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    Guest
    Canadian Soccer News does not routinely cover the US national team. It should be obvious why -- we aren't American.
    However, we do know a lot about the US national team. We can't help it. We absorb a great deal of US soccer media and, as such, we have been inundated with information and debate about Jurgen Klinsmann's side for the better part of a year.
    In many ways we're in a unique position. Since the Canadian system is directly tied into the American one we have no choice but to follow American issues as closely as we follow our own. So, we know stuff.
    But, we don't care. Not to be flippant, but we don't (outside of the odd person, or dual national that is). Not really. We're not American so we don't have an emotional attachment to the side. We may intellectually understand that the growth of US soccer benefits Canadian soccer indirectly but, yeah...
    Don't care. It's a lesson I learned in 2010 when I had intellectually decided that I would root for the US out of respect for my many American friends and out of a desire to see that benefit. This decision lated until the exact moment England scored on them and I let out a scream that I suspect my family in the UK heard.
    Blood is thicker than MLS allocation.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    I digress. The point is our position as indifferent experts allows us to evaluate the US in a way that more invested (or distant) observers can't.
    So, what do we make out of today's line-up announcement. Before we get into that, the roster is below (although if you're relying on the Canadian Soccer News for your American line-up announcements I have to question whether you fully understand this whole Internet thing).
    FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Aron Johannsson and Chris Wondolowski
    MIDFIELDERS: Kyle Beckerman, Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley, Brad Davis, Mix Diskerud, Jermaine Jones, Graham Zusi and Julian Green.
    DEFENDERS: DaMarcus Beasley, Matt Besler, John Brooks, Geoff Cameron, Timmy Chandler, Omar Gonzalez, Fabian Johnson and DeAndre Yedlin
    GOALKEEPERS: Tim Howard, Brad Guzan and Nick Rimando
    It's Clint, Tim and Michael's team. In those three players you have three guys that would challenge for spots on the majority of teams in the draw. As for the rest, well...
    It's a good thing they're in CONCACAF (and before an American commentator cleverly dismisses all this by pointing out how bad Canada is I have two points: 1) No one is more aware of that fact than I and 2) it has literally nothing to do with the topic at hand).
    My initial thought was that Klinsmann is looking ahead to 2018. He saw the draw, looked at the back-line and decided this was a four year project. There are crazier ideas out there.
    This thinking could explain the most controversial decision made today (no one is talking about Eddie Johnson anymore, that's for sure). The decision to leave Landon Donovan at home and to take Julian Green (not that one is necessarily a direct swap for the other).
    What can you say? Donovan is clearly better than a teenager playing in the German fourth tier right now. Donovan will also clearly be gone by the time the next cycle starts. Hell, Donovan's head space is such that might have retired by the time you read this.
    If I did care about the USMNT prospects I'd be pissed right now. Speaking as a Canadian, I know how precious a World Cup spot is. To not bring your best line-up possible seems criminal to me.
    Using club form data the decision is baffling. Performance data shows that Donavon has produced the second most scoring chances (shots + KP) in MLS this year. He has the highest KP total of any forward.
    Do we really think he's not good enough for at least a super sub role?
    Even though it's not a direct swap for Green, Klinsmann had better hope his Wunderkind is.
    This post was made during the site's 48-hour blogging marathon. We are attempting to raise funds to keep the site running through to the end of 2015 (and hopefully beyond).
    We are 25 percent of the way to our goal of $2,400.
    There are four ways to donate.
    1) You can send an EMT to CSNDonation@gmail.com
    2) You can make a PayPal donation to dgrollins@gmail.com
    3) You can make a cash donation to me in person (I will be at BMO Field on Wednesday -- email me for my phone number to arrange a meet up)
    4) You can mail me a cheque. Email me at DuaneGRollins@gmail.com for address.
    Thanks to all that have contributed so far and thanks to those who are considering a contribution.
    Guest

    Canada's great little tournament

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    An interesting thing has happened over the last month. Rather than the usual cheap shots and bad jokes from American MLS fans about the Voyageurs Cup, there was a quiet admittance.
    The tournament is fun. And compelling. And intense. And damn hard to win.
    Some, even some working on MLSSoccer.com's official podcast, went so far to state the ultimate blasphemy.
    They were willing to admit that the Voyageurs Cup is better than the US Open Cup.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    It is. Although Canadians should be jealous of the longevity of that tournament (note I didn't say "history," because the fan driven history of the V-Cup may be shorter, but is no less rich) they absolutely should not be jealous of the quality.
    The truth is that all three MLS teams try and win it. Sometimes they try and balance a squad rotation with trying to win, but no one is trying to lose.
    Three MLS teams trying to win is roughly equal to the amount of American MLS teams that try to win the USOC. The difference is those three teams aren't generally playing one another until very late in a drawn out tournament that's often hard to follow.
    The latter two points are key. The strength of the Voyageurs Cup is how quickly it passes. It's done in a month. It's like having three home and home playoff series in the middle of the season. The coverage of the tournament is also mush more accessible. Even the biggest MLS geek can't watch all of the USOC. They can watch every single game in the V-Cup.
    As stated, even some (many?) Americans do. Again, it's about the intensity of the match-ups.
    Yes, the Voyageurs Cup needs to expand to include more teams, but it should never lose sight of its strength. Any further expansion should lead to a four team, final four sprint to the finish line.
    In fact, the USOC might want to consider something similar. Could you imagine a final 8 tournament where the eight teams that qualified played Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday in a single game knock out. If MLS really cares about the tournament they could even book the week off.
    That's a tournament even I as a Canadian would be interested in watching...
    This post was made during the site's 48-hour blogging marathon. We are attempting to raise funds to keep the site running through to the end of 2015 (and hopefully beyond).
    We are 25 percent of the way to our goal of $2,400.
    There are four ways to donate.
    1) You can send an EMT to CSNDonation@gmail.com
    2) You can make a PayPal donation to dgrollins@gmail.com
    3) You can make a cash donation to me in person (I will be at BMO Field on Wednesday -- email me for my phone number to arrange a meet up)
    4) You can mail me a cheque. Email me at DuaneGRollins@gmail.com for address.
    Thanks to all that have contributed so far and thanks to those who are considering a contribution.
    Guest

