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    Guest

    Patrice Bernier out of Gold Cup

    By Guest, in Le12eJoueur,

    Canadien midfielder Patrice Bernier will definiltely miss the Gold Cup after suffering a leg break in a Superliga match against FC Copenhagen.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Bernier was substituted only 18 minutes into the game after feeling pain in his left leg. After verification, it was revealed that he suffered a fracture in his fibula.
    This is the second time in as many years that he has suffered a season-ending blow. Last season, he damaged his knee after a severe tackle from Jonas Troest.
    He will now have to watch the Gold Cup from his TV set.
    Get well soon Patrice.
    Hmm... so now, who'll replace him?
    Guest
    TFC fans with long memories will recall just how frustrating July 1, 2008 was. On that day the Vancouver Whitecaps came to town with one thing in mind -- to defend against their MLS opposition. Time and time again on that night, TFC would go forward looking dangerous. And each time their USL opponents would do just enough to stop them.
    And then Martin Nash drew a penalty on a play when the Caps were not threatening (Note: He would not have drawn the call 99 times out of 100. To say it was borderline is being generous). The Caps scored and then keeper Jay Nolly took over.
    The game became the Jay Nolly show, actually. He stood on his head.
    The only time Nolly was beaten on the night the play was, incorrectly, blown offside. It was only the second Nutrilite Canadian Championship game of all-time, but already we had our first upset. The home team fans went home miserable, losing 1-0 despite having the majority of the chances and possession.
    The result ended up costing Toronto the Voyageurs Cup that year as Montreal was able to win without beating the Reds, largely because Vancouver took the full three points off them at BMO Field.
    Nearly three years later, Whitecaps fans now know what it felt like to be Toronto that day.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The Caps were the better side last night. Of that there is little doubt. They were robbed of a clear penalty and also the victim of a possible non-call late when Dan Gargan appeared to complete an illegal back-pass to Stefan Frei 5-yards from goal. Unlike Toronto back in 2008, the Caps did get a goal, but they also allowed one. The 1-1 draw does not kill their Voyageurs Cup chances, but it does put them in serious doubts. TFC is a better club at home and with an away goal they are the favourites to win the trophy now.
    Should TFC fans be happy with the result? Absolutely. It's Cup play. The result is all that matters. Manchester City just won the FA Cup after going on a run that saw them need two replays against Lower League sides. Do you think anyone at Eastlands cares about how unconvincing the Cup run was now that 35-years of losing has been erased?
    It's hard to see how Vancouver can recover from this game. Again, just like TFC in 08, this is a club that looks snake bitten right now. I'm not sure the tie wasn't won when Maicon Santos scored the equalizer last night.
    If you want to be negative you can focus on the overall play of TFC. You can look at the mistakes and think they were lucky. But, sometimes you need to just find a way to get the result you need and tonight TFC did just that.
    And, fair or not, that's all that matters..
    Guest
    CSN has learned that the Canadian Soccer Association, at its annual general meeting, referred the match-fixing allegations facing the Canadian Soccer League to the professional staff, which will now, in the coming months, further review the matter with FIFA.
    Many were looking to the CSA to make a strong leadership statement this past weekend and commit to firm action on that matter, but given the number of political footballs being kicked around at the AGM – reform and re-election being the biggest - perhaps it’s forgivable that the CSL wasn't a central issue.
    But, even if it was just procedure, the attitude among Canadian soccer officials, up until this point, on how to deal with the matter, has been to say: “Don’t tell me, because I don’t want to know about it.”
    It’s in Canadian Soccer News' opinion that few in the Canadian soccer scene want to open Pandora’s Box, for fear of what they might find.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    We originally heard serious whispers about allegations of match-fixing, well over a year ago now. It always began with ‘I heard from a guy, who knows a player, who swears something was up at his game this past weekend.’ Sometimes it would evolve into something in greater detail – a name, a place, an event – but mostly it has just been stories.
    Many among the soccer community here in Toronto, can attest to being regaled with similar tales involving teams in the CSL. In fact, it seems, judging by what we've been told, it has perhaps been the dirty, little secret here for a decade. But, with little evidence and only anecdotes to go on, anger has turned to apathy among those who have been allegedly in the know.
    But six months ago, we began to receive substantial leads from people within the league suggesting that whatever had allegedly been going on in year's past – stressing the word allegedly - that the ‘something’ had changed last season and, obviously, not for the better.
    Without anyone willing to stand on the record about what they knew, or had seen, we decided that we cannot expose those ideas to the light of speculation. Despite hints here or there on our various platforms, we've remained cautious of what the fallout from such news would mean. CSN tried to balance a desire to protect our game from being unnecessarily dragged through the mud, with a knowledge and belief that these things, when proven, cannot be allowed to continue.
    Two weeks ago, when the news out of Germany broke, the collective door opened a peek. People, some who had refused before, were now willing to speak to CSN about what they knew. And others, who had told us before what they knew - but had prefaced it with ‘just keep my name out of it,’ - were willing to go on the record.
