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    Guest

    Vancouver v New England live blog

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Join us at 10 p.m. EDT for some Whitecaps v Revs live blogging action!
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <iframe src="http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php/option=com_altcaster/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=cca8f1dd73/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=cca8f1dd73" >Vancouver v New England</a></iframe>
    Guest
    It's been rumoured for a while (in fact, rumours about this matchup were floating around last year), but the CSA has confirmed that the men's national team will play a friendly against Ecuador at Toronto's BMO Field on Wednesday, June 1. The match will serve as a warmup for the Gold Cup, which begins the following week.
    Tickets will go on sale to the general public on April 20. Canadian Soccer News will keep you posted concerning the supporters' sections and all the other juicy details.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    It’s not so much a he said, he said situation. Rather, it’s more of a he said, he doesn’t even pretend to care one.
    Eddy Sidra joined Bas Ent this week in claiming that Toronto FC reneged on a contract offer made to him last October.

    Although the player, now with FC Edmonton, does not have paperwork to back up his claim he does feel aggrieved by the way it went down.
    Toronto is not offering comment on the situation, nor would you expect that it will. MLS teams don’t talk contracts and they especially don’t talk contracts of players that aren’t with a team in the league.
    Many fans are frustrated by this story and feel that it poorly reflects Toronto. Ultimately it’s suggested that such stories could impact the club’s ability to attract players in the future.
    If it’s true, it is unfortunate. You should hope that TFC made sure that the players were at least taken care of in the time since October until being released from training camp. In Ent’s case there are suggestions that did happen. However, we must also take a look at this from Aron Winter’s position.
    His (likely) position: Who the hell are Bas Ent and Eddy Sidra? There is literally no way in hell Eddy Sidra’s contract situation will stop TFC from signing other players.
    These are, at best, depth players and it seems unlikely that they actually were offered a no strings contract. What’s more likely is that they were offered a full trial and were told they would be given a good look.
    Then a new coach came to town. That sucks for them but it’s hardly revolutionary. It’s just football.
    Still, if it can add any spice to the April 27 cup tie between TFC and Edmonton then all the better.
    Guest
    First off, congratulations are in order to Real Salt Lake, which on Tuesday night became the first MLS team to qualify for the final of the CONCACAF Champions League, beating Deportivo Saprissa 3-2 on aggregate. Kinda wish the team to earn that designation had a less embarrassing name, but hey, you take what you can get.
    But there's more than regional chest-thumping involved in supporting RSL in this ongoing quest. There's also the prospect of some real benefits materializing in the years to come.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    For Canadian supporters, the most obvious benefit is the invaluable experience being gained by 24-year-old Will Johnson, a key midfielder for RSL and an increasingly integral part of the national team setup. If Canada is to have any hope of qualifying for the World Cup, they'll have to excel in environments full of hostile fans -- exactly the sorts of places RSL has had to play games during this CCL run, such as Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and Toronto.
    RSL's success (and it ain't over yet) is also helping to, let's not kid ourselves, legitimize the tournament in the eyes of northern North American fans. As RSL general manager Garth Lagerway told The American Soccer Show, the team made a conscious decision to prioritize the CCL over, say, useless midseason friendlies -- and it's paying dividends. If RSL can win the whole shebang and qualify for the Club World Cup, we're then presented with a Major League Soccer squad playing against, potentially, Barcelona or Manchester United (or Schalke, at this rate) in an (ostensibly) meaningful tournament.
    The average North American fan may not quite grasp the significance of the CCL as of yet; but having the MLS marketing machine (hey, stop laughing) throw its weight behind a meaningful (again, ostensibly) matchup between RSL and Barca/United/whoever could only do good things for the perception of the CCL in the United States and Canada.
    By extension, it creates ever greater awareness of the down-the-road potential of winning the Voyageurs Cup. Now, does FC Edmonton have a particularly good chance of ending up in the 2012 Club World Cup? I'm gonna guess not. But the ability to present Nutrilite Canadian Championship games as not just a regional rivalry, but as the potential starting point down the road to playing against Barca/United/whoever... that could have some power. If nothing else, it helps reinforce the inherent connection (deny it as some MLS diehards might) between our funny little setup in northern North America, and the beautiful game as played everywhere else on the planet.
    RSL's success doesn't just give northern North American fans the chance to cheer an MLS squad this year, it also lays down the template for how your team could do it next year. After the Montreal Impact's surprising (and inspiring) run in the 2008-09 CCL, many Canadian fans were convinced that the V-Cup winner wasn't merely an also-ran participant in the continental tournament -- they could be a real competitor!
    Sure, TFC's subsequent two performances kinda 86ed that optimism to some extent, but the visions of 55,000 at Stade Olympique for Montreal v. Santos Laguna surely surely still dance in the heads of many fans in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and now Edmonton, dreaming that it could be their side participating in a showcase event like that.
    Perhaps I'm only preaching to the converted a little here. I'd wager that most soccer fans in Canada and the United States are unaware of -- and frankly, couldn't give a toss about -- Real Salt Lake's victory on Tuesday night, and their upcoming appearance in the CONCACAF Champions League final, against either Monterrey or Cruz Azul.
    I'm not claiming that RSL's success will instantly lend the CCL legitimacy and attention within Canada and the U.S. But when any cultural or attitudinal shift occurs, the groundwork is always laid at some time, by someone.
    Think of it this way: Ten years ago, if someone had told you that TSN, during hockey season, would be leading off an edition of SportsCentre with a soccer game between Vancouver and Toronto, would you have believed them?
    This run by RSL could be a one-off anomaly. Or it could be the start of something really significant. We shall see.
    Guest

