McBride out 4 to 6 weeks

Ives just reported on his Twitter feed that Chicago's Brian McBride is out for 4 to 6 weeks with a shoulder injury. The East just got (even more) wide open.

When Chicago made its bed with the two old guys this was the risk it took. It will be interesting to see if McBride, who has been wonderful this year, can get his fitness back for the final push to the playoffs and beyond. Based on the reported timeline he should be back by Sept. 1, which in theory will give him enough time, but...

He ain't 23 anymore...

Making an Impact one way or another

Montreal Impact team photo

Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on in Montreal? For the second time in a month members of the Impact have been caught with their hands on someone’s neck. At least this time it was the opponent, as opposed to each other.

Seriously though the Marc Dos Santos era of Impact football hasn’t been filled with glory. Losing 6-1 to Toronto and essentially looking like a clown show in USL for the last month doesn’t inspire confidence in the organization’s ability to make the jump to MLS.

For the sake of Canadian soccer let’s hope something changes there soon.

*if someone has video of the incident in Rochester please send it to me at dgrollins@gmail.com

Tweet the power!

Some may be award of Ginge Talks the Footy's efforts to match Brian Ching's $500 fine for criticising MLS officiating on Twitter. If not, I encourage you to have a look at the initiative and, if you can afford it, donate $10 or more to the cause.

In case you're really out of it, Houston's Ching was fined $500 by MLS two days ago for Tweeting the following:

Ref in seattle just cheated the dynamo. What a joke. Not even close. Ref is a cheat

Although I don't agree that the ref is a cheat (just not as good as he should be), and I don't even disagree with the fine, I do think that MLS should hold its officials publically accountable for errors that are as bad as the phantom goal in Seattle. The players are, why not the refs?

The money is going to charity and this initiative could draw a little attention to the need to improve the standard of officiating in MLS. So, why not support it?

Dead Bulls give other's wings

So apparently the LA Galaxy – Red Bulls game last night featured the 2009 debut of an English midfielder (his name escapes at the moment) last night in New York. By all accounts he was OK, if a little rusty.

The rest of the Galaxy, however, looked great as they moved into a playoff spot with the win. Of course they were playing the Reds Bulls, who certainly don’t have wings in ’09.

Oh New York. From the start, the MetroBulls have been the thorn in MLS’ growth strategy. Yet to win a single trophy (a accomplishment in MLS), the club’s struggles mean that MLS has operated nearly invisible in the all important NYC market forever. It’s a problem. There is little wonder that some MLS fans dream of a second New York team (hopefully called the Cosmos).

But that won’t happen for at least a couple years so MLS fans are stuck with the Bulls and all their dysfunctional glory. After an upset run to the MLS Cup (from the No 5 slot in the east) last year, New York has completely gone off the rails in ’09. Toronto fans saw first hand how good New York is for team confidence. That British midfielder must think he’s back in Milan after last night.

Earlier this month there was an interesting thread on BigSoccer that was tracking the Bulls “efforts” at becoming the worst MLS team of all-time.

The thread turns into a typical BigSoccer cluster you-know-what, but the stats don’t lie:

155. 2007 Real Salt Lake - 0.9 (points per game)
156. 2009 San Jose - 0.867
157. 2007 Toronto - 0.833
158. 1999 Kansas City - 0.8125
159. 2003 Dallas - 0.8
160. 1999 New York - 0.625
160. 2005 Real Salt Lake - 0.625
162. 2005 Chivas USA - 0.5625
163. 2001 Tampa Bay - 0.556
164. 2009 New York - 0.500

How does Juan Carlos Osorio have a job again? In the BS thread a poster called Matrim55 claims that Osorio has used 61 different line-ups in the 66 games that he has been in charge. And people claim TFC lacks stability.

And the really scary thing? The Red Bulls are one of the U.S.’s CONCACAF Champions League teams in 2009-10. By making the MLS Cup last year they claimed a spot in this year’s tournament where they play T&Ts W Connection in the preliminary round. Joe Public anyone?


