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    Guest

    Platamania runs wild

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Joao Plata has been named the MLS player of the week.
    In the grand scheme of things it doesn’t mean much, but it’s further good news for TFC fans to distract from a poor start to the season . It’s also another check mark for Plata, who is quickly becoming a fan favourite to rival even a Dichio, Brennan or Frei for popularity at BMO Field. If he has many more games like Saturday, they might start singing a song for him in the 53rd minute of every game (‘cause he’s 5’3” see) or something.
    I’d be willing to bet that Aron Winter is a little upset that Plata was honoured. Not because he doesn’t want good things for his player, but rather because he wants to keep expectations to a minimal. About 12 times a press conference Winter will remind people that it’s a re-building year and that players like Plata are still young.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Coach Winter should relax a bit. Most TFC fans understand that Plata is unlikely to have many more games like Saturdays this season. He is small and he is young and he will get neutralized in many of his appearances. The Toronto fan appreciates the effort Plata brings as must as the result, so there is little worry that they will turn on him anytime soon.
    What’s most exciting about Plata from a tactical perspective is that he finally brings the Reds some width on the pitch. He’s likely the first pure winger TFC has had since Rohan Ricketts discovered Twitter. Winter’s system demands players that can spread the field up and create from the outside. Plata has been the best player this season at doing that vital job (although Jacob Peterson has played much better this year than he often gets credit for). Under Mo Johnston, the roster make-up of TFC rarely made sense (let’s carry five holding midfielders!), but the one thing Winter and Paul Mariner seem to be doing is finding guys that play roles and do it for a salary that makes sense.
    As stated, TFC has not had the best start to the season. However, they remain in the Nutriltie Canadian Cup and within touching distance of the playoffs. Games like Saturday and performances like Plata’s make those of us that remain optimistic about the season look less naive.
    And that’s a good thing.

