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    Your daily gold: day 5

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Each competition day during the Gold Cup I will be providing a round-up of all that is noteworthy and interesting in our wacky little confederation championship.
    Below the jump, day 5
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The Results:
    El Salvador 1-1 Costa Rica
    Mexico 5-0 Cuba
    I’ll have much more to say about Cuba later this morning.
    The El Salvador Cuba game was everything that is good and bad about Central American football – Lots of flare and joy in the play and lots of flopping and time wasting. The latter in extra time causing El Salvador to cough up two points with an injury time equalizer.
    The point for El Salvador does make things interesting in the fight for the best third place finishers. With Cuba next up for El Salvador you would imagine they will finish with four points. They still are a -5 though so they will need to hope that one third place team gets less than one result.

    Performance of the day
    Rodolfo Antonio (El Salvador)—His first half free kick is the goal of the tournament so far.
    Thanks for the condescending attention! (Mainstream media article of the day)
    Mexico’s bad chicken dominated the news today
    But, I do like this Tampa article that, once again, explains what the Gold Cup is. Maybe it’s time to re-name the damn thing. How about the North American Championships (and, yes, I know the Caribbean and Central America are in this, but, well, my geography classes told me that the Caribbean and Central America re part of North America).
    What about the Canucks? (Canadian news of the day)
    Although he didn’t have the best game against the USA, it’s still good to remember how good of a story Terry Dunfield is.
    What’s on tap for today?

    Jamaica v Guatemala (7 p.m.)
    Honduras v Grenada (9 p.m.)
    Jamaica can grab a hold of the group by the throat with a win over surprising Guatemala. Honduras will get its three against hapless Grenada, so if the Reggae Boyz get the win they will only needs a draw in the final game against Honduras to take the group.
    Guest

    Commitment from the clubs

    By Guest, in It's Called Football,

    I wanted to wait a while before I wrote a post-mortem on the Canada v Ecuador game. In the weeks leading up to that game, Canadian Soccer News poured a lot of emotion and energy into raising awareness about the importance of Support Local Football and I didn't want any of that to cloud my final words on it.
    In the aftermath, a number of people asked me if I thought the game was a success. My answer was: in part, yes. It was the largest, organized support I've seen on display for a national team game. CSN played a small role in making that happen but mostly it was the local supporter groups and Voyageurs who got organized early and spread the word often, that made the south end what it was on that night.
    And while the support was tremendous (a half hearted, half hungover rendition at an afternoon club game just can't compare to the collective hearts singing O'Canada for their national team) because the stadium was still 3/4 full with an opposing crowd, it would be hard to justify hanging some Mission Accomplished banner.
    So, who is to blame for the shortcomings?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    In the days after, many were quick to level criticisms against the soccer fans of Toronto. Sportnet's Gerry Dobson most notably wrote:
    While the observation is valid, Toronto FC gets 20,000 fans out to most games and I'd say only around 5,000 Canadians were there in attendance that night, the larger point is missed. The fans that were there that night were the club supporters. They were the ones who organized the section, who got out and sold tickets on their own to their friends, they're the ones that shouted it from the rooftops that Canada was playing.
    They're also the same ones who shout it from the rooftops each week when their clubs are playing. They're not to blame and Dobson didn't.
    But what of the rest then? The soccer moms and dads who make up the masses who attend club games - where were they? At their own games? On a school night?
    Blissfully unaware would be my guess. A week before the game, a source at the CSA told me that collectively the youth clubs in Ontario had sold 150 tickets.
    150 freaking tickets! I nearly chucked my phone at the wall.
    I knew individuals who had sold twice that simply by getting their friends involved. How could those, that have mailing lists of thousands to draw on, not be able to move more tickets than that?
    After talking to people around the community and expressing my incredulity at their lack of interest, the message became clear: The reason they weren't selling tickets is because they weren't motivated. They weren't motivated either because of politics with the provincial body, the national body or simply because they saw no clear benefit to supporting the national team.
    To that, I have no answer. Politics are always going to be politics and if you can't see a connection between the kid you're teaching to play the game at your local club and the grown up kid that now plays for your national team, than nothing I'm ever going to say will sway you on that.
    But what also became clear from those conversations was that no amount of supporter organizing is ever going to fill a stadium. Maybe someday. But not today.
    Today, and more importantly this Fall when World Cup qualifying begins, if Canada is ever going to ensure home crowds for home teams, than they somehow have to get the local clubs involved. They are the gatekeepers to a generation of fans yet to find the game and the purse string holders to a community of families that could be filling those seats with Red instead of the yellow we saw last week.

