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Well worth the weight loss (so far)
6 months ago
Monday, November 30, 2009
Canad(ian hip-hop) to the World Cup!
Your official South Africa 2010 anthem, by Canadian artist K'naan.
I could be bitter about the fact that there will be more of an artistic presence by Canada at the World Cup than a sporting one, but I'm choosing to look at this in a different way -- that we do a lot of things really well here in this country and, on our best day, can compete with anyone in the world at anything. It wasn't that long ago that Canadian music was derided by Canadians as being inferior. Self-hating Canucks bitched and moaned about Can-Con rules that "forced" them to listen to inferior Canadian music on the radio.
It's amazing what a little support can do. It can help mould good talent into world class talent (are you listening CSA?).
It's a great song too. Genre-bending and very representative of the Canada that I know, love and live beside.
I could be bitter about the fact that there will be more of an artistic presence by Canada at the World Cup than a sporting one, but I'm choosing to look at this in a different way -- that we do a lot of things really well here in this country and, on our best day, can compete with anyone in the world at anything. It wasn't that long ago that Canadian music was derided by Canadians as being inferior. Self-hating Canucks bitched and moaned about Can-Con rules that "forced" them to listen to inferior Canadian music on the radio.
It's amazing what a little support can do. It can help mould good talent into world class talent (are you listening CSA?).
It's a great song too. Genre-bending and very representative of the Canada that I know, love and live beside.
CFL at BMO – A visual
I'm just going to let this stand on its own.
But, tell me CFL fans. How do you make that work without dramatically altering the Canadian game?
As stated, this is a bad plan for football fans. Both kinds.
I guess I didn't just let that stand on its own, did I?
But, tell me CFL fans. How do you make that work without dramatically altering the Canadian game?
As stated, this is a bad plan for football fans. Both kinds.
I guess I didn't just let that stand on its own, did I?
MLSE looks to expand BMO by 1,249 seats
MLSE has applied to the Exhibition Place board to expand BMO Field by an additional 1,249 seats. They would also improve the washrooms as part of the renovation.
The seats would be on the north side of the stadium, located nine-meters above the current beer garden. They would not be sold as season tickets, rather they would be held as single game seats, thus providing more access to the team for those that do not have seasons.
There is no word on whether it will allow for more visiting tickets to be available.
The hope is that the expansion can be completed in time for the 2010 season, but the timeline is tight. TFC would likely have to make the order almost immediately and a decision by the board doesn't seem possible until January.
The expansion does not impact the controversial CFL plan as building expansion would have to take place on the south end of the stadium. The north end borders a road.
Although it’s easy to see the positives of allowing 1,249 more people into BMO Field, one wonders whether the demand matches it. On the surface, you would think so. However, as noted in this space before, there are plenty of TFC tickets that get eaten on a game to game basis. Hopefully, increasing capacity won’t make the place look emptier.
The seats would be on the north side of the stadium, located nine-meters above the current beer garden. They would not be sold as season tickets, rather they would be held as single game seats, thus providing more access to the team for those that do not have seasons.
There is no word on whether it will allow for more visiting tickets to be available.
The hope is that the expansion can be completed in time for the 2010 season, but the timeline is tight. TFC would likely have to make the order almost immediately and a decision by the board doesn't seem possible until January.
The expansion does not impact the controversial CFL plan as building expansion would have to take place on the south end of the stadium. The north end borders a road.
Although it’s easy to see the positives of allowing 1,249 more people into BMO Field, one wonders whether the demand matches it. On the surface, you would think so. However, as noted in this space before, there are plenty of TFC tickets that get eaten on a game to game basis. Hopefully, increasing capacity won’t make the place look emptier.
Rhinos make the jump
The Rochester Rhinos have jumped ship to the TOA. Provided that the USSF approves the application by the NASL, Rhino and Impact fans can continue to hate each other while playing in the same league (for another two years anyway).
