Jump to content

  • Articles

    Manage articles
    Show all categories
    Guest
    There are few clubs in England with as soft spot for Canucks as Ipswich Town. A significant percentage of Canucks that have played in the English pyramid have suited up for the Tractor Boys at one time or another (including, of course, a current player in Jamie Peters).
    San Jose and former Canadian manager Frank Yallop doesn't have to buy his drinks in Ipswich after a 13 year, 316 appearance, career there and is likely the biggest factor in the pathway.
    Now two players doesn't make for a similar 20-year pattern at Norwich, but news today that the club might be after David Edgar should be welcome by Canadian fans. If Edgar were to make a move, the former Newcastle reserve stand-out will join Canadian teammate Simeon Jackson.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    That would be good news on a couple fronts. First off, Edgar is now more than two years removed from regular playing time. He only has four appearances for Burnley this year. Any chance at a fresh start has to be viewed positively.
    He's also been viewed -- rightly or wrongly -- as being slightly aversive to playing for the national team. Jackson is not. Actually, he's one of the more passionate advocates of the Canadian national team. Despite being born in Jamaica, Jackson goes out of his way to ensure that he is always referred to as Canadian in the English press.
    It would stand to reason that Jackson would be involved in encouraging Norwich to reach out to his compatriot and that being exposed to an excited national team player would remove some doubts about the nats that Edgar might have.
    Guest

    Catching up with the keeper

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    I had a chance to catch up with TFC keeper Stefan Frei yesterday to chat about his trip to Spain, future with the club and off-season program. It was the second time I had a chance to have a one-on-one interview with Frei and he continues to impress. Keepers are cerebral and Frei in no different. I feel confident knowing that he is marshalling the back-line for TFC.
    You can read my MLSsoccer.com piece here.
    One part of the interview that got cut was when I asked Frei about his European goals moving forward. His answer wasn't much different than when I asked him on It's Called Football earlier this year.
    He said:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    “Sitting in the stands (at the Bernabéu) listening to the Champions League music as the players came out – it gave me Goosebumps. It made me think that one day I’d like to be standing there listening to that music in a game I’m about to play in.”
    However the tone of the rest of the interview gave me no indication that he'll be making that move anytime soon. He seemed fully focused on TFC for 2011.
    The question of whether to sell Frei is a tough one. He's become a fan favourite (Canadians like and value "goalies" more than some other cultures) but you have to ask yourself whether his cost to the club is equal to the value that he might bring in a sale. There is little question Frei is talented, but is he so talented that you couldn't find a keeper 90 per cent as good that would then open up the possibility of using the savings to improve elsewhere.
    Those types of considerations are why it sucks to be an MLS fan sometimes.
    However, another year in Toronto probably benefits both Frei and Toronto. So, you can likely expect another year of Super Stefan Frei! songs from the south-east corner of BMO Field.
    Guest
    Sepp Blatter est un génie. Et son sens du timing est impeccable.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Quelques jours après avoir attribué la Coupe du Monde 2022, Sepp Blatter a décidé qu'il était le moment de faire une bonne vieille blague sur les strictes règles du Qatar.
    Le président de la FIFA a cru bon de sortir une blague lorsque le sujet de l'homosexualité au Qatar a été mentionné. (En effet, l'homosexualité est toujours illégal dans ce pays.)
    Et qu'est-ce que le bon vieux Seppy Blatts a dit ?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGRiNJXHdrQ
    “I would say gay fans should refrain from any sexual activities [in Qatar 2022].”
    Il a bien essayé de se reprendre après, mais c'était trop tard. Il a vraiment une solution à tout notre bon vieux président.
    Au fait, quelqu'un peut me rappeler comment il a fait pour devenir président de la FIFA ?
    Guest

