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    Guest
    In this Interview Only edition of It's Called Football we're joined by newly minted NASL commissioner David Downs for his first public interview since taking the job.
    We discuss his vision for getting NASL on TV as well as the web broadcasts for this year, what markets he sees as viable for expansion in North America and as the former executive director of the USA World Cup bid, he shares his thoughts on FIFA and what he thinks went on in that process.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/22537/davddownsinterviewfinal.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>
    If you're having problems with the audio player:
    You can listen here
    Or you can download it from iTunes here
    Guest
    Here goes....
    I don't normally do this, but I'll try and give my thoughts on yesterday's article 'Don Garber to give Impact a media boost', written by CSN's Ben Rycroft.
    Let's make things clear. I'm from Montreal, and have been supporting the club for a few years now. I'm probably not the oldest and most die-hard Impact fan there is. I attend the games at Stade Saputo when I can and watch the team through the various mediocre streams when they're on the road.
    More recently, I've decided to follow the team a bit more closely and try and do my part to help increase media coverage around the team.
    I'll say this and I'll say it again until it changes: The Montreal Impact deserve better coverage.
    And it should start now. Not in Fall 2011. Not in 2012. Now.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    So far, I've heard of the following excuses:


    "D2 is not an exciting product to work with"
    "We'll have good coverage in 2012"
    "Don't expect the same coverage as the Habs get"
    Fair enough, I concur that writing an in-depth article about FC Tampa Bay might not be the most exciting thing in the world. And I agree that 2012 will definitely be a bigger season than this year.
    However, I feel that these excuses are just a mere reflection of the general media interest for the game. Most journalist stick to writing articles based on the press releases sent by the club. Some of them barely know the player's names. They don't know which position they play. (And I'm not talking about the new arrivals. I'm talking about the players that have been here for years).
    Now, I'm not saying all journalists should be soccer fanatics, but it definitely helps. The arrival of Patrick Leduc with La Presse and Radio-Canada should be a good addition to the media team. We also have a few very good soccer journalists here in Montreal with the likes of Pascal Milano (La Presse), Philippe Germain & Frederic Lord (RC), Matthias van Halst (previously at Quebec Soccer).
    By having a serious coverage, I feel that we can build towards a strong and sustainable interest for the club. Yes, the club. We have interest in the game, we just need to have all the soccer/football/futbol-loving Montrealers show their love for the local team.
    It won't be easy, but we all need to start somewhere.
    Coverage should be based on the fact that we have our own professionnal soccer club, here in Montreal. Let's forget that we are still in the 2nd division and let's focus on our team, our city. It's about time we take it seriously. The club has been starting to take it seriously and have been rewarded with a spot in the MLS (rewarded, not so much. They did pay a lot of money for this...).
    Let's build a genuine and passionnate approach.
    The more we talk about the club, the team, its players, its history, the more people will start taking this seriously. Let's have an actual interest going into 2011 which will just get better come 2012.
    55K at Olympic Stadium? Were we lucky?
    As for Ben's comments regarding the 55K at Olympic Stadium, well, I gotta say ...hmmm I don't know what to say, really....
    We had 55K for the Santos Laguna game. Great. Amazing. We had 40K for the Milan game. Amazing.
    But how many people did we have when the Impact hosted Toronto FC last season? Oh, and we had 7000 at last year's league semifinal. Not so great.
    It's not really about luck. It's about interest. People need to get interested to the team. Genuine love and passion is not easy.
    So was it solely based on luck? No. But I'd like to see how many fans from the Santos Laguna or AC Milan game went to Stade Saputo for a game...
    Guest

    Avoiding assumptions

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    When referee Silviu Petrescu blew his whistle for the final time on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field, Toronto FC forward Dwayne De Rosario jogged over to the south stands to salute the passionate fans who frequent that section of the stadium.