    Still, though, others with critical information have remained silent. Their refusal is out of the same fear that has clouded this issue since the beginning. Fear for their families, fear of being ostracized in their communities - even fear for their professional careers has kept them silent.
    And CSN understands and will respect those requests for anonymity up until a point. This writer has experienced several instances of his own, since he began researching a year ago, that certainly have given us cause for concern. We'll leave those events untranscribed here, so as not to shift the focus of this article from it, on to us.
    But here comes the point: this community has to decide if it’s going to continue to live with the knowledge of these - alleged - events in silence, or stand up to such abhorrence's to our game.
    A wiser man than us once said: it takes a village to raise a child. That could never be truer than it is within Toronto football. A player doesn't reach a high level on his own here. He his molded, mentored and motivated by a number of people along the way. You were the coach, or their trainer, or one of the mom's and wives who brought orange slices to the game. Toronto's football community is small, tight knit and whether you want to admit it or not, you know someone who has been subject to the pressures of match-fixing.
    And if you stay silent on these things that you know, you're choosing to allow the same kids, who ran the pitch under your watch, who you took care of, to be the subject of further disgusting, manipulation by these thugs.
    I’m asking you today to stand up for that community and come forward. These people, who continue to - allegedly - profit off the backs of our football: they do not come from us, they do not represent us and they don’t reflect our values.
    Certainly, because of that, they do not deserve your silence.
    ____
    Canadian Soccer News
    Editor in Chief
    Ben Rycroft
    ___
    I can be reached at ben.rycroft@metronews.ca
    Guest
    It's been starry days for Canada's footballers abroad of late, what with all this promotion to the Premier League and that Bundes League. So starry that Long Balls feels a little like one of those crazy Australian teenagers from the Internet, "planking" on police vehicles and garden gnomes. Sure, there's fleeting moments of YouTube fame and euphoria, but everyone knows those core body muscles will soon give out and they will be right back in the middle of their humdrum existence.
    That's right. Fleeting highs must be balanced with the normal lows, especially in the world of Canadian soccer. This week we examine the fortunes of several Canucks abroad who require a change of scenery next season to "kickstart" or "restart" or I suppose just plain old "start" their careers in Europe.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Jaime Peters, David Edgar and Iain Hume. Of the Championship trio, at least Hume played regularly and scored goals this year. Unfortunately for him he may have to do that next season in League One unless another Championship club decides to take a lark on him in the off season after Preston North End suffered the ignominious drop.
    Peters was enjoying a solid mid-season runout at rightback with Ipswich Town until Roy Keane got sacked as manager. Then it became apparent that Peters as a defender - Peters in any position that involved being on the field really - was an an idea that existed in Keane's mind only.
    Assuming Paul Jewell continues as Ipswich manager, Peters faces a crossroads. At 24 he's not getting younger (although to be fair nobody is really getting younger) and he would obviously benefit from being at a club where he can play football again. I doubt any newly promoted Premier League clubs are going to come knocking, so barring a move within the Championship perhaps he could consider a return to Germany and 2.Bundesliga? Wild speculation to be sure, but he did begin his European career with FC Kaiserslautern.
    And David Edgar. Son of a bitch. The Canadian defender saw a January transfer from Burnley to Swansea scuttled at the last minute because of incorrectly transcribed decimal point, or something of the sort. And while I'm sure somebody, somewhere still earned his commission, Edgar was left watching as Swansea marched all the way to Wembly and a one-match playoff against Reading for a spot in the Premier League.
    Edgar eked out a few minutes over the rest of the season, but unless Burnley suddenly decide he's in their plans (which would be odd considering they tried to loan him out, and then didn't play him when they couldn't), he could do worse than ringing up management at a possibly newly promoted Swansea and assuring them the whole errant decimal thingy from last winter has been sorted now and he's happy to play in the Premier League. Worth a shot.
    Adam Straith put in some dependable performances for Canada, but the 20-year-old defender probably was in over his head in 2.Bundesliga this season. He has only seven appearances for just under 500 minutes with Energie Cottbus so far, but at least at his age he can afford to have that happen.
    Goalkeeper Haidar Al Shaibani managed 90 minutes this season with Nimes in Ligue 2. Unless he finds somewhere that will offer him some minutes next season he's unlikely to figure at all for Canada in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Or hell, maybe he will. The nats' keeper situation gets pretty unstable once you get past Lars Hirschfeld and Milan Borjan.
    Other notables Canucks.
    Atiba Hutchinson suffered a setback as PSV Eindhoven completed its late-season collapse on the weekend, playing itself out of a spot in the Champions League. So no Canadians in the world's biggest club competition next season either. On the whole a very solid season for the "Hutch" in Europe though.
    Josh Simpson finally ended his mini-scoring drought, netting his 12th league goal of the season for Manisaspor. That puts him in 12th spot in the Turkish league scoring race (which is being dominated by a Brazilian named Alex who has 27 goals). An absolutely fantastic, breakout season for Simpson in Europe and it's great to see him on the scoresheet again ahead of the Gold Cup.
    Guest