Of course New York has no excuse but to put a first choice line-up out against the Trinidadian team. It’s not like they are playing for a playoff spot. The Red Bulls would have to win all of their remaining games to reach the magical 40 point total (40 points pro-rated to a 30 game schedule is typically the playoff cut-off in MLS). So maybe a CCL run can motivate the team a little.

Something has to because this team is a mess right now. Possibly the biggest mess MLS has ever seen.

Canada at the Gold Cup: what does it mean?

I have my latest Ives offering up now. Go over and read it. I'll wait.

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Ok, now that you're back...I want to be clear about something. I want Canada to win the Gold Cup. Obviously. The point I've made in a few different places is that it's hard to get too excited as, well, this last World Cup campaign really stung. Really stung. And no matter what happens over the next week, we can't erase that disappointment.

In some ways it's especially painful to see Canada succeed now when it so badly failed last year. We've won the Gold Cup before. It was wonderful. But in the long run it didn't change much. Winning now won't change much either. A World Cup berth would have.

I understand the arguments about improving the FIFA ranking. I just think such thoughts are being a bit over played. What really bites Canada in the ass when it comes to FIFA rankings is that it doesn't play enough games. Its ranking won't jump enough -- even if it were to win the whole thing -- to have much of an impact by the time the draw for the next World Cup takes place. By then the rest of this year’s WCQ will have taken place, up to four teams in the region will have played in the actual World Cup and the 2011 Gold Cup qualifiers will have been played – all of which give other countries in the region a bunch of FIFA points that will claw back whatever gains Canada makes now.

We all know that we, meanwhile, will have played about 10 friendlies during those two years -- if we're lucky.

Mark my words: Canada will be drawn into a semi-final group in 2012 that will be called the Group of Death. If we're to make it back to the hex we're going to need to earn it (as we should).

As for this year's tournament...it is what it is - a nice distraction. And if Canada were to win it I'll be standing there howling at the moon with the rest of you.

I just won't fool myself into thinking it will fix anything.

Live circus blog - Beckham's return

Join us at 8 p.m. for the return of the pop singer's husband to Major League Soccer!

Profanity is encouraged.

Canada Ladies Squad Announce: We gotta get them this time

New (well, not new any more) Canada Ladies boss Carolina Morace has announced her squad for a set of two friendlies to come against the USA near to the end of July.

This two-game road swing sees Canada trying to redeem themselves from a May friendly against the Americans, which was meant to showcase the new playing style that February hire Morace had taught the side to start playing (less of Pellerud's long balls, more direct play on the floor). A 4-0 loss in Toronto, however, hinted that maybe the team hadn't got used to that sort of game yet.

They'll have the chance to right wrongs in two games; one on Sunday, the 19th, in Rochester, and one three days later next Thursday in Charleston. Canada, 11th in the world, will try to beat the #1 ranked Americans for the first time since a 3-0 win in a 2001 Algarve Cup match in Portugal. Their record all-time aganst the USA is three wins, four draws, and thirty-eight losses.

The squad includes a lot of W-League players, including four Vancouver Whitecaps players, two Toronto Lynx players, two from les Comètes de Laval, and one Ottawa Lynx player. Six players come from Women's Professional Soccer, and five play in Europe. Not on the list is defender Kristina Kiss, who has 5 goals in 44 caps and is currently unattached. The Whitecaps stars, Jodi-Ann Robinson, Carmelina Moscato, Chelsea Stewart, and defender Shannon Woeller, will all miss the last two games of the W-League regular season.

