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    Guest
    In Europe, the past few days were a wild and crazy week of record-breaking transfers that sent shockwaves around the footballing world.
    Here in North America the transfer window is barely open, and with training camps just having gotten under way, there has hardly been anything to speak of.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Since Duane last posted an update of the MLS transfer scene, there have been a whopping four player signings between the 18 teams in the league, including one new home grown contract.
    MLS transfers from Jan 28 to Feb 1:
    Frank Yallop and the San Jose Earthquakes went back to the reliable Canadian D2 pool with the signing of free agent former Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Tony Donatelli. The 26-year-old American made his mark at the USL/NASL level with the Canadian clubs, with over 150 appearances between the two sides in all competitions.
    The LA Galaxy have brought in 22-year-old Argentinean Miguel López, on loan from Quilmes Atlético Club. Bruce Arena successfully employed this strategy when he acquired Juninho and Leonardo on loan from Brazilian side Sao Pãulo last season, so he and the Galaxy will be hoping that López can provide the same kind of impact this year.
    Luke Rodgers, a 29-year-old English striker who last played at Notts County, has finally joined the New York Red Bulls following a year-long courtship. Head coach Hans Backe has history with Rodgers - both were at Notts County a couple of years ago - so this new addition is not a complete unknown to the NYRB management.
    The Red Bulls also signed another home grown player in 19-year-old Academy grad Šaćir Hot. He joins Juan Agudelo, Giorgi Chirgadze and Matt Kassel as New York's home grown signings, after having spent the past few weeks on trial at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
    Additionally, DC United are said to be close to acquiring US international striker Charlie Davies on loan from French club Sochaux. Davies was a rising star for the Americans until a car crash in 2009 put him on a year-long rehab stint. He has since rejoined Sochaux but has not been able to crack the first team. While this is currently just a strong rumour, Davies' stature makes this a story worth following.
    Update: Davies is set to join DC United in Florida for a week-long "evaluation", after which they will decide whether or not to pursue a year-long loan option.
    Guest

    RIP Atdhe?

    By Guest, in Some Canadian Guys,

    Word on the interweb is that SCG-favourite maybe-it's-legal-maybe-it-isn't live soccer streaming website Atdhe.net is, well, not legal after all. Details are sketchy – with some tweeters suggesting that Atdhe ran afoul of U.S. Homeland Security in some way or another – but the result is clear at the moment: the site has gone down, and the possibility of having to either pay for Setanta or get off my duff at 7:30 on a snowy Saturday morning to go to the bar to watch soccer is becoming all too real.
    Some Canadian Guys will keep everyone as updated as we can. Feel free to leave comments below with rumours/opinions/outright fabrications as to what has happened and what is going to happen.
    Stay strong, friends.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    NASL supporters appeal to USSF

