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    Guest

    Morgan to remain with TFC

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Aron Winter confirmed today that Canadian youth international Ashtone Morgan will not be returned to the u-20 camp.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    “(Starting fullback Mikael) Yourassowsky took a red, so I’ll need him,” Winter said.
    Morgan, along with Doneil Henry, were both recalled from the camp on Thursday to cover for injuries. Morgan was subbed into the game against Portland briefly and both players started on the bench.
    The decision to recall the players was criticised iin some quarters as being unfair to the youth program. It was suggested that both players would be better off staying with the U-20s where they play a significant role.
    TFC defended the decision, saying that they needed them for depth.
    Pro clubs are not required to release youth players for international duty.
    A source close to the U-20 program suggested that TFC is “difficult” to deal with when it comes to releasing players.
    Winter said that he had yet to decide on whether Henry would be returned to the youth camp. He said that Nana
    Attakora’s status would determine whether je would be returned – if Attakora can play next week again t Chivas, Henry will be sent back.
    Guest
    There is still a lot of work to be done.
    That was the second thing out of Aron Winter’s month at the post game press conference following TFC’s 2-0 win yesterday. And, he’s right. There is. Portland is a pretty bad team – maybe the worst in the league – and Toronto allowed PDX a lot of the ball at times.
    Still, three points.
    That’s kind of the bottom line. So, if you are inclined to look for the negative from today you might want to reconsider. Less than 48-hours ago there were people legitimately wondering if the Reds would win a game this year. Today, they are 1-1 with an even goal differential.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    To quote Mr. Robert Marley: Don’t worry about a thing ‘cause every little thing is gonna be alright.
    TFC will win some games this year and it will lose some. It will be one of those teams in MLS that is just kinda there. How you as a fan enjoy them is really up to you.
    Winter has been clear that this is a long-term plan. The end game of what they are trying to do is to win a championship. If they can pull that off, then it’s probably worth some frustrations from time to time.
    Although they could have played better, today wasn’t one of those frustrating days. So, enjoy it.
    The first thing out of Winter’s mouth by the way was “it’s good to get a win, that’s what is important.”
    Having spent some time today with both the Red Patch Boys and U-Sector I got the impression that TFC fandom has entered a new, mature phase. The frat boys are gone and it’s no longer a keg party. Maybe not every game will be a sell out. Maybe not every game will be wild and crazy.
    However, those that are in the stands will be there for the football and for the club. Maybe that’s a good thing. The party of 2007 was special, but it was never going to last forever. If what we saw today was the new reality, well, that’s still pretty good. There weren’t 20,000 plus like was announced, but the crowd was decent – much better than many other markets. So we should stop worrying about it. The club isn’t going anywhere.
    Except for maybe up in the standings...but it’s probably too early to predict that. After all, It’s been a strange little ride through four years. So, as stated, let’s just live in the moment today.
    And that moment is three points.
    Guest
    Yesterday, my estimable colleague Duane Rollins laid out some concerns he is quite correctly feeling about the intricacies of cheering in the pressbox.
    Duane is making the big move this season from the front row of U-Sector's beloved Section 113 to the journalist's treehouse in his role as game reporter for mlssoccer.com.
    As a fan-journalist, and five-year veteran of life in the clouds, I humbly offer a few tips that do -- in fact -- allow for cheering TFC under the haughty noses of the Fifth Estate:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    1) Channel most of your cheering into low, under-the-table fist-pumps. These are largely undetectable, and open to multiple interpretation.
    2) If you get one syllable into a loud reflexive "Yahoo!" you can always rechannel it into a fake sneeze. Drawback: this requires a level of self-awareness most of us leave in the parking lot when we come to games.
    3) If you must "Yahoo!" do it as whole-heartedly as you possibly can. The goal here is a general response of "Oh, that's just Ben. He's like that." An odd form of acceptance, perhaps, but useful all the same.
    4) Never, ever, ever, ever cheer within ear or eyeshot of Gerry Dobson.
    5) Best solution of all: get the heck out of the pressbox, and on to either of the adaecent terraces. There, you can yell your liver out for 90 minutes, and no one involved with the allegedly higher art of journalism will give a sideways blue fandango.
    This is all time-tested, field-proven gold, Duane. I look forward to whatever new strategies you will soon be adding to the fan-journalist arsenal.
    Onward!
