Jump to content

  • Articles

    Manage articles
    Show all categories
    Guest
    Today, on this Interview Only edition of It's Called Football, we're joined by the Vice President of the Canadian Soccer Association Victor Montagliani.
    Victor tells us about how the CSA has met with CONCACAF about hosting Gold Cup group in 2013, that the CSA has had preliminary talks with FIFA about hosting a Men's World Cup in 2026 and he updates us on what's happening with the moratorium and their study of a national league feasibility.
    With no live show tonight, the archived recording is now up.
    What do you think? Should Canada be hosting Gold Cup games? Is World Cup out of our reach? What about the plans for D2?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/24295/victormontaglianifinal.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>
    Guest
    It's appropriate that Toronto FC, four days removed from the emotional high that was the Voyageurs Cup final, now visit the City That Never Sleeps.
    Ok, they'll be just outside of New York City, but the Reds resumption of MLS duties in the NYC area can still be looked at as a bit of a metaphor -- in that TFC need to move on, and quickly, within shouting distance of a city that never stops moving.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The successful two-step with Vancouver, as thrilling and emotional that is was, is in the rear view mirror now, and Toronto need to look ahead to what is essentially the beginning of the second half of their season. To start, they've got the New York Red Bulls, a team struggling to live up to its potential yet so very capable of reminding the Reds just exactly where they are in the grand scheme of things -- at the bottom.
    The timing couldn't be worse for Toronto. Still racked with injuries and coming off a rare week of dominance, Aron Winter's side face a New York squad desperate to re-assert their own dominance.
    The Red Bulls are mired in a funk that has seen them winless in four (and with just one victory since April 30th, an 11-game stretch). They've drawn a ridiculous 10 of their 18 league matches so far in 2011, and have seen some comical goalkeeping from both Bouna Coundoul and Greg Sutton in recent weeks.
    That said, Hans Backe's charges have been playing without many of their stars, as international duty had gutted the team for a large chunk of the season. The fact that they have been as successful as they are up to this point is a testament to the job Backe has done, although he'd hardly claim satisfaction with the club's current record.
    Now, with the Gold Cup long over, Backe has many of his bigger names back in the fold, and some injured ones are returning, as well. Apart from Rafael Marquez and Luke Rodgers, New York should have their entire starting lineup available for Wednesday's match with Toronto, a frightening thought when you consider that TFC won't be anything close to a first choice starting XI (and even if they did, it wouldn't be comparable to what New York can throw out there).
    To be successful, the Reds will need to take some of the fighting spirit they showed in the second half of Saturday's Nutrilite Canadian Championship decider, and hope that the Red Bulls' disjointed recent form continues. Toronto have shown that they can gut out a win against league heavyweights on the road, and they'll need to channel whatever it is that got them through gutsy away matches in L.A. and Colorado to have a chance.
    As alluded to before, New York's biggest weakness is between the goalposts, as Coundoul and Sutton have been putting on clinics of what not to do as professional goalkeepers. TFC should look to exploit that, and one would think that Winter will have his players taking shots at every opportunity.
    On the injury front, Julian de Guzman makes his return to the sidelines after just one match, remaining in Toronto when the rest of the squad jetted off to New Jersey Tuesday afternoon. Alan Gordon and Maicon Santos are still iffy, Jacob Peterson has resumed training, and the entire backline seems to be on crutches.
    Look for Tony Tchani to pair with Richard Eckersley in the centre of defence on Wednesday night. The fact that they are a central midfielder and fullback (respectively) by trade should put a bit of fear into the hearts of TFC fans, especially as they'll be handling the likes of a refreshed Thierry Henry and young Juan Agudelo for ninety minutes.
    As well as Eckersley has looked as a CB, and as natural an athlete that Tchani is, they are merely stop-gap solutions to a much bigger problem. TFC fans will be hoping that they can curb the tide that is New York's potent-yet-sputtering offence.