G- Karina LeBlanc | USA / LA Sol
G- Erin McLeod | USA / Washington Freedom
G- Stephanie Labbe | SWE / Piteå IF
D- Bahar Sansar | CAN / Comètes de Laval & USA / University of South Florida
D- Candace Chapman | USA / Boston Breakers
D- Carmelina Moscato | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
D- Emily Zurrer | USA / Chicago Red 11 & USA / Penn State
D- Robyn Gayle | USA / FC Indiana
D- Marie Eve Nault | USA / Chicago Red 11
D- Brittany Timko | SWE / Piteå IF
D- Chelsea Stewart | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC & USA / Vanderbilt
D- Shannon Woeller | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC & USA / Rutgers University
M- Diana Matheson | NOR / Team Strommen FK
M- Kaylyn Kyle | SWE / Piteå IF
M- Gina Pacheco | CAN / Ottawa Fury & USA / University of South Florida
M- Allysa Lagonia | CAN / Toronto Lynx & CAN / Wilfred Laurier University
M- Kara Lang | USA / Pali Blues & USA / University of California-LA
M- Rhian Wilkinson | NOR / Team Strommen FK
M- Kelly Parker | USA / Sky Blue FC
M- Jodi-Ann Robinson | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
F- Christina Julien | CAN / Comètes de Laval & USA / James Madison University
F- Christine Sinclair | USA / FC Gold Pride
F- Melissa Tancredi | USA / Saint Louis Athletica
F- Jonelle Filigno | CAN / Toronto Lynx & USA / Rutgers University

The Beckham Experiment: a review

A lot has already been said about Grant Wahl’s book The Beckham Experiment. It’s likely fair to suggest that there has never been a soccer book as anticipated. And the book does not disappoint. Along with Gavin Newsham’s Once in a Lifetime, The Beckham Experiment is destined to become a one-two must have addition to the bookshelf of any self-respecting North American football fan.

We play the game differently here and Newsham and Wahl, writing about two very different yet remarkably similar times and places, illuminated those differences better than any other authors have (it’s a shallow pool of literature to chose from albeit).

Wahl was granted a staggering amount of access and he makes use of it. Using his keen reporter’s eye, he is able to dissect the Galaxy’s struggles without ever becoming sensationalistic or overly editorializing. He lets the story tell itself and, as the old cliché goes, truth is often the strangest form of fiction out there.

That the Galaxy were dysfunctional was obvious to anyone that watched MLS in even a casual way the last two years. Wahl shows us just how bad it was. It’s a gripping story that will pull people in on many levels.

On one hand it’s a story of Hollywood celebrity – not of the celebrity of David Beckham, but rather the very concept of celebrity and how it fits into the world of 2009. Reading the book I couldn’t help but feel regret that a journalist of Wahl’s talent wasn’t granted access to the LA Kings in 1989, the last time celebrity and a strange sport met in Southern California (and I’ve heard that Stephen Brunt may have gained some retrospective access to that world, due out this Christmas. Buy that book whenever it comes out).

So, non soccer fans will enjoy the pop culture relevance of The Beckham Experiment.

But, it is a soccer book. And it also delivers there. Whether it’s a casual fan, a Eurosnob or a true MLS geek, there is something in it for everyone. Especially the MLS geeks.

In the league’s short history there has never been a piece of long-form literary sports writing dedicated to it. That’s a shame because the artform of sports writing – good sports writing – helps create the legends and legacy of any sports league. Wahl takes MLS fans inside the league and helps them understand it and feel connected to it.

Although this is a book about Beckham – and most of the hype around it has focused on his relationship with the Galaxy’s other star, Landon Donovan – it’s surprising that the true standouts in the book are the supporting cast of the Galaxy. You won’t leave feeling sorry for Becks, AEG, Ruud Gullit, or even, really, Donovan. But you will feel a greater appreciation for Alan Gordon, Greg Vanney and the rest of players that provide the narrative of the story (Beckham was never directly interviewed for the book).

As a MLS geek you will also take the most away from those “bit” players. Through them you get a candid view into the life of a MLS player and the state of the game. Soap opera aside, in many ways that’s the most valuable contribution the book makes to MLS.

Of course it’s impossible not to be enthralled by the soap opera. And the reader will be fascinated by just how screwed up the Galaxy was. Lots has been said about that by others, there is little sense rehashing it again here.