Rochester leaving is a major blow to the USL. The USL-1 now only has four teams – including Puerto Rico, and leaving in one year Portland – set for 2010. It’s hard to imagine a scenario that sees the league operating in 2010, which is maybe why the Rhinos owners decided to jump ship prior to the proposed league being sanctioned.
I wonder how long it will be before the Islanders move to the Puerto Rican league, even if it is a step down (or would it be as compared to USL-1 right now)? God knows what Portland is thinking. You would think that they would have been more proactive. It could be that the Timbers would rather sit a year than get involved in the dispute.
Meanwhile no one knows what’s going to happen come next spring. not the USL, not the TOA and certainly not the fans of any of the teams involved in this mess.
Rochester leaving is a major blow to the USL. The USL-1 now only has four teams – including Puerto Rico, and leaving in one year Portland – set for 2010. It’s hard to imagine a scenario that sees the league operating in 2010, which is maybe why the Rhinos owners decided to jump ship prior to the proposed league being sanctioned.
I wonder how long it will be before the Islanders move to the Puerto Rican league, even if it is a step down (or would it be as compared to USL-1 right now)? God knows what Portland is thinking. You would think that they would have been more proactive. It could be that the Timbers would rather sit a year than get involved in the dispute.
Meanwhile no one knows what’s going to happen come next spring. not the USL, not the TOA and certainly not the fans of any of the teams involved in this mess.
Sober Second Thoughts: Fair is not always equal
The Toronto Argonauts are 136 years old. Established in 1873 they are older than Liverpool FC, Australia, basketball and Toronto's Union Station (the new one. Old Union Station has the Argos by 15 years) to name but a few things. It's the oldest professional gridiron football team in the world. Actually, it's one of the oldest professional sports teams in the word, period.
And it's never owned its own stadium. Not from 1874 to 1897 when they were at the Rosedale Golf Club's Rosedale Field. Not from 1898 to 1907 when they were at the University of Toronto's Varsity Stadium. They didn't buy the place when they went back to Rosedale Field from 1908 to 1915, nor did U of T give up ownership of Varsity from 1916 to 1958.
It was the city that bought Exhibition Stadium -- the mistake by the lake, Canadian style -- in 1959. The Argos played there until 1988. Then, the city, province and federal government bought the Toronto Blue Jays a new play toy in SkyDome. Like an annoying little brother that mom forced you to play road hockey with, the Argos got a new stadium out of the deal too.
Now 20-years later everyone, Argos included, hates the former SkyDome (now Rogers Centre). The Blue Jays are making due. The Argos are complaining about the rent, the size and pretty much everything else. What they aren't doing is offering up any money of their own to build a stadium that suits their needs. Instead, they are now angling to get into another stadium that is owned by the city and managed by MLSE (who put some of its own money into it and has paid for renovations to it so that it better suites its primary tenant, Toronto FC).
Only this time the Argos are getting a fight. It comes from the "uppity soccer people" who support a "joke of a league" in MLS according to many of the Argos fans. Legitimate points, such as the fact that having 400-lbs lineman tearing the crap out of the turf three days before TFC tries to play on it will fundamentally impact the integrity of the game of soccer, are ignored in favour of cries of "it's unfair that they have a stadium and we don’t"
Fair is not always equal.
The Argos were involved in two previous stadium proposals prior to the building of BMO Field. When a plan to renovate Varsity Stadium was put together the Argos were initially there. However, when U of T decided to pull the plug because of raising construction cost projections, no one with the Argos spoke up to suggest that they could throw a little money behind the project -- maybe as a thank you for all those years the university gave them favourable rents at old Varsity.
So the project died (in fairness, MLSE pulled out of the Varsity deal too).
And then there was the York University deal. After Varsity fell through the Argos, along with the CSA and other soccer interests, were set to build a stadium up at York University. The Argos agreed to invest $20 million to the project (through a charitable donation) and cover any cost overruns. Then, when it looked like they might have to pony up another $10 million and the Rogers Centre decided to give them a sweetheart deal to stay (no rent) the Argos' guys said "see ya" to the soccer folks and decided to stay at the stadium that is supposedly holding them back from becoming the institution they claim to be in this city.
