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    Guest

    Here is the rough; now find the diamond

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The complete list of players availible for Portland and Vancouver to select is below. Both clubs will pick 10 players. No club can lose more than two players.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Chivas

    Borja, Carlos
    Bornstein, Jonathan
    Chijundu, Chukwudi
    Espinoza, Rodolfo
    Galindo, Maykel
    Gordon, Alan
    Kennedy, Dan
    Lillington, Eduardo
    Maldonado, Giancarlo
    Mayen, Gerson
    Padilla, Jesus
    Romero, Osael
    Saragosa, Marcelo
    Trujillo, Mariano
    Zotinca, Alex

    Chicago

    Castillo, Nery
    Dykstra, Andrew
    John, Collins
    Krol, Krzysztof
    Ljungberg, Freddie
    Lowry, Peter
    Robinson, Dasan
    Thorrington, John
    Umanzor, Deris

    Colorado

    Akpan, Andre
    Amarikwa, Quincy
    Ceus, Steward
    Joyce, Ian
    LaBauex, Ross
    Lopez, Claudio
    O'Brien, Ciaran
    Palguta, Scott
    Schunk, Ross
    Thompson, Wells
    Vagenas, Peter
    Wallace, Anthony

    Columbus

    Brunner, Eric
    Burns, Kevin
    Garey, Jason
    Griffit, Leandre
    Gruenebaum, Andy
    Hejduk, Frankie
    Moffat, Adam
    Oughton, Duncan
    Padula, Gino
    Schelotto, Guillermo Barros
    Williams, Joshua

    Dallas

    Avila, Eric
    Cunningham, Jeff
    Davies, Kyle
    Edward, Edson
    Guarda, Bruno
    Harris, Atiba
    Hernandez, Daniel
    McCarty, Dax
    Rodriguez, Milton
    Sala, Dario
    Yeisley, Jason

    DC United

    Allsopp, Daniel
    Barklage, Brandon
    Cristman, Adam
    Graye, Jordan
    Hernandez, Pablo
    McTavish, Devon
    Morsink, Kurt
    Pena, Juan
    Perkins, Troy
    Rice, Barry
    Varela, Carlos

    Houston

    Appiah, Samuel
    Ashe, Corey
    Cochrane, Ryan
    Mulrooney, Richard
    Ngwenya, Joseph
    Obodai, Anthony
    Oduro, Dominic
    Onstad, Pat
    Robinson, Eddie

    Kansas City

    Aiyegbusi, Korede
    Beasley, Jamar
    Chhetri, Sunil
    Conrad, Jimmy
    Diop, Birahim
    Hercegfalvi, Zoltan
    Hohlbein, Aaron
    Kounenakis, Nick
    Kronberg, Eric
    Leathers, Jonathan
    Myers, Chance
    Thomas, Shavar
    Wolff, Josh

    Galaxy

    Berhalter, Gregg
    Cazumba, Alex
    Leonardo
    Jordan, Bryan
    Kirovski, Jovan
    Kovalenko, Dema
    Magee, Mike
    Marshall, Yohance
    Perk, Brian
    Saunders, Josh

    New England

    Boggs, Zak
    Burpo, Preston
    Colaluca, Nico
    Dube, Kheli
    Gibbs, Cory
    Griffiths, Jason
    Linck, Roberto
    Murray, Tim
    Phelan, Pat
    Sinovic, Seth
    Smith, Khano
    Stolica, Ilija

    New York

    Angel, Juan Pablo
    Boyens, Andrew
    Chinn, Conor
    da Luz, Austin
    Garcia, Irving
    Nielsen, Brian
    Robinson, Carl
    Salou, Ibrahim
    Sassano, Luke
    Sutton, Greg
    Talley, Carey
    Ubiparipovic, Sinisa

    Philly

    Arrieta, Cristian
    Coudet, Eduardo
    Fred
    Jacobson, Andrew
    Knighton, Brad
    Miglioranzi, Stefani
    Moreno, Alejandro
    Noone, Joseph
    Salinas, Shea
    Seitz, Chris
    Zimmerman, Nick