    Calling Iain Hume

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Consolation goals are rarely memorable, but it's likely that there has been no more forgotten a goal than the one Iain Hume scored in Honduras.
    No one holds a celebration for the guy that scores the one in an 8-1 score line.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]But, Canadian men's fans should spare a moment for that goal. Hume showed up. He played with heart when it would have been easy to just play out the string. You can't say the same thing for a lot of the other guys on the pitch that day.
    That's the thing about Hume. At a time when players like Junior Hoilett are willing jerk the program around under the excuse that he's trying to "establish his club career" (Hint, Junior: You're 23. It's established. It's time to make a decision about whether you're going to use the pot) it's refreshing to see a guy like Hume who always takes the call.
    You might think its easy to do that when you're playing in the fourth tier of English football. And, you'd be right. However, Hume has played at much higher levels and likely has made sacrifices to his club game over the years to wear the Maple Leaf.
    It's because of that that it's sad to see him constantly getting bypassed by Benito Floro of late. Yes, the Spaniard has been upfront in his plan to use younger players, but he's also said that that he wants to sprinkle some veteran talent in to help the kids along.
    Maybe Hume has quietly stepped away, you might be thinking.
    Not according to Hume. I asked him on Twitter.
    "I will never retire from international until I retire full stop," he Tweeted. Then he added the hashtag #ItsAnHonour.
    Once again, I ask: Why not include him in the line-up. If his only contribution is to pass that attitude on to the next generation then his inclusion will be worth it.
    Today I asked Floro whether we might see Hume again.
    "Hume is a very good person and a very good player," Floro said, "but in this moment we need to choose young players because it's a very important position. We need strikers and in this moment, we need to improve our attack."
    So, you're saying there's a chance?!
    To be serious, all Canadian fans should hope that we get to see Hume at least one more time. He's from the GTA. That Fall friendly at BMO Field might be a good time. We can thank him for showing some heart during our lowest point.
    This post was made during the site's 48-hour blogging marathon. We are attempting to raise funds to keep the site running through to the end of 2015 (and hopefully beyond).
    We are 25 percent of the way to our goal of $2,400.
    There are four ways to donate.
    1) You can send an EMT to CSNDonation@gmail.com
    2) You can make a PayPal donation to dgrollins@gmail.com
    3) You can make a cash donation to me in person (I will be at BMO Field on Wednesday -- email me for my phone number to arrange a meet up)
    4) You can mail me a cheque. Email me at DuaneGRollins@gmail.com for address.
    Thanks to all that have contributed so far and thanks to those who are considering a contribution.
    Guest

    The female Fury

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    I can't hide the fact that I have a soft spot for the Ottawa Fury. It's a first class organization that is going about building a true football club in the right way.
    And, a true football club includes a women's side.
    The Ottawa Fury women have been one of Canada's most successful clubs over the past few years. Based on recent signings, it appears that they will once again be near the top of the W-League again.
    The centre piece to the team is Canadian international Kadeisha Buchanan. Ashley Lawrence is another player that Canadian women's fans will be familiar with. However, the true WoSo fan will recognize a great deal of the names that will be part of the Fury this year.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Goalkeepers: Jillian McVicker, Maryse Bard-Martel
    Defenders: Shelina Zadorsky, Kadeisha Buchanan, Arin GIlliland, Danielle Hubka, Maggie
    Malone, Annie Steinlage, Emma Donnelly, Meaghan Ramsden
    Midfielders: Lisa-Marie Woods, Teresa Rynier, Lydia Hastings, Laura Stockdale, Cournety Raetzman, Jessie Bujouves, Kayla Adamek, Ronnie Mazzella,
    Forwards: Christabel Oduro, Kristy Moore, Ashley Lawrence, Bryanna McCarthy, Lauren Hughes, Arielle Kabangu, Sydney Braun-McLeod
    With the FIFA U-20s in the country later this year there is no excuse not to get out and support the Fury, or your local team. Check the USL website for the schedule most relevant to you.
    As stated, Ottawa deserves full credit for always supporting the women's side of the game. It's important to remember that the women's program long outdates the men's side.
    So, can we expect a move up in level by the Fury in the future? Provided the NWSL survives, would Ottawa not be the perfect location for Canada's first (or Eastern) team?
    The folks in Ottawa agree. CSN has reported several times that the Fury was one of the rejected clubs when the league launched last year. Those making the call felt Ottawa wasn't a large enough market.
    The CSA isn't completely convinced in the NWSL as its decision to keep its players away at the start of the 2015 season suggests. However, if the league does thrive it's imperative that Canadian teams eventually are included.
    No team more deserves that bump up than the Fury. Ottawa fans should continue to get out and show the NWSL was wrong to bypass the Fury.
    This post was made during the site's 48-hour blogging marathon. We are attempting to raise funds to keep the site running through to the end of 2015 (and hopefully beyond).
    We are 25 percent of the way to our goal of $2,400.
    There are four ways to donate.
    1) You can send an EMT to CSNDonation@gmail.com
    2) You can make a PayPal donation to dgrollins@gmail.com
    3) You can make a cash donation to me in person (I will be at BMO Field on Wednesday -- email me for my phone number to arrange a meet up)
    4) You can mail me a cheque. Email me at DuaneGRollins@gmail.com for address.
    Thanks to all that have contributed so far and thanks to those who are considering a contribution.
    Guest
    Anyone that has followed the Canadian women's program over the years understands that things often don't go as smoothly as you might hope.
    One needs only to think back four years. That wasn't the best time in the program as a lot of long standing issues boiled over. There was talk of strikes if the program wasn't given "equatable" funding to the men. Head coach Caroline Morace was threatening to leave and the team's senior players weren't happy about it.
    It was a difficult time to cover the team as there were a lot of voices trying to use you to get a message out. What the truth was was difficult to determine.
    What wasn't hard to understand was that there were real divides in the program and that those divides were hurting the team's performance. A year later we learned just how badly they were hurting the team when it meekly went out of the World Cup with an 0-3 record. Although they don't actually rank teams that fail to advance from the group, it became popular to point out that Canada had finished "in last place" in Germany.