    So, today I'm issuing a challenge to the biggest soccer club in North America to step up and be a leader in supporting the Canadian National team.
    Oakville Soccer Club: an organization like yours could fill half BMO Field on its own with your membership. There are a number of other clubs like you around the country but today I'm singling OSC out because you are a leader in this community - other clubs look to you for guidance and direction - and your technical director and former national team player, Jason DeVos, happens to be, perhaps, the biggest supporter of the national team in Canada. Case and point
    I'm aware some of your members did attend last week but today what I'm asking of you to commit to is threefold:
    1) Anytime the national team plays in your region, commit to not scheduling any games that day. Give your membership the opportunity to attend the game. You clearly have a commitment to developing the young talent in Canada, we're asking you to commit equally to supporting the fruits of that labor - our national team.
    2) Anytime the national team plays a World Cup qualifying game in the region, commit to selling tickets to at least 15% of your membership. That's a big ask. I know. But tickets were going for as little as $20 at the Canada v Ecuador game. It would be far from a financial burden on your members. However, if you need extra motivation getting your teams involved, then perhaps it's time for the CSA, Umbro and Nutrilite to look at setting up a rewards program wherein teams that sell the most tickets receive things like free gear or celebrity training sessions.
    3) Lastly, having done that, come on It's Called Football (10,000 subscribers) or agree to be interviewed by Canadian Soccer News or Metro News (both with huge reach) and let us sing your praises. You can be a leader in this community - beyond what you already are - by making a commitment such as this. The move will surely ripple through the region and across Canada but it will also send a message to the national team that the club community is behind them.
    The grassroots supporters movement is well underway. That became evident last week. It's now time for the clubs to climb on board.
    Guest
    (With files from Alyssa Ally)
    Location, location, location – like in real estate, where Canadian women’s coach Carolina Morace wants to live for the next few years was the most important factor in finding a resolution to the issues that almost caused her to leave the program.
    Morace feels that it’s in the best interest of the women’s program to base its camp in Europe -- while significantly reducing the amount of time it spends in Canada -- as it prepares for the Olympics next year. I’ve been told that the CSA has assured her that can happen and it was the biggest determining factor in her decision to back off her threats to leave.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Morace will look for a similar commitment following London. If the CSA agrees, then it’s more than likely that she will be with the program through 2015 when Canada hosts the World Cup.
    The players are ecstatic by the news that Morace will be staying.
    “We are, of course, so grateful for everything she has done for our program,” Stephanie Labbé said. “She has completely turned it around, and brought a whole new meaning to Canadian women's soccer. Knowing that we will have her around until post Olympics is such a great feeling, and I know we will continue on our successful path with her leading the way.”
    Emily Zurrer concurred.
    “This news is exciting not only for our team, but for the future of women's soccer in Canada,” she said “Carolina is a world class coach and has helped our team reach an increasingly higher potential by adding knowledge, tools and tactics to our game that we had never tapped into before.”
    Zurrer said that the women are far better prepared under Morace then they were under previous management.
    “ She has completely changed the way we view and play the game, making us faster, stronger and smarter on the pitch. The future of female soccer in Canada is extremely bright, and we are proud and excited to have her as our leader until at least 2012.”
    For its part the CSA does maintain some leverage. There are legitimate concerns within the organization about some aspects of Morace’s contract that they feel she has not lived up to. However, her massive popularity with the players and fans make it difficult to criticise her.
    By agreeing to revisit things in 2012, the organization puts the onus on her to perform to the level that she has said the team is capable of. If the team fails to make an impression in either the Olympics or the World Cup then the CSA would have a stronger negotiating stance in 2012.
    And if she does meet those expectations?
    Then, everyone is happy.
    Guest