    The 2026 question

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    If you haven’t listened to the It’s Called Football interview with Peter Montopoli do so now. He’s surprisingly candid throughout.
    The interview was primarily focused on Canada’s bid for the 2015 Women’s World Cup. However, I did manage to slip in one question on the men’s side of the game. Actually, I directly asked whether Canada would consider bidding for the 2026 World Cup.
    I expected pure spin and a denial – “we’re focusing on the Women’s bid and it’s too early to blah, blah, blah” – and there is a hint of that in the answer, but at no point was the idea dismissed. It was simply suggested that the Women’s bid had to be won first and that there would be infrastructure challenges to Canada hosting a World Cup.
    Here is the full exchange:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    He didn’t say hells yes we’re working on the bid book as we speak, but I don’t see “no” in that answer either.Reading between the lines I see him saying “You’re damn right we could pull it off, but we need to get some stadiums built/expanded (there are four stadiums that would work now) and we really need to get moving on the league everyone tells us we can’t pull off.
    Winning the Women’s World Cup would probably create three or four more stadiums in the 30,000 range. This country is wealthy enough to build the rest (you don’t need to build them until you win the bid). The CSA is sincere when it says that winning the WWC is the most important thing right now. It is. Both on its own merit and as a legacy event that can get more stadiums built.
    There is too much detail in Montopoli’s answer to believe that I’m the only one that’s done the math on 2026. Make no mistake, if Canada wins the WWC, the possibility of a 2026 will start to be investigated.
    It’s early days, but it’s never too soon to dream big.
    Guest
    It's Called Football had the opportunity to speak with the CSA general secretary, Peter Montopoli, on a number of subjects Friday including their bid for the Women's World Cup, the legacy they're hoping to build for a truly national league, the hurdles the CSA's new governance model faces and if Canada will bid for the 2026 Men's World Cup.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It was a refreshingly honest interview with Canadian soccer's most influential man.
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/21214/montopoliinterviewfinal.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>
    ___
    Listen closely to the interview now. In fact, listen twice - because Tuesday at 1:30 pm EST I will post a trivia question in this space based on the Montopoli interview.
    TRIVIA QUESTION:
    LIst all of the Canadian cities confirmed (not speculated) in the CSA's Women's World Cup bid.
    First correct answer to land in my inbox (ben.rycroft@metronews.ca) wins this Umbro prize pack.
    CONTEST CLOSED.
    Congratulations to our winner Mark Huston. He wins the prize pack courtesy of Umbro. We'll be running new contests in January so stay tuned.
    Guest
    Ah, December. The time of year writers and journalists are spared the niggling stress of having to think up story ideas and can instead mindlessly churn out various "year in review" pieces.
    The biography at the side of this website says I am supposed to be writing about football in "Central America and the Caribbean" so what better way to glance back over the year than to list the most violent off-field incidents tangentially related to soccer in Canada's favourite winter getaway.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Salvador Cabañas gets shot in the head
    Let this be a lesson. Even famous footballers should take care with whose company they share when partying in swank Mexico City nightclubs at five o'clock in the morning. Or failing that, take care with whom they stand beside when urinating in the bathrooms at said nightclubs. Poor Cabañas got into an argument with the wrong thugs at the wrong time and took a bullet for his trouble. I make light of this, but he is, more or less, ok, despite the fact the bullet is still lodged in his head. The farcical part of this story is that Cabañas' former employers are Club America, one of the richest clubs in Mexico. Cabañas has since returned to his native Paraguay, but his lawyers continue battling to squeeze payments from America for his treatment.
    His teammate Juan Carlos Silva gets shot in the ass
    One week after the Cabañas shooting, his teammate was assaulted in the street (I presume, since the Mexican website I'm cribbing the idea for this entire blog post from doesn't elaborate) and during the attack a bullet somehow grazed his buttocks. Luckily Silva continued playing immediately. This reminds me of George Orwell, who was shot in the neck during the Spanish Civil War. When told by a friend that he'd been lucky to live, he replied that he'd have been luckier not to have been shot at all.
    Cruz Azul official gets six bullets in his front door
    Sweet Christ. Thankfully in this particular case no one was injured, because these shots were fired at the family home of Azul's vice-president of sports, Alfredo Álvarez Cuevas. Apparently the police still don't have a motive, nevermind a suspect, but the
    aforementioned article says some hardcore supporters believe the attack is related to a dispute between the cement company that sponsors the club and one of the club's directors who is accused of fraud.
    Mexican national team gets 24/7 armed escort
    Mexico played an October friendly against their counterparts from Venezuela in Ciudad Juárez. This city has won fame due to its narco-gangs run amok. There can only be so many gruesome public beheadings in which ominous messages scrawled in blood are left on the corpses before the Department of Foreign Affairs advises against all non-essential travel to the region. The stars of El Tri were accompanied by heavily armed federal police constantly during their stay in the city, an entourage which frustrated the many fans who congregated at the airport with the silly hope of getting their heroes' autograph.
    Photo credit: Steve Rhodes
    Guest
    Not too many fans out there are going to recognize the name Bryce Alderson, but maybe we should all start taking notice.
    He's followed a very similar path as previous winner and fellow Whitecaps Prospect Russel Teibert by making the cross country trip from Ontario to B.C. to continue his development.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Alderson grew up playing in Kitchener Ontario. He captained his Provincial Squad and the National U-17 Squad over the last couple seasons, and had a very strong showing with the Whitecaps Youth Team (PDL) while on tour of Mexico this fall.
    As he only joined the club in September, after the PDL regular season had concluded, it's impossible for me to truly attest to his skills and head for the game. With that being said his C.V. speaks for it's self.
    Alderson had played previously for Portugal F.C. where he was a member of their U-21 Reserve Squad. Portugal FC compete in the Third Tier of Canadian Soccer, The CSL or Canadian Soccer League.
    Guest