That little stunt came damn close to killing the 2007 FIFA u-20 tournament bid by Canada. If it wasn't for the last minute approval for BMO Field to be built, we are looking at a very different soccer landscape in this city today.
So you can understand why empathy in soccer circles is not high to the Argos' plight.
The CFL community continues to play the fair card when talking about their "right" to move into BMO Field. They hold the investment by government at BMO over the heads of soccer fans as a weapon at every opportunity. That it was the first significant investment by government into the sport pretty much ever is lost on the CFL crowd.
Various governments have either pledged to spend or actually have spent about $500 million in upgrades to CFL facilities during the past decade. Soccer fans have nothing to feel guilty about in regards to the $40 million or so that was spent on BMO Field.
If the Argos want a new stadium, it's time they opened their wallets and paid for one of their own.
After 136 years it's about time.
And it's never owned its own stadium. Not from 1874 to 1897 when they were at the Rosedale Golf Club's Rosedale Field. Not from 1898 to 1907 when they were at the University of Toronto's Varsity Stadium. They didn't buy the place when they went back to Rosedale Field from 1908 to 1915, nor did U of T give up ownership of Varsity from 1916 to 1958.
It was the city that bought Exhibition Stadium -- the mistake by the lake, Canadian style -- in 1959. The Argos played there until 1988. Then, the city, province and federal government bought the Toronto Blue Jays a new play toy in SkyDome. Like an annoying little brother that mom forced you to play road hockey with, the Argos got a new stadium out of the deal too.
Now 20-years later everyone, Argos included, hates the former SkyDome (now Rogers Centre). The Blue Jays are making due. The Argos are complaining about the rent, the size and pretty much everything else. What they aren't doing is offering up any money of their own to build a stadium that suits their needs. Instead, they are now angling to get into another stadium that is owned by the city and managed by MLSE (who put some of its own money into it and has paid for renovations to it so that it better suites its primary tenant, Toronto FC).
Only this time the Argos are getting a fight. It comes from the "uppity soccer people" who support a "joke of a league" in MLS according to many of the Argos fans. Legitimate points, such as the fact that having 400-lbs lineman tearing the crap out of the turf three days before TFC tries to play on it will fundamentally impact the integrity of the game of soccer, are ignored in favour of cries of "it's unfair that they have a stadium and we don’t"
Fair is not always equal.
The Argos were involved in two previous stadium proposals prior to the building of BMO Field. When a plan to renovate Varsity Stadium was put together the Argos were initially there. However, when U of T decided to pull the plug because of raising construction cost projections, no one with the Argos spoke up to suggest that they could throw a little money behind the project -- maybe as a thank you for all those years the university gave them favourable rents at old Varsity.
So the project died (in fairness, MLSE pulled out of the Varsity deal too).
And then there was the York University deal. After Varsity fell through the Argos, along with the CSA and other soccer interests, were set to build a stadium up at York University. The Argos agreed to invest $20 million to the project (through a charitable donation) and cover any cost overruns. Then, when it looked like they might have to pony up another $10 million and the Rogers Centre decided to give them a sweetheart deal to stay (no rent) the Argos' guys said "see ya" to the soccer folks and decided to stay at the stadium that is supposedly holding them back from becoming the institution they claim to be in this city.
That little stunt came damn close to killing the 2007 FIFA u-20 tournament bid by Canada. If it wasn't for the last minute approval for BMO Field to be built, we are looking at a very different soccer landscape in this city today.
So you can understand why empathy in soccer circles is not high to the Argos' plight.
The CFL community continues to play the fair card when talking about their "right" to move into BMO Field. They hold the investment by government at BMO over the heads of soccer fans as a weapon at every opportunity. That it was the first significant investment by government into the sport pretty much ever is lost on the CFL crowd.