    By Guest, in It's Called Football,

    Following the decision by the USSF to deny Division 2 sanctioning to the NASL, the supporter groups from those teams have tabled a letter to USSF president Sunil Gulati.
    It is reprinted here in its entirety.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Dear President Gulati,
    As supporters of North American Soccer League (NASL) clubs, we would like to voice our concern regarding the recent decision by your Federation to rescind the provisional Division 2 status of the NASL. We are personally appalled by the decision of the Federation to deny second division sanctioning to the NASL. Many fans were positively encouraged by the interest the USSF paid to second division soccer this season, and were pleased by the new standards put in place to ensure stability and continuity at the second division level. We thank the USSF for the interest and leadership you have provided during 2010 to stabilize and maintain second division.
    Should our community be deprived of high level, but affordable entertainment in the form of NASL soccer for 2011, fans will be starved of access to the beautiful game. Without professional soccer in our community, many fans may simply move on to other sports and an opportunity to continue the upward trajectory of interest in soccer here at home will be lost.
    For our youth soccer community, it is imperative that the NASL play at the second division level this season. The USSF is striving to improve soccer in the United States and improve our national team. But if we deny young fans in five key American soccer markets local heroes to emulate and a club to support, we potentially lose a generation of kids who can help make the United States the best we can be in World Soccer. The partner federations and communities in Canada and Puerto Rico would also be severely affected.
    The loss of our league will also have an inevitable ripple effect that will hurt not only the US National Team program and supporter’s base, but also development of soccer throughout the CONCACAF region. The NASL serves as a competitive league where many nations throughout the region have players developing their talent. Having better players throughout our region will no doubt be beneficial to the development of US Soccer, providing stronger competition to challenge and grow the US Nation Team.
    When our teams played in USL, we were never able to keep track of our opponents or the composition of the league. The NASL has been forthright and aggressive in its local marketing while pledging a needed stability at the second division level. The NASL’s ability to attract the type of investors the USSF wants involved in the sport based on the new second division standards also has local fans excited about the future of both our teams and the league we compete in. We feel ownership and a connection to our league, the NASL that we never felt for USL.
    The teams of the NASL have already invested much time and resources to establish this second division league. This is the foundation for creating a stable second division in this country, as opposed to a league that benefits from the constant expansion and contraction of teams. We believe that it is time for the USSF to work for what is best for the future and stability of U.S. Soccer. The mission should be to further the game's roots in our communities by supporting soccer at all levels.
    We hope you recognize the vital role second division soccer plays across North American and Puerto Rico. We ask that you reverse this shortsighted and damaging decision. Displacing fans and hurting the development of soccer in the United States should not be what the USSF is all about. Your role as a governing body is to promote the sport and grow the game. Working with the NASL to establish a long needed, stable second division is the type of positive development this sport sorely needs.
    Sincerely,
    Pieter Brown
    President, Miami Ultras
    Miami FC / Strikers Supporters
    Steve Holler
    President, Ralph’s Mob
    FC Tampa Bay Supporters
    Tim Hayes
    On behalf of The Dark Clouds
    NSC Minnesota Supporters
    Kristian Vázquez-Díaz
    President, Islanders Foreign Legion
    Puerto Rico Islanders Supporters
    Daniel Stroud
    Member, Jailhawks
    Carolina Railhawks Supporters
    Chris Martz
    Westside 109
    Atlanta Silverbacks Supporters
    Steven Beauregard
    Member, Ultras Montréal
    Montréal Impact Supporters
    Guest

    Waiting to see what Ontario does

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    As the province of Ontario braces to get hammered by massive snow, its uncompromising soccer association president is getting badgered from all sides by people who want him to compromise.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    As the Canadian Soccer Association’s crucial future-governance gets set to convene on Saturday, everyone wants to get a look at Ron Smale’s hidden card – the one that says what he will really do if the original governance model is defeated in the first hand.
    Backing up – because even some name soccer scribes still haven’t got this all completely straight:
    The fates of three possible governance models will be determined on the weekend.
    - The first, from April, 2010, would eliminate all twelve provincial and territorial soccer association presidents from the CSA board. Ron Smale ardently backs this. So – for what it’s worth – do I.
    - The second, born of fraught negotiations in December, allows as many as three provincial presidents to remain. (The Territories aren’t specifically excluded, but good luck getting elected.)
    - The third is essentially the second, but with a one-year no-action dead zone prior to implementation.
    In a frank interview with me last month, Smale made it clearer than clear he will not support the compromise. This stance has put him under significant pressure – from CSA directors, his fellow provincial presidents, and dissatisfied membership within the Ontario Soccer Association itself.
    And here’s why Smale’s stance is potentially a major problem:
    - The first plan seems overwhelmingly unlikely to get the 67-per-cent support it needs to pass. Quebec is said to be adamant, Alberta is presumed to be opposed, and other provinces are known to be less than completely thrilled.
    - Each province’s vote weight is determined by its percentage of registered soccer players. Ontario is massive, and its vote is capped at 25 per cent. Except: When the CSA removes those extra votes from Ontario, it doesn’t redistribute them proportionally among the other provinces. That means Ontario’s full quarter actually turns into over 30 per cent of the reduced pie. That means Ontario and one midsize province have the votes to kill the second plan.
    Ron Smale, reform’s loudest provincial champion, holds high the hammer which could kill the compromise.
    Whether he will actually swing it won’t even come up unless the original plan is killed. Whatever leverage Smale holds right now is all based on his threat to kill the compromise.
    BUT: Would he, if the original was already dead, and the compromise offers the only real remaining hope for desperately needed reform?
    That’s the question the collective soccer media wants to ask Ron Smale right now.
    If I were him, I wouldn’t answer. The answer he gave me last month, asked if the compromise would be acceptable?
    “Not from my perspective. We believe there needs to be a complete separation of the provincial component from the national component.”
    Sometimes, in journalism, there comes a time to hold your breath and see what happens next. As I noted above, I whole-heartedly support the original plan. If the only chance that has to pass comes down to Ron Smale holding out hard against the compromise, I really don’t want to be the one to ask the “what if?” question.
    Lack of objectivity? Certainly. Guilty as charged.
    But where the national team is concerned, I still see myself as a fan first, and a writer second.
    I’m sure Ron Smale already knows how he will vote on the compromise, if and only if the original plan is defeated. But it’s in the deeper best interest of the entire CSA reform movement that he keep that information to himself.
    I invite any and all to go after that answer. I’m going to choose to stand back, and watch the fella do his work.
    Onward!
    Guest

