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    Guest
    Toronto FC has said no to Andrew Ornoch, leaving the Canadian international without a club. Several sources have suggested that Ornoch is upset by the decision, claiming that TFC advised him to buy himself out of his contract in Europe before pulling an implied offer off the table.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    New head coach Aron Winter is said to not favour the player. It's likely that the confusion was because of a difference in opinion on Ornoch between the new management and the interim staff.
    Ornoch is said to be considering his options in both Europe and North America and hopes to be with a club at the close of the transfer window. He is available on a free.
    However it does appear that TFC is about to bring in another offensive player. The Times of Malta reports that Brazilian Camilo, who most recently played in the K-League, is set to join the Reds. A request for comment from TFC was not responded to.
    At just 5'7" Camilo would be the second diminutive striker brought in to the club this off-season. They also drafted 5'3" Ecuadorian Joao Plata in the SuperDraft.
    Camilo didn't settle in Korea, not scoring in just seven appearances. However, he was prolific in the Maltese Premier League scoring 24 goals in 22 games. The Maltese Premier League is currently ranked 48th in Europe, just ahead of the Northern Ireland league.
    Guest
    Though Big Red came up short in the just-completed Four Nations tournament in Chongqing, China (finishing second, behind the U.S.), women's national team supporters can still look to our captain for a bit of good news. She was named MVP of the tournament, thanks in part to her ability to accelerate like nobody's business, bully her way through three Swedish defenders and coolly slot home a winning goal (video at the bottom of the post).
    "Christine, for me, is actually the best player in the world," said head coach Carolina Morace. There could be self-serving hyperbole there -- but Morace herself is among the most decorated and successful women's footballers ever. If anyone knows what the world's best player looks like, she does.
    So... what will it take for the rest of Canada to notice?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Sinclair is doubly hampered when it comes to gaining mainstream notoriety. She plays an unpopular (that is to say, non-hockey) sport, and female athletes generally (unjustifiably, of course) receive fewer plaudits for their accomplishments.
    But this could truly be her year to break through. At 27, she's still in her athletic prime, and with the CBC surely poised to give this summer's Women's World Cup a big promotional push, a prime-time performance in Germany could (should?) finally earn the Burnaby, B.C. native among the pantheon of Canada's all-time sporting greats.
    The Lou Marsh Award (celebrating the top Canadian athlete of the year) has been handed out in recent years to a few folks who've gained respect and admiration for trailblazing performances in sports that Canadians "aren't supposed to do well in"... such as Steve Nash in basketball and Joey Votto in baseball.
    But Nash is no spring chicken, Votto won't catch anyone by surprise this time, Sidney Crosby has been derailed by a concussion, and there are no Olympians to sway the voters with isolated, inspiring performances.
    So why not Sinclair in 2011? After all, Canadians "aren't supposed to do well in" soccer, right?
    Now, I'll admit it's unfair of me to place the spotlight on Sinclair, for two reasons.
    First, her success is intrinsically linked to the success of her team -- which, you surely know, has been absolutely on fire for the past 12 months. So please know that by plunking things on Sinclair's shoulders, I'm not attempting to diminish the skills and contributions of her Big Red teammates.
    Second, she's never come across as particularly interested in shining the spotlight on herself. She shows up, puts her amazing skills to work, gets the job done and, occasionally, shushes a Mexican crowd for good measure. Perhaps she'd find it uncomfortable to be at the epicentre of a nation's focus on her team.
    But for right or for wrong, she will be.
    Sid the Kid gave Canadians the defining sporting moment of 2010. For Sinclair -- and her team, and her sport -- to finally break through into the mainstream sporting consciousness, she's going to need to provide that moment in 2011.
    And I, for one, have full faith that she can deliver.
    How about you?


