Jump to content

  • Articles

    Manage articles
    Show all categories
    Guest

    Fearless Predictions 2014: CanMNT

    By Guest, in Some Canadian Guys,

    This is part of my series of "fearless" (i.e. irrelevant) predictions for various areas of Canadian soccer in 2014. For any idea of why I'm doing this, click here.
    This is some dangerous territory, given that in 2013, the men's national team showed us that pretty much anything is possible. Going 13 games with only one goal scored? Check. Failing to beat Mauritania, given two chances to do so? Check. Giving a guy twice as many minutes with the senior national team than he's ever played as a pro? Check.
    So it's going to be nearly impossible to make predictions for this team in 2014, right? Even so, we must forge ahead. Because we are fearless (or something)!
    Fearless Predictions for the Canadian Men's National Team in 2014
    Two goals. A 100% improvement from 2013!
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Someone will finally snap on a media conference call with Benito Floro. Despite the fact that the CSA pays for him to have translators, Floro has thus far gone the extra mile to try and answer all media questions in English. While this is definitely admirable, and he's perfectly understandable in the context of a casual conversation, his sound bites in response to complex situational questions are often... how do I put this delicately... not especially usable. Everyone who covers the team knows it. This year, someone is going to snap.
    Russell Teibert will be unseated as "team member with the coolest hair". Early contenders for the crown include youngster Hanson Boakai and a suddenly-rejuvenated Julian de Guzman.
    Pedro Pacheco will have an epiphany. Despite no one really knowing how he's eligible to play for Canada or how he's actually connected to the country, and the fact that he surely knows slugging away for Les Rouges will almost certainly never get him a spot in the World Cup or boost his club career, the 29-year-old Portuguese-born midfielder who has played his entire career in Portugal has regularly answered the call and played well for Canada over the past three years. In 2014, however, he will have a "what the hell am I doing?" moment.
    Canada will cap-tie at least a half dozen promising youngsters! This is an especially bold prediction given that Canada won't play any games in 2014 in which players can be cap-tied.
    Too much/not enough will be made of Canada's place in the FIFA rankings. Some will whinge about Canada's ranking, others will insist it doesn't mean anything because the FIFA rankings are bunk. All will be told, "look, in the end, Canada knows what it needs to do to get to the Hex -- be better than a few of Honduras, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Panama and El Salvador. That will remain true no matter what their ranking is". All will ignore that statement and continue bickering.
    Kyle Bekker will continue to be Kyle Bekker. See Fearless Predictions: Toronto FC.
    The unearthing of more unrelated Habers! The program already has Marcus and Daniel, who aren't related... why not find a few more Habers from around the world who can kick a soccer ball? After all, we know the CSA isn't afraid to take a flyer on guys simply because they have the same last name as a current player. Just ask Dominic Imhof.
    Renewed feud with St. Vincent and the Grenadines. A best-of-five series between the CONCACAF juggernauts, with the games split between Kingston and Kingstown. Sponsored by Philip's Bakery (the one on Lower Middle Street).
    All players named to the roster for all of Canada's games will be actively employed by a professional soccer club somewhere in the world at the time. Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?
    A hat tip for the Pedro Pacheco prediction comes from my colleague Grant, from whose tweet I borrowed (stole) the underlying premise. Got a prediction you want to make? Add it to the comments section below.
    .
    Guest
    This is part of my series of "fearless" (i.e. irrelevant) predictions for various areas of Canadian soccer in 2014. For any idea of why I'm doing this, click here.
    Oh, Toronto FC. Most years, a list of predictions would be so easy. Slapped-together roster, coach being fired, playoffs being missed, so on and so forth. But this year, you seem intent on making things difficult by striving for actual success... or at least, doing a better job than usual of convincing jaded fans that you're striving for actual success.
    That being said, this series is all about being fearless (grrr!) so I'm going to put myself out there and make some bold claims about what the year will hold. Fasten your seat belts.
    Fearless Predictions for Toronto FC in 2014
    Dwayne De Rosario will pantomime a cheque-signing in the first minute of his first appearance. Some would consider this an unnecessarily incendiary move, but I think it's the best way to get out ahead of the story and immediately put to rest any questions of whether he'll do it after scoring a goal.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Dwayne De Rosario will be traded to Chivas USA for allocation money. Refer to previous prediction.
    Drake will include a reference to Bitchy the Hawk in a new track. In response, some fans will marvel at the coolness of an esoteric reference to our little club being made by one of the world's biggest hip hop stars; while most fans will complain, since there's nothing Canadians enjoy doing more than tearing down their own successful exports.
    Doneil Henry will get sent off for something preventable. Observers will point to this as a lack of maturity. Jason de Vos will steadfastly defend him. Hey, gotta throw in an easy one here and there.
    Joe Bendik will make a mistake that will cost the team a goal. For the following nine hours, the hashtag #BringBackFrei will be trending in Toronto.
    TFC will concede a goal in the final 10 minutes of a game to lose points. For the following nine hours, a small group of nerds will make constant reference to "Tobias", while the majority of fans will wonder what the moustachioed guy from Arrested Development has to do with anything.
    Kyle Bekker will continue to be Kyle Bekker. Is he an MLS starter? Will he get traded or loaned or sold off? Will he rot on the bench? Will he keep playing for Canada? Who knows -- but he's Kyle Bekker, which means these are the questions that must surround him and any mention of his name.