    Don Garber in Montreal

    By Guest, in Le12eJoueur,

    MLS Commissionner Don Garber met a few supporters at local pub Burgundy Lion to answer their questions and address some of the concerns prior to the Impact's inaugural season in the league next year.
    Pint in hand, I was present to see what M. Garber had to say about Montreal's progress. Along with club president Joey Saputo, they discussed growth, markets, viability and salary caps.
    Together, they answered a dozen simple questions and Garber seemed a bit disappointed that the crowd wasn't as pumped as the Portland fans. To be fair to him, there were about 40 to 50 supporters including the club's staff.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Garber admitted that he wasn't really a fan of the game before joining the league's administration in 1999. Today, he's turned into a true and loyal supporter: "Soccer gets under your skin. I love it. It's like a virus". Being the league's commissionner and all, I was hoping he would say that..
    He discussed the importance of understanding the fans to ensure the league's development in the long run, without using them as a marketing incentive for sponsors. "We are looking to build fan base, but aren't necessarily interested in taking your info and sending it to our partners. We have to understand our fans, and what drives them".
    In the long run, "the MLS will become as good as the Premier League, we'll be able to compete against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United", Garber said.
    The MLS commissionner also mentionned the Santos Laguna game and how surprised he was to see a 52 000 crowd for a non-MLS team.
    Club president Joey Saputo discussed Montreal's team approach to the MLS next year. Not a believer of the superstar/designated player approach, Saputo explained that he preferred to look at clubs like Real Salt Lake.
    Over the past months, it seems that he's been stressing this in a few of the MLS-releated press conferences. I suppose that the club wants to explain to its current and future fanbase not to expect a star-studded starting eleven next year, which is understandable really.
    It's easy to see why, especially from a club's financial perspective, but I'm curious to see how the future Montreal MLS fans will react. Soccer fans in Montreal are obviously looking at teams like New York and Los Angeles and hoping that Saputo will 'splash the cash' on one or two designated players...
    The club president also explained his concerns about being the third Canadian team to join the MLS. "Toronto joined the league in 2007 and it was a success. Vancouver looks like it's going to be even better. Now it's up to us."
    Garber and Saputo both addressed the player development status explaining that homegrown players are beneficial to the markets. Rather than have to buy a DP or go through a draft, teams can focus on developing their own players. "All MLS teams must have a player development program".
    Apart from that, there were a few discussions about market viability (and I decided to focus on my pint at that exact moment).
    We've got something going here in Montreal, let's keep it up.
    As for club ownership, Garber did mention a thing or two about MLS team owners who operate several team franchises under the same banner. Was he taking a swipe at MLSE? Perhaps. Is it any different from Colorado Rapids owners also having he Avalanche, Nuggets and Rams? Nope. And how did they do last year?
    Guest