Various governments have either pledged to spend or actually have spent about $500 million in upgrades to CFL facilities during the past decade. Soccer fans have nothing to feel guilty about in regards to the $40 million or so that was spent on BMO Field.
If the Argos want a new stadium, it's time they opened their wallets and paid for one of their own.
After 136 years it's about time.
Friday, November 27, 2009
In better BMO news
Forget, for a moment, the disturbing news that the Argos have advanced further than ever before in their effort to play at BMO Field. Instead let's look at another important event occurring down there at Exhibition Place today:
The turf is gone!
A Football Specific Stadium: Argos to BMO a very real possibility
Today's news that the CFL Argos are once again talking about a move to BMO Field has been received by most TFC fans as an annoyance rather than an outright threat. It's thought that the conversion to grass, which started in full force today, would make a full-time move by a gridiron team a non-starter.
Fans ought to be worried.
According to several well placed sources inside TFC the threat of the Argos moving to BMO Field is very real. Actually, it's advanced further than it ever has to this point. Not only have the Argos ownership been "talking to" city officials, as they have claimed in several news sources today, but they have actually submitted a formal letter of intent to the city to make the move.
The letter is "well crafted" and contains many provisions designed to make the shared ground seem workable. Included is an agreement to allow TFC and the CSA to maintain first rights in scheduling matters, a promise not to change the dimensions of the field, and a pledge to "repair" the field after every CFL game played on it.
There are serious doubts over whether repairing the pitch would be possible. Certainly, a 72-hour flip would be the minimum time needed. However, the CFL plays a great deal of games on Fridays, which would create a scheduling nightmare for TFC in the fall (or force the Argos off of TSN's Friday Night Football almost entirely). TFC, of course, mostly plays Saturday afternoon games, which would provide less than 20-hours for the field to be “repaired.”
Fans should not expect MLSE to make a public statement against the possible move. They can't. As the public caretakers of the stadium they are forced into a Switzerland role. However, the soccer operations people are dead-set against this happening.
It was suggested to me that fans need to make sure that the Argos understand that the soccer community will not accept the move. The team can be reached at info@argonauts.ca. Additionally, it would be nice if fans reminded media personalities in the city that it was the Argos that pulled out of the Varsity and York stadium deals, rather than the soccer community pushing the CFL team away. That act very nearly jeopardized the 2007 u-20 tournament and TFC itself. Yet, the Argos continue to portray themselves as the victim of those shifty soccer people.
Fans ought to be worried.
According to several well placed sources inside TFC the threat of the Argos moving to BMO Field is very real. Actually, it's advanced further than it ever has to this point. Not only have the Argos ownership been "talking to" city officials, as they have claimed in several news sources today, but they have actually submitted a formal letter of intent to the city to make the move.
The letter is "well crafted" and contains many provisions designed to make the shared ground seem workable. Included is an agreement to allow TFC and the CSA to maintain first rights in scheduling matters, a promise not to change the dimensions of the field, and a pledge to "repair" the field after every CFL game played on it.
There are serious doubts over whether repairing the pitch would be possible. Certainly, a 72-hour flip would be the minimum time needed. However, the CFL plays a great deal of games on Fridays, which would create a scheduling nightmare for TFC in the fall (or force the Argos off of TSN's Friday Night Football almost entirely). TFC, of course, mostly plays Saturday afternoon games, which would provide less than 20-hours for the field to be “repaired.”
Fans should not expect MLSE to make a public statement against the possible move. They can't. As the public caretakers of the stadium they are forced into a Switzerland role. However, the soccer operations people are dead-set against this happening.
It was suggested to me that fans need to make sure that the Argos understand that the soccer community will not accept the move. The team can be reached at info@argonauts.ca. Additionally, it would be nice if fans reminded media personalities in the city that it was the Argos that pulled out of the Varsity and York stadium deals, rather than the soccer community pushing the CFL team away. That act very nearly jeopardized the 2007 u-20 tournament and TFC itself. Yet, the Argos continue to portray themselves as the victim of those shifty soccer people.
One of these things is exactly like the others.