    New TFC jersey revealed

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Toronto FC became the final MLS team to "unveil" their 2011 home jerseys today.
    I used quotations because TFC didn't actually unveil them, they simply popped up at MLSGear.com a little while ago with zero fanfare.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Reds fans have been patiently waiting for the new jersey to be revealed, and while the team has yet to show them, the league website seems to have done it for them.
    As with the previous edition, there is a men's and women's cut available. Last year's white away kits remain for 2011, and rumours have circulated online that there may be a new black third jersey.
    (I've no idea why the reds looks so drastically different on each of these pictures. Those are both screen grabs from the same source).
    Guest

    Transfer Talk: Return of the King

    By Guest, in Euro File,

    If John Henry wanted to get on the good side of Liverpool supporters, he's certainly off to a good start.
    Along with partner Tom Werner, Henry put himself in the good books of Reds faithful when he dumped dour Roy Hodgson as manager of the club, replacing him with universally beloved Liverpool legend (King) Kenny Dalglish.
    Dalglish then turned around and almost immediately convinced Henry that he needed to purchase Uruguayan World Cup star (or villain, depending on who you ask) Luis Suarez from Ajax Amsterdam in a deal that could be worth nearly £23 million.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Even Suarez's acquisition couldn't keep disgruntled Spaniard talisman Fernando Torres happy, however, and when Torres submitted in a transfer request last week, the Scottish manager began scouring Europe - not only for potential Torres suitors that would be able to afford Liverpool's exorbitant demands for the World Cup winner, but also for a potential replacement that would maximize the funds that Torres' sale would bring in.
    Today, Dalglish pulled in a British club record £50 million from Chelsea for Torres, and then tried to flip all of that back into new signings. Liverpool's £10 million offer for Blackpool's Charlie Adam was rejected, but their £35 million offer for 22-year-old Newcastle starlet Andy Carroll - a record fee paid for a Brit - was accepted.
    Yes, that's the same Andy Carroll that has scored a total of 31 league goals in his entire career thus far.
    Clearly, Dalglish and his ownership are gambling on Carroll's enormous potential, a huge premium considering that an established, prolific Premier League striker in Darren Bent was bought by Aston Villa for £10 million less just a couple of weeks ago.
    Hell, Carroll's transfer fee is bigger than what Barcelona paid for world class striker David Villa less than a year ago.
    If anything, this new regime has shown that it has the balls to do whatever it takes to regain the glory that Reds supporters feel is a right. Liverpool fans can take solace that, while this season is a write off, the future of the club looks to be one filled with the ability to go after players that could vault the club back amongst the elite.
    All it took was the return of the King.

    Some other transfer talk from around Europe on Monday, the final day of the transfer window for most of Europe:
    England

    Blackburn Rovers sign Argentinean midfielder Mauro Formica.
    Blackpool on verge of loan deal for Jason Puncheon.
    Everton sign Greek U-19 striker Apostolos Vellios.
    Daniel Sturridge joins Bolton on loan from Chelsea.
    James Beattie swaps Rangers for Blackpool.
    Nottingham Forest sign Liverpool's Paul Konchesky.
    Bayern Munich defender Maximilian Haas makes Middlesbrough move.
    Isaiah Osbourne joins Sheffield Wednesday on loan.
    Middlesbrough sign Merouane Zemmama from Hibernian.
    Andy Reid joins Blackpool from Sunderland for undisclosed fee.
    Birmingham signs Obafemi Martins on a six month loan.
    U.S. striker Robbie Findley completes move to Nottingham Forest.
    Barcelona sells Ruben Rochina to Blackburn on final day.
    Stephen Ireland joins Newcastle on loan from Aston Villa.
    Leicester City snap up former Portugal keeper Ricardo.
    U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley joins Aston Villa on loan.
    Eidur Gudjohnsen joins Fulham on loan from Stoke City.
    Everton brand Tottenham's £500,000 offer for Phil Neville 'insulting'.
    Chelsea signs David Luiz to 5-and-a-half year contract.
    American forward Eddie Johnson loaned to Preston North End.