    New York Red Bulls v. Toronto FC
    Wednesday, July 6, 2011. 8:00pm EDT.
    Red Bull Arena. Harrison, NJ.
    Watch: TSN
    Listen: FAN590.com

    Rudi Schuller occasionally 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

    Just put him out of his misery

    By Guest, in Euro File,

    Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
    In what must be a new low for a man who starred at the Champions League and World Cup levels, one Owen Lee Hargreaves has taken to creating a YouTube channel -- featuring no less than 20 separate videos -- to prove his fitness to clubs.
    The video segments show Hargreaves running through a number of drills and exercises with a personal trainer, no doubt intended to display his apparent recovery from the myriad of injuries that have seen him play less than 30 times over the past four seasons (his most recent appearance lasted mere minutes).
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    His handlers have obviously thought that these videos will convince someone -- anyone -- that their client and his 80-year-old knees are still capable of playing professional football, but it really does seem to be a severe case of grasping at straws at this point.
    Here's the latest clip, showing Hargreaves doing a running drill:


    If you're in to such things, you can see the rest of the videos (featuring Owen's assortment of shorts that are just a little too short and/or tight) here.

    Photo: MacLean's
    Guest
    By: Dino Rossi
    Last Thursday, the Canadian Women’s National Soccer Team was dealt a massive blow, falling 4-0 to a lower ranked French side, resulting in Canada’s surprisingly early elimination from the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
    I have read a wide range of reactions to this teams’ failure over the past few days, including today to Nigeria, and clearly there are plenty of angry and frustrated Canadian soccer fans out there who expected so much more from this team. Although I am a passionate Canadian soccer supporter, my primary emotion is neither anger nor frustration but, rather, I’m feeling a slight glimmer of hope, which is especially odd considering how hopeless many people feel the Canadian Soccer reality is at present.
    Don’t get me wrong. This is definitely not the best time to be a Canadian footy fan. Our men’s program is far from running on all cylinders and we just suffered through an underwhelming and short-lived Gold Cup campaign last month. Our WNT program, which was supposed to be the bright light for the CSA and the squad most likely to provide some much needed joy for success starved Canadian fans, has proven to be sorely lacking in quality as well.
    However, having said that, I see potential for a silver lining, especially if the WNT’s early knockout from the World Cup serves as the tipping point needed to immediately get to work at charting a better path for Canadian Soccer. Both our men’s and women’s programs have stagnated, despite the fact the CSA has committed to funding these programs better than they have ever before. As such, we must take a hard look at the root cause for our shortcomings and start doing something about fixing the problems that plague our sport.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The painful truth is staring at us squarely in the face. We simply cannot compete with the rest of the world when our soccer system is geared almost entirely toward promoting amateurism and recreation while virtually everyone else in the football world is focused on professionalism and success at the elite level of the game. The status quo is not working for Canada and it never will. The relentless drive to boost registration numbers ever higher with little or no focus on “professionalizing” our game is not making us a more successful soccer nation. Those impressive recreational soccer participation rates are not translating into the development of the quantity or quality of player we need to compete internationally. What has evolved over time is a very elaborate and generally profitable babysitting service that is not designed to develop better players (or coaches) and it does nothing to help us develop any sort of legitimate soccer culture here in Canada.
    The question is this: Are those in charge of the CSA, the various Provincial Associations, the local District Associations and, most importantly, the huge network of community clubs that are the foundation of our sport in Canada, willing or able to face these facts and start thinking outside the box about the type of reform that is needed? Will the people in positions of authority look at what happened at the Women’s World Cup and chalk it up to poor coaching or bad luck - because it is easier to take those positions - or are they prepared to take a cold, hard look at reality and commit to rolling up their sleeves and getting down to the hard work that is needed? We’re not talking about needing to simply make structural changes, although they are badly needed. We also need to change deeply entrenched attitudes among people at every level of the sport that value participation and providing access to soccer FAR MORE than they care about developing the game at the elite/professional level.