    NOTE: Plata needs a nickname. How about it Reds’ fans? What should his nickname be?
    Guest
    Last summer during the World Cup, a TFC academy member caused minor ripples - really minor - by suggesting on the supperhour news that he eventually wanted to represent Uruguay at the World Cup.
    Somehow during the interview it became known that the kid was born in Toronto. The fact he so brazenly suggested playing for a country other than Canada sparked debate on Twitter and supporter forums as to whether Canadian club academies should start making players agree to represent Canada as a condition of entry.
    Leaving aside whether that would even be legally enforcable, it seems farfetched that an MLS club would deny an academy spot to some teenager it felt could be the next Lio Messi simply because he dreamed of playing for Argentina.
    This issue is causing a stink in France right now. A huge stink actually, blowing up exponentially because it became tied up with comments by top French football officials about imposing racial quotas at club academies. The true concern in France is that kids with dual nationalities often attend French academies (or "take up space" in French academies) and turn out for French youth national sides, and then opt for their ancestoral countries internationally. Sound familiar?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    We live in times of unprecedented international migration. According to Statistics Canada, in the the Greater Toronto Area (which supplies a disproportionate amount of footballers to the mens' national team) about 76% of people over the age of 15 were either born outside Canada, or have at least one parent who was. That's a dramatic statistic. Assuming it holds roughly for those under 15, there are lots of kids kicking soccer balls around Toronto who - when it comes to playing internationally - have "options."
    The current Fifa guidelines for determining a player's nationality basically come down to whether or not that player can get a passport for a given country. And passports can be easy to come by.
    Fifa has two choices in this matter. The governing body could simply ride the status quo and watch international football devolve further into a situation resembling club football. That is to say, countries with the best training infrastructures and most prestigious programs aggressively recruiting the best players. And by recruiting, I mean that they find a way to get them passports or citizenship.
    Or Fifa could implement some form of criteria beyond simply holding a passport. Something objective that could apply in 80% or more of cases, rendering the whole idea of "choice" in international football obsolete. Maybe it's something as simple as a birth certificate. If you weren't born in that country then you can't represent it. Applied retroactively that would immediately wipe out a huge portion of Canada's mens' national team and be supremely unfair to someone like Simeon Jackson who immigrated to Canada as a youngster.
    Tying international eligibility to a birth certificate certainly goes against the grain of inclusive societies that accept and naturalize people from all over the world. But it would go a long
    way toward ending the tiresome debate about "defectors" and who should be loyal to which country and why.
    This debate plays out in obscurity in Canada, far below the media radar and therefore in the bigger world of football it doesn't really matter. But I'm willing to bet that the situation unfolding in France is the tip of the iceberg, as nations with huge immigrant populations and strong footballing pedigrees ponder how to deploy their resources in training the next generation. Forcing teenagers to pass some sort of loyalty test in order to get elite training hardly seems to be an acceptable solution.
    Guest
    I'm sure FC Rubin Kazan captain Roman Sharonov has scored another own goal at some point in his playing career, but has he ever scored one that wasn't really his fault?
    The defender laid off a simple back pass to his goalkeeper Giedrius Arlauskis, and the Lithuanian backup proceeded to make a mess of the slow-moving ball, allowing it to roll painfully into the back of his net. (Video after the jump.)
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qS5Ei2PgND0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Perhaps the best part of this video is how ferociously FC Krasnodar forward Spartak Gogniyev celebrated the goal, which put his side up 1-0 in the ninth minute of play. It was the only goal Krasnodar would score, as Rubin Kazan put up two more (in the proper net) to win the match 2-1.
    Guest
    After another disappointing game at BMO Field, TFC fans must try and remember that this is a re-building season. There will be many more nights like...
    Wait, what?
    They won? Really??
    Well, then...