    Salt Lake

    Alexandre, Jean
    Campos, Pablo
    Findley, Robbie
    Gonzalez, Nelson
    Grabavoy, Ned
    Horst, David
    McKenzie, Rauwshan
    Melia, Timothy
    Nimo, Alex
    Reynish, Kyle
    Russell, Robbie
    Schuler, Chris
    Warner, Collen
    Williams, Andy

    San Jose

    Alvarez, Arturo
    Beitashour, Steve
    Burling, Bobby
    Cannon, Joe
    Corrales, Ramiro
    Eduardo
    Geovanni
    Glen, Cornell
    Leitch, Chris
    Andre Luiz
    Morrow, Justin
    Ring, Brad
    Ward, Tim

    Seattle

    Baudet, Julien
    Boss, Terry
    Earls, Danny
    Estrada, David
    Gonzalez, Leonardo
    Graham, Taylor
    Ianni, Patrick
    Levesque, Roger
    Marshall, Tyrone
    Montano, Miguel
    Nkufo, Blaise
    Noonan, Pat
    Nyassi, Sanna
    Scott, Zacharias
    Seamon, Michael
    Sturgis, Nathan
    Wahl, Tyson

    Toronto

    Barrett, Chad
    de Guzman, Julian
    Gala, Gabe
    Garcia, Nick
    Hscanovics, Raivis
    Ibrahim, Fuad
    Kocic, Milos
    Martinez, Miguel Angel Ferrer
    Nane, Joseph
    Sanyang, Amadou
    Saric, Martin
    Usanov, Maxim
    White, O'Brian

    There are a lot of interesting names on there as teams try to play a game of chicken with their higher priced players. Look for a mock draft in this space tomorrow.
    Guest

    Unprotected Reds

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Chad Barrett
    Julian de Guzman
    Gabe Gala
    Nick Garcia
    Fuad Ibrahim
    Milos Kocic
    Mista
    Raivis Hscanovics
    Joseph Nane
    Amadou Sanyang
    Martin Saric
    Maxim Usanov
    O'Brian White
    Barrett is surprising. However his salary is high and that might scare away teams. It's also possible he asked to be put on the list as he's from Portland.
    de Guzman won't be touched and Mista is also an obvious inclusion. Actually, I'm not convinced anyone is getting picked off this list.
    Guest