    Morace quit, likely before the final game of the World Cup had even been played. It was ugly.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    That ugliness is mostly forgotten today based on the bronze medal run at the Olympics.
    That run has created a lot of new fans of the program that aren't even aware of the past problems, and has allowed older fans to overlook the history based on their faith with new coach John Herdman.
    As hosts of the 2015 World Cup Canadians have little choice but to trust Herdman. The amount if faith placed on him caused panic attacks amongst the faithful when the England job came available a while back. Herdman eventually extended his contract with the CSA based largely on that panic and on the bronze run.
    There is a lot to like about Herdman. He's one of the most prepared coaches I've ever dealt with and he articulates his philosophy very well.
    Additionally, the bronze medal can never be taken away from the women. The question is whether we can reasonably expect such a performance to be repeated. I don't think the coaching staff thinks so, which is why a lot of the focus has been on bringing in young reinforcements over the past two years -- another place Herdman deserves credit.
    But, it would be a mistake not to keep a critical eye on a program that has had problems in the past. Problems that have happened with the same women in the same leadership roles they are currently in.
    Last month I was told of conflict within the women's camp. It was much of the same issues I heard about in the lead up to 2011. Some players feeling that they were out of the loop when it comes to being part of the preferred generation, players feeling pressured to play club football in certain places and trepidation about leaving their club teams for an extended period of time for a residential camp leading into the World Cup (and whether the CSA will properly insure their contracts while participating in that camp).
    Oh, and money. The women I spoke with claimed to have not been paid for their participation in the most recent camp. Needless to say this caused hard feelings.
    The money issue is one that will not go away. Many women feel under appreciated by the CSA and will continue to feel that way until they are more consistently compensated.
    However, putting that to the side for a moment the more worrisome issue is the extended camp. As I reported on The Equalizer last month, the CSA plans to keep its players away from their clubs for the majority of the NWSL season next year. That decision is based on a feeling that the technical side of the NWSL is not up to standards. That's upset a lot of Americans involved in the league, but upset Yanks is not really our concern.
    The players killing each other is.
    Again.
    No team, no matter how "together" the present publicly, is going to survive an extended camp in isolation without conflicts -- both real and imagined -- popping up. From what has come out after the fact, infighting was a major issue in the 2011 camps. That begs the question:
    Why are we doing it again?
    It's here that we are asked to trust Herdman. Certainly he prepared the team well in the lead up to London, but that doesn't mean we should blindly believe the 2015 plan is in the team's best interest. We need to make sure it's the right plan, not hope it is.
    For too long those in Canadian soccer were allowed to operate without critique. As much as we want to blindly trust Herdman we can't. If we want to sport to thrive we must constantly demand accountability.
    That's especially the case with a program that's about to host a World Cup.
    This post was made during the site's 48-hour blogging marathon. We are attempting to raise funds to keep the site running through to the end of 2015 (and hopefully beyond).
    We are 25 percent of the way to our goal of $2,400.
    There are four ways to donate.
    1) You can send an EMT to CSNDonation@gmail.com
    2) You can make a PayPal donation to dgrollins@gmail.com
    3) You can make a cash donation to me in person (I will be at BMO Field on Wednesday -- email me for my phone number to arrange a meet up)
    4) You can mail me a cheque. Email me at DuaneGRollins@gmail.com for address.
    Thanks to all that have contributed so far and thanks to those who are considering a contribution.
    Guest
    When you get an email promising more than seems possible you should think long and hard about whether it's real.
    That Nigerian prince probably isn't going to send you the rest of the money, there might be a catch to that Jamaican cruise and you probably aren't going to launch a pro career for your son or daughter by sending them to a soccer camp in Niagara.
    Yet, that's what's being implied in an e-mail circulating today by a group calling itself the Youth Soccer League of Ontario -- YSLO (not to be mistaken with Drake catchphrases).
    For what it's worth, YSLO promises "an opportunity to highly skilled, hard working and committed players to join in a new year round Identification and Development programme."
    It goes on to stress that "this will NOT take away from regular participation with a Club/Academy."
    CSN has confirmed that the league is not sanctioned. Typically, a player risks his or her status if they play in unsanctioned leagues.
    YSLO is being run by Bert Lobo, who used to run the Ontario Youth Soccer League, which is being phased out in favour of the LTPD standards based OPDL.
    Many of those who were involved in the OYSL have spoken out against the OPDL. It's been suggested by those in favour of a standards based approach that the opposition is due to a former revenue stream being cut off.
    Although the YSLO group says that athletes deemed to be in the pro/national team/NCAA pathway can play for free, there is a "a nominal cost" for players not deemed good enough for that level.
    "For people not versed in the language of soccer this could look like a great opportunity," an Ontario insider said, "but in reality it will only deceive some unsuspecting parents out of their money as a further attempt to undermine LTPD."
    So, whereas it's true that YOLO, you should probably give YSLO a skip.
    This post was made during the site's 48-hour blogging marathon. We are attempting to raise funds to keep the site running through to the end of 2015 (and hopefully beyond).
    We are 25 percent of the way to our goal of $2,400.
    There are four ways to donate.
    1) You can send an EMT to CSNDonation@gmail.com
    2) You can make a PayPal donation to dgrollins@gmail.com
    3) You can make a cash donation to me in person (I will be at BMO Field on Wednesday -- email me for my phone number to arrange a meet up)
    4) You can mail me a cheque. Email me at DuaneGRollins@gmail.com for address.
    Thanks to all that have contributed so far and thanks to those who are considering a contribution.
    Guest