    It’s hard to accept that TFC can pull off the odd good result, isn’t it? Following last night’s 2-1 win over Houston I spoke to several fans who expressed disbelief that they got to see the Reds win again. As irrational as it was, there were times over the last month when it seemed that it might not ever happen again in MLS.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]The truly scary thing about it is the win moved TFC to within one point of a playoff spot. Welcome to MLS, where it’s nearly impossible to fall out of reach. And that’s been my message all season. Yes, Toronto is pretty damn mediocre right now, but it is not the worst MLS side of all time as some like to argue. Suggesting that the Reds could find themselves in a playoff race isn’t the talk of a MLSE lackey, it’s the observation of someone that has followed this league for eight seasons now.
    One of the most promising things about the game Saturday was the energy that TFC brought. In isolation a statement like that can be cliché, but there really was a jump to the club that Houston could not match. Part of it was likely the travel – MLS is one of the most home friendly leagues in the world – and some might have been the quickness and skill of Joao Plata (I promise that I will not refer to him as diminutive again after this one last time – but man is he tiny), but some of that might have also come from a club that is starting to become comfortable with each other.
    Anyone that saw Plata’s teammates celebrating his goal with him would agree that it was a group that looked like it was sincerely happy for him. After the game, I witnessed Maicon Santos practically fall off his stationary bike laughing at the sight of Plata being surrounded by about 30 reporters. In the past, TFC has been a club with lots of fractions in the dressing room. Although we can’t ever know what goes on inside the room with 100 per cent certainty, it sure doesn’t look like that’s a problem now.
    That the players seem to be happy and friendly with one another is hardly enough to guarantee that TFC is going to build on the performance moving forward, but it’s a good sign in a season that has lacked many positives up to now.
    Embrace that Reds’ fans and try and enjoy the moment...
    Guest
    Two Canadian Soccer League teams have been named during an ever widening match fixing trial centering around Croatian ringleader Ante Sapina.
    Sapina, 35, along with Ivan Pavic, 29 (Croatian), Marijo Cvrtak, 35, (Croatian), Deniz Celik, 32, (Turkish), Ramazan Köse, 47 (Turkish) and Dragan Mihelic, 40 (Slovenian) have been facing lengthy sentences and are now co-operating with prosecutors in exchange for reduced sentences.
    Cvrtak gave evidence this week that implicated clubs from Croatia, Belgium, Hungary, Turkey and Slovenia. Most notably, at least for Canadians, Cvrtak named the CSL's Trois Rivierès and Toronto Croatia as two teams the gambling ring sought to fix. Specific details of which games and when were not reported at this time.
    When contacted by Canadian Soccer News, the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) expressed shock at the revelation and promised action in the days ahead.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    "This is obviously new information to us. Neither the league or any individuals had alerted us to any alleged fixing but we take this very seriously and will be investigating it further," CSA Vice-President Victor Montagliani said. "Now that this is public we will have to sit down with the Canadian Soccer League and discuss it with them and determine what action, if any, is warranted."
    CSL league administrator Pino Jazbec was reached Sunday night for comment.
    "Right now we do not know the games that are involved. So, for now, I must say no comment, until we investigate further."
    The Ontario Soccer Association (OSA) was reached for comment Monday afternoon and also expressed their concern.
    "Today was the first I've heard of it but it is concerning. The OSA does not have any governance over the CSL. They are exclusively governed by the Canadian Soccer Association," OSA president Ron Smale told CSN. "We're are waiting to hear further from the CSA on this."
    The CSA's Annual General Meeting is coming up in May and Montagliani added that he expected that this would be added to their agenda upon further investigation.
    Canadian Soccer News has contacted Toronto Croatia and had not heard back from them at the time of publishing.
    We will update this story as further comment is given and obviously will report on where it goes in the days ahead.
    ____
    Editor's note:
    There have been a number of people who have approached CSN in the last couple months to discuss this issue in hopes that we would report on it. We declined as none of those sources were willing to go on the record about what they allegedly knew. CSN made this decision based on the legal and ethical implications. With the news of this now entering the public domain, we invite those sources to once again come forward and put their name on the record.
    Guest