    The Toronto home boy then wrapped a black and white flag around his shoulders — a gift from one of the TFC faithful — and wore it back to the dressing room, all the while his teammates acknowledged the 20,086 on hand who had braved the freezing winds blowing off Lake Ontario.
    The above passage – and the inference contained within it – caused a bit of an uproar of the Red Patch forums this week. The suggestion that DeRo was protesting by draping the banner over his back and later not being available for the media did not sit well when you consider what he was really doing.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    As I detailed on MLSsoccer today, he was getting a memorial banner to Red Patch member Rodrigo Novoa, who died suddenly last week, signed. However, rather than take the time to find that out the reporter made an assumption. When pushed on the issue the reporter was said it was unreasonable for him to know what the banner said or meant.
    Ok, then...
    The Sun is refusing to run a retraction, which is troublesome. The story that was written didn’t need to make a reference to the banner. Other than to set-up a colourful anecdotal lead, there was no reason to mention it if they didn’t know what De Rosario was doing with it.
    I will put some blame on the club, however. MLS rules say that the dressing room must be opened 10 minutes after the final whistle. For two games running TFC has refused access. In Vancouver reporters had to scrum outside and on Saturday they were directed to the team gym. If, as is required by MLS rules, the reporters were in the room it would have been clear what De Rosario was doing and this misunderstanding would not have happened.
    Access matters. It allows reporters to do their job, which, in turn, give fans the information they deserve. When clubs shut the media out of the room they are really shutting the fan out. And considering that without fans the clubs are irrelevant it’s more than a little short-sighted to do so.
    Guest
    Let's face it, the Vancouver Whitecaps are a rough team.
    We already had long-team League Two ruffian Terry Dunfield as one of our core players. John Thorrington is also renowned for rough play on those rare occasions when he's healthy, giving us a pretty deadly midfield in every sense. Alexandre Morfaw "takes care of business" coming off the bench. At the back, Michael Boxall and Jay DeMerit aren't afraid to stretch the limits of the laws, and up front, well, as we've seen Eric Hassli certainly isn't afraid to get angry.
    This thrills me, of course. I like a bit of dirty play. One of last year's Whitecaps' minor problems was that they were pushed around too easily. With a core of small players who didn't stick up for themselves, opposing teams sometimes had a bit of an easy time with us. Made up for in spades this time around, and since we've now signed Kevin Harmse the roster has grown even harder. Grrr, it's enough to make the testosterone boil in my veins. Let's go out and tackle somebody until their leg goes backwards!
    But the aforementioned Hassli also provides us with a cautionary tale. Major League Soccer is an erratic league in many ways and refereeing is not the least. Physical play is excellent when it's intimidating enemy forwards and breaking open their defensive line. It's terrible when your best forward is being sent off for tackles that wouldn't have helped the team even if he hadn't been caught.
    Call it a bit of navel-gazing, but I find myself wondering: might one of the Whitecaps' real strengths become a weakness?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Even bearing in mind the perfidiousness of the referees, the Whitecaps are well-advised to play with a bit of an edge. They have some skill but not even I will argue they're one of the most talented teams in the league. Moreover, they have a higher-than-average number of truly soft, finesse-first players and guys without any experience in professional North American soccer who will need, if not exactly <i>protection</i>, at least <i>consideration</i>. The Whitecaps have a number of rough and tumble players and it would be rash to ask them all to play entirely within themselves.
    Moreover, and let's be blunt here, playing rough can work. That's why I like it. Many of MLS's top players aren't the most courageous souls and will avoid trouble if they think there might be a hard challenge on the end of it. It can fire up the crowd, it can snuff attacks out in their tracks. There's a reason slower or less talented players are the quickest to embrace rough play: it's the great equalizer. To quote legendary Canadian national team defender Mark Watson, "they don't run so fast when they're lying on the ground." My tentative encouragement of borderline-dirty play isn't sheer bloodlust; it's an acknowledgement that a certain level of physicality is both legal and accepted in soccer and that it can be a great way for less talented players to keep up with their more skilled counterparts.
    Still, you can see the reason for my concern. Both Vancouver and Philadelphia skirted the edge in their game on Saturday but, ultimately, Vancouver came out worse in the referee's book. That's just going to happen in this league. Boisterous home crowds influencing the man with the cards; when 20,000 shouting partisans are on one side it turns out you <i>can</i> fight the laws. Early on, the Whitecaps are dealing with enough manpower shortages due to injuries and international callups; we don't need to see a host of our players being suspended as well.
