Jump to content

  • Articles

    Manage articles
    Show all categories
    Guest

    RSL v Monterrey live CCL blog

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Join us tonight for a live blog of the CCL final. It's Called Football will return on Friday.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <iframe src="http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php/option=com_altcaster/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=9fb1b96b2a/height=550/width=470" scrolling="no" height="550px" width="470px" frameBorder ="0" allowTransparency="true" ><a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=9fb1b96b2a" >#MLS4RSL - CCL final, first leg</a></iframe>
    Guest
    Welcome to this week's edition of Don't Fight The Laws, in which I combine my years of being a referee with my years of being a smartass to provide my answers to your questions about the Laws of the Game, controversial decisions and other odds and ends relating to referees and what they do.
    Got a question? Send it over to canadiansoccerguys@gmail.com. But for this week, we have the following...
    Squizz, feel like tackling that statistical disparity the number of cards in EPL v MLS? Why? How? Why? -- Gary "GaryJambo" Russell, Toronto
    Well, as I told Gary, since this isn't strictly a Laws question, I'll have to deviate from my normal approach and venture into the realm of baseless conjecture to answer this one. Fortunately, Canada's in the middle of a federal election, so the "baseless conjecture" vibes are definitely flowing as it is.
    Anyway, Eric Beard of A Football Report tweeted out last week that in 317 Premier League matches (to that point) there'd been 57 red cards, while in MLS there'd been 16 reds in 36 games. That's an average of 0.18 reds per match in England versus 0.44 in northern North America. So, what's the deal?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Before coming to a conclusion, it's worth considering an article by Chris Anderson at the New York Times Soccer Blog, dated March 17. He notes that this season, not only have MLS refs called fewer fouls, on average, than EPL refs (and significantly fewer than refs in Spain, Italy or Germany), but they've also doled out fewer yellow cards than their their counterparts in the Premiership, La Liga, the Bundesliga or Serie A. Anderson concludes:

    So... fewer fouls called and yellows doled out, but significantly more red cards shown? Time for some baseless conjecture! Those numbers would suggest the possibility that, as more and more infringements go uncalled or unpunished during the course of a game, the potential for players exploding in a sudden burst of send-offable rage goes up. But it could also be that MLS players don't have the training/ability/know-how to avoid doing things that can get them sent off. For instance, could you envision someone in the EPL doing this?
    <object data="data:application/x-silverlight-2," type="application/x-silverlight-2" width="464" height="308"><param name="source" value="http://mls.neulion.com/mlsvp/scripts/mls.xap"/><param name="initParams" value="server=http://mls.neulion.com/mlsvp/,pageurl=http://mls.neulion.com/mlsvp/console.jsp?id=4723&catid=114,id=4723,shareembed=true,"/><param name="background" value="Transparent" /><param name="minRuntimeVersion" value="3.0.40624.0" /><param name="autoUpgrade" value="true" /><param name="Windowless" value="true" /><param name="enableHtmlAccess" value="true"/><a href="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=149156&v=3.0.40624.0" style="text-decoration:none"><img src="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=108181" alt="Get Microsoft Silverlight" style="border-style:none"/></a></object>
    Maybe that card was a bit harsh, but I doubt we'd see a top-level European-based player sticking their cleat into the goalkeeper's face, even if there is no malicious intent.
    There's a third potential conclusion (there are plenty of others, too, but this is the last one I'll offer for now), which is that the marked difference between the awarding of yellow and red cards (vis-a-vis the other European leagues) speaks to a failing in game management by some MLS officials. That dovetails nicely into the next query...
    Not really a question, but I would like to hear your opinion on Toledo and how he calls games and why it's different than most. -- Ben Rycroft, Toronto
    Rest assured, Ben's not referring to Toledo, Ohio, since we've already heard plenty this week from Torontonians about cities in Ohio:
    <object width="480" height="301" id="embed" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="movie" value="http://torontofc.neulion.com/tfc/embed.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="flashVars" value="catid=2&id=2996&server=http://torontofc.neulion.com/tfc/&pageurl=http://torontofc.neulion.com/tfc/&nlwa=http://track1.neulion.com/tfc/" /><embed name="embed" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer" src="http://torontofc.neulion.com/tfc/embed.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="301" quality="high" allowFullScreen="true" flashVars="catid=2&id=2996&server=http://torontofc.neulion.com/tfc/&pageurl=http://torontofc.neulion.com/tfc/&nlwa=http://track1.neulion.com/tfc/"></embed></object>
    No, he's referring to Baldomero Toledo, a USSF referee that Ben holds in such high regard that he got the ball rolling on a #NewJobsForToledo hashtag on Twitter after Vancouver's game with New England earlier this season. That game's most memorable moment was -- as is the case in many games officiated by Toledo -- the awarding of a red card:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt3mLtylRq8
    Sure, that red against Eric Hassli was justified. But generally speaking, a fourth potential answer to Gary's question about the preponderance of red cards in MLS is that Toledo is artificially inflating the average all by himself. As of last year, Toledo averaged about one red card every two games (0.5 per match, above the MLS overall average) over the course of his MLS career. Some of them have, to say the least, been of the rather dubious variety, including the curious case of Dejan Jakovic earlier this season:
    <object data="data:application/x-silverlight-2," type="application/x-silverlight-2" width="464" height="308"><param name="source" value="http://mls.neulion.com/mlsvp/scripts/mls.xap"/><param name="initParams" value="server=http://mls.neulion.com/mlsvp/,pageurl=http://www.mlssoccer.com,id=13112,shareembed=true,"/><param name="background" value="Transparent" /><param name="minRuntimeVersion" value="3.0.40624.0" /><param name="autoUpgrade" value="true" /><param name="Windowless" value="true" /><param name="enableHtmlAccess" value="true"/><a href="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=149156&v=3.0.40624.0" style="text-decoration:none"><img src="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=108181" alt="Get Microsoft Silverlight" style="border-style:none"/></a></object>
    (A shout out here to Jeremy Aubry, who asked me about this call several weeks ago; my opinion, in its simplest form: bullshit call.)
    Everyone likes to hear their own opinion validated, so I'm sure Ben will love my answer to his question (as he's made the same point on It's Called Football before). It seems that cards, to Toledo, are like shots of tequila: If he can go with a few of them on the night, spaced out and at appropriate times, then everything's fine. But if he gets one or two of them going early on, then the whole night spins away quickly, leaving everyone in a heap of headaches and remorseful rambling the following morning.
    It's a fine balance that referees need to strike. A referee must be in control of the match, or the players will run wild. But there's also the risk of being too authoritarian, which stifles the flow and can negatively affect the outcome. Soccer refereeing is a damned difficult job at the best of times, and it's made even more difficult in a league like MLS, where there are a wide variety of cultural influences and skill levels at play.
    Not many fans have love for a guy like Toledo, but the reality is that, until the next generation of USSF referees is ready to go, he'll remain at the forefront of MLS. As this league continues to evolve, grow and figure out just what the hell it is, exactly, my guess is that when the choice is between passive and aggressive refereeing, the league will nearly always side with the latter.
    Suppose a player commits a foul (second yellow) and advantage is called by the referee; however, during the course of play, that same player scores a goal. Does the referee then send the player off due to the earlier foul? -- Panos Kelamis, Toronto
    Now we're in my wheelhouse! Straight up Laws inquiry; no insight, no conjecture, beauty.
    Even if everyone knows a player is going to be cautioned or sent off once play is stopped, the player has not received the sanction until the card is actually shown. Therefore, as long as there is no stoppage in play between that foul and the player scoring the goal, the goal is legit. The ref would then show the second yellow, the subsequent red, and Player A would get to take an early shower as a departing hero (unless his goal was the consolation marker in a 5-1 drubbing or something).
    And to those who think it'd be ridiculous to see a player score, then immediately get sent off, I suggest scrolling up to the Hassli video above.
    That's it for this week. Send your questions to canadiansoccerguys@gmail.com, and your query may turn up in the next edition of Don't Fight The Laws.
    Guest