    Some utterly insignificant on-field action or off-field comment will be blown ridiculously out of proportion. Will it be Gilberto making an off-hand remark about Toronto's weather? Jonathan Osorio slumping his shoulders after a missed shot at a crucial time? A new facial expression Ryan Nelsen adopts and over-uses throughout the course of the season? Stay tuned!
    Tim Bezbatchenko's name will be misspelled, and his role with the team will be misstated. Same goes for Tim Leiweke. The two will be confused for one another on multiple occasions. You might just wanna make a drinking game out of this one.
    Someone not named Robert Earnshaw will attempt the Robert Earnshaw goal celebration. They will injure themselves horribly.
    Toronto FC will qualify for the MLS playoffs. On a related note, I'll continue to blur the line between which of my statements reflect my true beliefs and which ones are intended for comedic/trolling effect.
    Got your own fearless predictions to make? Add your two cents in the comments section below.
    .
    Guest
    For the past few years, I've used the corridor between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve to throw a whole bunch of pre-written content out into the Canadian soccer world. The topics have ranged from checking in with members of our medal-winning women's national team, to recycling years-old satirical posts, to conducting podcast interviews with Canada soccer fans in all but one province/territory (sorry Yukon).
    This year, I'll be keeping up the annual tradition of giving bored people something to kill time with / absolving myself of having to do actual work, but with a different spin. Rather than looking back, I'll be looking forward.
    So, for lack of a more creative or original name, I'll bring you my Fearless Predictions for 2014. Yes, that's right, I make these generally-sarcastic prognostications without fear, mostly because there are no consequences if/when I'm wrong about some/all of them.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    You'll see some of these predictions popping up over the next week or so in this space -- and feel free to leave some comments with your own surely-hilarious suggestions, to get a surely-hilarious conversation going with other commenters. But don't bother tweeting at me or trying to reach me... remember, I'm absolving myself of doing actual work.
    Let me also take this time to thank all of you for continuing to support Canadian Soccer News -- and Canadian soccer in general -- through another unpredictable and tumultuous year in 2013. I'd say "good things are definitely ahead next year!", but this is Canadian soccer, we all know no one can make that claim with a straight face.
    Instead, I'll just wish everyone good health and good luck in the year ahead, and a hearty it's December time to everyone!
    Guest
    With the dismissal of assistant coach Paul Ritchie this week Vancouver Whitecaps are getting closer and closer to cutting all management and player personnel that had a prior pre-Whitecaps relationship with Martin Rennie.
    The Carolina connection has all but moved on, with Matt Watson the last player standing.
    For Carl Robinson, distancing himself from the Rennie regime is important if he wants to show himself as being his own man, with his own ideas and not just a continuation of what was there before.
    In the seven weeks since Rennie was let go there has been a many a debate on whether he was good for the Whitecaps organization or if he was a coach who pissed off and mishandled so many players during his time here that no-one closely attached to him could stay during a fresh start.
    Whatever camp you call in, it certainly looks like it's a pre-Christmas clearout like no other and (almost) everything Rennie must go.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    I have waited to write my opinion of Rennie's time here because I had questions I needed answered before I felt I could give an honest opinion of if he was good or bad for the Whitecaps. After talking to several people connected with the club, I feel more in the place to now share my thoughts.
    <b>Let's Start At The Beginning</b>
    When Rennie was brought in he gave many the impression that moving forward it was going to be his way or no way at all. He told us all the other coaches would have to be a part of his vision to get the most out of the players and move this team forward.
    The players bought in to Martin's mantra and the team made a huge improvement in their second year from their first (that wasn't that hard to do of course, but credit where credit is due). The playoffs were reached and a feelgood factor returned amongst the fans. But there were also concerns starting to surface for those that looked.
    After some questionable personnel moves, getting rid of Eric Hassli, Davide Chiumiento and Sebastian LeToux, and the horrific slump in the second half of the season, we began to hear mumblings about not everyone buying into Rennie's way.
    Players began questioning if they could trust what Rennie was telling them behind closed doors and what he was doing with their careers on the pitch.
    Why would he take Hassli and Chiumiento to dinner at the beginning of the season and tell them the team will be built around them, then less then four months later get rid of both of them in surprise moves?
    At the end of the season Atiba Harris was coming back into the mix well, recovering from his injuries.
    The smart move would be to ease a player into games with some quality minutes to get a run in at the end of a game. But what did Rennie do? Threw him into the game against FC Dallas and ran him into the ground.
    After that game Harris was excluded from practicing with the first team. During this time the only calming influence was from Carl Robinson who continued to work and talk with Harris on the practice pitch. After months of this treatment Harris was traded to the Rapids.
    The treatment of Harris I believe turned the heat up on the way some players perceived Rennie's word and if it could be taken truthfully and trusted.
    You always have to counter that with the fact that an unhappy player is always going to have issues with the head coach and some will make it known to anyone that will listen. There are often two sides to many stories, but a trend within the Whitecaps was starting to be heard.
    The shit had hit the fan when Rennie got rid of Alain Rochat.
