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    Squizz
    Yes, Big Red will play its "sendoff" match against England at Hamilton's Tim Hortons Field on Friday, May 29. Thirteen days later, the team opens up the World Cup group stage at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium against China.
    It's a good date and a good opponent. It's what head coach John Herdman would call a "Tier II" team -- which is the same group Canada falls into, if folks are being honest with themselves. England just beat Canada 1-0 in the Cyprus Cup final (more on that in a moment) and is the sort of opponent Canada needs to (and can realistically be expected to) overcome if we have any ambitions of reaching the World Cup podium.
    And it is, I'm sure, a good venue. I'm sure the good people of Hamilton and the surrounding area will provide a great environment for the game and give the players plenty of warm and fuzzy feelings as they head into the grand showcase.
    But given that Canada hasn't played in Ottawa or Montreal (which are, of course, two World Cup host cities) anytime in recent memory, and Herdman et. al. have said they wanted to prepare the team for venues they are or could be playing in, and Canada is definitely playing a group-stage match in Montreal... again, nothing against Hamilton, but, why?
    The Hamilton Spectator, which broke the story on Monday, made repeated mention of the Pan Am Games, so there's the possibility that the Pan Am organizers are hoping this game will serve as a test run of the new stadium, ahead of the Pan Am soccer tournament being played there.
    But the Pan Am Games are ostensibly the reason that Toronto was ineligible to serve as a Women's World Cup host, despite the CSA wanting the country's largest city to be part of the tournament. So why on earth would the CSA be doing the Pan Am organizers any favours?
    Another theory, floated by several folks on Monday evening, is that the stadium is being given an audition of sorts, in an attempt to bolster Hamilton's chances of landing an NASL franchise. Bob Young, owner of the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats (the main tenant of Tim Hortons Field) has -- for years -- been said to be itching to bring a pro soccer team to the Hammer.
    Could this have something to do with the choice of venue for this game? Or is this just a matter of Canadian soccer superfans assuming sinister conspiracies behind every decision the CSA makes? The truth, as usual, likely falls somewhere in the middle.
    But regardless of where the game is being played, it'll be our final chance to see the team in action before the games really, really matter.
    Canada fell short of winning the Cyprus Cup earlier this month, though that's -- as I said repeatedly on social media -- irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Yes, winning games and winning trophies is always nice. But in a World Cup year, the purpose of the Cyprus Cup is not to win the Cyprus Cup. The purpose of the Cyprus Cup is to get your players up to full match fitness and to work on some final tweaks ahead of the big games.
    The two significant takeaways from that tournament are that Christine Sinclair thankfully seems to be back on goal-scoring track (just in the nick of time), and that newcomers Jessie Fleming and Allysha Chapman (both of whom scored their first-ever goals for the senior national team) appear to be integrating into Herdman's setup. That latter point will be especially important if one or both of Diana Matheson and Lauren Sesselmann are unable to play, as their recoveries from knee injuries continue.
    So what's the main goal of the friendly against England?
    Getting a win to get some pre-World Cup momentum? Well, we had all sorts of "momentum" after a hot streak heading into the last Women's World Cup, and ended up finishing in dead last?
    Giving a crowd-pleasing performance, so that those in attendance will rush out to buy Women's World Cup tickets? Hmm, well, again, pleasing your home crowd is always a good thing, but given that the nearest World Cup venue to Hamilton is a six-hour drive, that's probably not the most effective strategy to move tickets.
    Play a complete 90-minute game where no one gets hurt and Herdman can substantively evaluate which tactics and approaches he's going to bring into Canada's three group-stage matches?
    Bingo.
    Now, all of that being said, of course I encourage everyone in southern Ontario to head out on a Friday night to a new stadium and give our women's national team a raucous sendoff ahead of playing the World Cup right here at home. Though if you're reading this site, it's doubtful that you need me to convince you of the merits of such an activity.
    Maybe they'll win, maybe they won't. But if at the end of the game, all of the players are upright and have smiles on their faces as they soak up the adulation, then it's a job well done for everyone.
    Guest
    Today, Duane and Kevin talked to Rudi Schuller of GOAL about the Clb-TFC game, the Scotiabank's Concacaf Champions League and IMFC. Plus, the Canadian Review!
    Until next time, have a great champions league!
    @24thminute
    @KevLaramee
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    Guest
    The fact that Justin Mapp is left footed and can use this skill to cut back inside from his wide right position and be a threat from far away makes him almost irreplaceable. Here is the two options that I would consider barring no more injuries and no trades -- a few roster moves to diversify the attack and a schematic change to diversify the point of breakdown of the defense.
    For the purpose of this exercise, I will consider Andres Romero as available even if his presence for the first leg of the semi finals is in doubt.
    I was tempted to just replace Mapp with Romero, as Romero can play on the right side and deliver consistent crosses in while trying to maintain a certain control on his corridor and his man. However, that would only have been a temporary band-aid to the problem.
    Romero has a different skill set than Mapp. What Mapp does great on the right side is to cutback in at the last minute, twisting his defender in his boots in the meantime, while being able to spot the goal for a 25 yard left foot curler in the top corner or spot the one teammate that is open and create a direct chance.
    Romero will use his physical abilities to put himself in a position where he can beat his last man and create a chance. Having said that, Piatti has not yet found his stride in 2015, so maybe the solution his to reconfigure the composition of the midfield to exploits certain known strength of its component.
    Nacho always thrived as a left attacking midfielder in his time at San Lorenzo and maybe a return there granted for a short term can help him find his marks and finally contribute to the results of the club. By placing Piatti as the left midfielder, it opens up a spot in the middle where Patrice Bernier could fit in. For a long time we've heard he wants to be more involved in the offensive side of the game, and for the better part of his Montreal tenure, he always had defensive responsibilities that impeded his movement forward. Even thought he has not practice in that position that often lately, the instincts would kick back in very rapidly and could be the way to finally introduce him to the starting eleven in 2015.
    As for the direct replacement for Justin Mapp at Left Attacking Midfield position in a 4-2-3-1 , I would go with Dominic Oduro. He will have more space on the side to use his pace to get open and beat his cover man . Oduro does not have the same ball control that Justin Mapp does, but with his speed he can create runs and chaos in the opposing team's backline and be threatening that way. So that gives us a midfield composed of Donadel-Coker, Piatti-Bernier-Oduro and Jack Mack as the lone striker up top.