    Home crowds for home teams

    By Guest, in It's Called Football,

    Public tickets will go on sale for the Canada v Ecuador game in Toronto Wednesday morning.
    News was already filtering in late last week – even before the pre-sale – that the Canadian Soccer Association was getting bombarded by calls from Ecuadorian supporters looking to arrange group sales and purchase sections.
    More than one person involved with the ticket sales muttered the phrase ‘it could be worse than Peru’ to me this past weekend.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    For those that have forgotten – lucky you – but despite one of the largest, organized displays by Canadian national team supporters in recent memory, they were dwarfed by a stadium of Peru mad soccer fans. The result went the wrong way and so it only made things worse to watch a Canadian home game once again transformed into an away match environment.
    That is nothing new for those who have been carrying the Voyageur’s and national team supporters banner for the last generation. Every one of them has horror stories of being spit on, cornered or outnumbered by 10-1 while carrying the Canadian flag into their home stadiums. And it usually ends with them laying the blame at the feet of a CSA who hasn’t cared enough, or hasn’t even been organized enough, to know what to do about it.
    It’s an ugly reality and one, now that the CSA is increasingly getting its house in order, that many across the Canadian soccer spectrum are discussing how to change.
    Aside from taking hardcore measures like checking passports - which, even the most hardcore will admit is too far – there are few easy answers.
    However, it’s in the interest of the CSA to start asking the question: how can we ensure we give the Canadian national team a home field advantage during the next World Cup cycle?
    There is clear, tangible evidence to suggest creating that kind of environment for national team soccer in Canada could translate into future pro-Canadian audiences. Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps largely sold hockey cities on the idea of soccer by using just that kind of Ultras imagery and have turned them into financial family successes - even if the on-field product have seen mixed results.
    What the public at large don’t want to see, what they won’t invest their money in, is watching an average product (let’s be real folks, we’re not world beaters yet with our 75th FIFA world ranking) and in an environment where they’re treated like second-class citizens.
    So, how do you give the Canadian families who want to support Canada a chance to fill out the seats?
    Things to consider might be starting to limit out of country group sales until the week before the game. Toronto FC fans will tell you how Vancouver allegedly dragged its heels to ensure they didn’t see a Columbus-like invasion. A 100 still showed but it could have been upwards of 500 if you believe some estimates.
    Another option is to perhaps look at using staggered pre-sales that ensure that the local clubs can still buy large sections of seats in the lead up to games – the realities of family life can prevent even soccer people from buying tickets in April for a game in June.
    Or, even go to the extreme, when it comes to the World Cup qualifying stages, bite the bullet a few times and paper the houses with Canadian-only fans. In the short term, yes, the CSA would take a financial hit, but in the long run, with the media exposure you’d gain from having a full stadium singing for O’Canada and the imprint you’d indelibly leave on the casual sports fan, it would surely be worth the future return.
    These are just some ideas. I’m not pretending to have all the answers. Hell, even any of them.
    But, simply put, it's reasonable to expect that this home friendly on June 1 will not be Canadian friendly, it's not reasonable to accept that any home World Cup qualifying matches in the next cycle will be hostile towards Canadians.
    Get it sorted.
    __
    If you want to buy tickets to the Canada v Ecuador game, it's easy. You can purchase them here or on the front page of Canadian Soccer News for only $17. Yellow shirts will not be admitted to these sections

    Guest

    Feilhaber a Rev for now

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    US international Benny Feilhaber was claimed by the New England Revolution today on an allocation. It came after four days of speculation as to whether Chivas USA would pick up the midfielder, after he signed with the league on transfer deadline day.
    For those a little shaky on the rules, allocation can mean one of two things in MLS. It either refers to funds that can be used to pay for incoming transfers or to buy salary off the cap or, as in the case today, it refers to the process that “big”, non-DP signings to the league are distributed (remember, the league owns the players in MLS, not the teams.)
    We are generally talking about American internationals that are getting paid at, or close to, the max. In Feilhaber's case it’s being suggested that he will be making $400,000.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    In the end Chivas decided that they couldn’t afford Feilhaber’s cap hit. They want a forward and Feilhaber doesn’t meet their needs. Philly had already let it be known that he wasn’t in their plans so it came down to whether New England wanted to grab a hold of the asset.
    I say asset because the rumours strongly suggest that Feilhaber is going to end up in Houston. Apparently the Dynamo made an offer to Chivas that would have seen the Goats claim the player then send him to Texas. However, Chivas felt that the No 1 slot in the allocation order was more valuable than what Houston was offering.
    Houston and New England are alleged to be hammering out a deal as I type.
    By selecting Feilhaber, New England moves to the back of the line. That bumps Toronto up to the four slot and Vancouver to No 15 (the Caps used their allocation to grab Jay DeMerit). Montreal will jump to the top of the list next season.
    The full list is:

    Chivas USA
    Philadelphia Union
    Houston Dynamo
    Toronto FC
    Chicago Fire
    Sporting Kansas City
    Seattle Sounders FC
    Columbus Crew
    New York Red Bulls
    Real Salt Lake
    San Jose Earthquakes
    LA Galaxy
    FC Dallas
    Colorado Rapids
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Portland Timbers
    D.C. United
    New England Revolution

    Toronto last made a claim in July 2008 when then GM Mo Johnston used the top pick to claim Brian McBride. It was widely known that McBride was only interested in going to Chicago, so Toronto was using its selection to gain leverage to force Chicago to give up something in return. Eventually Chad Barrett came to the Reds.
    TFC’s only other use of the allocation process was in 2007 when it selected Conor Casey.
    It’s probably a long shot that Toronto will gain a player off the list this season, but if the opportunity presents itself let's hope the new management will find a way to convince the player claimed to come to Toronto. Allocation picks are often the foundations of good MLS clubs.
    Guest

    All for One for MLS?