    Mexico victim of bad chicken

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Five Mexican players have been booted out of the Gold Cup for testing positive for Clenbuterol.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Clenbuterol is a drug that eases the symptoms of chronic breathing disorders. Oh, and it can also drop body fat quickly. Obviously the Mexican players weren't interested in it for that totally random side effect though.
    As is typical in these cases the players and team are claiming that this drug was ingested by accident -- in this particular case it was due to the consumption of "bad chicken."
    Bad. Chicken.
    The players that ate the bad chicken? Francisco Javier Rodriguez, Antonio "Sinha" Naelson, Christian Bermudez, Edgar Duenas, and Ochoa.
    All are facing a one year suspension and have seen their last action of this Gold Cup. The Mexicans can bring up the three taxi squad members to replace them, but will finish the tournament with 21 players rather than 23.
    Guest
    Long-time readers of my work will know that I have a certain, um, history with a certain Ohio-based blogger. However, I’m not so petty to not recognize the work this blogger has done over the years in exposing FIFA and CONCACAF corruption. Actually, as I’ve written before, it’s that work that makes his otherwise typical ad hominem style so damn infuriating.
    But enough about that. I’m evoking Voldemort’s name today to offer some support for a worthwhile endeavour he, along with Bruce McGuire of Du Nord, are promoting.
    The background:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    As many know CONCACAF and FIFA are in the middle of a corruption scandal. At the heart of that scandal was a special meeting of the Caribbean members of CONCACAF where $40,000 bags of cash were handed out to each of the delegates on behalf of Jack Warner and Mohamed bin Hammam. I’d add allegedly to that sentence except the representative for Bahamas took a photograph of said bag of money before returning it. That photo was sent to Chuck Blazer, who used it to start the mess that we are currently in.
    Since that time a special investigation has been launched, lead by an American investigator. The Caribbean members are mostly refusing to cooperate with this investigation, evoking anti-American attitudes to bring people onto their side.
    As you can imagine there is a lot of pressure being out on Caribbean members that are looking to do the right thing by telling the truth. So, my friend in Ohio is suggesting that people send words of encouragement to those federations to make sure they stay onside.
    The best knowledge is that, in addition to Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Turks & Caicos and Surinam are resisting the pressure.
    If you agree that it’s important to hold the bribers responsible for this then send a quick note to the following encouraging them and gently reminding them of the importance of this.
    The addresses:
    Bahamas - info@bahamasfa.com
    Cayman Islands - cifa@candw.ky
    Bermuda - David Sabir - General Secretary -dsabir@bermudafootball.com
    Turks & Caicos - Christopher Bryan – president - chris@projetech.tc
    Surinam - svb@sr.net
    Puerto Rico - info@fedefutbolpr.com
    Guest
    Each competition day during the Gold Cup I will be providing a round-up of all that is noteworthy and interesting in our wacky little confederation championship.
    Below the jump, day 3 (and rest day 4)
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The Results:
    Panama 3-2 Guadeloupe
    USA 2-0 Canada
    By now the Canada – USA result has been beaten to death.
    Panama went up 2-0 and looked to be cruising when the Islanders went down to 10 men. Either Guadeloupe is way better than we thought and woke up in the second half, or Panama isn’t all that good.
    Time will tell.
    With the results every team has played. So far groups B and C have the best third place finishers with Guatemala/Honduras and Guadeloupe currently filling those spots.
    Performance of the day
    Clint Dempsey – It’s been a while since Dempsey looked as dangerous as he did against Canada. I hope it wasn’t because of the opponent.
    Thanks for the condescending attention! (Mainstream media article of the day)
    I can’t believe Yahoo pays for this stuff.
    What about the Canucks? (Canadian news of the day)
    For all that can be said about Gerry Dobson there is little doubt that the man has watched more Canada games live than pretty much anyone else on earth.
    So, when he asks WTF, take note
    What’s on tap for today?
    Costa Rica v El Salvador (7 p.m. EDT)
    Mexico v Cuba (9 p.m. EDT)
    If El Salvador doesn’t get a win you are likely looking at the first name team eliminated from the tournament. Having a -5 hung on you in the first game will do that. However, if they do pull off the win then group A starts to look more likely to grab the best third place slot – El Salvador would need only to beat Cuba and have Mexico beat Costa Rica to grab second and the Ticos are on a + 5 right now.
    Cuba is screwed.
    Guest
    The Canadian Soccer Association and Carolina Morace have reached a compromise solution that will see the popular coach stay with the team at least until the end of the London Olympics.
    Details of what, if any, changes were made to Morace's contract or level of control of the team were not released.
    Earlier this year Morace told the CSA that she would be leaving after the end of this month's World Cup. Today's news appears to suggest that the two sides have found a mutually agreeable solution that will allow them another year to continue talks.
    It's likely a fair solution for both parties. Since the Olympics are almost as important as the World Cup to the women, it provides the player's with some stability as they prepare to finish the current quadrennial cycle. The one year extension also gives the CSA some leverage if Morace fails to live up to the expectations that she has set for herself and the team.
    More as it develops...
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    TFC correct to hold line on Aleman