    Guest
    The Whitecaps' <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2011/3/26/2074050/philadelphia-union-vs-vancouver-whitecaps-carlos-ruiz-puts-union-up-1">1-0 loss</a> to the Philadelphia Union Saturday afternoon will be disheartening to the team both from a momentum standpoint and a points-lost standpoint, but from a larger-picture perspective, it's not all that bad. Vancouver had plenty of chances and could easily have come away with a draw with a few different breaks; the Whitecaps weren't outclassed, and they demonstrated that they can play at a high level even with <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?1413-Whitecaps-Union-Preview-Can-Vancouver-keep-this-up">significant roster attrition</a> thanks to injuries and international call-ups. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    In the end, it was the sending off of Eric Hassli with over 30 minutes left to play that proved disastrous for Vancouver. It's up for debate if the foul he was called for was really worth another yellow or not, but Hassli was playing rather recklessly for a man who had already been booked; if he didn't pick up the second yellow there, he might have earned it shortly thereafter. Hassli's fearless style and strength both on and off the ball are critical assets for him, but he's going to need to find a way to play under control when it's required.
    Vancouver held their own in the midfield and possession battles until Hassli was dismissed, but they understandably fell back into more of a defensive shell afterwards. That worked for a time, and Joe Cannon made some terrific saves, but Philadelphia put up enough pressure that a goal seemed inevitable. The way it eventually came also carries some questions, both about Vancouver's poor man coverage in the box (Carlos Ruiz was wide open) and the potential for an offside call, but if the goal hadn't come there, it seems likely Philadelphia would have found another way to punch one in before the end; there was just too much pressure for the Whitecaps to hold out indefinitely.
    There obviously will be plenty of room for discussion this week on everything from the refereeing to personnel moves to tactics, but this doesn't seem like a critical loss for Vancouver. It's a missed opportunity, sure, but it's one that seems to highlight correctable issues (discipline, depth, better marking, better set-piece plays) rather than glaring permanent flaws. It also shows that MLS life isn't going to be a complete cakewalk for Vancouver, and that may prove a valuable lesson too.
    Guest
    The Whitecaps' <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?1382-Thoughts-from-a-tumultuous-Whitecaps-opener">first MLS game</a> last week (pictured above) saw them dispatch Toronto FC relatively easily. Inspired by <a href="http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/mls/news;_ylt=AgB5Knkb2bvjoqB1o.c5aT1ShgM6?slug=ab-bucholtz_whitecaps_crowd-031911">an incredible crowd</a>, they came away with <a href="http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/mls/news;_ylt=An6AEhmbKIEgavpnnM_bMa2dbgM6?slug=ro-rogers_vancouver_whitecaps_win_mls_debut031911">a 4-2 victory</a> that could have been even more lopsided. With such a successful debut, it's easy to see their second game as <a href="http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/mls/news;_ylt=AnCxXcpzYaBZvMvYY_5FblSdbgM6?slug=capress-soc_mls_whitecaps_players_sidelined-6322866">a potential letdown</a>; they've had to <a href="http://www.whitecapsfc.com/news/2011/03/whitecaps-fc-make-maiden-mls-road-trip-philadelphia-union">travel across the continent</a> from their fans to face the Philadelphia Union (TV: Rogers Sportsnet One, radio: TEAM 1410, time: 1 p.m. Pacific), and as Ben <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?1388-Whitecaps-Depth-Crunch-Becomes-a-Crisis-in-Philadelphia">pointed out earlier</a>, they're going to be <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2011/03/25/sp-whitecaps.html?ref=rss">without a lot of key pieces</a> thanks to injuries and international callups. That doesn't exactly spell a cakewalk.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Fortunately for Vancouver, Philadelphia isn't the strongest team out there. The Union finished <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Major_League_Soccer_season">seventh out of eight teams</a> in MLS' Eastern Conference last year, with 31 points and a -14 goal differential. Unfortunately for Vancouver, they've made some nice offseason moves, and this edition of the Union looks like a more perfect one than their debut squad last year. They're still unlikely to be the class of MLS, but when you compare them <a href="http://www.eightysixforever.com/2011/3/25/2072500/comparing-the-whitecaps-and-the-union-position-by-position">position-by-position</a> with injury-depleted Vancouver, Philadelphia stacks up pretty well.
    Reinforcements aren't likely to arrive any time soon, either. The recently-signed Kevin Harmse is with the team and <a href="http://communities.canada.com/theprovince/blogs/backofthenet/archive/2011/03/25/caps-sign-coquitlam-s-harmse.aspx">could potentially be available</a> against Philadelphia, but it seems unlikely he'd be thrown into the fire this early. Meanwhile, Omar Salgado <a href="http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Salgado+cleared+play+Whitecaps/4503426/story.html">may be cleared to play</a> with Vancouver <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?1410-Omar-Salgado-Cleared-To-Play-By-FIFA">much earlier than anticipated</a>, but he's off on U-20 duty with the U.S. (Russell Teibert's doing the same for Canada). Joe Cannon seems set to go, but he may be coming back before he's 100 per cent <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Whitecaps+Game+Changes+aplenty+first+road+match+Philly/4506608/story.html">thanks to a shoulder injury to Jay Nolly</a>. Khalfan <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?1411-The-Whitecaps-Official-Position-on-Nizar-Khalfan-and-the-TFF">should be available</a>, and he might be able to help, but the depth, injury and international issues could cause significant problems for Vancouver.