    One may ask why the WNT’s failure would be more of a tipping point than the men’s persistent lack of success. As I see it, the relative success of our women’s teams over the past 10 years or so has reinforced in the minds of many involved throughout Canadian soccer that we can indeed be successful on the world stage with an almost entirely amateur soccer system as the foundation for our sport. It gave many an unfounded confidence that “we can do it our own way”. However, after the shellacking our women suffered in the World Cup, those people who were previously confident and/or satisfied MUST be starting to question this line of thinking, or at least one would hope they are. The reality is that our success in women’s soccer up until now had little to do with the quality of our player development but, rather, had far more to do with the fact that relatively few footballing nations paid serious attention to the women’s game until very recently. Furthermore, our current ranking of #6 in the world going into the World Cup appears to have been the result of playing a large quantity of matches over the past 12 months, where we feasted on weaker nations while accumulating a much more modest record of 3 wins, 4 losses and 2 ties versus top 10 sides (including the losses to Germany and France last week).
    This time, those people who might be inclined to defend the status quo cannot reflexively claim that the WNT’s poor showing came as a result of a lack of preparation or a general lack of resources. The WNT was led by one of the top managers in women’s soccer, Carolina Morace, who has worked to revamp almost every aspect of the WNT program over the 27 months that she has been at the helm. The team’s budget was the healthiest it has ever been, apparently ranking among the top 7 or 8 nations in the world, and it allowed the team a 4 month residency in Rome as well as an unprecedented schedule of friendly and tournament matches over the past 12 months. It also gave Morace the freedom to employ a large and highly experienced staff of hand-picked assistants to help prepare her squad. As a result, many “experts” picked Canada to be a team to be reckoned with in Germany.
    However, when they got to the biggest stage, they found themselves up against opponents who were technically superior, tactically more disciplined, mentally tougher and physically on par with the Canadian side. Those qualities are not developed over a short period of time. The women representing both Germany and France (as well as most of the other top national teams on the women’s side of the ledger) are developed from childhood within a largely professional system, by professional coaches/trainers and, as they graduate up the ladder, they have the opportunity to continue playing the sport at a (somewhat) professional level at home or abroad. In those key areas, our women can only look enviously at what their competition have going for them. The situation is just as dire for our men, if not more so.
    There are as many ideas for fixing the system as there are people espousing solutions. In Ontario, the OSA has formed a Technical Advisory Council, made up of several experienced soccer people from across the province. This Council will be expected to make a number of recommendations for moving the sport in a better direction in Canada’s soccer heartland and hopefully the OSA’s Board of Directors will adopt most or all of their proposals. The time has come to show some faith in the experts. The BCSA created its own taskforce and from that they have announced the creation of a High Performance League that will hopefully improve the quality of player development in that province. Quebec has their Sport Étude program, which has alot going for it as well.