    Rochat was, and still is, a fan favourite of supporters in Vancouver. Rennie said other coaches were on board with this move. I didn't believe him. A source has confirmed with me that just hours after the trade Robinson called Rochat and told him that he didn't agree with the move. For all the shared vision, it was starting to look like it was only Rennie's ideas that mattered.
    Getting rid of Rochat lit up twitter and radio shows with frustration from supporters who didn't understand the logic behind the move.
    After the trade we were left with Jordan Harvey and Greg Klazura to fill Rochat's cleats moving forward. Even though Harvey and Klazura are great people on and off the pitch they can't be put in the same level as Rochat and the lack of depth cost Vancouver dearly in Seattle.
    There had been a lot of backlash thrown at the front office of the Whitecaps and just one month after the trade Greg Anderson personally called Alain and apologized on how the whole trade was conducted.
    You also have to ask why didn't Rennie and/or the football committee take their time and figure out that Rochat's former team Young Boys wanted him to return? Why didn't they take the time to factor in his wife being pregnant and maybe being closer to family in Switzerland would be a better move for Rochat's family? What would have been better for the club: a 2015 second round pick or the $400,000 or so in allocation money that DC United got?
    There has still been no satisfactory explanation as to who didn't take the time to get the best deal for his club. Rennie made the decision to move him on but surely it was then the responsibility of him or the committee to make enquiries to see what would get the Caps the best return. Someone failed and it cost the club.
    <b>Youth Movement</b>
    A big part of the Whitecaps organization is the youth. Rennie never appeared to have a great relationship with the young players on the first team or players in the Residency program. It was Gordon Forrest and Robinson that regularly bonded and motivated these young players.
    With great young talent like Caleb Clarke, Bryce Alderson, Ben Fisk (who is still without a contract for some reason), Sam Adekugbe, Jackson Farmer and Marco Bustos we need a coach they can relate to and motivate these young talents.
    Rennie wasn't giving any of these players any quality minutes on the first team and choosing to go with foreign talent instead of promoting to the MLS roster from within. A few got minutes in Reserve or PDL games but that was it.
    Russell Teibert credits Robinson and Ritchie with turning his Whitecaps career around and helping Rennie see the light. Even then, it took a super sub appearance against LA to finally see him get a run as a starter under Rennie.
    Moving forward with Robinson in control we should to expect a lot of these players to make the MLS squad and get quality minutes moving forward. He has already eluded to that during his presser when he was named gaffer.
    <b>Last coach out of town?</b>
    The last coach left for a decision to be made on is Marius Røvde. He has been with the Whitecaps the past two seasons. It was his contacts that got David Ousted into Vancouver and the young Whitecaps keepers like Marco Carducci have been making great progress working under Røvde's watchful eye both in Vancouver and with the Canadian national team set-up, where he has played a key role in Carducci's development at U17 level.
    Starting over with these young keepers with a new coach could be detrimental to their development. They know what Røvde's standards are and are well on their way to meeting those standards.
    If they got rid of Røvde would Ousted want to stay around? He would obviously still be under contract but he came here to learn and develop under Røvde's experience and may decide that without him his future lies elsewhere, which would be a PR nightmare if that played out, especially after what had transpired with the Rochat trade to enable him to be brought in.
    Røvde currently has one year left on his contract. The buyout clause on the final year is a 3 month of service payment. That's not a lot of money to make a move and get a new keeper coach in here. Moving him on, would mean a completely new start and a fresh coaching team for the new head coach, but at what cost?
    <b>Robbo Moving Forward</b>
    After Robinson was named coach there was a pouring of twitter love from past players, current players and players in Europe congratulating Robinson. Sure he was brought in by Rennie but he has never been viewed as being Rennie's man. That tag always went to Ritchie from them working together previously.
    Robinson was always the coach who would take time and show players respect. He was the good cop when Rennie tried to be the bad cop.
    Moving forward he will have to learn how to play bad cop and make the hard decisions when they have to be made.
    He made his first hard decision by not bringing back Ritchie, a close friend of over 13 years.
    There are still many who don't understand getting rid of Rennie and promoting his assistant.
    Robinson now needs to show that he is his own man, with his own ideas and ways of doing things. And one of the best ways of doing that is to remove as many traces of Rennie as possible and start afresh.
    From what we have already seen, he will a different head coach than Martin Rennie.
    The best part of all this is the off season has just started and there for sure will be plenty for all Whitecaps blogs to write about and for all supporters to tweet about.
    The fun is just starting.
    On your mark, get set and let's get this debate going....
    <p>
    Guest
    We don't know how many home games the Canadian senior women's national team will play in 2014. But we've now had the chance to get a little bit more familiar with some of the youngsters who almost certainly will suit up for Canada in next summer's U-20 Women's World Cup.
    Ahead of the third-place match of the Torneio Internacional de Brasilia on Sunday, Canadian head coach John Herdman promised we'd see some new faces in the starting XI against Scotland -- and he delivered. Kadeisha Buchanan, 18, Sura Yekka, 16, and Jessie Fleming, 15 (making her first start for the CanWNT) were all out there at the opening whistle... as they likely will be for the U-20 side next summer (hell, Yekka and Fleming will probably also be at the U-17 Women's World Cup in the spring).