    To Ottawa and Beyond

    By Guest, in It's Called Football,

    Canadian Soccer News has reported on a number of occasions that NASL expansion to Ottawa is imminent for the 2013 season, including an interview where the NASL's CEO all but confirmed that fact, but a little read news report out of Ottawa last week has shed new light on the particulars of that ownership group and when they expect to secure a franchise.
    Speaking at the Ottawa Business Improvement Area's annual meeting, Roger Greenberg, CEO of The Minto Group (an area real estate developer) confirmed that he was working with John Pugh and the Ottawa Fury group to bring a team to the capital city for 2013.
    Greenberg went a step further and even suggested to the local area busniess men that his ownership team expected to secure a conditional entry from the NASL before 2010 was out.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    While Canadian Soccer News cannot confirm the announcement date at this time, it is interesting to learn some of the names behind the push - they include Jeff Hunt (owner of the Ottawa 67's), Bill Shenkman (chairman of the Shenkman Corp - a real estate developer), John Ruddy (president of the Trinity Development Group) and the City of Ottawa itself.
    That's a lot of money and a lot of political clout assembled in one place for an NASL team. And don't get me wrong, the NASL has made great strides in the last year but my eyebrow did raise when I realized that the as yet unnamed team will play out of Lansdowne Park, which will have an estimated 24,000 seating capacity when construction is completed in June 2013.
    To put that in perspective - Montreal's Stade Saputo has a seating capacity of around 13,000, Vancouver's was 5,000 at Swangard Stadium and both were considered attendance successes for the NASL.
    So if the Ottawa group is looking at a 24,000 seat stadium for an NASL team (shared with a CFL franchise) then they're either prepared to play their games in a largely empty stadium or, perhaps, they're preparing to set their sights higher.
    To say, MLS?
    Guest

    Euro Tidbits: SPL to trim the fat?