    TFC looking to Brazil again?

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    If Instagram is to be trusted, Corinthians winger Giovanni Piccolomo is on trial with Toronto FC.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Or maybe more. The player has posted several photos of himself with Gilberto at Real Sports from this week and his Instagram (Gipiccolomo) profile reads "Atleta profissional do sport club Corinthians. Paulista. Atualmente no Toronto FC. Abencoado por deus."
    Roughly translated, it says "Professional athlete with Corinthians...Currently in Toronto FC. Blessed by God."
    CSN reached out to TFC for comment. We will update if we hear back.
    Piccolomo is just 20. He has made 8 appearances with Corinthians since 2012, scoring once. He's also been on loan with Associação Atlética Ponte Preta of Serie B, where he made 9 appearances.
    This post was made during the site's 48-hour blogging marathon. We are attempting to raise funds to keep the site running through to the end of 2015 (and hopefully beyond).
    We are 25 percent of the way to our goal of $2,400.
    There are four ways to donate.
    1) You can send an EMT to CSNDonation@gmail.com
    2) You can make a PayPal donation to dgrollins@gmail.com
    3) You can make a cash donation to me in person (I will be at BMO Field on Wednesday -- email me for my phone number to arrange a meet up)
    4) You can mail me a cheque. Email me at DuaneGRollins@gmail.com for address.
    Thanks to all that have contributed so far and thanks to those who are considering a contribution.
    Guest
    It's a blogging marathon!
    Yep, for the next 48-hours I will be blogging consecutively about TFC, MLS, the World Cup, NASL and the Canadian national teams. What that means in practice is that there will be 24 new posts published over the next two days.
    For the math challenged that's one per every two hours.
    This is a repeat of something I did in 2009 that proved to be popular. The only difference is that I did 24 posts in 24 hours at that point. I could repeat that, but the quality would suffer.
    That's the thing: The purpose of doing this is to demonstrate what kind of quality this site can produce in a quick period of time. It's also an illustration of my commitment to bring this site back to its former volume of postings.
    No, we can't do 12 posts a day -- not without a significant investment -- but three to five? That was the case in the past and it can be the case again.
    What needs to happen to ensure that type of volume is for us to reach our fundraising goal of $2,400. We are 25 percent there already. Based on reaching that level I will ensure that we will provide no fewer than 10 posts a week for the rest of the 2014 season.
    This will be the only time we ask this year. If we can find a corporate sponsor -- and, yes, we are actively looking for one -- then this might be the only time we ask. For the record, we've only asked one prior time. That was five years ago.
    If you have noticed the increased coverage over the last three days and you enjoy the marathon please consider making a donation of your choosing. No amount is too small (or, big ).
    There are four ways to donate.
    1) You can send an EMT to CSNDonation@gmail.com
    2) You can make a PayPal donation to dgrollins@gmail.com
    3) You can make a cash donation to me in person (I will be at BMO Field on Wednesday -- email me for my phone number to arrange a meet up)
    4) You can mail me a cheque. Email me at DuaneGRollins@gmail.com for address.
    Thanks to all that have contributed so far and thanks to those who are considering a contribution.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Michael Mccoll
    Singer Marc Bolan once asked "whatever happened to the teenage dream?. Well, the dream of T-Rex's 70's is alive in Canada and it comes in the form of Panini World Cup stickers!
    Maybe I just don't remember it from four years ago or maybe it just says a lot about my twitter timeline and online social media friends, but the art of sticker collecting seems to have made a triumphant rebirth for this year's World Cup in Brazil.
    And it is fantastic!
    Phrases like "got, not got", "doublers", "swaps", "foil" and "hours of sticky fun" are prevelant in my timelines and they're not all coming from me. Well, ok, the last one was, but the rest aren't.
    People are meeting strangers in parks to exchange their wares. Not an unfamiliar site in downtown Vancouver admittedly, but the only medical risk you have from this encounter is a paper cut.
    And it's good to actually get out and get some fresh air because you can lose hours sitting at home opening packets of stickers, peeling off the backs and carefully sticking them in place. *insert Homer Simpson drool here*
    Now, before we go too much further, for those of you reading this who don't know what I'm really going on about (can't be many!), here's a quick catch up guide (and brief breakdown of my insanity) from an article we wrote back in 2012.
    The art of sticker collecting seems to be back. As are countless childhood memories for me.
    It's attracting all ages, all sexes and I'm pretty sure all species and alien life forms too (let's build up the hyperbola here). And not, as my wife asked me over the weekend, "a bunch of other people going through a midlife crisis"!!
    The 2014 Panini World Cup sticker album is a thing of beauty, and an improvement on the last couple of ones that I wasn't really too impressed with aesthetically speaking.
    You'll need 642 stickers to complete the 80 page album this time around and the quality of the stickers seems to have improved from the 2010 one.
    The foil ones in particular look much better and less tacky. There's 40 of them to collect this time around. The 32 team badges and 8 FIFA ones of mascots and logos.
    The 12 stadiums come as two piece stickers once again, after making that switch in the 2010 album. Looking back on my old albums, they certainly do look a lot more majestic that way and the smaller, olde time ones look really crappy now in comparison.
    Somewhat aptly, 29% of my stadium set currently remains uncompleted as we approach the first match of the tournament on June 12th.
    Of course, switching to double stickers for the stadium means that other stuff has had to go or will likely never see the light of day again.
    From flicking through my old albums going back to 1982, it's interesting to see just how old the previous ones actually look.
    The Mexico 86 album is still my favourite. And not just because both Scotland and Canada were in it!
    It's the first one I truly remember really getting in to and although I had others before it, they were binned but I kept this one.
    The 1982 one I have I bought off ebay and likewise the 1994 one for the US World Cup which I never actually got round to buying because I'd headed over here for the tournament and didn't have the time. Not the same as knowing it was yours to begin with, but at least I can still engage in the ebay search to complete them over time.
    But that Mexico 86 album had one of my favourite pages from all of the albums - posters from all the previous 12 World Cups. I don't know why, but they were the ones that always stuck in my head and I still love looking at them.
    That album also had stickers for each city as well as stadium and to me is the classic Panini World Cup sticker album that others are held up to.
    But I do really like the 2014 version (although I could have done without the three Johnson and Johnson sponsor stickers at the end, as cute as they are).
    You can pick the 2014 album up for $2 from a number of retailers (Coles and London Drugs are two places in Vancouver that I know have them), whilst stickers cost $1 for a pack of 7.
    Still pretty reasonable actually. Looking at my Mexico 86 album, that seemed to have cost me 20p - 49c in Canada.
    Interestingly, non US and Canadian packs of stickers come in just packs of five, so it should be cheaper to complete your collection here. Well, in theory.
    The last couple of World Cups I've gone about getting my stickers in different ways.
    The 2002 one was the last time I actually went into shops and bought individual packets. For 2006, I bought a box off ebay and still never got round to grabbing the last 94 I needed to complete the album.
    It felt a strange way of doing it but I still got to open the stickers and it just cut out the middle man.
    For 2010, I decided that this time I'd actually complete an album so bought an empty album and a full set of opened loose stickers from ebay.
    And I hated it! No enjoyment in that whatsoever.
    I soon remembered that part of the joy of sticker collecting was to actually open the stickers yourself, so that's what I've done this time around. Ebay is still my friend, but this time I bought two unopened boxes. 100 packets and 700 stickery goodness awaited me.
    Well, goodness and frustration.
    Opening that first pack, I was like a kid again. Fred was my first sticker this time around, so obviously that means Brazil will be winning the whole shebang. Opening a pack and seeing my first foil, you can imagine my excitement. And when I got a two foil pack....
    My wife was just shaking her head!
    But then all the frustrations of my childhood came flooding back too. That first double. It took eight packs I think it was before I got it, but still, the disappointment. And by box two that disappointment kept increasing when I was lucky to have three or four newbies in a pack.
    Then the frustration grew to cursing. Who the hell is Joao Rojas and why the hell do I now have five stickers of him?!
    The stickers had arrived Friday and by the wee small hours of Monday morning, they were all opened and stuck in. I was actually dreaming of opening stickers and on Tuesday I found myself going to collect the mail and thinking to myself "man, I wish I had more packets of stickers to open". Addict!
    Do I have a problem? Yes, I have a problem. And that problem is that despite buying 700 stickers for a 642 sticker album, I still need 203 of the bloody things to complete it!! And I still don't have one complete team set.
    Bosnia. So close. Uruguay. What the hell happened to all their stickers?
    So let the swapsies begin!
    You can find my "Got, Not Got" spreadsheet HERE.
    Do you have what I need? Can I fill your holes?! Hit me up!
    Better still, I'm going to throw out a swap meet idea for this Friday evening. The Caps U23's are playing Victoria Highlanders at UBC's Thunderbird Stadium at 5pm on Friday evening. Let's turn that into a Juan De Fuca Plate/Panini Swapfest.
    Bring your stickers with you. Meet us towards the right hand side of the seats and let the swapping games begin.
    And for those of you not in Vancouver, leave your swaps links and contact details below.
     