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    #MLS4RSL
    For those not familiar with the workings of Twitter, what’s above is a hashtag. A hashtag is something that users put in their Tweets so that others with a similar interest can find their 140 characters of goodness. So, when I write about Toronto FC on Twitter I will more often than not use the #TFC hashtag (and it’s why a lot or Realtors end up following #MLS writers).
    The hashtag above was created for Real Salt Lake as it takes on Monterrey in the CONCACAF Champions League final. In case you’re not great with the language of the Internet (get off my lawn you damn kids) the tag is to be read “MLS for RSL.” The league – or at least those in it responsible for Social Media policy – are calling on MLS fans of every team to cheer Salt Lake on to victory.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It seems innocent enough. Here in Canada there isn’t much to get upset about when it comes to RSL. Hell, they even have Will Johnson. However, the folks in Colorado are less enthused. You can’t really blame them. Could you imagine the reaction in Toronto if the hashtag were #MLS4Crew. That just wouldn’t fly.
    It begs the question: should MLS fans feel compelled to cheer for RSL? For some the answer will be an emotional one. They will feel connected to Salt Lake because they share a league and a culture with them. Therefore they will cheer for the club because they want to.
    However, if you have a natural rilvary with them, or you are indifferent you must ask a second question: Does RSL winning the Champions League mean a damn thing to MLS as a whole?
    That’s not clear. Yes, it would be a chance to play in the Club World Cup, but as much as some like the idea of that competition it’s a long way from really mattering. Besides, it would only expose their terrible name to more people.
    For now, however, the CWC is really just a nice bonus for winning. The real value comes from whether it increases the league’s reputation within CONCACAF. If more Latin American players aspire to play in MLS the league will be better. And, if MLS is to really take a step forward and start to challenge Europe and South America for talent – prime talent – it first needs to become the clear best in its own region. We are a ways off that now.
    We are a ways off all of this really, but there is an argument to be made that a RSL win will help the league as a whole. So, if you are the logical type, maybe you should think about supporting the #MLS4RSL initiative.
    No one is going to blame you if you don’t though.
    Guest

    All for One for Canada

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    As most know by now, the Canadian Soccer Association is looking to bring in a big name opponent to celebrate the organization’s Centennial next year. It’s a poorly kept secret that England and France are the targets.
    There is some logic to it. The two founding cultures (with apologizes to our aboriginal friends) offer a great symbolic story. They both would also be a big draw, as many of us have connections to the nations and cheer for them once Canada drops out of World Cup competition.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]As someone with English heritage – and a lifelong anglophile – I certainly would be excited on a personal level to see the English circus come to town (fanboy aside: especially if Adam Johnson was called). However, I question whether it’s the right thing to do.
    If the goal is just to sell a bunch of tickets, then sure. Clearly, there are very few countries in the world that can draw more. Olympic Stadium and BC Place would be packed. The CSA will make a lot of coin (although it won’t be cheap to bring them here) and God knows the association could use the money.
    But, should that be what a Centennial celebration should be about? Should we not also want to do something that builds the game and helps to bring a new generation of fans to the national team cause? It doesn’t seem likely that many of the kids that show up in England or France gear are going to walk away desperate for Iain Hume’s autograph. Canada has played the big boys before – Brazil, Spain, Germany and Argentina all within the last 10 years alone – and even decent results against those countries does not sway the casual fan to get out and support Canada when it’s Honduras that’s in town.
    As (new) Vancouver fans are learning and what TFC fans know, a passionate, full and partisan crowd is what hooks people to the experience of supporting. Unfortunately for Canada, there are rarely opportunities to get that type of crowd. The Aug. 20, 2008 game against Jamaica was as close as we’ve ever come and even then the crowd was likely as high as one-third Jamaican support.
    Canada is a nation of immigrants and one that does not foster a unique culture of its own. That creates a liquid nationalism that sees nothing wrong in taking to the street after Canadian Olympic hockey gold and flying a German flag on their car every two years.
    It’s going to take a sustained qualifying campaign (and a successful one) for Canadian support to grow beyond its current cult following. It could happen, but not from sideshows like England and France.
    There is, however, one team that could be brought in that could unite Canadians to cheer for Canada. I’m talking, of course, about the United States.
    By all means bring England and France here next summer. As stated, it will be a fun 90 minutes. But, why not play a third game to celebrate the Centennial. BMO Field seems about the right size.
    And If we’re really lucky the Americans would call Teal Bunbury.
    Guest
    Tonight, we'll be joined by Travis Clark, a DC United and MLS writer, to help breakdown the Toronto FC thumping, discuss the possible re-location of the team and what the return of Charlie Davies has meant to the team and U.S. soccer
    We'll also discuss Toronto's plans for a new training facility, bet on how many red cards Eric Hassli will take for Vancouver this year and debate where Real Salt Lake's accomplishment ranks among North American soccer successes.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/22768/apr192011final.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
    Eduardo Sebrango announced his retirement today and confirmed that he would remain as a forward coach for the Academy program. Sebrango, 38 will also be responsible of the Secondary I players and also take the assistant-coach role for the U16 team.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Wilfried Nancy was confirmed as the U18 team coach, and ex-Impact player Jason diTullio will be head of the U16 program.
    All the nominations:
    Wilfried Nancy: U18 Coach
    Jason DiTullio: U16 Coach
    Eduardo Sebrango: Secondary II Players Coach
    Antoine Guldner: Secondary I Players Coach + Responsible of mental preparation
    Owen Braun: Goalkeeper Coach
    Jean-Yves Grenouillat: Academy Head Scout
    Yannick Girard: Academy Physical Trainer
    Louis-Philippe Grenier: Family councillor
    Julie Bertrand: Therapist
    Guest