    The 2011-12 CCL draw

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    TFC or Vancouver will play Real Esteli or Walter Ferreti of Nicaragua in the preliminary round of the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League.
    Real Esteli the same club that Montreal beat 1-0 over two legs in 2008. If the Canadian club advances they will join group C with the Mexican Clausura champion, Tauro of Panama and the winner of FC Dallas and Alianza of El Salvador.
    It's a much easier touch than Motagua was for Toronto in 2010, or even, likely, Puerto Rico in 2009.
    Full draw below the jump:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Preliminary Round
    First Leg: July 26-28
    Second Leg: August 2-4
    (Teams on left host first leg) Motagua (HON) vs. Municipal (GUA)
    Mexican Clausura runner-up (Morelia or Pumas) vs. Caribbean club championship runner-up
    Isidro Metapan (SLV) vs. Caribbean club champion
    Santos Laguna (MEX) vs. Olimpia (HON)
    Alianza (SLV) vs. FC Dallas (USA)
    Canadian champion (Vancouver or Toronto) vs. Nicaragua qualifier (Real Esteli or Walter Ferreti)
    San Francisco (PAN) vs. Seattle Sounders (USA)
    Herediano (CRC) vs. Caribbean club championship third-place finisher
    Group Stage
    First Round: August 16-18
    Second Round: August 23-25
    Third Round: September 13-15
    Fourth Round: September 20-22
    Fifth Round: September 27-29
    Sixth Round: October 18-20
    Group A
    Los Angeles Galaxy (USA)
    Alajuelense (CRC)
    Winner of Mexican Clausura runner-up/Caribbean club championship runner-up
    Winner of Motagua-Municipal
    Group B
    Colorado Rapids (USA)
    Real Espana (HON)
    Winner of Santos Laguna-Olimpia
    Winner of Metapan-Caribbean club champion
    Group C
    Mexican Clausura champion
    Tauro (PAN)
    Winner of Alianza FC-FC Dallas
    Winner of Canadian champion/Nicaragua qualifier
    Group D
    Monterrey (MEX)
    Comunicaciones (GUA)
    Winner of San Francisco-Seattle
    Winner of Herediano/Caribbean club championship third-place finisher
    Guest
    Today, we're joined by the regular cast and crew of Canadian Soccer News to break down the first leg of the Nutrilite Voyageurs Cup final.
    We'll discuss the Hassli goal and how it was created out of a defensive lapse, the non call on Adrian Cann’s penalty and we’ll talk about who has the advantage coming back to Toronto.
    But we'll also get into why team's continue to target Dan Gargan, Vancouver's traditional strength in the final 20 minutes and what their strategy was coming out of the half and if Toronto's cautious play will come back to haunt them.
    Have your say on the game and who you thought made the difference [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/23267/may192011final.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
    Sure, it's actually Act II, but those of us who count themselves as TFC supporters would rather not remember the season opener back in March.
    If I were a betting man, I'd say that Aron Winter feels the same way. Toronto looked exceedingly poor in the first ever MLS meeting between the two sides, giving observers a false sense of reality after the final whistle was blown.
    No, the Whitecaps are not nearly as good as they showed on March 19th. And no, TFC are not that bad.
    The fact is, neither team is good, and both have shown just that in the MLS matches that followed. The Whitecaps have likely been the most consistent of the two sides in the time since that joyous opening day, although "consistent" hasn't been enough to win a single league match since pummeling their Canadian counterparts two months ago.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The 'Caps have managed to keep themselves in nearly every game they've played in, but have lacked the ability in the final third to punish mistakes and steal a win or two. Toronto, on the other hand, have been the model of inconsistency thus far in 2011, which is hardly surprising given the sheer amount of turnover that has taken place since Winter et al took office.
    The Reds have looked both awful and very promising, sometimes within the same game. One only needs to look at their previous two MLS matches -- a 1-0 loss at Dallas and a gut-wrenching 2-2 draw at home versus Chicago -- to see the very stark reality of a club in transition.
    Both games featured some very good play from TFC; indeed, there were some glimpses of the possession-based, attacking football that the Dutch coaches have said is the ultimate goal of their tenure. But both matches also saw some dreadful displays from the Reds, particularly this past Saturday as Toronto pissed away a well-earned 2-0 lead to a dire Chicago side.
    It may have been fatigue that contributed to that result for Toronto, and on Wednesday both teams will be battling that problem. Toronto and Vancouver are both mired in brutal schedules for the month of May, with three days' rest likely being seen as a luxury to the weary players.
    To that end, Teitur Thordarson elected to withhold big Eric Hassli and defensive dynamo Alain Rochat from the 'Caps 1-0 loss in New England over the weekend, leaving the pair in B.C. to rest ahead of the huge Voyageurs Cup fixture. The Vancouver head coach also kept Terry Dunfield and Brazilian forward Camilo out of the match, and limited Davide Chiumiento to 11 minutes of action on Saturday.
    It's an interesting strategy from Thordarson, one that saw him trot out a inexperienced lineup against the Revs. Clearly he and his staff are taking the V's Cup seriously, probably a result of the Whitecaps' desire to finally get the monkey off their back and win this tournament.
    Toronto will have to deal with a rested Hassli running amok near the goal, something that was effective in the March 19th encounter (Hassli famously scored two goals that day, of course). Other players who looked very strong for the 'Caps in the season opener were Russell Teibert (who absolutely owned Dan Gargan on the wing), Chiumiento, and Dunfield. Expect all three to make appearances as Vancouver looks to get a big jump at home before travelling to Ontario next week.
    On the other side, TFC will still not have the services of Alan Gordon, their very own Bull in a China Shop who has been sorely missed in recent games as he recovers from a groin injury suffered in the nearly meaningless second leg versus FC Edmonton. Gordon was not in Vancouver for the opener, so Winter would have hoped that unfamiliarity played to his advantage as many of the Whitecaps players would be seeing the lanky forward for the first time.
    Perhaps for the finale.