    Going to court

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    There is a dirty little secret in the world of soccer, one which has the potential to limit – or suspend – the basic human rights of anyone who enters.
    From the halls of FIFA right down to your neighbourhood rec centre, soccer players, coaches and administrators – amateur, professional, national – run the risk of suspension or outright banishment if they ask the courts to rule on a soccer-related injustice.
    FIFA, you see, is a bit itchy on the subject of the law. Entire books have already been written about corruption in the global game, so I’m going to bring matters closer to home. And once again, the focus of the underlying craziness of Canadian soccer administration is …
    Alberta.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    If you don’t already know the story:
    - Mario Charpentier, president of the Edmonton Minor Soccer Association, tried unsuccessfully for years to become president of the Alberta Soccer Association.
    - On his most recent attempt, he lost to a reform-minded air-traffic controller named Chris Billings.
    - Charpentier soon accused Billings of numerous transgressions (none yet proven), suspending and deposing him in a palace coup that plunged the entire provincial soccer set-up into administrative chaos and paralysis.
    Now, according to FIFA, the CSA, the ASA and numerous informed commentators (reformers included), Billings should have appealed his suspension, first to the ASA, then to the CSA.
    Here’s what Billings saw when he looked up:
    - The ASA was the same bunch who’d hoofed him in the first place.
    - The CSA didn’t look much friendlier either. Billings has repeatedly accused CSA director-at-large Mike Traficante of playing a key role in his ouster (which hasn’t been proven). CSA president Dominic Maestracci has also tried to intervene on Charpentier’s behalf (which Onward! has already documented).
    Billings went to court. The court forced the ASA to hold a special general meeting. Not only were Charpentier and his backers shown the door, Alberta immediately passed reform legislation barring any board member of any regional soccer association from ever serving on the provincial board.
    But that ain’t the end of it, kids.
    The Canadian Soccer Association will apparently hold a special meeting this Friday, to discuss how to deal with what Alberta wants to do next.
    Apparently, at its upcoming AGM on April 16, Alberta will put forward a resolution to throw out the part of its constitution that forbids members from taking their grievances to court.
    That, you see, could trigger some heavy consequences from FIFA. On the eve of both the women’s World Cup and men’s Gold Cup, could Canada actually be suspended from international play?
    We don’t know. And that is starting to cause some concern within the CSA.
    Two significant issues immediately come into play.
    1) CSA reform:
    If pro-reformers find a backroom way to get the full CSA reform package (the one that got shot down by the last surviving members of the Charpentier coup) back on the agenda, they need a "yes" vote from Alberta to get it passed. If Alberta is suspended, would they even be allowed to vote?
    Let me make it even nuttier for you. If Alberta can’t vote, they can’t vote “no” either. Would that give the pro-reformers enough support to send all the CSA amateurs packing a year early?
    2) The future of the ASA:
    (You’ll really need your tin-foil hats for this one, but crazier things have already happened.)
    A rumour rustling through the tall grass of pronghorn country says the Edmonton and Calgary Minor Soccer Associations – prime backers of the Charpentier coup – will support ending the court ban in a deliberate attempt to get the ASA suspended. That might (who knows by now?) open the door for them to form a new provincial soccer association, free of all those pesky rules and reforms that got them turfed from power in the first place.
    That’s a lot to sift through, and for now, that’s all we’ve got. There’s certainly some truth here, but how much – and what – still isn’t completely clear.
    If nothing else, though, it’s important to understand the level of fear and confusion that’s out there this morning.
    And let’s not forget, either, that some pretty basic and fundamental human rights are ultimately at stake.
    More soon.
    Onward!
    Guest

