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    Guest
    There really was no way to win last night if you were TFC. The Reds had to win and had to win big just to keep people satisfied. Getting the natives excited, well, that would have taken something Messi-like times 11.
    That didn't happen, so the instincts are to find the faults. Even at 3-0 there were some -- a shaky back-line, some struggles to finish and the continued difficulty of finding anyone that can play fullback (both ways, so far we've seen guys that can go forward, but that can't defend to save their life).
    And those are legitimate issues to be concerned about. However, they won 3-0. If ever there was a time to relax, even if it was against a weaker sister, this was it. A berth in the Voyageurs Cup final is all but assured. For the fourth straight year the V-Cup will be presented at BMO Field. Toronto fans hope the team dancing isn't wearing white.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    A word on Edmonton: they weren't bad. Over matched, but not bad. There are some nice pieces on the team and they can grow into something good. The worry remains as to whether Edmonton will embrace the club in a way that allows the club to grow, but those are worries for another day. No one should take anything away from only 5,700 fans braving the rain at 6 p.m. local on a Wednesday night. The story of whether Edmonton can grow to love soccer won't be told for a while yet.
    There was one talking point from the game. Midway through the first half Edmonton's Shaun Saiko received a straight red for a challenge on Oscar Cordon. Writing on Eighty Six Forever (while channelling his inner Lord Bob), CSN's Benjamin Massey called the red...well, let him tell you himself:
    Grievous. Unjust. Pretty clear where Ben stands.
    Writing on MLSsoccer.com (and doing so as part of a straight gamer) I saw it a bit differently:
    You can probably read between the lines.
    It's at 1:41 of the clip below. You decide.
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    Guest

    Winter might be getting somewhere

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    And now, Toronto FC fans are starting to see how this whole Aron Winter thing actually fits together.
    A 3-0 road win against an expansion tier-two team down to ten men for an hour may not be the truest test one might long for, but there was a lot to like in the way TFC approached – and won – their opening Voyageurs Cup match in Edmonton.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The lineup, for example. Julian de Guzman got the night off, which makes good sense given that he’s playing more and more, and still not fully fit coming off his injury. Regulars like Adrian Cann and Javier Martina got the night off, but there were no glaring, obvious holes in the starting eleven Winter rolled out there.
    And here, we’re getting to something. Preki, a year ago, would have benched his goalie, called up the academy, and rolled the dice with a team full of second-stringers both Mo Johnston and his favourite player agent swore up and down could play the game, man, honest!
    What we saw at Commonwealth Stadium last night was that, while Toronto’s front-line talent may or may not prove to be better than last year’s, the players filling out the roster all have specific skills, and are all there for actual football-related reasons.
    Early on, I loved how Toronto’s attackers were playing when Edmonton had the ball. Striker Alan Gordon and attacking mid Maicon Santos were constantly harrying FC Edmonton defenders trying to break out of their own zone. This aggressive forechecking was augmented neatly by TFC Academy grad Oscar Cordon, who looked very comfortable out there – and might even have had two goals on the night with a bit more experience.
    And tiny, relentless gadgetback Joao Plata ran the ball all night, stretching defenders till they snapped. And laying off tasty, dangerous passes to his mates.
    Santos had some gruesome miss-hits, but hit the scoreboard hard for a pair of goals. Gordon was a royal pain in the ass for Edmonton all night, bagging one and unlucky not to have more.
    At the ever-shifting back, newcomer Richard Eckersley showed – again – that he is very capable of getting forward, and keeping attacking plays alive after that appear to have broken down. Winter desperately needs a right back who can do that, as fan favourite Dan Gargan continues to struggle, and look badly out of place in the new Toronto set-up.
    Not that Edmonton rolled over. Not at all. Even playing a man down for the last hour, they still found ways to test Toronto’s back four, and worry starting goalie Stefan Frei. There’s another change, folks. Preki would have rested Frei. And though TFC got decent ‘keeping from the backup spot in cup matches a year ago, Frei made a couple of important saves in this one, continuing his recent string of confident, agile, soaring shot blocks.