    Another player who did not take part in the opener was Joao Plata, who has since become something of a star amongst the TFC faithful. Platita has shown a wonderful confidence on the ball that has been a rarity in Toronto throughout the club's existence, and his (lack of) size, blazing speed, and overall fearlessness have caused all sorts of problems for opposing defences. Given that Plata was pulled at the hour mark on Saturday, it's a fair guess to say that we'll be seeing quite a bit of the little Ecuadorean in this match.
    Aside from Gordon and Santos, expect many of an influential core of TFC players to take the field as Toronto will try to get a solid result away leading into a final match on home soil. One such player, Julian de Guzman, should see the pitch for the entire match as he will be suspended for the upcoming weekend MLS game in Colorado anyway.
    It'll be interesting to see which team has the advantage when the 90 minutes are over. Neither side looks particularly threatening, although both have had their moments.
    --
    Vancouver Whitecaps FC v. Toronto FC
    Wednesday, May 18, 2011. 7:00pm PDT / 10:00pm EDT
    Empire Field. Vancouver, B.C.
    Watch: Rogers Sportsnet (all regions), sportsnet.ca, NCC Official Site
    Listen: TEAM 1410 (Vancouver), teamradio.ca, FAN590.com
    Guest
    Canada's draw for the u17 World Cup is in and...it's not bad.
    The Canucks have arguably one of the weaker seeds in England and a nation with even less football history than itself in Rwanda. Uruguay is in the mix as well and will be tough. The South American sides are always tricky at the age groups.
    England is hard to read because traditionally they do not take age group play all that serious. A lot will depend on the roster.
    Speaking of the roster, the 24 invites to Canada's camp are as follows:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    GK- Chad Bush | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
    GK- Maxime Crépeau | CAN / Académie Impact Montréal
    GK- Quillan Roberts | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
    D- Luca Gasparotto | CAN / SC Toronto
    D- Marco Lapenna | CAN / Académie Impact Montréal
    D- Tyler Pasher | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
    D- Adam Polakiewicz | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
    D- Parker Seymour | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
    D- Daniel Stanese | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps Residency
    M- Bryce Alderson | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
    M- Wesley Cain | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
    M- Sergio Camargo | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
    M- Yassin Essa | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
    M- Alex Halis | CAN / SC Toronto
    M- Shadrack Mmunga | Unattached / sans club
    M- Omari Morris | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
    M- Chris Nanco | CAN / Sigma FC Academy
    M- Matteo Pasquotti | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps Residency
    M- Michael Petrasso | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
    M- Samuel Piette | FRA / FC Metz
    F- Keven Aleman | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
    F- Jay Chapman | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
    F- Moses Danto | CAN / World Soccer Academy
    F- Sadi Jalali | CAN / Edmonton Juventus
    The rest of the draw was:
    Group A -
    Mexico
    North Korea
    Holland
    Congo
    Group B -
    Japan
    Jamaica
    France
    Argentina
    Group C -
    Uruguay
    Canada
    England
    Rwanda
    Group D -
    USA
    Czech Republic
    Uzbekistan
    New Zealand
    Group E -
    Burkina Faso
    Panama
    Germany
    Ecuador
    Group F -
    Australia
    Côte d'Ivoire
    Brazil
    Denmark
    Since you have to label one group every tournament as such, let's call group F the Group of Death. Group D is likely the easiest touch.
    Looking ahead, the winner of Canada’s group gets a third place team from groups A, B or F, while the second place team gets second from group A.
    Guest
    Yes, I'm alive.
    (Now that's out of the way...)
    Early this year Aron Winter and, especially, Bob De Klerk talked a lot about the idea that the best way to defend was to hold the ball -- you can't get scored on if you have the ball in the other end was the cliché.
    It's true. You really can't be scored on if you have the ball yourself. Well, at least it would be pretty hard to be scored on in that circumstance. Yet, TFC has failed to live up to that promise so far this season.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Leading 2-0 against Chicago the Reds decided that the best approach would be to forget everything they had done up to that point to get the lead. They sat back and they crapped the bed with 10 men behind the ball. Same old, same old for those of us that have watched this club since 2007.
    The psychology of panic defending with a lead has always fascinated me. Good clubs can put a second holding mid on and tighten things up, but clubs like Toronto, well, they aren't good clubs. If the coaching staff is to talk about possession being the key to defending then they should probably play like they mean it.
    I think I speak for most TFC fans when I suggest that it would be easier to deal with a late game collapse if it came from playing a little too aggressively. Basically, to be crude, if the balls are big enough people are going to be OK if they trip over them from time to time.
    But when the balls are the size of peanuts...
    No one likes peanut balls (and I promise I'll stop talking about balls now).
    TFC is only four points back of first place. Pragmatically they've dropped 11 points at home. If the playoffs are going to happen, the Reds are going to need to grow something, soon.
    Draw your own conclusion as to what that something is.
    Guest
    A quick blast from the not so distant past for you. Former TFC midfielder Amado Guevara is again the toast of Honduras, or at least the toast of those Hondurans who support his current club, Motagua.
    Amado scored in each leg of the Honduran Liga Nacional final completed this weekend to help Motagua to an aggregate 5-3 victory over Olimpia and the 2011 Clausura, the club's 12th league title. And at 35 years old he is not done yet. As he often does, Amado thanked a higher power in his post-match comments, telling reporters, "If God gives me health, I'll continue."
