs Cup <a href="http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/top/blog/canada/post/Gone-in-60-minutes-Whitecaps-lead-erased-by-th?urn=top-357671">before weather intervened</a>.
    About the only logical reason for Thordarson's firing, which was an incredibly unconventional move for an expansion team that was generally expected to be terrible, was that the team was looking to go in a different direction, perhaps with a MLS veteran. Tom Soehn, who stepped in as head coach in addition to his role as director of soccer operations, fit that bill; he had plenty of MLS experience, even if all of it wasn't terribly positive. Now, they've apparently flopped back to someone who fits the qualifications of the old head man. It may be that the team's management staff thinks Rennie has something Thordarson didn't, but it just seems like a curious move to return to a direction you just went away from.
    The "Why now?" is equally as important. If Rennie's taking over right away, that's the third coach in one season for an expansion team, which is incredibly rare. You can make the case that Soehn was only an interim seat-filler, but he's presided over this team since the end of May, or for more time than Thordarson got at the MLS level. If Rennie is just being announced as the head coach for 2012, that avoids the dubious distinction of having three head coaches in a year, but that's mostly a semantic argument and doesn't really lessen the turmoil. It's worth noting that coaching instability isn't the greatest thing at any level, particularly in a sport where so much comes down to what styles and tactics any particular coach favours and what roles they see for different players. Changing head men frequently results in chaos and sets a team back significantly, as rosters have to be completely reworked to fit the new guy's style—and that hasn't exactly worked out all that well for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_FC#History">Canada's other MLS team</a>.
    If Rennie was always the man the Whitecaps' management had in mind, fine, but it would seem curious that they couldn't lure him away sooner. The "coach in waiting" arrangement, if that's what it turns out to be, is also an odd one, and one that <a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/West-Virginia-head-coach-resigns-amid-scandal-061011">hasn't ended well in many other circumstances</a>. Like every other move, this one should be judged by the results, and there's definitely a chance it could turn out quite well for Vancouver. It just seems like an unusual decision at an unusual time. Given the oddities of the Whitecaps' 2011 season, maybe that's to be expected.
    [Note: This piece originally had incorrect information about the USSF-2 finish in 2010. Carolina finished first in their division (with Vancouver second) during the regular season, but didn't win the league playoff; they lost to the Puerto Rico Islanders in the final, and Puerto Rico knocked off Vancouver in the semifinals. It's been updated with the correct info. - Andrew]
    Guest
    The Vancouver Whitecaps are preparing to make yet another "important club announcement" tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time.
    There's the usual rumours floating around about Owen Hargreaves and friends, but signs seem to be pointing to a coaching change.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The first hint was in the wording of the press release itself. Tommy Soehn was listed as "Director of Soccer Operations," whereas in previous releases, his title read as "Head Coach."
    Perhaps a glitch, perhaps an oversight, but it was noticeable immediately. And yes, Soehn did retain that position when he stepped in, but it's the fact that his title was changed for this press release that caught the eye.
    So, if he is indeed going back up to the director's box, who is stepping into his shoes?
    Well, if you do the math, it could very well be Martin Rennie, head coach of the Carolina RailHawks of the North American Soccer League. The RailHawks have called a press conference for tomorrow as well, to deal with "a matter of importance to the club."
    Rennie is highly thought of in the North American soccer community, and reports have indicated that he was interviewed for the Montreal Impact head coaching position ahead of that club's move to Major League Soccer, and rejected the offer he was given.
    Rennie is a young coach at only 36 years of age, but has had success in the lower levels of North American soccer, having won a championship with USL Division 2 team Cleveland City Stars in 2008. He also won Coach of the Year in both of his seasons with the Stars.
    His success with the Stars led to an opportunity in USL 1 with the Carolina RailHawks, where he has been coaching since 2009. He demolished the existing squad upon taking over and brought the team to within two points of the regular season title, before following up that year with a championship in the 2010 season.
    If you have a look at the standings in NASL this year, Rennie's side is 12 points clear at the top of the table and look on course for at least a regular season title.
    Nothing is certain, but if Rennie is indeed named the long-term Whitecaps coach, it's my hunch he'll want to see out the rest of the season with the RailHawks before going to Vancouver.
    Taking over at this stage would have its benefits, but in terms of getting to know the players, given Rennie's previous decision to clear house upon taking over in Carolina, "getting to know the squad" might be irrelevant.
    Anyway, whatever happens, Canadian Soccer News will keep you up to date.
    __
    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
    Today, we're doing things a little differently and bringing back the Five Questions format for an issue that has created a lot of division in Canadian football. It will be Duane Rollins vs Ben Massey in the 'Is Toronto truly deserving of being the centre of the universe?' debate. We'll touch on a number of the key issues that went into making the decision to put all three qualifiers in one city and we'll let the two sides throw down on their points of view.