    MLS salary information

    By Guest, in It's Called Football,

    Every year MLS goes to great lengths to not reveal salary information and every year the MLS player's union releases it anyways.
    Here are the breakdowns for Toronto and Vancouver.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The first number represents their base salary and the second their guaranteed compensation.
    Toronto
    Attakora-Gyan Nana D $ 45,000.00 $ 45,000.00
    Borman Danleigh M $ 42,000.00 $ 42,000.00
    Bouchiba Elbekay M $ 92,004.00 $ 92,004.00
    Cann Adrian D $ 123,996.00 $ 132,746.00
    Cordon Oscar M $ 32,604.00 $ 32,604.00
    de Guzman Julian M $ 1,863,996.00 $ 1,910,746.00
    Eckersley Richard D $ 75,000.00 $ 90,000.00
    Frei Stefan GK $ 100,000.00 $ 155,000.00
    Gargan Daniel M $ 70,000.00 $ 70,000.00
    Gold Matt M $ 42,000.00 $ 42,000.00
    Gordon Alan F $ 96,504.00 $ 96,504.00
    Harden Ty D $ 65,000.00 $ 73,666.67
    Henry Doneil D $ 42,000.00 $ 43,000.00
    Kocic Milos GK $ 42,000.00 $ 42,000.00
    Lindsay Nicholas F $ 42,000.00 $ 43,000.00
    Makubuya Keith F $ 32,604.00 $ 32,604.00
    Martina Javier F $ 89,460.00 $ 96,140.75
    Morgan Ashtone D $ 32,604.00 $ 32,604.00
    Omphroy Demitrius D $ 42,000.00 $ 42,000.00
    Peterson Jacob F $ 142,500.00 $ 150,775.00
    Plata Joao F $ 42,000.00 $ 42,000.00
    Santos Maicon F $ 126,000.00 $ 126,000.00
    Soolsma Nick M-F $ 86,004.00 $ 86,004.00
    Stevanovic Alen M $ 240,000.00 $ 250,000.00
    Stinson Matthew M $ 32,604.00 $ 32,604.00
    Sturgis Nathan D-M $ 85,000.00 $ 89,250.00
    Tchani Tony M $ 90,000.00 $ 194,000.00
    Williams Dicoy D $ 50,004.00 $ 50,004.00
    Yourassowsky Mikael D $ 80,004.00 $ 81,670.67
    Zavarise Gianluca M $ 42,000.00 $ 46,517.75
    A couple of the things that stand out:
    - Dan Gargan got approximately a $30,000 raise in the off-season.
    - Tony Tchani is making decent coin but as a GA his larger than normal salary doesn't count against the cap.
    - DeGuzman is nearly at $2 million now.
    - Nana Attakora is making only slightly more than Nicholas Lindsay - the kid who put himself on the shelf this winter in a snowmobile accident. As the lowest paid starting defender, it's safe to assume he'll be getting a sizable raise. How much? Probably less than Cann (a Mo era contract) and more than Gargan.
    Vancouver
    Akloul Mouloud D $ 150,000.00 $ 150,000.00
    Boxall Michael D $ 42,000.00 $ 42,000.00
    Brovsky Jeb M $ 42,000.00 $ 42,000.00
    Cannon Joe GK $ 199,500.00 $ 209,756.25
    Chiumiento Davide M/F $ 280,000.00 $ 280,000.00
    Davies Philippe M $ 32,600.00 $ 32,600.00
    Demerit Jay D $ 300,000.00 $ 350,000.00
    Duckett Bilal D $ 32,600.00 $ 32,600.00
    Dunfield Terry M $ 65,000.00 $ 65,000.00
    Harmse Kevin D $ 42,000.00 $ 42,000.00
    Harris Atiba M-F $ 77,590.00 $ 80,590.00
    Hassli Eric F $ 660,000.00 $ 900,000.00
    Janicki Greg D $ 45,000.00 $ 45,000.00
    Khalfan Nizar M $ 60,000.00 $ 61,250.00
    Knight Wes M/D $ 50,000.00 $ 50,000.00
    Koffie Gershon M $ 75,000.00 $ 79,764.38
    Leathers Jonathan D $ 42,000.00 $ 42,000.00
    Morfaw Alexandre M $ 90,000.00 $ 90,000.00
    Nanchoff Michael M $ 60,000.00 $ 95,000.00
    Nolly Jay GK $ 65,000.00 $ 65,000.00
    Rochat Alain D $ 150,000.00 $ 150,000.00
    Salgado Omar F $ 80,000.00 $ 121,868.67
    Salinas Shea M $ 44,000.00 $ 44,000.00
    Sanvezzo Camilo F $ 127,920.00 $ 130,420.00
    Sylvestre Brian GK $ 32,600.04 $ 32,600.04
    Tan Long F $ 32,600.04 $ 32,600.04
    Teibert Russell M $ 50,004.00 $ 55,604.00
    Thorrington John M $ 194,700.00 $ 207,200.00
    Wagner Blake D $ 42,000.00 $ 42,000.00
    A couple of the things that stand out:
    - Vancouver's starting keeper Jay Nolly makes $134,000 less than backup Joe Cannon. I'm not sure that's worth the value shooting him out of a cannon...
    - Vice-Captain Terry Dunfield is making only $5,000 more than Michael Nanchoff.
    What do you think? Who is making too much? Not enough?
    You can read the salaries for the whole league here.
    Guest
    Well, the fire department wasn't called (as far as I know) and the Academy kids got a taste of what awaits them for first team support.
    Last night, the Toronto groups showed up en masse for the CSL TFC Academy v Montreal Impact game and put on quite a display of pro, TIFO and flags. .
    Check out the video and we'll post more as we find them.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    Guest
    In the opening minutes of Toronto FC’s home Voyageurs Cup leg against FC Edmonton the other night, some baffling questions emerged.
    The visitors – game and scrappy as they certainly were – fielded a starting eleven featuring no fewer than nine lads who were playing amateur footy a year ago. Toronto FC, fresh off a humiliating lesson in applied MLS soccer just four days earlier in Seattle, sent out, essentially, the first team.
    Settling into my high, windy perch to watch – winter coat, hat and gloves securely deployed – I eagerly awaited … the system.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Aron Winter’s system. The software program he’s getting his hardware footballers to run.