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Canada-centric supporters will remember Amado as the guy whose dive got Patrice Bernier sent off at Stade Saputo in 2008; a red card that contributed mightily to an eventual 2-1 loss on the night and effectively shattered Canada's 2010 World Cup dream two matches after it started. But I suspect there are many TFC supporters who have little bad to say about a man who was often one of the team's top performers during his time with the club.
    I remember reading a New Yorker article a couple years back about the political standoff in Honduras and being surprised to stumble into a series of paragraphs detailing how Amado's politically active mother somehow enhanced her son's star status by standing up to the establishment in a country where there are far less hazardous leisure pursuits than standing up to the establishment.
    So, his ref-baiting aside, at least he comes from good stock. The honours section of his Wikipedia profile doesn't need much padding either. That would be five Honduran league titles he can now claim, in addition to a successful jaunt through the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.
    Who knows? Perhaps God would be benevolent enough to grant him additional riches beyond his continuing health, like the ability to play Total Football, TFC-style. How would you feel about Amado sharing the centre of the BMO Field pitch with Julian de Guzman, assuming he came at the right price?
    Corrected: The third paragraph of this article originally stated that Adrian Serioux was sent off in Montreal.
    Guest
    By: Alyssa Ally
    In just 40 days, Canada will take part in it's fourth Women's World Cup. I recently caught up with nine year veteran of the team, Rhian Wilkinson to discuss her career, road to the World Cup and future plans.
    It's a thorough look at one of the national team stars and where the team is at mentally right now.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Q. You'll be playing in your third Women's World Cup this summer, what will be the difference this time around compared to 2003 and 2007?
    A. Every major tournament is unique in its ups and downs and I expect this World Cup to be no different. I was young and very new to the team for the 2003 tournament, so the experience was slightly lost on me. Even though I loved every minute of it and knew that what we were experiencing together was really special, our fourth place finish, because I had not been with the team for the whole build up to the tournament the significance did not hit home for me like it did for the senior members of the team.
    The 2007 tournament was a bitter disappointment. We played below par and knew that we had let ourselves down and our fans. I think every member of that team will remember that feeling, the feeling of being eliminated early, and dig even deeper to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. We are all excited and looking forward to this World Cup in Germany, it can not come fast enough. We have been in residency camp for a while now, away from family, friends, and home and all because we believe we can really do something special this tournament. We have a good team and if we are able to play to our ability this coming June and July it should be a tournament to remember.
    Q. Being coached by Even Pellerud with the long ball system now being coached by Carolina Morace with a more possession style of play, speed and skill, how has it changed your game?
    A. Even was my coach for a long time and I really enjoyed playing under him. Even was extremely patient with me and gave me every opportunity and encouragement to succeed, I will always be extremely grateful for that. Carolina’s arrival was both exciting and scary. We would have to prove ourselves all over again, earn our spots again. She has been an amazing addition and has really brought the Canadian Women’s Team to a whole new level. Under her guidance I feel that my game has really changed. Under Even I was a forward who occasionally played defense, now I am a full time member of the backline and actually like it back there. Learning a new position is like learning a whole other game, a challenge I am enjoying. She focuses on the small things and puts a lot of emphasis on them, an example being the time she puts into our reaction times and positional fitness
    Q. At the club level you've played in North America and in Norway how does the style and culture compare?
    A. There are so many differences between the two cultures and styles of play that it is hard to know where to start. Firstly the European game is generally more technical that the North American game, with the players having stronger basics, such as first touch, passing, dribbling etc. Europeans grow up focusing on these aspects much more than we do and are as a result generally much better at them. On the other hand, I think North Americans often have the ability and willingness to outwork other players. I think we focus more on fitness and the physical aspects of our game, and with the hockey mentality in Canada, we often have a ‘never say die’ attitude. One thing that is the same anywhere you play is the understanding of the game. If you have a good ‘soccer brain’, you will succeed anywhere you play.
    Q. In the history of the program Canada has never defeated Germany. What will this squad have to do to ensure a 'W' in the opening match at the Women's World Cup?
    A: It is a cliché but to win we have to do all the little things right. I am not going to lie, Germany is a great team, but when we play to our ability so are we. We are going to have to be very disciplined defensively and are going to have to make our offensive chances count because against Germany you don’t get many scoring opportunities.
    Q. Since October 2010 at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Canada has only lost two out of 16 matches. What has been the biggest difference in the back line's dominance?
    A. I really believe that winning is a mentality and I think we are finally understanding that. The great teams in the world have to win every single game they play in, they are expected to win, and they embrace that. When you look at the U.S. or even the University of North Carolina, you see teams, albeit at different levels, that do not understand the concept of losing. They expect to win every game, even though every team they play wants to win that one game more than any other game they play that year. For a while we were too comfortable with just playing well, a draw or even a loss was acceptable, if we played well out on the field. This is not the mentality needed to be a champion. For the past year there has been a change, we believe. We believe in ourselves, one another, and we believe that we can achieve great things, once this attitude is embedded in all our psyches nothing can stop us.