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    There has been a lot of talk about Keven Aleman this year. The u17 prospect was a star at the CONCACAF qualifying tournament, but was later released by Toronto FC because he refused to sign a letter of intent to commit for two years in the academy.
    The Reds were criticised for that decision by many. How could they let a young, local talent like that walk, it was asked.
    Today, Paul Mariner shot back at that criticism while talking to John Molinaro of CBC.ca
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    He went on:
    You can read the whole thing here. Mariner is absolutely right. Aleman is a great prospect, but that’s all he is right now. For four years, TFC has been a revolving door of an organization with weak and occasional random leadership at the top. If the club is to ever turn the corner it needs to fix that. It needs to not be a pushover to every talented player that bats his eyes at it.
    The most important change TFC will do this year is in the front office culture. This decision is part of that needed change.
    That’s not to say they should be inflexible with Aleman if he is looking to rejoin the club after the u17 World Cup. He’s a kid. He probably had an agent in his ear. He’s been convinced, likely, that he can make more money, more quickly, in Europe. He might be right.
    If he finds that he’s not then he knows what he needs to do to rejoin TFC – sign a two year commitment. Such a contract would not be out of the ordinary in the rest of the world.
    And it’s not unreasonable here either.
    Guest
    Today, in this Gold Cup post-game edition of It's Called Football, we keep it short as Ben tries to find the voice he left in Detroit but we do address if Stephen Hart's decision to start Lars Hirschfeld was one made out of fear, talk about why the play through the midfield didn't work for Canada and debate what changes need to be made up front before the next game.
    All that and Ben tells a story of a run in with some American Outlaws that almost left him stranded in Detroit.
    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/2540/23734/jun82011final.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
    As soon as Ali Gerba rolled onto the field for Canada against the United States in Detroit last night, I had absolutely no doubt what was about to happen.
    The big, strong striker with the thunderbolt shot in one of the most infuriatingly inconsistent soccer players I have ever seen. He has made fifteen stops in his vagabond career, and has never played more than thirty-two games without being dealt or released.
    Gerba – famously – bombed out with Toronto FC in 2009, scoring on his debut … and never, ever again. He got yet another gig with the Montreal Impact a year ago, and has exploded with eleven goals in just eighteen matches.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    His shot is shattering. His motivation – deeply mysterious.
    But there’s times you can know what’s coming, and last night was one of them.
    Gerba hadn’t been on The Big Stage for a while. He came on as a late substitute, when Canada really needed some goals. In a spot like that, essentially a one-shot with lots of people watching, the king of inconsistency has been known to be uncharacteristically consistent – consistently good.
    Brilliant, even.
    Gerba’s first touch was a running screamer towards the top left corner of the American net. Tim Howard – still a very solid professional goalkeeper, even if his starting-for-Manchester-United days are gone for good – leapt, got there, and turned it past the bar. But it was a blast of a shot, and it took a fine effort to stop it.
    Then came touch two. Big scramble in front of the American goal, with Gerba camped left on the edge of the six-yard box. The ball comes at him – fast. With dazzling speed and skill, he swings a heavy leg on pure reflex, and absolutely murders the ball goalward. Howard gets there. Most goalies wouldn’t have had a chance to move.
    Ali Gerba, who has broken the hearts of managers, fans and teammates all over North America and Europe, did almost absolutely everything anyone could ever do to score two brilliant, crucial goals.
    And where on Earth does that leave us?
    Gerba likes The Big Debut, and this was the opening game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. History achingly repeats that he’s unlikely to be this good and sharp for the rest of the tournament. Always, it seems, he kicks off by telling all his midfielders and strike-mates it is time to get him the ball. Now.
    So they do, and then he doesn’t. Doesn’t score – after a while, doesn’t even shoot.
    It’s a baffling business. This man has an astonishingly hard and heavy shot. I’ve stood behind practice nets and watched him work. On target, the whole damn net shudders. When he misses, seats behind the goal get seriously clobbered.
    So maybe his speed goes. So maybe he gets hurt. So maybe no one knows what’s going on in this uniquely gifted and frustrating man’s head.
    Montreal Impact fans aren’t complaining. This time around, Gerba is a good, good gig for them. Toronto FC fans – still quite stunned, shunned and unforgiving on the subject – had their hearts in their mouths last night on each of Gerba’s brilliant shots.
    This one man has contrasts so deep, they’re very difficult to encompass in words. The question “will the real Ali Gerba stand up?” can’t be answered, and doesn’t actually mean anything.
    For all the setbacks and strange events, Ali Gerba damn near got Canada a draw last night. If Canadian ‘keeper Lars Hirschfeld hadn’t utterly whiffed on the Americans’ first goal, Gerba could have damn well won the thing.
    Don’t let the fact that his shots got stopped blind you to how deliciously top-shelf-good both bombs really were.
    If he could do that all the time, damn would he be something. How raw talent like this can’t stick anywhere for thirty-three games is one of the great Canadian soccer mysteries of our age.
    There is no one like Ali Gerba – and he proved it yet again last night.
    Onward!
    Guest
    Unexpectedly unable to get to Detroit I did the next best thing – I went to the most American place in Canada to watch.
    With neon lights, tacky storefronts, wax statues of Elton John and white trash beautiful ladies by the handful Niagara Falls proved the perfect backdrop for a showdown with the Yanks. Hell, I was outnumbered by them there too – The Falls doubling for a University of Buffalo frat party and all.
    Niagara Falls is a great place to remind Canadians that we aren’t all that different from our American neighbours, actually. It’s a town that’s taken some stunning nature – there is a waterfall there, if you weren’t aware – and squeezed it for every last dime. Trees and water are pretty – strip clubs and casinos more profitable.
    Obviously, I love the place. It’s spectacular.
    What wasn’t all that spectacular was the game and, in particular, the goalkeeping. Canada was tentative, but holding on until Lars let the ball trickle short side and, somehow, through him. It was mighty neighbourly of him to give Jozy Altidore the confidence boost he so desperately needed.
    I wasn’t as charitable:
    “(Full name of son of major deity) Lars. What the (omnibus word that technically refers to sexual intercourse) was that? (Same word as last, spoken forcefully). (pause to have long sip of Gin and 7). (same word again, spoken softy and with a deep, deep sense of sadness).”