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    [** Please consider supporting AFTN's fundraising campaign. All the details are here - http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?5455-AFTN-Fundraising-Drive **]
     
    Guest
    Plastic trophies are addictive. Useless, but addictive.
    Parents can look at them and feel that they are doing a good job raising future superstars. Kids can look at them and dream of the day they might be silver.
    Coaches can...well, if they are good coaches they can send them to Value Village. The bad ones can hang them on their wall and think of them as proof they are just a couple lucky breaks from being promoted from the East Ottawa u-12 Red Devils to the actual Red Devils in Manchester.
    It's precisely because they are addictive that those who are trying to drag Canada's development system into the 21st Century are doing all that they can to eliminate the plastic trophy chase from the youth game.
    If you don't keep standings, you can keep coaches focused on what matters -- development.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Unfortunately the focus now often remains on defending an outdated, competitive, system that, in fairness, is all people have ever known. Additionally, the program that is replacing it -- LTPD -- hasn't always been sold as well as it could have been.
    Outside of a few true believers (Jason de Vos being the most vocal/highest profile voice) mostly talking to other true believers, it's rare to hear an articulate defence of the new ways.
    The biggest way this manifests itself is in the fight against "not keeping score." Putting aside the fact they do, in fact, keep score and that what the new system advocates is to not keep a table, this is where the battle lines are drawn.
    People just can't wrap their head around the idea that keeping standings at the youngest ages is counterproductive to a development focus. Human nature will cause coaches and parents to demand short-term thinking (WIN NOW!!1!!1!1!!) over thinking long (Scholarships! Pro careers!! National team caps!!!).
    But, but hockey, you might be saying. Indeed, minor hockey in this country operates under a hyper-competitive system that constantly weeds out the small and the weak. It works because of the sheer amount of kids involved and because of the insane amount of money at the top of the development pyramid -- the CHL.
    Soccer does not have anywhere near the same advantages. Also, does the hockey system even work? How many talented kids are driven out of the game because of the irrational pressure it places upon children (and I was involved in it, so I can speak from experience. There is nothing as, well, terrifying as watching grown adults watching the All Ontario atom CC final...).
    Also, take a look at how many January, February and March birthdays there are amongst Canadian NHL players. Why does that matter? The age cut-off in minor hockey is January 1. Thus, kids born in January are competing against kids born as much as 11 months later. That's a long time in an 8-year old's physical development.
    In short, the January babies are bigger than the December ones and thus are more likely to make travel teams at the younger ages which, in turn, means they get better coaching and thus are still better by the time the size advantage evens out.
    The same thing happens in all youth sports, soccer included.
    But, this is hard concept to easily digest. Winning games is easy to understand, which is why we're seeing parents (we assume) involved at the highest level of development in Ontario openly betraying the no standings philosophy of the new OPDL.
    Just two weeks into the new league and already an independent website has popped up to make sure we know that Vaughn kicked the u13 TFC academy's ass last week.
    Fear not, OPDLStandings.com will make sure you know what teams deserve their plastic trophies. It wouldn't shock me if somewhere someone is collecting money to give a plastic trophy to the "champion."
    I'm inclined to think that these people are misguided, but well meaning. So, I hope that whoever is behind this website takes up De Vos' challenge he issued on the TSN FC podcast this week to debate him about the value of standings at the u13 level. He asked listeners to contact him via Twitter if they knew who was behind it. His Twitter address is @jasondevos.
    In the meantime I propose a compromise. We will keep standings, we'll just delay them for 5-6 years. One point per scholarship, two per pro contract and three per national team call-up.
    I'll be happy to give the winner the biggest plastic trophy I can buy.
    Please allow us to continue to provide this service beyond the end of 2014 by contributing to our month long fundraising campaign.
    Donations can be made in the following ways:
    1) EMT money transfer to CSNDonation@gmail.com (make password BloodyBigDeal)
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    3) Cash donation provided in person at TFC event (or if for podcast, to Kevin at an Impact game)
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    More information on the fundraising effort can be found here. Please restrict all comments and questions about the effort to the comment section below the original article.
    Michael Mccoll
    There’s a really good feeling around Vancouver Whitecaps right now.
    You just have to watch them at training to see that they are playing as a team, playing for each other and playing for Carl Robinson.
    Sitting watching training on Monday, it was very noticeable. The players all had smiles on their faces, even though they had just undergone a surprise and dreaded beep test. They enjoy turning up for their work.
    I’ve been around training with the Caps since the start of the MLS era and it hasn’t always felt like that.
    But it wasn’t just all laughs and fun, the competitiveness of the mini games was intense, with players battling hard for a spot in the gameday eighteen. Every questionable decision by referee Gordon Forrest was vigorously, and humorously, contested.
    The players have a winning and fiercely competitive mentality, even in three minute 7-a-side intrasquad training games, and it’s infectious to be around.
    Robinson plays down his own impact in creating the happy campers and whilst his persona and player management skills undoubtedly play a huge part in instilling the current culture, the Caps’ coach lays the reason squarely at the door of those in his squad.
    "I think it's the group of guys that we've brought in," Robinson told us on Monday. "It's important that when you sign players it's not just about what they do on the field, it's about what they do off the field as well."
    But when you’re bringing in a number of different nationalities, from different cultures, how do you know the players will be a good mix and have the personality to fit in with what you have already?
    Only so much can be gleamed from a quick pre-signing chat and are you really sure the player you first meet is the player you’re actually going to get?
    For Robinson, it all starts with the words of others. Others that he trusts fully.
    "Character references," is what Robinson says is key. "You build up contacts in football for reasons that when you go to sign a player you put your trust in other people."
    "The guys that we've brought in this year, the two Uruguayan boys, Pedro, as well as Mati Laba, had very good character references and I think you can see that when you get a group of guys that are on the same page and enjoy each others company off the field as well as on the field, then you're getting the best out of them and training harder."
    Omar Salgado has been with the Caps since the start of their MLS journey. Four seasons, four locker rooms and when we spoke with Salgado after the TFC game last week he told us that this was the best Whitecaps dressing room "by far".
    There’s never been huge locker room issues in Vancouver as such, more a couple of square pegs and round holes over the years and a few, let’s just say difficult, personalities.
    Robinson has seen his own fare share of dressing rooms in his career. He’s seen the good, he’s seen the bad, and he knows what he has right now.
    "As a young player, I know that if I was in that locker room I'd be delighted to be part of it."

