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    Duane Rollins
    I hate artificial turf.
    If you've read this space long enough, or listened to any of the various podcasts I've been on over the years, you'll know just how much I hate turf.
    I once was a part of an infamous hour-long podcast named "Grass to BMO" where myself, Ben Rycroft and Daniel Squizzato consumed several beers and then celebrated the decision to rip the plastic out of BMO Field by recording a show that, at least in theory, was in English. Don't bother looking. Daniel burned the tapes.
    My various "keep the Argos the hell out of BMO" articles/rants have all had a hatred of artificial turf at their root.
    When Canada was first awarded the 2015 Women's World Cup, and it became clear that the tournament would be played on turf, I was one if the first voices that screamed out in opposition.
    I was against the idea largely because I anticipated exactly what was about to happen. That is to say it was predictable that the surface the tournament is being played on would end up derailing any positive that might come from the tournament. When the history of 2015 is written, Canada 2015 will be remembered as the tournament that forced the women to play on plastic. Every injury that happens next summer will be blamed on the turf and the actual event will be forgotten in the gender discrimination narrative that is currently being created.
    Concerns about increased injury risk on turf didn't apply to my opposition. That's because I recognize there isn't an increased injury risk in a short duration tournament. What proof there is that turf is more dangerous (and it's extremely minimal) focuses on long-term use injuries. The tournament isn't long enough for that to matter.
    I don't care for the way the ball rolls and bounces on turf, but I can't make an argument that it's unfair to play the tournament on turf because of that. It's a taste preference and, besides, it's the same surface for everyone.
    No, my opposition was always based on perception. And my perception is that the CSA should have bit the bullet and played the tournament on temporary grass. That surface probably would have been worse, but no matter.
    Other things to file under don't matter is what I, or Abby Wambach, want. The tournament is being played on turf.
    So, should the women continue to make noise against it? It's their right to do so (and please understand that it's their right to do so. In no way am I trying to imply otherwise), but I'm not sure it's in their interest.
    If their goal is to have a meaningful dialog about ensuring the surfaces are of top quality then yes, absolutely it is. However, it appears that their goal is to shame the CSA and FIFA with a claim that is, at best, precarious.
    It's nice that Hollywood stars like Tom Hanks are Tweeting their support for claims that aren't supported by anything more than player's perceptions, but that doesn't mean it's helpful. It's divisive and it's coming off as having partisan roots (whether intended or not this is coming off as a USA v Canada fight).
    I think we can all agree that fighting gender discrimination in football is worthwhile. But, are we sure playing a World Cup on turf is the best example of that? I'd be more inclined to fight the women's fight if they were more vocal about ensuring girls in the developing world are given equal access to the game. I'd be more engaged with this issue if Abby Wambach had been more vocal in the fight against the hijab ban that thankfully was won.
    Instead I find myself in an uncomfortable position of pointing out that many of the arguments being made against turf lack proof in the form of actual independent research.
    Instead I'm watching as mostly American fans run to the defense of their favourite players without considering the pragmatic reasons the tournament is being played on turf, nor considering that an increase in turf acceptance could allow more parts of the world to be involved in top flight football (turf is cheaper and thus allows more accessibility in the developing world).
    I hate turf, but being forced to play a World Cup final on it is truly a First World Problem if I've ever seen one.
    Michael Mccoll
    Gone is a player on the outside of the Whitecaps squad looking in. A player struggling to get any meaningful minutes after the form of some excellent young talent. And a player who looked a shadow of his former self and the form that impressed many last season.
    In his place is a player that has impressed me a lot these past few seasons. A player who has the second most assists in Major League Soccer since he moved here in 2011. And a player who now adds an exciting, creative and dangerous dimension on the wing for the Whitecaps.
    All in all, a pretty impressive trade by Vancouver.
    They are picking up a player who was DP at Chivas, but only earning $3500 more than Reo-Coker while producing a hell of a lot more bang for his buck. He also counts as a domestic, freeing up an international spot for the Caps.
    Now some may scoff at the Whitecaps adding a 33-year-old, and one who I tweeted out on Saturday looks like he's had a tough paper round. It doesn't exactly fit in with Carl Robinson's youth oriented squad and his plan of adding players with an eye to the future. But you have to feel that there's still a lot of running in Rosales' tank, if he can stay healthy.
    And that is a slight worry. Rosales has had injury concerns of late and his ageing body, or more precisely his ankles, took a battering playing on the turf in Seattle. Playing on an arguably worse surface at BC Place may take it's toll and maybe we will find him used a little more sparingly at home than away.
    But it's certainly worth the gamble. For the prospect of what Rosales can add to this Whitecaps team is exciting and the partnership he could form with Pedro Morales is simply mouthwatering.
    We've been crying out for a winger for months and now we've got one. It's been no secret that the Whitecaps have been struggling to find the decisive wingman who can actually get past the opposition defence and put in the telling ball in to the box or even finish it off themselves.
    Rosales provides that. He has 12 goals and a staggering 42 assists in his 107 MLS appearances these past four seasons. And he strikes a pretty mean free kick too, which the Whitecaps have been somewhat lacking since Camilo left.
    And if people feel that Rosales' best days are perhaps behind him, then you only have to look at what he's done with a fairly struggling Chivas team this year. His eight assists this season are the joint third highest in MLS and you have to give him a lot of the credit for the goal tally of Erick Torres. No goals yet this year for himself, but you can't have everything!
    So that's 17 assists combined this season for Rosales and Morales and now we have both of them here in Vancouver. That is a big game changer when it comes to the playoff race.
    I'd argued that the Whitecaps needed those final couple of pieces to go from an exciting team on the verge of the playoffs to serious contenders. Rosales could very well be one of those pieces and Robinson has already described him as a "difference maker". You don't want to put too much expectations on a player but he has delivered in his four year in MLS to date and there is no reason to believe that that is now going to suddenly change, and especially not with some of the exciting talent he now finds himself surrounded by.
    With Vancouver's defence seemingly shored up and riding a three game clean sheet streak, the Whitecaps midfield now looks a pretty formidable proposition with Matias Laba, Gershon Koffie, Russell Teibert, Sebastian Fernandez and of course the maestro Morales.
    Can the Caps' strikers finally start to convert the even bigger multitude of chances that are going to be created for them or will Vancouver be producing some of the most exciting 0-0 draws ever seen?
    We should get the first idea of that on Saturday.
    Michael Mccoll
    "Nigel's not here. He's not training today," Robinson told us when today's training wrapped up. "There might be some work in progress in that in relation to Nigel, so he didn't train today."
    Just before today's training ended, Reo-Coker's wife tweeted out something along the lines of football being a funny business and that they would be calling somewhere their new home for the next few months. The tweet was quickly deleted.
    "I'm lucky I don't have Twitter then, so I can't read that," Robinson joked when I asked him about her tweet, before adding "no, not at the moment" around if he could add anything to it.
    The Whitecaps are thought to have been keen to move Reo-Coker, and his guaranteed $446,500 guaranteed salary, off the books for some time now, with the bringing in of a new striker said to hinge on freeing up his pro-rata money for the remainder of the season.
    Ironically the moving of Reo-Coker will come at a time when two of Vancouver's other defensive midfielders look set to miss out on the Caps' game against LA on Saturday. Matias Laba is definitely out through suspension and Gershon Koffie is a serious doubt with an ankle injury and hasn't trained all week.
    Reo-Coker was partnering Russell Teibert in the DM role at training on Tuesday and the pair looked good together, with Reo-Coker looking leaner, hungrier and more vocal than he has in recent months.
    Whether the trading of Reo-Coker is for a striker or a winger or just to free up some cash to bring in a free agent from outwith MLS remains to be seen, but we would expect an announcement either Thursday afternoon or Friday. Marc Weber has indicated on Twitter that it will be Mauro Rosales coming the other way from Chivas USA, which would be an excellent trade as afar as we're concerned.
    We'll bring you more on this story when we get it.
    Michael Mccoll
    "I looked at trying to bring players in in January, which I did, and I looked in July and we managed to bring in Kendall [Waston] but we've also got targets in January of next year as well," Robinson said at training this week.
    "If we can try and bring in someone now that I think will be able to help the group, I don't want to bring a player in that will just sit on the bench or just be part of the squad. They have to be able to affect the team because we've got a very, very good group of players here. If they are, then we'll seriously look at it. If it's not then I'll just be a little bit patient and be sure that I add a couple in January."
    Waston looks like being a great signing, but with the defence shored up pretty nicely the past few games, for me, the more pressing need was always on the attacking end.
    I've already written and spoken about my desire to see a winger and an experienced striker that can actually finish brought in. Of course, most clubs would love the latter.
    As much as I hated Alan Gordon when he was with San Jose, I would have loved him in Vancouver. Just the kind of player we could do with, and he showed his worth to LA already with a crucial goal last night. At least that goal helped the Whitecaps with the Galaxy taking all three points in Colorado against the Rapids.
    We did have him as a Whitecaps every so briefly when he was selected in the 2010 Expansion Draft but Tommy Soehn, or whoever, felt in their bizarre wisdom to trade him right back to the club he came from along with another player and all for an international spot. That worked well! Anyway, I digress.
    There have been names linked with the Whitecaps and the latest one at the weekend was 30-year-old Dutch winger Julian Jenner.
    Jenner ticks the height box we've been looking for at 6 foot 2 and can play as a winger or a striker, but is primarily a winger. We would then just need someone who can put away the work he would create on a consistent basis.