    Q. You are 4 caps away from 100 appearances with Canada. What will this mean to you? And do individual statistics matter to you?
    A. Am I? I look forward to reaching such an incredible milestone as so many of my Canadian idols have gotten there before me, it will be an honour to be in their company. I have to admit that stats don’t mean too much to me, an easy stance to take when you have almost 100 caps and very few goals to your name. Stats are for the game’s heroes, the Sinclair’s, as they need to be pitted against other great players to see how great they really are - turns out Sincy is amazing!
    Q. What will it feel like when you step on the pitch in front of 80,000 people on June 26th?
    A. Scary, exciting, nerve jangling, momentous, epic, thrilling……… a bit of everything I’m sure.
    Q. Has there been any more progress made with the players compensation issue and the CSA?
    A. At the moment this is not something I can comment on, apologies.
    Q. You've been with the national team for nine years now, what moment(s) will you never forget?
    A. I don’t think you ever forget you first cap, although seeing as mine was a huge loss to the U.S., my second cap probably means more to me. We played Brazil in Montreal and I managed to score my first international goal in front of all my friends and family in my home province and in my home town - amazing. I also remember coming fourth in the 2003 World Cup, that was a fantastic experience, as was winning the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying tournament this past November.
    Q. What has been the best or worst fan encounter you've experienced?
    A. I have only ever had great fan encounters. My best are probably when I get to meet young women who, after I have gone to talk to their teams, come up and let me know how they are doing. I don’t care whether they stay in soccer or not, I just love when they have found something in their lives that they care about as passionately as I do about soccer.
    Q. Any advice for youngsters out there hoping to wear that red and white (and now black)jersey?
    A. I guess the best advice I can give is to find something you love to do and to give it everything you have, no matter what it is………. If it’s legal. There are always going to be setbacks along the way, but it is those people who find that extra motivation, those that are inspired to work harder, and those that push themselves further, who are successful in life.
    Q. You ladies pull a lot of pranks on each other. Which has been the best prank you've seen. Have you been a victim of any pranks?
    A. I was the victim of a prank on the 12th (of May), but have to admit to rarely being a victim because of my status, “extremely scary and bad tempered!” The 12th was my birthday so I, as is traditional on this team, got pied in the face. I was ready for it, but they were ready for me being ready for it. Sincy had the pie plate in the hand and said Rhian they want me to pie you and I don’t know what to do. As I was looking at her, Tank pied me from behind - grrrrrr. I took off after Tank and pied her back, I think she was the only one brave enough it have done it.
    One of the best pranks we ever pulled was on April Fools day. The coaching staff expected something from us, so we did a few little things to throw them off the scent. The real event though was during training when Tank and I pretended to get into a physical altercation. We managed to get most of it on video, which is awesome as you can see the fear in our assistant coach Betty’s eyes. She yells, “girls, girls,” while stepping further and further way, hilarious.
    Q. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
    A. In school full time and just about to finish my masters in physiotherapy. I am in the middle of trying to get my pre requisite classes out of the way through the online University of Athabasca. It has been a challenge to be in school while trying to train and prepare for the World Cup, but I am plugging away at it knowing that it is something I want to do in the future.
    You can stay caught up with the national team and Rhian by reading her journals at www.rhianwilkinsonsoccer.com
    __
    Alyssa Ally writes about the Canadian Women’s National team, the WPS and women’s soccer in general. You can find her stuff at cdnwomenssoccer.blogspot.com
    Follow her on Twitter at @cdn_chica
    Guest
    These are the images and emotions from Toronto FC's 2-2 draw against the Chicago Fire. 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 face of calm and concern.