    We'll also get into the future of GolTv, the Montreal coach rumours, the Vancouver coach rumours and Toronto's draw against DeRo.
    The archived version is now up.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
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    Guest

    Wallowing in the negative for fun!

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    This writer is often accused of being a MLSE patsy – unfailingly positive despite all evidence to the contrary. So, when a reader asked for my opinion of who the all-time best starting XI for TFC is you would think that it would provide a great opportunity to relish in that stereotype.
    But that’s too easy. Sometimes you just need to be cynical. It’s more fun.
    Forget the all-time best XI – it’s too early in the club’s history – let’s look at a far more challenging prospect. What is the all-time worst TFC starting XI.
    Using a 4-4-2 and restricting to players that actually played a significant amount of time for the club. My pick with five subs is below the jump. Use the comments section to give your side.
    We’ll return to positive outlooks tomorrow.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Srdjan Djekanovic
    Adam Braz – Nick Garcia – Andy Iro – Marco Velez
    Andy Welsh – Jarrod Smith - Amadou Sanyang – Joseph Nane
    Andrea Lombardo – Ali Gerba
    Brian Edwards
    Ty Harden
    Raivis Hščanovičs
    Fuad Ibrahim
    Andrea Lombardo
    Mista
    Guest

    Whitecaps Douse Fire

    By Guest, in West Coast Soccer Podcast,

    By: Pierce Lang
    In what was essentially a battle for the basement in the leagues overall standings, the Vancouver Whitecaps managed to claw their way back within a point of the hapless Fire, in an effort to climb out of the bottom slot in the table.
    Before most of the fans had found their seats Vancouver found themselves up 1-0 on a goal by club leading scorer Eric Hassli.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The big French striker found himself all alone with the ball at the top of the 18 after Chicago defender Yamith Cuesta pulled an Andy Iro and completely misplayed an Alain Rochat pass. It left Hassli all to his lonesome with just the keeper to beat. As Shawn Johnson dug in to make a last effort save Hassli hammered the ball into the top left corner of his net.
    The game was fairly scrappy and considering that these are two of the worst teams in the league, you would expect nothing less. Jordan Harvey who recently came over from Philadelphia tripped up speedy Dominic Oduro at the four minute mark preventing a 1-on-1 with Jay Nolly. Harvey was given a yellow but his effort most certainly kept Vancouver in the lead.
    Oduro was not done after the foul though. On 22 minutes he found his was into the box after beating Alain Rochat and was left to slot the ball past Jay Nolly and launch Chicago back into the game.
    The 'Caps seemed to be empowered by the Chicago goal and persevered after that with Gershon Koffie scoring on a one hopper from outside the box less then a minute after the Fire equalized. Koffie's long range shot should have been stopped by the Chicago keeper but he may have been fooled by the bounce off the turf. Johnson went down and the ball went over his outstretched body.
    Dominic Oduro was clearly a target of the Whitecaps aggressions and it seemed to pay off for the 'Caps. While he did seem to be getting special attention from Vancouver he made his way to ground rather easily after he realized he could get the odd call from the ref. The official seemed to be in no mood to be made a fool of as he judged Oduro's '25 dive to be worthy of a Yellow Card for simulation. Oduro rose to his feet after looking up to the blazing yellow card and proceeded to take a swing at John Thorrington. He was lucky not to be ejected.
    The Caps had an opportunity to take a 3-1 lead into half when Cuesta lost his mind again and pulled down Camilo in the box. Camilo had no chance at reaching the ball he was chasing and Chicago's other defender would have easily cleared it from their box. Unfortunately on the penalty Eric Hassli felt like doing his best Terry Dunfield impression and placed a waist high shot at the outstretched palms of Johnson as he dove to his right.
    The 'Caps kept the throttle down as they headed into the second half. Two minutes into the second half Camilo put the caps up three with a fantastic goal as he made a brilliant turn to split two defenders and spring himself free in the box his low shot to the right side beat Johnson and the score was 3-1
    Jay Nolly had his first competitive start since the Nurtilite Championship game and he played well. His biggest save of the game came in the 58th minute as Orr Barouch brought down a Pavel Pardo chip and placed a side footed shot to the left of Nolly's goal. Nolly dove to his left and made a great two handed save on the Israeli striker.
    Vancouver would keep up their relentless pressure as they found themselves with a free kick at the top of the Chicago box in the 71st minute. Camilo lined up to take the free kick and blasted a low shot past the wall and Johnson dove low to his left to make the save. Gershon Koffie almost netted his second goal of the game on the ensuing rebound but managed to put it off the inside of the post. Luckily for the Caps, the clubs tops scorer was lurking in the box and hammered the loose ball into the gaping net.