    Again, Justin Mapp is hard to replace player to playe so the best way to go without him might be to change the formation itself in a way to take full advantage of everyone's skills. By changing the formation to a 4-4-2 Diamond , it could not only ease the workload (4 instead of 5 midfielders) but give more space to Nacho who always seems trapped in 2015. Having either Bernier or Coker as the defensive midfield , Duka on the left, Romero on the right and Piatti in the central attacking midfield with Oduro and Jack up top could be a solution. It will give more space between Nacho and the wingers making him less "trapped." It will give a chance to Nacho to overlap with a forward and still have a man with him to attack the goal. By doing this, the Inpact lessen the play on the wings which, in turn, lessens the loss of Justin Mapp and by refocusing the brunt of the passes through the middle of the midfield it implicates Piatti more into the game and that could be what the Impact needs to put a couple pass the goalkeeper.
    Maybe I am over thinking the loss of Mapp and its implications to the Impact's play, or maybe I am on to something. Or maybe Montreal does not even have the roster to replace a player like him with the type of soccer they play and maybe a trade or a roster movement of some sort (we are talking about the MLS here) is the solution to this problem? Maybe Tissot is the answer ? At the end of the day, I am left with more questions then answers. What would you do to replace Justin Mapp or to help Montreal's lack of goals?
    Quick Thoughts
    -Zacharia Messoudi is back in Montreal and is part of the FC Montreal USL Roster
    -Nacho Piatti did not take part of many training sessions ahead of the Scotiabank's Concacaf Champions League Semi Final , recuperating and resting on the sidelines,
    -As I am writing this, close to 30 000 tickets have been sold for the game this Wednesday at 8pm at the Olympic Stadium
    -Kristian Nicht has been re-loaned to Montreal by the Indy Eleven to be the backup during the SCCL, Kronberg beeing cup-tied with SKC and Crépeau being injured
    -Come and join me at Taverne Irlandaise Les Trèfles 3971 Ontario East at 4pm for pregame discussions,
    -Support and become a patron of the Two Solitudes Soccer Podcast https://patreon.com/twosolitudes5rings
    ]New Off the Woodworkx Montreal Impact Podcast is out today! OTW #87 IMFC-LDA SCCL SF Preview
    https://archive.org/embed/OffTheWoodworkx87ConcacafChampionsLeagueSemiFinalPreviewImfc-ld
    Aaron Campbell
    Sam Adekugbe has been in the Vancouver residency system since September 2011. Time and time again he has excelled at the U16 and U18 levels and after he signed his MLS homegrown contract, he has stepped up to the next level, knowing that the road to becoming a full time MLS starter will be full of obstacles and challenges. In the long run they will only make him a more well rounded and more complete professional footballer because of it.
    Last weekend during the game versus the Fire there were signs that he has plenty to work on to become the most complete left-back he can be. He isn't always in the perfect defensive position, he can maybe be too aggressive from time to time, but what he lacks in his technicalities he makes up for it with his raw speed, pace and his gifted abilities.
    Numerous times he showed off that unsuspecting speed to blow past countless Fire players and run right around them down the left side of the pitch. He showed great footballing smarts by jumping into the play when he was open to do so. Now the pass wasn't always sent to him by his teammate, and there were a few wasted 50 to 60 yard runs, but at least he knew when he had an opportunity to make them. He also knew once he didn't get the ball to hustle back and get into sound defensive positions just in case there was a quick turnover and a counter attack. Just as well, as watching the game there was plenty of them by both teams.
    Moving forward, Carl Robinson has a difficult decision to make now every game. Does he go with the football intelligent, experienced and great team leader that is Jordan Harvey or is the future now and should he start the uptempo and faster Adekugbe?
    As of now, there appears to be no limit on Adekugbe's potential as a player. What to do with him and how to get the best continued development out of him are now the questions facing the Whitecaps management.
    USL and the new WFC2 team are still an option for Adekugbe this season. That would be a great chance for him to get quality, competitive minutes on a pitch. But there is the potential of him not benefiting enough from the quality of play in USL.
    Adekugbe has shown he is capable of holding his own and excelling at the MLS level. Sure he will learn from his mistakes at either level, but it might be better for his continued footballing development to make the mistakes around players like Mauro Roslaes, Pa-Madou Kah and Steven Beitashour than players like Brett Levis, Tyler Rosenlund and Jackson Farmer.
    And I mean that as no slight or with no offence to the USL players I named, but they don't have years and years of experience at the highest level of football in North America, and in Rosales' case in South America.
    Another option thrown around by Whitecaps supporters on Twitter these past few days caught my eye. Could we have Harvey start at right-back for the struggling Steven Beitashour, thus allowing Adekugbe to continue to start and gain quality MLS minutes and experience as the left-back?
    Other than the assist to Octavio Rivero to set-up the game winning goal (which we have to give him kudos for), Beitashour has struggled this preseason and the two games so far in the regular season. Just like last season he has been beaten too many times by being sucked in too far into the middle of the pitch, then having the opposing team's defender run right past him giving them an easy shot or too much space to make a decent cross into the defensive box.
    Harvey has filled in nicely at the right-back position a few times over his career, he has the experience to be able to not look completely out of place on the pitch in that spot. Ethen Sampson is currently the first choice back-up to Beitashour, and although Tim Parker may also be an option there going forward, the cupboard is somewhat bare for the Whitecaps in that position, and not for the first time.
    Adekugbe's performance on Saturday earned him a place in Major League Soccer's "Team of the Week". That display, along with the 'Caps keeping their first clean sheet of the new season, make him hard to now drop.
    Tough decisions ahead for Robinson.
    Aaron Campbell
    THE GOOD
    Sam Adekugbe
    The young Canadian left back got his third MLS start of his career. The difference this time was that it was because of merit and not because starting left back Jordan Harvey was serving a suspension.
    He stepped up to the plate and did everything the coaching staff asked him too. He was able to use his speed and get up the wing to jump into the play. He linked up well with Kekuta Manneh and made it difficult for the Chicago Fire players to stop them both.
    Did Adekugbe do enough to earn a second straight start? Is there any way that Carl Robinson can not start him?