    Spain

    Tottenham loan striker Giovanni Dos Santos to Racing Santander.
    Villarreal turn down Tottenham's €35 million offer for Giuseppe Rossi.
    Paulo da Silva leaves Sunderland for Real Zaragoza.
    Levante take Ecuador's Jefferson Montero on loan from Villarreal.

    France

    Brazil striker Andre joins Bordeaux on loan.
    Dimitri Payet to reject Chelsea offer in favour of Paris St-Germain.
    Benjamin Moukandjo joins AS Monaco from Nimes.

    Scotland

    Blackburn's El Hadji Diouf makes loan move to Rangers.

    Germany

    VfL Wolfsburg signs Koo Ja-choel, Tuncay Sanli, Yohandry Orozco, as well as Anderlecht's Jan Polak and Leverkusen's Patrick Helmes.
    Adam Hlousek to join Kaiserslautern on loan from Slavia Praha.

    Italy

    Nicola Legrottaglie swaps Juventus for AC Milan.
    Yuto Nagatomo travelling to Milan to sign with Inter.
    Amauri on verge of joining Parma on loan.
    Juventus signs Alessandro Matri from Cagliari.

    Turkey

    Jozy Altidore says he is being loaned to Bursaspor.

    Serbia

    Partizan sign striker Prince Tagoe and midfielder Zvonimir Vukic.

    Guest
    This week, we'll be releasing some Interview Only's in the lead up to this weekend's important CSA Reform vote.
    We won't be doing our regular Monday and Wednesday shows but come Friday, we will be doing a special CSA Reform edition. It will be a full show and then an extended Extra Time version, where we'll take your questions on what the vote means and talk about the behind the scenes stuff that has gone on this past week.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Join us for that on Friday at 2pm EST. And look for our Interview Only's throughout the week.
    Guest
    David Edgar is going back to Swansea. Looks like Burnley's new manager, like Burnley's old manager, has decided that the best place for the Canadian centre-back is, well, Wales. Edgar has been subject to a juuust-before-the-transfer-deadline loan to Championship promotion-hopefuls Swansea City for the remainder of the season (pending league approval).
    It's a good move for Edgar on a couple of fronts: as we've already discussed ad nauseum, he wasn't gettin' no love at Burnley; he enjoyed a more-or-less successful loan spell at Swansea City last year (see the video below); and Swansea are currently sitting in fourth in the Championship, which makes them a more attractive option than 10th place Burnley.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Edgar scored one goal in five appearances for the Swans last year after his March loan to the Welsh side. His first game could be the heated Wales derby against Cardiff City on February 6th. It's sure to be a heated match, with the clubs currently level on points. How will the Kitchener, Ont., native hold up against Craig Bellamy?
    <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3KJkzRB-MM?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3KJkzRB-MM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>
    Guest
    As Pierce <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?1065-VWhitecaps-Training-Camp-2011-Day-3-News-and-Notes">wrote</a> a while back, there have been rumours floating around for a while that the Whitecaps' Ethan Gage would be heading to Reading. Gage showed up at the Whitecaps' practice last week, but only in street clothes and did not participate in training. Today, the club's <a href="http://www.readingfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10306~2280757,00.html">website</a> <a href="http://www.prostamerika.com/2011/01/31/reading-confirm-ethan-gage-signing-36039/">confirmed</a> that they had indeed signed Gage (and American player Erik Opsahl). Here's the key part of their release:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <blockquote>The Royals have swooped to sign Canada's under 20s captain Ethan Gage and American youngster Erik Opsahl.
    19-year-old Gage [pictured] was named as Canada's under 20s Player of the Year in 2010 and is comfortable playing in midfield or defence.
    He rose through the ranks with Vancouver Whitecaps, and the Royals moved quickly to sign him after his contract with the MLS side came to its conclusion. He played a number of games for the Whitecaps' first team and upon his debut at 17 he became one of their youngest-ever players.
    He successfully trained with the Royals earlier this month, and in the past he has also been linked with then-German champions Wolfsburg, as well as Eintracht Frankfurt.
    Gage has played at every youth age group for Canada, lining up in the CONCACAF under 20 World Championship and also receiving a first call-up for their under 23s/Olympic group late last year.</blockquote>
    That covers Gage's career pretty nicely, but it doesn't perhaps illustrate just how impressive his time with Vancouver was to many. He was one of their most promising young players last season in my mind despite not always seeing playing time. When he did get the chance to start in central midfield, he looked far more poised than his 19 years of age would suggest. He seemed like one of the young guns who could make a bid for regular playing time right from the start in MLS, so his loss will definitely be at least a partial setback for Vancouver.
    Even the Whitecaps' <a href="http://www.whitecapsfc.com/roster">partial roster released thus far</a> does give them a fair bit of depth in the middle, though. Despite the departures of Gage and Martin Nash, they still have the likes of Terry Dunfield and Philippe Davies who were with them last season. They also have plenty of new acquisitions with MLS experience like Shea Salinas, John Thorrington and Atiba Harris, and draft pick Michael Nanchoff from Akron is also a skilled midfield presence. They'll undoubtedly add more players in midfield before the season starts, but the current cupboard isn't exactly bare.
    The question is if Gage's departure will work out well for him in the long term. The Championship is certainly a solid level of play, and Reading's a decent squad (<a href="http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/ChampionshipHome/0,,10794,00.html">currently ninth in the 24-team table</a>). If they invest in developing him and he sees the field regularly, he could become a valuable piece for both them and the Canadian national team. If he stagnates and doesn't get a lot of playing time, though, it could definitely hurt his career. All we know for now is that he's taking his next step outside Vancouver.
    Guest