    There was no Raivas Hscanovics getting burned out there last night. No goalless Mista eating a roster spot and guzzling back money shots without ever seriously scoring.
    Instead, we saw useful pressure attacking, good hustle in the midfield, strong, confidence-building run-outs for Cordon, Plata and Eckersley, and a well-earned and much-needed night off for de Guzman.
    The 3-0 scoreline renders next Wednesday’s V-Cup rematch at BMO Field largely irrelevant, but it will be another good chance to boost the roster depth – and a terrific moment to come down at watch if you’ve never actually seen Toronto FC play live on the Toronto waterfront.
    Good effort, lads! It’s nice to know there’s a plan out there that’s worthy of the name.
    Onward!
    Guest
    Long Balls has always been suspicious of pro athletes who talk of "peaking at the right time," convinced it was simply a convenient excuse for the fact they'd been half-assing it for the majority of the season up until that moment.
    But we do grant that there are instances, special periods of time, in which skill, dramatic fortune and plain old-fashioned perseverance combine beautifully for an athlete. And they do so at a time when his team and the city or country he represents absolutely need it most.
    A
    from this week's Norwich City - Derby County match go far beyond any words this column could ever spit out to show that Simeon Jackson is living that moment right now.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    His three goals in one match, including the game-winner with the game's last kick, allowed Norwich to hold on to second place in the Championship and the automatic promotion to the Premier League next season that comes with it.
    Jackson has eight goals in six matches. And it's truly amazing how fortunes can turn in a matter of days. For most of the European season Long Balls has been not so subtly highlighting how Jackson's goal-scoring ability had deserted him completely. Now he's the toast of the town amongst Norwich supporters. The same supporters that, along with managers, tend to have a short memory. Jackson's end-of-season scoring tear will surely leave a lasting imprint in management's mind when it comes to deciding who stays and who doesn't in the Premier League.
    Here is
    of Jackson's virtuoso performance on Monday. Long Balls took a moment to reflect on the wild scenes and imagined them occurring at, say, BMO Field instead of Carrow Road and with Jackson wearing a Canada shirt instead of a Norwich one, flinging himself into a swarming mass of red in the northeast corner of the stadium, a smattering of Honduran bodies splayed out on the field in the foreground. It's a good feeling, we suggest you try it too.Other notable Canadian performances from the week.
    Julian Uccello, Casale (Italian fourth division)
    The Ontario native did not play in his club's 1-0 victory over Montichiari on the weekend, but he's at the centre of some additional positive news relating to Canadian internationals. The Serie B club Uccello is on loan from - Crotone - sit mid-table, five points out of a playoff spot for Serie A promotion with five games left in the season.
    Yes, Uccello suiting up in the Serie A would require winning numbers on several longshot bets - Crotone making the playoffs, Crotone making it through the playoffs, and Crotone deciding to keep Uccello around once they arrived in the top flight - but the fact these bets even exist means that Uccello joins Rob Friend (already promoted to the Bundesliga), Simeon Jackson and Marcel de Jong in a group of Canadians who could potentially be playing at the absolute top level in world football next year.
    Josh Simpson, Manisaspor (Turkish first division)
    He played 72 minutes in a 2-1 loss to Bursaspor on the weekend. You're starting to worry us a bit here at Long Balls Josh. You've concocted a wonderful season for yourself but you haven't scored in Turkish league play since February 27, your longest run this season without a goal.
    Issey Nakajima-Farran, Horsens (Danish first division)
    The Canada Mens' National team David Usher doppelganger (based on only a partial resemblance and lazily nominated so by Long Balls) was subbed in at the 76th minute and scored in a 2-0 victory over Lyngby. Canada manager Stephen Hart will be pleased to see his most consistent choice from the subs bench scoring after coming on as a sub.