    The future is bright for young Sam and he looks like he will be an important part of the Whitecaps in the future moving forward.
    THE AVERAGE
    Able To Counterattack
    It was a game of counterattacks, for both teams on the pitch. Sure it means that mistakes were being made by both sides but it was sure entertaining to watch.
    With all the opportunities created by both teams it led to chance after chance but both sides failed to score off those attacks. Sooner or later these chances for the Whitecaps will go into the back of the net. When they do, the team will be a high octane force this season in MLS.
    THE BAD
    Would The Real Pedro Morales Please Stand Up
    Where has his shot gone? Why can't he hit the net from anywhere on the pitch? He is looking like a player that has concerns in his mind that is affecting his ability on the pitch.
    The good thing is he is still creating chances and getting these opportunities that he is missing. He has been able to link up well with newcomer Octavio Rivero and with time, they may become one of the most dangerous duos in the league this season.
    He is too good to keep struggling like this for an extended period of time. His goals with come, he will continue to get better game after game and he will step up when the team needs him to this season.
    Michael Mccoll
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    Michael Crampton
    The Crew enter off of an opening day loss in Houston. The 1-0 score line was a harsh reflection on Columbus, however, as they outshot the Dynamo 18 to 8 and only a strong performance by Tyler Deric in Houston’s goal kept the Crew off the board. The Crew looked far from a spent force and with star Argentine Federico Higuain back in the fold for another season it’s hard to see them as anything but likely contenders for a playoff spot in an expansion weakened Eastern Conference.
    The Crew’s big addition since their last meeting with Toronto is returning MLS regular Kei Kamara. The former Sporting Kansas City player had tried his luck in England for a season-and-a-half but left Middlesbrough last summer. Though signed before the end of the 2014 season Kamara had to wait until 2015 to actually be eligible to play. With Sporting, Kamara was part of a powerful and athletic forward line that constantly pressed opposing defenders when out of possession. Crew head coach Gregg Berhalter likely intends to use those attributes to create pockets of space for Higuain to operate in throughout the season.
    Versus the Whitecaps last weekend, Toronto initially had trouble dealing with long balls played into space, particularly behind the advancing Warren Creavalle on the right. Against the Crew, the need to keep compacting the gap between defence and midfield to deny Higuain his preferred zones of operation might lead to a similar high line. Whether Kamara can force the Toronto centrebacks to drop deeper, opening space for Higuain behind him, should be a key tactical battle in the match.
    For TFC, the question is whether the opening 30 minutes in Vancouver were the out of character stretch, or were representative of problems finding a balance that integrates their new attackers into the side. Greg Vanney earned a lot of credit for the way the Reds changed their shape in the second half and ultimately the direction the game seemed to be heading. That erased memories of just how disorganized TFC looked during that opening period. Against better finishing than Vancouver’s Toronto could have been three goals down in that period.
    Regardless of shape and tactics, however, one thing TFC does have in spades this season is talent. The pass from Sebastian Giovinco to Jozy Altidore and the American’s calm finish, that levelled the score before halftime, showed that sometimes simply putting a whole bunch of good players on the field together is all it takes. That’s not something the Reds will want to rely on – over the course of a season organization counts for a lot in a league with MLS’s parity of talent – but it provides a way to get results even when things aren’t going perfectly. As the saying goes, goals win games, and if Altidore and Giovinco are scoring, Toronto doesn’t have to be perfect to win.
    Michael Mccoll
    Last year, the Whitecaps, on the whole, were pretty solid at the back. There were some horror games where they gave up three goals against both Portland and Philadelphia in consecutive weeks, although they did take four points from those matches. David Ousted led the league with 13 clean sheets and the 'Caps defence were stingy.
    Three of the back four that finished the last regular season with four straight clean sheets started against Toronto. They were all at sea at times, especially the full backs. Did Andy O'Brien really make all that difference to the defence?
    This week will be a better test of those four's credentials going forward, if indeed Robinson doesn't decide to freshen things up. They're not going to be getting ripped apart by international players like Altidore and Giovinco every week. Chicago are more at the level of much of MLS.
    It's fair to say, and maybe even being a little too fair, that Beitashour and Harvey had a bit of a mare out there last weekend and Kah wasn't too far behind. All three were getting burned with runs and runners in that second half in particular. Horrible marking in the box was one of the things that blighted the Vancouver defence last year and it doesn't really seem to have improved. Fingers can be pointed at both Harvey and Kah for allowing Robbie Findley to run in for what proved to be the crucial go ahead goal for TFC.
    The whole back four have to tighten up, but a concern I have is that they looked flat footed. You could even say they looked old out there. Vancouver have a young team, but a veteran defence. I'd like to see more of a veteran presence in attack and more of a younger, faster element at the back. Sam Adekugbe anyone? He's breathing right down Harvey's neck right now for a start and it wouldn't be outwith the realms of possibility that he gets one in Chicago. And Beitashour just didn't impress me at all last season and is a player I would happily move on if we had better depth there.
    In the centre of defence, I've loved what Kah has brought preseason, both on and off the pitch. He can be a beast in both boxes, as two goals down in the Portland tournament showed. But he can also be a liability at the back, as that clumsy tackle on Altidore for the last penalty demonstrated. We haven't seen enough of Diego Rodriguez to know just what he can offer to the 'Caps in MLS, but his youth and quicker footwork may see him get the nod sooner rather than later.
    Moving quickly to the other end, and this is something I wrote about over on MLSSoccer.com earlier this week, aside from the continuing concern about not taking the multitude of chances presented to them, there seems to be a tactical deficiency when it comes to changing the gameplan and moving to a Plan B or even a Plan C.
    We saw that last year as well, although it hasn't been as bad as when Martin Rennie was in charge.
    Vancouver's gameplan is pretty much guaranteed. The team will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with the reliance on some speedy play on the wings and the hope that Pedro Morales is on his game.
    But what happens when that all goes tits up? When the speedsters can't get past their man and a resolute defence or when Pedro has an off day, which happens a lot on the road and he was way off with some of his deliveries against TFC.
    The back up plan seems to be to replace one fast guy with another and keep Pedro on in the hope that one of his majestic balls pops out.