    In my view, any system is capable of accomplishing the goal of improving the generally poor state of player development as long as that system is focused on surrounding athletes with qualified, experienced and professional coaches/trainers as young as possible. We can’t expect legions of well meaning volunteer moms and dads, many/most of whom have a very weak foundation in the sport, to be the trainers of our future generations of footballers, especially during their formative years. It is not fair to the kids, nor is it fair to the volunteers either. Many people in the “system” will say we don’t have enough good quality technical people and that might be true. If so, we need to get serious about bringing qualified people into Canada, especially in the near term. Developing our own coaches and soccer specific sports science people is critically important, as is encouraging ex-high level players to take up coaching, but that process takes time. We can’t afford to lose more time. I can assure you that there is no shortage of people with a strong football background (either as a player or trainer) who would jump at the chance to work in Canada in the soccer business. I know that I get emails, faxes and letters every week from all over the world from highly qualified people who seek employment with our small club. I’m sure big community clubs are overrun with job enquiries from outside Canada.
    This is not to say that there is absolutely no use for the volunteers. They are a very important part of Canadian soccer and that won’t change anytime soon, nor should it. What I’m proposing is that the highest level of competition, regardless of age group, needs to be overseen primarily by experienced professionals. In Ontario, it is estimated that there are over 2000 “rep” teams dotting the province from the ages of 11-18 (according to the TERRA Power Rankings). That is part of the problem. Get that number of truly “representative” teams down to a more manageable number (for arguments sake, let’s say 300-400 for all of Ontario) and establish rigorous standards for what it takes to play at that top level to ensure quality. This is a more logical approach and yet it still provides plenty of opportunities for players lacking the quality or unwilling to make the commitment necessary to continue playing soccer at an appropriate and enjoyable level that approximates the current level of play.
    In addition to investing in professional coaching, it is also critical that we make significant investments in the development of better competitive pathways for our top home grown players. In the vast majority of cases, our community clubs see their responsibility to players ending when they reach 18 years of age and then those players are cast out to figure out the next step of their progression for themselves (assuming they don’t quit the sport altogether due to the lack of opportunities). Most community clubs do not offer permanent, fully funded senior soccer programs for men and women. This runs completely counter to almost every serious soccer nation in the world, where the senior expression of the sport is the #1 priority for a “community” club and every other activity the club partakes in are designed to provide the necessary resources (human and financial) to help the first team succeed. If we do not adopt this sort of structure here in Canada and promote the importance of competitive senior soccer as part of any long term player development philosophy, we’ll never make real progress.
    The financial resources needed to prioritize high level senior soccer already exist, so long as the people who control those resources are willing to invest those resources accordingly. We cannot continue to rely on foreign clubs to provide high quality senior level competition for our players. The US College route is not cutting the mustard either. Even MLS, who benefits most from the college soccer system, agrees with assessment. We must stop being so passive and start doing most of the heavy lifting ourselves. This is especially true now that the rules governing a club’s ability to sign foreign players below the age of 18 are getting far more stringent, as FIFA seeks to stamp out abuses. You are unlikely to see situations where kids like Jonathan De Guzman leave Canada at 12 years old to sign for a club in Europe unless his entire family is prepared to immigrate permanently to that country. You are also less likely to see kids who are 15 or 16 years of age signing with a foreign club and getting to play in their youth ranks. They might be able to train with foreign clubs prior to the age of 18 but actually signing to play for those clubs can’t happen until they have reached their 18th birthday.
    Our governing bodies need to come to grips with this reality. As it stands now, Canada is simply incapable of developing world class footballers in any sort of systematic fashion. We might get lucky now and then but we can’t be content with relying on good fortune. We have to make our own luck. We must become far more professional in the way we approach player development and we must have experienced soccer people in positions of authority throughout the sport. It really is not that complicated. The examples are out there to be referred to.
    It’s time for Canadian Soccer to cease being viewed as a bit of a joke, which is precisely how those in the soccer world, who bother to notice us at all, perceive us. Being the largest participation sport in the country cannot continue to soccer’s primary calling card anymore. It’s time to start making the changes and investments needed that will bring the results (both short and long term) that so many of us crave. We need to see real progress or else a sense of hopelessness truly will prevail. Here’s hoping I am not the only person who feels this way.
    _______
    Dino Rossi is the president and co-owner of Milltown FC, a senior club based in Milton, Ontario and a passionate supporter of Canadian Soccer
    Guest