    UEFA CL: Quarterfinal Wednesday

    By Guest, in Euro File,

    After a couple of games that delivered goals, goals, and more goals, four more teams are set to dip their feet in the waters of UEFA Champions League quarterfinal action today.
    Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk, Manchester United, and Chelsea will all look to replicate the performances of Real Madrid and Schalke 04 in their games yesterday. Neither match was close, nor was either a bore as both fixtures got off to quick starts in the goal column and didn't slow down from there.
    With the bar set, how will today's matches compare?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Barcelona v. Shakhtar Donetsk
    Shakhtar have shown in this competition that they can score goals with the best of them, most recently putting up 3-2 and 3-0 wins against a hapless Roma side in the Round of 16.
    Of course, Barcelona is no Roma, and looking to outgun the Catalan side is a foolish endeavour at the best of times. With this leg of the quarterfinal at Camp Nou, it stands to reason that this fixture is the most likely to replicate yesterday's blowouts.
    Prediction: Poor Shakhtar doesn't stand a chance in Barcelona against the best team in the world. 4-0 Barcelona.
    Chelsea v. Manchester United
    If Barca-Shakhtar looks like it'll be a high-scoring rout, this match looks to be the complete opposite.
    Although United has been the superior side over the course of the season, Chelsea has enough in the arsenal to hurt the Red Devils at home if the opportunity presented itself. More likely, though, this'll be a tightly contested, highly physical match with little scoring.
    Prediction: These two teams beat the hell out of one another for 90 minutes, but in the end nothing is resolved. 1-1 draw.

    Guest
    Things just never seem to get all that easy for the Whitecaps. In addition <a href="http://www.whitecapsfc.com/node/3382">to facing</a> the New England Revolution Wednesday night (7 p.m. Pacific, TSN/Team 1410) on short rest, they'll be doing so with <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?1469-Midweek-Game.-Injury-Crunch.-Are-the-Whitecaps-Set-Up-for-a-Fall">a still-massive list of injuries</a>. The team <a href="http://www.eightysixforever.com/2011/4/5/2093092/whitecaps-midweek-games-in-2010-what-do-we-learn">did reasonably well</a> in midweek games last season in Division II, and that certainly should carry some correlation to this year considering that coach Teitur Thordarson is still running things (and will likely keep his players pretty focused). However, this definitely doesn't look like a great situation for the team.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It's worth pointing out that the list of walking wounded actually may not be quite as bad <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?1457-Whitecaps-Kansas-City-Preview-Which-team-will-we-see">as it was</a> before the Kansas City game (which <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?1459">ended reasonably well</a> for Vancouver considering their personnel limitations and how poorly they started), but it's still significant, particularly on defence. The Whitecaps are likely to be without centre backs Greg Janicki (hurt <a href="http://www.theprovince.com/sports/soccer/Janicki+takes+some+blame+after+trying+play+hurt/4550515/story.html">midway through Saturday's game</a>) and Jay DeMerit (still recovering from the groin injury he sustained with the American national team), and those might be the starters you'd want if everyone was healthy (DeMerit for sure, Janicki's in the conversation). However, that's an area where they do actually have some depth; the likely starters would seem to be the talented-if-raw Michael Boxall and the proven Alain Rochat (who may actually be better outside, but has shown himself quite capable in the middle), and that's a backline that doesn't look all that bad. (The Whitecaps' defence <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/soccer/Attack+minded+Whitecaps+look+tighten+defensively/4564710/story.html#Comments">hasn't been as impressive on the field</a> as it is on paper so far, though.) Kevin Harmse could also potentially slot in centrally if Thordarson wants to leave Rochat outside.