    Yes, Octavio Rivero is a different kind of striker to the rest of the bunch. He's taller, bulkier and looks like he can finish chances (and miss sitters as well!). But... there is no getting away from the fact that the rest of the attack is far too samey. Manneh, Mattocks and Hurtado put their heads down and run, often showing little control or attacking awareness in the process.
    Vancouver need to have different options coming off the bench. Do those actually exist in the squad right now? Well, yes they do, as Robinson was keen to point out to me this week, but therein lies another issues.
    The substitutions against Toronto were what I expected for the first two, but at the same time, the wrong choices in terms of the way the game was going. If Manneh can't unlock the TFC defence, was Mattocks really going to?
    Koffie added some physicality to the middle of the park, kicked a few players, but offered very little else. Then there's poor Nicolas Mezquida, who finished the preseason as perhaps the strongest Whitecaps attacking player and couldn't even get off the bench, despite showing that he and Rivero have developed a very early and productive understanding.
    Robinson was outcoached against Toronto. He'll know that. He'll know the mistake he made. But he needs to correct them against Chicago.
    Robbo pointed out that he does have different kind of players than speedsters to change a game. He highlighted Mezquida and Marco Bustos and Kianz Froese. Neither came on against TFC and the latter two weren't even on the bench.
    I see Robbo mixing it up a little this week and Mezquida must surely get the start. It could be for Manneh on the left or it could be for resting Rosales on the right and keeping the veteran as a sub for later. We may even see Morales dropping a little deeper to allow Mezquida to slot in to the number 10 role.
    All that said, you don't want to over react. That first half performance from the Caps was one of the best and most electric we've seen, perhaps in the whole MLS era. Those glimpses of grandeur are certainly worth persevering with and giving up on it after one game against a team many tip to go all the way, would be foolish.
    Keep those eleven together, let them gel, click and run riot. That I would gladly take. They just need to tighten up at the back, take a couple more chances and have a better take on Plan B if things are working and they need to change things up.
    Get that right and Chicago could be on the end of a hiding. Get it wrong and a dreary 0-0 draw could play out.
    What will it be? Well, we'll soon find out.
    Michael Mccoll
    Rosenlund has spent the past five years in the league with Rochester Rhinos, scoring 11 goals in 124 matches for the USL side. He knows the league. He knows the teams and style of play required to do well in it. It's an important pieceto have in the inexperienced WFC2 locker room and a key reason as to why Koch has brought him home to the Whitecaps.
    "I don't know the exact reasons, but I'm pretty sure that that was one of the reasons that Alan brought me in," Rosenlund told AFTN. "I was on a young team last year with Rochester, I captained the side. I've been in the league five years, I've played professionally seven years now. I feel like I can help the young guys.
    "This league is obviously below MLS, but there's some good teams in this league with men. So hopefully I can give some leadership and expertise on how teams play and hopefully I'm able to help the younger guys out."
    Born and raised in Port Coquitlam, Rosenlund was named BC 'Soccer Athlete of the Year' in 2003 before making the move to the NCAA with Santa Barbara Gauchos. After leaving school early he plied his trade in Sweden, Toronto and Rochester, and apart from a brief recent stint with Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) side Surrey United Firefighters, this will be Rosenlund's first chance to play for a team in his home province. But he's finally home.
    "It's an awesome feeling," Rosenlund told us about the opportunity be back playing in BC. "I haven't played at home since I was basically 17, 18. I was in school in Santa Barbara for three years, then Sweden for a year, then Toronto for a year, then the last five in Rochester. It's definitely good to be in your back yard for family and friends."
    Rosenlund now returns home with a wealth of experience under his belt, including a season in MLS with Toronto FC in 2008 which saw him make eight appearances and play 347 minutes for the club, three of them starts, scoring in the 3-1 home loss to Chivas that September.
    So what was it that's brought him back to Vancouver now at this stage of his career?
    "I'm a little older now," Rosenlund said. "I was at Rochester the last five years and I kind of thought it was time to try and come home, especially with Vancouver Whitecaps having a USL team now. The opportunity came up so that I could play here and I wanted to be close to family and friends.
    "I know it's going to be a young team. I'm 28 now. I feel like I can give some experience to the younger guys and hopefully pass some wisdom on to them."
    You don't really want to call a 28-year-old a veteran, but he is certainly the old guy on the team! It's a role that Rosenlund is comfortable with, but just what kind of playing role can we expect to see from him this season?
    "I generally play central midfielder, holding, box to box, anything like that," Rosenlund told us. "It's only a week in, so I have no idea what my actual role will be but whatever it is, I'm up for it and just really excited for the season to get going to be honest."
    Although it hasn't been officially confirmed, one role Rosenlund will almost certainly have is that of being the WFC2 captain. He wore the armband when he came on for the second half in the team's first preseason friendly against UBC on Monday night.
    It's still very early days in the camp. The players are still getting to know each other and how everyone plays, but from what Rosenlund has seen so far, and from his experience in the league, Rosenlund has no doubts that this Whitecaps team has what it take to compete with the best teams in USL.
    "I think we'll do well. Technically, I think we'll be one of the better teams in the league. LA Galaxy II were the first MLS team to have a team last year. They're all very technically gifted and they were a very tough team to play.
    "This league generally is very athletic, very high paced, high pressure, so if we're able to pass the ball away if we can around this pressure then I think we'll do very well. With a young team, playing against men at set pieces will be a big thing that we'll have to work on, but the talent's definitely there."
    Talent and the opportunity now to display it at a top level. It's certainly a different footballing environment for young Canadian players to that faced by Rosenlund as a 17-year-old in 2004.
    Taking the college route as your next development step as a youth player brings mixed reactions from fans and pundits alike these days. But there weren't all that many other options floating about back then for talented young players in BC.
    For Rosenlund, heading to NCAA with Santa Barbara was the best thing he could have done, as not only did it help hone his skills, it also saw him get a good grounding for the professional game due to the crowds that the Californian university draws (see our GROUNDHOPPING feature on Santa Barbara for more details) and the atmosphere and pressure that comes with that.
    "The experience there was unbelievable," Rosenlund enthused. "Going in, I was lucky and fortunate that there were two other BC boys that went down with me, Myles Davis and Andrew Proctor.