    By Guest, in Euro File,

    The Scottish Premier League is considering reducing the number of teams in the league in order to make the country's top tier more competitive.
    No, that doesn't mean that the SPL will only (officially) be a two-team competition from here on out.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    SPL clubs will look at a proposal to shrink the number of teams in the league to ten (from the current 12), which would ostensibly increase the level of play in the top division while also presenting the possibility to form an SPL2.
    If ratified by the 30-team strong Scottish Football League, the plan would supposedly allow more money to filter into the second tier, and also allow the inclusion of SPL "B" sides to compete in the full professional league (as Spanish clubs do now).
    The initial vote goes to the 12 current SPL teams next week.
    * Sam Allardyce has been sacked by Blackburn Rovers, a day after Blackburn's heartbreaking loss away at Bolton Wanderers. New owners Venky's Limited Group only took over the club last month, and cited "wider plans" for the 13th placed team as the reason for Big Sam's departure.
    For his part, Allardyce released a statement that he was "shocked and disappointed to be leaving Blackburn."
    * The Carlos Tevez drama continues at Manchester City, with the club calling his transfer request "ludicrous and nonsensical." Tevez says that he wants to leave because his relationship with certain people in the fromt office have broken down, although he was quick to point out that he has no problems with manager Roberto Mancini or owner Sheikh Mansour.
    * AC Milan took further control of the Serie A table with a 3-0 win over Bologna yesterday, moving Milan six points clear of second-place Juventus. Highlights of the match can be seen here.
    * Adriano is the Italian league's flop of the year, for the third time. The obvious question to be asked is how can a former world class player be washed up at 28, but Adriano was washed up at 25 before a short-lived revival in the Brazilian league, so this is really no surprise.
    * Arsenal travels to Old Trafford today to take on Manchester United in a battle for the top spot in the English Premier League. The game is on TSN2 in Canada, and kicks off at 3:00 pm EST.
    There's no shortage of bulletin board material in the lead up to the match, with Patrice Evra kicking things off by stating that Arsenal is in crisis.
    "We could lose to them but then what? There is nothing [for them], there will be no trophy, nothing," Evra told British media last week. "Arsenal are a great club but it has been five years since they won anything and that for me is a crisis."
    Guest

    It can't always be about the fans

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    As reported here on Sunday, the Nutrilite Canadian Championship is likely to change formats for 2011. What was first a throw away one-liner in the Montreal Gazette has since been confirmed as likely by TFC business director Paul Beirne.
    Paul's words can be read at MLSsoccer, where some hack reported on it today. When reached for comment the CSA would only say that they have "not announced anything yet."
    The reaction to this (likely) change has been mostly negative with a healthy dose of Centre-of-the-Universe conspiracy theory thrown into the mix. That TFC gets soft touch Edmonton -- and they will be a soft touch -- in the first round has caused some to suggest that some sinister force is trying to get Toronto in the final.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Such thinking is, of course, absurd. If you are going to play a 1 v 4, 2 v 3 format you have to generate the seeding from somewhere and last year's competition is really the only place you could reasonably do that. The only other answer would be a random draw.
    As to whether this is the best format, the answer, unfortunately, must be looked at pragmatically. A four team group would be marvellous. The Voyageur Cup games have been incredibly compelling the last two years and more of them would be a good thing. However, adding two more games to Vancouver and Toronto's schedule simply isn’t reasonable.
    In 2010 Toronto FC played 44 games, second most in MLS. Only Seattle played more with 47. However, when you look at competitive fixtures only Toronto and Seattle tied for the most in the league with 43. By comparison, the MLS Cup champions Colorado Rapids played 36 games.
    Although the talent wasn't good enough, the amount of games TFC played last year was also a significant factor in the club's late season swan dive down the table.
    It's important to remember that the MLS regular season is increasing by two games in 2011. Factor that with the potential of six intense, derby-like games for the Voyageurs' Cup and you are staring at the possibility of a 46 game competitive schedule for either Vancouver of Toronto. That's before the possibility of playoffs.
    As fans it's easy to want more of a good thing. However, the clubs need to ensure that they are in the best possible position to compete.
    The likely new format isn't as fun for fans, but it is more reasonable for the athletes competing in it -- whether they are from Vancouver, Toronto or, in 2012, Montreal.
    Guest

    Another Look at Russia, 2018?