    The news isn't terribly grim. Terry Dunfield, to pick a name, has kept his spikes firmly pointed downward so far this season. Apart from one frankly horrifying tackle in the second half of a Supporters' Summit game against Portland, I've hardly seen Dunfield do anything even borderline. What this has meant is that Dunfield's been distributing the ball, playing defensively, scoring a goal, and doing all the other things Terry Dunfield does so well without getting sent off. A player like John Thorrington may play on the edge but he might actually be better off calming down: he's quite a skilled player and given his serious injury concerns in recent seasons, it's probably a good idea that he spend more time playing clean and avoiding contact when possible.
    The team, essentially, has to learn to keep their tempers under control. That's the mistake Eric Hassli made against the Union and a few other Whitecaps came close. They have to learn when the referee is looking for an excuse to send somebody off, and when he's either put the whistle in his pocket or been convinced by the Empire Field crowd that nothing a Whitecap does could ever possibly be a foul. As I've harped on with this team, it's a matter of experience. But it's experience that can be hard to find; Kevin Harmse never quite got the knack, to pick a relevant name. The mood of a referee is sometimes far easier to see in the stands, with a big picture of every so-called offense, than it is on the field.
    They have to corral their instincts. Atiba Harris was taking a vicious beating from the Union defenders with no fouls called almost the entire game long. That can't have helped the Whitecaps' mood and it's only natural that a few more aggressive players might seek retribution. But there's a time and a place for it and on the road in a 0-0 game with an edgy referee is neither. At times it looked like the Whitecaps might go down to <i>nine</i> men. Their spirit did them credit but their intelligence didn't for the first hour. Luckily, after Hassli's sending off, the team did find their composure, although it was too late to prevent the loss of their finest striker. It's a very difficult thing to do week in, week out.
    But it's a skill the team has to learn, or else Hassli's suspension may just be the start.
    Guest
    If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck but plays Route 1 football, is it a duck?
    As we explored last week, Aron Winter’s system is evolving more into a possession-oriented, counter-attacking game than a traditional Total Football move-the-ball forward piece-by-piece system. It’s one that still has a number of holes but showed notable improvement over last week.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    What didn't work
    Dan Gargan had probably one of his worst games at right back. His distribution was rushed, he played simple passes into touch and more over he wore the look of a man who knew his job was on the line. And given that Aron Winter spent much of the week since talking up their need to increase depth at that position, that assessment is probably not far off.
    Cristian Gomez, the defender who has been training with the club for weeks now, appears ready to sign with Toronto FC. And even if he doesn’t step into the lineup right away, it’s a safe expectation that Ashtone Morgan will get the start over Gargan from here on in. That won’t sit well with some of those who have grown attached to Gargan, but neither will another week's worth of flubs.
    What did work
    Mikael Yourassowsky making overlapping runs with Dwayne DeRosario down the left wing. The Belgian showed exactly what takes for a left back to get forward and be effective in the attack. And despite much of the play was being forced down the right, the change of pace he brought added another element to the forward movement.
    The big question there is, of course, why DeRo was out on the left to begin with. Those apt to criticize him for disappearing against Portland should be asking why a player who is traditionally most effective in a central role, was relegated to being one of the least utilized players in the early going? As soon as he found his way into the middle of the pitch, a Maicon Santos pass sprung him in on goal.
    Speaking of which, Maicon, for all of his finishing ability, has suddenly become an equal threat at delivering the slashing pass. Twice now this season, goals have come from him tracking back to the defensive half, receiving the ball, looking off the defender and delivering a clever through ball.
    In addition to some refreshing distribution, Alen Stevanovic stepping off a plane to quickly find a place among a new system, the return of Adrian Cann to the middle needs little explanation on why it worked.
    The final question
    Can Toronto find a way to plug the midfield holes until Julian DeGuzman returns?
    TFC held the lead against what was essentially a D2 team with MLS aspirations, but against stronger opponents like L.A. their mistakes are going to be exposed. They have the fitness to run your team into the ground and the tools to pick it apart.
    Toronto needs to find someone to start plugging those channels because playing 10 men behind the ball with a lead won't work against proper MLS sides - even if the Route 1 football is working.