    Two intriguing players to watch should be the most well-known strikers on each side. Whitecaps' designated player Eric Hassli made <a href="http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver/blog/post/807816--whitecaps-make-dream-mls-start">a spectacular debut last week</a>, notching two goals and generally causing havoc amongst the Toronto back line. It's going to be interesting to see how he does against Philadelphia. Meanwhile, the Union can counter with another French striker, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9bastien_Le_Toux">Sebastian Le Toux</a>. He'll be well-known to Vancouver fans from his time with both the USL-1 and MLS Seattle Sounders, and he's certainly got plenty of striking talent. We'll see if the Whitecaps' back four can contain him.
    One thing the Whitecaps do have going for them is their coach, though. Teitur Thordarson has always drilled his players into being a force on the road, and last year in Division II play, the Whitecaps put up <a href="http://usl1.uslsoccer.com/standings/">a very respectable 5-3-7 mark</a> away from Swangard Stadium. The Division II Whitecaps generally kept their composure and shape very well on the road, making life difficult for whoever was hosting them. Thordarson demonstrated last week that his system can produce an impressive amount of offence with the right talent and personnel, so I doubt the Whitecaps are just going to defend all day, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a more defensive strategy than what we watched against Toronto FC. Vancouver also has the personnel to start and take advantage of quick counterattacks, and that might serve them well against the Union. We'll see how it plays out, but it's worth remembering that this one's <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?1380-Whitecaps-TFC-Preview-For-Vancouver-it-is-and-isn-t-any-other-game">worth just as many points as last week's game</a>. The circumstances are tougher and the atmosphere's more hostile, so it's not going to be easy for Vancouver, but this game matters just as much in the standings, so they'll have to at least put up a good fight.
    Guest
    After yesterday's post was published, the Vancouver Whitecaps responded to my inquiries on the situation dealing with Tanzanian international Nizar Khalfan and why he was not released to go play for his national side.
    In my post, I mentioned how I thought that it seemed a little fishy that the Vancouver Whitecaps would not release Khalfan, but they have released every other player that they have ever had on the roster when international duty has called. It seems that my hunch was pretty well bang on; it was addressed in the following letter from Club President Bob Lenarduzzi.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Three days' notice for a player's release for a national fixture is by no means anywhere close to the 14 days stipulated by FIFA. I personally feel bad for everyone involved because Khalfan has been instrumental in the midfield for his home nation. I feel bad for Khalfan because every player lives for the chance to play in games like these. I fell bad for the 'Caps because the international press does not seem all that interested in what comes of this story beyond the fact that the Whitecaps refused to release the player and the TFF was talking tough about legal action.
    On a brighter note Nizar should feature heavily in the 'Caps game against the Philly Cream Cheese... err Union, is it? Anyways, he should get lots of minutes with injuries to Chiumiento and Teibert limiting their playing time.
    In all reality, it seems as though the Whitecaps are a little more dangerous with Khalfan in the lineup this year anyways, so the more we see of him the better.
    Guest
    The Vancouver Whitecaps dropped a bomb on the soccer world today; first-overall SuperDraft pick Omar Salgado will be made available for selection effective immediately. On a gloomy, soggy day in the Terminal City, this is the kind of news that will put a little skip in a Whitecaps' fans stride. Many pundits were highly critical of Vancouver's brass for passing up on blue chip prospects like Darlington Nagbe and Perry Kitchen for the 17 year old wunderkind. To them, I put my thumb to my nose and make childish noises.
    Salgado showed flashes of brilliance throughout the pre-season, displaying a nose for the goal and wicked speed which used to challenge established defenders and caused headaches for opposing managers from his first step on the pitch.
    The biggest fear that surrounded the former Club Deportivo Guadalajara youth star at draft time was the fact that due to FIFA regulations he likely would not be able to suit up for the blue and white until after his 18th birthday in September. As it turns out the Whitecaps were in fact able to push FIFA and work the appropriate channels in order to expedite his paperwork. Unfortunately for the Whitecaps the news is slightly bittersweet.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The issue at hand thus becomes when will he be available to play for the Whitecaps. Salgado and the Whitecaps have both addressed the fact that playing with the US U-20 outfit is probably in his best interests. We have seen time and again that the 'Caps always place country before club. Russell Teibert will be leaving immediately after the Whitecaps' Saturday game in Philadelphia to join the Canadian U-20 Squad and it only seems to fit the precedent that Salgado would be released to do the same for the Americans. Judging by the 'Caps schedule lining up against that of the CONCACAF U-20 Qualifying Tournament, it would appear that Salgado's first Whitecaps' game would likely be against the American affiliate of his former youth club Chivas on Saturday April 16th at Swangard.