    Rob Friend, Hertha Berlin (German second division*)
    The asterisk beside the word 'second' is there because Hertha have won promotion to the Bundesliga next season. Friend had 23 appearances for 1,125 minutes and four goals with Hertha in 2010-11. Let's hope he's still there next year.
    Fifth paragraph corrected to show that Simeon Jackson has eight goals in six games, not six goals.
    Guest
    Editors Note:
    While this wasn't their first game, or even their first home game, Edmonton truly broke new ground on soccer last night. The following is an account and story from a new supporter, of the once again new game, in Edmonton. It's a reflection of the early days of an emerging culture and the strength of a growing game.
    By: Nathan Terlesky
    While the Voyageurs Cup didn't begin ideally for FC Edmonton, one thing is for sure; the supporters loved every minute of it. While I personally have always been a bit of a fanatic of whatever I am into at the moment, it was quite refreshing to meet and begin to follow our fledging team over the last year. Cumulating at the first league game of the year, the rollercoaster ride that FC Edmonton fans have been on has been trying, exciting, gut wrenching, and generally all the things that pro-sports should be.
    I fell into the Edmonton Supporters Group (ESG) by joining the Voyageurs forum, and beginning to post on the Edmonton board. After the exhibition season was over, the real roller coaster ride began.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Throughout the lengthy wait for application for sanctioning, the granting of sanctioning, the removal of sanctioning, then the short, year-long sanctioning from the USSF for the NASL, I hovered over the keyboard at any given opportunity, searching for a sign that our team would survive to play a competitive match.
    Though I may be new to the supporters scene, the guidance (and occasional frustration) of other Voyageurs helped me maintain some form of patience, while teaching me to be wary of our front office.
    In January, action appeared to be slowly coming from the front office, causing some optimism to spread into the Edmonton supporters. After a meet and greet between a small number of fans and the front office was arranged, things started to look even better. After the release of the schedule, and the date of the Voyageurs Cup game, most of the ESG was flying high. We finally were starting to see signs that the front office had listened to the fans, and that they actually cared about how the club appeared to Edmonton sports fans.
    The club had long used social media to both promote themselves and communicate with fans. And within days of the new “Stand United” signs going up around town, the followers on Facebook climbed from about 1,200 to over 1,600. The Club hosted an amazing first game at a bar on the south side of Edmonton, and it attracted media and gained some much-needed publicity. The social networking did not stop at Facebook and Twitter; the team enlisted Groupon, which sold over 700 tickets to a midweek game against Toronto FC, that would start before most people were finished work at 6pm local time.
    Less than 24 hours after kickoff, I can honestly say that I am as excited and as anxious as I was before the first game. While the experience of cheering on my team with about 150 fans in a bar was amazing, it was soon surpassed by the feeling of my voice joining in with those of several thousand fans cheering on our beloved FC Edmonton.
    While some may scoff at the number of fans that showed up to Commonwealth last night, the ESG was strong and loud. For all the ups and downs, the disappointing lack of advertising on key occasions, the joy of seeing the team walk out onto the pitch for the first time, the uncertainty of the league actually making it to kick off, the exuberance of the first goal, it has been one hell of a ride for a first time supporter.
    And there is still lots to come.
    Guest
    Today, in this special It's Called Football - Voyageurs Cup Post Game Edition we're joined by Duane Rollins and Rudi Schuller to breakdown the Toronto FC drubbing of FC Edmonton, discuss the emergence of Joao Plata's play and the difference it makes having Alan Gordon and Maicon Santos both playing together.