    What Herdman also said was that he'd be "very disappointed" if Canada didn't come away with a win over Scotland, who Big Red had defeated 2-0 in their tournament opener. Well, he came pretty close to such disappointment, saved in the 83rd minute by a well-taken header from veteran midfielder Sophie Schmidt -- off a Diana Matheson corner -- to finally reward Canada for nearly an entire game's worth of attacking pressure.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Said Herdman in a news release: "It’s just about resilience, persistence to keep going, and I think we should have had it sewn up by halftime to be honest."
    Indeed they should have... but, much to the consternation of their fans, they hadn't. Was it the conditions? The inexperienced lineup? The disappointment of not reaching the gold-medal game? Perhaps it was some combination of those three. Or perhaps it was another, more long-standing and more pressing issue.
    Perhaps this was just the latest bit of evidence that Christine Sinclair is no longer in a position to single-handedly will Canada to victory anymore.
    That's not a knock on her, of course. The fact that she's largely had to carry the team on her back for the last decade is a credit to her once-in-a-generation skill set and leadership abilities. But the reality, as everyone knows, is that she won't be around forever. And if Sinclair isn't in a position to use that lethal finishing touch we've seen for so many years, then Canada's chances of scoring drop precipitously.
    There were chances against Scotland. Plenty of them. Scotland collapsed early and gave Canada plenty of chances at long-range shots, but none were effective. Eventually, the Canadians found a way through and created more close-range opportunities -- none better than Adriana Leon's second-half shot from six yards out that was miraculously parried away by Scotland 'keeper Gemma Fay -- but came up empty until Schmidt expertly finished off Matheson's well-taken corner.
    Scotland, at #20 in the most recent FIFA rankings, came close themselves, clattering a shot off Erin McLeod's crossbar in the second half. Twenty-four-year-old striker Jane Ross -- who scored in Scotland's 4-3 loss to Chile last week -- looked especially dangerous for her squad.
    As for Canada's youngsters, the generation we'll see on display (hopefully) at the U-20 World Cup? They were largely as advertised. Buchanan had an especially hard-crunching day on defence (even by her standards), picking up a yellow card along the way; Yekka showed plenty of industry coming forward from the fullback position (exactly what Herdman wants from that spot); and Fleming showed off some of the technical skills that have followers raving about her potential going forward.
    None of those three, however promising they may be, are goal scorers.
    Leon, 21, was touted as potentially breaking through at this tournament, and looked dangerous at times, but only scored once in four games. In fact, the whole team scored just three times in four games.
    Of course, the official CSA press release addressed this concern, as if the person who wrote it somehow knows exactly what goes on inside the minds of distressed Canadian soccer fans:
    Indeed it may be a reason for optimism. And hey, if even one or two of those players are able to live up to the standard we've seen from them in the past, they will definitely make a positive impact for this team. But, of course, there's no guarantee that will actually happen.
    And in fact, as this tournament has taught/reminded us, there are no guarantees at all for this team anymore. Few would have expected that at tournament's end, we'd be talking about Canada having scraped out a 1-0 win over Scotland just to claim third place in a four-team competition.
    Then again, a win is a win is a win -- and a win with three teenagers in the starting lineup is nothing to sneeze at, either. But while Canadians will definitely be pleased to see budding stars at centreback (Buchanan), fullback (Yekka) and central midfield (Fleming), the true relief and optimism will come when we see a new, consistent star emerge at what will be the most important position of all for the post-Sinclair Canadian team: Striker.
    Will that yet prove to be Leon, or one of the kids we saw scoring at will for Canada in U17 World Cup qualifying earlier this year? Time will tell.
    For now, in case anyone's interested, Brazil defeated Chile 5-0 in the tournament final, with the goals coming from five different players.
    Happy new year, everyone.
    .
    Michael Mccoll
    It may be approaching Christmas but there’s no rest for the wicked and they don’t come much more evil than some of the guys here at AFTN.
    Our little worker elves have been busy churning out another podcast for your aural pleasure.
    Episode 32 of ”There’s Still Time” is part one of our end of year roundtable, featuring our regular roundtable guests Steven Lamothe and Zachary Meisenheimer.
    We look at the big Vancouver Whitecaps and Canadian national team news stories of the past 12 months and the issues arising out of them that might affect the next year.
    Remember the hope we all had in January? When Darren Mattocks banged in a 15 minute hat-trick in the first game of the preseason. Whatever happened to him?
    There’s laughs and tears, stories and analysis galore as we look back at the comings and goings, First Kick, winless streaks, epic home wins, more Voyageurs Cup heartbreak and the joyous month of June.
    There’s also controversies, great individual performances and the uplifting promise of the Whitecaps Residency and Canadian U17s.
    We’re not just doing a month by month recap but looking at some of the issues as they affect the teams going forward and some of the unknown stories behind the headlines.
    And there’s still time to split it all up by playing ’Spoilers’. Inspired by the classic ’Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads’ episode, we ask our guests and the people of twitter what extremes they’ve gone to to avoid finding out the scores of games before they get a chance of watch it and nightmare scenarios when it hasn’t quite worked.
    Lots of festive fun for everyone. Have a listen.
    For now, you can listen to this week's podcast on iTunes HERE.
    Or download it for your later listening delight HERE
    We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app.
    And if that's not enough, we've joined Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 15,000 shows HERE.
    Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
    Guest