About the only negative I can point to about the book is that it was likely written at least a year too early. Although Wahl brings up a lot of worthwhile questions about The Beckham Experiment (the book’s closing line is as powerful as you will ever see in sports writing), there is, of course, the small matter that the experiment isn’t actually over yet. Beckham will be on the pitch for at least one half of one more season and, more likely, off and on through to the end of 2011.

Which should give Wahl lots of material for a sequel.

The Toronto Star reports...

That DeRo may skip the all-star game to play for TFC in the CONCACAF Champions League preliminary round against Puerto Rico.

May???

If DeRo plays in the all-star game instead of for Toronto in the CCL, TFC may have a full scale riot on its hands in the supporter's sections. Just sayin'

What they are saying in Bosnia about Begovic

Below is an article on Asmir Begovic posted on a Bosnian football discussion board, as translated by Voyageur "canucker." It certainly makes for interesting reading.

Whether it's true or not is the question. Begovic told Full-Time that a lot of what was being said in Bosnia media was made up. Perhaps the idea that he "started the procedure where he will change his sports citizenship and his declaration about how he wishes to play for Bosnia" is too.

Regardless, I'm putting it out there for you to judge for yourself. It is worth noting that the article was published after Begovic's interview on Full-Time.

While he is deciding between Canada and B&H, Begovic's declaration has gone to FIFA

Asmir Begovic, goaltender for Portsmouth has again arrived at the center of attention for sports journalism in our country. This Trebinje-born player has recently promised Miroslav Blazevic that he will play for the national team of Bosnia & Hertzegovina, but he has clouded things with his announcement for one Canadian radio station stating how he still is thinking about Canada's national team!

As it is common knowledge, Begovic wore the jersey of the youth Canadian team, but according to the new rules of FIFA he has gained the right to change his sports citizenship.

We discovered that [he has] already "started" the procedure where he will change his sports citizenship and his declaration about how he wishes to play for Bosnia has already gone to FIFA. This has been confirmed to us by Munib Usanovic, general secretary of the National Bosnian Football team.

"Ten days ago, we talked with his father and with Asmir and he signed a declaration about the change of his sports citizenship, that is, he confirmed that he wishes to play for Bosnia. The completed documentation was sent by us to Zurich, and in the procedure is also the taking out of Begovic's passport" said Usanovic, who was surprised by Asmir's announcement on Canadian radio:

"I don't know what he means, but something is suspicious, considering that in recent days Begovic has not been answering the calls from our Federation."

Radz stays in Belgium

Canada's best player in this past World Cup qualifying campaign hell, the only one that looked like he was trying for some stretches Tomasz Radzinski, has agreed to terms with his Belgium club Lierse.

He signed a two year contract that will keep him at the second division side for at least the next little while. He has an option to extend it to three years, which would make him a very old man in football terms by the time of his next contract.

Radz is playing out the string trying to get Lierse up to the top league. There are likely worse ways to make a living, but the decision likely means that dreams of a Radz Canadian homecoming are likely dead. If only the domestic game were more evolved 4-5 years ago...

It's Called Football: A little PDL talk!

On this week's It's Called Football we talk to the Colin Miller, head coach and director of player development at the Victoria Highlanders. The PDL Highlanders have been a great success story this year, drawing close to 1,500 people in its first season. The success has made some think that Victoria might be a good USL-1 market once Vancouver makes the jump to MLS.

The Beckham Experiment gets some talk, we argue about how many goals Chad Barrett has and break down the Gold Cup.

Enjoy (and subscribe to ICF on iTunes):

Click To Play

Tevez comes to senses.

No longer Red.

Me like.



Now isn't that better?

Manchester City, and the billions that make them major players in the market, are not going to go away. And they may just be revelling in the discomfort of established heavyweights as they exert their muscle....The so-called "Big Four" is not a cosy private members' club and there is no law against Manchester City, or indeed anyone else, trying to muscle in by whatever means they have at their disposal.

That's the BBC's Phil McNulty saying what I've been saying for months -- only more elegantly and for more money.

A half-assed All-star post

The all-star roster was named (but you geeks that read me already likely know that). I can't honestly be bothered to care enough to write a story.