    Then, we're joined by TSN's Noel Butler to talk about Montreal's poor showing and if they can bounce back, the impact Terry Dunfield may have made on a CMNT head coach who was in attendance and what a night like this means for Canadian soccer.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
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    Guest
    When I was young I believed in many things. I believed that Wayne Gretzky was God, that Ben Johnson was the fastest man alive, and that Canada was a good idea. I still do. Unfortunately, I also believed in us. In Canadians. In our desire to Do Good. I believed – I truly believed – that if we just wished for something hard enough, if we closed our eyes and hugged ourselves really, really hard, we could save Canada. I believed in magical gestures. I believed in the future.
    - Will Ferguson, in Why I Hate Canadians
    The above passage was written in 1996, but the underlying message remains relevant today – that the biggest problem with Canada is that it’s full of Canadians. Hearing that can be a bit jarring, but – and you’d need to read all of Ferguson’s spectacular book to fully understand -- it’s a message we might want to hear if we as a nation are to ever raise above our mediocre reach of today.
    But, what’s that have to do with Canadian soccer? Well, I’ve been thinking a lot lately of what it means to be Canadian, and why so few Canadians seem willing to embrace their true selves. That, of course, manifests itself in football with half empty stadiums watching our national team and with half of those fans that are there cheering for the away team, the team of their ethnic heritage. Within Canadian soccer circles this isn’t a new thing to think of, of course. We’ve been banging our heads against a wall for years to try and figure out how we can get more pro-Canadian crowds in the stadium.
    Playing games in Moncton, withholding group sales to groups interested in supporting the away team, buying thousands of seats and giving them away, and many other ideas have been trotted out as possible ways to turn the stadiums more red and white.
    All of the ideas have some merit. And many might work to a point. However, they all tend to take the blame away from the biggest problem. That problem?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Canadians.
    As a nationality we are the equivalent of a 13-year-old girl. We are only comfortable with ourselves when it’s popular and risk-free to be so (hockey, Vancouver Winter Olympics), we a desperate to be something we’re not (I don’t cheer for Canada. I cheer for Brazil) and tend to define ourselves on what we’re not, rather than what we are (No way am I from the USA).
    Until that thinking changes – and it will one day. We are still a young nation – it’s always going to be a struggle for the dull, everyday-ness of our dominate culture -- Canadian -- to stand out and grab our attention and interest the way our sexy, exciting cultural heritage does. Struggles to draw fans to cheer Canada on to victory in soccer are a symptom, not the disease itself.
    So, what can we as supporters of the national team do then? Sadly, there is no easy answer except to keep challenging those that insist that they have no reason to cheer for Canada, despite the fact they are Canadian (and have been for their whole life).
    One fan at a time. One mind at a time. That’s how this battle will be won.
    If you believe in the importance of supporting Canada then I urge you to buy one extra ticket in the supporter’s section for June 1. Give that ticket to a fan of the game that does not think of Canada typically. Tell them that you are not trying to convince them to abandon their heritage team, but rather to appreciate the culture they live in too.
    If Canada was everyone's No 2 it still wouldn't be ideal, but it would be a start. And right now a start is all that we can hope for.
    Please note that Canadian Soccer News does not financially benefit from the sale of tickets to the Canada – Peru game.
    Guest
    Burning cars! Broken windows! Pet salamanders let free to roam the streets!
    No, I'm not describing a Canadian city after an NHL playoff series victory; rather, I'm describing the fictional outraged response to Canada's draw for World Cup 2010 qualifying a few years back. And while there were no burnt cars or marauding reptiles (that I know of), fans of the men's national team were rather agitated at having been screwed over by CONCACAF and put in a very difficult position in attempting to qualify for South Africa.
    Well kids, CONCACAF has screwed us again for Brazil 2014. 'Cept this time, it feels kinda nice.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    My colleague Grant has ground into the nitty-gritty of CONCACAF's World Cup qualifying scheme in a previous post, so I won't delve into it too deeply here.