    The Dutchman has played mostly in Holland with top sides NAC Breda, AZ Alkmaar and Vitesse, and most recently was with Hungarian side Ferencvaros for two seasons.
    He creates, he can score and apparently has the nickname of "The Scissor Kid" because of his stepover skills.
    Jenner is currently available on a free but was quoted in the Dutch press as saying he had offers from a number of clubs and would make his mind up this week. Those clubs included English Championship sides Wolves and Blackpool and the Whitecaps.
    But not so quick. Robinson admitted that Jenner was a player that the Caps had taken a look at but, by Tuesday, they had not made him a contract offer.
    "He's one of a number of players that we've looked at," Robinson said. "To say that we've offered him a contract is totally untrue. We haven't. We have looked at him but he's one of a number of players that we've looked at.
    "It's difficult at the moment because of the cap scenario. We're able to do things or we're not able to do things and it's just an ongoing process. Unless players are free transfers, which obviously Julian is, but other players are, and we can't really do anything with players that are contracted to other clubs. So we'll move on.
    "Is something going to happen in the near future? Maybe. There's no guarantee because obviously we're in a cap orientated league. We'll just continue monitoring that. If we get someone in great, if we don't then we just regroup as a group and we see what we can do between now and the end of the season."
    There will undoubtedly be a number of players like Jenner who are keeping their options open right now and seeing who wants to pick them up. The Caps have until September 15th before the MLS roster freeze, but with some key games coming up, including a vital three game home stand from next Saturday, sooner rather than later would be preferred.
    So might any additions come from a trade within the league?
    Sporting KC's Claudio Bieler was one name thrown out there in maybe a trade with Nigel Reo-Coker, and whilst he may be worth a look for the remainder of the season, he doesn't seem to be a player that fits in with what Robinson sees as the club's long term plan.
    Robinson is certainly exploring all the options and there are players in MLS that he would love to bring to Vancouver, but only if it's the right deal for the Caps.
    "It is hard," Robinson admitted. "The amount of conversations you have about trades is phenomenal. You probably talk about 10, 12 different players a week, and maybe one gets done every month. Managers and GMs feel each other out and say what are you looking to do and they ask you who you're trying to move rather than just say who they want to move It's a chess game, it really is.
    "Will we look to openly do it within the league? Yes, maybe. There are certain players that I do like but if have to give up one of my core pieces and I don't think it's worthwhile then I won't do it, because it's not just about the short term but the medium and long term as well.
    "There will be growing pains. I know that. I'm willing to accept them. I have to accept them. But the important thing is the group and making sure that the intensity, the spirit and the camaraderie stays amongst them and it certainly is."
    There is one final option available to the Whitecaps for player additions and that it to promote from within. The Homegrown option.
    Sam Adekugbe was added to the MLS roster as a homegrown signing on August 28th last year. With the talented Marco Bustos and Kianz Froese waiting in the wings for their chance, this seems like a likely scenario this year as well.
    Robinson wouldn't confirm either way when I asked him about the possibility on Tuesday, but did tell us this, with a smile.
    "Maybe. Maybe, yes. It would be good. Another two youngsters into the fray would be very nice."
    It would indeed.
    They have the potential to both be difference makers for the Whitecaps down the road and we expect them to be announced as signings soon. I also wouldn't be surprised if they both see some MLS minutes before the end of the season too.
    Hopefully they'll be joined by a couple of current difference makers before the roster freezes. Things are tight right now in the West and with it increasingly looking like Vancouver will be in a shootout with Portland for the final playoff place, they definitely need that little bit extra to get them over the red line.
    James Grossi
    Tesho Akindele
    Akindele started his twelfth-straight match for FC Dallas as they romped to a 0-5 victory at San Jose on Saturday night – it was his thirteenth start and sixteenth appearance of the season.
    The rookie striker has become a fixture atop Oscar Pareja’s formation for the past four months, solidifying his position over seasoned pros like Blas Perez and higher profile acquisitions, David Texeira and Andres Escobar, and for good reason. His ability to stretch the defenses with his tireless running, roaming out wide opens up gaps for either Perez or Fabian Castillo and once Mauro Diaz gets fully fit, Dallas, who are already a force, will be one of the top sides in the league.
    Having converted his spot kick in Dallas’ shootout loss midweek against Philadelphia in the US Open Cup, Akindele entered Saturday’s match with four league goals on the season, three of which had come in the last five games – a tally he nearly doubled by the end of the night.
    But first came a signal of intent, racing up the right to outpace Jason Hernandez to a long ball from Je-Vaughan Watson, before sending a cross-shot through the goalmouth. Unfortunately, nobody had made the run to join him in the attack. The effort was recorded as a shot, though it looked more like a cross.
    Twenty minutes later, he would get on the score-sheet with Dallas’ second goal of the night. Receiving a ball to his feet from Castillo, Akindele held up play, turning away from Victor Bernardez towards the outside to
    , beyond the reach of San Jose keeper, Jon Busch, to trickle in off the right-post.He would add his second, Dallas’ third, of the night in the 58th minute,
    , but could not cover, leaving a juicy rebound for the alert Akindele to stab in with his right-foot.The Calgary, Alberta-native would complete his hat-trick – the first of his MLS career – in the 86th minute, finding himself perfectly positioned to roof a right-footer at the back-post after a left-sided Michel corner kick was directed on goal by Perez. Busch again made the save, but the rebound fell kindly to Tesho, who reacted quicker than the nearest defender Bernardez.
    The three goals bring his haul thus far to seven, surpassing Harrison Shipp’s six goals for the most by a rookie this season, but Shipp has five assists to Akindele’s one. Last week this very review mused that by dint of sheer numbers, Shipp was likely the favourite for Rookie of the Year honours, but with six goals in his last six games and playing a crucial role in a playoff-bound team, Akindele is making a name for himself.
    He was named MLS Player of the Week for his goal-scoring exploits, becoming the first Canadian to receive the nod this season and just the second rookie, after, of course, Shipp, who was named so after his hat-trick against New York.
    Maxim Tissot
    Tissot, despite scoring in his last two appearances, was back on the bench for Montreal on Saturday at home against Chicago, conceding the left-sided midfield position to designated player, Ignacio Piatti. He did however make a second-consecutive appearance from the bench, entering in the 74th minute for Justin Mapp – it was his seventh substitute’s appearance and twelfth overall of the season.
    Taking up that left-side of the midfield, Tissot was lively in his time on the pitch. Last week it took him just four minutes to get on the score-sheet; it was a feat he nearly repeated, collecting a pull-back from Dilly Duka in the 78th minute, but he was closed down quickly and could not get off a shot.
    The Gatineau, Quebec-native would have his impact on the match,
    . Miller would curl towards goal, eventually laying off to Marco Di Vaio atop the area to score the lone goal of the game, ending Montreal’s seven-match losing streak with a 1-0 victory. Neither Tissot, nor Miller were awarded official assists on the play, but both played a vital role in crafting the winner.Tissot then put himself in a great position to collect an outlet pass from Di Vaio on an attack shortly thereafter, but the confident striker overlooked him and had a go himself. His play on the left-side of the midfield, further up-field from his left-back slot, is making a name for himself in MLS.
    Doneil Henry
    Henry made his third-straight start for Toronto in their 4-1 loss at Sporting KC on Saturday night – it was his fourteenth start and fifteenth appearance of the season.
    Taking to the pitch as the left-sided of the centre-back pairing, alongside Nick Hagglund once more, Henry displayed both sides, the good and the bad, of his game. Mere minutes in, he was called into action, cutting out a run from Dom Dwyer after a Toronto giveaway with a big tackle. Henry was a little late on his next challenge, taking a big chunk out of Sal Zizzo as the KC player burst past. He would show his ability to read forwards’ intentions on another play, stabbing the ball away, out for a corner kick, from a lively Graham Zusi, but his next intervention was a regrettable one.
    In truth, both those aforementioned sides of Henry’s game are borne of the same energy – his aggressive defending. The same desire that sees him win headers – in both boxes – and make those crunching tackles is what inspires him to lunge into unwinnable situations. In the 32nd minute, the Brampton, Ontario-native was drawn into another such desperate act, lunging in on Dwyer, taking him down to concede another penalty kick – the second TFC gave away that match and the fourth Henry has conceded this season; his last, also against Kansas City back in May.
    Henry was again a threat in the opposition’s area, once rising well to meet a corner kick, but he could not keep his header down and on target. He was called upon again defensively in the 76th minute, this time making a sweet intervention to clear a pass away from Dwyer, but was caught
    – there was little Henry could do with three attackers collapsing on him and no teammates there to help.When Michael Bradley was replaced, Henry wore the captain’s armband for the completion of the match; an honour that did little to quell his displeasure, visibly refusing an amicable slap from Dwyer after the forward fouled him in pursuit of a long ball.
    Even in the midst of a tough night, Henry still racked up eight recoveries, four interceptions, four clearances, and three tackles. Toronto fans should not be overly concerned about his mistakes – once he eliminates them from his game he won’t be long for this league, so enjoy while one can.
    Will Johnson
    Johnson started a 24th consecutive match for Portland in their 1-1 draw at New England, continuing his iron man run of beginning every league match for his side this season.
    Alongside Diego Chara at the base of the midfield, Johnson was tasked with a very defensive role, keeping a close eye on the machinations of New England’s potentially explosive central midfield pairing of Lee Nguyen and Kelyn Rowe, while also providing support whenever Diego Fagundez and Teal Bunbury dashed in-field.