    No live show tonight

    By Guest, in It's Called Football,

    A very long MLS Cup weekend has us all pretty haggard, so we're taking the night off to recover.
    This photo landed in my inbox this morning. I'm not sure if this a ransom demand (if so, I'm not paying) or the result of three days of drinking on MLS' dime (if so, I'm not paying the bail) but it's a good reflection of where we're all at right now.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    We'll be back on Wednesday when we're joined by a member of the Football Supporters Federation.
    Guest
    As It's Called Football reported here first on Friday, the USSF has granted the NASL provisional sanctioning for the 2011 season.
    Full approval is expected to be completed at the USSF Annual General Meeting in February. Aaron Davidson, the NASL CEO made this statement through their press release:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    So, NASL has won the war for D2 soccer stateside. Let the war for D2 soccer north of the border begin.
    Guest
    This has travelled across the Internet already but I'm posting here again for newbies to the site. And as a plug for my home town.
    A 14-year-old Winnipeg kid called Marco Bustos has landed a 10-day tryout with Liverpool next month. This is another impressive notch on his bedpost, as he's already the youngest player ever named to Soccer Canada's National Training Centre program.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Great news for Marco and his family, although his Dad had some interesting thoughts on the development system in Canada.
    "Unfortunately, if you excel in soccer in Winnipeg or Canada, but want to move up to the next level, you have to go somewhere else," said Alex Bustos. "The programs here are not good enough. The coaching, the leagues, they just won't take you to the next level. You have to be able to train in a soccer-environment country on a daily basis."
    I wonder if he would have thought differently if his son had grown up in Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal?
    Oh, and for those who obsess over this sort of thing (ie. me), some Voyageurs are already anguishing over whether young Marco will choose Canada when the time comes. I'd say the fact his father played for the Winnipeg Fury may help on that front, but it's probably way too early to be thinking about his international future. Let's just hope he continues to develop.
    Guest
    When the San Jose Earthquakes stormed into Red Bull Arena and pulled off a shocking second-leg victory to knock the Red Bulls out of this year's playoffs, it undoubtedly scared many people within the league. Then, a week later, when FC Dallas barged their way into the MLS Cup final with a dominant 3-0 trouncing of L.A., you could almost hear league officials sh-tting bricks.
    Dallas-Colorado is not only an unexpected MLS Cup matchup, it's also -- if you listen to some -- the most devastating thing that could have happened to the league. It was going to be tough enough to market a game played in late November on Toronto's chilly waterfront, even if the likes of David Beckham and Thierry Henry were going to be there. But without them... dear God, the league would be lucky to survive the weekend!
    Dire hysteria aside, the reality is, the long-term benefits for whichever club wins on Sunday (and, by extension, the league) will likely outweigh the harm of staging a frosty final bereft of aging European stars.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    If you follow the league at all, you know that Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas is as famous for its pathetic attendance as it is for its now-sadly-removed bouncy castle. Hell, it's so bad down in the Lone Star state that FCD ownership essentially had to beg the local media just to cover the team. Dallas's home attendance was the third-lowest in the league this year in absolute terms, averaging 10,815 (just over 51% capacity).
    Only Kansas City and San Jose had lower absolute attendance figures -- and that's because they play in tiny venues (filling said venues to 99% and 94% capacity, respectively).
    Colorado ain't much better off, filling Dick's Sporting Goods Park to, on average, 68% capacity this year.
    During the media scrums with players earlier today, members of both teams were asked about the lack of love from their home crowd. Both Heath Pearce of Dallas and long-time Rapids midfielder Pablo Mastroeni hit on the same point: everybody loves a winner.
    Dallas and Colorado have been around since MLS's inception in '96, but neither side has hoisted the MLS Cup. Hell, the Dallas franchise has never even been to the final. Colorado made it, once, back in 1997.
    So it's tough to fault fans in Denver and Dallas for not filling up the stands for their MLS sides, especially when both cities have plenty of other options when it comes to professional sports.
    It's a little disingenuous for fans in Toronto to dismiss this final as one being contested between two teams "nobody cares about", since the shine has definitely worn off of Toronto FC after only four seasons (you could argue it happened even earlier than that).