    What else could this be? Up three goals from the first leg, at home against the weakest opening lineup The Reds will face all year, this could only be a major tune-up.
    Go out there, gentlemen, and play the system. Possess the ball, push the ball. Don’t even worry about goals so much. Don’t even need them. Just oil up the transition play, and see what kind of lovely set-ups this brilliant upgraded strategy pack can create.
    So why, dear readers, did essentially-TFC’s-starting-eleven pass the ball back to goalie Stefan Frei damn-near-double-digit times in the opening ten minutes? Why were they even knocking it back to him from the Edmonton end of the field?
    Whatever problems our Garrison Creek Redcoats have had in the first four-plus years of existence, they’ve always been able to go backwards.
    By halftime, I found myself pondering a deeper question. Not what is the system? What is a system?
    Simply put, it’s a connected series of strategies designed to deal with pretty much any situation that comes up on the pitch.
    What should you do if you’ve got the ball on the left wing, and two defenders are angling you out? What should your teammates do to help you? When to give? When to go? How does the holding midfielder respond when one of the centrebacks goes to ground and misses a tackle?
    I don’t have a fraction of Aron Winter’s soccer mind, but I’m having trouble seeing “Just over centre, unopposed, early in the game, you pass back to your goaltender” as part of a system.
    But Winter was deeply committed to keeping his A-listers out there on Wednesday – to the point where he didn’t make any changes at halftime, and both striker Alan Gordon and drive-train Julian de Guzman eventually were forced out hobbled with knocks. Now we learn Gordon won't be able to dress against Houston tonight.
    So – TFC didn’t really rest anybody, and TFC did basically bog-all to work the kinks out of the system.
    That’s a head-scratcher, people. They won a two-leg tie they were going to win anyway, and two absolutely vital engine parts had to be – temporarily – replaced.
    I loved the lineup when I saw it. Preki would have had TFC Academy reserves out there, bolstered with a 50-year-old trialist from Raging Jackass Falls.
    It was obviously an exercise – except the players on the field, there to work and sharpen the system, didn’t seem to have much blessed clue what they were supposed to be doing out there.
    Again – as I do – I asked Winter in the post-game presser to comment on Toronto’s movement away from the ball. Again, he said he wasn’t pleased. He also said he’s still on the hunt for new players.
    Well and good and understood.
    But is it really too much to ask that your best guys – playing against a deeply inexperienced second-tier side – at least know enough of the system by now to consistently go forward, and actually create chances?
    Kudos, by the way, to Joao Plata, who managed to do exactly that – including a singing set-up to Gordon’s goal. The rest of the effort was baffling – the stats were basically dead-even – and could prove very expensive once tonight’s home match against Houston is in the books.
    Thoughts?
    Onward!
    Guest
    Of course it's going to be tough for the Whitecaps to come into Chicago on Saturday. But it's not going to be all bad.
    Vancouver just played 120 ferocious minutes against the Montreal Impact on Wednesday, of course, securing a trip to the finals of the Voyageurs Cup by the hair on their chinny chin chins. They've played both a weekday and a weekend game for two straight weeks now, and no doubt their legs are going to be a little heavy. Even with a bit of squad rotation thanks to injuries and Teitur Thordarson's prudence, the Whitecaps are going to be a little tired on this latest road swing. That's life.
    The Fire have it relatively easy, getting to sit at home. They were in Colorado last Saturday but since then have had an opportunity to rest. Lucky skunks. But it's not all good news for them. They drew that game in Colorado 1-1, and the previous Saturday drew the Houston Dynamo 1-1 at home. Prior to that, they had lost three straight. The Rapids are winless in five, which is almost Whitecapsian. Meanwhile, the Whitecaps have a win and a draw against Montreal and a ferocious loss on the road to Columbus in their last three. Good games and some results mixed in there.
    Obviously the Whitecaps are at a disadvantage in Chicago, but they still have a few things in their corner.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The danger for the Whitecaps in Chicago is that they come out too conservatively. Vancouver has yet another midweek game in San Jose on Wednesday, May 11, so the temptation is obvious. But standing on the back foot means that the Whitecaps are going to give up a good chance against an eminently beatable Chicago team. The Whitecaps know this, too: in the infamous New England Revolution game where the Caps went down to nine men, Vancouver constantly played an attacking style and aside from a bad break at the end of the game would have escaped with a win.