    As such, he had a fairly quiet night going forward, making one strong run into the box in the first half, nicking in front of Darius Barnes to get on the end of a Diego Valeri pass, only to lose his footing on the concrete carpet in New England. He would return the favour in the second half, picking out Valeri at the top of the box from a good run up the left, but the Argentine would whisk his shot wide of the far-post. Johnson himself would have three shots: first a free-kick that drifted wide, then a poor attempt from a Liam Ridgewell layoff that should have at least been on frame, and finally a blocked effort late.
    On the defensive side of the ball, the Toronto-born midfielder tallied six recoveries, two interceptions, a tackle, and a block, though his one glaring miss-step,
    , left a Will Johnson-sized gap in the defense that Fagundez exploited, leading to Charlie Davies goal in the 27th minute.Johnson was left at home when Portland travelled to Guyana to face Alpha United in their first match of the CONCACAF Champions League – the Timbers would win 1-4.
    Russell Teibert
    Teibert made his first start in exactly one month on Saturday as Vancouver played to a scoreless draw at Chivas on Saturday night – it was his eleventh start of the season.
    Having entered from the bench in the last two matches, Teibert took up a starting position beside Matias Laba at the base of the midfield in a re-jigged lineup with playmaker Pedro Morales rested. He was incredibly active all night, racking up ten recoveries, five interceptions, four tackles, and a pair of clearances throughout the match.
    His passing was very solid, ranging all over the central areas of the pitch, once playing a long pass forward for Jordan Harvey that led to a Nicolas Mezquida chance, then later spraying wide to Steven Beitashour who picked out Erik Hurtado with a cross – his header was poor and he was flagged for offside anways.
    The Niagara Falls, Ontario-native took up much of the set-piece duty as well, hitting a excellent corner that found Omar Salgado at the near-post, but Dan Kennedy was equal to the challenge, over quick to push the chance wide.
    Wandrille Lefevre
    Lefevre made a second-consecutive start for Montreal in their win over Philadelphia, putting in an excellent defensive shift to help snap the long losing run – it was his seventh start and eighth appearance of the season.
    Paired with Matteo Ferrari as the left-sided centre-back, Lefevre was physical – bringing down Alex with a heavy lunging challenge at the edge of the area (the referee would waive play on) and then requiring treatment after an awkward landing having gone up for a header with Razvan Cocis; he would return to the pitch immediately.
    The French-born defender even had a long range crack at goal – it was a hopeful hit that was blocked well before it caused any trouble.
    En route to a clean-sheet – their first in six weeks, a span of seven matches, Lefevre collected an impressive twelve recoveries, eight clearances, five interceptions, and a tackle, helping to back-stop an much-needed win for the struggling Impact.
    Jonathan Osorio
    Osorio made his third-straight start for TFC in their loss at Kansas City – it was his fifteenth start and eighteenth appearance of the season.
    With KC dominating large swathes of play and Toronto struggling to string together possession, Osorio was marginalized and isolated on the left-side of midfield. He did well to cut in-field, getting himself involved in the limited interplay, but, as with the rest of his side, it was a bit of an off night for the Toronto, Ontario-native.
    A poor touch led to a needless turnover early and a later one-two with Gilberto broke down under KC pressure, Osorio did win a foul going forward, getting tripped up by Sporting right-back Igor Juliao and tracked deep to block a Sal Zizzo shot.
    He had a minor run in with KC keeper, Jon Kempin, barking at the keeper after a long, offside run led to the keeper smashing a clearance by his head after the play was blown dead.
    Patrice Bernier
    Bernier started an eleventh-straight match for Montreal in their win over Philadelphia – it was his seventeenth start and 22nd appearance of the season.
    Paired with Gorka Larrea at the base of the Montreal midfield, Captain Bernier put in a solid half of play for the Impact before making way for Felipe at half-time.
    The Brossard, Quebec-native picked out the run of Hassoun Camara with a lovely long-ball down the right, but the full-back cross was cut out by Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and then did his due defensive diligence in tracking Razvan Cocis to cut out his attempted cross on a Chicago break.
    Misplacing just three passes, Bernier was once more superb on the ball, but struggled to get forward regularly – no doubt his early removal had something to do with an upcoming Champions League match in El Salvador against CD FAS on Wednesday, seeing how nearly all of the Impact’s eggs are firmly in the CONCACAF basket.
    Bernier accepted the
    last week - calling out Dwayne De Rosario in the process; very enjoyable watching, Montreal's video production is top notch.Kyle Bekker
    Bekker made a third-straight appearance from the bench for Toronto in their loss at Kansas City, replacing Michael Bradley in the 84th minute.
    It was the Oakville, Ontario-native’s twelfth appearance of the season, four of which have come from the bench.
    The Rest
    Karl Ouimette, Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Ashtone Morgan, Dwayne De Rosario, Kofi Opare, and Kyle Porter were all unused substitutes on the bench for their respective sides.
    Kofi Opare was
    upon joining the club.Rob Friend is still dealing with concussion-related issues that have plagued him for several weeks, though strangely the Galaxy injury report makes no mention of it – of all the MLS clubs, LA are the worst at providing injury information. With the departure of Brazilian target forward Samuel and Friend’s injury, LA reacquired Alan Gordon, which could eat into Friend’s playing time once fit.
    Nana Attakora too is still dealing with concussion symptoms, though he was listed as Questionable and was in training last week, which is a positive step.
    All video and quotes courtesy of MLSsoccer.com
    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
    Michael Mccoll
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    James Grossi
    There were plenty of candidates this weekend, with no less than seven worthy of recognition. The top three, in chronological order, go to Toronto’s
    , Kansas City’s , and Colorado’s .Which takes the top spot and who will take MLSsoccer.com’s Goal of the Week?
    Honourable mentions for Justin Meram, Ethan Finlay, Gyasi Zardes, and Luis Silva, who any other week would have been in the top three.
    On to the results:
    Results in Brief

    The weekend kicked off on a sweltering night in the Bayou City, or so proclaimed the commentator, with an Eastern Conference clash rife with playoff implication. Houston sat some five points behind Philadelphia, who were in the midst of a log-jam around the red playoff line that saw five teams within three points, jockey for the last two places in the East.
    Having progressed to the US Open Cup Final on Tuesday, drawing in Dallas and moving on after penalty kicks, Union manager, Jim Curtain, opted for a few changes, handing MLS debuts to Pedro Ribeiro and first-overall draft pick, goalkeeper Andre Blake.
    The first half hour passed without major incident – aside from a yellow card to David Horst – before Blake was called into action, getting down low to deny a Ricardo Clark effort from the top of the box. The young keeper would launch a counter-attack, punting up-field for Sebastian Le Toux, but his weak shot was straight at Tally Hall. Horst was perhaps lucky to not see a second card when he got tangled up with Ribeiro after getting done for pace – a yellow would have seen him off, as would a red.
    Spared that fate, the Dynamo went to work in the 51st minute, breaking the deadlock when Giles Barnes raced onto a Brad Davis ball down the left before pulling back to Will Bruin at the edge of the six, where the striker right-footed past Blake – Houston loves those cutbacks. Bruin would nearly add a second ten minutes later, his header from a Barnes cross saved, before his rebound from a tight angle could only strike the base of the far-post.
    Blake would prevent Bruin again in the 83rd minute, recovering after the striker rounded him to claw away the chance, but could do little when Omar Cummings’ left-sided cross banked off Ray Gaddis and found the gap at the near-post in the 90th minute.
    The Dynamo, who has just gotten through an eight-match winless run, pick up a second win in their last three matches, inserting themselves back into the post-season reckoning – giving new life to the mantra of never writing off a Dominic Kinnear led side. For the Union, the 2-0 loss was just their second in eight matches under Curtain

    Saturday kicked off early in the West hot on the heels of the opening day coverage of the Premier League with the round’s marquee match-up between the top two sides in the conference, with second-placed Salt Lake hosting league-leaders Seattle. The two entered in opposite form: Salt Lake having won their last two in the midst of a five-game unbeaten run, while Seattle had lost three of their last five, allowing Salt Lake to claw back what was once an ‘insurmountable’ lead to just two points.
    Weary from a midweek win over Chicago in the Open Cup – the Sounders won 6-0 to advance to the final – Salt Lake were in the ascendancy from the off, the only Seattle talking point of the first half, aside from an appearance from DeAndre Yedlin, who looks set to wrap up his transfer to Tottenham in short order, was a Leo Gonzalez strike dragged wide of the post. They nearly opened the scoring with an own-goal in the final minute of the first half when an Olmes Garcia ball from the left was saved by Stefan Frei only to rebound to the keeper off Marshall – Frei did well to save once more.
    Salt Lake would finally find their goal in the 53rd minute from what should have been an unexpected source: Joao Plata from a back-post header. But seeing as the diminutive Ecuadorean scored a header last weekend, the Sounders should have known better than to let him loose to get on the end of Luke Mulholland’s right-sided cross.
    Four minutes later, Mulholland would add a second – thought initially it appeared an own-goal – when Luis Gil slotted a ball towards the penalty spot as Mulholland and Osvaldo Alonso collapsed on it. The Salt Lake midfielder, who has slotted into the team ethos seamlessly, celebrated emphatically, so presumably he knew he had gotten the last touch – or at least sold it well.
    Seattle would find a goal in the 72nd minute through Chad Barrett, touching in the bouncing ball with his right boot after Nick Rimando denied Clint Dempsey and Andy Rose’s follow-up header hit the post before falling to the veteran striker.
    Seattle would come to life, putting up a challenge, but it was far too late and the 2-1 win would allow Salt Lake to climb into first place in both the league and the West by a single point – the Sounders still have a full two matches in hand, but still, the race is on. And the two meet once more in less than a month back in Seattle – look forward to that one.