    This is a great day for 'Caps fans, but it's a terrible day for guys like Long Tan who were competing for Vancouver's striker slots.
    Guest
    Today, we're joined by Ives Galarcep, from Fox Soccer, to talk about who Toronto FC's Dwayne DeRosario is being shopped around to in the league, Charlie Davies return and what that means to the U.S. game and his dark horse picks for the league this year.
    We're also joined by TSN analyst Jason DeVos who talks about national team turncoats and the pride of suiting up for Canada, the planned centennial friendlies and what he'd like to see as a former national team player and what he thinks of Toronto and Vancouver's lineups.
    We'll also be setting up the Toronto home opener, discuss Omar Salgado getting cleared to play for Vancouver and the news that Toronto FC is withholding U-20 players from national team duty.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/22477/march252011final.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
    If you haven't heard, you really need to read this website more. As reported by Duane Rollins yesterday evening, Toronto FC has withdrawn young Canadians Doneil Henry and Ashtone Morgan from the Canadian U-20 national team training camp at the behest of ashen-faced supremo Aron Winter due to (imagine air quotes the size of Volkswagens here) "injury concerns".
    Now, as irritated as I am by Toronto's conduct, we haven't got enough information to jump to conclusions. Both Henry and Morgan are defenders. It's possible the Toronto first team has suffered a few injuries in training and will require Morgan and Henry to cover. There are also rumblings courtesy of Rudi Schuller that the two players will be returned to Canada after the Portland game. If this is all true: if Toronto legitimately requires Morgan and Henry and they'll both be back with Canada when the games start to count, I have no problem with that. Canada kicks off the CONCACAF U-20 Championship against Guadeloupe on Monday, March 28. If both Henry and Morgan are in the lineup, having done their duty with TFC, not even the most cynical observer (me) will be able to complain.
    At first glance, though, this looks bad. Neither Morgan nor Henry are key players. Morgan was an unused substitute in Toronto's first game of the season against Vancouver and Henry didn't even make it to the bench. There haven't been reports of relevant injuries in Toronto that would require Morgan and Henry to stick around, or at least none that have reached my west coast ears. Grumblings that Henry and Morgan might return after the weekend are only that and you'd think Toronto FC would be quick to publicly re-assure everybody that Canada will get their players back. Moreover, in the Mo Johnston era Toronto had a history of being... reluctant to support their country. Meanwhile, the Vancouver Whitecaps have released their only first-team Canadian U-20, Russell Teibert, without any fuss, in spite of the fact that Teibert is fighting a minor leg injury, is our starting left winger instead of a benchwarmer, and in fact missed much of the 2010 season thanks to another leg injury suffered on assignment with the Canadian U-20 national team.
    I admit it. As a Whitecaps fan I'm disappointed, and as a Canada fan I'm worried.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    First off, Toronto fans, please hold your tongues. "Toronto has more Canadian players than Vancouver, woo-hoo!" That's perfectly true and also completely irrelevant; just because Toronto had a four-year head start hoovering up MLS-level Canadian talent doesn't mean they deserve our applause.
    The truth is that there's a symbiosis between club and country, especially in Canada where club-based development of players at the U-15 level and below is still in its infancy. The Canadian Soccer Association, ultimately, takes on responsibility for all those young would-be professionals that come up into our ranks. Their youth national programs provide excellent opportunities for players to show their stuff. Whitecaps fans should know this better than anyone, given the prominent role Whitecaps Residency players have had in every recent incarnation of the youth national teams. Not to mention the way Vancouver took Canadian U-17 captain and Player of the Year Bryce Alderson from TFC Academy, benefiting from the CSA's good work in putting Alderson in the spotlight and giving him a chance to succeed. When former Whitecaps defender/midfielder Ethan Gage got the opportunity of a lifetime and moved on to Reading, the articles in England weren't impressed about a spot starter with the USSF D2 Whitecaps who might have played more if he didn't get his nose broke in a reserve match. They were about a U-20 international and the reigning Canadian U-20 Player of the Year.
    Bearing this in mind, the reason why the Whitecaps are being so gracious with Russell Teibert is obvious. It's good for the player, who has an opportunity to wear his country's uniform and catch the eye of teams at a higher level. It's good for the team. Teibert will be a stand-out player on a U-20 team that, quite frankly, needs the help, and a few games as a crucial player for your country is much more important than a few practices as just another cog in the MLS machine. It's proper repayment from club to country, as without the CSA's development structure Teibert might be stocking shelves at Safeway right now. He joins two of his former Whitecaps Residency teammates, Coulton Jackson and Derrick Bassi, as well as another familiar face named Ethan Gage. It's a great opportunity for the Whitecaps and it's a great opportunity for Russell Teibert. Canada's going to have a hard time in this tournament, but that just means Vancouver's players have more of a chance to beat adversity and win glory.