    It's also notable that the striking options appear to have gone from an area of weakness to a potential strength in just a few days. Atiba Harris had perhaps his most impressive game in a Vancouver uniform Saturday, and new acquisition Camilo only picked up two goals, one assist and <a href="http://fulltimethesoccershow.blogspot.com/2011/04/whitecaps-fc-striker-camilo-named-mls.html">a MLS player of the week</a> selection for his crucial role in Saturday's comeback. The Whitecaps get designated player and opening-match hero Eric Hassli back from suspension, so almost overnight, they've changed the debate from "should they opt for a 4-5-1?" to "which two guys will start up front?" As Ben <a href="http://www.eightysixforever.com/2011/4/4/2089981/vancouvers-good-kind-of-striker-dilemma-who-do-we-play">pointed out</a>, that's a nice problem to have. (For the record, I'd opt for Camilo and Hassli, with Harris available off the bench. All three should get significant playing time as the season progresses, though, and they may eventually be joined by the likes of Long Tan and top draft pick Omar Salgado.)
    The midfield is a little thinner, though, particularly on the wings. Terry Dunfield and Gershon Koffie should be available to start in the middle again, but Blake Wagner may have to drop back to a wingback slot if Rochat moves to central defence again, Russell Teibert is still away on international duty, and Davide Chuimiento doesn't seem completely recovered despite his critical role in Saturday's comeback, so he may be better-suited to appear as a substitute. Wes Knight could start again, but he was more solid than spectacular against Kansas City, and Nizar Khalfan <a href="http://communities.canada.com/theprovince/blogs/backofthenet/archive/2011/04/03/what-we-learned-04-04-11.aspx">has looked better coming off the bench</a>.Philippe Davies is available, but he <a href="http://www.eightysixforever.com/2011/3/30/2081726/has-anybody-seen-my-baby-midfielder-where-is-philippe-davies">hasn't seen any MLS action</a> for Vancouver yet, so it would seem unlikely that he's a starting option. That probably means Knight and Khalfan will take the field first for Vancouver, which isn't an awful pairing, but that's likely not the two you'd choose with a completely-available lineup.
    As for the opposition, they're an interesting lot. New England's lineup isn't all that highly-regarded by many (they stumbled to a 1-1 draw at home against Portland last week, and Ben <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?1469-Midweek-Game.-Injury-Crunch.-Are-the-Whitecaps-Set-Up-for-a-Fall">calls them</a> "not a great team," which is probably fair). However, they're off to a pretty successful start from a statistical point of view; they're <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings">second in the Eastern Conference</a> with a 1-0-2 record, and they've gone undefeated through their first three games <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter-preview/vancouver-look-continue-momentum-vs-revs">for only the third time in club history</a>. They do have some notable players too, including keeper Matt Reis (who may or may not be available Wednesday thanks to injury) and midfielder Shalrie Joseph. They're probably not the stiffest test Vancouver will face this year, but they aren't going to be an easy side to beat. It's also going to be interesting to see what the crowd's like for a Wednesday night fixture, how the Whitecaps perform under the lights and how the Revolution adapt to <a href="http://www.theprovince.com/sports/soccer/Whitecaps+victims+point+Empire+turf+Vancouver+says+about+fitness/4564933/story.html">the turf</a>. Regardless of if the game's good or not, though, it's still worth three points in the standings, so it's imperative for the Whitecaps to at least put up a good effort here. The matchup doesn't set up perfectly for Vancouver thanks to a short week of rest and roster limitations due to injuries and international duty , but it should lead to an interesting game.
    Guest