    Saturday continued across a border and East a few hundred (thousand? – yes, 3120.23 to be exact) kilometres with lowly Montreal welcoming Chicago for a match that was more likely than not to end in a draw. Montreal were struggling, having lost their last seven-straight matches, but Chicago are the draw kings of MLS, leading the league with thirteen already through 22 matches.
    Both teams had looked to the summer transfer window to heal their ails, Chicago bringing in Romanian all-around midfielder Razvan Cocis and chasing Jermaine Jones, while Montreal looked to Argentine Ignacio Piatti to spark their dormant attack. Cocos had already featured three times for the Fire, but took up a new position, pushed up top, playing off the shoulder of Mike Magee, while Piatti made his debut for the Impact on the left-side of the three-man attacking midfield.
    It was the Fire acquisition who nearly made his presence felt first, slipping in a lovely ball for Magee, but the two, not knowing each other’s tendencies yet, made a mess of it, taking the wrong route to the pass which came to naught. Then it was Piatti’s turn to show his class with a threatening run up the flank after linking up well with Marco Di Vaio, only for Jhon Kennedy Hurtado to recover.
    The sides settled into a crunching contest, Piatti being welcomed to the league by Brazilian Alex with a hefty shove that raised the ire of the Impact and the home fans, as the projected draw drew closer into sight. But Di Vaio, buoyed by the arrival of Piatti - and his family being in town – had other plans, finding the bottom right-corner of the goal in the 84th minute after Maxim Tissot played a ball down the left for Eric Miller and the full-back poked to the savvy Italian lurking at the top of the box.
    The 1-0 win, only their fourth of the season, snapped the losing-streak, and may just be the spark that Montreal needed to close out their season with pride. Chicago would see their modest three-game unbeaten run ended, stranding them ahead of only Montreal in the Eastern basement – though tied with Houston and three point shy of the hallowed playoff line; this loss will have hurt, nearly as bad as the 6-0 mauling at Seattle in the Open Cup on Wednesday. Confidence is not high in Chicago at the moment.

    As that match worked into the second half, the first of two simultaneous cross-conference matches was getting underway in Columbus. Stung by the loss to Toronto last week - and TFC’s sweep of the two-team Trillium Cup - Columbus were looking to right the ship with a result against a Los Angeles side who have looked every bit the dominant club of recent seasons of late, unbeaten in three, having won four of their last six matches.
    Prior to kickoff, Landon Donovan’s retirement victory lap began to take shape, as he was honoured in a prematch ceremony that included the gift of a piece of the net from the last Dos-a-Cero match he played in at Crew Stadium, a place that as the first soccer-specific stadium and site of so many Mexico matches, held a special place in his memory.
    Commemorating over, the Crew’s role as gracious hosts came to an abrupt end in the 23rd minute when Justin Meram, who has had a penchant for the spectacular this season, opened the scoring with a cracking strike from the top of the arc spinning away from Juninho after Tony Tchani forced a turnover to find the top right-corner with a blistering right-footer.
    Meram would turn provider eleven minutes later, slipping a counter-current ball to Ethan Finlay on the left, who finished with aplomb, roofing his left-footer high to the near-post, in off the underside of the bar.
    Red hot Gyasi Zardes would respond four minutes after the restart with a superb right-footer on the volley, doing well to sweep a right-sided Dan Gargan cross that was a little behind him into the bottom right-corner, leaving Steve Clark no chance to make the save – scoring in a third-straight match and notching nine in his last ten.
    Undaunted, the Crew pressed on, with Federico Higuain – riding a three-match scoring streak of his own – testing Jaime Penedo with a blistering shot, which was tipped over by the LA keeper, before Aaron Schoenfeld beat Penedo from distance, striking his shot off the top of the right post. It would be Ben Speas who added Columbus’ third of the night after Finlay found his teammate in space on the left-side of the area and his left-footed strike beat Penedo to the far-side of goal in the 75th. Centre-back Giancarlo Gonzalez would round out the romp in the 84th, powering in an out-swinging, right-sided Higuain corner kick with a downward header.
    The 4-1 victory was Columbus’ first over LA since 2009 and their third in five matches, placing them back into the playoff spots. The loss was just the Galaxy’s second in thirteen matches, temporarily halting their march up the table.

    The other East-versus-West match of the night pitted a struggling New England side against a Portland squad making a push of their own. The Revolution were the league’s darlings through April and May, but June, July, and August have been far from kind, with just a single win and nine losses from their last ten matches. The Timbers meanwhile had won three of their last four to climb within two points of fifth in the West when the round began.
    It was New England however, who struck first through Charlie Davies in the 27th minute. The play began with Kelyn Rowe collecting a weak Donovan Ricketts clearance up the right before playing up to Diego Fagundez, who drove into space towards goal. Spotting the curled run of Davies from the blind side, Fagundez slotted a lovely pass down the left-side of the area for his teammate to finish from a tight-angle with a low left-footed effort that beat Ricketts and kicked in off the far-post.
    Another Diego nearly responded in short order, with Portland’s Valeri breaking the offside trap on a Sebastian Fernandez ball, only to whisk his chipped finish wide of the post in the 37th minute. Portland would have to wait until the second half to find the equalizer and when it came, nobody would have predicted the goal scorer.
    Liam Ridgewell was recruited and signed to shore up their leaky defense – a task he has fulfilled admirably; what few would have expected were forty-yard dashes capped up with a thump of a finish, collecting a loose ball after a poor Andrew Farrell pass, galloping up the left-side, slipping past the tackles of Rowe, then Farrell before right-footing past Ricketts and celebrating with the classic, stop-drop-and-roll mimicry. Well played.
    New England too were stunned by the event, nearly losing the match three minutes later when Fernandez had the ball in the back of the net, only to be spared by the linesman’s flag. Valeri had played in his compatriot, Max Urruti who unselfishly squared to Fernandez, only for the controversial flag to spare Revolutionary blushes. Bobby Shuttleworth would ensure the point, getting down quickly to deny Urruti after Darlington Nagbe’s cutback was sent towards goal in the 82nd minute.
    The 1-1 draw would assist, but satisfy neither team, as both move from seventh in their respective conferences to sixth come the round’s end, but still south of that playoff line – New England by one point and Portland by two.

    The evening’s next encounter was a rematch of sorts. When last they met, TFC felt hard done by after a controversial refereeing decision did not penalize Aurelien Collin for an obvious red card infraction and Jacob Peterson haunted his former employers, scoring the winner for Sporting.
    Not only was there a little ill-feeling, but precious points in the battle for the East were at stake. KC sat in first, two points ahead of DC, with Toronto lurking a distant third. Entering in good form – having won their last two – and encouraged by injuries to two keepers that ensured third-stringer, Jon Kempin would make his first start, Toronto’s hopes were all but dashed after eighteen minutes.
    Forced into fielding the attack-minded Jackson at right-back, Ryan Nelsen would feel the brunt of that decision when the Brazilian lunged needlessly into Benny Feilhaber, offering Sporting the lead from the penalty spot, which Dom Dwyer duly took, left-footing high into the net past Joe Bendik – ending his five-match scoring drought.
    Fifteen minutes later another rash defensive lunge would prove equally costly, gifting Dwyer another look from twelve paces when Doneil Henry thundered into a challenge of his own, taking out Dwyer in the process, allowing the official to once more point to the spot – again Dwyer converted with his left foot, beating Bendik low to his left. Fittingly, given TFC’s repeated run-ins with referees, the danger had become acute when a harmless ball was redirected by the official, falling to Dwyer on the left-side of the area prompting Henry’s aggressive tackle.
    All but over, Toronto would find some life before half-time, when Dominic Oduro spotted the run of Gilberto, picking out the Brazilian, who finished neatly with a deft flick in stoppage-time – his third goal in as many matches. Six minutes into the second frame, Gilberto would have a chance to level, breaking in alone on a long counter attack after pushing the ball past Igor Juliao to race in on goal, only for Kempin to come up big with the huge save to preserve the lead.
    Lucky, as thirteen minutes later, Soony Saad met a half-cleared, right-sided Graham Zusi corner kick at the top of the box, hitting a stunning right-footed juggled half-volley into the top left-corner of the Toronto goal to reinstate Sporting’s two goal advantage in the 64th minute. CJ Sapong would complete the rout in the 77th minute, meeting a left-sided Zusi corner kick at the back-post for an easy sliding finish as three KC players converged on the unprotected back-side.
    The 4-1 win reasserted Kansas City’s dominance over a not-quite-ready-for-primetime TFC, KC having won two of three meetings and drawing the other. With the loss, Toronto fails to keep pace and sees Columbus draw within two points of their third place spot.

    The evening would close with a pair of all-Western contests, the first of which saw Vancouver travel to LA to face Chivas. Both teams were eager for the points, Chivas looking to make up ground as a run of four-straight losses had seen them drop to the bottom of the conference, while Vancouver’s insistence on drawing has prevented them from solidifying position, entering the round in fifth, but just two points ahead of Colorado and Portland.
    Chivas had not scored a goal in their last three matches, a goal-less run that stretched to 276 minutes before kickoff; their quest made all the more difficult against an opponent who had kept clean-sheets in their last two matches. Both made changes to their lineup as well, Los Ameri-Goats handing a debut to the recently arrived Felix Borja, while the Whitecaps rested influential midfielder Pedro Morales who is nursing a knee concern and gave a rare start to Omar Salgado.