    But for context, the outrage in South Africa 2010 qualifying was over the fact that Canada failed to receive an automatic bye to the semi-final round (the round just before the vaunted "Hex"), even though its stellar run in the 2007 Gold Cup suggested that it should have. The anger was not at the fact Canada had to play a home-and-away with St. Vincent and the Grenadines to reach the semi-final round (after all, it gave Ali Gerba a nice opportunity to pad his strike rate). Rather, the sticking point was that Canada ended up in the semi-final round's "group of death" with Mexico, Jamaica and (ugh) Honduras.
    With such a daunting task ahead of them, and with only two World Cup qualifiers under their belt, Canada was under extreme pressure right from the beginning. When they failed to pick up the full three points in their first game of the semi-final round (the epic encounter with Jamaica at BMO Field in August 2008), many fans left the stadium knowing the dreams of qualification were probably already dead. After one game. Which we drew.
    So, that brings us to Brazil 2014. What's changed?
    Canada will, once again, not receive an automatic bye to the semi-final round. But instead of playing a home-and-away against a minnow (last time, St. Vincent) to reach the semi-final round, we'll now have to win a four-team group with three minnows to do so.
    "More games to get to the World Cup?" says the cynic. "Bad news! Just more chances for Canada to fail!"
    Hold your horses.
    We're talking about real minnows here. Not El Salvador or Panama or Trinidad (we can't be drawn into a group with any of them). More like Nicaragua, Antigua, the Cayman Islands or, yeah, St. Vincent.
    We're talking three World Cup qualifiers on Canadian soil this year, sometime in September through November. Three more opportunities to build anticipation and excitement for the squad, in games that really matter. (And hey, maybe a chance for Mission Moncton to come to fruition?)
    We're talking six games (rather than two) with the pressure of World Cup qualifying on the shoulders of the team. Four more chances to build camaradie and chemistry in meaningful games (and, if I may be the cynic for the moment, four additional chances to cap-tie players with multiple options). Four additional opportunities, if coach Stephen Hart sees fit, to give young or "on the bubble" players a chance to show what they can do.
    And we're talking about a situation where Canada knows exactly what the Gold Cup is about this time. A great run at the Gold Cup would be terrific for morale and the team's profile. A less-than-stellar one... meh. Experience still gained. Either way, we know precisely where we stand for World Cup qualifying, and the Gold Cup won't change things.
    Sure, I'm acting as though the quarter-final round will be a cakewalk for Canada... and it sure as hell better be, otherwise I think we may all be due for thorough psychological evaluations.
    But while the qualifying format was changed by CONCACAF to give those minnow teams the benefit of more meaningful games, it's ended up having the same impact on Canada.
    Prior to South Africa 2010, the team simply wasn't adequately prepared, and crumbled when it mattered the most. Going into Brazil 2014, we'll be facing a similarly difficult group in the semi-final round -- going up against two of the region's top six (U.S., Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Cuba). But we'll enter with more preparation, more organization and, hopefully, a lot more momentum.
    That's no guarantee of anything, of course. But in Canadian soccer, you take every small bit of positive news you can get.
    Guest
    With the Nutrilite Canadian Championship for the Voyageurs Cup ready to kick-off tomorrow, it's once again time for Toronto fans to fret about what can go wrong. In spite winning the last two versions of the event -- and wining the 2010 cup fairly comprehensively -- there is a lingering feeling that everything TFC touches turns to S...omething that isn't good.
    If you are a TFC fan you feel that you deal with enough. You don't want to have to listen to domestic chirping from Vancouver, Montreal or, God-forbid, Edmonton if they take the Reds out in the competition. TFC must win. They must raise that cup once more to the BMO Field faithful and then travel to El Salvador (or somewhere else like it) to play a team that most fans had to look up on Wikipedia the day before.
    So, there is a lot of fear.
    Relax. First of all what's the worst thing that could happen. The Reds have lost in ways that defy belief anyway, so what would a 3-2 loss to an expansion NASL team (as a totally random example) mean anyway?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The other side of this is the uncomfortable question of whether it's in the best interest of the team to win the damn thing anyway -- logically, not emotionally. No one is going to argue that a fan or player should ever want to lose something, but sometimes the glass is half-full, you know.