    That’s when I met Brad The American.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Brad The American was a 47-year-old freelance construction worker. He was the only other guy in the casino watching the game in the far back corner they agreed to show it in. He didn’t look like a soccer fan. He looked like he might be a big Dallas Cowboys guy, actually.
    Brad The American started to talk to be about the San Jose Earthquakes. So, yeah, appearances can be deceiving. Deep down I understand that American soccer fans and Canadian soccer fans are really the same people living the same frustrating sporting experience. I just didn’t want to be reminded of that while watching Lars (you know what word goes here. Add “ing” though) Hirschfeld crap the bed. Brad The American has Landon’s goal against Algeria to calm him. I have fading memories of a tournament that took place when I was still in Elementary School.
    Not now Brad The American, not now.
    Alas, Brad The American wasn’t about to let the only other soccer fan in Casino Niagara suffer in peace. He insisted in telling me how much he loved DeRo, Pat Onstad and Frank Yallop. The (child born out of wedlock) was likeable. That sucked.
    He was also good at keeping things in perspective. Unlike many Canadian reactions I’ve read this morning, Brad The American was actually pretty positive about Canada’s performance. He talked a lot about the talent we had and how he always wondered why we didn’t do better in World Cup qualifying. He also pointed out that the game was mostly Canada’s over the last 20 minutes or so. Brad The American thinks that Canada will be just fine if they play like that against Guadeloupe and Panama. He suggests that if the two teams meet again that the result might be closer. He talked about how things can change quickly and how 15 years ago he thought US soccer had no future and how today he thinks it might win the World Cup one day.
    Brad The American even apologized to me when Clint Dempsey scored the second goal – the (child born out of wedlock).
    Obviously Brad The American is right. It still would have been nice to kick his (butt) for once.
    Guest
    It would be a cliché to say that even Canada's small yet fervently loyal fan base knew in their hearts that a win against the USA in the opening match of the Gold Cup was unrealistic. I had the sense that many Canada fans truly felt at least a draw was within the team's grasp, given the recent run of positive results in friendlies and the added motivation of the cross-border rivalry.
    Instead, the Canadians were trounced. The fact that the Americans were fairly rusty themselves kept things respectable. Yes, it's only one game, and yes, Canada will play better as the players adapt to each other, but this result leaves me with the sinking feeling that the team will once again be exiting the Gold Cup in the quarterfinal round, and more worryingly, unless some new blood is somehow located between now and next summer, the team will also once again fall short in the second round of World Cup qualifying once it meets Costa Rica, Honduras or hell, even Guatemala.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    What of Tuesday night? Canada was absolutely owned out on the flanks, especially in its own third of the pitch. For a guy I spent all winter hyping as Canada's new up-and-comer in the Bundesliga, Marcel de Jong did not offer much going forward tonight, or going back. More disturbingly, out on the right Nick Ledgerwood offered even less.
    Surprisingly, I thought the central pairing of Andre Hainault and Kevin McKenna did at least OK in repelling the American attacks that came through the middle. I don't think either of them could be blamed for the first goal by Jozy Altidore. In this game, Lars Hirschfeld needs to make that save.
    In midfield, Atiba Hutchinson seemed, well, misused. Other than a few inspired tackles I took note of Terry Dunfield was largely overrun, and ditto for Will Johnson, who seems to get shoved off the ball a lot.
    Dwayne de Rosario had one cracker of a shot in the first half, doing what he regularly does and creating something out of nothing. But that was one instance in a game of 90 minutes. It seemed for a long time that he and Simeon Jackson were interchanging between dropping deeper into the central attacking midfield role and acting as the lone forward, neither with much success at creating genuine scoring chances. Jackson did manage some decent crosses when he found himself out on the wing.
    So much of the attack streams through Josh Simpson on the left side. I don't suppose that's a bad thing, because he's fast and he can dribble the ball and he often makes it look like something is about to happen for Canada. Perhaps it's just me, but I feel that during the course of the Ecuador match and in the game against the USA, there were several un-talked-about occasions in which Simpson slaloms through three or four defenders into the box with maybe one guy left to beat, only for the play to end in a crumple of flailing arms or legs with the ball skidding harmlessly away from danger. Is this a sign of Simpson trying to do too much on his own? Can't necessarily blame him if it is but I wonder if he's always looking for the best option.
    I'm not smart enough to know how Ali Gerba does what exactly it is that he does, or whether he's a liability when he doesn't have the ball, but he probably should have single-handedly tied the match himself after coming on as a sub, forcing one damn good save from Tim Howard and one fucking brilliant one.
    For what it's worth, for the match against Guadalupe I would use Gerba as a lone forward, perhaps with DeRo, Simpson and Jackson behind him. Given Gerba's body frame he probably won't drop deep for the ball as often as Jackson did on Tuesday, but he apparently doesn't need to. Hope Julian de Guzman returns to partner with Atiba Hutchinson deeper in the midfield like they used to in the good ole' days (ie. the 2007 Gold Cup), and maybe even consider switching Ledgerwood out for Jaime Peters at rightback. Everybody has their bad days, but why not bring in Milan Borjan for one match and then make a decision after who gets the go against Panama.
    What about you, readers? Beyond these hastily scribbled post-match thoughts, what do you make of Canada's showing against the Americans and what needs to change going ahead?
    Guest
    This second edition of Tracking Back features what really should be the most famous photo in Canadian soccer history, and is a nice little rallying point for supporters ahead of tonight's Gold Cup opener against the U.S.
    Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to glorious Galt F.C.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It's a shame that the overwhelming majority of Canadians are totally unaware that Canada won gold in soccer in the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, MO. But we did.
    What's that? There were only three teams in the competition, representing two countries, us and the Americans? Psht – details. The plain facts are thus: Galt F.C., the side that heroically represented Canada, beat the two American sides (Christian Brothers College and St. Rose Parish – yeah, they don't even sound as if they had much of a chance, eh?) by a combined score of 11-0 over just two matches. The Americans, it seems, were so bereft of finishing skills that it took three matches between the two teams just for someone to score and settle second and third place.
    Here's hoping the spirit of these good lads from Galt can lift Canada tonight. Allez les Rouges.