    Let's just hope Toronto sees it the same way.
    Guest

    Cheering in the press box

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    I have a confession to make that will cause my j-school professors to spin in their graves.*
    Last Saturday, when Dwayne De Rosario took a lovely pass from Maicon Santos to score an equalizing goal against Vancouver, it took every ounce of energy for me to not leap up and scream. You can take the boy out of the south end, but you can’t take the south end out of the boy. I want TFC to win. Sue me.
    The rules are clear. There is to be no cheering in the press box. It’s the most sacred of laws amongst those that occupy the Toy Department at your local rag. This ignores the fact that some of the most brilliant sports writing in history took place in an era when sports writers used to drink with the players on overnight trains to Detroit while ignoring the 19-year-old brunette on the arm of the star player that they were pretty sure wasn’t his wife. You must play it straight and take the passion out of the thing. Failing to do so ensures that you cannot be objective – not a “real” journalist.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Clearly, what you are covering is vital to the lives of the people that are reading it in a real way. Sports isn’t fantasy, designed to distract people from the misery of their everyday existence, after all.
    The above paragraph is sarcasm, by the way. That’s exactly what sports is for and it’s why I, as a classically trained journalist, reject the notion that you need to be dispassionate to properly do your job. You can’t be blind and you can’t ignore things (i.e. performance enhancing drug use, match fixing) that does cross over into the “things that actually do matter” category. But, it is possible to report on those things while hoping for the home team to win.
    Caring about the result gives you the tension that is needed to make your reporting pop. Readers aren’t stupid and this isn’t 1973 – they can see exactly the same things you as the reporter are seeing. The emergence of so-called new media is a result of readers seeking out voices that understand what it means to be a fan, to care and to care irrationally.
    Grizzled journos will tell you that there are home teams that they would like to throw off the nearest bridge. Professional athletes can be, well, pricks. They aren’t always easy to deal with and they are oblivious to the truth that they are irrelevant without the fans and they don’t have fans without publicity and that publicity comes from the guy with the notepad in front of them. So, you can understand why they may not be inclined to cheer.
    But, you can’t hate the fans. The fans are the living, breathing essence of the community that you, as the reporter, serve. I know that a TFC win will make those people – my friends, many of them – happy. That, in turn, makes me happy. Ultimately I care a great deal about the community that I live in and that’s why I will cheer in that press box if I damn well want to. And the day I stop covering MLS is the day I’m right back down in section 113 – I still have a season ticket, after all.
    Note: Don’t worry TFC communications department. My cheering will be the silent kind while in the box.
    * they aren’t really dead
    Guest
    Unfortunately, much of my job here at CSN involves reading a lot of Bruce Dowbiggin. You see, Bruce does the sports media overview thing for the Globe and Mail, but he’s also part of the McCown/Perkins axis of footy ignorance, so any time he writes about soccer his perspective tends to veer wildly off the mark.
    This past week has seen a few instances. First we had his “put up or shut up” piece, arguing that unless the introduction of the Whitecaps finally thrusts soccer into the Canadian sporting mainstream, the sport should just finally “shut up” (how exactly does an entire sport shut up by the way? Especially one badly outpacing hockey in the youth participation department?).
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    More recently we got the “fewer Canadians care about soccer than curling,” based entirely on the TV ratings for the Whitecaps TFC Major League Soccer game (apparently Canada’s interest in soccer can only be gauged by MLS ratings—no mention of the Champions League or the combined European domestic fixture ratings, properties eagerly fought over by all the major Canadian sports networks).
    Bruce weaves in all the soccer stereotypes, but there’s a particularly grating one I’d like to speak to: the idea that soccer in Canada is “multicultural.”
    Quote the Dowbiggin:
    Um, does Jason de Vos not count?
    Anyway, my question is this—does Bruce take “multicultural” to mean Scottish ex-pats, second generation Italian and Portuguese immigrants, French Canadian little league players, descendants of United Empire Loyalists who truck down from all sorts of small towns across southern Ontario to watch TFC, Asian grandfathers, East Indian kids, aboriginal Canadians? Because that’s pretty much Canada from where I’m sitting.
    Look, a lot of soccer people love hockey. And a lot of hockey people love basketball. And a lot of basketball people love baseball. And all of them hail from every single cultural background imaginable. And yet to this day, we hear about how soccer is “multicultural” while hockey is purelaine Canadienne, despite the fact Canada has one of the oldest football associations in the world, we won an Olympic Gold medal in association football in 1904, took a team of Canadian born players in 1888 and matched the records of the best clubs in England and Scotland, all while ice hockey was still putting on its jammies.