    Going in a new direction

    By Guest, in It's Called Football,

    Today marks a turn in course for myself and my role in helping grow Canadian soccer.
    When we started Canadian Soccer News five years ago (actually I can't remember when we started CSN - it feels like it's always just been here now) the intent was to fill the gap in the next to nothing soccer coverage in this country.
    To take it back even further, when we launched the It’s Called Football podcast, one mainstream media site was covering soccer regularly, a paper here or there and it was still hard to find something that resembled selection when watching EPL games on Saturday mornings.
    Today, every major paper in the country covers the game, television contracts domestic and abroad are sought after and to put it in perspective, the Canadian women’s team drew a television audience of 250,000 earlier this year for their rematch game against the USA. Not bad, eh? Emphasis on the eh.
    The other intent to starting CSN was to ensure that a group of writers got on, got exposure and got out. I’m proud of the fact that all of the writers that started with CSN have moved on to bigger and better things - permanently or part-time, they've become the mainstream voices people look to. I’m convinced that’s a trend that will continue with the writers here.
    Today though, I’m stepping back from CSN, to do the same — but in a different sense.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    I feel like what I set out to do in soccer journalism – help give the domestic game a voice, draw attention to our national teams and the problems that plagued them and instill a sense of pride in the idea of Support Local – have been accomplished. If I’m being truthful, those are goals that were probably met at least two years ago.
    Additionally, from a personal perspective on what soccer journalism would bring, if I stayed in this lane, I don’t think I’d find myself topping the matchfixing story. And I don't mind saying, in part my decision was made so that I don't have to carry that bullseye anymore.
    However, I do expect to put bookend on that in the coming months. CBC nominated the Fix the CSL documentary for this spring’s Canadian Screen Awards and as I’ve been hinting for some time, there is one more story to tell from that investigation. Actually, it’s more like 10 stories rolled into one.
    Those will come when they come. Right now, I need a new challenge. And that’s why I’ve accepted a job at the Ontario Soccer Association.
    In large part, what lays ahead there in the next couple years offers an opportunity for myself to make a real difference in the grassroots of this game. With the launch of the semi-pro League 1, to the further rolling out of OPDL, to their coming governance reform, Ontario – and provincial soccer – is going through a real regenesis. It’s something I want to be apart of and will offer real challenge.
    CSN will continue on as it always has. Michael McColl and Daniel Squizzato will pick up where I leave off. Michael will handle soccer in the West. And if you’ve been following the growth of him and his team you’ll know that they’re a crew set to collectively break out. Squizz will handle helping writers in the East. And if you follow his work for MLSsoccer.com, you know he is the next writer about to find his trajectory turn up.
    There are other promising new writers coming on in the spring. And after speaking with Duane Rollins last night, you can expect the return of the It’s Called Football podcast under a new banner in 2014. He's itching to get it back. If it wasn't for me being eternally sidetracked by the fixing, it would have been back long ago.
    So, that’s it. For now. Thank you for your support. I love this community. And I hope you will continue to support the many talented writers here. Promote them and help them get their name up and out.
    And if you’re still looking for a better description of how I’m feeling today, this video should sum it up:


    Guest
    Carl Robinson already seems to be putting his own stamp on Vancouver Whitecaps and he'll be continuing it with a new assistant coach by his side after deciding to part ways with current assistant Paul Ritchie.
    Ritchie spoke with Robinson by telephone on Wednesday and he received official confirmation from the Whitecaps by email this morning that he was no longer assistant coach at the club and his contract would not be extended.
    The decision will disappoint Ritchie, who was keen to stay in Vancouver and has been forced to play the waiting game with the uncertainty of his own future these past seven weeks.
    The 38 year old former Scottish international came to Vancouver with Martin Rennie in November 2012, having previously been with Rennie as his assistant at Carolina RailHawks for two seasons.
    Ritchie was a popular figure with the players, who respected his honesty and top level experience. His presence will certainly be missed by many at the club and is a loss.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The UEFA Pro licensed coach was always viewed by many as Rennie's right hand man, so the decision to move in a different direction and cut ties with his friend can be seen as a way to further move away from the previous regime and show that Robinson is his own man, whether that decision has been made by choice or necessity.
    There is no word on the fate of current goalkeeping coach Marius Røvde or fellow assistant coach Jake DeClute. Røvde is thought to still have a year left on his contract.
    Robinson is back in the UK at the moment and will have his idea of who he wants to be standing on the touchline with him.
    You can be sure that there will be a couple of appointments to follow, with current Residency head coach Gordon Forrest mentioned by some as a possibility to make the step up, having already been working as the link between the Caps' young talent making the move to the MLS team.
    The big question now is does Robinson go for an older mentor as his main assistant? Someone who also has coaching experience in MLS and can share ideas and lessons learned in the league.
    Or does he go for a young up and comer, possibly even coming in from outside of MLS altogether?
    Another option that the club may consider is to appoint a Director of Football to give the mentoring role from there to the young coach.
    It's going to be an interesting decision, and whoever the appointments end up being they will give a good indication of the kind of team that he wants to build. Robinson may already only be four days into the job, but he is showing already that he is not afraid to shy away from the big decisions and put his own mark on the Whitecaps.
    <p>
    Guest

    Hurtado's Last Stand

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    Vancouver Whitecaps pulled off some big moves at the 2013 MLS SuperDraft to land Kekuta Manneh and Erik Hurtado early in the first round. Manneh was labelled as a young 18 year old with speed for days. Hurtado came with tag of a then mature 22 year old with speed and strength.
    When I talked with Hurtado at the beginning of last season he told me his personal goals where to get meaningful, quality minutes and to score at least five MLS goals. He was given the minutes to prove what he could do on the pitch, but that MLS goal eluded him for the entire season.
    But it could all have been so very different. Some will argue that if it wasn't for a bullshit offside call from a Kenny Miller pass in the second game of the season against Columbus, he would of had that first MLS goal early in the season and that may have opened the flood gates, helping his confidence.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Hurtado was feeling the pressure to break his goalscoring duck, as he told AFTN editor Michael McColl back in June.
    <i>"It would take a big weight off my shoulders getting that first goal. It would do the world to get that first goal. I can't wait to get it. It's coming. I feel it coming soon."</i>
    That game had seen Hurtado come close, having an effort cleared off the line in the 3-1 win over Chivas.
    <i>"It came right to my feet and was a good save from the defender. I'm just going to imagine that going in now. I'm not going to mourn on it. I'm going to pretend that it went in, so next time I don't imagine myself missing, I imagine myself making that."</i>
    But that performance changing goal and confidence booster never came for him this year.
    When the Whitecaps announced they had picked up Hurtado's option for the coming season some were surprised.
    For his guaranteed salary of $81,500, and the fact that he is not Generation Adidas and it counts toward the salary cap, it raised the question as to why the Whitecaps couldn't bring in a Marco Bustos, Kianz Froese or Ben Fisk for that amount. You may even get two of them for that money.
    If Hurtado is only going to get between 10 to a maximum of 25 minutes a game, why not give those minutes to a young Canadian player?
    The same could be said for the Caps possibly bringing back Tommy Heinemann. He was subbed on in the 85th to 90th minutes in the majority of his appearances. Why not give those minutes to a Canadian born player?
    I myself believe Hurtado will rebound nicely this season and become a useful member of the attack. Sure he needs to work on his touch and lack of finish, but we have to remember we can't simply compare him to Manneh.
    In his college career he was almost always the strongest and fastest player on the pitch. In the college game you can hide your weaknesses if you are able to run around or through defenders.
    Coming from the college game to MLS he got an upfront reminder that even though he may be fast, he is for sure not going to be able to run through grown men. He also learned that he will not be able to run around players with pure speed if he has a sloppy first touch.
    His lack of footwork and poor first touch was certainly a discussion point raised by many supporters and mentioned time after time on twitter and in soccer forums.
    Hurtado racked up 489 minutes in his debut MLS season. Those came from 15 appearances, four of which were as a starter. For all the criticism of his shooting prowess, three shots on target from 13 attempts on goal, he did provide two assists in his brief run-outs.
    Hopefully with a healthy Omar Salgado, and any new additions, pushing him for minutes he will put the time into his game this offseason and will put all doubts to rest that he will be a contributing member for the Whitecaps for years to come.
    But there has to be visible results and the 2014 season may be his make it or leave Vancouver year.
    <p>
    Guest