    And the Race to 200 winner is...

    By Guest, in Some Canadian Guys,

    After three days of furious fighting for followers, the dust has settled and a winner has been declared in the Big Red Race to 200. More important than the bragging rights earned, however, will be the good deeds that will define the legacy of this contest.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The contest saw several members of the women's national team duking it out to see who could add 200 new Twitter followers first. It was a spirited battle at first between a pair of former roommates (Stephanie Labbe and Kaylyn Kyle), with a large surge by Carmelina Moscato making things interesting.
    Moscato drew followers with exclusive on-the-field photos, while Labbe was hashtagging to the point where, if she'd been using a phone, the # button would have fallen off. But Kyle reached out to her fellow Whitecaps -- including the brothers Nahs -- and that's likely what ultimately put her over the top for the victory.
    But, that doesn't mean the hunt for followers is done.
    For every five new followers they pick up, Candace Chapman and Emily Zurrer will be donating $1 to Because I Am A Girl, a movement that invests in girls and young women in developing countries to improve conditions for them, their families and, by extension, their communities. Labbe is also planning to auction off a game-worn jersey in the near future, with the proceeds benefiting an as-yet-undetermined charity.
    And if any other members of the team are participating in similar ventures, let us know (canadiansoccerguys@gmail.com or @CdnSoccerBlog) and we'll gladly promote it.
    Those are the humanitarian reasons to start following our ladies via Twitter. But if you need strictly soccer-related reasons -- they're quite damn good. Here's the list, one more time:
    Melanie Booth: @melbooth13
    Candace Chapman: @chappie95
    Christina Julien: @juliencm21
    Kaylyn Kyle: @kaylynkyle
    Stephanie Labbe: @stephlabbe1
    Karina Leblanc: @karinaleblanc
    Erin McLeod: @emcleod_dc
    Carmelina Moscato: @cmoscato4
    Brittany Timko: @brittanytimko
    Emily Zurrer: @emme_z
    Guest
    À la surprise de tous (sauf le principal intéressé), Matt Jordan a annoncé sa retraite professionnelle après 13 ans de carrière.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Avec l'Impact depuis 2007, Jordan est rapidement devenu un icône par l'énergie qu'il dégageait sur le terrain pendant les matchs et après. Le gardien était accompagné de sa famille et a été très ému lorsqu'il les a remerciés pour tous les sacrifices réalisés durant sa carrière.
    Disons que c'était également difficile pour moi de ne pas être ému par les propos de Jordan. À ma connaissance, il était toujours le dernier joueur à quitter le terrain, prenant le temps de discuter avec les partisans et de faire le tour du terrain et d'applaudir la foule.
    Sur le terrain, Matt Jordan était un leader incontestable et nous a vraisemblablement sauvé du pétrin à quelques reprises.