    So why does this “multiculti soccer” meme persist? Probably because for the old sports writing establishment—and to be fair, large sections of mainstream media as a whole—interest in a “foreign” sport (i.e. one where the elite leagues reside neither in Canada or the US) could only be driven by recent immigrants.
    This is total bullshit. Live soccer from Italy, Germany, Spain, and England is a staple of bars and homes across the country. The Champions League and the World Cup are major mainstream ratings successes. The task for TFC over the last five years, the Whitecaps now and the Impact next year was never to build a soccer base from scratch, but to attract interest from the mother lode: regular Canadian fans of European football.
    Soccer per se never struggled to break into the Canadian mainstream. You could still find European League One tables in the sports section of Dowbiggin’s own paper as far back as the 1920s. Just under thirty years ago, 35, 656 people attended Exhibition Stadium to watch a second-string Juventus side play the Toronto Blizzard. Elite clubs from across Europe regularly toured Canada for decades, long before the satellite feed era. Canadians have long loved the Beautiful Game. The struggle of both the NASL and the CSL after it was to create a homegrown, professional product that could build on that European interest.
    In light of this, four years of a sold out BMO Field despite a shit on-field product, 22,000 at Empire Field for opening day, and 258,000 Canadians tuning in to watch Canadian teams play in a league far removed from the elite centre of soccer power is a triumph, a sign of major progress, not the “shit or get off the pot” moment of Dowbiggin’s imagination. The point is Canada has long liked soccer, just not the poorly administrated, patchwork domestic version. This has nothing to do with soccer being “multicultural.” It has to do with the fact Canadians—like footballing neutrals around the world—generally prefer the European version. I accept not everyone likes footy, fine, but it’s high time its Canadian antagonists stop trying to balkanize it via the cultural diversity card.
    Guest
    This weekend brings about the second and third FIFA dates of the year, but unlike last month's slew of international friendlies, many of the European matches set to be played over the next five days will be much more than half-paced kickabouts.
    That's because qualifying for Euro 2012 kicks back into gear, and with the fixture list reaching the halfway mark, games are starting to get very interesting.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Midway through the qualifying campaign, the cream is beginning to rise to the top and many of the expected names are leading their respective groups. Germany, Russia, Italy, France, Netherlands, and Spain all lead their groups, and should be favoured to advance when all is said and done.
    More surprisingly, Portugal and England are currently chasing the top spot in their groups.
    The Portuguese are looking up at Norway in Group H, trailing by two points despite having played one more game than the Scandinavians. Idle Portugal could see themselves even further behind by Saturday's end, should Norway win an Oslo meeting with Denmark.
    The Three Lions are in a good position to gain ground on idle Group G leaders Montenegro, with a weekend match with Wales at Wembley being all that stands in England's way of erasing their three-point deficit. The Welsh have only scored one goal in three matches thus far, and could be on the wrong end of another big defeat if they don't vastly improve their form against their UK brethren.

    Some other interesting matches set to take place this week:
    Turkey v. Austria (Tuesday, March 29) - The Austrians are in second place in Group A, one point ahead of Turkey. With Austria set to play two matches this week (they take on Belgium today), Turkey will need a result in Istanbul Tuesday if they want to maintain a realistic shot at advancing.
    Armenia v. Russia (Tuesday) - The Russians hold a two point lead over current Group B co-runners up Armenia and Ireland. A loss by Russia could see them drop to third place by day's end, with the Irish hosting Macedonia little bit later on in the night.
    Slovenia v. Italy (Today: Friday, March 25) - Group C's match of the week is surely this one, as the Italians travel to Ljubljana with the goal of holding off the second placed Slovenians. With Italy idle on Tuesday while Slovenia takes on Northern Ireland, the Azzurri will hope to get a result from this match in order to keep some distance at the top of the table.
    Hungary v. Netherlands (Today & Tuesday) - After losing the first fixture of the qualification campaign, Hungary have gone on a decent run - against the minnows of the group - to vault themselves into second place in Group E. This week will test their mettle as they get set to play a pair of matches with the powerhouse Dutch - today in Budapest, and Tuesday in Amsterdam. The Hungarians are heavy underdogs for both matches, and by midweek all of their momentum may have evaporated like a puff of Dutch smoke.

    What matches are you looking forward to this week? Will the Welsh throw a wrench in their big brother's attempts to gain top spot in Group G? Does Hungary stand a chance in their pair of meetings with the Dutch?
    Guest
    Canadian soccer is looking to give itself one hell of a birthday present next year – whether that's what is best for the Canadian game is yet to be determined.
    With the Canadian Soccer Association’s 100 year anniversary fast approaching, plans are already underway within the CSA to make a splash of epic (actually, make that epoch) proportions.