    Guest
    Can you hear that dead hum?
    That’s the sound of the buzz for the Montreal Impact in the la belle provence these days.
    It’s by no fault of their own – even the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes took years to carve out a place in mainstream media that is all-Montreal Canadiens all-the-time – but since their MLS introduction last year, there has been a tumbleweed blowing across Stade Saputo’s press row.
    There are, of course, the exceptions. Philippe Germain (Radio Canada) and Noel Butler (Team 990) provide good analysis on the clubs comings and goings. The Gazette checks in from time to time – usually when the Habs have an off day. But if you look around the rest of the city’s mainstream portals, you’d be hard pressed to read about the run on retirement slips the Impact have had in recent weeks (Matt Jordan, Adam Braz and Patrick Leduc have all hung up the boots.)
    But, Canadian Soccer News has learned that MLS promotion machine is gearing up to give the Impact a boost next week.
    MLS commissioner Don Garber will be making a stop in Montreal Apr. 5th and 6th to press some flesh and get that dead hum up to, at least, audible levels.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Stiff photo-ops at Stade Saputo and lots of benign interviews with local press will be the order of the day. A meeting with the mayor and some preening from provincial politicians should force some faces on to the front page. And RDS, CTV, Global and CBC will all carry some kind of coverage on their channels.
    But after the circus leaves town, where Montreal goes next to drum up interest is anybody’s guess.
    It’s no secret that Montreal will have the toughest road of any Canadian city in convincing local media to shine a light their way. Miracles like the 50,000 people who showed up to Olympic Stadium for a Champions League game won’t happen every day and every year as the Impact prepare to kick of its season, the Montreal Canadiens will be hogging the headlines as they begin their spring assault on the Lord Stanley’s mug.
    By the time that run is over, the Impact will have a small window between May and June before the CFL pre-season kicks off to hold the public’s sole attention. The rest of the time, they’ll be competing for ink against two of the country’s most entrenched and successful sports franchises.
    So, how can they do it? Not a clue. But Joey Saputo was once quoted expressing his own doubts about Toronto FC in its early days.
    Here’s hoping they don't resort to that.
    Guest
    Almost five months after being released by the Montreal Impact, Patrick Leduc announced that he was officially retiring from the game.
    The midfielder rejoigned the Impact today in a press conference in which he thanked the organization for his 11 seasons and president Joey Saputo for 'building a platform to let me play and do what I like the most'.
    Leduc signed with the Impact in 2000 sand has played over 250 games. He's won two series championship as well as 6 Voyageurs/Nutrilite Cup. The midfielder did suffer suffered a few injuries towards the end of his career and was often used as a substitute in the last season.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Patrick Leduc joined the club at a time where people just didn't care about them. The Impact had trouble getting 200 people at Claude-Robillard and I remember receiving free tickets to the games and not even going. But Patrick Leduc was there. He was there also, when 14000+ people filled that same stadium in the 2004 Championship final.
    The player was a loyal servant to the club and it's fair to say that his contributions to the game are far greater than the 15 000+ minutes he played.
    I would have like to have seen Patrick Leduc involved in the Impact's development program: an ideal candidate and role model for the young players dreaming of joining the first team. Anyways....
    Patrick Leduc will still be relatively close to the club. He has confirmed that he will be the game analyst for the Impact games on Radio-Canada.
    A gentleman of the game, both on and off the pitch. Thanks Pat.
    Photo : Impact de Montréal/Pépé
    Guest
    Updated 12:54 p.m. ET: Terrific news to start the day, as the Canadian men's national team has emerged with a 1-0 win over 37th-ranked Belarus in Antalya, Turkey. Not only does this provide a good momentum boost ahead of the Gold Cup, it also should provide a nice chunk of FIFA ranking points that could end up being vital once World Cup qualifying begins.
    Canada's goal was scored by Houston Dynamo defender Andre Hainault (his second for the senior men's team), who headed home a corner by fellow MLSer Will Johnson in the 58th minute.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Milan Borjan started in goal for Canada, but was replaced at halftime by erstwhile #1 Lars Hirschfeld. With Paul Stalteri not seeing the pitch, Kevin McKenna wore the captain's armband. Mike Klukowski made his long-awaited return to the men's national team lineup, playing 90 minutes at fullback, while Nik Ledgerwood got the (somewhat) surprising start on the other side of the back line.
    Sorry for the stilted sentences, but the only way to follow the game was via Twitter. All credit for the updates goes to Gerry Dobson of Sportsnet and Richard Scott of the Canadian Soccer Association.
    Guest