    Photo credit: CanadaSoccer.com
    Guest
    La NASL a aujourd’hui dévoilé le calendrier pour la saison 2011.
    Tel que connu, l’Impact visitera Tampa Bay le 9 avril pour son premier de la saison. Le match d’ouverture au stade Saputo devrait avoir lieu le 23 avril contre cette même équipe.
    1-Samedi 9 avril @ Tampa Bay
    2-Samedi 16 avril @ Caroline
    3-Samedi 23 avril vs Tampa Bay (14h30)
    4-Dimanche 1er mai @ Edmonton
    5-Samedi 14 mai vs Caroline (14h30)
    6-Samedi 21 mai @ Tampa Bay
    7-Samedi 28 mai @ Miami FC/Strikers 2011
    8-Samedi 4 juin vs Edmonton (14h30)
    9-Mercredi 8 juin @ Atlanta
    10-Dimanche 12 juin @ Porto Rico
    11-Samedi 18 juin vs Miami FC/Strikers 2011 (14h30)
    12-Dimanche 26 juin @ Edmonton
    13-Mercredi 29 juin vs Porto Rico (19h30)
    14-Dimanche 3 juillet @ Caroline
    15-Mercredi 13 juillet vs Miami FC/Strikers (19h30)
    16-Dimanche 17 juillet vs Atlanta (15h30)
    17-Vendredi 22 juillet @ Minnesota
    18-Dimanche 31 juillet vs Porto Rico (14h30)
    19-Samedi 6 août vs Minnesota (19h30)
    20-Mercredi 10 août vs Tampa Bay (19h30)
    21-Dimanche 14 août vs Atlanta (18h00)
    22-Samedi 20 août vs Minnesota (14h30)
    23-Samedi 27 août @ Minnesota
    24-Samedi 3 septembre @ Miami FC/Strikers 2011
    25-Mercredi 7 septembre @ Porto Rico
    26-Dimanche 11 septembre vs Caroline (15h30)
    27-Samedi 17 septembre vs Edmonton (19h30)
    28-Samedi 24 septembre @ Atlanta
    Guest

    Mulling it all over

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    Hey, folks!
    I’m taking some time to get a better perspective on the whole CSA governance situation, as we approach the crucial vote on February 5.
    A new series of stories starts tomorrow. In the meantime – if you haven’t already seen it – please check out this intriguing overview from Jason de Vos.
    Onward!
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    Canadian soccer fans reacted violently (see photo above) after the CSA released a jersey design that was not destined for the runways of Paris.
    “It’s terrible, awful, this is the worst day of my life,” wailed Canadian fan Todd Godova, 33, of Saskatoon. “I give up. I’m only watching curling now.”
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The designs, which feature black and white chevrons on a otherwise solid red strip and red and black chevrons on a solid white strip, are clearly the worst ever worn in the history of professional or amateur sport.
    “As we know sports fans are notorious for their impeccable sense of style,” Montreal fashion expert Patience Miron said.
    “Clearly the universal negative response of the Canadian fan – typically a very positive group that always see the good in everything – speaks volumes.”
    Elena Ferri, 19, of Vaughn, Ontario quietly wept in the corner of the pub where the new kit was revealed.
    “Hope is all lost, you know,” she said before trailing off. Her boyfriend Andrea Cattaneo continued for her.
    “It’s crap – crap,” he screamed. “We’ll lose in that crap. Anyone that wears that crap will be crap -- crap, crap crap.”
    Lennox Johnstone is the head psychologist for the greater Halifax Netball Association. He says that Cattaneo may be onto something.
    “Players respond to the uniform they are wearing,” he said from his home in Lower Sackville, NS. “When you see something like this terrible design – clearly the worst thing any human has ever been asked to wear – you can only speculate that our already shaky world ranking will drop further.
    “It’s highly unlikely that Canada will ever win a game wearing those strips.”
    Fans have been left scrambling to react to the terrible news. It’s widely understood that there is no greater issue facing Canadian soccer now than the design of the uniform. Protests are planned as well as indignant comments on satirical articles on well read Canadian soccer news sites. Someone even mentioned something about a Facebook page or Internet petition.
    Regardless, it’s clear that nothing else matters now – not the criminal lack of funding for the women’s program as it prepares for the World Cup, the continuing strengthening of the pro game, or, especially, the looming governance reform vote Feb 5. – it’s all about the strip design.
    The greatest affront to Canadian soccer fans, ever.
    Guest

    Le but de Christine Sinclair vs. Suède

    By Guest, in Le12eJoueur,

    Chrisitine Sinclair a marqué l'unique but du match contre la Suède dans le dernier match du Canada en Chine. Elle a battu de vitesse 4 suédoises (trop fou!) avant de placer le ballon sous la gardienne.

    Les canadiennes terminent au 2e rang du classement derrière les États-Unis.