    "I'd watched college games before and each team maybe got 1000 to 2000 fans. When I was recruited, they had no football team, the basketball team wasn't very good at that point when I was there, so soccer was really the main team and we got between 4000 and 7 to 8000 a game. It was kind of the thing to do at the school, to go and watch the games.
    "And playoff games, in 2004, my freshman year, we hosted an Elite 8 game and there was 15000 so that was a surreal experience. It definitely prepared me for the pro ranks."
    Rosenlund's rookie season with the Gauchos was something special as Santa Barbara defied the odds to make it to the 2004 NCAA College Cup Championship game against Indiana. With the teams tied at 1-1 after extra time, the game headed to a penalty shootout. The Gauchos lost it 3-2, to a Hoosier side with the soon-to-be Whitecaps legend Jay Nolly in goal, obviously wearing his magic hat even back then and coming up with two big saves.
    A tough loss to take but almost as unexpectedly, the Gauchos bounced back and two years later an unseeded Santa Barbara and Rosenlund got to lift College Cup silverware following a 2-1 win over UCLA in the Championship game. Rosenlund provided the assist on the first goal and also saw an effort crash off the post.
    It was an occasion that will always live with him and the whole experience down in Santa Barbara is one that he feels set up his pro career perfectly.
    "Losing in the final that year on penalty kicks was heartbreaking," Rosenlund told us. "I was kind of told that that's probably not going to happen again, making the final. Then two years later we kept a lot of the guys and we won it in 2006.
    "We hosted another Elite 8 game that year and there was 15000, so it definitely helped playing in front of people. It's one thing when you're playing in front of 10,20 people. You're not scared to make a mistake. When you're playing in front of 10 or 15000 people, it's a little more pressure when you get the ball in your end and you give the ball away.
    "It's a little different but it definitely prepared me a bit for the pro game. I had a surreal experience there. It was definitely a good experience."
    Whether Rosenlund would have had that experience had a MLS/USL style set-up existed in 2004, no-one can say. The college option would still have existed, but the lure of playing pro with your hometown team would always have been strong. All he knows is that he wished such a set up had been in place when he made the move to MLS with TFC in 2008.
    "This is great for the young guys," Rosenlund said of the current set-up. "When I was at Toronto, there was nothing like this. 30 guys on a squad, so unless there was an injury, you really had no chance to play. This is a great opportunity for them."
    Opportunities will certainly knock for all the young guys on the WFC2 squad this season and Rosenlund has seen what a springboard USL can be for the players that perform, especially those on the MLS roster who drop down to get gametime. His advice to all of his new young teammates is to go out there and make a name for themselves.
    "The best example is a couple of years ago Dom Dwyer was on loan from Kansas City with Orlando" he added. "He wasn't going to get a chance with the first team, he came in and scored 17 or 18 goals and now he's starting for Kansas City and might even be getting called into the US team soon. So it's definitely a very good chance for these young guys to show the Whitecaps and the league how they can play."
    And what of Rosenlund himself? Does he still harbour hopes of playing in Major League Soccer again one day? At his age, he feels it's unlikely, but never say never.
    "Any pro wants to play at the highest level that they can play at," he readily admits. "Obviously if I got asked to go up, I would definitely say yes. Any professional would. But I know at my age it probably won't happen but you never know, right. I'm just going to come out every day and do my best.
    "You never know what can happen. I think at this point, for soccer, 28 is considered old but I feel that I'm in the prime of my career. I feel like I'm smarter than I was a few year ago. I'm still fit. I feel that I can definitely play at this level so you never know. We'll see what happens."
    Michael Mccoll
    Phew! All the game build up you can shake a stick at, so have a listen.
    You can listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on iTunes HERE.
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    Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

    Michael Mccoll
    The game ended 0-0, with both teams having their chances. UBC shaded the first half, with 'Caps goalkeeper Spencer Richey being forced into a couple of big saves, while Caleb Clarke had WFC2's best chance, sprinting clear before drilling low into Thunderbirds keeper Luke O'Shea.
    The Whitecaps went with nearly an entirely different team for the second half, and dominated proceedings. Bustos was particularly impressive and creating a number of chances and having a shot cleared off the line after a mazy run past a number of UBC defenders and the goalkeeper. It deserved a goal. Kianz Froese also had an effort scrambled off the goalline and the 'Caps had a number of chances fly narrowly past the post but couldn't find the back of the net.
    For a first run out of his squad, Koch was happy with a lot of what he saw against a talented and well organised UBC side joking with AFTN after the match that "we've got a bunch of guys who really don't know each others names at this stage, some guys do, some guys don't".
    In jest, but true. While a number of the players are very familiar with each other's style of play from playing together in the Whitecaps Residency and PDL teams, most of the squad have only been together for two weeks now. That was the thinking behind the make up of the two teams that Koch put out there for the game.
    Despite the strong showing, the new 'Caps coach knows there's still a lot of work to do to get the team ready for the season ahead.
    "We mixed up our group completely," Koch told AFTN after the game. "We're obviously trying to figure out who's going to play for us come our first game in a few week's time. I thought we were good. We were organised, we were relatively sound defensively, created a few opportunities. Obviously we didn't have a sense of conviction in front of net. For our first game, you can't really expect much but we got through it. It's an exercise in order to get ready for the next game."
    Defensively, Richey and Marco Carducci shared the goalkeeping duties, playing a half each. Farmer was looking sharp in the right back role, getting forward on a number of plays in the first half, while Christian Dean marshalled the centre of defence for that first 45, alongside 2015 SuperDraft pick Craig Nitti.
    Described by Koch as "big, strong, eager to learn", Loyola Marymount University graduate Nitti played with the Portland Timbers U23 in 2013 and has just trained with the 'Caps for a week following surgery on a foot injury. The club will need to make a decision on him soon. He's a big lad and certainly looked a dominating presence alongside Dean back there, but that position has so many other strong options right now. Fellow SuperDraft pick Tim Parker played in the backline for the second half alongside Residency alumni Derrick Bassi, and both did well and looked comfortable.
    While Nitti will continue to get a look for now, one draft pick who has already left the camp is Canadian centre back Nikola Paunic and there are no plans for him to be with the team moving forward.
    Dean played the whole game, switching to left back for the second half, while Ethen Sampson came on and played on the right.