    “His distribution is terrible”

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    Along about 65 minutes in to Toronto FC’s sunny, icy home opener on Saturday, a fellow scribe who shall remain nameless sidled up to me on the south terrace of BMO Field.
    The home side was up 1-0, a naggingly familiar second-half situation, often described by the nagging, unfulfilled phrase “Gawd, we need a second goal.”
    As most Reds fans know, that second goal rarely comes. The opponents frequently equalize, then grab the winner in the dying moments. If there’s such a thing as “Toronto soccer” over the past four seasons, that ain’t a bad working definition.
    “I don’t know what all the fuss over this Stefan Frei is,” my fellow writer griped. “His distribution is terrible.”
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    That raised a couple of eyebrows right there. TFC’s young Swiss goalie had – I thought – been dishing the ball off to teammates effectively and well. Well enough that Rycroft and I had spent a good chunk of the first 45 gushing happily about how smartly and precisely he was playing. Rycroft was gone now, so it fell to me to answer the charge.
    I sailed out to Frei’s defence, but to utterly no avail. Then came a ringing attack on Frei’s shot-blocking. Okay, I’m thinking, maybe he’s not Greg Sutton that way. Toronto’s old first-call ‘keeper was brilliant at getting some part of his body into the path of the ball. But he didn’t/doesn’t have Frei’s overall game, and Frei cleans, guts and grills him as a distributor.
    I’m just deciding in my own mind whether to abandon the conversation, when Frei answers the charge more eloquently and beautifully than anything I ever could have said.
    He leaps to corral a Portland Timbers corner kick, claims space, looks around, sees the whole field – and hoofs a 200-foot pass deep, deep downfield. When it comes down, it’s still got plenty of steam, and it’s on a line no Portland defender can ever hope to cross.
    TFC newcomer Javier Martina runs onto it easily, and with one majestic, cheeky touch, lobs it gently yet firmly over the onrushing goalie. The south-end support detonates as the ball settles gratefully into the gaping net, sealing and securing a badly needed 2-0 win for the Torontos.
    Hell of a nice piece of distribution, right?
    My colleague is not impressed.
    “That’s not soccer,” he complains. “And it’s not what Aron Winter wants.”
    Well now, he might have a half-point about Winter. Frei and Martina went route-one on just two touches. That’s not exactly overlapping triangles, and point-to-point buildup from the back.
    On the other hand:
    - Frei saw the entire Portland team pushing forward.
    - Frei knew he had a friendly following wind.
    - Martina already had a fatal angle on the last defender.
    - The play counted directly onto the scoreboard, and stayed there.
    And you can’t tell me Aron Winter didn’t want a second goal at right about that moment.
    After the game, I asked Winter directly about TFC’s movement away from the ball throughout the game. The head man quickly agreed it wasn’t what he wants to see, and that there is a long way to go before Beautiful Football North © is ready for prime time.
    Martina himself pointed out the problem a couple of times in the match. Twice, the ball came to him a good fifteen yards from the touchline, and twice he dribbled way wide, all the way out to the edge of the field. Both plays died on the vine.
    But I’m not going to say that’s Martina’s fault. Both times, he took a Portland fullback out on the fringes with him, opening up yards of aching, empty space in his wake. Both times, there were Toronto teammates who could see it happening, and easily could have moved to fill the space. Both times, Martina could have gifted them with odd-man cross opportunities – exactly the kind of tempting bon-bon we just never see all that much in this part of the soccer globe.