The list of this year's graduated players from the Generation Adidas program:
Kevin Alston - 26 games played, 21-years-old
Tony Beltran - 38 games played, 22-years-old
Omar Gonzalez - 30 games played, MLS rookie of the year, 21-years-old
Jeremy Hall - 24 games played, 21-years-old
Amaechi Igwe - 22 games played, 21-years-old
Patrick Nyarko - 39 games played, 23-years-old
Chris Seitz - seven games played as a keeper , 22-years-old
Anthony Wallace - 13 games played, 20-years-old
Rodney Wallace - 28 games played, 21-years-old
Steve Zakuani - 29 games played, 21-years-old
Now, here is a player that didn't graduate:
Stefan Frei - 26 games played, 23-years-old
How this isn't getting more play in MLS circles, particularly in Toronto-hostile MLS circles, is beyond me. That Frei remains on the list is particularly glaring when you consider that Chris Seitz, also a keeper, albeit one that has played 19 fewer games than Frei in MLS, was removed.
As I wrote yesterday, the feeling is that MLS left Frei in the program as a favour to Toronto. It views the Toronto market as important and this was a subtle but effective way that the league could help TFC get stronger without being too obvious about it. Outside of the absolute hardcore few understand or pay attention to the Generation Adidas program, especially in Canada (which is too bad because Canada could really use a similar program for Canadian kids).
MLS essentially just gave TFC about $150,000-$200,000 (about what Frei would be paid) in allocation under the table and an additional senior roster spot. It can now use the money that it was going to pay Frei to sign other players.
As a TFC fan, I'm ecstatic. As a journalist, I'm fascinated by the overt favouritism. If I'm a fan of another MLS team, I'm capital P pissed.
There could be something else at play here though (and this is speculation based on some things I do know). Maybe keeping Frei in the Generation Adidas program is a way of helping Philadelphia. As I reported yesterday, Toronto was shopping Frei last week. It's thought that TFC's desire to move him dropped off significantly after he was included in the GA program. However, it's also understood that Toronto is willing to move some pieces if it can move up in the draft and grab one of the top rated defenders (Ike Opara or Ofori Sarkodie).
Quietly on Wednesday Philly picked-up Salt Lake's back-up keeper Chris Seitz (the above mentioned GA graduate). As Seitz is considered to be probably the best young keeper in the league not regularly playing it was seen as a decent, if not overly exciting, move. But, what if Seitz was intended to go be flipped on to Toronto as part of a rumoured three way trade between Philly, Toronto and New York? Toronto ends up with one of the top two picks, which allows them to grab one of Opara or Sarkodie, and Seitz. Frei ends up in Philly (along with Amado Guevara maybe) and New York gets...something (I'm all out of speculation at this point).
As I said, it's a bit of speculation, but it's not based on nothing. The three way trade rumour is strong and TFC has indicated that they are willing to trade Frei.
They call it Silly Season, right?
Kevin Alston - 26 games played, 21-years-old
Tony Beltran - 38 games played, 22-years-old
Omar Gonzalez - 30 games played, MLS rookie of the year, 21-years-old
Jeremy Hall - 24 games played, 21-years-old
Amaechi Igwe - 22 games played, 21-years-old
Patrick Nyarko - 39 games played, 23-years-old
Chris Seitz - seven games played as a keeper , 22-years-old
Anthony Wallace - 13 games played, 20-years-old
Rodney Wallace - 28 games played, 21-years-old
Steve Zakuani - 29 games played, 21-years-old
Now, here is a player that didn't graduate:
Stefan Frei - 26 games played, 23-years-old
How this isn't getting more play in MLS circles, particularly in Toronto-hostile MLS circles, is beyond me. That Frei remains on the list is particularly glaring when you consider that Chris Seitz, also a keeper, albeit one that has played 19 fewer games than Frei in MLS, was removed.