    Video: Stankovic's 55-yard strike

    By Guest, in Euro File,

    In case you missed it, here's the opening goal from yesterday's Inter-Schalke Champions League match. They may have lost the game in spectacular fashion, but Inter gave the soccer world -- through Dejan Stankovic -- one of the rarest types of goals you'll ever see.
    A generation may pass before you see another 55-yard volley end up in the back of the net, so enjoy...
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
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    Guest
    The Don Garber hype machine rolled into Montreal yesterday and did what he does best – got the local press talking.
    By now, for those that have been observing his circus act, the formula isn’t new — lots of back patting for the owner, combined with lots of kudos to the city and its supporters, all adds up to lots of headlines the next day.
    Last week, I shook the trees of the Montreal press to see what was there and lots of opinions fell out about the Impact and if they would have a tough time finding coverage in a Canadiens-crazy city. Some media members, who responded, were critical of the assessment. Others, who cover the game there, agreed completely. The Sports Director of La Presse, Jean Francois Begin, was one of those who disagreed with my column and he’ll be on an It’s Called Football Interview Only this Friday to tell me why I’m off my rocker.
    But, away from the dog and pony show, it was Don Garber’s quiet comments to a group of Montreal Impact supporters, gathered at a pub there that were making the most waves.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] While lauding the benefits of Joey Saputo and his soccer specific sports group, Garber openly criticized and expressed legitimate concern for teams in MLS who operate multiple sports franchises under the same banner. By his view, they are not able to solely focus on and properly allocate resources to making soccer successful in their cities.
    Those in attendance, including a reporter who recounted much of this to me (and who I trust with such assessments), perceived this diatribe as a direct swipe at Toronto FC and their owners, MLSE.
    This, for many, would be completely out of left field given Garber’s repeated applause for Toronto and its ownership over the years. But it has become known in Toronto media and soccer circles that MLS and MLSE have developed frayed tensions over the last year.
    A number of organizing missteps on MLS Cup weekend had both sides fuming at one another (and allegedly not talking by the end of it). And more recently, a source within MLS head office described screaming phone calls over how Toronto was mishandling Dwayne De Rosario’s departure (the club was prepared to announce the trade at 2pm during Aron Winter’s usual media scrum, before the details had not been finalized by MLS.)
    So, were Garber’s scathing words for ownership groups who operate multiple teams directed solely at Toronto? Maybe. Maybe not. If they weren’t, he had just criticized a large swath of the league in big, bold strokes. (Have a look at a brief table of teams and the teams they own at the bottom of the article.)
    Perhaps, and in all likelihood, what Garber was doing was simply stirring the fires of rivalry – downplaying Toronto while building up Montreal. MLS’ hype man has developed quite the shtick these past few years when it comes to meeting with local supporters.
    But, given MLS and MLSE’s recent squabbles and that the reporter who was there last night swears (SWEARS) Garber’s comments were more than just a marketing move meant to inflame, I’m left to wonder if the Soccer Don and his circus has soured on Toronto FC and theirs.
    ___
    A brief list of MLS cities and the teams their owners own
    Columbus -- KC Chiefs and Dallas
    Dallas –KC Chiefs and Columbus
    Houston – 50 per cent owned by AEG, also own LA Kings and UK sports holdings
    New England – New England Patriots
    New York – Red Bull owns four pro soccer teams and several motor
    sports properties
    Kansas City – minor league basketball team and the ‘Sporting’ model is designed
    around idea of multiple teams under their banner
    Chivas – Chivas Guadalajara, Saprissa
    Colorado – Avalanche, Nuggets and St. Louis Rams
    Galaxy – LA Kings + 50 per cent of Houston
    Salt Lake – St. Louis Blues
    Seattle - Seahawks
    Guest
    In this Interview Only edition of It's Called Football we're joined by the Score's Kristian Jack to discuss who was more at fault - the club or the player - in Dwayne DeRosario's departure, talk about his time here and what he'll be remembered for, how we think his Celtic trial actually played out and if other players (namely Julian DeGuzman) are being rushed back for political purposes with all that's gone on.
    It's a great interview and one that sheds fresh light on what went down.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/22628/kristianjackinterviewfinal.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>
    On Friday, I'll be joined by Jean Francois Begin, the Sports Director of La Presse in Montreal, to talk about the Impact coverage in Montreal (or lack there of up until this point) and discuss what the club needs to do to grab market share away from the CFL and NHL.
    Guest
    Tomorrow, the Vancouver Whitecaps prepare for their first crack at the notorious Major League Soccer midweek games. New England is in town and, having just shot their bolt on Saturday with a heroic comeback against Sporting Kansas City, Vancouver must now get right back on that horse and wrangle the Revolution.