    O'Canada at the top of your lungs and occasionally off key

    Conway's flub sucks the air out of the Fire

    Dancing with the stars...
    Guest
    These are the images and emotions from Toronto FC's 2-2 draw against the Chicago Fire. 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]

    Peterson's pain or dramatic refrain?

    Joao Plata's seeing eye shot has everyone looking.

    Toronto's on net set pieces have been lacking this year

    Soolsma getting a toe in on a tackle. His effort of late has not gone unnoticed.
    Guest
    Welcome to this week's Designated Player Roundup, taking a look at how the league's 16 DPs fared over the past week of MLS play. For some background on each of these fellows, check out the first edition of DP Roundup.
    Week 9 (May 9 - May 15)
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Archives: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8
    David Beckham (LA): After sitting out the midweek draw against the Union with what I'm going to pretend was a dog-walking injury, Becks had the good sense to get cleated in the balls against SKC on Sunday to draw a penalty (converted by his pal Landycakes), then cleated the balls of the erstwhile Wizards with a curling, looping free kick goal that has surely guaranteed him a spot on England's Euro 2014 squad.
    Juan Pablo Angel (LA): Deciding that he quite enjoys the feeling one experiences after scoring a goal in a professional soccer match, Angel used a cleverly-timed run to sneak behind SKC's defence Sunday and slot home his second goal of the season. I'd imagine there are other pleasant sensations associated with being a professional athlete (especially one that's just helped their team win), but I won't speculate any further about them here.
    Landon Donovan (LA): So he potted his fifth goal of the campaign against Philly, then added numbers six and seven against Kansas City on the weekend, bringing his MLS career total to 110. That, by the way, is 110 more than Pele, Diego Maradona, George Best and Wendel Clark combined. And somewhere, bitter Eurosnob nerds are grousing about Landycakes' recent blistering form. Yeah, I said "blistering form".
    Julian de Guzman (Toronto): What do you say about a guy like Jules? No, seriously, it's difficult to encapsulate the contribution of a holding midfielder into a few pithy sentences. A draw and a loss for Toronto this week but JDG did make his presence felt, picking up a yellow card on Saturday to become the latest DP this season to earn a suspension due to caution accumulation. That has to be worth something, right? (Note: It doesn't).
    Branko Boskovic (DC): Fun fact about Bačka Topola, Serbia, the city that BB is (according to Wikipedia) from. In the 2008 local elections, the most votes (according to Wikipedia) went to a party called the Hungarian Coalition. If that seems strange, consider that (according to Wikipedia), a majority of inhabitants of that town are Hungarian. Since BB is out with a messed-up leg, I'm guessing he's spending lots of time doing similar research about his hometown [citation needed].
    Thierry Henry (NY): Relax everyone, there are still plenty of good seats available for the Thierry Henry Face-Fur Experience. And they'll be playing all your favourite hits like "Scoring A Goal (On Sunday Against Chivas)" and "Yellow Carded And It Feels So Good." The tour is hitting various locations throughout North America this summer, with plenty of stops in Harrison, New Jersey, home of Red Bull Arena and... uh... probably several restaurants featured on Kitchen Nightmares at some point.
    Rafael Marquez (NY): No red cards this week. OK, yeah, an assist on Henry's goal, fine. But still. I don't care if this joke is wearing thin, I want to see Rafa get mad!
    Alvaro Fernandez (Seattle): Sometimes, when people exceed your expectations, it's a source of excitement and inspiration. This is not one of those times. Clearly doing his best to get his way off the DP Deathwatch, Fernandez went and made a big deal of himself, scoring the first goal in the first-ever Cascadia Cup showdown in MLS. Not only that, earlier in the week he got called up to play for Uruguay against Germany on May 29. Uruguay, the team that finished fourth at the World Cup. Seriously Alvaro, go back to being garbage. That was more fun.