    By Guest, in Some Canadian Guys,

    Last week I posted the wonderful-looking artist renditions of what Russia's World Cup stadiums are supposed to look like in 2018.

    This week we'll take a look at what Russia's World Cup might actually look like – at least in part – for the some of the fans than flock to the tournament. The race-related rioting that has erupted across Moscow (incited by the shooting death of an ethnically Russian Spartak Moscow supporter/hooligan by Central Asian supporters of a rival club) are perhaps an extreme example of the xenophobia that plagues Russia. But it's an illustrative example of one of the biggest obstacles standing in the way of a successful Russian World Cup: Russians themselves (the extreme right-wingers, at least, and the hooligans, who appear to be strong in numbers).[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    The DeRo Firm

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    It's not clear what we should make of this rumour, which claims that Dwayne de Rosario might be in line for a move to Celtic in January.
    Attempts to get confirmation from, well, anyone proved to be fruitless this morning, so I'll just point you to the Scottish blog and let you decide for yourself how much credibility to put into it.
    If DeRo, at 32, can land himself a job with Celtic then I think I speak for most Canadian fans when I say "God speed."
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    (TFC-only fans might not be as excited).
    The linked blog mentions a loan deal, which would be interesting. That DeRo never really tested himself outside of MLS has always been a source of frustration for national team fans. This might prove to be a belated and brief look at what might have been.
    Or, it could be a ridiculous rumour that would only get reported here on the slowest of news days.
    Wait, what?
    Guest
    One of those stupid, overused words that you'll find in any discussion of sports is "momentum". It's a nebulous, intangible concept that's cited to explain all sorts of triumphs (or disasters) without any concrete evidence of its existence, never mind its influence.
    That being said, our women's national team is on a roll!
    Down at the Torneio Internacional Cidade de São Paulo -- a four-team tournament also featuring the Netherlands, Mexico and host Brazil -- Canada sits in first place after two matches. On Sunday they defeated Mexico 1-0 (that scoreline is becoming a trend, apparently), after thrashing the Dutch 5-0 last Thursday.
    If you're counting (and if you aren't, that's OK, 'cause I am), that's eight consecutive wins for Big Red, the last seven of which were clean sheets (the last goal conceded being Karina LeBlanc's howler against China at BMO Field in September).
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The focus, as usual, has been on captain Christine Sinclair (three goals in the last two games, career total 111, ho hum) and stalwart Diana Matheson (who boosted her career goal-scoring total for Canada by 29% in one game, by potting a brace against Holland).
    But considering the team hasn't allowed a goal in over 650 minutes of play (albeit, some of the competition was hardly intimidating), I'm beginning to understand why members of the Voyageurs are touting defenders such as Candace Chapman and Marie-Eve Nault as player of the year candidates.
    (For what it's worth, my three picks -- in both the Voyageur vote and official CSA media tally -- were Sinclair, Matheson and Jonelle Filigno).
    Now, lest we get too caught up in the swell of momentum, Canada still has two games against the host Brazilians -- the final round-robin game on Wednesday, followed by the tournament championship game on Sunday.
    Brazil, as you may know, is kinda good at soccer. The women's squad is ranked #3 in the world, while Canada sits at 9th. The last time Canada played a team ranked in the top three globally... well, it was the last time we lost. By a score of 5-0 to Germany, a few months ago, as it were.
    So the ladies have their work cut out for them. I think it's safe to say Matheson won't score two goals on Wednesday, and it also wouldn't be shocking to see the Canadians concede a goal for the first time in what seems like forever. But then, we have yet to see what sort of lineup head coach Carolina Morace will field.
    She managed to cycle every single player on the roster into a game at some point during the World Cup qualifying tournament, so it also wouldn't be surprising to see some less-experience players get a run-out in the first Brazilian showdown, to see what they've got.
    Strange things can happen in this sport (Mexico's defeat of the U.S. is a timely example), so there's nothing to say that Canada can't pull out a decent results against Marta and the favoured Brazilians. But, even if they don't, it wouldn't be the end of the world.
    Sure, some more hardware would be nice, but the team has already picked up two trophies this year (the Gold Cup and the Cyprus Cup) so it's not as if they're in danger of exiting 2010 empty-handed.
    The most significant thing at stake, you could say, is that indefinable, possibly non-existent property I described earlier... momentum.
    Whether or not it has any real impact, we can't quite say. But hey, if you've got it going (and they do, at the moment), you may as well ride it for as long as you can... hopefully, all the way to next spring's World Cup in Germany.
    (For info on how to watch the Canada-Brazil showdowns, click here).
    Photo credit: Bruno Miani/ZDL
    Guest