    Playing for pride and other bunk

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Sometimes we forget that people -- living, breathing, thinking and feeling people -- play this game. We see the bigger than life images on our TV screens and forget that the ones chasing the ball pay mortgages, worry about their kids and miss their grandmother's peanut butter cookies.
    We view the players more like characters on our Playstation 3 -- they have fixed attributes that never change and they always show up to play, even when they are less than a week removed from the most devastating loss of their career.
    And so it is today, with the Canadian women's team set to take on Nigeria. The Africans are also 0-2 in the tournament, but have likely played better than the Canucks. Going into the tournament, the Nigeria game was always pointed to as the "obvious win." It fit nicely with the pre-tournament narrative of "beat France and we're set."
    Of course beating France proved to be a tougher ask than most here thought. In hindsight it seemed like a ridiculous ask, actually. As such, that narrative has changed.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Now, it's about playing for pride -- a cliché as tired as the one about "Canadian spirit" somehow being superior to those other lazy, carefree countries we play.
    Asking them to truly care about wining today is a bit much. Actually, we should want the players to be a little irritated by playing today. If they win, they should act like they've done it before, keep their head down and thank their fans for their support.
    And if they lose? Well, whatever. As stated, they are human and they are affected by the way they lost. Going a step further, it's a problem if they can recover and play to the best of their abilities today. That would indicate to me that they are a little too comfortable with losing.
    What they need to focus on today is playing with respect -- respect for the game, their teammates, fans and for the money that was spent on preparing them.
    But, pride? There is nothing for an elite athlete to be proud about when they fail as badly as the Canadian women did in this tournament. Your average Canadian will be put off by that attitude, but the average Canadian is accepting of mediocrity.
    Maybe it's time Canadians found that equally as troublesome.
    Guest

    Tuesday`s WWC links

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Tuesday's links below the jump:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]The U.S. isn’t content with the quarters, they want more!
    All is not perfect in the German camp
    …and everyone is talking about it.

    If you can’t play for trophies you might as well play for pride
    …something that Bob Lenarduzzi likely understands
    Karina LeBlanc – Could today be her last World Cup start (if she starts)
    Someone in England thinks an English team at a World Cup can show more than they have so far. SHOCKING!
    Yeah...I should hope so.
    Guest
    Costa Rica, who along with Mexico represent the two Concacaf nations present in the current edition of the Copa America, lost rather expectedly to Colombia on Saturday afternoon. What certainly wasn't expected was the margin of defeat, a mere one goal to nil.
    I didn't watch the match, but was curious as to the outcome considering that the Ticos belong to a group of countries - that since the Gold Cup has unfortunately grown to include Honduras, Panama, Jamaica, El Salvador and Guatemala - Canada must battle fiercely for the 1.5 World Cup qualifying spots available to Concacaf countries beyond Mexico and the U.S.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Losing to the Colombian A-Team by only one goal is a great result for the Ticos, considering they played most of the match with 10 men following a straight red to Randall Brenes in the 28th minute. I'd add that it's an even greater result when you consider that they sent what is essentially an U22 squad to the tournament. (Coincidentally, Brenes is the one player over 24 on the team.)
    Yes, opening-night jitters often bring about unexpected results in the first few matches of any international tournament, but to lose by only one goal to a mid-level South American side featuring players like maybe-Chelsea transfer target Radamel Falcao would be an acceptable result for any Concacaf country outside the Big Two, nevermind one of their youth teams.
    Moments after viewing this scoreline I began having nighmarish visions of the massacre to which a Canadian U22 squad would have been subject to had it been the one lining up against Colombia. But that's not really the point is it? I'm sure Costa Rican and Mexican officials weren't expecting their kids to bring home the Copa. It's about the experience. The experience of playing important games against big opponents in hostile stadiums. The experience that allows these youngsters to grow together as a team and that might just make the difference in a crucial World Cup qualifier years down the road.
    Unsurprisingly, I have no idea what's involved in getting an invite to the Copa America. Canada is not a prestige program, but neither is Costa Rica. I'm not saying that Will Johnson, Simeon Jackson, Tosaint Ricketts and whoever else would have shown the "understanding" that was obviously lacking between players in the senior squad during the Gold Cup had they been sent to their footballing deaths at the sword of Argentina or Brazil four years ago in the Copa America, but certainly more important games to grow together may have helped.
    The CSA stepped up to the task of organizing more senior team matches in 2010, but Canada still plays less than other countries in the region. The senior men played six friendlies in 2010; Honduras played 13. After the past month everyone is asking questions on the player development front. It seems more, higher-stakes games at all age levels would be a healthy target.
    Guest
    Canadian Soccer News has learned that Montreal Impact captain Nevio Pizzolitto has been suspended indefinitely by the Canadian Soccer Association pending his attendance at another CSA discplinary hearing.
    Pizzolitto did not attend his original hearing before the CSA discplinary committee, scheduled for Monday of last week, and according to the CSA did not send a representative - legal counsel or otherwise - in his place to answer to accusations lodged by a fan over an alleged spitting incident.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Pizzolitto had previously requested an adjournment to this hearing but the CSA had denied his request in writing.
    The CSA has now informed the Montreal Impact and Pizzolitto that he is suspended until he requests, in writing, another formal hearing, submits a $1,000 fine to the CSA and attends the, as yet, unscheduled hearing.
    Canadian Soccer News will continue to update this story as it develops.
    Guest
    Tonight, we're joined by the Province's Marc Weber to take a look at the Whitecaps first half of 2011, if the addition of Tom Soehn as a head coach has done hurt or harm for the club and who might be hitting the road and who might be coming in for Vancouver when the transfer window opens.
    We'll also breakdown the NCC final and Toronto's third Voyageurs Cup win in three years, look ahead to the CONCACAF Champions League and if Canada's last World Cup game really means anything.
    The archived show is now up
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/24242/july42011final.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>
    Guest