    I say "Major League Soccer midweek games" for a reason. Midweek games are a North American problem, not merely an MLS one, and the Division Two Whitecaps had their share of stiff midweek encounters. In fact, in last year's USSF D2 regular season the Whitecaps played nine such games, on top of two more in the playoffs and four in the Voyageurs Cup. Those who recall Teitur Thordarson's emphasis on team fitness will be unsurprised to hear that the team racked up a pretty admirable regular-season record in such games: for regular season matches played on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday last year the Whitecaps won three, lost twice, and drew the remaining four. Those wins included two victories over Montreal <i>in</i> Montreal and one over Miami FC. The two losses were both to Portland. They also won one of their playoff mid-week games (2-0 over Portland), drew the other (0-0 in Puerto Rico), and of course drew their way through the entire Voyageurs Cup.
    In short, this team can traditionally handle short rest.
    Unfortunately, this is not a traditional Whitecaps team. Having had a break even shorter than that last paragraph, the Whitecaps must now stumble from one desperately-fought game back into Empire to face New England. Their injury crisis has not only gotten better, it's actually <i>worsened</i>; Greg Janicki suffered a hip pointer injury in Saturday's game and his reluctance to cop to his difficulties were a major reason the Whitecaps were forced into that immortal comeback. Janicki does not appear on this week's official MLS injury report but, then, those injury reports are more than half fictional and Teitur Thordarson sounds doubtful. Jay DeMerit's groin is expected to keep him out of the game, and that leaves the Whitecaps badly exposed at centre back (in addition to their usual being badly exposed at the wings, where Russell Teibert, Shea Salinas, and Davide Chiumiento are all out of the starting lineup for one reason or another, and in goal, where both Jay Nolly and Joe Cannon are at least a little hurt).
    So where does this leave the Whitecaps? I mean, besides up the creek?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    What the Whitecaps will do with their lineup isn't the question. That's actually pretty easy to figure. They'll move Alain Rochat to centre back like they did against Philadelphia; he did fine there. Then they'll play either Bilal Duckett or Blake Wagner at left back. The advantage of playing Wagner is that he doesn't suck, but the disadvantage is that it doesn't give the team a born left winger. My betting says they'll play Wagner at left back and Nizar Khalfan at left wing, which will be... interesting.
    The real problems are longer-term. After this game the team heads back out on the road and that's never good for recovery. The problem with depth issues is that they can beget more depth issues. Greg Janicki took a knee to the hip and stuck around in the game when he should have left, hurting the team and possibly aggravating his injury. If he's playing alongside veteran Jay DeMerit instead of raw rookie Michael Boxall, if he can look to the bench and see better cover than a bag of unblooded rookies and Kevin Harmse, maybe he does the right thing and admits he can't keep playing. We'll never know, but now Janicki is out. If Alain Rochat strains a knee ligament against New England, will Rochat and Thordarson push a little harder, risk a little bit of a worse injury, because there's nobody to replace him? Is that what happened to Janicki? It all builds up.
    That's the problem with this game. Frankly, New England isn't a great team. They've flown from Boston to Vancouver for this game and have it much tougher than the Whitecaps rest-wise. They drew Portland 1-1 at home on the weekend and did <i>not</i> look good. Even their home win against bottomfeeders D.C. United came with some stench on it. There are reports that starting goalkeeper and early team MVP Matt Reis may be out injured. Vancouver will have the opportunity to win this one even with their battered half-lineup. If they come out as hard as they did against Kansas City, the Whitecaps have a chance at three big points. Even if they just play an average game, a draw should be there for the taking.
    But how much could those points cost this team? Teitur Thordarson and the Whitecaps have to be very careful and I'm not sure they will be. Thordarson brought on Davide Chiumiento Saturday for twenty minutes because he needed goals fast, and it worked. In the post-game press conference, Teitur confidently insisted that he'd been told Chiumiento could be relied upon for twenty minutes. But he also admitted that Chiumiento's hamstring was still a concern and that, if Chiumiento re-injured it in the game, he'd be out a matter of months rather than weeks. It was a big risk with a major player, and luckily everything turned out okay. What if Thordarson is called upon to take the same risk again and it doesn't go so well? We wind up watching Terry Dunfield limping on a bum knee, or Atiba Harris's much-abused ankles giving out?
    I don't really have a solution here. Obviously the Whitecaps have to try to win. Apart from in goal (where it's pretty much inevitable), the Whitecaps don't seem to start any injured players, so that's a good sign. If everything goes as it should, the Whitecaps get a 1-0 lead, and can pretty much just play without pressure, then there won't be any problems. But if it's the 85th minute, we're down 1-0, and Jonathan Leathers is a bit slow to get up while rubbing his back...
    Guest