    Would a TFC NCC loss represent a half-full glass? It would reduce the fixture congestion that bedevilled the club last year. It would give the club more training time and prevent the possibility of a really embarrassing night in some Latin American stadium. For a club that is rebuilding there is very little good that could come from the CCL actually. It's not like TFC could win the damn thing.
    Still, as stated, you can never quite bring yourself to want to lose. So maybe there is a third answer. Maybe TFC fans should want to win the NCC on their own terms.
    Every indication so far is that TFC will use the NCC, and the first tie in particular, to take a look at younger players and those that aren't getting as much playing time as you would like. This is a good thing. Squeaking out a win with the club's best XI doesn't really prove much. There isn't much to choose talent wise between TFC and Vancouver and the other two clubs are in a lower league. Although it may not seem like it Toronto is the co-favourite.
    So play the kids. Then if you do win it is something to get excited about. And if they run the academy guys out and don't get a result then, well, let Vancouver deal with the humidity, terrible officiating, mind bending travel and thankless task of representing Canada in the CCL.
    Seeing what it can do to a season might be good for their fans humility anyway...
    Guest
    The Nutrilite Canadian Championship for the Voyageurs Cup – flows off the tongue, eh?
    Ok, not really. However, that mouthful is what I decided on a couple years ago when it comes to addressing the Canadian Cup competition, which starts tomorrow. It’s a sensitive topic for many. Those that feel that corporate branding is the bane of modern football hate the Nutrilite label. For these types of fans it’s Voyageurs Cup or nothing.
    Then again there is a subsection of the fan base – bigger than many want to admit – that really have no clue what you are talking about if you just say “Voyageurs Cup.” For these newer fans Nutrilite Canadian Championship, or “NCC” is the way to communicate.
    It’s impossible to satisfy the former group, while communicating what you are talking about to the latter. Unless you create a cumbersome and ineloquent term.
    So, Nutrilite Canadian Championship for the Voyageurs Cup it is.
    But, should it have to be?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Well, probably.
    Canadian soccer needs corporate support. So, to never say Nutrilite is counterproductive to the growth of the game. Why would a sponsor pay naming rights if no one uses the name? Yes, it does see, well, cynical to throw corporate names on things, the truth is it’s how the world works now. So, you can’t leave out the N in the NCC.
    Yet, ignoring the Voyageurs Cup ignores the history of the thing. And, it’s a great history. Most reading here don’t need to be reminded, but if you are new:
    The Cup was conceived in 2002 when fans in Canada grew sick of waiting for anyone involved in the game to show some leadership and actually do something on the club level. So hundreds of individual fans came together, passed the hat around and bought Canada a national cup. The CSA didn’t get it done in the 90 years it had been around at the time, so the fans took it upon themselves.
    Then they kept it alive through six seasons of varying indifference by the clubs. It probably would have stayed that way if it wasn’t for CONCACAF changing the format of its confederation championship and, by doing so, opening up a spot for Canada. Suddenly a competition was needed and if you have a competition then you might as well have a cup.
    Technically the competition and the cup are different things, but emotionally they are not. One day Nutrilite will put its money somewhere else and that competition will change in name, but the cup will always be there.
    As fans, let’s thank Nutrilite by using the name, but let’s also show respect for those that don’t have a financial stake in things – those that have always just wanted to see the game grow stronger.
    The Nutrilite Canadian Championship for the Voyageurs Cup. Actually, it’s not that much of a mouthful is it?