    Monday's WWC links

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Sorry for the delay, but here are today's WWC links (as always, below the jump):
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Beau Dure looks at how things have gone through two games
    Where are the stars?

    Maybe he should ask Anjali Nayar

    The English need to get physical
    Nigeria and Canada seem to have more in common than 0-2 Group A records

    Brazil for real says, um, Brazil
    The amount of attention "the non-call” is getting is staggering (and, likely, annoying to long-time women`s fans), but it’s fun question to ask this...

    Is the U.S.’s 2-0 record misleading?
    Kelly Smith wants more (video)
    More criticism of the Canadian team’s prep, but from a very unexpected source.
    Guest
    Author's note: When Stephen Hart became technical director of the Canadian Soccer Association in 2008, he received the following e-mail from Rafael Carbajal. "Rafa," as we all call him, is a native of Uruguay, with extensive coaching experience in both Canada and Italy and holds his UEFA A and USSF A certification. He is currently head coach of Milltown FC.
    Though there is likely no single vision that can cure the massive player-development problems Canadian soccer faces, this document certainly raises some interesting ideas -- particularly in the area of elite youth soccer leagues, and what form they should take.
    Any and all comments always welcome. Let's debate!
    ---
    Dear Steve:
    Now that you are The Man in charge, I thought who better than you to pass along something that I’ve been thinking about ever since I came back from Italy.
    How can we build a professional soccer system in Canada without incurring huge expenses at the beginning?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    This is a question that has been going around my head for many years and my five years coaching experience in Italy has helped me answer a huge part of this question. I’d always wondered about the reasons why the sport doesn’t move forward to a professional level in Canada, other than the obvious distances between our cities and the huge traveling expenses for the clubs?
    I realize that there are too many people who have no idea about what professional soccer is, giving their opinions, putting their two cents in, and what is worse, running clubs in our country.
    These people should realize that once you ruin the learning years for a child player with average potential to become a pro player, the damage is done forever.
    If you do that in other professions you will probably be sued for everything you’ve got, because you were directly responsible for that child’s education at that particular time. Here grassroots coaching has been taken lightly for too long, I appreciate the coaches dads and moms who believe that they have to coach their own children because nobody else is going to take care of them better than they will, but they don’t realize that if they don’t have the knowledge and the experience necessary, they really are doing more harm than good to those kids.
    I understand that without volunteers it would be very difficult to run grassroots soccer in Canada, so I’m not saying that they should not exist. All I’m saying is that they should not be involved in coaching at all unless they have the proper coaching certification and experience according to the level they’re coaching.
    I believe we have already in place what we need to start a professional system in Canada. We have the competitive youth clubs with tremendous revenues and we have senior regional leagues (semi-pro and amateur) all over the country.
    1. I would go about it by giving youth clubs with 500 or more registered rep players and senior clubs, existing for at least a decade, with proven track record on finances and good disciplinary record in their competitions, a time window of two to three years to fill up a Men's or Women's team with at least 70% of their rosters to be home homegrown for the youth clubs. For the senior clubs, it should be a mandate to fill up five different age groups of competitive players (from U-12 to U-16), which could be achieved by joining forces with an existing youth organization or by simply recruiting the players from open tryouts.
    2. Each province should organize men's and women's leagues with these clubs, including a promotion and relegation system. That by itself will create a pro atmosphere within the soccer communities in each province, and kids will go to support their clubs’ first teams at the games. Such a system will give new organizations the opportunity to climb their way to the first division. There should be three divisions, A, B and C. From ages U-11 and under soccer should not be competitive and from U-16 and up, the players should be ready to play in a senior team, which could be the club’s reserve team.