    A redemption story

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    For just this one day put aside the negatives. As TFC fans we've had seven years to be negative. We'll have the rest of the off-season to dwell on all that can go wrong.
    So, for today let's think about possibilities.
    Dwayne De Rosario is coming back to TFC. A player that resonates like no other Canadian soccer player ever has has agreed to forgive TFC and come home to finish his career.
    It's a redemption story that nearly everyone in Toronto and MLS wants to see happen.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Symbolism matters and this move is incredibly symbolic. There is no single moment in TFC's history that better summarizes the first seven years then when DeRo signed the cheque and forced his way out of town. It represented a flawed player playing in on a broken club. Both TFC and DeRo walked away with their reputations harmed.
    By coming back together, both parties are demonstrating a desire to make up from those mistakes. For the club, it's a message that things have changed and that fans can trust that they have the right culture in place to build a winner. For DeRo it demonstrates that he can move on and put past grievances behind -- even though the people are gone, the surroundings are the same. It requires an element of letting go to come back.
    Beyond Toronto the move also sends a message. If DeRo is willing to trust new management at TFC then things must truly be different. It's impossible to stress how important that message is and it might make the re-signing worthwhile even if he can't make a significant contribution on the pitch.
    The biggest message of all was sent to the fans though. By DeRo believing he's given permission to fans to believe too.
    Beyond that today's news gave many fans a reason to simply be happy. DeRo matters to a lot of people in this community and there was an outpouring of genuine joy that he was returning. It's been a very long time since the TFC community came together like it did immediately after the announcement.
    It was fun again.
    Speaking personally, I cannot recall a signing that felt as good as this. I was legitimately surprised by the level of emotion it brought out. As a long-time follower of Canadian soccer there have been few stories as disappointing to me as the end of DeRo at TFC. It affected me because it tore apart the community of TFC support in a way in which it has never recovered.
    So, today represented a hope that what was lost that day can be found again. That may sound absurd, but I truly believe that only a successful return of this player can accomplish that. It's difficult to fully articulate why that is, but certain players are just connected to football teams in ways that can't fully be explained.
    It just seemed that TFC could never be whole again unless it fixed the DeRo relationship. He doesn't have to come back and star, but he needed to come back.
    And now he is and, for the first time since he left, it feels like I have a chance at getting my community back.
    Guest
    This could be absolutely awesome. Or it could be a complete disaster.
    While that's an apt way of describing the totality of Toronto FC's latest rebuilding project, it's especially appropriate when it comes to the move that will make the biggest waves throughout the city's soccer community.
    Dwayne De Rosario is, once again, coming home.
    Most of the buildup and subsequent reaction has been built upon emotion and sentimentality, and the desire for thw compelling narrative of a hometown boy finally making good. The reality is that no matter where you fall on the spectrum, none of us will truly be able to evaluate this move until we see how things actually play out.
    But we can definitely take some educated guesses.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The past can't be ignored. De Rosario's infamous "cheque-signing motion" became the quintessential symbol of his reputation as a selfish player on and off the field. He left Toronto FC under a cloud the first time around, with the dressing room in tatters and much of the goodwill of his initial arrival having been squandered.
    So it's reasonable for some fans to worry about whether "MeRo" can ley bygones be bygones and accept a new role in Toronto -- not the captain and not the focal point of the offence. A piece, but not the piece of a new regime that's looking to wrench the club out of its painful seven-year cycle of ineptitude and on-field failure.
    While we don't know what's going on inside De Rosario's head, we can reasonably assume what's going on in GM Tim Bezbatchenko's head. Bez was brought on board not as a salesman, a la Kevin Payne or Mo Johnston (the salesmanship is up to Tim Leiweke... and Drake). He was brought on-board as a young, number-crunching guru, a "capologist", a man who would take a ruthless hatchet to the overgrowth amongst TFC's contracts, so that a new path could be forged forward.
    So while Leiweke and Bezbatchenko surely know DeRo will sell a few tickets, there's nothing to suggest they would contravene their stated goals and undo the work they've already done in the name of placating De Rosario's ego.
    In other words, if TFC is bringing De Rosario back, they're doing it on their terms. And if De Rosario is accepting those terms, it means he's fully cognizant that his role with the team will be much different than it was before.
    And we have seen evidence this year that perhaps, De Rosario is indeed a changed man.
    During a terrible, difficult, transitional year for Canada, the 35-year-old regularly accepted the national-team call, speaking at every opportunity about the need to help guide the next generation forward. Given his historical resistance to injury, it's even possible De Rosario sees himself as being part of Canada's next World Cup qualifying campaign.
    Grand aspirations aside, even De Rosario knows his playing days are numbered. While he can't control a game in the same way he did a half-decade ago, there's no reason to believe he can't be a significant contributor to an MLS team in 2014. After all, Leiweke and Bezbatchenko wouldn't use up the salary cap space on DeRo unless they believe he could truly help the team, no matter how inspiring a story his return might be.
    From De Rosario's perspective, this is one last chance to rehabilitate his image at home, while also being a part of a Toronto side that (don't laugh) is -- in the very, very early going -- looking like a legitimate contender in 2014. Even if it means a pay cut and a bit of public contrition, that seems like a pretty good deal for a man who'll turn 36 early in the season.
    From Toronto FC's perspective, it's a chance to show that they've made a break with the dysfunction of old, that they're committed to assembling the pieces necessary to finally put a winner on the field... and yes, to acquire all of the feel-good P.R. that will come with the move.
    Perhaps a newly-motivated De Rosario, knowing this is his likely last hurrah in a long and storied MLS career, will buy into the team concept and provide the same sort of attacking punch he brought to Toronto on the first go-round.
    Or, perhaps he'll be unable to integrate into the team, will cause trouble in the dressing room and will end his second tenure with TFC in much the same way as his first ended.
    Awesome, or disaster. Which one? We won't know until we see it.
    But Bezbatchenko has already done enough in his short tenure as general manager to deserve the benefit of the doubt when it comes to this move. And enough has happened since DeRo's original departure from TFC to suggest that he deserves it as well.
    In all, it seems like a calculated risk, with a potential for great reward. For that reason -- and because, yes, the "hometown boy making good at last" story is a damn fine one -- I hope Toronto FC fans will join me in summarizing our feelings about this move with three simple words:
    Welcome home, Dwayne.
    .
    Guest