    Interestingly, both Pearce and Mastroeni spoke about the sort of environment they wish they could play in front of on home turf... and both mentioned Seattle as the template for the sort of home support they desire. Wait... they didn't say Toronto? Not when they're in Toronto? Not when they're standing inside the stadium that, supposedly, provides such a daunting atmosphere for visiting teams and such an advantage for the Reds?
    Huh. Weird.
    I'm sure neither meant it as an indictment of Toronto fans. But as I've said before, BMO Field is no-longer the MLS standard bearer for impressive gameday atmosphere. That title belongs in Seattle, at Qwest Field. Sure, their stadium is bigger, and the franchise has a much longer history, so they have inherent advantages in that way. But they still pack the place with neon-green-clad, sing-songing, flag-waving fanatics on a week-in, week-out basis.
    In two years in MLS, the Sounders have two playoff appearances, and two U.S. Open Cup titles. While TFC does boast a pair of Canadian Championships, they have yet to sniff the MLS playoffs, or make a serious dent in the CONCACAF Champions League. So the fans get restless. They get antsy. They leave to beat the traffic, or they don't show up at all. They stage protests and threaten not to renew season tickets. How could we turn around this troublesome state of affairs?
    Oh yeah, if they won.
    It's safe to assume that if Toronto FC assembled a strong, united squad that tore up the league throughout the summer, the environment at BMO Field would be as exciting and raucous as it was in season one. More tickets sold, more merchandise moved, more TV exposure, bigger footprint for the team, and so it goes.
    So... why not Dallas or Colorado?
    Real Salt Lake saw a healthy bump in attendance (up 4%) this season, after their unexpected MLS Cup win last season. We can only imagine something similar would happen in Denver or Dallas (or possibly both) next season. I know some people take bizarre, sadistic pleasure in laughing at Dallas's woeful attendance, but that speaks to a myopic view of the league, in my opinion.
    Like it or not, it's a single-entity league. The success of any team contributes to the success of the league as a whole, which contributes to the success of the game as a whole on this continent.
    Thierry Henry and David Beckham don't need more trophies. New York and L.A. don't need another championship-winning franchise.
    But when it comes to soccer, Denver and Dallas do. Desperately.
    So, sure, viewership in-person and on television may be garbage this Sunday (if you ain't watching, it's your loss, as all signs point to an exciting match-up).
    But if Daniel Hernandez hoisting that trophy down at BMO Field means that FC Dallas becomes something other than a league-wide punchline, then in the end, it's probably worth it.
    Guest
    Today, we're joined Toronto FC's leading scorer and Right to Play Athlete Ambassador Dwayne DeRosario as he talks about his new role at Right to Play, speaks publicly about seeking a DP role, his thoughts on the national team and the MLS Canadian quota rule.
    We're also joined by the VP of Sporting Kansas City, Rob Thomson, to talk about their recent re-branding, the backlash surrounding the new name and what they're rolling out in the weeks ahead.
    And finally we'll joined by York Lions head coach Carmine Isacco to talk about the success of their program, what clubs like TFC have done right and wrong in terms of their development and reveals there is an initiative underway to see CIS players included in MLS drafts and combines.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]All that and we'll be making our predictions for MLS Cup and talk about some of the supporter events this weekend.
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/20911/nov20.2010final.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
    Matthew Good is a Canadian rock star, a soccer-lover and a dedicated Arsenal fan. I should be ecstatic that he's going to be the "opening act" for the MLS Cup – I even like his music.
    But I'm not happy. Not at all.
    Why? Check out this blog post Mr. Good wrote during this past World Cup.
    .
    "I’m not going to get into why I support the national football team of [England]...I have never supported Canada’s national side, not even in youth tournaments. Label me traitorous if you must, but when it comes to football there’s simply no room for split allegiances..."
    Everyone of us at SCG has railed and ranted on and on (mostly Squizz, actually) about our personal frustrations with Canadian soccer fans choosing to support another nation, so there's no need to go on and on about it here. Suffice it to say that this attitude – that "the nation of my ancestors and much of my extended family" should be the recipient of my soccer support at Canada's expense – is perhaps the greatest roadblock standing in the way of Canadian soccer.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Now, it's Matthew Good's right to cheer for whoever he wants – don't get me wrong. Though I don't respect his decision – and it is a decision, after all, not a birthright, or a familial imposition or anything else – he's free to make it and I'm not here to talk him out of that. What I will say is that Canada's National Stadium is patently NOT the venue for people who have expressly chosen to turn their back on Canada's national team, especially at times when Toronto becomes a focus of international soccer attention, as it will on Sunday.