    3. This system will make things easy to select the best players for our national programs. Of course that will kill the so-called "provincial programs," because the clubs will be the ones doing the work, and it will be in their best interest to come up with talent that will mean revenue for the club and brighter future for the player.
    4. We should also find a way to sponsor talented players with no possibilities of paying their way into a club, academy or provincial team, and give them the opportunity to develop further their natural talent.
    How can we do this? I have a few ideas and I also explain why I think the current system doesn’t work.
    Scholarships:
    Scholarships for the best or most talented players in each of our youth clubs can always be arranged by the same club if they believe it would be beneficial for the club in the long run.
    Transfer Fees:
    In association football, a transfer is the action taken whenever a player moves between clubs. It refers to the transferring of a player’s registration from one club to another. In general the players can only be transferred during a transfer window and according to the rules set by a governing body. When a soccer player is under contract with a club, he can only leave if the club agrees to terminate this contract. As a way of compensation, the club to whom the player is transferring will usually pay a capital sum. This is known as the 'transfer fee'. As part of the transfer deal, a proportion of the fee may go to the player himself and any agents involved in the deal. Again, the exact percentage is subject to the regulations of the relevant governing body.
    1. We don't have in Canada a system that will compensate monetarily clubs that invest money and time developing elite players. In order to do that you need pro coaches with experience and knowledge on how to develop an elite player, and that costs a lot of money.
    2. The players have nowhere to go after they reach age 18, this is simply because clubs are not interested or they don't know how to go any further in their development, why?
    A) They don't know how to develop a professional player.
    They can't recognize an elite player at an early age, they don’t know what to look for.
    C) They don't have qualified experienced coaches to do the job.
    D) They don’t have the revenue to hire a qualified coach, etc.
    3. Youth soccer clubs have no ownership on players' "cards," meaning they can't get revenue for the transfer of one of their players and that is the professional procedure all over the world. They don’t even get compensated for developing a player who could be transferred to a pro club in Europe or any other continent, e.g. the De Guzman brothers’ club North Scarborough. FIFA stipulates that a player who has been developed for a determined number of years, should be compensated for their work, very clearly explained on this website.
    I don't know much about the game politics at the CSA level, but I know one thing, what I just exposed above is what every football nation in the world does to create revenue and professional players. It's not rocket science, it's just the way football or soccer is developed all over the world. I think there is too many people in Canada that don't want this to ever happen, because that will leave them out from running their little kingdoms. Most of these people never played the game at a pro or semi-pro level and by keeping things the way they are, they still have a chance to keep feeling important and "respected."
    Only qualified people should be running the business of soccer, and these people should be experienced and with a proven track record of success in whatever role they take on.
    I hope that I didn’t take too much of your time expressing my thoughts.
    I wish you all the best my friend.
    Rafael Carbajal
    Also in this series:
    - Canadian coaching: a new CSN investigation
    - Some preliminaries
    Guest
    These are the images and emotions from Toronto FC's 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in the final leg of the Nutrilite Voyageurs Cup. All photos are courtesy of Chris Hazard at Hazard Gallery.
    He is shooting for Canadian Soccer News this year - at least until one of the major daily newspapers gets wise and takes notice of one of the best soccer photographers in Canada.
    You can purchase these and other photos here.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    The prize.