    Nouveau gardien ?
    Nick De Santis a tenu à rassurer quelques journalistes quant à la signature d'un nouveau gardien numéro 1. Il a déclaré que l'Impact analysait présentement les différentes options.
    On avait entendu la semaine dernière une rumeur voulant que le gardien du Porto Rico Islanders Bill Gaudette soit en négociation avec le club. L'Impact pourrait également se tourner vers Andrei Badescu et ira probablement chercher un gardien additionnel parmi ceux présents la semaine dernière lors du camp d'essai.
    Nouvelle carrière pour Jordan
    Ceci dit, il ne restera pas à la retraite pour trop longtemps. Matt Jordan deviendra le nouveau directeur des opérations du club et assistera Nick De Santis, qui lui, a été nommé directeur sportif de l'Impact.
    De Santis s'occupera donc des activités techniques de la première équipe tout en supervisant celles des équipes de l'Académie (U-14,U-15, U-16 et U-21).
    De par son expérience en MLS, Matt Jordan sera en mesure d'assister Nick De Santis en ce qui concerne les transactions, signatures et libération de joueurs, aux prêts et aux acquisitions de joueurs étrangers.
    On se rappellera que Jordan avait évolué avec le Dallas Burn (maintenant appelé FC Dallas), Columbus Crew et Colorado Rapids dans la MLS avant d'arriver à Montréal.
    S'il n'utilise que 50% de l'énergie qu'il avait sur le terrain, Matt Jordan pourra devenir un très bon atout pour la transition vers la MLS. Mais comme vous le savez, Matt Jordan n'est pas du genre à donner son 50%...
    Ceci dit, je veux quand même remercier Matt pour ses 4 saisons passées avec l'Impact. Un homme, un gentleman et maintenant une légende de l'Impact.
    Merci Matt.
    Guest
    By: Richard Whittall
    Unfortunately, more by accident than design, this week’s major Canadian soccer headlines highlighted the major gaps that still exist in Canadian player development. The major nationwide story was, of course, Major League Soccer announcing a three Canadian player quota for its Canadian teams, in addition (tucked in on a CBC sidebar) to the formation of a “special task force” mandated by MLS and the Canadian Soccer Association to look at ways to “…create the best possible environment for our players and teams to be successful in MLS and at the international level with our national teams," according to CSA general secretary Peter Montopoli.
    The timing of the joint MLS/CSA study was no accident; the compromise reduction in the MLS Canadian player quota signals the problem with trying to piggyback player development on the back of MLS’ expansion in Canada. While the MLS quota has succeeded admirably in certain cases—Nana Attakora, for example—it simply cannot to do the work of a long-term, nationally-focused development program, as Jason de Vos pointed out this week in his CBC column.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]For example, the ideal footballer required by new Toronto FC GM Aron Winter’s hope for a Dutch-style 4-3-3 formation needs to be carefully coached, trained and developed from an early age; Canada’s currently has no such system in place. As has been the case for years, if offered the choice, the best of the best will choose Europe over Canada every time; considering this reality, it's harder to blame players who left early like Jonathan de Guzman for not bothering to come home again.
    Many in the hardcore soccer scene are well-aware of this problem; the rest of everyday Canadian soccer fans are left trying to piece it all together, reading between the lines of stories buried in various Canadian newspaper sports sections, as this story in BC’s The Province on the Vancouver Whitecaps’ acquisition of Kyle Porter demonstrates. Other newspapers don’t bother at all; witness the Toronto media’s decision to focus this week on the relatively unambiguous business of Dwayne de Rosario’s contract negotiations.
    But even de Rosario’s case reveals the underlying and often unspoken (in mainstream media circles at least) issues with Canadian player development. Here is an MLS veteran, two-time MLS Cup MVP, who came home with great nationalistic fanfare in 2009 and, for the most part, became an invaluable addition to Toronto FC’s roster. He became the unofficial symbol of Canadian soccer finally “coming home.”
    That expectation was of course based more in hype than reality. Even though de Rosario’s career began with the Toronto Lynx in 1997, he was no sooner off to Germany that same year and then back to the US where he made his name as a player. Canada is his home, but like most players of his talent at the start of their careers, it was never a final professional destination. To expect de Rosario to not ask for more money from MLS for the sake of his symbolic place at TFC was an unspoken naïveté on the part of Toronto fans.
    The real story here is why, with our impressive numbers of young players at the amateur level, there is currently no other high-profile Canadian player, born, raised and developed here who could step in his boots and add to what for most soccer nations be a piffling player quota. That’s a story that directly affects the hundreds of thousands of Canadian kids with hopes for a professional soccer career. These issues go largely unexplained in the media; easier to reduce the tactless de Rosario to a pantomime villain, and even easier to let the average Joe Canadian soccer fan try to figure out the vagaries of MLS quotas and various commissioned studies on their own.
    Richard Whittall writes on football from his hovel in Toronto, Canada. In addition to A More Splendid Life, he also writes the Canadian Soccer history blog, The Spirit of Forsyth. He is the associate editor of Tom Dunmore's award-winning Pitch Invasion. And his writing has appeared in Toronto Life, the Globe and Mail, and he was a contributor for Brooks Peck's Yahoo! blog Dirty Tackle for the 2010 World Cup. His columns on media and football will appear weekly on Canadian Soccer News. Follow him on Twitter @RWhittall
    Guest
    Holy smokes, we've gotten in right at the end of the month here with our first podcast of 2011. We take a superficial look at the current situation with the men's and women's national teams -- including drunken answers to such salient questions as "Who will be called for the CanMNT's friendly against Greece?" and "What will it take for the CanWNT to finally gain mainstream attention?"
    We also answer questions from you -- maybe not you specifically, but readers and listeners -- in the first edition of Some Canadian Guys Answering Your Questions, and we round up everything (note: not everything) in the world of soccer on an ol' standby feature, Promotion/Relegation.
    If you don't listen to this episode... then, I suppose you won't have audio wallpaper while you waste time at work. Sucker.
    Download the episode directly (mp3)
    Subscribe to Some Canadian Guys Talking About Soccer on iTunes
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    The Big Red "Race to 200" is on!