    Canadian at the combine

    By Guest, in It's Called Football,

    By: Sean Grybos
    Major League Soccer just released the initial list of invitees for the 2011 player combine. Roughly 50 seniors make the trip each year to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for the event. Several underclassmen – including the highly sought after Generation Adidas players – also attend.
    Curtis Ushedo, a senior at the University of Alabama –Birmingham, was pleased and excited when he heard the he was invited.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] “I think anytime someone gets an opportunity to play with the best players and be showcased as a possible prospect, it's so surreal because you dream about it and work so hard to get there and all of a sudden the opportunity is in your lap,” Ushedo said.
    The UAB Blazers, who play in the competitive Conference USA, ended the season 10-7-1. The Mississauga, Ontario native started in all 18 games.
    “I thought we battled hard in every game and for the most part were the dominant team, but having some late game mental lapses and a couple untimely injuries late in the season definitely affected the final outcome,” the central defender said.
    The leader of UAB’s back line, Ushedo earned a 2010 All-Conference USA First Team selection and was also named as a 2010 NSCAA All-Region member. The Blazer defense ended the year with a 1.08 goals against average; one of the best marks in the history of the program.
    “It was my first full injury-free season and I had such a hunger to show what I could do on the field,” Ushedo said. “I thought I was extremely consistent throughout the season, which is something I really wanted to work on, but more importantly I had a great amount of confidence, which is the key to success in any sport. I really just enjoyed being on the field and competing.”
    Now with his senior season complete and the post-season accolades in, Curtis Ushedo hopes to showcase his talents at the Major League Soccer Player Combine.
    “I plan to do a lot of fitness workouts to get myself game ready and to be in the most ideal shape as possible,” Ushedo said. “Fitness is one of the most significant aspects of soccer, so it's definitely the main focus.”
    Of course, his goal is to make the jump to the next level, but Ushedo would welcome a spot on one of Canada’s MLS rosters. He recognizes the fact that the game is growing in the country and is happy for future MLS franchises - Vancouver and Montreal.
    “I think it's great for the game and for Canadian soccer in general,” Ushedo said. “They are both great cities and judging by their past successes, it seems like both clubs will be exciting to watch.”
    The 21-year-old defender, who just attended Canada’s U-23 National Team training camp, could parlay his pro career into a spot on Canada’s international squads.
    Edit:
    Hat tip to Twitter follower Smapti for this find.
    I now hearby dub Curtis Ushido - Curtis 'Crazy Train' Ushido


    Guest

    Rumour: TFC interested in Venezuelan

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    There is a reason they call it the silly season -- transfer rumours come fast and furious and often seem to be invented by overly eager journalists and bloggers with deadlines to meet. Yet, the chatter is what sustains the football geek in all of us during the long, cold off-season.
    With that caveat, TFC has been linked to Deportivo Petare's Richard Blanco (link in Spanish).
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    If my very limited Spanish (Una cerveza, por favor) and ability to make sense out of Google Translate is correct, it sounds like TFC was part of a MLS scouting trip (scouts, dirían los gringos) into the footballing hinterland that is Venezuela. There they decided that they liked the look of the 28-year-old striker.
    It was reported that TFC asked about his availability.
    Blanco has 11 goals in 27 appearances for Petare, who currently sits third in the table. He has 31 goals since 2008.
×
×
  • Create New...