    To be expected, when a team that does not score faces a team that does not conceded, there were not a ton of chances throughout. Cubo Torres, who has not scored since his six-game streak was ended three matches earlier, had a good look when a poor Andy O’Brien header fell to him, but he could not beat an alert David Ousted in goal; a later weak header from an Akira Kaji cross was straight at the Vancouver net-minder.
    Vancouver’s best chance would come after Morales entered in the 68th minute, picking out Kekuta Manneh – another substitute – with a cross-field ball, only for the speedster’s right-footer to whip over the bar.
    Thought the scoreless draw satisfied no one, it was enough for Chivas to stop the rot, ending their losing streak at four. For Vancouver, their twelfth draw of the season – one shy of league-leaders Chicago, was a point on the road, which is never a bad thing, but a missed chance to solidify their hold on a playoff spot while keeping within reach of the top sides; given Los Angeles’ loss to Columbus earlier, it was a chance to leapfrog the Galaxy, one that was passed upon by a lack of firepower.

    The final match of the evening looked set to be an entertaining affair – which is was – though few would have predicted how one-sided it would end. San Jose were in good form, looking to make up ground with their games in hand, while Dallas were the form team in the league, unbeaten in their last eight to climb back into the reckoning for the top spots.
    The first half hour passed without major incident, but then the flood gates opened. Fabian Castillo netted the first in the 30th minute, chasing down a long Michel pass, shirking the attentions of Jason Hernandez, before driving to the left and dinking a tidy finish over Jon Busch. Tesho Akindele added the second before half-time, holding off Victor Bernardez and turning to the outside to hit a slow-rolling left-footer that was perfectly placed beyond the reach of Busch to bank in off the right-post in the 43rd minute.
    San Jose were handed a glorious, yet dubious chance to get back into the match in first half stoppage-time, when Victor Ulloa was called for a foul on Matias Perez Garcia, but Chris Wondolowski sky-ed his effort over the bar.
    Akindele got the third as well after Ulloa forced a turnover out of Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi and found Castillo who streaked up the right drawing Jordan Stewart to the inside before skipping outside to send a right-footer on goal. Busch would make the awkward save, but off balance, could not corral the rebound allowing the Dallas rookie to pounce on the rebound, right-footing into the gaping net in the 58th minute.
    Castillo would find his second in the 74th minute, Blas Perez forcing the turnover in midfield before slotting the speedy Colombian down the left, who cut inside to send a low right-footer to the far-post. Akindele would complete the devastation in the 86th minute, finishing his hat-trick at the back-post after Michel’s corner kick was met by Perez in the middle; Busch would make the save by the Canadian was quickest to react to the rebound, right-footing in the fifth goal.
    A 5-0 win, away from home, was as clear a signal of intent as Dallas could provide, stretching that unbeaten run to nine matches with a third-straight win. Interestingly, like Columbus’ win over LA, 2009 was the last time Dallas had won in San Jose – funny how history tends to turn in bunches. For the Earthquakes, the loss was a night to forget, but one they never will, as it was the worst defeat in the 519-match history of the club. Ouch.

    Sunday’s lone fixture saw yet another cross-conference duel, with DC United and Colorado meeting in the American capital. The road had been unkind to United, who lost two-straight on their travels, but a return home looked promising, facing a Rapids side who had lost their last three.
    With Eddie Johnson suspended for petulantly kicking the ball at Carlos Salcedo – and in the dog house for his twitter effusions – Luis Silva paired with the fit-again Fabian Espindola in attack, and what a duo they have become.
    Silva got the first after twelve minutes, when left-back revelation Taylor Kemp intercepted a ball that Nick LaBrocca let run across him and played up to Silva down the left, his neat stop, cut, and chip left Colorado defender Drew Moor in a heap – he would leave injured – and Clint Irwin perplexed at the loveliness of the finish.
    Colorado would compose themselves for the rest of the first half and score a beauty of their own in the 52nd minute, Jared Watts powered a header forward from a Bill Hamid goal-kick, playing in Dillon Serna down the left, and Serna let loose a dipping half-volley from distance that looped over Hamid to find the back of the net - excellent finish.
    Silva would respond fifteen minutes later with his second of the match after some nice build up the right allowed Sean Franklin to poke in his teammate down that side of the area. Silva let the ball run across his body before hitting a right-footer to the far-side of goal, reinstating DC’s advantage. Chris Rolfe would seal the result in the 81st, getting on the end of a good run from Kemp down the left, stabbing a low right-footer to the far-post from the back end of a pull-back to the top of the box.
    Espindola, making his first start in two months, had fired a warning shot earlier, beating Irwin with a chip, only for the bar to prevent the visionary effort. He would find his goal in the 86th minute with a left-footed rip from the top of the area after David Estrada pressed a weak header from Watts, drew Marvell Wynne towards him and slipped out to Espindola in space on the left. Deshorn Brown would grab minor consolation in the 91st minute, nodding in a ball at the left-post after Dillon Powers muscled to the end-line to hang a ball up to the back-side.
    The 4-2 win would see DC keep pace with Kansas City for the top spots in the East, while ending that losing streak in its tracks. For Colorado, it was a fourth-straight defeat, made all the more frustrating by yet another goal against inside the first fifteen minutes – they have conceded five in that time frame through their last four matches; expect the riot act on slow starts to be read in training this week.
    CanCon
    The extended Canadian Content review will be posted as soon as possible, most likely on Wednesday – technical difficulties and other commitments made this weekend a tough one. The top spot undoubtedly goes to Tesho Akindele, whose hat-trick has him in serious consideration for end of season honours, while Maxim Tissot played a role in Montreal ending their poor run, and Toronto’s Doneil Henry had a mixed performance in Kansas City.
    Overheard
    Kyle Beckerman was as surprised as anyone that Joao Plata has become an aerial threat: “I couldn’t believe it was him again. He can score goals from any way and he has shown that this year - left foot, right foot, and now with his head. He’s a special player. We’ve been leaning on him for goals this year and we’re going to continue to lean on him. I think he’s got a couple more in him, with his head or with his feet, it doesn’t matter. He’ll find a way to get it in. They’re going to have to put Chad Marshall on Joao next time we play.”
    Jon Busch summed up San Jose’s night against Dallas perfectly: “They kicked our ass from minute one to minute 90.”
    With DC challenging for the top of the East, the partnership of Fabian Espindola and Luis Silva could be just the push they need – the duo have combined for six goals in the 118 minutes played together, with Silva netting five goals and Espindola one with three assists.
    Ben Olsen commented on the duo: "I think sometimes when you are tight with someone it translates onto the field. I think they have a good relationship in the locker room and outside of the game. I think they just have an understanding." But was diplomatic with Eddie Johnson in the mix: "I’ll consider it next game [when Johnson is still suspended], that’s for sure. We’ll keep moving forward. If they continue to do well, it’ll be tough to take them off the park. We’re gonna need everybody. This isn’t about one or two players, and tonight was a team response."
    See It Live
    Philadelphia’s rookie keeper Andre Blake showed his athleticism, recovering superbly to prevent Will Bruin from scoring after round him – he also displayed some excellent reflexes to prevent an embarrassing back-pass/own-goal when Carlos Valdes touched a loose ball back and the keeper flicked it out with a back-heel.
    Salt Lake’s
    after scoring and there is a ‘La Mormonera’ banner at the RioT, which is awesome.Sean Johnson gets down to deny Montreal’s Andres Romero.
    Columbus Crew fans welcomed the Galaxy with an excellent and creative tifo display; who does not love retro video games?

    in New England – Revolution keeper Bobby Shuttleworth came up big late to deny Max Urruti, preserving a point against the Timbers.Be sure to cast a vote for Save of the Week.
    Ryan Nelsen took out his frustration, yelling at the teenage-looking fourth official – it was saves like this one from Jon Kempin on Gilberto that had him so riled up, while
    ; Kempin did very well to keep his eye on the ball, with Dike going for the broken-stick distraction.Nelsen was light-hearted about it afterwards: “It was good for Bright to get on the score-sheet and it was nice for the referee in Kansas City to play on as they saw his boot go into the back of the net. That sort of summed up our night, to tell you the truth.”
    Jackson’s epic miss is the sort of play that makes a manager go grey – though Aurelien Collin should be applauded for his heroic recovery.
    Controversy
    David Horst’s pull on Pedro Ribeiro could have seen him off, altering a desperately needed result for Houston.

    , but was Sebastian Fernandez on from Max Urruti’s square ball? The linesman said no, but it was very close.Was a penalty kick warranted for Victor Ulloa’s pull on Matias Perez Garcia or was it a dive? Not that it mattered, as Chris Wondolowski sportingly sailed his effort over the bar.
    Upcoming Fixtures
    A quartet of MLS sides take part in Champions League play this week, with Portland and Kansas City travelling to Alpha United of Guyana and Real Esteli of Nicaragua, respectively, on Tuesday. While DC hosts Jamaican side, Waterhouse and Montreal heads to El Salvador for their return meeting against CD FAS on Wednesday.
    A pair of midweek Western Conference clashes on Wednesday night make way to a full slate of weekend matches. Friday night’s opener looks a treat, while a top of the East encounter on Saturday should be a cracker; Sunday sees another Cascadia Cup clash – they are always worth a watch
    Wednesday: Colorado-Los Angeles; Seattle-San Jose. Friday: Dallas-Salt Lake. Saturday: Toronto-Chicago; New York-Montreal; Columbus-Houston; New England-Chivas; Kansas City-DC; Los Angeles-Vancouver. Sunday: Portland-Seattle; Philadelphia-San Jose.