    Prochaine destination : Le tournoi de Chypre avec 11 autres équipes, du 2 au 9 mars.
    Guest
    It was a very soggy day here today in Vancouver as the Blue and White took the pitch for the first time as a group in 2011. Before the players took the field Bob Lenarduzzi, Tom Soehn, and Teitur Thordason, each addressed the media. There isn't a lot of sense in going over everything that was said today because there were not a lot of surprises. The big hitters came in and asked a lot of questions most of us already knew the answers for.
    However Bob Lenarduzzi did happen to mention that The 'Caps expect to be into BC Place in late September, and Teitur casually threw it out there that the team is still looking to add one more preseason game to the schedule in the last week before the season starts.
    Player wise a couple guys caught my eye durring the drills.
    Wes Knight was the first guy in on every drill and the first guy back from water breaks, which to some people seems like just something really silly, but it speaks a lot to the guys work ethic.
    Alain Rochat was very quick both with and without the ball, he did everything I expected to see from him, he made some long blind passes across the pitch that landed right on the money whenever his teammate called for the ball. He looks to be the sharpest as far as touch on the ball and fitness.
    Michael Boxall, whom the Caps took first overall in the Supplemental Draft... huge hands... I had it wrong when I said he had full international experience with New Zealand, technically he has in fact played for New Zealand A which is a developmental program for the U-20 Squad. He's hoping that he'll be able to get some exposure with the 'Caps so he can hopefully make the full All Whites squad in the coming years.
    Omar Selgado didn't really seem to enjoy the rain, but lets be honest the weather sucked today. He also had the largest collection of boots in the room.
    Gershon Koffie took a kick on the bottom of the foot, but popped up pretty quickly after. Considering I had to leave the practice 15 minutes early I can't say that was the only injury today but that was the closest thing to one until that point.
    Mouloud Akloul and Bedri Gashi were both absent from training today. They are both supposed to be rejoining the team this week.
    Ryan O'Leary in in camp. He is coming over to the 'Caps from Kilmarnock in Scotland, and is a former U20 player in the Scottish Player Pool.
    Ethan Gage was notably absent as he is currently on trial at Reading in England, which might also explain why he was recently left out of the lineup for Canada's training camp in preparations for the Olympic Qualifying Campaign.
    Beyond that the club laid out its plans for the spring where they confirmed that they will be holding exhibition matches against Real Salt Lake, Columbus Crew, Chivas USA, Portland, and Seattle.
    The first two games of the season will be Toronto at home and then 7 days later in Philadelphia against the Union at PPL Park.
    Guest

    The new CMNT kits

    By Guest, in It's Called Football,

    Here is your exclusive first look at the new kits by Umbro for the Canadian Men's National Team.
    They will go on sale mid-2011 but our good friends at Umbro Canada and the Mint Agency will be giving CSN some advanced items to give away before then.
    I wouldn't have wanted another run of a solid red and white and I certainly wouldn't have wanted some abomination like this.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    They have a kind of 80s vibe to them and I like the simple chevron look. Given that this is Canadian soccer, someone somewhere will find something to complain about, but I'm pretty satisfied with the outcome. I'll be even happier if the CMNT finds itself playing competitive football in 2014 and I'm wearing one on the beaches of Brazil...
    New beginnings and such. I'll dare to dream for today.
    But what do you think? Like them? Hate them? Wish you were Honduran ...?