As I wrote yesterday, the feeling is that MLS left Frei in the program as a favour to Toronto. It views the Toronto market as important and this was a subtle but effective way that the league could help TFC get stronger without being too obvious about it. Outside of the absolute hardcore few understand or pay attention to the Generation Adidas program, especially in Canada (which is too bad because Canada could really use a similar program for Canadian kids).
MLS essentially just gave TFC about $150,000-$200,000 (about what Frei would be paid) in allocation under the table and an additional senior roster spot. It can now use the money that it was going to pay Frei to sign other players.
As a TFC fan, I'm ecstatic. As a journalist, I'm fascinated by the overt favouritism. If I'm a fan of another MLS team, I'm capital P pissed.
There could be something else at play here though (and this is speculation based on some things I do know). Maybe keeping Frei in the Generation Adidas program is a way of helping Philadelphia. As I reported yesterday, Toronto was shopping Frei last week. It's thought that TFC's desire to move him dropped off significantly after he was included in the GA program. However, it's also understood that Toronto is willing to move some pieces if it can move up in the draft and grab one of the top rated defenders (Ike Opara or Ofori Sarkodie).
Quietly on Wednesday Philly picked-up Salt Lake's back-up keeper Chris Seitz (the above mentioned GA graduate). As Seitz is considered to be probably the best young keeper in the league not regularly playing it was seen as a decent, if not overly exciting, move. But, what if Seitz was intended to go be flipped on to Toronto as part of a rumoured three way trade between Philly, Toronto and New York? Toronto ends up with one of the top two picks, which allows them to grab one of Opara or Sarkodie, and Seitz. Frei ends up in Philly (along with Amado Guevara maybe) and New York gets...something (I'm all out of speculation at this point).
As I said, it's a bit of speculation, but it's not based on nothing. The three way trade rumour is strong and TFC has indicated that they are willing to trade Frei.
They call it Silly Season, right?
It's Called Football Daily: more on the Frei rumours and Philly expansionmania!
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ummmmmmm other platforms
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Survey - BUMP!
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FIFA threatens Chile with World Cup ban
In summary: FIFA doesn't make a peep when a crazy dictator refuses to show his country’s World Cup games to his people unless they have been edited to make it appear that they dominated, but is threatening to pull a country out of the World Cup because one of its domestic club teams dared to seek a legal opinion of a decision that went against it.
Civil rights and transparency = not important
Absolute control by FAs = vital.
When you put it that way I guess it makes sense.
Civil rights and transparency = not important
Absolute control by FAs = vital.
When you put it that way I guess it makes sense.
Trader Mo to be busy?
As most know, TFC does not have a first round pick in this draft. The Adrian Serioux trade from Dallas gave the Hoops TFC's first rounder. This can't be good news for Mo Johnston, who holds his draft record up as his crowning achievement in MLS management.
Famously, he selected Marvel Wynne and Mo Edu in back-to-back years (he also picked Julius James, but we don't tend to hear much about that).
Currently there are lots of rumblings around the team that they are actively trying to get a first round pick. Everyone knows that Amado Guevara is likely available, but what many TFC fans may find surprising is that the Reds have also been shopping 2009 Rookie of the Year candidate Stefan Frei. Although TFC likes Frei, they feel that he is easily replaceable and that he is bound for Europe sooner rather than later. Therefore they feel that it's best to get full value for him now.
The Frei rumours were red hot last week prior to the expansion draft. However, MLS' bizarre decision to not graduate him from Generation Adidas (which is being explained by more than one person to be MLS’ way of “helping” TFC, which it considers a vital market) cooled them off significantly. As a GA player, Frei doesn't cost TFC anything and his value goes up accordingly.
Still, if a trade or trades could be swung that allowed TFC to grab a top half pick from the first round along with a lower first round pick, the possibility still exists.
Why, you ask?
Because TFC is high on UCLA and USA youth keeper Brian Perk, who they believe can step in and duplicate what Frei accomplished. Perk looks to be set to go in the late first round or early second. He might slip all the way down to TFC's natural second round selection, but chances are he will be gone by then.