    All video & quotes courtesy of MLSsoccer.com
    Each week James takes a look at the league as a whole.
    You can follow James on twitter @grawsee or read more of his writing at Partially Obstructed View
    Aaron Campbell
    STARTERS:
    11 - Darren Mattocks
    A forgetful 45 minutes for Mattocks. Didn't have any quality chances and picked up a knock that got him subbed at halftime.
    10 - Sebastian Fernandez
    Was invisible on the right hand side before he switched to the left. Even though he played the whole 90 minutes really didn't make an impact in the game.
    9 - Nicolas Mezquida
    Being Pedro Morales' back up means you won't get a lot of minutes but when you do get them you need to take advantage of those minutes. Mezquida didn't do that at all. There was no creativity from him in the middle of the pitch.
    8 - Andy O'Brien
    An okay game from O'Brien. He wasn't out of position and he did what he had to do. Did get outshone by Steven Beitashour and Johnny Leveron on the backline.
    7 - Jordan Harvey
    Was okay just like O'Brien. He was in the proper spots. Had some more effort on corner kicks in the offensive box.
    6 - Omar Salgado
    Played a pretty good game. Was strong with the ball and made some nice runs down the wing. Too bad what happened when he was subbed off the pitch will be what people are talking about.
    5 - Matias Laba
    Very solid game for Laba. Playing the game with a new MF partner but that didn't stop him from shutting down the middle of the pitch. Very soft yellow card does mean he is out of the line-up next week against LA but he will be available and fresh versus Portland the week after.
    4 - David Ousted
    Is now tied for the league lead with 7 clean sheets. Made some great saves when he had to and moved the ball up the pitch quickly.
    3 - Steven Beitashour
    Jumped up in the play very well. Runs on the wing led to some great attacking chances. Was all over the pitch fighting for the ball. For sure his best game since returning from the World Cup.
    2 - Russell Teibert
    Great game for the young Canadian who was sporting the captain’s arm band. Filled a nice void between the Chivas strikers and midfield. Challenged the ball well and made some nice runs.
    1 - Johnny Leveron
    Best game for Leveron this season. Did very well on Erick Torres and shut him down. With Kendall Waston waiting to partner with him in the wings, Leveron is stepping up his game.
    SUPER SUBS:
    3 - Kekuta Manneh
    Couldn't get anything offensive started at all. Seems to be lacking confidence on the pitch. All he could do was run at defenders with his head down and get the ball taken off him.
    2 - Erik Hurtado
    Wasn't surprised to see him coming off the bench after struggling the past handful of games. Still struggling with the short passes in the offensive third of the pitch.
    1 - Pedro Morales
    The Whitecaps enjoyed more offensive chances as soon as Morales entered the game. A little concerned about this hamstring knock that has plagued him all season.
    Aaron Campbell
    The Good:
    Johnny Leveron
    Very good game for Johnny Leveron, maybe even his best game of the season so far. The last 5 games has seen the Honduran step up his defensive game. He was great defending Caps killer Cubo Torres all game long. He stepped up when he had to and did very well clearing the box with headers when he had to.
    His partnership with Andy O'Brien has been solid the past few games and with a big man like Kendall Waston waiting in the wings any slip ups could mean time of the bench.
    The Average:
    Caps Corners
    The dreaded corner kick has been a nemesis for the Whitecaps since joining MLS. You know they are bad at in when after three and a half seasons you can count how many they have scored from on one hand. Actually, you don't even need the whole hand.
    Even with Pedro Morales adding more quality swingers this season they still can't find the back of the net with them.
    Russell Teibert had some great swingers this game that Omar Salgado got some good touches on. Sooner or later the dam is going to break and they are going to get rewarded, possibly with the help of new signing Kendall Waston.
    The Bad:
    Lack of creativity without Pedro Morales
    Nicolas Mezquida's job as Pedro Morales back up is a job where you will not get a lot of minutes. When he does, he has to step up and make them quality minutes. He failed at that this game. He lacks Morales' level of creativity in the middle of the pitch. He failed to find that open spot between the Chivas midfielders and defenders. When he did he just wasn't good enough with his passes.
    It might be another 8-10 games before he gets the start over Morales again and when he does get the chance he will have to take better advantage of it.
    Michael Mccoll
    Carl Robinson had been hoping for a more settled line-up after the rotations of July, but his hand was forced with an ankle injury to Gershon Koffie and a tight hamstring for the talismanic Pedro Morales. Russell Teibert came in for Koffie and wore the captain's armband, with Nicolas Mezquida slotting in to the number 10 role.
    Robinson made one other change with the out of form Erik Hurtado finally dropping to the bench and Omar Salgado coming in out wide and adding a little bit of height to the attack.
    It was a slow start to the game with Mezquida firing over from the edge of the box and Erick Torres having a couple of half chances in the early going.
    Salgado's aerial presence nearly reaped its rewards in the 28th minute when the striker rose unchallenged to power a Sebastian Fernandez corner goalbound but Dan Kennedy did well to turn the ball around for another corner.
    But that was about it in a half that the Whitecaps dominated possession but in which neither side really threatened to ripple the netting.
    Darren Mattocks had taken a knock in the first half and didn't come out after the interval, with Hurtado coming on in his place.
    Both sides had some half chances as the game continued to fail to ignite, but Chivas were starting to show more in attack and keeping Caps' keeper David Ousted busy collecting crosses and weak shots.
    Chivas had a great chance to take the lead in the 74th minute when sub Mauro Rosales forced Ousted to make a leg save and Torres blasted the loose ball over from ten yards out.
    Vancouver went right up the pitch and had a couple of chances with subs of their own.
    Kekuta Manneh shot over from 20 yards out, and they soon followed that up with a long range Pedro Morales effort that went wide right.
    But there was nothing more and you got the feeling that both sides could have been playing long into the next morning and still not got the breakthrough.
    It was another deeply disappointing trip to the now named StubHub Center for the Caps. They've got another one coming up next Saturday against LA and it's hard to see how that one's going to be any better.
    They will be missing Matias Laba through suspension and who knows who else through injury. The team desperately need a striker and/or a winger who can either score, create or ideally both. It's the missing link for the Caps and without it, the chain could just fall apart.
    FINAL SCORE: Chivas USA 0 - 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
    ATT: 4215
    CHIVAS: Dan Kennedy; Akira Kaji, Tony Lochhead, Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Donny Toia; Nathan Sturgis, Marco Delgado (Mauro Rosales 46), Agustin Pelletieri, Eric Avila (Leandro Barrera 59); Felix Borja, Erick Torres (Ryan Finley 81) [subs Not Used: Trevor Spangenberg, Bobby Burling, Eriq Zavaleta, Oswaldo Minda]
    VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Andy O'Brien, Johnny Leveron, Jordan Harvey; Matias Laba, Russell Teibert, Sebastian Fernandez, Nicolas Mezquida (Pedro Morales 68), Omar Salgado (Kekuta Manneh 61); Darren Mattocks (Erik Hurtado 46) [subs Not Used: Paolo Tornaghi, Carlyle Mitchell, Mehdi Ballouchy, Nigel Reo-Coker]
    REACTION:
    VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
    CARL ROBINSON
    Thoughts on the match:
    "Defensively, excellent. Third clean sheet in a row, so defensively we were right on point. Attacking wise, okay, it’s average, not what we’re used to. I think the final third let us down slightly, in relation to our movement, our final balls and the execution of being in the right position."
    On the midfield’s performance:
    "I thought in the midfield we were excellent. I thought Russell Teibert was arguably the best player of the pack, switched the play from side to side. He got around people, he won second balls and he put in a very mature performance for a young kid, he was excellent. I thought Matias Laba was excellent as well, picked up a yellow card, which was dubious. About four players at midfield, about two players weren’t the problem and I’m not saying our front was the problem, all I’m saying is we have to be better in those areas."
    On the back line’s role in team’s current streak:
    "Concentration. I think sometimes you look a record up in this game, this season, we got sloppy on certain things and let ourselves down at crucial times in games. We put our big focus on concentration. We know it was a tricky game against Chivas, very well organized and well coached, and we haven’t beaten them. Prior to the game, I made the guys aware that it was going to be a very difficult game because they are very physical and they get about you and they try to upset your rhythm. We matched that, but we just didn’t have enough power."
    STEVEN BEITASHOUR
    Thoughts on the match:
    "I think we did a good job trying to keep possession, trying to counter when they sent guys forward and most importantly, keeping that clean sheet. I think that’s the main thing. I think that was our second or third one in a row. Any time you get a clean sheet it’s a good night."
    On the team’s performance during its unbeaten streak:
    "I think we’re doing a good job, sticking together, playing organized. I think that’s the main thing and trying to counter when we can. I think tonight we were a little poor in the final third, but it’s a positive because we got a clean sheet and a point on the road."
    On the team’s current streak:
    "We got a good team, I think the main thing is that we’re not losing. It’s helping keep a good mentality in our locker room. We’re a little frustrated with the offensive performance today, but defensively we’re doing a great job and sticking together, working hard. We knew today was going to be a fight and we showed up out there tonight."
    OMAR SALGADO
    Thoughts on the match:
    "We played well defensively. I think we lacked something in the final third, which I think translated onto both teams. In the end, both teams got a point out of it and now we move forward with that."
    On the team’s mentality after securing their third straight shutout:
    "Defensively, I think we’ve done very well. Andy O’Brien has really held the backline really well and John [Leveron] has played very well. I think we’ve done very well defensively, we just need to get some goals."