    TFCA v Toronto soccer community

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The naming of Greg Vanney as the new head of TFC Academy last week is the type of news that really only resonates with the most tuned in of fan. It has little to do with the first team and almost certainly will not change the end results there in the immediate future.
    Academy news is about the long-term health of the club and over-all vision. It's big picture. Most fans take note and move on to the latest transfer rumour.
    And, so it was last week. There wasn't a lot of thought given to Vanney with the news of Defoe and Gilberto to consider.
    However, amoung many deeply involved in the Ontario soccer community the appointment was big news and something to be talked about in detail. What the appointment said about the relationship between the greater soccer community in the GTA and TFC was the main topic of conversation.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Most of the conversation was negative. The general feeling was that the appointment of an outsider -- an American, no less -- was further evidence that TFC doesn't value the local community.
    This isn't a new situation. Many people in the community have argued for some time that TFC disrespects them. The main contention is that TFC doesn't look to local talent to fill coaching roles in the academy, instead using the MLS old boys network to put people in place that, it is felt, lack the proper qualifications.
    Additionally, it's felt that TFC is, for lack of a better way to put it, condescending to them and expects them to cooperate by channelling their best players into the academy.
    There had been some hope that Tim Bezbatchenko might change the relationship, but Vanney's appointment is seen as an example of more of the same. Although having a new face in charge could result in a fresh start one GTA insider put it bluntly.
    "It will take a least a year of TFC demonstrating good faith before the wounds start to heal."
    The divide is real and it is preventing TFCA from fully fulfilling its promise.
    There is little doubt that TFC could have done a better job negotiating the politics of the local scene and that it has made some questionable hires on the coaching side. There are talented coaches getting overlooked and it would benefit TFC to try and bring some on board.
    TFC is not without fault in this dispute.
    However, the soccer community has to look in the mirror too. There is a generation of failure that came before TFC that they must wear and, from an outside perspective, at least some of the grievances have the hint of petty to them.
    If Vanney sincerely reaches out, they need to keep an open mind about mending this relationship. There is an instinct in this community to discredit TFC and a resistance to work with them.
    It's unclear how that benefits the sport or the kids that are involved.
    The bottom line is that the local system is much stronger with a pro academy at the top of the pyramid. As much as the grievances may seem justified, Canada got into the mess it is in at least partly because different parts of the system refused to work with each other.
    So, TFCA: Do better and respect the rest of the system. The soccer community: Drop the anger, give credit to TFCA where warranted and remember that the end goal is to produce players, not stick it to TFC.
    Guest