But what TFC really wants is one of the stud defenders in this year's draft, particularly Ike Opara or Ofori Sarkodie. To get either they will likely need a top six pick. That's why they may be willing to roll the dice on moving Frei, especially if they are convinced that Perk could be available to them.
One player that is not generating much interest in TFC circles is Teal Bunbury, the son of former Canadian international Alex Bunbury. Even if he were to somehow slip into the second round it doesn't seem likely that the Reds will select him. One close observer of northern North American soccer described Bunbury as "a poor man's O'Brian White" to me.
Famously, he selected Marvel Wynne and Mo Edu in back-to-back years (he also picked Julius James, but we don't tend to hear much about that).
Currently there are lots of rumblings around the team that they are actively trying to get a first round pick. Everyone knows that Amado Guevara is likely available, but what many TFC fans may find surprising is that the Reds have also been shopping 2009 Rookie of the Year candidate Stefan Frei. Although TFC likes Frei, they feel that he is easily replaceable and that he is bound for Europe sooner rather than later. Therefore they feel that it's best to get full value for him now.
The Frei rumours were red hot last week prior to the expansion draft. However, MLS' bizarre decision to not graduate him from Generation Adidas (which is being explained by more than one person to be MLS’ way of “helping” TFC, which it considers a vital market) cooled them off significantly. As a GA player, Frei doesn't cost TFC anything and his value goes up accordingly.
Still, if a trade or trades could be swung that allowed TFC to grab a top half pick from the first round along with a lower first round pick, the possibility still exists.
Why, you ask?
Because TFC is high on UCLA and USA youth keeper Brian Perk, who they believe can step in and duplicate what Frei accomplished. Perk looks to be set to go in the late first round or early second. He might slip all the way down to TFC's natural second round selection, but chances are he will be gone by then.
But what TFC really wants is one of the stud defenders in this year's draft, particularly Ike Opara or Ofori Sarkodie. To get either they will likely need a top six pick. That's why they may be willing to roll the dice on moving Frei, especially if they are convinced that Perk could be available to them.
One player that is not generating much interest in TFC circles is Teal Bunbury, the son of former Canadian international Alex Bunbury. Even if he were to somehow slip into the second round it doesn't seem likely that the Reds will select him. One close observer of northern North American soccer described Bunbury as "a poor man's O'Brian White" to me.
Take the rest of Duane's dignity; help a kid be a kid
If you would like to see me completely embarrass myself and possibly get banned from BMO Field for indecent exposure, here is how you can make that happen:
Donate to Right to Play Canada (or, if you are American, Right to Play USA). If more than 50 people make a donation of more than $49 (in their local currency), OR there is a total of more than $3,000 donated, I will wear the infamous Chad Barrett dress to TFC's home opener April 17, 2010.
Canadians can click here.
Americans go here
Anyone that wants to donate from outside North America can go to the UK site
Send me proof of you donation and I will track the results throughout the off-season.
Yes, donations will be accepted from Columbus.
For thhose that aren't familiar with Right To Play, here is a brief FAQ:
Q. Who is Right To Play?
A. Right To Play is an international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play to improve health, teach life skills and foster peace for children and communities affected by war, poverty and disease.
Q. What does Right To Play do?
A. Right To Play uses sport and play to improve health, teach life skills and foster peace for children and communities affected by war, poverty and disease. Right To Play trains Local Coaches to run our programs creating the foundation in a community for long-term programming and for individual and community leadership.
Our programs:
*
teach HIV/AIDS prevention to children most at risk
*
foster rehabilitation and teach conflict prevention and life skills to children affected by war
*
open up educational and leadership opportunities to girls
*
encourage the healthy physical, social and emotional development of refugees
*
bring joy, hope, laughter and so much more to children in need
Q. What is Right To Play’s vision?
A. Our vision is to create a healthier and safer world through the power of sport and play.
Q. Why sport and play?
A. Sport and play are essential development building blocks, helping to foster healthy physical, social and emotional development. Nothing else has the universal appeal of sport—it crosses ethnic, cultural, gender, and linguistic lines. Sport has the power to reach and teach like no other medium.