    The Whitecaps desire moving forward is for all their teams to play to the same philosophy. Defensively sound, fast paced going forward. For now, that means a 4-2-3-1 formation. Ben McKendry and Brett Levis took on those roles in the first half, with Mitch Piraux and captain Tyler Rosenlund coming on for the second.
    Elsewhere in the midfield, winger Sahil Sandhu (pictured left) got a run out in the first half and has impressed in camp so far. Sandhu has been playing with VMSL side ICST Pegasus and finished second in the VMSL goalscoring charts with 12 goals this season, one behind former TFC player Nick Soolsma of Langley Hurricanes.
    What the 'Caps won't want to see is WFC2 suffering the same goalscoring woes as the first team. All build up and no finish. It was on display against UBC. The sharpness and clinical eye for goal wasn't quite there yet, but it's certainly very early days for the team to gel and the Thunderbirds are not a team that give up many goals at the best of times.
    One player who won't be banging in the goals for WFC2 though is UBC striker Niall Cousens. The former 'Caps PDL player was in camp initially with WFC2 but has already been released and lined up for the Thunderbirds last night.
    Disappointing, as we've liked what we've seen of Cousens for both the Whitecaps and UBC the last couple of years and he would have added a much needed aerial threat up front.
    Koch has Caleb Clarke to call upon in the striking capacity, and 2014 draft pick Mackenzie Pridham (see our feature with him from last February HERE) played the second half last night and looked to have some potential as he battles back from an injury plagued year. But the 'Caps coach still has his eye out for one or two more additions to his squad, especially up front.
    "We are looking at a couple of other guys," Koch told us. "We're trying to see if we can get another striker. I think everyone in football is looking for a striker because you need somebody to put the ball in the back of the net, so we're definitely looking.
    "I don't think we're in a panic because we didn't score any goals in our first friendly, but we're always looking to upgrade, to get better. We'll work with what we've got but we are looking for one or two other players too."
    What Koch definitely has with his current squad though is competition for places. That was clearly evident in a WFC2 intrasquad game I took in last week, with the 'B' team, for want of a better description, running out 3-1 winners over a side many could predict would be close to a starting line-up come the first game.
    That competition and hunger will continue to increase as the season gets closer and it's just what Koch and the club want to see.
    "There's a lot of competition," Koch told us. "We've got at least two good players in every position, which is nice, and that's why in that game there was that competition. Tonight, we're playing against outside competition, so we had two different groups that played in the first 45 and the second 45.
    "The guys know it. They know they're competing for spots. It adds a little bit of pressure on them and I think some guys played tonight with a couple of weights on their shoulders and I think as soon as they realise they don't need to play like that and they need to go out there and play with confidence, the better they're going to be and the better we're going be as a group too."
    WFC2 have three more friendly matches scheduled before the USL season kicks off in 19 days, travelling down to Seattle on Sunday to face Sounders 2, before finishing off the preseason with games against SFU on March 19th and Oregon State on March 22nd.
    By the time those final couple of games come around, we should have a better idea of just what shape and make-up the squad will have going into the opening match.
    James Grossi
    Russell Teibert
    Teibert made his first start of the MLS season in Vancouver's 1-3 loss to Toronto on Saturday.
    Having started 22 matches in 2014 – a career high, Teibert was back in the first eleven, beating out Gershon Koffe and lining up alongside Matias Laba at the base of the Vancouver midfield. From his left-sided position, the Niagara Falls, Ontario-native was influential in a dominant first half performance from the Whitecaps, helping to maintain possession – he completed some 30 of his 31 passes on the night – and marauding up the left-channel, repeatedly troubling the TFC defenses.
    After just eight minutes, he, by all rights, should have registered up his first assist of the season, picking out striker Octavio Rivero running in behind the Toronto back-line, but the designated player could not corral the ball on the turf, registering what could be the miss of the season in the first round of play.
    The fifth-year midfielder would have two good looks of his own, testing Joe Bendik with a fierce strike in the 28th minute, having found a pocket of space for a left-footed effort from the top left-corner of the box – Bendik would parry the blast, and sending his other attempt off target.
    Full of running, as usual, Teibert would contribute on the defensive side of the ball as well, racking up seven recoveries, two interceptions – including a vital headed intervention that prevented Michael Bradley from picking out Sebastian Giovinco in the Whitecaps area, one block, and a tackle; conceding one foul and losing possesion just once, a marked improvement over what has been a weakness in his game in seasons past.
    He was however given the runaround by Jonathan Osorio en route to Toronto's opening goal in the 32nd minute of play – clip below.
    The 22-year old Canadian would be replaced in the 64th minute by Koffie with Vancouver having fallen behind and attempting to regain control of the middle of the park with the more imposing Ghananian.
    Jonathan Osorio
    Osorio too made his season debut in Saturday's match between Toronto and Vancouver, helping his side on to a 1-3 victory in their first of seven roads matches to open the 2015 campaign.
    Coming off a career year, in terms of starts, minutes, and assist, if not goals, Osorio won a position in a congested and star-studded TFC midfield, taking up the right-sided midfield slot.
    Overrun on that flank through the opening twenty minutes, with Kekuta Manneh menacing, Osorio was crucial to the few chances that fell Toronto's way through the opening half. It was his intelligent layoff to Bradley that led to a deflected attempt, which fell into the path of Giovinco, who dragged his shot wide of the left-post and it was his vital running that led to Jozy Altidore's goal in the 32nd minute, collecting a ball from the defenders high on the right, rushing to the outside to gain some ground before peeling away from Teibert to find Giovino, who made a neat curl of his own to evade Laba and find the big American with a poked through-ball.
    His passing all night was integral to TFC's second half domination, misplacing just five of some 45-odd passes, while collecting seven recoveries, two interceptions, and a tackle, winning a foul as well.
    The Toronto, Ontario-native had a solid look of his own in the 91st minute when the ball fell to him on the left-side of the area, but his attempt on goal was blocked – it was his only shot of the match.
    In his third season in MLS, the 22-year old midfielder is expected to carry the flag for a Toronto side that lost the likes of Doneil Henry and Dwayne De Rosario in the off-season.
    Steven Vitoria
    Toronto-born, but Portuguese-bred – in the footballing sense – Vitoria made his introduction to MLS on Saturday as Philadelphia played out a scoreless draw against Colorado at PPL Park in Chester, PA.