    I'm not sure who booked Matthew Good, or if his England support is at all well-known (I only happened upon this post when I was wasting an afternoon trying to confirm a rumour that he was a Gooner), but it's the same kind of PR blunder that saw Steven Harper posing idiotically with Owen Hargreaves.
    Again, I'm not bashing Matthew Good as a person, as a musician or – though I disagree with his support of England – as a soccer fan. (Indeed, I even have a soft spot for him given that he's for Arsenal.) But he's an awful choice for this event: BMO Field is Canada's national stadium, and it should be unrepentant fortress of Canadian support.
    As you said, Mr. Good, "when it comes to football there’s simply no room for split allegiances."
    Am I wrong?
    Guest

    Super weekend for Canadian soccer clubs

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    No, not at the MLS Cup. The top youth clubs in Canada and the United States have gathered in Tampa to crown 10 champions. Included in the mix are 22 Canadian teams. They are:
    Ottawa Fury (6 teams), Coquitlam Metro-Ford SC (5), Toronto Lynx Jrs (3) Revolution FC (1), Mountain FC (2), West Coast Capitals (2), Coastal FC (1), Abbotsford Mariners (1) and London Gryphons (1)
    There has been four Canadian champions in the 12 year old event, which has boys and girls u17, u16, u15, u14 and u13 divisions. The past Canadian champions are the 2004 u13 Vancouver Whitecaps boys, Mountian FC 2008 u15 boys, Costal FC 2009 u16 boys and Costal FC 2009 u16 girls.
    You can follow the action here.
    Note: thanks to the great CONCACAF blog The Soccer Blog for the heads up.
    Guest
    I've written many times before that TFC's biggest problem in its Scottish era was its habit of throwing money around. MLS is about finding value, not flexing financial muscle. Actually, giving players too much money will hurt your team far more than it would help.
    Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan would not make a good MLS owner.
    It's long been assumed that the Whitecaps would learn from their Canadian cousins and not make the same mistakes as they launch into their reluctant MLS experience. However, that word reluctant is there for a reason. If you were to get the Whitecaps drunk they would likely tell you what they really think.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Yeahh that Don, Donnie-boy, the Don-ster. He's Ok, I guess. But, he needs to get that stick out of his ass. Yep. HIS ASS. If I want to blow all my cash on some hot little thing then why not? WHY!? But, nooooooo. The Don-ster needs to "approve" everything. He's holding us back, man. Don't get me wrong, I like the comfort of living in his house and the allowance I get on the side -- don't tell anyone about that, eh -- WHOOO! But, I. Could. Be. So. Big. Hey bartender - another gin and 7 please...
    So, I wonder. Yesterday on It's Called Football Vancouver Province writer Marc Weber talked about how the 'Caps and Jay DeMerit had an agreement in place a while ago but the league rejected the terms. Welcome to MLS Vancouver. However, I wonder just how big those terms were for the league to reject them.
    A quick look at the top paid defenders in MLS:
    1. Chad Marshall - $320,000
    2. Danny Califf - $250,000
    3. Jimmy Conrad - $244,000
    4. Jamison Olave - $240,000
    5. Heath Pearce - $207,500
    HT
    MLS would not want DeMerit's salary to throw that list too far out of whack. We'll never know (because a puppy has to be killed for a MLS player's salary to be disclosed by the league) but the 'Caps must have offered him something close to the max. DeMerit gets the max and that means the 2010 defender of the year wants a little more than his $240,000 (for instance). It puts upward pressure on the salary of all players and, in MLS' mind, that's a very bad thing.
    Factoring in the rejected contract and looking at those numbers I'd peg DeMerit's salary at about $230,000. We'll find out in March when the players release the first salary list of 2011.
    The question I have, however, is whether DeMerit is worth a plus $300k salary? That seems to be what the 'Caps originally offered and even though it seems like they might have got him at a lower number it does plant a seed in my mind that they may be a bit quick to pull out the wallet (and they will get some extra allocation as an expansion team). Maybe the "Canada factor" is true and requires Canadian teams to spend more to get American players (or maybe it's just a Vancouver factor). Either way, it's enough to give one pause.
    Guest

    Most valuable pay-out?