    Canadian Soccer News has learned that discussions are underway to bring both England and France to Canada to play a pair of friendlies shortly after the 2012 European Cup.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It’s an idea that has been being kicked around within the CSA for a while now, say high ranking CSA members, but after the Canadian national team signed it’s apparel deal with Umbro earlier this year, the move all but cleared the way to aim high and go after England and France.
    I had the opportunity to sit down with Umbro president Gerald Woodman last month and speak to him about their plans for the National team and their brand in Canada. He confirmed that the plans to bring in the two countries but in addition to requesting I wait a few weeks to report it, he stressed that nothing was yet firm.
    A few years ago, with Canada under the Adidas banner, something like this might not have been possible. As much as friendlies are supposed to be about the fans things like TV revenue, stadium signage, and even event location can become nuisance-filled-hurdles when competing countries are representing competing brands. England, France and Canada now all fall under the same Nike umbrella. Early word has a post-Euro Cup England being the more difficult of the two in convincing them to come Canada. The Three Lions' direction begins and ends with head coach Fabio Capello and he is traditionally bullish when it comes to signing off on friendlies. But France, tentatively to be played at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, is showing positive signs, says one CSA member. And, frankly, that makes sense.
    But to be honest, this writer wouldn’t be upset in the least if England were to balk at the proposal. I don’t see a lot of benefit – other than to line the CSA pockets – to packing the Rogers Centre or B.C. Place with 50,000 English ex-pats. And you can be sure that’s how it would play out. That’s how it always plays out.
    Whether it’s Hondurans in Montreal, or Chileans in Toronto, as long as there is a landed population anywhere near the match, in a soccer stadium they’re going to out populate the Canadians by 5-1.
    It’s been a point of frustration for the national team supporters for a long time now – how do we create an intimidating home atmosphere when we’re never really playing at home?
    Canadians are too nice to ban away support from Canuck home games — they’re too proper and polite to demand passports at the gates of the ground. In fact, for some, I’ve just offended them by even mentioning the idea.
    But there is another opponent, one that falls under the Nike banner and one that would be equally apt to inflame the national passions, that would draw in the attention of the national media and mainstream masses.
    Who better to face, when trying convince casuals your national team is one worth supporting and corporately that there is brand loyalty to be had, than the land of the free and the home of the, well, Landon Donovan?
    A Canada vs America game is sure to be one of the few where Canadians could be assured they would have the lion’s share of the attendance in their colour and an opponent that the crowd desperately wants their boys to beat. And given that it’s a friendly, the threat of a massive traveling support from the U.S. would be limited to, let's say, terrorist level yellow.
    Don’t get me wrong. England and France coming to Canada would be very nice. It would bring out a nice sized crowd, pocket a nice sized sum for the CSA and get some very nice attention.
    But bringing in America, to play Canadians on Canadian soil, would do more to stoke the fires of pride in this country's national team than a hundred visits from the colonial powers.
    If we're celebrating a hundred years of our game (and lord knows, the successes here have been few and far between) shouldn't the gift to the game be a first of its kind? How about a stadium full of Canadians all singing for Canada for once?
    Start the next 100 years off right. Aim high, but aim south.
    Guest

    Canadian u-20s seeing Red

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    An increasingly tense relationship between the TFC front office and the Canadian national team program took another hit today.
    The Reds confirmed to CSN that they recalled Doneil Henry and Ashtone Morgan from the u-20 camp. Both players are expected to be on the bench against Portland Saturday.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    When asked for the club’s rational Earl Cochrane said that the decision was Aron Winter’s and it was made because of “injury concerns.”
    Neither player is expected to see the pitch.
    A source close to the u-20 program says that Canadian soccer officials are getting increasingly frustrated with TFC. Although they understand that FIFA regulations do not require TFC to release players for a u-20 event they cannot understand how it benefits the player to sit on the bench in MLS, when they could be playing internationally for the youth program.
    However, at least one person close to the program wants to place the blame even higher than TFC.
    “I blame MLS and its refusal to respect FIFA dates. That’s the biggest problem,” they said.
    Although shutting down for FIFA dates wouldn’t specifically help with the u-20s, it would reduce the burden that MLS teams face. It stands to reason that they’d be more likely to play nice with youth call ups if they weren’t faced with losing so many players for the Gold Cup.
    Guest
    EMBARGOED TILL I DUNNO
    To those who'd say that the existence of Toronto FC hasn't helped raise the profile of the game in the city, I'd say: Look no further than this week's edition of Eye Weekly, one of Toronto's alt-weekly newspapers. On page 5, you'll find "TFC's totally new game plan" by Rob Duffy, an encouragingly well-done look-ahead to the Reds' fifth campaign.
    I was a bit struck, though, when I read Duffy refer to Julian de Guzman as a "little-known Scarborough native." The diehard Canada fan in my head yelled little known? MVP of a La Liga team? Years in the Bundesliga? Midfield engine for the Canadian national team? How is he...