    Guest

    London bound: QPR recalls Cesar

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    It appears that Julio Cesar's time in Toronto will be short.
    QPR has requested that the Brazilian international be returned to a the club following the World Cup. There was no indication of whether the recall will be tied into QPR winning its playoff final over Derby County.
    Since the MLS salary cap is actually a full season budget, Cesar leaving will free up a great deal of room. Only the money TFC has paid him will count against the cap. It should few up about $150,000.
    Some will question whether bringing him in for such a short amount of time was worth it. Joe Bendik is a capable keeper and having more than $300,000 of the cap on two keepers is questionable.
    TFC will likely counter that Bendik and the defenders gained valuable experience playing with a player of Cesar's caliber.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Please allow us to continue to provide this service beyond the end of 2014 by contributing to our month long fundraising campaign.
    Donations can be made in the following ways:
    1) EMT money transfer to CSNDonation@gmail.com (make password BloodyBigDeal)
    2) PayPal donation to dgrollins@gmail.com
    3) Cash donation provided in person at TFC event (or if for podcast, to Kevin at an Impact game)
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    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest

    PDO update for May 20th

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    With the season around the one-third mark (time flies, eh?) it's time to update the MLS PDO rankings.
    As a reminder, PDO is a combination of a team's shooting and save percentage. It's a useful measure for demonstrating luck.
    Teams should have a value within a couple points of 1.0. If a team's value is considerably higher than 1.0 they can be seen as being unusually lucky. Conversely, a team well below 1.0 is having considerable bad luck.
    No measure is perfect. There will always be outlier figures and, with PDO, those outliers can likely be explained by a single player having an outstanding string of results. However, even if that's the case, fans should be wary of a high PDO. A correction is likely.
    When we last did these rankings Dallas was on top of the league and had an insanely high PDO. Their PDO is still among the highest in the league, but is dropping quickly -- just like its standing. You can't take the points off the board that they gained, but you could have anticipated the fall by looking at the PDO.
    The list below the jump.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    1. RSL 1.09
    2. New England 1.05
    3. Dallas 1.028
    4. New York 1.027
    5. DC United 1.023
    6. Vancouver 1.021
    7. Seattle 1.01
    8. Columbus 1.007
    9. San Jose 1.005
    10. Toronto 1.0
    11. Kansas City .998
    12. Portland .988
    13. Chicago .887
    14. Colorado .974
    15. Galaxy .973
    16. Houston .967
    17. Chivas .959
    18. Philly .954
    19. Montreal .929
    Basically anything between .980 and 1.2 can probably be viewed as normal. Those teams are not receiving any more or less luck than they should expect.
    Outside of that can probably expect a correction. That's especially the case at the top and bottom of the list.
    Montreal is interesting. It's likely a case of the Impact just not finishing and it suggests that Montreal should improve if Di Vaio's form gets hot.
    Please allow us to continue to provide this service beyond the end of 2014 by contributing to our month long fundraising campaign.
    Donations can be made in the following ways:
    1) EMT money transfer to CSNDonation@gmail.com (make password BloodyBigDeal)
    2) PayPal donation to dgrollins@gmail.com
    3) Cash donation provided in person at TFC event (or if for podcast, to Kevin at an Impact game)
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    Guest
    An extension to Canadian Soccer News’ MLS Week in Review, this article provides a closer look at the performances of the Canadian players who saw the pitch this week.
    Top three spots this round go to Portland’s Will Johnson, Montreal’s Patrice Bernier, and Toronto’s Kyle Bekker.
    Find out what they did to deserve recognition and who else earned their keep this week.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Will Johnson
    Johnson made his eleventh-straight start for Portland in their 3-3 draw against Columbus on Saturday night – he has now started nineteen consecutive league matches, stretching back to an injury-enforced absence last August.
    With Diego Chara nursing a metacarpal-injury, Johnson was paired with Ben Zemanski at the base of the midfield, from whence he was instrumental in guiding his side to a draw despite going down a man after 34 minutes.
    Indicative of that energy was how, after miss-hitting an early pass, he hustled up-field to force a turnover immediately making amends for the error. It was that sort of drive that helped craft the opening goal in the fifth minute, when Johnson pressured Josh Williams forcing another turnover on the left and feeding Steve Zakuani, who in turn found Max Urruti:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/aNnYAPaRLng?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    Allowed to be more aggressive at home, Johnson was caught pressing a little too high on Columbus’ equalizer, allowing Wil Trapp to walk around him in the centre-circle, leading to
    .He had a good chance before half-time to put Portland back in the lead in the 43rd, when Diego Valeri’s cleared cross fell to him at the top of the box, but his volley-attempt squirreled wide.
    With his side trailing after half-time, courtesy of another Higuain strike (from the penalty spot, this time), Johnson sought to drag his side back in, attempting a hopeful free-kick on target from a tight angle before eventually finding the equalizer in the 80th minute.
    A long, cross-field Valeri pass sprung Jack Jewsbury down the right. Three Columbus defenders collapsed on him, but Jewsbury was able to poke away a heavy touch from Tyson Wahl into the path of Johnson, whose right-footed shot deflected off Giancarlo Gonzalez and past Steve Clark:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BNalFgfnj7o?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    It was his second goal of the season.
    The Toronto-born midfielder completed 41 of 51 passes, attempted four shots – two on and two off, won a pair of tackles, committed one foul and suffered two, and made seven recoveries, losing possession ten times.
    Post-match, he reflected on the match, with one of the quotes of the season:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=4bfc225f82bf46c48dfb065eda97f74f&ec=V1MXJ4bTql_9pun2fxKrtExiKPbv7o7s"></script>
    Patrice Bernier
    Bernier returned to the Montreal starting lineup in their 1-1 draw at DC United having appeared from the bench last weekend, in between the two legs of the Voyageurs Cup – it was his fifth start of the season and ninth appearance.
    He spoke with the media after Montreal’s controversial last-minute win over FC Edmonton, having taken the deciding penalty himself (en francais):
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#ec=JnZm13bTp2ba6SJeTwoIVUwcRoFz99f9&pbid=41f1c9755e3049bcb121cfb860dbf062"></script>
    Alongside Hernan Bernardello at the base of the Impact midfield on Saturday, Bernier had a steady performance with his side desperate to begin to turn around a tricky season with a solid road performance.
    He nearly played a role in putting his side behind in the 15th minute when he stuck out a boot to try and block a Fabian Espindola ball in the box, redirecting it upwards for Eddie Johnson and Wandrille Lefevre to challenge in the air. Lefevre would make contact, unintentionally directing the ball goal-ward where it would strike off the bar.
    But come the 56th minute, Bernier’s vision would play in his favour, sweeping a ball from deep over the DC back-line for Justin Mapp to chase towards the end-line. The in-form Mapp beat DC left-back, Christian, to the ball, pulling back for Jack McInerney at the near-post, who opened the scoring:
    <iframe width="533" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/yk8kOMqAeEo?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    The goal was nice, but what Montreal really needed was a little bit of midfield tenacity, which Bernier brought to the match, wrestling Perry Kitchen to the ground on one occasion and picking up a yellow card in the 92nd minute for bringing down Nick DeLeon – his first of the season.
    The Brossard, Quebec-native completed 38 of 48 passes, won six headers and five tackles, committing four fouls, and making eight recoveries and a pair of clearances, while losing possession twelve times.
    Kyle Bekker
    Bekker made his fifth-straight start for Toronto FC in their 2-0 win over New York on Saturday – it was his sixth appearance, all in the last month and a half, not to mention Voyageurs Cup duty.
    Given the more attacking role in the centre of midfield, with Michael Bradley away and Bradley Orr providing defensive cover, Bekker was all over the place, causing havoc for a troubled New York defense.