    Sure, it’s only the second game. What seems clear is that most of the TFC players are thinking instead of reacting. The new system of give-and-go-go-go isn’t natural. On a team in transition, where rapid roster turnover is the norm, perhaps they’re cautious about committing themselves to out-of-position play, no matter how strategically advantageous such risks could be.
    Certainly, that looks like what’s happening with Dan Gargan.
    A huge fan favourite, the tough and eloquent Gargan was an impressive physical roadblock in ex-coach Preki’s dim, miserable strategy a year ago. He led by example effectively, and was able to get forward and mix it up with opposing midfielders in his own crude yet passionate way.
    But Winter needs a ball-savvy sprinter at right back. Right now, he hasn’t got one. I still think Gargan’s got more than he’s showing so far, he’s just not instinctively sure of when to stay – and when to go. I hope he can save the situation. There are many days I think he and Frei are the only natural “leaders” on the entire TFC roster.
    Yes, “the system” is Toronto’s best way forward. But let none of us kick Frei’s marvelous pass – and Martina’s lovely finish – out of bed on a cold night any time soon.
    Gorgeous play, and copious huzzahs to both men for seeing it – and knowing – before the ball even got out of Frei’s mitts.
    Onward!
    Guest
    In a prelude to what will surely be a titanic clash between Canada and Guadeloupe at this year's Gold Cup, the U20 men's squads of the respective nations... wait, is Guadeloupe a nation? Anyway, Canada and Guadeloupe played on Monday night in U20 World Cup qualifying. Canada won 2-1. The end.
    Well, not quite.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The Canadian side wasn't what it could have been. Jaineil Hoilett was held back by his club side (FSV Mainz 05), as was Ashtone Morgan (of Toronto FC). His teammate, Doneil Henry, joined the Canadian team late (after riding the bench for TFC on Saturday) and only came into the game as a substitute in the second half, while Nicholas Lindsay surely would have factored into the team if not for his season-ending injury. Goalkeeper Roberto Stillo, part of Genoa's youth system, is also out with an injury.
    With all of this wafting above their heads, the Canadian team had a flat first half. Despite some early possession, Canada conceded the opening goal in the 25th minute, a 20-yard bomb by Christophe Houleche that was deflected on its way past 'keeper Julian Latendresse-Levesque. Clearly buoyed by breaking the ice, Guadeloupe had their way with the young Canucks for the remainder of the opening 45, controlling possession and creating some (unsuccessful) opportunities to score a second.
    A halftime substitution did wonders for Canada, though, as the insertion of Jonathan Osorio in the midfield provided a good complement to the ongoing hard work of Russell Teibert and captain Ethan Gage. Teibert's hard work made Canada's opener possible, as he fought for the ball along the Guadeloupe end line and fed a pass to Lucas Cavallini, one of four Canadians plying his trade down in Uruguay, who slotted a low shot into the net in the 53rd minute.
    The winner came just five minutes later as (who else?) Teibert whipped a free kick into the area which found the head of Derrick "the pride of North Delta, B.C." Brassi, who did exactly what a centre back is meant to do in that situation: put the ball low and into the corner. The Guadeloupe 'keeper was left helpless, the Canadian kids were left ecstatic.
    The psychic power of having the lead allowed the Canadians to maintain control for the remainder of the match, as JLL was rarely tested in the Canadian goal.
    Overall, the U20s certainly weren't playing the sort of fluid attacking style that the U17s treated us to a few months back. Then again, many members of the U17 team are regular teammates in the academies of Toronto FC, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact, whereas the members of the U20 squad play their club soccer in six different countries.
    Either way, a win is a win -- and an absolutely crucial one at that, as a loss almost certainly would have dashed any hopes of qualification for the U20 World Cup. As it stands, Canada temporarily sits first in its three-team Group C. Costa Rica and Guadeloupe meet on Wednesday, while Canada meets Costa Rica on Friday. The top two teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals.