    And then it hit me. Sometimes, those of us absorbed in the world of soccer in this country have a tendency to yell (intentionally or not) into a vacuum. Arbitrary boundaries are drawn between "supporters" and "casuals", and discussions begin resembling self-eating snakes.
    But when hardcore followers of the domestic and national game speak reverently of "growing the sport" or "expanding the profile" of Canadian teams, sometimes they have a tendency to forget that the people whose eyes need to be opened, whose hearts and minds need to won, are the ones who had absolutely no idea who Julian de Guzman was before Toronto FC signed him.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    These are the people who say "yeah, I've always wanted to go to a TFC game" but haven't, or who ask earnestly (rather than sardonically) why Canada is always conspicuously absent from the men's World Cup. These are the potential converts. These people do exist. In great numbers. Soccer may not be their first passion, or even in their top three. But that doesn't make them dilettantes, or flakes. I've got a wide range of interests outside of what I write about here, as do all of my writing colleagues, as do all the people who make up the supporters' sections at TFC, Whitecaps, Impact and Canada matches.
    You do too. There's nothing wrong with it.
    Now, let me be clear: I'm not suggesting that there's some widespread campaign amongst those in the Canadian soccer community to be insular or exclusionary. Though I don't claim affiliation with any Toronto FC supporters' group, I've had warm, welcoming interactions with members of each and every one of those groups over the past few years.
    The only supporters' group I do claim affiliation with is the Voyageurs, and some of the people I've met through this group have done some pretty remarkable things in the name of supporting our national teams. Perhaps the most encouraging is the willingness of many Vs to proselytize on behalf of the cause, spreading the word of Canadian soccer to friends who probably never visit the Voyageurs forum or Canadian Soccer News, but can nonetheless be convinced to head out to watch their nation play.
    Last summer, a friend of mine discovered a previously unknown passion for the beautiful game while watching the World Cup, and ask me the earnest (not sardonic) question about why Canada wasn't there. Unfortunately I probably launched into a long, boring tirade about the vagaries of CONCACAF qualifying -- but fortunately, such drivel wasn't sufficiently dull to completely turn her off of the Canadian game. Quite the contrary; she got quite excited about the prospect of seeing Canada play live for the first time, against Peru at BMO Field in a September friendly.
    The game itself was a disappointment, but she made no secret of her thrill at the experience of being in the supporters' section. Now, less than a year after having never cared too much for soccer, she intends to take time off of work, make a ridiculous single-day return trip to Detroit, and yell her lungs out as Canada takes on the USA in the Gold Cup on June 7.
    And she's bringing a friend.
    That anecdote isn't meant to garner kudos. No one is going to give out gold stars for the most non-fans converted to footie. Rather, I'm just attempting to illustrate that true growth in the game is a bottom-up endeavour. It's also a two-way street. So this is my request to two groups of people, both of whom I'm hoping are reading this piece.
    If you're a casual fan (no pejorative connotation intended) of soccer, with curiosity about Canada's national or domestic teams, welcome. At the risk of sounding overly self-promotional, I strongly encourage you to check Canadian Soccer News often. And check the forums of the Voyageurs, U-Sector, Red Patch Boys, Southsiders, Ultras Montreal and some of the high-quality blogs about Canadian soccer that are kicking around. I can give you a nice list.
    If you have a question, don't be afraid to ask. If you want to interact, do it. Introduce yourself. Ask questions. Send emails. Leave comments. Sure, you'll run into the occasional asshole, but there are assholes everywhere on the Internet. Don't let it get to you. There's nothing to be ashamed about in following, and supporting, the game of soccer in Canada, even if it's number two, or 10, or 50 on your priority list.
    And if you're already hooked into this bizarre world, do your best to be open and welcoming. You probably are already doing it. But you also don't need to be ashamed about spreading the love of the game. Not everyone will care as much as you do. That's fine. All you need to do is plant the seed. Once that seed is planted, the best way to help it grow is to keep doing what you're already doing: express yourself honestly and passionately.
    The Canadian soccer community -- or at least, the potential Canadian soccer community -- is bigger than any of us could possibly realize. The Internet has made such connections easier than at any other point in history. We should exploit this medium to its greatest potential -- but let's also not forget the unmistakable value of in-person, face-to-face communication and connection-building.
    I dream of the day when loud, rabid, pro-Canadian crowds supporting our national teams aren't a newsworthy novelty, but are just as taken-for-granted as they are in most other countries in the world. It's up to all of us -- whether you've been in this fight for 20 years, or just started following soccer 20 minutes -- to work together in trying to make that happen.
    Even if you didn't know (or care) who Julian de Guzman was two years ago, as long as you're willing to cheer for him when he pulls on a Canada kit, you're one of us.
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