    He had a good look on goal after seven minutes, when Jonathan Osorio found him on the edge of the Red Bull area, but he could not get himself over the ball, curling a right-footer wide of the far-post. He then cleverly took a tight-angled free-kick from deep near the New York end-line low, through the goal-mouth, that was just a little too hot for Gilberto to handle at the back-post:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#ec=Nza294bTpHS56wIDxdY_ywP0Id8Mk63I&pbid=4bfc225f82bf46c48dfb065eda97f74f"></script>
    Shortly after the half-hour, he spotted Jermain Defoe floating in-between the New York centre-backs, picking him out with a lovely pinpoint cross that Defoe chested down, but had to rush a shot under pressure, going high.
    He was caught in possession on one occasion, putting himself in the awkward position above the TFC box and was lucky to not have a foul called for a pretty obvious shirt-pull on Eric Alexander – the New York midfielder’s shot struck his teammate, Thierry Henry and went out for a goal-kick.
    And finally, having forced a turnover in midfield, Bekker had a glorious chance to seal the result in the 92nd minute, but put his right-footer wide of the post – again he was a touch off-balance:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=4bfc225f82bf46c48dfb065eda97f74f&ec=9vMXB4bTpJ6Xes1gpY5gC6SD2p7D5PkT"></script>
    The Oakville, Ontario-native completed 38 of 54 passes, had four shots – two blocked and two wide, won four headers and three of his four tackles, and made five recoveries, four interceptions, and three clearances, while losing possession some seventeen times.
    Jonathan Osorio
    Osorio made his third-straight start for Toronto in a winning effort against New York – it was his fifth start of the season.
    Stationed on the left-side of midfield, Osorio was his usual productive self, recovering from an early bell-ringer when Kosuke Kimura climbed over him on an aerial challenge to cause all sorts of trouble to a discombobulated New York.
    In the 24th minute, Osorio threaded a lovely through-ball down the right-channel for Defoe, who tried to drag past Jamison Olave, only to see the defender poke away the ball from the ground.
    Come the second half, Osorio was at it again, laying a wonderful ball down the right for Mark Bloom’s overlap that led to Daniel Lovitz’ chance; cleared off the line by Olave:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=403636afd0bc4debb836bf917bdf5d28&ec=pld294bTrqYEzRLRFjTmF_2dtiwGOD6-"></script>
    Kofi Opare
    Opare made a second-straight start for Los Angeles in their 1-0 loss at Houston – it was his third-straight appearance in place of Omar Gonzalez, having subbed in for the defender three weeks ago against Colorado.
    As the left-sided centre-back, Opare put in a fantastic, physical performance, skillfully preventing Andrew Driver from getting on the end of a squared ball to the near-post on one occasion, by staying tight and strong, but committing no foul (Houston would claim a penalty, but even the Dynamo commentator, Eddie Robinson - a former defender himself, commended Opare on playing the situation perfectly and clean), then holding the dynamic Mark Sherrod away from a long ball.
    There was no getting past him on the night; when Giles Barnes did get the better of him on one occasion – from a Will Bruin pass that sprung him down the right-channel, Opare recovered wonderfully to force the attacker wide.
    He would pick up a yellow card, for a handball in the 76th minute, going to ground and catching a pass with his arm – it was his first booking of the season.
    The Niagara Falls, Ontario-raised defender completed sixteen of his eighteen passes, won all five of his tackles, and made a staggering 23 clearances (many of them interventionary headers) and four interceptions, losing possession just twice.
    Somebody call this man into the National Team camp already.
    Post-match he commented: “As a team we definitely played pretty hard, it was very unfortunate to give up that goal, a cheap goal we gave away. At the same time we could have been a little better offensively and defensively, so add in a goal as well and defend a little bit better all around the field. So obviously we must learn from the lost and look to turn the corner pretty fast because we play on Wednesday and the guys will respond back.”
    Wandrille Lefevre
    Lefevre made his second-straight start for Montreal in DC – encapsulating his only two appearances of the season, as Frank Klopas continued to mine the bench for minutes, rewarding a solid outing last weekend from the defender.
    As the right-sided of the centre-back pairing, alongside Heath Pearce, Lefevre put in a very strong performance against DC, but nearly put into his own net, on the aforementioned play – an Espindola ball flicked up by Bernier, leading to an aerial challenge with Johnson:
    <script height="300px" width="533px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=4bfc225f82bf46c48dfb065eda97f74f&ec=o0YnB4bTrEabpcC3ePMj6SQWIlZu3ArQ"></script>
    He has nice running battle with Johnson all match, containing the vengeance-filled forward for much of the match – it is telling that his goal came from drifting to his right (where Pearce was responsible for him on a cross from Espindola in the 84th minute.
    The France-born defender completed 23 of 27 passes, won three headers and a pair of tackles, made five recoveries, five interceptions, and three clearances, losing possession four times.
    Rob Friend
    Friend made his third-straight start for LA in their loss at Houston – it was his fourth start and seventh appearance of the season.
    Paired up top with Samuel for the first time, Bruce Arena having opted to field Robbie Keane as an attacking midfield, Friend was starved of service for much of the first half, though he put in a solid shift, displaying a willingness to track back and contribute defensively on set-pieces.
    His one good look came in the 52nd minute when Juninho slipped him in down the left-side of the box, but his attempted shot was blocked.
    Shortly thereafter, he made way for Gyasi Zardes, subbing out in the 58th minute. One commentator mentioned that patience with his lack of scoring was wearing thin, but if LA brought Friend in for his goal-scoring feats they were surely mistaken.
    His role is to occupy the centre-backs and make space for the Galaxy’s darting attackers – that Landon Donovan has struggled and Keane, though scoring, not been as dangerous as last season, is hardly Friend’s doing.
    The Rosetown, Saskatchewan-native completed nine of his fifteen passes, won seven headers and two tackles, had two attempts at goal – both blocked, made two recoveries and committed a single foul, while conceding possession six times.
    Tesho Akindele
    Akindele made his fourth-appearance of the season for FC Dallas, replacing Blas Perez in the 85th minute in their 1-1 draw against Chivas USA on Saturday.
    The Calgary, Alberta-native completed his only pass during that brief cameo, as Dallas pressed for a winner, having just leveled in the 83rd minute.
    Akindele commented last Tuesday, on earning his first start the previous round: “It was just excitement. Maybe a little bit of nerves, but luckily I’ve played in games before so most of the nerves were gone. It was mostly just excitement. It was a great field, great atmosphere and I was happy to be out there.”
    While his coach, Oscar Pareja, commented: “He did well. It was a great game for Tesho in his first game as a starter. He came in and showed personality and I think he adapted to the game and the [level] which is difficult to play at. Tesho did good and he’s coming along. I’m happy for his performance.”
    Maxim Tissot
    Tissot entered Montreal’s match in DC in the 89th minute, replacing Sanna Nyassi – it was his fourth-appearance of the season and second from the bench. All four appearances have come in the last four matches.
    The Gatineau, Quebec-native completed his only pass of the match and made one clearance, reinforcing the Impact back-line to help preserve the precious road point.
    The Rest
    Doneil Henry, Dwayne De Rosario, Ashtone Morgan, Karl Ouimette, and Nana Attakora were on the bench for their respective sides.
    Just two days after scoring the winning penalty kick in the Vancouver-Toronto Voyageurs Cup series, Issey Nakajima-Farran was trade to Montreal, along with some allocation monies, for Collen Warner – on his birthday no less; MLS can be harsh:
    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Thanx2 every1 in TO4ur support.Cant believe it still.Looking 4wd2 Montreal. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23dirtythirty&src=hash">#dirtythirty</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23shudofhitthepost&src=hash">#shudofhitthepost</a> <a href="http://t.co/89frKfsWre">pic.twitter.com/89frKfsWre</a></p>— Issey NakajimaFarran (@isseynfarran) <a href="
    ">May 17, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
    He will rejoin former team-mate and fellow Canadian, Patrice Bernier with the Impact.