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    It’s not a lot of fun being a soccer writer when the local FC hands out its Most Valuable Player award – and gets it so glaringly wrong.
    You don’t want to run down the guy who won the thing. He had a great season, after all, and made matters significantly better for the home eleven.
    Adrian Cann was not the MVP of Toronto FC in 2010. But he won.
    Forgive a man who covers this team for ever being cynical, but his selection yesterday carries some odd implications.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It never occurred to me until just now that singling out one player as your most valuable could have significant money implications in a salary-cap soccer league.
    Dwayne de Rosario, for example. By far TFC’s most creative and dangerous player, DeRo ripped home 15 goals on a side that usually couldn’t score honey in a beehive. But he also – famously – made that hugely public cheque-writing motion after scoring a goal late in the season.
    DeRo wants to be a Designated Player, and hasn’t been exactly thrilled with his $375,000 annual stipend since the seven-figure arrival of Julian de Guzman just over a year ago.
    There’s no shortage of critics who feel de Rosario isn’t DP material. Whether to keep him, DP him or just hold him to his present contract is one of the biggest decisions facing whomever ultimately fills the smoking ruins of Mo Johnston’s former chair.
    Just speculating, here, but why complicate that mess by naming DeRo the team’s MVP? If Toronto decides to keep him, that could cost some serious buckwash.
    On the other hand, there’s goaltender Stefan Frei.
    The young Swiss air-bending goaltender is my personal choice for MVP, and has been in an intriguing contract position. Frei was a member of MLS’s elite “Generation Adidas,” a group of gifted youngsters who don’t count against the salary cap. Many an eyebrow was raised when the 24-year-old Frei had his GA status extended last year, despite being – well – 24!
    That all ended this week, and Frei is now an $80,000 cap hit who clearly deserves a big raise. How big, though, is clearly an issue for the not-yet-named GM. There’s also the point that Frei may be generating transfer interest from Europe. “Team MVP” isn’t likely to mean much to Euro scouts sniffing around a bad team in the provinces. But a low contract? Well, every pfennig helps!
    As for Adrian Cann:
    Just a great season! Physical height – bordering on dominant – guts, smarts, and enough hustle to get dangerously upfield on TFC set-pieces and free kicks.
    He helped heal a gaping chasm in the middle of the TFC defence – but he didn’t do it alone. Cann and fellow Canadian halfback Nana Attakora were joined at the hip all season. To give the MVP to one of them, excluding the other, seems odd.
    But here’s what else you need to know. Cann just turned 30, far from young in soccer terms. His salary for his breakthrough season was a scant $60,000. He’s due for a huge pay raise anyway. Naming him MVP just confirms that. TFC could double – even triple – his pay packet, without significantly burdening themselves under the salary cap.
    And frankly, he deserves every penny he can get. I loved watching this guy play soccer this summer.
    Now, if Toronto FC had a general manager in place, I don’t think Cann wins the award. If salary cap is an issue here at all, the GM takes all that into account before the hardware gets handed out.
    I think what really happened here is that the present Toronto braintrust knew that both de Rosario and Frei will be interesting off-season negotiations, and didn’t want to pin a nice, shiny – possibly expensive – ribbon on either of them.
    Onward!
    Guest
    In a greatly anticipated move Vancouver Whitecaps FC have officially announced US Men's National Team member, and former Watford FC Captain Jay DeMerit is now signed up to star on the club's back line. [PAGE][/PAGE]
    The move is not a big surprise for many reasons. Marc Weber of The Vancouver Province announced in September that the club was looking to sign the World Cup Starter. Beyond that, DeMerit is a USMNT member who is "returning" to the US. So my understanding of the MLS Allocation process is that; with Vancouver's first overall ranking, (as selected in the Priority Draft) DeMerit may be a bit of a dumb luck deal.
    He signs a contract with MLS and then the 'Caps say does he suit our needs or not? Teitur coaches a defensively sound 4-4-2 style of play (we've seen it since he's joined the club). While he does like his outside defenders to join the rush and start the play he really likes big strong ball winners in the middle, We saw how he rode Greg Janicki and Nelson Akwari this year. When Tom Soehn approached Teitur with this option it likely didn't take a whole lot of thought.
    DeMerit will be able to "lead" a defensive back four that will likely include Alain Rochat (currently in the Swiss top flight at 3rd place FC Zurich) pushing the ball up on the left, while Greg Janicki probably joins DeMerit in the middle. The real question is who will join them on the right side? maybe a little more perspective on that a little further down perhaps??
    DeMerit has World Cup experience and was a captain overseas, it's kind of a no brainer that you pick a guy like that up when you have first dibs.
    Teitur had a great tan on the go if you check the pictures. So did Mr. Soehn.