    Canada could still advance, even with a loss to Costa Rica, but that would likely see them match up with Mexico in the quarterfinals (while winning the group would likely book them a date with either Cuba or Trinidad & Tobago). No matter what, the road to the U20 World Cup won't be easy for this team... but Canadian soccer seems to have some magic dust around it as of late, so let's just wait and see what happens, shall we?
    .
    Guest
    Today, we're joined by Michael Orr, from Mao's Football Show in Portland, to talk about the Toronto FC v Timbers game, their first year in MLS and how their ownership is facilitating the emergence of an MLS supporter's culture there.
    We'll also get into the Canada v Belarus game, re-engage the club vs country debate and discuss MLS going back to the Manchester United trough to build their fan base.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/22521/march282011final.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
    Having already qualified for the U17 Men's World Cup this year, Canada now looks to keep the youthful magic rolling against everyone's favourite non-FIFA-sanctioned-but-still-somehow-allowed-in-CONCACAF-tournaments "overseas department of France", Guadeloupe!
    The game is being streamed on CONCACAF.com, but if you don't feel like signing up -- or you just feel like discussing the game with your fellow Canadian fans -- head over for the live chat. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern. Allez les rouges!
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <iframe src="http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php/option=com_altcaster/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=8d8d8538c8/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=8d8d8538c8" >Live Chat: Canada v. Guadeloupe (Men's U20)</a></iframe>
    Guest
    Last week, I took a massive, attempt-at-an-all-encompassing look at the origin and pedigree of the 14 designated players currently in Major League Soccer. From here on out, though, it'll just be quick updates on how they're doing as the season rolls along -- as well as info on any new DPs who happen to be signed midway through the campaign.
    The goal, of course, is to provide fans in Toronto and Vancouver with an idea as to how their designated players are stacking up against the dozen others in MLS. So for Week 2, let's give 'er a look:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Week 2 (March 21-27)
    David Beckham (LA): Becks smacked the upright with one of his patented free kicks (albeit a deflected one) in the opening five minutes, but that's the closest he'd come to scoring in the Galaxy's demoralizing 4-1 loss to Salt Lake. He nearly played the whole game -- being subbed out in the 88th minute -- and also picked up his second yellow card of the campaign, this one for rather aggressively yapping at ref Jair Marrufo following a delayed offside call.
    Juan Pablo Angel (LA): Good news, kinda, for Angel, who got his first goal for Los Angeles, heading home a free kick after a mistake at the back by Salt Lake. I say "kinda" because it was an 80th-minute consolation tally when L.A. was already down 4-0. But hey, who knows -- if things come down to goal differential, it could be big!
    Landon Donovan (LA): Landycakes missed the match, as he was off on international duty for the ol' U.S. of A, as they went up against Argentina and got mercilessly thrashed 5-0 in a game that could have easily been decided by eight or nine goals. What's that? Oh, sorry, that was our friendly against Argentina last year. The Yanks tied 'em 1-1.
    Julian de Guzman (Toronto): Still recovering from off-season knee surgery, JDG wasn't on Toronto's roster for the 2-0 win against Portland. Even so, he played exactly as many minutes (zero) as a few other DPs.
    Branko Boskovic (DC): Speaking of non-playing DPs, Boskovic made the same contribution to his team in Week 2 as he did in Week 1: Filling a space on the roster, and a seat on the bench.