    For a wonderful exploration of the men themselves, please do head over to canadiansoccerhistory.com.
    Guest
    Nobody reading this site will need an introduction to the famous Support Local Football campaign, which has received press attention in many corners of this dominion. Notwithstanding the tragic Boston Red Sox hat, the video had exactly the right message: get out and support Canadian soccer.
    Understandably, given that the video was created before the Canadian friendly against Ecuador, it focuses heavily on the Canadian national team. With les Rouges in action tonight against the hated United States, it's as timely today as ever. We shouldn't, however, lose sight of our local clubs in our rush to acclaim our national team. When you look at the roster Stephen Hart has assembled for the 2011 Gold Cup, the weight carried by local soccer clubs across the nation becomes clear. Western Canada has done more than its share: while lower-level games in Ontario and Quebec get some attention, maybe it's we Westerners who should open our eyes furthest.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Josh Simpson, for example, could stand as a tribute to the merits of local soccer. Before he caught the attention of English side Millwall, Simpson was a fixture in the Cascadian youth soccer programs. Simpson spent his formative years in the Lower [Vancouver] Island Soccer Association, a well-respected organization whose youth teams constantly contend for provincial honours, before moving to the University of Portland on a soccer scholarship. It would be hard to get much more local than Simpson's humble origins, but those games on municipal pitches in Victoria before friends and family paved the way to a career as one of Turkey's finest offensive players and perhaps Canada's leading star.
    If youth soccer isn't your bag then you might be interested in the career of Lars Hirschfeld. Hirschfeld was born in that goalkeeping hotbed of Edmonton, Alberta, and his professional debut came in games that were about as local as you can get while still getting paid: with the Edmonton Drillers of the indoor National Professional Soccer League. Hirschfeld did two tours as a starter with the A-League's Calgary Storm, playing before crowds of hundreds, before moving to Tottenham and immortality.
    Perhaps you're shaking your head here. "The A-League? That's not Manchester United, true, but it's hardly 'local soccer'. The A-League was fully professional and produced a few international players in its salad days." Then take a look at the career of aspiring Canadian national defender Adam Straith. Straith isn't on this Gold Cup team, of course, but nobody will look askance at the 20-year-old's six senior caps at such a tender age. Yet Straith comes from the humblest soccer origins. Born in Vancouver, Straith came up from the Victoria-area youth system and in fact had a spell with the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency, but his first crack at high-level soccer came in 2005 with the PCSL's Victoria United. Young Straith got his first attention simply by playing in an amateur, weekend soccer league, and that's led him to a spot in our national pool in hardly the blink of an eye.
    Other examples abound of players who made appearances at the lower level, however briefly. It wasn't so long ago that Kevin McKenna was playing soccer part time between studies at the University of Calgary or that Nik Ledgerwood was a Calgary Storm youth player (without doubt the most accomplished player to graduate Calgary's brief youth program). Men like Andre Hainault and Dwayne De Rosario made flying starts to their careers with second-division teams in Montreal and Toronto. Jonathan Bourgault played last year in the German Regionalliga West, which they'd consider pretty local soccer indeed.
    That's one of the wonderful teams about supporting local soccer. Somewhere in the Canadian Soccer League, the next Dwayne De Rosario toils in obscurity. Somewhere in the Pacific Coast Soccer League, the next Josh Simpson does the same. Watching these players go on to stardom is one of the finest pleasures a soccer fan can experience. Why would you give it up?
    Guest