So go to Match Fit USA.

DeRo is on it (although he damn well better not be playing in the game since TFC plays in the CCL that night). Amado likely should have been Toronto's guy, but DeRo is having a nice little season too.

Only two Sounders! Shocking.

Here we go again? Begovic and the Canada question

Andrew B has his view below. This is Duane's view of the Begovic question...

Will he or won’t he? That’s been the question as it relates to Portsmouth’s (and Canada’s?) Asmir Begovic. The keeper, who made his EPL debut late last season, has yet to declare who he will play his international football for. He has the option of playing for Canada, where he played his youth football, or Bosnia, where he was born.

He appeared on Vancouver’s Full-Time soccer show last night. He was asked the question and he answered. Sort of. Although some are claiming that he committed to Canada during the interview, such a view may be a tad bit optimistic. What he said was that he had a lot of history with Canada, really liked aspects of the Canadian system and was especially fond of current interim head coach Stephen Hart. It was very promising stuff.

But what he didn’t say was that he absolutely, 100 per cent for sure, was going to play for Canada. The door to Bosnia was left ever so slightly open. Canadian fans have been burned before by ever so slightly open doors.

Full credit to Full-Time for getting the interview. There has been a lot of noise about Begovich in recent days but little of it was coming from the man himself. And, the interview was far more candid than, say, Jonathon de Guzman’s interview with Gerry Dobson days before he made the easy choice instead of the inspired one chose Holland over Canada. It seemed like Begovic was speaking honestly rather than in clichéd sound bites.

But still…it would have been nice to hear him declare for Canada in no uncertain terms. It would be even nicer if the day came when Canadian fans weren’t scared of losing players to other countries (especially when the other country is Bosnia – it’s not like it’s a quadrennial lock for the World Cup).

Canada needs Begovic. Playing in the EPL, he’s arguably the most important “get” for the program right now. Although as a Canadian fan you have to feel a little bit better about his decision today, there is still reason to worry. After all, we still haven’t won one of these decisions yet…

Montreal teammates fight, nobody notices but photographer

On Saturday, Montreal lost 3-0 away to the Minnesota Thunder. This surprised people, as Minnesota have been abjectly terrible this year, although they were on a good run of form before the Whitecaps pasted them 4-0 at Swangard. It is the third straight time the Impact have been shut off the score sheet, the other two being a 4-0 loss away at Portland and a 1-0 drop at home to Charleston.

This is a worrying slide for the team, but the most worrying part, however, didn't even go noticed by the referee, the TV crew, or anyone. While the Impact were preparing for a corner kick, Sandro Grande was choking Mauro Biello (pictured) and intrepid Minnesota photographer Jeremy Olson caught it on camera. Hilariously, according to Inside Minnesota Soccer, the Thunder scored on the corner that Grande and Biello were supposed to be preparing for.

Everyone heard about Wes Charles shouldercharging Charles Gbeke. It was big, it was ugly, they both recieved suspensions and fines and then made up by running a lap around the pitch together holding a Whitecaps flag. But this has flown under the radar until now. How will this affect the team? I've fired off e-mails to the Montreal Impact and to the USL; as of yet I have recieved no response but updates will come.

Update: Montreal have suspended Sandro Grande indefinitely.

Asmir Begovic: "I Don't Want To Switch"

Asmir Begovic is good, and young, too. He plays for Portsmouth, and might even start if David James is injured. He's played for Canada in the U-21 World Cup. But the new FIFA ruling has freed him up. He could play for Bosnia. As a matter of fact, the Bosnian manager believes that he will. Additionally, Begovic isn't in the Gold Cup squad, and can't be cap-tied until 2011 for us, but can be capped as soon as this autumn for Bosnia. However, nobody has told this to Steven Hart. Last week, he said he's heard nothing about this from Begovic; he had heard no mention of an intent to move. However, that's nothing definite; it's just more hearsay.