    and spoke with the media after Vancouver’s defeat.All videos 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
    It's been 16 days since Darren Mattocks fell to the BC Place turf against San Jose Earthquakes clutching his hamstring and having to be taken off just before the half hour mark.
    With Kenny Miller and the Caps parting ways the next day, the extent of Mattocks' injury was still unknown but you felt it was going to be a big blow to Vancouver's firepower.
    That in itself is a phrase I didn't think I'd be using just a few months ago, but a new attitude both on and off the pitch has seen Mattocks score two goals, lead the Caps with three assists and become a key team player.
    The injury has turned out not be as bad as first feared and now the Jamaican is pushing to be a surprise inclusion in the Caps' squad for Saturday's first Cascadia Cup clash of the season against Seattle.
    It's been some turnaround for the player and you just have to watch Mattocks interacting at training with his teammates to see the difference. It's almost as if the Whitecaps have a new player on their squad.
    "He's different. I think it's clear for everyone to see," was Caps' coach Carl Robinson's take on the player when speaking with reporters at training on Monday. "I think he's in a good place and I think it's important my job, and Gordon and Martyn, that we keep him in that good place."
    "Seeing Darren smiling, seeing Darren talking in the group within the changing room and giving his voice and opinions, as well as seeing Darren run. Usually last year it was like, come on Darren you need to do this and this. Now we're not saying too much to him and he's actually taking it on board himself and running. It's a big part of the game these days and it's a big strength of his."
    Mattocks' well publicised strop in front of Jamaican television cameras tarnished his reputation with many here in Vancouver in the offseason.
    Petulant and egotistical were certainly words that could have been used to describe the 23-year-old. Many, myself included, felt that he was in last chance saloon in Vancouver and that there would be no way back into the first team reckoning.
    But hard work and a completely different attitude both on and off the pitch have seen the Jamaican become very much a team player and not the individual performer that sometimes came across.
    Mattocks 2.0 is a much more likeable person. So what's been behind the change in Mattocks' attitude?
    "Me!" Robinson said with a laugh. "It's difficult, it really is. Darren's the same person this year as he was last year, but the dynamics are slightly different.
    "All credit to Darren. Last year was tough year for him, it really was, and with some players, with young players especially, they need to learn what it's like and how it's like to deal in certain situations.
    "After his first year which was great, I think he scored 7 or 8 goals, and then he came back with a spring in his step and then it didn't quite take off as much as he would like. I think he did a lot of self reflecting in the offseason.
    "Obviously having a manager that believes in you does help and it's important how you deal with these young players. Young players do go through consistency spells where they're high and low, but so do senior players. As long as you're open with them and you tell them as it is, then they'll go to war with you.
    "It's all credit to Darren at the moment because he is in a good place. It's important I keep his feet on the ground but maintain the focus with him and he can maintain his own focus because when's he's like that and focused, he's very hard to play against."
    Mattocks in full flow is certainly a handful for most defences in MLS. He just needs to work on that clinical finishing touch but he has shown, especially in his rookie season, that he is a player for the big occasion and they don't come too much bigger than the back to back games coming up against Seattle and Portland.
    Robinson would certainly love to have him in his armoury for the battle at BC Place against the Sounders at the weekend. So is there a chance or is it just a game too soon?
    "We'll look at it and evaluate it on Thursday," Robinson said on Monday. "I won't take a risk on Darren. If Darren's not ready then I won't push him into it but it would be nice to have him available."
    With two big Cascadia Cup clashes now coming up Mattocks is desperate to play a part in the matches he describes as being that "little bit extra special", but he knows that rushing back too soon and risking further damage and missing more gametime does nothing to help him or the team in the long run.
    That said, the Jamaican has made great inroads with his injury recovery and is feeling good.
    "It's coming on. I'm being optimistic. I think it's where I want it to be. 15 days in, or something like that," Mattocks said after a light training session on Monday.
    "I'm just going to take it day by day this week. Obviously I want to play in every game, but I'm not going to rush it. I don't want to try and come back too quickly and it sets me back for another couple of weeks. For me, it's just day by day and see how this week goes."
    So how close to being ready does he feel he is?
    "There is no pain. I haven't felt pain in the last five days. The guys on the medical staff have been doing a fantastic job trying to get me back. Got to give them credit. It's better than I expected.
    "At this point I think my most important asset is will I be able to sprint full out and make sure I've turns? I've been there so far but let's see how the next couple of days in training goes.
    "I'm being optimistic but I'm also being realistic that if that it's not ready by Saturday then it's just not ready."
    Mattocks won't train on Tuesday and will do some light work on Wednesday. You have to feel that Seattle may just come a few days too soon. It would be a major surprise to see him take the field in that one, especially on turf, but Portland the week after is certainly a far more realistic proposition now.
    For a player that always wants to play, it's been hard for Mattocks to sit out Vancouver's last three matches, which has seen the Caps' first away win of the season and a brave, but ultimately heartbreaking, two game series against Toronto.
    He's been enjoying what he's seen as a spectator though.
    "The guys have been phenomenal. A very young team over the last couple of games. To see the guys respond like that, especially in the return leg, over 120 minutes and into PKs, I think that shows the desire and the depth.
    "I think we've got pretty good depth and that's what we need going forward into the season."

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