    Fredy Montero (Seattle): Ol' Fredy did help make Fernandez's goal possible with an assist, but after being at the centre of one of the most elaborate, amazing tifo displays in the history of all universes, really, nothing less than a hat trick was going to cut it. For shame, Fredy.


    Omar Bravo (KC): Since Omar Bravo is out for a good number of weeks with a sports hernia, I'm going to fill this space with old quotes from Johnny Bravo instead. This week's gem: "Sweet! Bring on the Danish chicks and cream soda!"
    Alvaro Saborio (Salt Lake): In what has quickly become an epidemic in MLS, Saborio is now the latest highly-skilled, marquee player to be felled by a bad tackle. He suffered the injury on... wait, what? Javier who? Hmm. OK, that makes sense. Then Saborio was the guy perpetually kicking the ball in the general vicinity of (but never into) the Houston goal on Saturday. Right. I get it now.
    Eric Hassli (Vancouver): Hey, remember back when Hassli was the great new guy on the Vancouver sports scene, and the Whitecaps were on their way to a fantastic season? Yeah, opening day was somethin', huh? But with those heady days behind us, Hassli gets to instead enjoy the slog of midweek draws against San Jose and watching losses to New England from the press box. Glory, Mr. Hassli. Glory.
    Andres Mendoza (Columbus): With most of the other DPs either rounding into form or suffering long-term injuries, it's good to know I can count on a guy like Andres to come in as a needless 85th-minute sub when his team is down 3-0 to the Earthquakes. $600,000 well spent, guys.
    Fabian Castillo (Dallas): The 18-year-old (!!!) was one brawl short of a Gordie Howe hat trick on Saturday, leading his squad to a 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Bimbos. For those morally and viscerally averse to hockey references, what I'm saying is that he scored a goal and recorded an assist. As for Dallas's midweek game, well, I assume the police are looking for Castillo, since FCD's 1-0 win over TFC was outright robbery (if the reactions of Reds fans on social media are to be believed.)
    Diego Chara (Portland): Amid the gross conditions and awesome atmosphere within Qwest Field, the Timbers were still able to scrape out a draw, on the road, against their heated rivals. Since DPs are invariably terrific leaders of men, I think it's safe to assume this was all thanks to Chara's motivational capabilities.
    And since some people were asking/complaining about it, a special addition to the list...
    David Ferreira (Dallas): He's hurt.
    Boy, that was useful.
    DP Deathwatch 2011
    1. Andres Mendoza: That Simpsons clip I keep linking to has the immortal line "Get Mendoza!" -- which, with every passing week of uselessness, is something that fewer and fewer teams would actually be interested in doing.
    2. Fabian Castillo: Since the parameters of the "DP Deathwatch" have never actually been defined, I'll include Castillo here as a means of saying he won't be a DP for long, at least if he has anything to say about it. "So, Fabian, you can play for $42,000 in MLS, or for a good amount more in (insert city of whichever non-MLS team gets wind of him first)." He's young, but not stupid. [citation needed]
    3. Rafael Marquez: I'm gonna keep him here out of spite, as my disappointment at his lack of petulant lashouts continues to fester.
    .
    Guest
    Today, we're joined by Pedro Mendes, the host of the new CBC show Soccer Nation, to preview the first leg of the Nutrilite Voyageurs Cup, the quality of refereeing in North America and what can be done to improve it and how to convert every day Canadians into the national team supporters.
    We'll also discuss what caused Toronto's late game collapse against Chicago, update on Junior Hoilett's national team intentions and break down the moves over the weekend at the CSA AGM and what they mean for Canadian soccer.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
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