After all of these rumours, finally Begovic has spoken. "I have played for Canada for a very long time," Begovic told Full-Time Soccer, a Vancouver sports radio show, Sunday. "I don't want to switch." He clarified that he has been approached by Bosnia, but he doesn't really intend on playing for them, even though they have been putting heavy pressure on him, personally and through the papers (which is how this all got started). He warned, though, that the only problem he does have with Canada's program is the uncertainty regarding who will be the manager; currently Stephen Hart carries the team into the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup as a interim manager for the second time in two years. According to Begovic, there is a decision he must make, but if the problem of uncertainty at the CSA is resolved, he said, there is no question that he will choose Canada.

Week at a Glance: I have discovered some glaring inconsistencies

Some people find comfort in order. Predictability is comfort! What's the use of being all worried about things like whether or not your team is going to lose? It's much tidier if everything is obvious beforehand. However, it's been a terrible week for those people.

CONCACAF Gold Cup
Canada were terrible in World Cup Qualifying last year. However, they've done alright in the group stage! They beat El Sal, a hex team, after all. This year, they started off with a couple of ground-out 1-0s where they managed essentially to control the other side. Our last game was against Costa Rica, which defied the earlier standards of ground-out results with four goals in just over 15 minutes. The rest of the game, however, wasn't as active as you might predict, and it ended in a 2-2 draw. Stalteri and DeGuzman, both on yellows, sat that one, and are fresh, those yellows cleared, for the knockout rounds.

El Salvador have defied expectations by getting into the hex for CONCACAF's World Cup Qualifying, and despite losing to us, they looked sure to qualify to the group stages, only needing to knock off goal-less Jamaica in the last match. They failed, and missed out altogether. The US, storming through Honduras and Grenada with perfect scores, almost lost to Haiti. They managed, however, to pull it out at the very death. Guadeloupe's not even a country, and they managed to beat Panama. They didn't beat Mexico, though, but that is actually surprising, as Mexico have not looked convincing, drawing 1-1 with Panama in a gongshow game where their manager kicked an opposing player and got sent off.

Canada qualify for the knockout rounds and play Honduras in the quarterfinals on Saturday. The other matchups are USA/Panama, also on Saturday, and then Sunday's games will feature Guadeloupe vs. Costa Rica and Mexico vs. Haiti.

Major League Soccer
You know who has been kind of predictable? San Jose. They have been predictably bad this year. But despite a short uptick, Toronto lost hard to Salt Lake, so maybe something outrageous could happen! Nuh-uh. They rollicked 'em, 3-1.

All the games that happened this week in MLS happened last night. Kansas City and New England didn't score in their game, and neither did Columbus and Chicago in theirs. A late goal powered Colorado over Dallas, and LA pushed through a terse 1-0 against city rivals Chivas in the speculatively named Superclasico. Seattle made it past Houston 2-1, with a goal from Freddy Montero that made usually well-mannered Brian Ching tweet that he thought the ref was a cheat.

With 25 points, Toronto is in the last SuperLiga spot. Houston is at the head of the table, and Colorado, LA, DC, and Columbus are in a four-way tie for the last four playoff spots. They host the Dynamo on Saturday at BMO Field.

United Soccer League First Division
This week was a tale of two teams. Well, four. Vancouver destroyed Minnesota 4-0 at home, and Montreal were fresh off of taking league leaders Charleston down. But the Whitecaps lost 2-1 against Miami, almost going down 3-0 at one point, and Montreal lost 3-0 to league basement club Minnesota. What happened?

Puerto Rico, who have looked powerful this year, notched two 0-0 draws, at home to Rochester and then at Fortress Middlefield Cheese against formerly-sorry-but-improving Cleveland. Portland made a trip to Austin and came away with all three points with a 2-1 victory.

Vancouver move into a playoff spot with 18 points, while Montreal sit a point back at 17. Puerto Rico still leads the table at 31 points. Montreal go to Rochester on Wednesday before hosting Puerto Rico on Saturday. Vancouver goes to Carolina on Friday to play the Rail Hawks.