    On the team’s push for the playoffs:
    "I think we’re confident. We really want to make a push for the playoffs and I think we can push very strongly in the last 11 games that are left. We’re coming back confident here against Galaxy and hopefully we can get a win."
    CHIVAS USA
    WILMER CABRERA
    Thoughts on the match:
    "I think that today we had a much better game overall. We were more solid defensively, and we finished with a clean sheet against a very good team that is doing very well in the Western Conference. Coming into the game, we knew it was going to be tough. After four consecutive losses we needed this game to be sure that we are still in good shape, that we are better organized and that we continue applying our philosophy of working hard as a group. We defended well and then tried to attack and create possibilities. Today we had a nice debut from Felix Borja who showed that he can help us a lot. He helped a lot up front, created problems, worked hard and fought for every ball in the air. That was important for us. Hopefully we can continue improving our game and get the guys in a better shape for the whole 90 minutes so we can get that win we are looking for."
    On forward Felix Borja’s addition to the team:
    "Borja is a guy who battles right there with the central defenders. He helps Erick ‘Cubo’ Torres, because ‘Cubo’ has been doing it all by himself. Felix is a different type of player, he’s more athletic, stronger and experienced. He’s very good in the air. He’s going to let ‘Cubo’ be a little bit more open, and maybe between the two of them they can expose the opposing defense. Today, especially in the second half, we saw that, and hopefully for the next game, we can continue working on it and give the team the chance of having more possibilities up front.”
    On the clean sheet:
    "During the week we tried to prepare the team mentally to be organized and to not give up too much in the middle, knowing that Vancouver is a very talented team. We also had some guys bringing in fresh legs and a better offensive mentality. Overall the plan was executed the way we wanted. Obviously we missed the goal, the most important aspect, but we [the coaching staff] and the players believe that it was a good and solid performance, and that we are moving forward from what we have done in the past four games."
    On the substitutions and offensive mindset:
    "Our mentality was to win the game. The only thing that we needed to be sure is that we kept the clean sheet. In the second half at home you need to take the risk and send the players who are more offensive-minded. We did that, and we created options, we were more dangerous. Maybe we couldn’t do it, but overall it was a solid performance from beginning to end."
    DAN KENNEDY
    Thoughts on the scoreless result:
    "I think we will all leave feeling like we should have gotten a little bit more out of tonight. But it was nice to just get some type of result. We obviously had a tough four-game stretch so now it’s about just continuing to get the guys that are hurt healthy. That’s a good performance by the back line tonight, so we can build on this."
    On not being tested much during the match:
    "That’s part of being a goalkeeper, some games you are going to be called upon a lot, some you’re not. It’s just about supporting the team and making sure they hear me and work to keep it organized."
    On the team clinching the season series over ‘Caps:
    "If you look straight up we have played them three times and taken five points off of them, so it’s good. You want to win those head-to-head matchups, especially when they are in your conference. It’s what we need to do if we want to compete in this conference. I think it’s the harder of the two conferences and it’s important that you match up well and take the points."
    On striker Felix Borja’s debut:
    "He’s a beast and he can hold the ball and he should take a little of the weight off [Erick Torres’] shoulders. I’m excited for him to get his feet on the ground in this league. I think he is going to be a real handful."
    FELIX BORJA
    Thoughts on making his MLS debut:
    "I’m happy. Obviously debuting when you join a new team and to be able to play the 90 minutes is always important. We could not get the three points but in the second half the team was much better."
    On his adaptation since his arrival:
    "Whenever you arrive to a new team the first week is about getting to know your new teammates. In this case, it was the first time I get to play with [Torres], even though we know each other from Mexico when he was playing for Chivas in Mexico and I was with Puebla or Pachuca. And we did understand each other very well on the pitch. As the days and weeks and matches pass, obviously we are going get to know each other even better and we are going to have big games."
    On how his teammates have welcomed him:
    "It has been very good, as if I had already been here before. I’m the type to make friends easily. The group is excellent, they have welcomed me in a great way and in turn I think they are going to find a friend and a great teammate."
    On playing the full 90 minutes:
    "For me the act of having confidence and playing is important as a forward. In my case, to have the coach’s confidence to be able to play 90 minutes was important. I think it was what the coach wanted, for us to fight for everything up top. The fact that the team had lost four consecutive matches, you can lose confidence. Thankfully today, we could not win, but we did not lose the match either. That gives us the guide that the team can improve and I’m sure that we are going to have a big game in the next match."
    Duane Rollins
    In the summer of 2002 Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium overflowed with 47,784 Soccer supporters. This, the first year of the tournament (then known as the Fifa Women’s U19 World Championship) saw host nation Canada battle their neighbours to the south USA. It was a golden goal by Lindsay Tarpley that separated the two sides and crowned the Americans the victors.
    Despite the loss a Canadian Women’s soccer icon emerged; Christine Sinclair. She decisively earned both The Adidas Golden Shoe with ten goals and the Golden Ball for tournament MVP.
    Sinclair is synonymous with soccer excellence in this country and is a source of inspiration for many young players to date.
    The tournament has returned to Edmonton, this time hosting Saturday’s quarterfinal tilt of Canada and powerhouse Germany. These women may be too young to remember the 2002 campaign, but they now ride on their predecessor’s shoulders and represent the new generation of women’s soccer in Canada.
    Germany is the most challenging test of the tournament. Winners in 2004, 2010 and runners up in 2012, Germany enter the final eight undefeated and tied for a tournament high 12 goals alongside France. Unlike the French, who have allowed just one goal against, the Germans have conceded six. This is something Canadian defender Kylie Davis has kept her eye on. “If you’re going to look at the goals for, you should look at the goals against also,” she said. “They’re a good team and definitely clinical if you look at their goals for but we’ve done a lot of work too and score some pretty nice goals […] So hopefully the gates have opened and the flood is coming.”
    One threat the Canadians must ensure they contain is the tournament’s leading goal scorer Sara Dabritz. She has notched five in three matches, and leads the tournament by two goals. She credits an incredible spirit for her team’s success so far. “We all get on extremely well both on and off the pitch, and you could see that in our matches against China and Brazil. Although we fell behind, we fought our way back into those games, which was just fantastic. This team’s motto is to never give up, support one another and help each other out.”
    Goalkeeper Katie Sheridan also believes her team is incredibly close and supportive of one another, “Each individual player was like, ‘You have had a strong game. You may not feel like it but you still have 45 minutes, the opportunity, go out there and prove it,’”
    Canadian head coach Andrew Olivieri has echoed similar sentiments about his team time and time again throughout the tournament. What has brought Canada this far is resiliency. After dropping their first match to Ghana, clawing back from a two goal deficit versus Finland, and playing a more organized game against North Korea, Canada has fought to earn their spot in the quarterfinals. Their pre-tournament goal was to advance to the final four. "We've known that if we were going to get to a semifinal, we were going to have to get through one of the teams from Group B, which was by far the Group of Death with Germany, the U.S., Brazil and China," Olivieri said. "We were clear our objective was to get to the semifinal, and we knew it was an ambitious one, but not one that we take lightly or that we feel is impossible."
    Canada hasn’t made an appearance in the semifinals since they hosted in 2002. Their last birth to the quarterfinals was at the Thailand tournament in 2004. Should Canada defeat the Germans they will face the winner of France vs North Korea in the semi-final August 20th at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.
    Michael Crampton
    That assumes, however, that Nelsen was strictly speaking about the Reds primary objective in 2014 of qualifying for the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time. But what if, as has been asked for so many times by supporters in the past, Nelsen and TFC are finally aiming higher? After their win in Columbus, and Sporting’s loss in Vancouver, Toronto are only seven points back of the conference leaders. A win would narrow that to four, a gap the Reds could close completely simply by taking points from their games in hand.
    Considered from that perspective, Nelsen was absolutely correct. If Toronto still harbours ambitions of winning the conference then a win over Sporting KC is essential. Instead of looking at the game as potential bonus points in the quest to stay above the red line, Nelsen may be trying to reframe it for his side as a top of the table six-pointer.
    Not that winning in Kansas City has been an easy task, or even possible for the Reds, over the last few years. TFC managed a gutsy draw against an undermanned Sporting during their last visit, scoring a remarkable two goals, including a stoppage time equalizer, while a man down after Steven Caldwell’s red card.
    This time, however, Toronto won’t have the luxury of playing against a nearly completely makeshift defence. Matt Besler has long since returned from World Cup duty and resumed his partnership with Frenchman Aurelien Collin. Both were absent during TFC’s draw in KC but had returned to by the time Sporting beat the Reds at BMO Field on July 26th. In that match it was SKC who managed to score the decisive goal while a man down after Besler saw red for a second yellow card.
    For their part, TFC should be helped by the expected return of Jermain Defoe. The Englishman, Toronto’s leading scorer by some distance, has suffered a number of small injuries through the course of the season, and the most recent saw him held out of the Reds’ line-up for their last two matches. In his absence, Gilberto and Luke Moore have stepped and replaced his goals with both strikers scoring in both of Toronto’s last two matches. With forwards in that sort of form, if there is any doubt about Defoe’s readiness, Nelsen shouldn’t feel forced to name him to the starting line-up.
    While the significance of Defoe’s goal scoring contributions are widely appreciated in Toronto, Dom Dwyer’s remarkable year has received far less attention. Dwyer scored two of his, to date, 14 goals this season in the last game in KC between the sides. That’s not only a higher goal scoring tally than Defoe, he also leads his team’s second leading scorers, Graham Zusi and Benny Feilhaber, by a gargantuan 11 goals. That’s nearly double the gap between Defoe and TFC’s second leading scorer, Luke Moore, and makes Toronto’s attack look positively balanced in comparison.