    Thierry Henry (NY): While traveling overseas to get booed in Euro 2012 qualifying surely would have been a fun excursion for the Frenchman, Henry was absent from New York's 0-0 draw with Columbus not due to international duty, but due to a strained left hamstring.
    Rafael Marquez (NY): Marquez, meanwhile, was on international duty and had quite a decent little day, winning his 100th cap for Mexico as El Tri, powered by a brace from Chicharito, got past Paraguay 3-1 in a friendly.
    Alvaro Fernandez (Seattle): Fernandez featured in Seattle's first two matches of the season (though he didn't play the full 90 in either), yet he spent the entirety of their 1-1 draw with Houston in Week 2 stapled to the pine. That's a figure of speech, of course. I doubt the benches are made of pine, and I even more highly doubt that Fernandez was stapled to anything.
    Fredy Montero (Seattle): As for the Sounders' other DP, the face of the franchise went the full 90, launching an impressive seven shots (three on target) and figuring (as expected) into many of Seattle's offensive efforts. Through three matches, though, Seattle only has one goal, so it'll be interesting to see whether coach Sigi Schmid changes the way in which his dueling DPs are deployed in the weeks ahead.
    Omar Bravo (KC): After a sparkling debut, in which he scored twice and won MLS Player of the Week honours, Bravo's second week in the league came to a rather ignominious end in his side's 3-2 loss to Chicago. He was sent off for what the kids call a "professional foul" (though KC fans likely call it "a steaming pile of referee-invented bullshit") in the 32nd minute. Diego Chavez converted the ensuing penalty while Bravo headed for an early shower.
    Alvaro Saborio (Salt Lake): Saborio, like Donovan, missed the RSL/Galaxy tilt by virtue of being off on international duty. I'm sure he doesn't feel too bad, however, as not only did his MLS mates do just fine without him, but he got to take part in the grand opening of Costa Rica's new national stadium -- which, for some reason, was financed by the Chinese government. It's surely not coincidence that Saturday's friendly was against China, who drew 2-2 with the Ticos.
    Eric Hassli (Vancouver): After his first MLS game, plenty of commentators used words like "strong" and "tough" and "rugged" to describe the Whitecaps' striker. But whereas he racked up two goals in the Whitecaps' Week 1 victory, he racked up a pair of yellow cards in their Week 2 loss (1-0 to Philadelphia), and was sent off in the 57th minute. His first infringement involved a needless, off-the-ball trip, while his second was a crunching late challenge. I doubt this will do any harm to his folk hero status in Van City, though.
    Andres Mendoza (Columbus): Mendoza was set up as the lone man up from for the Crew, and was more actively involved in Columbus's offence in Week 2 than he was in Week 1. By the end of a full-90 performance, he'd managed two shots but hadn't bulged the ol' onion bag, as Columbus managed only a goalless draw with a very short-handed Red Bulls side.
    Fabian Castillo (Dallas): The 18-year-old (!!!) Colombian striker (contrary to the incorrect information I originally posted) saw the pitch for the first time in MLS, coming on as a sub in the 57th minute. He managed one shot at goal and, according to a reader of this site (whose comment you can ready by scrolling down slightly) he's pretty darn fast. At 18, I'd hope so.
    Guest
    The sights from around BMO Field Saturday for the Toronto FC v Portland Timbers game. 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]

    Dutch Dreams

    North End Elite

    Having words

    Stretching to make the save

    Martina celebrating
    Check out Part 2 here
    Guest
    The sights from around BMO Field Saturday for the Toronto FC v Portland Timbers game. 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]

    U-Sector Capo

    Stiff arm

    Kind of sums up Gargan's day

    Toronto FC honouring the loss of one of the Red Patch Boys. RIP Rodrigo
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