    Chicago were not about to lay down and die though. In the 79th minute Barouch got his revenge on Nolly as he victimized Jordan Harvey off a Patrick Nyarko through ball. Harvey hesitated on playing the ball initially and it took a tricky bounce and was past him. Once the defender was caught flat footed Barouch was off to the races.
    With the scoreline 4-2 in favour of the Blue and White the final whistle blew and the Caps earned their third win of the season and climb to with in 1 point of Chicago in the overall standings. Both clubs remain in last place in their respective conferences. Vancouver remain 4 points behind San Jose and 5 points behind expansion cousins Portland.
    Vancouver's next game is at DC united on Saturday August 13th, at RFK Staduim. Game time is 4pm and will be televised on Sportsnet Pacific.
    Guest
    To borrow an old cliché, the fat lady is not quite singing. However, when it comes to TFC’s 2011 MLS season, a pleasantly plump young woman is on the karaoke machine. Mathematically a miracle push to the playoffs might be possible, but math ain’t what football is about.
    But if math is your thing here are the numbers you need to focus on. Current projections suggest that the final playoff spot will be captured by a team with 40 points. Toronto has half that after 25 games. With nine games remaining, TFC could capture as many as 27 more points for a total of 47. So, the Reds tragic number is seven.
    In a very best case scenario, Toronto could drop seven more points in MLS play. They could win five of their final games – and most would agree that would be a spectacular close to the year – and still not be close. Basically, unless Terry Dunfield discovers his inner Lionel Messi, the Reds have run out of time.
    Thank God for the Champions League, eh?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    So, when it comes to MLS play, one really must stay focused on each game as if it were a separate event from the rest of the year. You can’t turn back the clock and make TFC start the year with the line-up that has gone 2-2-2 in its last six games. You can’t turn it further back and have MLSE make a better hire than Mo Johnston in 2006.
    Focus on the now or go insane dwelling on the past.
    Of course there is enough in the now to make you go batty anyway. Take last night (please). If you get three goals on the road and a late lead you’d expect to get three points too. Unless you’re TFC that is. Then you take the draw and rejoice that it wasn’t another loss. You try and ignore that the club’s former star scored the hat-trick against.
    Or that Andy Iro – the saviour on defence – made TFC fans long for the days of Nick Garcia and Marco Velez.
    No, really, just let it go...breathe...breathe...feel better?
    It will get better. It has to, right?
    Right?
    Guest
    As the Vancouver Whitecaps prepare to take on the Chicago Fire at Empire Field today, it’s difficult to find a truly meaningful storyline in terms of either team as a whole.
    Whitecaps head coach Tom Soehn is up against his hometown club, and he does have a very good record against them to uphold (W5 L1 T3), but with both clubs sitting in the bottom of their respective conferences, a victory will likely centre around vaguely defined “feel good” factors.
    The remaining games, including this one, are not about whether these teams make the playoffs, but more about determining who will be around to compete in next year’s season. Yes, the much used “we’re playing for jobs” line comes out.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    After a very competitive week in training that saw a number of bust ups, slide tackles and the usual handbags, it’s clear to see that it’s a tryout environment out there.
    Some veteran players may get the sense that this could be their last contract. Being a player on the wrong side of 30 and on a team that could potentially fall to the worst point total in Major League Soccer history could literally end a few professional soccer careers.
    As desperation sets in, this match could become more competitive than you’d think, as both teams will be smelling blood and looking for a rare win. And this desperation isn’t reserved to just the players. Soehn’s formation against the Galaxy was applauded by some as a show of attacking bravery, while others described his decision to play with only one holding midfielder as tactically naïve.
    While the first half displayed the potential of throwing caution to the wind, the second half demonstrated just what can happen when a team playing a fluid system encounters a disciplined veteran group with a sturdy spine.
    In some ways the call up of Mustapha Jarju takes some of the decision making out of Soehn’s hands. He doesn’t have the option of playing with that formation again today with the Gambian absent, so Davide Chiumiento will likely slot in behind Eric Hassli while Peter Vagenas should step into his midfield spot alongside Gershon Koffie.
    John Thorrington and Jay DeMerit look very close to returning though, and the official MLS injury report lists both players as “probable” for this match, despite DeMerit telling reporters on Friday that it “wasn’t likely” he’d play this weekend.
    But, if these two players are thrown into the starting lineup and are indeed ready to play a significant part of the game, their experience and ability could provide a major upgrade and give this team a chance at claiming its third victory of the season, and for the players and coaching staff involved, perhaps a glimmer of hope that their time with the Whitecaps isn’t nearing its conclusion.
    __
    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
    Here at Long Balls we're happy to finally see July rolling into August, and Canadian footballers abroad slowly tricking back to work. Truth be told, there's only so much time one can spend desperately flitting from Internet page to Internet page in search of ideas before he spreads his arms and falls softly backward into the warm embrace of a regular column that essentially writes itself.