    UEFA CL: Quarterfinal Tuesday

    By Guest, in Euro File,

    We're down to the final eight in the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League, and three of the teams still competing could be labelled as surprises for lasting this long.
    Tottenham, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Schalke 04 are all sides that would not have been expected to reach the quarterfinal, and yet it's hard to argue that any of those sides are undeserving of it.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The three relative newcomers to Champions League knockout football have stood tall at times in this competition, all having taken down supposedly superior opposition along the way.
    Now, these three clubs are breathing the same rarefied air as European royalty like Inter, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, and fellow newboys (at least a few years ago) Chelsea. The new blood should make for some interesting football, at least in terms of keeping things fresh.

    A look at today's matches:
    Real Madrid v. Tottenham Hotspur
    Spurs will face their sternest test yet, travelling to the Bernabeu to stare down the winningest club in the tournament's history.
    After having dispatched Inter and AC Milan at the San Siro earlier in the competition, Tottenham must surely be riding a high of confidence that they can compete with anyone on the European stage.
    Being at home in front of a raucous crowd of 80,000-plus, Real should be favoured to take this leg (if not both), but it's become a fool's game to count out the Londoners, even away from the comfortable confines of White Hart Lane.
    Prediction: Real takes this leg, but not without a fight from the plucky EPL side. 3-1 Real.
    Inter v. Schalke 04
    Schalke actually comes into this match as the group winner, as Inter was edged out by Tottenham in Group A.
    That said, the Italian side definitely holds the experience card in this matchup, not to mention the luxury of opening the two-legged affair at home. The San Siro hasn't exactly been a fortress for the Nerazzurri lately, but one could argue that the emotional momentum could be on their side simply due to the dramatic way they escaped the Round of 16 (an 88th minute winner at Bayern Munich put Inter through on away goals).
    Prediction: This one will be decided by a goal, at most. 1-0 Inter.

    Who do you have winning these matches? Will Tottenham's Cinderella run add another chapter today, or will Madrid prove too strong at home? Does Schalke have a chance of stealing a victory at the San Siro, like Bayern did a few weeks ago?
    Guest
    Tonight, we're joined by Daniel Feuerstein, a New York Red Bulls reporter, to discuss Dwayne DeRosario's arrival, what New York has been saying about the deal and to provide some insight on the players Toronto received in the deal.
    We'll also break down the Chivas v Toronto game, discuss Vancouver's miracle comeback against Sporting Kansas City and debate CSL vs the US Development Academy as a route for young players.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/22609/apr42011final.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

    Ugly rumour, ugly world

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    As much as we sometimes wish it to be otherwise, the world isn't always black and white.
    Take Asmir Begovic and his decision to play for Bosnia over Canada, where he played as a youth international. Begovic was a frustrating study for the Canadian fan as the player was front and centre in the promotion for the 2007 u-20 tournament. The player made all sorts of nice sound bites about Canada giving his family a second chance and how playing for the country was one way to pay that back.
    We all know how it played out. Eventually he turned away from Canada to represent his country of birth. The decision came just days after he appeared to make a contradictory statement to the Full Time radio program in Vancouver.
    So, many Canadian fans can be forgiven if they choke on their corn flakes when reading what he said to FC Edmonton today when it was announced that he would be part of a charitable effort there to give tickets to children in need.

    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    I come from a bit of a tough background. My family and I came to Canada with not a lot as part of a refugee family so my parents had to work really hard in order to give me anything I had.


    On the surface, it seems a little disingenuous.
    And it might be. I've made my opinion on this subject clear many times in the past. Guys that decide to represent other countries are free to do so -- and I'm free to ignore then after.
    However, some information about the Begovic situation that I've received from a few different sources has made me pause when it comes to the keeper. It's a hard thing to report since it is innuendo, but in interest of a full picture it's perhaps time to just throw it at the wall.
    The caveat is that it's rumour. My position is that it's plausible, but not provable. The sad part of it all is that it's possible.
    What I've been told -- and I'm likely not the only person to have been told this -- is that Begovic was set on playing for Canada. And then his family got a knock on its door. They were convinced that representing Bosnia was in Begovic's and his family’s best interest. The argument was compelling -- very hard to ignore. It was the safe choice.
    As stated, the world is not black and white. Nor does it always play fair.
    Take it for what it’s worth...
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