    Sober Second Thoughts: Getting enough

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Aron Winter was late. Very late, actually. Normally the coach arrives for his post game press conference about 10 minutes after the final whistle. On Saturday, it was closer to 25 minutes.
    After a tense few seconds, one brave reporter tentatively stuck his toe in the water.
    “You may not want to, but...” the question began.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    No one wanted to talk about the 3-0 loss to DC United. No one should. It was as bad as, well, the last time DC United came to town. Mo Johnston left town on a rail following that game and although it’s highly unlikely that history will repeat itself this time there will be fall-out.
    A flare lit in section 127 late in the match caused that section – the home of the North End Elite – to be removed from the stadium. No one is talking from the group – a good guess is that security asked for the identity of the flare lighter and the group left out of solidarity. Regardless it could be a bit of a mess waiting to happen. It will be interesting to see whether the group is back for Columbus next week.
    On the other side of the pitch, U-Sector and Red Patch Boys decided that there was only one way to deal with a heartless performance – sing Depeche Mode’s You Just Can’t get Enough for 20 minutes straight.
    I have it on good authority they were being ironic. Or, as one person -- who just so happens to write for this site -- so eloquently put it: “Fuck it, if the game is going to be shit we might as well have fun.”
    There wasn’t much fun to be had on the cold and miserable night. Down 2-0 less than 12 minutes into the game with no fight back at all. Ugly is too pretty of a word to describe it.
    Following the game Winter wasn’t hiding. He said he was ashamed of the performance and that “the only” good thing was the fans. He said that there would be tough days during the rebuild, but that there was “a way to do lose.”
    There are and Toronto fans have probably seen every single way that it is possible.
    They just can’t get enough...
    Guest

    The new boss in Alberta

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    Ole Jacobsen, past head of the Airdrie District Soccer Association just north of Calgary, has been acclaimed as the new president of the Alberta Soccer Association.
    All four of the top positions on the ASA board were acclaimed at Saturday’s annual general meeting.
    The voting block that backed Mario Charpentier in his overthrow of ex-ASA president Chris Billings – anchored by the Edmonton and Calgary Minor Soccer Association – did not run any candidates.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Sources in Alberta say Charpentier is still hoping the Canadian Soccer Association will overthrow the results of January’s special general meeting, which resulted in Charpetier and six of his directors being summarily dismissed.
    That hope was dimmed recently, when the CSA Appeals Committee refused to hear the case, stating that they “lack jurisdiction.”
    Jacobsen is described as a reformer, who has pressed the ASA for governance change for years. This could mark a significant shift in the balance of power on the CSA board, where controversial “no” votes from Alberta scuttled two CSA reform proposals at the national soccer body’s most recent special general meeting.
    Both Charpentier and Billings are now officially removed from the ASA board.
    CSA director-at-large Mike Traficante – frequently named by Billings and his supporters as a key contributor to the ongoing Alberta soccer dispute – was present at the ASA meeting.
    Onward!
    Guest