    Captain Canada: long time Voyageur Jamie McLeod with the cup presentation

    Celebrating with the supporters

    I know a couple supporters who are wishing today they hadn't tossed Bob DeKlerk their scarves in the joy of the moment

    Anticipation and joy
    Guest
    These are the images and emotions from Toronto FC's 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in the final leg of the Nutrilite Voyageurs Cup. All photos are courtesy of Chris Hazard at Hazard Gallery.
    He is shooting for Canadian Soccer News this year - at least until one of the major daily newspapers gets wise and takes notice of one of the best soccer photographers in Canada.
    You can purchase these and other photos here.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    First lesson to learn when you want to dive: A human's hands don't flail upwards when they're falling.

    Hassli hearing it from the ref. Inconsistent reffing was the subplot to the day.

    A penalty given and perhaps a handball.

    Not giving Martina an inch

    It was a clutch and grab kind of day.
    Guest
    These are the images and emotions from Toronto FC's 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in the final leg of the Nutrilite Voyageurs Cup. All photos are courtesy of Chris Hazard at Hazard Gallery.
    He is shooting for Canadian Soccer News this year - at least until one of the major daily newspapers gets wise and takes notice of one of the best soccer photographers in Canada.
    You can purchase these and other photos here.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    Who is taller? The kid, the cup or Plata?

    Celebrating one of the nicest free kicks I've ever seen on Canadian soil

    So close but so far.

    The next contestant on Ecuador's 'So you think you can dance?'

    Celebrating with a slide
    Guest
    Football, like life, is rarely perfect.
    A speeding ticket on the way to the game, the defender blows his coverage, the referee missed the call, you lost the girl and the other bastards win the game. It’s mostly tragedy with a dash of horror, tears, and, above all else, heartbreak.
    Yet, it keeps you coming back because deep down you realize that sometimes the imperfection is what makes it perfect. The pain of the imperfection allows you to see joy in the sublime.
    You catch every green light, a beautiful cross, the ref missed the call for the other guys, maybe she does like you and the good guys get the job done.
    It’s not perfect, but it feels damn close to it.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The 2011 season is already long. If there ever was any hope for TFC fans it’s mostly gone. Even the Voyageurs Cup seemed an ask too much, with Vancouver bossing the Reds around whenever the two teams met.
    And when the ref missed the call and the other bastards came damn close to perfection on the free kick it seemed like it was going to be another day for fans to slam their head’s against the (hopefully) figurative wall. From the Whitecaps goal until the 24th Minute BMO Field was as quiet as it has ever been. There were no boos and no emotion, only defeated silence.
    But then came the unexpected.
    Whipping boy Julian de Guzman slammed it off the crossbar, TFC scored except it didn’t and The Reds looked like The Oranje for the first time in Aron Winter’s time.
    The crowd shifted. Hope, rarely seen at BMO over the last 2.5 years, started to seep into the halftime discussions. The energy TFC fans were once known for was back. Yes, it was only the Whitecaps and yes it was just a little four team tournament, but none of that mattered. The pitch and the 11 were all that did.
    The goal was going to come. It was understood. And when it did, a second was surely to follow.
    It’s been a frustrating four and a bit years for the Reds’ fans, but for the last 20 minutes yesterday no one in that stadium cared about Mo Johnston, ticket prices or overpaid Spanish DPs. The voices were full, the cynics silenced.
    No, it wasn’t a perfect performance. But, it was a perfect afternoon.
    And sometimes in football, like life, that’s all that matters.
×
×
  • Create New...