    Guest
    At the time of this writing, the Vancouver Whitecaps are in Montreal, Quebec, preparing for the first leg of the Voyageurs Cup semi-final against the Montreal Impact. God, the Montreal Impact. The Portland Timbers and the Seattle Sounders are, of course, Vancouver's greatest rivals, but there's something to be said for the amount of sheer, venomous hatred the Impact can inspire in Whitecaps supporters. Their signing of Bill Gaudette, who might be Vancouver's goalkeeping arch-nemesis, over the summer only deepened the black rift between Montreal and Vancouver.
    So when the Whitecaps play the Impact, it'll be the renewal of a historic rivalry. But it'll also be a strategic conundrum for Teitur Thordarson and the Whitecaps coaching staff. It's a difficult midweek road game against the Impact and the hostile Ultras of Stade Saputo. It's a semi-final for the Voyageurs Cup, and opinions differ on how much the Voyageurs Cup matters relative to the league. Moreover, there's another tricky league game coming on the weekend as the Whitecaps, already sinking out of the playoff picture, try to get back to their winning ways against the Columbus Crew. Then there's the lingering suspicions of the Impact's ability. Montreal hasn't had the toughest schedule but they're winless through three games and have not looked good. Their most recent effort, a 0-0 draw at home to FC Tampa Bay in the weekend, wouldn't have turned any doubters into believers as the Impact's vaunted midfield and highly-reputed attacking corps failed to break through the mediocre Tampa Bay defense, while the Rowdies forwards got a few surprising chances.
    So on every level, the temptation will be there for Teitur Thordarson. Why not play a weakened lineup? A few guys who don't matter too much in the big scheme of things, maybe a couple Residency players? You might beat the Impact anyway and even if you don't, well, you've still got the home leg coming up next week and plenty of time to make up as many goals as you have to. Why not?
    Because it would be disgracing a tournament the Whitecaps have a chance to win, that's why not.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The good news is that it looks like the Whitecaps will take this game seriously. They've brought a 20-man roster of mostly credible names. A few guys nursing injury, like Jay DeMerit, are staying at home but the core of the Whitecaps is there. They've also taken a chance bringing along a few players nursing injuries but still potentially useful like Jeb Brovsky and Shea Salinas. Also, Gershon Koffie is being flown in from the African Youth Championship in South Africa and is expected to be available. Both Koffie and designated player Eric Hassli are suspended for the weekend MLS game; the Whitecaps have nothing to lose by throwing both players to the Montreal wolves.
    Teitur Thordarson has a history of taking the Voyageurs Cup seriously, even when he had no chance to win it. In 2008 and 2009, the Whitecaps relied heavily on first teamers and were rewarded with some big victories and, in 2009, very nearly a trophy. In 2010, the results were less good but so was the team. Even in the last match at BMO Field, with the Whitecaps eliminated and Toronto FC just waiting for the coronation, he played most of his key components like Jay Nolly and Martin Nash just to give the Toronto faithful a good show in the pouring rain. He's experimented in the Voyageurs Cup occasionally (Doudou Toure, come on down!) but for the most part he's stuck to his guns and put up an enviable record because of it.
    The temptation has to be there to make a few moves, though. Some of the Whitecaps faithful have been agitating to see Joe Cannon start instead of Jay Nolly; this may be a good chance to try that. Players like Salinas and Mouloud Akloul are close to game shape and this might be an opportunity to see where they're at, to give them a chance to stretch their legs.
    But no. Teitur should stick to his guns and put out the lineup most likely to win this game. It's not just about the CONCACAF Champions League, or the joy of beating Montreal on their own turf (although those are both very real considerations). It's the simple fact that the Vancouver Whitecaps might win a trophy. Toronto FC's won the last two Voyageurs Cups and, despite having suffered some pretty wrenching moments in the regular season since then, those two championships are Toronto's forever. It's something nobody can take away from them, something both players and supporters can look at with a little pride in their hearts.