    We're employing a hodgepodge approach, looking at what the the preseason has brought and what the regular season may bring for footballers flying the Canadian flag outside of Canada. With a special emphasis on Simeon Jackson.
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    First up then Simeon Jackson. He's in tough for minutes once the Premier League begins, as Norwich manager Paul Lambert has been rotating through six strikers in the preseason. That's bad.
    But at least he has been getting minutes! (Last weekend he came on as a 60th minute sub in a 3-0 win over Coventry). That's good.
    Two of his rivals for a place - along with mainstay and captain Grant Holt, Chris Martin, Aaron Wilbraham - are summer signings Steve Morison and James Vaughan brought in to bolster the strike force. That's bad.
    But at least Jackson now occupies his own special place in Norwich history, which should put him in with a chance! That's good.
    Jackson is in the fight of his life to become the first Canadian to play regularly in the Premier League since Paul Stalteri with Tottenham in 2008, and when it comes to Canadian soccer whatever can go bad often does. [blank stare...] That's bad.
    In between rehashing episodes of The Simpsons, Long Ball's inner monologue can't stop emphasizing how wonderful it would be for Canada to field a Premier League regular. What a great tool for marketing, promotion and countering the perception that all Canadian soccer players suck. The niggling problem with even that is this past summer, which showed us emphatically that scoring in Europe is zero indication of being able to do the same thing against Concacaf opposition.
    Next is Marcel de Jong. Now that Augsburg have been promoted to the Bundesliga this season, he will be keenly watched by Canada supporters yearning for successes in the top flights of European football. The Canadian midfielder-slash-defender started and played 78 minutes for Augsburg in a 2-1 German Cup win over RW Oberhausen last weekend.
    In an Augsburger Allgemeine article brilliantly translated as "FC Augsburg is a cause for reflection" de Jong is afforded a 4 out of 10? rating for his efforts in the match: Although very active, but also far from his best form. Which conveniently sums up his display at the Gold Cup. (On a completely unrelated note, we're also surprised to report that the Augsburger gives hockey second billing on its sports page behind football.)
    Due to Long Balls lack of ability in the German language, our research into de Jong's prospects is limited. We can only view the fact he's getting minutes as a good sign vis-a-vis his chances of obtaining anything resembling first-team football in the Bundesliga this year.
    Is Iain Hume still worth our time? That is what Canadian supporters must ask themselves. Stephen Hart appears to have already decided this by shutting Preston North End's leading scorer last season out of the Canada setup since 27 minutes in a depressing 2-0 loss to Peru at BMO Field last September. That said, three rapidly approaching World Cup qualifiers against what theoretically should be minnow-ish competition may be as good a time as any to welcome Hume back into the fold.
    The issue here is that Hume now finds himself slugging it out in League One. And even though he is "excited" about kicking off the new campaign, Long Balls strongly suspects he'd be even more excited about kicking the same campaign off maybe one nick higher up in the English soccer pyramid. For what it's worth, Long Balls still favours a call-up for Hume, unless Hart shows he's found a way to get his regular strikers scoring.
    Back to Canada's other theoretical Bundesliga regular. Kevin McKenna is vying for a spot in the heart of FC Koln's defence (or the "Billy Goats," as Long Balls learns the club is nicknamed). McKenna sat out Koln's German Cup win over Wiedenbruck last weekend, but played all 90 minutes of the Goats 7-0 slaying of Vorgebirgsauswahl on Tuesday. McKenna potted one of his trademark headers from a corner, although he apparently also made a mistake that almost allowed Vorge....(right, see above) to score the first goal.
    Keeper Lars Hirschfeld played the first half of a 3-3 friendly draw with Liverpool this week, allowing one goal on a header from Andy Carroll. Lars has been the man for Valerenga, by which Long Balls means he has started and played every minute of the lower-to-mid-table club's 16 Norwegian league games this season.
    Another young Canadian striker facing competition for a striking spot at a club located within the British Isles is Marcus Haber. He played 90 minutes for St. Johnstone against Rangers last weekend and the best Canadian soccer researchers available say that he apparently "fizzed" a shot just past the post. Returning from a season-ruining injury last year, Long Balls slots Haber emphatically into the "yes, definitely" category when prioritizing which young players should be called up for the second round of World Cup qualifying this fall, assuming they are available.
    In other more depressing news, depending on your perspective, it appears that Toronto-born midfielder Jonathan de Guzman is being linked with a move to Spanish big-boys Villarreal. Whether or not this helps him nab his long-desired cap for the Dutch senior national team remains to be seen, but it certainly doesn't move him any closer to ever suiting up for Canada.
    Long Balls is torn when it comes to Jono de Guzman. The not playing for Canada thing aside, he has certainly done well for himself. And for that we cannot fault him.
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