What did you think of this week? What about next? Are you bold in the face of the unknown? Worried about the cruel hand of fate?

This just in: Apparently tiebreakers are confusing

Group stages are a good way to work a large number of teams down to a small number of teams. They're how we get from 32 teams to knockout stages, and they make it logistically possible to hold tournaments. But the problem that always arises in small groups are tiebreaking situations. We know this in Canada all too well.

But there are very good questions to be asked about tiebreakers. What should count first, head-to-head or goal difference? How many teams count in a three way tie? Is it a legitimate way to send a team through, or award a championship? At the very least, these questions are all settled before the tournament, so we have an established set of rules that clearly shows who wins. Or do we?

According to the National Post, Aaron Williams, a mathematician at the University of Victoria, has uncovered the ambiguity in football tiebreakers, creating a logic problem about a hypothetical situation at the World Cup. The grad student asked his class to suppose Chile, Morocco, and Turkey are in a group where they have each won two games, putting them all equal on points, goal difference, and goals scored. Two teams need to go through. Chile has the highest goal difference between the three, and so is undisputably in first place, but the problem, according to Williams, exists between how you pick the last team to go through. "Do you continue breaking the tie as if three teams are involved, or now approach it as a two-way tie and apply the tiebreakers in order?" he asks. FIFA considers head-to-head tiebreakers as applied to "the teams concerned." But is Chile still concerned as a tied team, even though its place has already been assigned? "The language is ambiguous and the remaining two teams have logical grounds to argue for second place," says Williams. His short paper can be found here.

Now, Williams has put it as an issue of safety, reasoning that this controversy could start a riot, which assumes erroneously that misinterpretations of rules or situations that screw over a team have never happened at the World Cup before. But what is interesting about this piece is that nobody really can agree on whether or not Morocco or Turkey go through, and not just Williams' students. In the article, FIFA, when contacted, says that Turkey goes through, meaning Chile's results count. Joe Guest, the director of refereeing of the CSA, however, says that when it is reasoned that Chile is in first, it no longer counts for the interpretation of the rest of the tiebreaking procedures, so Morocco should go through.

The thing is, rules are meant to give clear direction. This sort of thing is ambiguous and it is correctable confusion that should be ironed out of football before anything else. It also shows the lack of consistency among football associations in interpreting these rules.

What does Guest's interpretation mean for the CSA's convoluted three-way-tiebreaking criteria in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship? What do you think about this problem of ambiguity? How do you feel about tiebreakers in general? Does Morocco or Turkey go through? Let's hear it in the comments.

Possible breakthrough in Portland stadium impasse

A deal was reached today between Portland mayor Sam Adams and Merritt Paulson that could finally see the required renovations to PGE Park take place.

Since the awarding of an expansion team to Portland, the stadium deal has been bogged down in politics. There was a great deal of resistance in Portland to providing city funding to Paulson and, as such, there has been some worry that the MLS expansion rights could be pulled.

Today's deal would see the renovations go ahead at a lower overall cost. Importantly, there would be no tax hikes needed to fund the renovation. Some sport related fees would be involved.

It's expected that council will vote on the proposal in two weeks. If there isn't a cost associated with the renovations it's likely that it will pass, as the main contention -- that taxpayers not be on the hook for too much of the costs -- would be dealt with.

We will have more on this as more information becomes available.

Vancouver Whitecaps - Minnesota Thunder live blog

I’ll be live-blogging tonight’s game between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Minnesota Thunder from the Swangard Stadium press box. It should be a good one; both teams are down towards the bottom of the USL First Division table, so they’ll be eager to get full points. Join me for it at 10:30 P.M. Eastern; 7:30 P.M. Pacific!

Team notes for Van/Min: It's good to be back

So I read in the history books that there is a soccer team named the Vancoouver Whitecaps, and they play football. It feels like forever since a Vancouver team did that! Tonight we play the Minnesota Thunder, a team I'd usuallly call "down atthe bottom of the table" except we aren't so high up ourselves. This is one of the four games in hand this team have on Austin, with whom the Caps are drawn at 15 points. (The next team, Montreal at 17 points, has only played one more game than Vancouver. USL scheduling is weird.)