    I asked Teitur about his recent trip to South America. While he didn't speak specifically to who he was looking at, Peruvian newspaper El Bocon reported on Friday that our two sun kissed representatives we're in Lima attending a Universitario de Deportes training session, checking out a couple of the clubs players. The paper said that there were 4 players that specifically caught the eye of the 'Caps staff. John Galliquio, Jesus Rabanal, Giancarlo Carmina and Raul Ruidíaz were listed as interesting to Teitur and Tom Soehn. While Teitur said they were in South America he said specifically it was more to look at the quality of the leagues and if they were comparable to MLS. Peru is one of "many places" the club was visiting. With these trips "everything doesn't turn out positive" Whether or not these 4 we're truly even on his radar, here are a few more details on what they bring to the table.
    Raul Ruidiaz-
    He's a 5'6 20 year old Striker. You can check out a fantastic youtube video of him
    .The video doesn't really offer a lot of food for thought. His goals are few and far between.
    Giancarlo Carmina-
    A 6'3 25 year old Right Winger. My first youtube attempt resulted in a virtual colonoscopy so be careful.
    Jesus Rabanal-
    A 6'2 25 year old Left Winger.
    John Galliquio-
    A 5'11, 30 year old defender. He has 30 caps with the Peruvian National Team.
    The Whitecaps' Brass will continue to rack up the air miles as they leave today for Toronto. Teitur will get a chance to meet some of his fellow coaches, but will not be able to attend MLS Cup Final.
    Guest
    It's Called Football has learned this afternoon from sources within NASL that heading into the USSF meeting this weekend ownership is expecting to receive only a temporary sanction from the governing body.
    The NASL announced last week that the eight team league - which is to include: Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, FC Edmonton, FC Tampa Bay, Montreal Impact, Miami FC Blues, NSC Minnesota Stars and the Puerto Rico Islanders - would be applying for sanctioning as the Division 2 league in North America.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Since then, Canadian Soccer News has broken the news on a pair of items (here and here) that could affect the success of the sanctioning bid but the temporary sanction is now said to be, "the most likely scenario to play out.'
    NASL sources say that a full sanctioning for the league wouldn't come until the USSF AGM in February.
    ICF and CSN will update as more information becomes available over the weekend.
    Guest
    After a decade of planning – and still longer, of course, of pondering – the English FA has finally announced plans to open a national football centre. To be open in 2012, St. George's Park, as it's called, will be a hub of all things football: coaching, training, sports science – in every way a "university of football," realized through the planned injection of over a hundred million pounds.
    Here in Canada, we've got an "ad hoc committee" looking at establishing a domestic professional league, while our de facto national league is set to remove quotas for Canadian clubs to have Canadian players.
    Just, y'know, in case the MLS Cup being in Toronto gave anyone an inflated impression of the state of Canadian soccer in relative terms. (Which, to be fair, it really shouldn't have done.)[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    ...where would it start?
    This is a question that I've been mulling over for a little while now, but it seems really pressing today, as FIFA announced that the banning of executive committee Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii (you'll remember them from a plucky little scheme to sell their World Cup hosting votes, the scamps).
    Now these two guys have been ousted from all "football activities" – Adamu for one year, and Temarii for three – so god help them if they get caught having a kickabout with some kids. Four other FIFA-types, all former executive committee memebers, have also been suspended.
    This all sounds pretty good, I guess, and is pursuant to Sepp Blatter's claims last month that he's going to "clean up FIFA." These guys tried to sell there votes, so the story goes, and now they've lost their votes and been punished. Fair's fair.
    But is it? And will it do anything?
    The main problem with corruption in FIFA as far as I can see is the amount of power held in individual hands.
    When it comes to the bidding process for hosting the World Cup, everything comes down to the 24 votes from the 24 members of the FIFA executive committee. We're talking about the power to choose who gets to host the world's biggest sporting event. In the hands of 24 men. That's a lot of power in very few hands (48 hands, I guess).
    Since any given bid will have a few natural allies in the committee – regional neighbours and stuff like that – there's huge value in winning one or two more votes through, uhh, "unscrupulous means." Now that number has been reduced by two. I doubt if too much more chicanery will be going on, given the spotlight that's now blazing on the bidding process, but banning Temarii and Adamu – while necessary – means anyone else who may have been bought – and I'm not saying that anyone has – was an even more potent investment.
    My second necessary fix would be to fix term limits to executive committee members.
    Jack warner article
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1332583/FIFA-chief-Jack-Warner-warns-Englands-2018-bid-suffer-BBC-screen-Panorama-World-Cup-investigation.html?ITO=1490
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