    To DeRo or not to DeRo

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    By this time tomorrow DeRo and Toronto FC will either be a closed book, or a new chapter will have been started. If the "boy from Scarborough" isn't back with the Reds after the re-entry draft he will never make his return.
    That could be a good thing. His personality is huge and it hangs over TFC to this day. If his return is off the table then maybe closing the door forever will start to make that fade.
    Will it be a good thing if the new, assumedly final, chapter is started tomorrow? That's a much more difficult question to answer and one that will divide TFC fans.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    For the sake of balance, the reasons it could fail are as follows: His personality is such that he could cause unrest in dressing room, he's too old, he will undermine an inexperienced manager like Ryan Nelsen, the young Canadians could be negatively influenced by him, he might take up too much cap space and, ultimately, if he creates another train wreck at TFC any improvement to the club's reputation that's happened under new management will go out the window.
    So, there is some risk. If those are legitimate concerns the TFC front office has this is a move that should not take place.
    And, that is what it comes down to. If old management was in place (and DeRo decided to forgive them) bringing DeRo back might be done strictly for sentimentality and marketing reasons. The hope is -- and there is good reason to think this is the case -- that new management won't think of the move in that way.
    Tim Bezbatchenko will know what the issues are. They will have done due diligence on the signing. If they do bring him back they will have been convinced that the above concerns are unfounded.
    Bluntly, there is no way TFC moves for DeRo if they think he isn't completely on board with the club's plans for him. He would have been told how they planed to use him and what the expectations are. Either he's agreed, and they believe him, or they will take a pass.
    Some will suggest that DeRo might con TFC into thinking that he's on board, but then still cause an issue. That's a risk. Handicapping such a move will come down to whether you trust Bez and Nelsen's judge of character.
    Putting aside the intangible concerns -- and we won't have an answer to whether the concerns are valid until the season starts to play out -- does bringing DeRo back make sense from a football perspective.
    It might. In fact, the upside of the move might be as great as any TFC makes this season. If he bounces back to even 2/3 of his peak performance he provides TFC with an attacking presence that no one else in MLS could provide. Remember, he'd be a third option. Giving him that extra space could potentially lead to something very special.
    All signings are about risk/reward and with DeRo both sides of that gamble are huge.
    If, and it's a big if, granted, it works out then it's a game changing signing.
    It would also be another sign that TFC is aiming higher than just making the playoffs. You don't take the risk if you are aiming for the middle.
    The question no one knows is whether DeRo is willing to come back in a reduced role. On MLS Extra Time Radio he was pretty clear that he feels he still has a lot to add to a MLS team and that he doesn't want to be coming in to a rebuilding team.
    He also said that he was "agreeable" to the direction that TFC was going. If you read between the lines of the interview what was clear was that he viewed new TFC different from old. There was no way to know if Toronto was his preferred destination, but he certainly didn't rule them out.
    If you listened to the interview, absorbed noises coming out of TFC and MLS circles and kept an ear to the ground you'll come away with one solid conclusion. That is that this was seriously looked at by both parties and that whatever the decision is management will be comfortable with it.
    Will it happen? Just 24-hours away, I'm still not willing to make an absolute call. I believe it's the best option for DeRo though and if TFC does pass it will be because he legitimately doesn't want to come home unless the terms are entirely his and the club has determined that.
    That would be too bad, because the story of DeRo coming home and proving that he can be a team player is a compelling one. He could go win another MLS Cup elsewhere, but nothing would make for a better final chapter than doing right by his hometown team.
    Guest
    Any doubt that the way things are being done at TFC have changed should have now been put to rest.
    This morning, the Reds traded allocation money TO San Jose for Justin Morrow.
    That's right, TO. An honest to goodness MLS player is coming to Toronto for magic beans. That's in spite of the fact that magic beans can be used to chase after players from outside MLS. That's right, Toronto has just chosen to take the sure thing MLSer rather than swing for the fences for an unknown player.
    IT'S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!!!
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Yes, I'm guilty of a little hyperbole here, but the addiction TFC has had to allocation has been a major issue throughout the first seven years. That addiction came from both a disrespect towards MLS average starters and constantly overpaying for the players they do have (which is tied into the constant chase for international players -- they cost more).
    TFC fans would be forgiven for not realizing that magic beans could even be used to buy established MLS payers (which is what a trade using allocation really is. You're buying the player), but it is the most effective use of it.
    Morrow is not a player that is going to get you all worked up. His ceiling is pretty much the level he's at now. Morrow isn't going to be a superstar. He's probably going to make a few errors and he's generally just going to be another guy.
    He's a MLS average starter. That TFC just got for nothing. Even if Sam Jose uses the magic beans to buy the next league MVP the Reds can't lose this trade. They just added a starter for NOTHING.
    The move demonstrates that new management understands the importance of adding MLS established players and that it's finally not trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to MLS team building strategies.
    As for the player himself, Morrow is a natural left-fullback that can fill in at CB when needed. With six assists over last two seasons he offers a bit of an upgrade offensively over Ashtone Morgan, who will need to step up his game if he is to see the pitch in 2013.
    Morrow isn't cheap. He's paid a starters wage at about a $140,000 cap hit in 2014.
    When the dust settles on the 2014 off-season this might be the least fancied addition, but make no mistake this is an illuminating signing.
    Michael Mccoll
    There's a new king in town. Long live King Carl.
    Carl Robinson was officially confirmed as the new Whitecaps head coach today, so we're bringing you a Robbo heavy episode 31 of "There's Still Time", the AFTN Vancouver Whitecaps podcast.
    We chat about Robinson's appointment, what it means for the future direction of the Whitecaps and hear a cutdown section of his introductory press conference.
    Even though he had a jam packed morning, Carl made time to sit down with Steve and myself for a special podcast chat about his appointment, his managerial influences, who he might have his eye on to bring in, what his team will look like, the future for the young players at the club and lots more.
    And talking of the younger players, everybody agrees they need to find them more playing time, but where will they find it? We speak with Whitecaps President Bobby Lenarduzzi about whether the Caps will be getting their own USL Pro team any time soon.
    Have a listen.
    For now, you can listen to this week's podcast on iTunes HERE.
    Or download it for your later listening delight HERE
    We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app.
    And if that's not enough, we've joined Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 15,000 shows HERE.
    Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
×
×
  • Create New...