    Hope and the TFC Academy

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    For years it has been understood that the Vancouver Whitecaps stood alone at the top of the Canadian player development. And there is little doubt that the club’s residential program remains right there at the forefront.
    However, today the Caps east coast rivals may have raised the stakes. Details of the long rumoured facility were announced Monday at BMO Field. The cost ended up higher than the $17.5 million that was originally suggested, with MLSE officials saying that the Downsville Park location will come it at nearly $20-million.
    Tom Anselmi was a bit like the clichéd kid on Christmas morning:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Ben Rycroft reported the details earlier today – three grass pitches, a keeper practice pitch and several multi-use fields along with the requisite office space. Although it’s still all in the future, Anselmi reminded those at the press conference that there were already five graduates from the facility-less TFCA. Imagine what they could do with a proper investment, the rhetorical question that hung in the air.
    Indeed, it was a day that felt like anything was possible. Bob de Klerk talked about how it was the plans for the academy were one of the reasons that he decided to come to Toronto. It was just like they brought Ajax to Toronto, he joked. Not joking, he talked about the desire to bring the program all they way to a U-6 level. That might take some time, he understood, but he liked the direction.
    Another important detail he talked about was the desire to keep consistency throughout program. Using props, he stressed that a No 9 should mean the same thing from the u-10 team all the way through to the senior side.
    But it’s no good to build a base if the rest of the house is falling down. That’s something that head coach Aron Winter stressed.
    “When the results of the first team aren’t (good), you can’t be (good) at the lower levels,” he stressed.
    TFC fans will likely agree, but they should also take a moment today to feel hope – something that has been in short supply at TFC over the last four years.
    Guest
    As expected, Toronto FC announced this morning that its new $17.5 million training facility will be located at Downsview Park.
    The facility, which will include three outdoor grass fields and one bubble enclosed turf field, is slated to open in April 2012.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The project, funded fully by MLSE, will be the new home for Toronto FC management, while operations staff will still be housed at BMO Field.
    The full academy roster, now including age groups as young as 13, will call the facility their home, while a number of affiliated feeder club from the Greater Toronto Area are also expected to make use of the complex.
    Canadian Soccer News will have more on this announcement and what it means to the talent pool in Canada later in the day.
    Guest
    Welcome to this week's Designated Player Roundup, taking a look at how the league's 15 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. Done? Good. Let's see how some of the league's ostensible marquee talents did this week.
    This week, class, we've got a new student. Everyone welcome Diego. "Hi, Diego." Diego is from Colombia -- just like you, Andres! Diego is going to be with us until the end of the year -- or until the Timbers get tired of him and eat his contract.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Yes, the league's newest DP is Diego Chara, who was signed by Portland earlier in the week. We'll get to him soon enough, but first, our returning "stars":
    Week 5 (April 11 - April 17)
    Archives: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4
    David Beckham (LA): Me, last week: "... that was (Beckham's) fourth yellow card in as many weeks, meaning he'll be in suspension trouble if and when he gets cautioned again (which, based on the trend, will probably be this week)". Sure enough, Becks saw yellow in L.A.'s 0-0 draw with Toronto on Wednesday, rendering him disciplinarily incapacitated for L.A.'s 2-1 victory over Chicahgo on Sunday. But in his one game of action, he did provide a few of his patented scrumptious set pieces (one which clanged off the upright), much to the rapture of the gaggles of excitable schoolgirls / bizarre elderly Man United fans at BMO Field.
    Juan Pablo Angel (LA): Angel got his best chance about 30 seconds into an 84-minute performance against Toronto, forcing a great save from Stefan Frei. Then on Sunday, he was the late-game respite for the Galaxy's triumphant goal-scorer, coming in as a 77th-minute sub for Chad Barrett (~!!). That, if you're counting (don't bother, 'cause I am), was 13 minutes of DP time on Sunday, for a team with three designated players.
    Landon Donovan (LA): Landycakes is not in a good way, kids. He missed both of the Galaxy's games this week, making it three straight games he's sat out due to knee problems. At this point, there's a chance he could retire from soccer to become a bus driver in Baltimore. Sure, the probability of that happening is statistically negligible... but I'm tellin' you
    .Julian de Guzman (Toronto): Jules appears to have fully reintegrated himself into Toronto's lineup following off-season surgery, getting the start on Wednesday and turning in his first full-90 performance of the campaign in Saturday's 3-0 debacle against D.C. United. He finds himself in the middle of the action often (committing fouls, and suffering them, not to mention picking up his third yellow card of the year on Saturday) but his ability to organize the team on the defensive (or offensive) side is, clearly, still taking time.
    Branko Boskovic (DC): Well, having use the terms "D.C. United" and "debacle" in the same sentence, it's time to move on to ol' BB. He showed his face at BMO Field, coming on as a sub in the 73rd minute. I'd like to say I noticed his play one way or another, but at that point I was far too despondent to play close attention. The official stats give him a whole bunch of zeroes, so I'm just going to assume he's still useless.
    Thierry Henry (NY): HE'S ALIVE! In what is surely the first step in a quest to get back into Barcelona's starting 11, Henry finally broke through in New York's 3-0 win over San Jose. First, he served up a goal on a silver platter to teammate Luke Rodgers, missed at least three scoring chances of his own and then, in the 87th minute, took the return favour from Rodgers, an inch-perfect cross that the former Invincible headed home to break his 2011 goal drought. Oddly, the angriest he looked all game was in his post-goal celebration.
    Rafael Marquez (NY): No red card for Rafa this week. Not even a yellow. What the hell was he doing all night, defending and taking set pieces? Sheesh.
    Alvaro Fernandez (Seattle): In anticipation of another useless week from Fernandez, I was all primed to talk about a Sounder at Heart story about sunk costs and how you shouldn't throw a DP out there just for the hell of it. Then, of course, Fernandez had to go out and score the dramatic, extra-time equalizer against Philadelphia, throwing my whole plan off-track! He could have scored several minutes earlier, too, but his shot was clearer off the line by Union defender Danny Califf. All after coming on as a 77th-minute sub. Alright, well, back to the drawing board on this one.