    The advantage of the turnaround is that the Whitecaps will, hopefully, have a bit of aggressive momentum coming off that Montreal game. Say what you will about the sloppy first half, the circumstances leading to the Impact penalty, or the defensive scramble late which nearly led to a winning Montreal goal, but the Whitecaps played their blood out. They handily took care of a very precocious Impact team the previous week at Stade Saputo. If they keep up that level of intensity, they may be able to take care of a Fire squad which is in no danger of playing its way into the record books.
    Of course, the one thing Chicago has been able to do is score goals, and one very serious thing the Whitecaps have failed at is preventing them. Will the 120 minutes on the legs of central defenders Mouloud Akloul and Greg Janicki make life too easy for the Fire forwards? Ah, but we have the capable Michael Boxall on the bench, rested and ready to go. A bit of rotation and all of a sudden the Whitecaps are much closer to equal terms. In any case, neither Akloul nor Janicki looked too worn-down by the end of their two-hour ordeal, the last ninety seconds aside.
    It's the battle between momentum and rest. Between a team that's been sitting on its laurels for a week dwelling on missed points and the team that's come out mere days earlier, fought a hell of a battle against rival, and is now ready to fight another one. The trick is that the Whitecaps have to exploit that. They have to come in with the mentality that they're there to win the game, not what we saw in Columbus where they just seemed to be trying to survive. This is a good enough team to get three points in Chicago, even now, if the soccer gods smile upon Vancouver.
    So go get those three points. Or at least try like hell without using a lack of rest as an excuse. The only way to make sure the Whitecaps won't win that game is if they don't try to win it.
    Guest
    By: Nathan Terlesky
    The first legs of the Nutrilite Voyageurs Cup are done, FC Edmonton has participated, and been eliminated for its first time in history. The interesting story from Edmonton’s perspective however is not the result, but the difference in the two games played against Toronto FC.
    While much has been made of the red card issued in the first game, and its impact on the games result, the fact that FCE was outclassed and outplayed for most of the first game was clear to the most casual of observer. From mistakes by the keeper Baart, to bad back passes, and a general lack of chances, the game was not horrible, but was not ideal by any means.
    To contrast this, the game against Toronto at BMO Field was almost a 180 degree change. The passes were crisper, the play was disciplined and the defense was solid.
    While Paul Hamilton had several questionable plays in both league games and the first leg at Edmonton, he showed some terrific pitch awareness, and proved he’s a great asset to Edmonton. Edmonton is still missing a reliable attacking striker, but again, his long shot was dangerous, giving Frei his most challenging shot of the match.
    To a fan of the club, this is a welcome sign. After an alright showing against Toronto, and a very poor result against Montreal, Edmonton needed to change something significantly.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]The club has not been entirely open with press releases (though some of this can be attributed to the lack of reporting by local press) and has not updated fans on the status of injured players, or discussed practices or coaching methods. The most I heard was during the broadcast when the reporters stated that Coach Harry Sinkgraven has been working with the defense since the game against Montreal. Whatever the change, it appeared to have a positive influence for FC Edmonton.
    The team that played on Wednesday night against Toronto will be on a road trip for the next several weeks - perhaps it's a good thing as both wins have been on the road so far. It would be presumptuous to assume that FC Edmonton has turned a corner (two bad games doesn't make a slump, a one positive game does not replace a 5-0 loss) but I believe that had the team that played Wednesday night played an NASL team, it would have been a much different result.
    One can only hope that the discipline that the team showed on Wednesday night, will continue to show up in future matches.
    __
    Photo credit: Chris Hazard
    Guest
    Today, in this Interview Only edition of It's Called Football, we're joined by Toronto FC's Oscar Cordon who speaks about the difficulties of making the jump from the Academy to the first team, the disappointment he felt in not being selected to the Canadian U20 team this year and as his parents are immigrants from Guatemala, if he's considered playing for a country other than Canada.
    No live show today as we set up for the Support Local Football event tonight, but enjoy the Interview Only and we'll be back on Monday.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/23014/oscarcordoninterviewfinal.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