Wes Charles and Charles Gbeke are back from suspension! It seems like forever since their little disagreement. Gbeke is still registered in Steven Hart's Canadian Gold Cup squad, but he's on taxi duty--he should be with us today. While that certainly helps, it doesn't look like our injury troubles have gotten any better; according to Back of the Net, not only is Ansu Toure out with his knee surgery, but his usual replacement Vincente Arze is also suffering after picking up a knock in a PDL game and will miss a few weeks. The just-healthy Marlon James is out again with another calf knock, and Geordie Lyall is putting in one last gasp to get playing before he retires. Jeff Parke shouldn't be back, but he is trying to attract interest for a move before the window closes at the end of August (which the team is actually helping him with) so he could start tonight. However, according to some sources, turf toe can mess you up chronically if you rush it, so I hope he isn't doing anything silly. Justin Moose is still out.

This has been a very poor season for the Thunder, but it's been a good week for them They almost beat Kansas City before going out of the U.S. Open Cup on penalties, and drew against Portland on Saturday. They are missing Lionel Saint-Preux to the Gold Cup. The game will be on USLLive and Shaw Cable community TV in BC at 7:30. We'll be liveblogging it here!

"Beckham Experiment" media deluge endangers good book

The recent swarm of headlines revolving around the state of the LA Galaxy dressing room has misinterpreted the context of the book's quotes, and it limits the possibilities of similarly insightful books in the future. For the unaware, Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl has a book coming out soon titled The Beckham Experiment. The Beckham Experiment, which was recently excerpted by SI, tells an intriguing story of a seperation between worlds, and paints Beckham's first spell with the Galaxy as a time where the team was controlled at least in part by Beckham's management team, and where the new captain from Europe had trouble relating with the players.

It also presents Landon Donovan, the captain who gave the armband up to Beckham because he was asked to, as frustrated by this course of events back in the day. I don't think that really surprises most observers, looking at the situation. However, this has been almost uniformly treated as current news by almost everyone: the headline "Landon Donovan Turns On David Beckham" and similar phrases have been littered across both news sites and blogs alike. This story has been hitting the back and front pages on both sides of the ocean, but a common thread is that they treat the passage as a recent statement given by Donovan a propos of very little. Should book quotes be used for that? These quotes (I assume) are from the past, in the middle of a bad year and the depth of a frustrating time. This media deluge has driven Donovan to acknowledge that he feels bad he didn't tell Beckham about their personal problems directly. "What I feel badly about," Donovan told the LA Times, "is that I should have been a man and told David how I felt as opposed to telling a reporter." And that's a problem.

I am very interested in reading this book, and so should you be, if you spent time that summer wondering how the "Beckham Experiment" was going to work. From a journalistic standpoint, it's admirable that Grant Wahl was able to get such a frank and clear look into the world that was the LA Galaxy dressing room at that point. Will Donovan and others give him that same access again, now that the book was distilled into an excerpt and then that excerpt into a single passage that was splashed across all of the headlines? It may have given the book exposure, but will reporting like the one that turned a three-page insert into a single quote for 400-word articles put insightful books like Wahl's out of business?

TFC to be red and White in San Jose?

Sources close to TFC are suggesting that TFC's first round draft pick and T.O. resident O'Brian White could be set to return to action this weekend against San Jose.

It's expected that he will make his long awaited debut from the subs bench as TFC is looking for a chance to see what he might provide the team moving forward. If the game situation warrants it -- a big lead for either team late -- he will likely see the pitch for the first time since blowing out his ACL in college.

Two years ago White was the biggest striking prospect in NCAA soccer. However, his injury caused his stock to drop allowing Toronto to get him with the fourth pick of the first round of last year's draft.

White is considered a domestic player for TFC as his family makes its home in Toronto. He's Jamaican by birth and most likely to represent that country internationally if he is provided with the opportunity.