    Though SKC don’t rely on him exclusively, if TFC can stop Dwyer it will greatly increase their chances of finding a win. If they do that, then they’ll actually be in a title race, not just a playoff race. Nelsen was right: if Toronto FC want be contenders, this is a must win game.
    Duane Rollins
    The 2015 Women's World Cup will not be played on grass.
    Despite a high profile campaign by some of the world's top female footballers, there will be no change to plans to play the World Cup entirely on artificial surfaces, according to a well placed source in Canadian soccer.
    The CSA has instructed staff not to comment on the issue and has been told by FIFA that there is no chance they will be required to install grass at this late time.
    The source stressed that FIFA has required that all games be played on Star 2 artificial surfaces, which will require an upgrade to several of the existing facilities. That requirement has always been in place and is not in reaction to the threat of legal action made by the players.
    Since the threat was made public last week, the players have engaged in a public relations campaign to gain favour for their position. Articles have appeared in several high profile publications.
    In a New York Times piece Abby Wambach said that she will play less aggressively at the World Cup than she would otherwise because of a fear of injury. She specifically indicated that she would not make a diving header like the one Robin van Persie made in Brazil.
    Wambach currently plays professionally for the Western New York Flash of the NWSL. They play their home games at Rochester's Sahlen's Stadium, which has a FieldTurf surface.
    Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant also came to the women's side, posting an undated photo of US international Sydney Leroux's legs after a game played on artificial surface.
    CSN determined that the photo was originally posted on April 14, 2013 on Leroux's Twitter page. It was after a NWSL game played at Dilboy Stadium near Boston. Dilboy Stadium has Shaw Sports Turf.
    Michael Mccoll
    Now, I know we shouldn't get too caught up in player's salaries, BUT (and Nigel has a big but, as we saw when a flabby and unfit looking Reo-Coker turned up for preseason training) it's almost impossible not to in a salary cap league when your second most expensive player on the roster isn't even in the gameday 18 the majority of the weeks. You can't have nearly half a million dollars sitting in the stands most games.
    I wrote in October last year that Reo-Coker should only be kept around this season on the right deal, saying:
    "He was the only midfielder to really come away from this season with any credit but isn't worth too much more of a payrise above his guaranteed $237,362 and certainly not DP money. Will he want to stay for that amount of money when he could definitely get more back in the UK? Can the right deal be done? How much harmony or disharmony does he actually bring to the dressing room? If the answer to all of these questions is positive, then glad to have him around for 2014. If not, happy to see him go and sad at the same time."
    Hindsight is always a wonderful thing of course, but as soon as we found out what his salary was going to be this year we said it was the wrong deal and he shouldn't have been brought back for this season. I think with losing Camilo, the managerial turmoil and other offseason shenanigans, the Caps dropped the ball and panicked a bit on this one and now we're left to try and find a way out of the Nigel shaped mess we are left with.
    Even with Kenny Miller leaving and Jay DeMerit retiring, there appears to simply be no mathematical formula possible to give the Whitecaps enough cap space to bring in any decent player until Reo-Coker's salary is punted to pastures new.
    There's been comments circulating around Twitter that the Caps are actively shopping Reo-Coker around and trying to secure a swap deal with another MLS side.
    But is there a club out there that has the right striker for Vancouver's needs, has a need in their squad for a player like NRC, whatever exactly he actually is as a player, and a club that wants to take on that whopping salary?
    Not a lot of them instantly spring to mind.
    Is there any team on Planet Earth that would want an out-of-form midfielder, who is perhaps living on past glories and on a hefty salary, at their club? In an ordinary world, probably not. But football is a funny game Saint.
    One deal that had entered my mind was trying to get Saer Sene from New England Revolution but that was soon killed off when they traded him to New York at the start of the week.
    The Caps were said to be interested in Sene but weren't offering what the Revs were looking for. But do the Red Bulls actually need Sene or could we even see them tempted to move him themselves for Reo-Coker? That was my initial thought/hope but now that the days have past, that's not looking likely. New York has always seemed like the best fit for NRC with his wife and new born baby living there.
    Another possible player thrown out in the twittersphere was Sporting KC's Claudio Bieler. Now I liked what I saw of the Kansas City striker last year on the whole, but his work ethic and attitude can be questioned and doesn't seem to fit in with the bunch of happy campers Carl Robinson has put together. Also, at 5'9" he doesn't fit the mould of what we need in a big targetman, and all that's without looking at the fact that he's only made three starts for the reigning MLS Cup holders this season. He does only bring home $225,000 this season though and KC's midfield could do with a Reo-Coker type figure in it however, from what we saw on Sunday.
    There was also the rumoured transfer of Reo-Coker to Leeds United that raised our hopes when the Sun newspaper first reported it, but seems to have been more of that rags nonsense.
    So where does that leave us? what happens tomorrow?
    Maybe it could all have gone so different if Nigel had turned up for preseason in better shape. It all seemed to go downhill from January and his surging box to box runs from last year already feel like careless memories.
    His form at the start of this season was poor and then he lost his place in the starting eleven following the notorious bike rack incident. If he had just shown a better reflex to save himself from falling down, then maybe, just maybe, he would have refound that 2013 form and been an instrumental player for the side this season alongside Matias Laba.
    It wouldn't have solved our goalscoring problem of course, as he can't seem to finish a toffee, but that would have had to be addressed in a different way.
    He's had chances to get back into the team and simply hasn't taken them. Those two penalties he gave away a few weeks back will certainly live long in everyone's memories.
    Reo-Coker has been frustrating. There's been times at training where he's looked hungry, like a wolf, but then as soon as he takes to the pitch there's been a lot of huff but very little puff.
    As nice as it is to be paid nearly half a million for basically turning up to training a few hours a week, I'm pretty sure Reo-Coker wants to get his career back on track and back to playing regular, first team football. It's hard to see that future in MLS but stranger things have happened. Daigo Kobayashi getting a second shot at it for one. I still think NRC's future will lie in the English Championship.
    The situation needs to come to an end sharpish though to free up some space and cash. Despite what may be said publically, there's no doubt that Carl Robinson would love to see this matter come to an end and is trying to get some deals done with a view to a kill of the whole issue.
    Can it be done in time to make an impact for the remainder of this year or will the Caps have to wait to move him in the offseason? They'll certainly be leaving him unprotected for the expansion draft if he's still around, but I can't see him being taken.
    Please, please tell me now that a deal can be done long before that though? Cross your fingers and save a prayer, because offloading Nigel Reo-Coker could be the key difference between the Whitecaps having a good season and a great one.
    Grant
    These mini-camps held on off-Fifa dates usually feature only domestic-based players. Lasting anywhere from a few days to a week, they offer the national team gaffer an excellent chance to scout up-and-coming talent and theoretically allow the players to ‘bond’ with each other. An important intangible when it comes to international soccer, given the precious little time these squads spend together compared to those on the club side of the game.
    All of the Central American nations are currently engaged in their respective forms of microciclos. The Salvadoran federation went so far as to actually suspended the third round of its league season* so players could train with the national team ahead of an off-date Fifa friendly against the Dominican Republic on Aug. 30. The Panamanians scheduled friendlies for Aug. 5 against Peru and will play Cuba on Aug. 20 to complement their ongoing camp, one which the new manager has described as an experiment meant to test a new generation of footballers. This includes several who starred in recently completed UNCAF U20 Championship.
    Honduras and its new manager Hernán Medford obliterated a university side 8-0 on Aug. 13 as part of its microciclo. Costa Rica doesn't have any friendlies slated, but are running a camp this week to introduce several domestic-based players to the national team set-up. Even relatively sad-sack Guatemala has jimmied up their own microciclo, and played a friendly on Aug. 14 against even sad-sacker Nicaragua.
    (It should be noted that these mini-camps are all directly related to the upcoming Copa Centroamericana in the U.S. from Sept. 3 to the 13. The tournament that will offer a direct ticket to the 2016 special U.S.-edition Copa America. But they are held regularly throughout the football season.)
    All this is not to say frequent mini-camps are some sort of iron-clad guarantee for success. Like, step one: organize a few microciclos; step two: revel in World Cup glory. Let's face it, a team like Guatemala can organize microciclo after microciclo until it all just becomes one all-encompassing ciclo, and they still won't challenge the U.S. or Mexico. But being able to pick an entire national squad from your own domestic league, and having that same league go so far as to rearrange its playing schedule to accommodate your training, well that's a luxury that Canadian national team manager Benito Floro’s coaching staff can only fantasize about.
    In June, CSA president Victor Montagliani said his organization would focus on playing other teams from Concacaf amid what he called “the next phase” of preparation for presumably next year's Gold Cup, the 2016 Copa America and 2018 World Cup qualifiers. His organization has previously committed to having the senior men’s team play more friendlies in general, something which is definitely happening. But alongside the general hand-wringing over Canada's developmental problems exist the hidden disadvantages, such as the fact the Canadian national team manager competes against teams who have simply spent more time together and against coaching staffs who've had more opportunities to learn about their players. And there's not a lot that can be done about that.
    * As readers of this site have likely already noticed, many of the links I use come from media outlets in Spanish-speaking Central America. I include them for two reasons, despite realizing many of CSN's readers do not read Spanish. First, to show I'm not simply making this stuff up, and secondly because I work on the assumption those truly curious will use one of the many freely available online translation tools to read the sites in question.
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