    Guest
    Honduras beat Costa Rica 2-1 on Sunday - and had plenty to offer their critics in the media afterward - to claim their third Copa Centroamericana and first since 1995.
    The Copa goes largely unnoticed outside Central America, but it does provide a handy glimpse at the competition for World Cup qualifying. And from the perspective of Canada's main rivals it represents a great opportunity to battle-harden the B-team in a tournament setting.
    But perhaps the most important repercussion of the Honduran victory is that it will save the job of manager Juan de Dios Castillo.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Castillo had been ravaged in the media leading up to this tournament. (The entire Honduran team had really.) But standing outside the celebratory dressing room he told reporters that he'd had some special help.
    "When God makes me a promise, I believe Him," said Castillo. "He told me that I was going to be champion and now I am very happy."
    Whether God will also convince the directors at the Honduran federation to extend Castillo's contract - set to expire in February - is another matter. While there was much pre-tournament speculation about an eventual successor, this unexpected victory should at least buy him some time.
    Divine intervention and redemption seemed to be the running theme among the Hondurans. Player after player painted the team as heroic victims who pulled through for the Motherland with the help of God, overcoming the doubts and criticism of just about everyone.
    The squads for this tournament feature mostly domestic players or B-choice foreign-based ones, interspersed with some key cogs such as Honduran first-line keeper Noel Valladares (who played forward for Honduras at the 1999 PanAm Games in Winnipeg.)
    Valladares shone in the semi-finals against El Salvador and was required to make at least 3 saves in final 20 minutes of the final after Honduras saw their 2-0 lead halved. For what it's worth, he was named "hero of the tournament" by 70% of fans responding to an online poll.
    None of the teams at this tournament did anything spectacular, at least as far as I could tell. In the vastly unlikely event you participate in some kind of keeper fantasy pool for Central American footballers, eighteen-year-old Olimpia midfielder Alexander Lopez was singled out in some reports as a Honduran to watch for the future.
    It's impossible to quantify the psychological benefit gained from actually winning something, no matter how insignificant that thing is. Images of players singing and dancing and spraying each other with booze while passing a trophy around a dressing room surely must have a positive effect on a national program. Moreso than simply playing a friendly, and certainly moreso than not playing any friendlies at all.
    So I say this surprising victory perches Honduras as the preliminary favourite beyond Mexico and U.S. to do some damage at the Gold Cup - and extrapolating even more precariously - as the favourite to once again nab the 3rd Concacaf spot in the 2014 World Cup.
    Guest
    Like the popular snack mix, I'm going to break down these news hits into the flavoured Shreddie (the best part), the Cheerio (you never see it coming), the pretzel (you've got to acknowledge it, like it or not) and that cheese-stick thing (what the hell is it?).
    The Shreddie: Hoilett and Hutch hit the het... err, net
    Yes, young Canadian David "Junior" Hoilett opened his Premier League scoring account on Sunday with a thumper, a screamer, a cracker (or, as normal people call it, "a nice goal") against West Brom. But when I posted a link to the video, I was excoriated by an astute commenter for overlooking reigning Canadian men's player of the year Atiba Hutchinson's strike for Eredivisie leaders PSV Eindhoven. So I tossed a link to Hutch's goal in the post as well. I hope you're happy, anonymous commenter, though I still don't believe you could score against WBA (though, if you can... may I give Stephen Hart your phone number?)
    The Cheerio: Getting in goal in Greece... goodly
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Former men's national team goalkeeper and current goalkeeping coach for the CanMNT, Paul Dolan, let slip on the Full-Time radio show on Sunday night that the CanMNT's two 'keepers for the February 9 friendly in Greece will be de facto (and de jure) number one Lars Hirschfeld and newcomer Milan Borjan. We welcomed Borjan aboard the Canadian ship in November, and when you read his most recent comments in a story by Red Nation Online's Ian Clarke, you'll probably be damned happy to have him aboard as well.
    The Pretzel: Well, it had to happen eventually...
    While it would have been nice for the women's national team to ride its wave of momentum (an 11-game unbeaten streak) to a victory over their rival Americans early Sunday morning, it just wasn't to be at the Four Nations Tournament in China:
    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/player.js?autoplay=0&embedCode=QwYjIwMjqVB7Mkg23g-Dfs0SBIjV3caZ&deepLinkEmbedCode=QwYjIwMjqVB7Mkg23g-Dfs0SBIjV3caZ"></script>
    Ah well, we'll save that win against the U.S. for the knockout stages of the World Cup, I guess. (And on a positive note, another cold-as-ice finish from Melissa Tancredi -- who's really coming into form -- and what a terrific through-ball from Kaylyn Kyle).
    As for this tournament, all three teams are now even on points, heading into the final matchday on Tuesday. Any of the four teams (Canada, U.S., China, Sweden) could still win, but Canada is in the disadvantageous position of playing in the first game (v.s. Sweden), meaning the U.S. and China will know exactly what's needed in order to win.
    For Big Red to claim this tournament (which would be their fourth in a row), they need a win (by any score) and a U.S. draw or loss. No other combination of results will do it. Canada kicks off against Sweden tonight/tomorrow morning -- 11:35 p.m. PT Monday, 2:35 a.m. ET Tuesday on China's CCTV.
    Late addendum: There's one more way Canada could win... if both matches end in a draw, with the right goal totals, the tie-breaking scenario could boil down to drawing of lots -- which Canada could, of course, potentially win.
    The Cheese Stick: A footie-themed tourism advertisement!
    Even if the Four Nations tourney doesn't pan out for the ladies, they'll get right back at it in the Cyprus Cup starting on March 2. Canada are the defending champions, having won 1-0 in the final of the 2010 tournament on a goal by Diana Matheson.
    Though the tournament is missing global heavyweights like the U.S., Germany and Brazil, Canada will be in tough to defend their title. Big Red (ranked #9 in the world) have been drawn into Group 1 (the definite "Group of Death") with England (#10), Italy (#11) and Scotland (#24).
    The tournament gets the "cheese stick" designation, though, because I can't for the life of me figure out how it works. In past years, it's been an eight-team tournament, two groups of four, and the two group winners meet for the championship. But this year, the tournament has moved to a three-group, 12-team format with one "finals day" (March 9) and no "playoffs" (i.e. quarterfinals, semifinals).
    So how the hell do they decide who plays for the championship? Total goal difference? Coin toss? Most endearingly vociferous head coaches? (If that's the case, we've got it in the bag. Thanks, Carolina.)
    Now, to those of you (i.e. Rollins) who may contend that the "cheese stick" is actually the best part of a bag of Bits & Bites -- and thus, that this section deserves the best news -- I offer the following conciliatory gesture: captain Christine Sinclair hit 150 caps for the CanWNT over the weekend, while her fellow Big Red stalwart, Matheson, has surpassed the century mark in appearances. A hearty congrats to them both.
    .
    Guest
    If you've listened to our podcast before, you know it's a serious, erudite, just-the-facts-ma'am discussion of the most pressing, pertinent issues surrounding soccer in Canada.
    Now, those of you who've actually listened to our podcast before could taste the sarcasm in your ears as soon as you read the word "serious" in the above sentence.
    Either way, we're opening up the floor -- sort of -- for our next show, and inviting all y'all to submit your questions, queries and quomments about anything in the world of soccer... or the world of Some Canadian Guys.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    We can't promise we'll answer yours. And if we do, we can't promise we'll answer it well. And even if we somehow do, we can promise it was probably unintentional.
    But if you've got some burning question you want read out and (inappropriately) answered by our three robotic voices, leave a comment below, send us an email (canadiansoccerguys@gmail.com) or drop us a line on Twitter (@CdnSoccerBlog).
    Some Canadian Guys Talking About Soccer archive
    Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes
    Guest
    New Toronto FC academy director Stuart Neely says that the Reds will cooperate fully with the Canadian national youth teams.
    "Absolutely," he said when asked if TFC would release players for u-17 and u-20 camps and tournaments, adding that the club viewed it as its "responsibility" to support the growth of Canadian soccer.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Neely said that 2011 will be a year of tremendous growth for the academy program during an interview that will appear later on MLSsoccer.com. They plan to have an u14 program up and running by the start of the 2012 season and the new training facility is expected to find a home by about April.
    Neely told me that Aron Winter and the rest of the new staff have confirmed to him that the academy is a major priority of the club moving forward. There are plans to expand it down to a u-7 team.