    Support Local Football

    By Guest, in It's Called Football,

    While we've seen an explosion of interest in MLS over the past couple years - from national broadcasters to corporate Canada - there is still little mainstream awareness about our national teams and lower division football.
    It was largely a grassroots movement that helped make Toronto FC successful in the early days and the local support of their D2 side by the Southsiders made Vancouver fertile ground for selection into MLS.
    Tonight, two events will be taking place in Toronto designed to raise the profile and stress the importance of supporting local football beyond just the MLS club level.
    We encourage you to attend both.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    What: Local soccer supporters and soccer media shooting a video promoting support of our national teams
    Where: Football Factory Google Maps
    When: 6pm - 10pm
    More details here
    What: Local supporters attending Toronto FC v Montreal Impact (Academy teams)
    Where: Lamport Stadium Google Maps
    When: 8pm kickoff
    More details here
    __
    Photo credit: Tim Drodge (@bgnewf), View from the South Stands
    Guest
    These are the images and emotions from Toronto FC's 1-0 win over FC Edmonton. 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]

    Gordon celebrating his goal.

    The man of the match for my money

    Well, one of you needs to open your eyes. (And yes, this is clearly a photoshop waiting to happen)

    Looks like he disagreed with the treatment he got.

    Small in stature, big on skill

    Part 2 here
    Guest
    These are the images and emotions from Toronto FC's 1-0 win over FC Edmonton. 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]

    Whatchu' lookin' at, eh?

    It's a game of inches

    Big body player with something to prove

    Maicon continues to be a force to reckon with when the ball is at his feet.

    Demonstrating a measure of control not yet seen at right back this year.
    Guest
    Fans of Resovia Rzeszow at a May 8 match put up a large banner showing a caricatured hook-nosed Jew with a blue and white yarmulke -- the colors of the opposing team -- and the phrase “Death to the Crooked Noses.”

    The Southsiders are known for their clever taunts and chants, and things have kicked off to a new level this year with the additions of new supporter groups throughout the stadium. Last night we saw something a little different as Montreal and Vancouver played out the second tie of their NCC Semi Final. A flare made its way to the pitch.
    If you look on the Southsiders forum board it is an act that is being outright condemned by the entire assembly and accusations are being thrown about as to where the "flare bitch" made their way from. While a flare is a big deal and caused significant damage to both the pitch and the L.E.D. sign boards, the interesting part of the situation is that it has drawn far more attention than the outright display of bigotry that was being sung by our loudest group of fans. As these groups add more members to their numbers and control of their actions becomes more difficult to regulate, the question begs to be asked: who will throw the first banana? And when they do, will anybody care?[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    While calling Ali Gerba fat or accusing him of eating all the pies is flat out funny - even the most rotund of supporters seemed to get into the act - things crossed the line from insensitive to ignorant and then from there, it was no turning back.
    The thought of racism in a Canadian stadium seems outrageous and we like to think "not here" and "we're not like that" but casual racism was just the tip of the iceberg in last night's match.
    It started fairly early on in the game, with occasional calls from ignorant xenophobes to "Separate" and other such lovely patriotic sentiments, and from the press box I could not quite make out what was being sung. It was obviously a rendition of the usual "We're Blue... We're White" but it was followed by Muuuun treee alll...
    As I found myself sitting in my usual seat for the second half, I finally caught on to what was actually being sung. I would have to imagine a chant of "get off the pitch you black monkey" would not be deemed as appropriate by the fans, but somehow in one of the most open minded and accepting cities in the world unmitigated homophobic chants of "We're Pink... We're Black... We take it from the Back..." are acceptable social commentary. In either case we would see a blatant disregard for an individuals equality rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. One is offensive and easily condemned while the other is sung with much laughter and joviality.
    I can't recall a previous situation where the CSA has had to deal with this issue in such a public display as a Nationally Televised event, but I would have to imagine that this would set a precedent if any action is taken in regards to this.
    A while back I came across this fantastic public service ad with regards to Homophobia in the English FA.
    <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1270cn0YxSo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    If it is condemned in England why should it be acceptable here?
    While the chants are directed at players and their feelings are of little concern to most supporters, are the feelings of their fellow fans? The negative connotations associated with homosexuality in sport are offensive in the real world, so why should they be accepted in the stadium? Last night was a hiccup, I am sure. The flare issue will likely be dealt with swiftly, but it seems as though the bigotry will go unpunished for the time being.
    It is easy to say that if you do not like the actions of the group, simply leave. It could even be argued that this sort of thing is confined to the one end of the stand. While these actions do occur at one end of the pitch, the loud voices that the Southsiders pride themselves on echo through the stadium, onto the concourse, and into the night. Children are everywhere in the stadium and are we then telling them that this sort of behaviour is acceptable?
    It's not what we've come to expect from the group that brought us all time classics like "Boundry Road" and "If You Love The Caps Stand Up."
    Just food for thought.
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