    Signed on a one-season loan from SL Benfica on February 9, the centre-back lined up alongside Ethan White in the heart of the Union back-line, helping them register their first clean-sheet of the season.
    Playing as the left-sided of the duo, Vitoria was solid, if unspectacular – not that one wants spectacular defenders – contributing a clean match, while showing a certain amount of skill on the ball, seeing just five of his fifty-plus passes go astray. That said, he did have a penchant for the long ball, which plays well into the Union's pace in wide positions.
    Without being overly tested by a still-evolving Rapids attack, the 28-year old Vitoria compiled five clearances, three tackles, and two each of interceptions and recoveries. He also picked up his first booking of the season in the 25th minute, chopping down the speedy Dominique Badji when drawn out wide and beaten for pace – it was one of three fouls he conceded on the night, winning two for his side in the process.
    The big centre-back showed some of his experience in a second half play, first preventing Badji from going to the outside, then wisely getting out of the way of his hurried shot, thereby eliminating any risk of a costly deflection.
    All told, an impressive debut for the Canadian-born defender in first first MLS appearance.
    Tesho Akindele
    Akindele, who was awarded last season's Rookie of the Year trophy, resumed his starting role for Dallas in their 1-0 win over San Jose on Saturday.
    Having made eighteen starts in his first campaign, the Calgary-born forward, took up a position on the left-side of a rampant and fluid Dallas attack, who struggled to beat San Jose keeper David Bingham.
    As usual, Akindele roamed all over the pitch, popping up deep in defense – amassing seven recoveries, three interceptions, and three clearances throughout - and ranging forward in attack; he once nearly beat the equally-active Bingham to a long ball, only for the keeper to get the vital touch at the last second.
    He had two solid attempts at goal, scuffing a clean, left-footed look wide of the right-post on the turn in the 61st minute when a bouncing ball fell to him in space on the left – and then seeing his point-blank redirection of a Michael Barrios cross from the right denied and smothered by Bingham in the 84th.
    His passing was typically erratic, completing 21 of thirty attempts – a feature of his constant low-percentage prodding of the Earthquake defenses (not necessarily a bad thing) – and lost possession twice through ninety minutes, while straying offside on one occasion.
    Well known by now – and roundly commentated upon, Akindele's international future is still up in the air, as he took part in the US National Team's January camp.
    The Rest
    Kofi Opare, Maxim Tissot, and Patrice Bernier were on the benches for DC and Montreal, respectively, as United rolled out 1-0 winners over the Impact.
    Sam Adekugbe, Ashtone Morgan, and new homegrown-signing Jay Chapman were in the squads for Vancouver and Toronto on Saturday.
    Kyle Bekker, who was traded from Toronto to Dallas in January, was an unused substitute in Dallas' late 1-0 win over San Jose on Saturday night.
    News & Notes
    Though the opening round featured little Canadian content, there was one addition during the off-season that should prove interesting, as Sporting KC signed oft-national team left-back/midfielder Marcel de Jong, who saw his contract with German side FC Augsburg terminated in January (by mutual consent).
    Similarly, Karl Ouimette, who was stunningly released by the Montreal Impact back in February, has impressed in a trial with former manager, Jesse Marsch, now in charge of the New York Red Bulls, earning a spot with the New Jersey-based club.
    On final new face made his first appearance of the season, as former Canadian international Marc Bircham joined Frank Yallop on the Chicago Fire bench as they lost in the opening match of the round on Friday, 2-0 to the Los Angeles Galaxy in LA. Bircham left QPR, where he had spent the last five season, at the start of February to join the Chicago coaching staff
    As the season continues, more of the news from the off-season will be sprinkled in to augment the coverage.
    Each week James takes a look at the contributions of Canadians in the league and the league as a whole.
    You can follow James on twitter @grawsee or read more of his writing at Partially Obstructed View
    Guest
    1st Half
    Ottawa lined up in its customary 4-3-3 formation, with no less than 6 newcomers sprinkled throughout the starting XI, including three new signings in the back four. TFC II also lined up in what looked like a 4-3-3 formation from my vantage view in the corner, with the lack of much knowledge on my part on the roster of TFC II and the Academy and the scant media information at the closed-doors friendly allowing me to take only an educated guess at the positioning of a couple players below (Martin Davis and Marcos Nunes in particular).

    Ottawa Fury FC – 20150306 – 1st Half
    The attacking play from Fury FC in the 1st half was bright and encouraging, with the ball zipped around the front 3 in a fluid manner. Andrew Wiedeman often played facing the keeper rather than having his back to the keeper, and was able to move the ball around left and right to find the wingers.
    The first goal came from a dribble and a short pass by Carl Haworth on the right flank to the middle, with Wiedeman then finding Paulo Jr. with another short pass into the left side of the penalty area, and the winger curling a delicious effort into the far top corner in the 7th minute.

    Toronto FC II – 20150306 – 1st Half
    In the backline, Rafael Alves in particular touched the ball often and was entrusted with bringing it up from the backline. However, the pace of Hamilton gave Alves and Colin Falvey some trouble, and a killer through ball from Mark-Anthony Kaye from the left flank found Hamilton streaking in diagonally to meet the ball and outpacing Falvey before sliding it past Romuald Peiser to tie it up at 1-1 after 15 minutes.
    Peiser was kept busy with further dangerous threats from TFC II, with Kaye the focal point of the USL side’s attack from his LW position, always eager to go 1v1 against Ryan Richter and get into the box, as TFC II tried to play balls over the top to find Kaye or Hamilton.
    However, Ottawa continued to control possession and had two further chances to extend their lead, with Haworth (or Wiedeman) nearly lobbing Alex Bono from the right flank after the keeper came out to meet a through ball, and then Wiedeman and Paulo Jr. both finding themselves around the six-yard box trying to deke out Bono and look for the perfect finish but being denied by Emeka Ononye on the line.
    TFC II unexpectedly took the lead in the 25th minute when a quick free kick taken from near the center circle founds its way over the heads of the two CBs and found Hamilton all alone to apply a confident left-footed finish off the right post past a frustrated Peiser.