    Fredy Montero (Seattle): Montero was the creator of that late Fernandez goal, lofting a cross into the area for his DP brethren to get an oddly-shaped noggin to. Curiously, Fredy also came on as a second-half sub, which can only mean that Sigi Schmid had a plan to lull Philly into a false sense of security before pouncing at the end. Though that's a preposterous suggestion, it did kinda work out that way...
    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: "Hey, Santa, it's me, Johnny. Remember I'm the one that beat you up last year 'cause I thought you were a burglar?"
    Alvaro Saborio (Salt Lake): When things are going your way, they're going your way. RSL nabbed a "controversial" (read: offside) goal in stoppage time for a 1-0 win over Colorado, though Saborio was a mere sub by that point, after providing 70 minutes of service to his side. The important thing, of course, is that Saborio is sufficiently fresh for the upcoming CONCACAF Champions League final, which is currently being hyped as the most important thing in MLS history... unless RSL falls short, in which case the pundits will go back to dismissing it as some unimportant, trivial competition that only Mexicans care about.
    Eric Hassli (Vancouver): The big Frenchman was likely experiencing a bit of an existential crisis following the Whitecaps' 0-0 draw with Chivas USA. "Sure, I can be a driving force in the team's offence, sending a shot of my own off the woodwork and providing quality service to teammates, while also taking the time to pick up a yellow card," he was surely telling himself. "But if I don't score and get sent off on the day, then really, what's the point?"
    Andres Mendoza (Columbus): Considering the Crew's DP spent the entirety of Saturday's win over SKC hanging around as an unused substitute, Columbus fans have just one favour to ask in upcoming games: Get Mendoza.
    Fabian Castillo (Dallas): The 18-year-old (!!!) played the full 90 (and why shouldn't he, at that age?) as Dallas lodged a late, but ultimately futile comeback attempt against Portland on Sunday. It's tough to stand out when you're patrolling the offensive side of things alongside reigning league MVP David "Don't Call Me Day-vid" Ferreira, but the speedy youngster has plenty of time to grow. You'll see.
    Diego Chara (Portland): Diego Ferney Chara Zamora (or as his friends call him, "Mista") is the latest addition to the roundup, having been signed this week by Portland, but not in time to feature in either of their games. The just-turned-25-year-old midfielder came up through the youth system of Deportes Quindio and made 124 appearances for the club in five seasons. He then popped over to two other Colombian clubs before making the jump to MLS.
    He's also made one appearance for the Colombian national team, though it came last year in a friendly. He's only got eight goals in over 200 pro matches which means... he's a... holding midfielder? That can't be right. Have the Timbers signed Mo Johnston as general manager when no one was looking?
    DP Deathwatch 2011
    At the clever suggestion of reader Alan Clark, I'm replacing the designation of DP Albatross with the DP Deathwatch, a partial power rankings of which DPs are most likely to go the way of most other DPs: Into the dustbin of MLS league history. So, who's on the deathwatch this week?
    1. Branko Boskovic: "What the hell did they spend that money on?" hasn't quite replaced "When the hell do we get a stadium?" as the top question on the minds of D.C. United fans, but it's close.
    2. Alvaro Fernandez: Any jerkoff can score one big goal in MLS (plenty have), so Fernandez's heroics this week have done little but save him from ascending to the very top of this list.
    3. Andres Mendoza: I've heard even the Crew's own announcers ask: "What is Mendoza doing out there?" That, of course, happens only when he's actually on the playing surface, which is an increasingly rare occurrence.
    .
    Guest
    North American sportswriting is apparently all about the deadlines, specifically meeting them as quickly and painlessly as possible. For busy journos, the less “stuff” there is to cover on one particular area, the easier it is to make copy, and vice versa. Hence, the widespread preference for match reports and tactical analysis over complex narrative.