    By Guest, in Some Canadian Guys,

    Plenty of mainstream media outlets hinge their articles on stuff that's happening on Twitter these days, so I figured, why not me too? I'm not sure of the precise genesis of the contest -- I'm guessing our pal Ingrid has something to do with it -- but the concept is pretty simple: It's a race between the members of the Canadian women's national team to see who can add 200 new followers first.
    The race started about an hour ago. If you're on the ol' Twitter, follow the hashtag #CanWNT for all the "rules" and the latest updates. I won't lie, I've got my favourites when it comes to entertainment value, but so as to not unduly influence the results, I will simply list the participants in alphabetical order. You can decide who you want to support:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Melanie Booth: @melbooth13
    Candace Chapman: @chappie95
    Christina Julien: @juliencm21
    Kaylyn Kyle: @kaylynkyle
    Stephanie Labbe: @stephlabbe1
    Karina Leblanc: @karinaleblanc
    Erin McLeod: @emcleod_dc
    Carmelina Moscato: @cmoscato4
    Brittany Timko: @brittanytimko
    Emily Zurrer: @emme_z
    And while you're at it... @CdnSoccerBlog. Just sayin'.
    Guest

    Trial by TFC

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    In addition to the three Canadians named yesterday, five players are with TFC in Turkey for a trial.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Uruguayan Santiago Gonzalez Areco and and Ghanian King Osei Gyan are joined by three Dutch players. The three from Holland are Javier Martina, Nick Soolsma and Bas Ent.
    Ent has been linked to TFC from prior to the new management team arriving and played for the Reds against Bolton last season. He last played in the PDL.
    Midfielder King Osei Gyan is a Fulham product, although he has never played for the club. He was most recently on loan with Belgium side Germinal Beerschot.
    Striker Javier Martina was released by Ajax after making two senior appearances.
    Soolsma, who is a forward, played for HFC Haarlem and VV Young Boys in Holland.
    Striker Areco is just 18 and has yet to play first team football. He was last with Atletico River Plate Montevideo’s B Team.
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