    The 1st half was incredibly action-packed, and saw Ottawa tie it up at 2-2 when Wiedeman found a streaking Patryk Misik and laid it off to him on the right side of the penalty area for the midfielder to finish it from a tight angle past Bono. I have been told this description by the Fury FC Director of Communications, as I missed the play (lolz) while I had my head down for 15 seconds to live-tweet a disallowed goal just a minute prior for Ottawa from a free kick, due to a phantom foul on Bono.
    2nd Half
    The 2nd half saw the introduction of a fresh set of 11 players for the Fury FC, with 8 familiar faces returning from last season in the lineup, while Brandon Poltronieri made his preseason debut at LB, academy product Mohamed Dagnogo came in at RW, non-roster Australian Matthew Foschini practicing with the team for match fitness playing at RB, and Phil Davies coming in at RCM, in a position that I always thought he could play with his good technique.

    Ottawa Fury FC – 20150306 – 2nd Half
    The 2nd half was much calmer than the 1st half, as the familiarity between Mason Trafford and Drew Beckie helped quell the attacks, while Tom Heinemann used his strength to muscle off the TFC II defenders with ease and hold the ball up. Heinemann’s playing style of having his back to the goal meant that he was often laying off the ball to the midfielders running through the middle, particularly Nicki Paterson, rather than finding the wingers more, which I thought was the main difference between him and Wiedeman.
    Heinemann’s style also meant that the team was winning more corners from cleared crosses, and there were a number of opportunities from these corners, with Foschini tucking in the rebound off one such set piece in the 65th minute to give Ottawa the 3-2 lead, which turned out to be the final score.
    Poltronieri made a number of overlapping runs on the left flank and created some dangerous opportunities, while his counterpart Mike Randolph had often made some crucial last-man tackles in the 1st half, which I thought was another interesting difference between 2 players in the same position in the two halves.
    Heinemann also had two other opportunities during the half, with his brute strength and fitness creating the first one as he shrugged off a defender to find himself alone in the penalty area but denied by a great save from Bono, while a through ball found the striker with space near the end of the match but his left-footed strike whizzing inches above the bar.
    TFC II did not create many chances in the 2nd half but had one final effort by Anthony Osorio from the left side of the area that bounced off the far post to conclude the match.
    Ottawa next faces another USL side in Rochester Rhinos on Friday at 10:45am in Gatineau for the 2nd of their 5-game preseason action, while TFC II continues its preparations for its first ever match in USL away at Charleston Battery on the 21st.
    ---
    Toronto FC II vs. Ottawa Fury FC Review – 2-3
    When: Friday, March 6, 2015 @ 2:45pm EST
    Ottawa Injuries and Absences: CB Omar Jarun (absent)
    Ottawa (4-3-3) – Peiser; Randolph, Falvey, Rafael Alves, Richter; Ubiparipovic, Ryan, Misik; Paulo Jr., Wiedeman, Haworth
    Toronto II (4-3-3) – Bono; Charpie, Ononye, Simonin, Robertson; Nunes, Mannella, Davis; Babouli, Hamilton, Kaye
    Ottawa Subs – DeBellis; Poltronieri, Trafford, Beckie, Foschini; Paterson, Eustaquio, Davies; Oliver, Heinemann, Dagnogo (45′)
    Toronto II Subs – Roberts, Edwards, Bouchard, Osorio, Stakic, Godinho (45′)
    Ottawa Goals/Assists: Paulo Jr. (Wiedeman) (7′), Misik (Wiedeman) (39′), Foschini (Davies) (65′)
    Toronto II Goals: Hamilton (Kaye) (15′), Hamilton (Mannella) (24′)
    You can follow Namu Yoon on Twitter at @BBSC_SeoulBro, and his Canadian Soccer News articles on Ottawa Fury FC at http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/index.php?/page/articles.html/_/ottcityfootie.
    Michael Mccoll
    Now the backend of the CSN site isn't really best suited to hosting the galleries like the old site used to. We felt they looked kind of crappy last season, so for a pure pictorial guide, check out AFTN's new standalone site HERE.
    We're trying something different and additional for this season, so we're putting together all of Tom's photos from the match as a video slideshow, paired with crowd noise from the game. We're still fining tuning it, but here's the first one:

    Aaron Campbell
    THE GOOD:
    Octavio Rivero's overall skill level
    Ok, let's get this out of the way first. The miss was bad. It was really bad. Mattocks could bury that. I think Jarju could have scored on that chance.
    Other than that Rivero played a great game.
    His first and second touch on the great pass from Pa-Modou Kah was world class and he showed that he can be that player who is tall, fast and strong enough to play those over the top balls and have the skill to bury the chances.
    He was able to use his height and pace to separate himself from defenders and create the best chances of the game. Once he gets his touches and his pace correct, and gets used to turf pitches, he looks like he will be a player that will be hard for defenders to deal with.
    Before any comments on this story......YES THE MISS WAS BAD......
    THE AVERAGE:
    The play of Pedro Morales
    He had some amazing passes all over the pitch. Great 60 yard cross pitch bombs on a dime to Kekuta Manneh. Great played through balls to Rivero in the first half.
    The second half was a completely different story. He looked like he took a niggle on one of the hard tackles from Micheal Bradley in the first half. His shots were all over the place except for on the goal. He missed easy passes and his pace was brutal at best.
    Thank god its only game one and he has plenty of games to redeem himself and show the home town supporters his great play from last season.
    THE BAD:
    Lack of defence on second TFC goal
    It was a comedy of errors on the Findley goal. First, Steven Beitashour gets beat by two steps on the wing to give TFC the easy cross. This was a problem last season and this preseason for Beitashour. He looks like he is just a little too slow on his first step backwards to get to the winger.
    Secondly, Kendall Waston and Pa-Modou Kah didn't run fast enough to get into the defensive six yard box. They could have easily knocked that ball into the stands and get rid of the danger.
    And last, but not least, Jordan Harvey was so busy looking at the assistant referee calling an offside that Findley easily walked around him and made his way to the front of the net. Harvey has to realize by now that him calling for the offside not convince the official to change his mind if he says different.
    He has to make sure offside call or not, don't let the opposing team ever get ahead of you and get to the front of the goal that easily.
    All four defenders can be blamed on that goal. It's time to move on to the next game and make sure they don't give those easy goals up moving forward.
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