    While UK papers like the Independent and the Guardian regularly feature in-depth, behind-scenes-financial stories on all tiers of football finance and governance (perhaps to supplement the fact they can’t park reporters in Premier League dressing rooms), often sticking with unfolding issues over a long period of time (see David Conn’s excellent coverage of the Portsmouth FC financial meltdown a few years ago), there really is no culture for that sort of thing in Canada. Some big names at the major Canadian dailies may take a look once in while at the financial workings at the Leafs or the Jays, but beyond franchise ownership issues, well, there just isn’t the space or the perceived interest.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It used to be of course that the story was supposed to drive the reader and not the other way around. If you had to file a series of reports and stick with an unfolding story, you did so because that’s what the journalism game demanded of you. A lot of newspaper sports sections have since abandoned that approach, assuming that readers only want sports news of the point form variety, interspersed with varying degrees of human interest. And so we get banal manager or player quotes interspersed with descriptive paragraphs recreating what the viewer has already witnessed with her own eyes the day before.
    So it goes with the recent goings on with the Alberta Soccer Association, or ASA-gate, if you will. While Ben Knight’s coverage of the on-going mess with court proceedings, palace coups and threats (real or imagined) from shifty FIFA “officials” in the form of cc’d letters has been excellent, it is, by nature of its audience and intense subject matter, “inside baseball.” But take away the acronyms, the legal jargon, and the he-said/she-said back-and-forth, and I’m convinced you’ve got a great rip-roaring story fit for the front page.
    On the one hand, there are some scared bureaucrats and conservative-minded ASA board members and a handful of CSA personalities sympathetic to the old guard. On the other, pro-reform soccer administrators wanting to move the development side of the game forward by limiting the provincial associations’ influence at the top level (okay, stay with me here). They tussle in the form of a dubious presidential suspension by a sitting board member. Appearances suggest the CSA may have been involved in a less-than-objective way. Eventually the matter ends up in an appeals court, and suddenly (it appears, at least) FIFA gets involved, because for them soccer and domestic legal proceedings don’t mix.
    The sheer ridiculous of it all, the trumped up threats, the back-door shenanigans, the brinksmanship and the awkward courtroom drama is the story here. This incident is Canadian soccer administration in a nutshell, and a talented journalist at a major Canadian paper, especially one that now prides itself on investigative (aka muck-raking) news—*cough* Toronto Star *cough*—could really make this into something interesting for the non-soccer reader. They might headline it: The Weird, Murky Underworld of Canadian Soccer Administration, A Series. Obviously the potential global embarrassment ahead of the Womens World Cup would underlie the whole story, and give it national context.
    The other added benefit of getting at least one reputable daily on board would be forcing some of the parties involved to mind what they say to reporters, and to consider their image and the image of the organizations they represent when giving quotes, attributed or no. Giving non-soccer following Canadians a peak into what those of us in the game take for granted would help put this sideshow into proper relief, and hopefully force the CSA to work with the ASA in properly resolving this matter to mutual benefit prior to 2015.
    'Tis another Media Takedown pipe dream, of course. In the meantime, CSN is doing its part in lieu of any national attention, while full-time MSM reporters fight the good fight to preserve dressing room access. Who else will file our match reports no later than deadline?
    Guest
    The sights from the Toronto FC vs DC United game on April 16, 2011.
    All photos are taken by Chris Hazard from Photo Hazard. He will be shooting the Toronto FC home games for Canadian Soccer News this year.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    Smoke on the water(front)

    Charlie Davies demonstrating the humility he's learned

    Getting stuck in

    A hidden tug

    Captain arguing the red card call
×
×
  • Create New...