    Your daily gold: day 2

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Each day during the Gold Cup I will be providing a round-up of all that is noteworthy and interesting in our wacky little confederation championship.
    Below the jump, day 2
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The Results:
    Jamaica 4-0 Grenada
    Honduras 0-0 Guatemala
    Grenada was exactly what was expected. And that’s not a great thing (although on a logical level we understand the need to expose these teams to a higher level in order to bring them up).
    Guatemala, on the other hand, was not at all what we expected and that was a really good thing. They were likely the unlucky side t the end of a hard fought and exciting 0-0. There had been three Gold Cup games prior to the match-up, but the tournament didn’t really start until that game.
    Performance of the day
    Carlos Ruiz – he looked dangerous and involved throughout. No, he didn’t score, but he and his team served notice that they aren’t to be overlooked.
    Thanks for the condescending attention! (Mainstream media article of the day)
    It’s not as mainstream as it can be, but CONCACAF.org gets some credit for pointing out how terrible a call it was in 2007.
    The claim is that Canada doesn’t care about avenging that game.
    Yeah, right.
    What about the Canucks? (Canadian news of the day)
    Wait, maybe they do care!
    (this is so confusing)
    What’s on tap for today?
    Only the biggest game in the history of international football!
    I’m talking, of course, about Guadeloupe and Panama.
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