    Right now, the Whitecaps are losing games, drawing the ones they don't lose, fighting through injuries. The playoffs are currently beyond us; an MLS Cup is simply unthinkable. But the Voyageurs Cup is right here for the taking. Vancouver is closely matched to all three of these teams. If they win, they can boast a trophy that they've never won before during their first season in Major League Soccer. And then they can lick their hurts, dive into the CONCACAF Champions League, and try to be the next Real Salt Lake.
    That's why you play your best players in this game and damn the Columbus Crew. Because this game matters, and Columbus really doesn't.
    Guest

    Four teams, two tickets to Wembley

    By Guest, in Euro File,

    This week brings us the penultimate legs of the UEFA Champions League semi finals, both compelling fixtures that tell vastly different stories.
    On one side of the bracket, there's the battle of the Spanish giants. The other side gives us a bit of a David vs. Goliath matchup between a team that is almost always still around at this stage in the competition against a somewhat surprising German side that has played some fantastic football recently.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Schalke 04 v. Manchester United
    Schalke is a team that is seemingly thriving on this competition. Their league performance has been fairly crap throughout the season (they sit in 10th - well back of the big boys in the Bundesliga), and yet they've looked thoroughly deserving of reaching the final four of the best club tournament on Earth. Getting the first leg at home should makes thing a bit easier on the rank underdogs of this semi-final round.
    As for their opponents, Manchester United is back to being Manchester United. The Red Devils are cruising along in the Premier League, well on the way to a 19th title. Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez has broken out as a genuine star, while incumbent superstar Wayne Rooney has been rounding back into form in recent weeks.
    One has to think that Man United's experience in this competition, as well as their stature as a team versus their opponents, should give them a decided edge in the semi-final round against Schalke. But then, the same could have been said for all of Schalke's previous foes.
    Real Madrid v. Barcelona (El Clasico)
    These two teams must be starting to get sick of one another, as they've already played each other twice over the past couple of weeks. Barcelona in particular must be growing wary of a Real Madrid side that has made them look far more human of late, going against the grain of a season in which the Blaugrana have been damned near invincible.
    Kicking things off in the Bernabéu gives the advantage squarely to Madrid, as they will look to extend the momentum of last week's Copa del Rey win into the Champions League. Barça will have to try to quickly regain their form of a month ago to win this series, although a close result in the first leg would be an okay result going back to Camp Nou next week.
    Guest
    Tonight, we're joined by Stuart Neely, Director of the Toronto FC Academy, to talk more about additional plans for the training facility, the future of Jim Brennan and Danny Dichio as coaches and what qualifies as a success when graduating players to the first team.
    We're also joined by FC Edmonton Head Coach Harry Sinkgraven to talk about the Nutrilite Voyageurs Cup, his team's strong start and their commitment to signing Canadian kids.
    We'll also breakdown the Toronto v Columbus game, debate where Vancouver's Davide Chiumento ranks among the league's best set up men and discuss the future of Head Coach Stephen Hart with the national team.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/22876/apr252011final.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
    The sights from the Toronto FC vs Columbus game on April 23, 2011.
    All photos are taken by Chris Hazard from Photo Hazard. He shoots the Toronto FC home games for Canadian Soccer News.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    Staring contest

    Pissing contest

    Dejection

    Elation

    Ejection
    Guest
    The sights from the Toronto FC vs Columbus game on April 23, 2011.
    All photos are taken by Chris Hazard from Photo Hazard. He shoots the Toronto FC home games for Canadian Soccer News.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    Let's all laugh at the Crew

    A step too far

    Maicon on the attack

    Competing for the ball

    Starting to take flight
    Guest
    For the third year in a row, longstanding Canadian soccer blog Out Of Touch will be running a Nutrilite Canadian Championship pool. If you want in on the action, you'd better get moving, as the deadline is noon ET on Wednesday. The winner of the pool receives a neato prize... and I can assure you it's legit, as I just so happened to be the winner of the aforementioned neato prize back in 2009.
    For all the details and to enter the pool, head over to Out Of Touch.
    Good luck.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
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