    For more please check out MLSsoccer.com.
    Guest

    We haven't come very far, baby

    By Guest, in Euro File,

    By now many will have heard of the exchange between Sky Sports presenters Richard Keys and Andy Gray about female linesman Sian Massey. The comments were made off air, but it was as loud as anything they've ever said on.
    Here they are*:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Richard Keys: Well, somebody better get down there and explain offside to her.
    Andy Gray: Yeah, I know. Can you believe that? Female linesman. Forget what I said – they probably don't know the offside rule.
    RK: Course they don't.
    AG: Why is there a female linesman? Somebody's fucked up big.
    RK: I can guarantee you there'll be a big one today. Kenny [Dalglish, Liverpool's manager] will go potty. This is not the first time. Didn't we have one before?
    AG: Yeah.
    RK: Wendy Toms.
    AG: Wendy Toms, something like that. She was fucking hopeless as well.
    RK: [exasperated groan]
    AG: [inaudible]
    RK: No, no, it's got to be done, it's good. The game's gone mad. See charming Karren Brady this morning complaining about sexism? Yeah. Do me a favour, love.
    Why are we still having these kind of discussions?
    The drunk guy sitting next to me in the cheap seats at BMO Field is likely a little shaky about the offside rule (especially since they tweak it every other year it seems). A professional referee that has gone through years of training has likely got it down. I didn't do all that well in my anatomy 101 course back in university but I don't recall any reference to boobs causing a reduction in intelligence.
    Women play the game, they referee the game and in many cases they are every bit as passionate and informed about it as those of us with man parts (as I can attest from my Twitter feed). If you have an issue with that fact, well, you're overcompensating (I'll let you decide what it is that you are overcompensating for).
    Should Keys and Gray be fired for this? That’s up to Sky. Should they be shamed and exposed for the dinosaur fools that they are?
    Absolutely.
    *credit to the Guardian for the transcription
    Guest
    Today, in this Interview Only edition of It's Called Foooball, we're joined by Brian Quarstad from IMS Soccer News to talk about the latest developments in the NASL sanctioning saga, what to expect in the days ahead and what the issues are that the NASL faces.
    As the ICF crew will be attending the CSA/Umbro kit launch Monday tonight, we won't have our regular show up. But after listening to the Interview Only, if you still want more, I encourage you to check out our friend Noel Butler on Oranges at Halftime tonight (7pm) as he interviews Aaron Davidson, the CEO of the NASL.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/21624/naslinterviewonlyfinal.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
    By: Richard Whittall
    It’s become a cliché in the media circles to write that digital or “new” media is in a perpetual death struggle with print or “old” media over an apparently limited number of consumer eyeballs. The antagonistic attitude between both pyjama bloggers and entrenched newspaper reporters—often in evidence on Twitter, ironically—reflect this. Old media suspects new media’s journalistic credentials; new media accuses a financially-saddled old media of not doing its job in missing the important, hidden stories. Most now contend “new” media will naturally emerge the victor; for the old guard, that will mean the death of journalism—for the new, its rebirth.
    That’s why it would be easy for me to write that digital media tore print media a new one over the past couple of months with Ben Knight’s unceasing coverage of the the on-going Shakespearean saga at the Alberta Soccer Association between Chris Billings and Mario Charpentier and the subsequent, likely politically-motivated interference by the Canadian Soccer Association. While local papers like the Edmonton Journal did cover the story, national newspapers like the Globe and Mail continue to remain silent. So far the only major nationwide news source to offer any serious comment is cbc.ca, by way of Jason de Vos.
    But the reality is the pro CSA reform crowd needs big media to get on board with this story to help pressure the board to vote on crucial changes to the governance structure, which, although watered down, would finally see at least a reduction in the influence of the provincial associations at the national level. Canadian Soccer News and Ben Knight have done the nitty-gritty work of exposing the mess; now its big media’s job to bring it to a national audience, many of whom are completely unaware of what the CSA does, and why there is an intense grassroots effort to reform it.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    This should be a dream story or series of stories for any bored reporter at a major newspaper. Why? Let me count the angles. At a moment when football’s largest governing body, FIFA, is under intense scrutiny following the controversial World Cup bids of Russia and Qatar, we have our very own soccer governance controversy exploding in Alberta. And this isn’t of course really just about the ASA—this is the final stand of an old guard wanting to preserve the status quo in Canadian soccer, a status quo that has seen the men's national team fail to qualify for every World Cup since 1986. This is a story of a crucial moment in Canadian soccer history, a moment that will affect each and every parent who pays registration fees for the kids to play the sport that this country loves, a moment that could forever alter this country’s future World Cup fortunes ahead of two more Canadian franchises entering MLS.
    Beyond that, this is also the story of how "new" media has fundamentally altered the sporting landscape in this country. Gone are the days when the CSA could operate in a total media vacuum on Metcalfe street; now legal documents and internal memos end up on the internet for all to see. One day, the CSA could face the same media scrutiny as Hockey Canada, and we’d have the dedication of new media sources like CSN to thank for it.
    If our national print media do decide to cover this story in the way it deserves, there may be some understandable resentment among Canada’s soccer hardcore for getting on board so late. That’s fine. It’s more important that ordinary Canadians—many of whom with children playing soccer in provincial clubs—finally read about the CSA, what it does, and why it’s under pressure to change, and why its actions in response to Chris Billings suspension are so extraordinary in light of global calls for more transparency in soccer governance at the national and international levels. That’s the next and vital step in this saga, and if reformers want real accountability from the CSA, new media needs big media to go ahead and take it.
    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
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