Q. What life skills and values can you learn from sport and play?
A. Sport and play can teach important life skills and values including leadership skills, teamwork, fair play, conflict resolution, inclusion, self-esteem, communication, commitment, compassion, respect, optimism, integrity, and joy.
Q. How can sport prevent HIV and AIDS?
A. The universal appeal of sport makes it an important tool for reaching especially the most vulnerable populations including youth. Right To Play’s games and group discussions carry prevention messages and information about HIV and AIDS to help stop the spread, change behaviour and reduce stigma.
Q. How does Right To Play deliver its child development programs?
A. Right To Play has a unique delivery model—a global team of staff and volunteers who train Volunteer Local Coaches. These Local Coaches create the foundation in a community for long-term sports programs and for individual and community leadership.
Right To Play is a partner of choice for leading aid agencies including UNICEF, UNHCR, the Vaccine Fund, CARE International, the International Red Cross, UNRWA.
Q. What do Local Coaches learn? In addition to learning to run regular sport and play programs, Right To Play Coaches learn practical skills of leadership, communication, project management, event organization, conflict resolution, and peace building skills that help them to build a stronger future and a stronger community.
Q. Where are Right To Play’s programs being implemented?
A. Our programs are currently implemented in 23 countries: Azerbaijan, Benin, Chad, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali,Mozambique, Pakistan, occupied Palestinian territories, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, and Zambia.
Q. What is the Red Ball?
A. The Red Ball, represented in Right To Play’s logo, is the organization’s symbol and a symbol of the humanitarian potential of sport to promote health, development and peace. It is the embodiment of Right To Play’s values the best values of sport including cooperation, respect, inclusion, integrity and fair play. Written on the Red Ball are the words “Look after yourself, look after one another”. This is the philosophy that guides Right To Play’s work. Through its programs Right To Play strives to empower individuals to look after themselves and look after their communities.
Q. What Athletes are involved?
A. Right To Play is supported by an international team of professional, Olympic and paralympic athletes from over 40 countries. These athletes inspire children, are role models for healthy lifestyle choices and help raise awareness and funding for Right To Play projects. Led by four-time Olympic Gold Medalist, and Right To Play President and CEO Johann Olav Koss, the team of Athlete Ambassadors include Wayne Gretzky, Steve Young, Martina Hingis, Dikembe Mutombo, Haile Gebrselassie, Michael Essien, Frank Lampard, Anja Pärson, Joey Cheek and many more. Right To Play is also supported by sports properties like Chelsea Football Club, Los Angeles Galaxy and Major League Soccer.
Donate to Right to Play Canada (or, if you are American, Right to Play USA). If more than 50 people make a donation of more than $49 (in their local currency), OR there is a total of more than $3,000 donated, I will wear the infamous Chad Barrett dress to TFC's home opener April 17, 2010.
Canadians can click here.
Americans go here
Anyone that wants to donate from outside North America can go to the UK site
Send me proof of you donation and I will track the results throughout the off-season.
Yes, donations will be accepted from Columbus.
For thhose that aren't familiar with Right To Play, here is a brief FAQ:
Q. Who is Right To Play?
A. Right To Play is an international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play to improve health, teach life skills and foster peace for children and communities affected by war, poverty and disease.
Q. What does Right To Play do?
A. Right To Play uses sport and play to improve health, teach life skills and foster peace for children and communities affected by war, poverty and disease. Right To Play trains Local Coaches to run our programs creating the foundation in a community for long-term programming and for individual and community leadership.
Our programs:
*
teach HIV/AIDS prevention to children most at risk
*
foster rehabilitation and teach conflict prevention and life skills to children affected by war
*
open up educational and leadership opportunities to girls
*
encourage the healthy physical, social and emotional development of refugees
*
bring joy, hope, laughter and so much more to children in need
Q. What is Right To Play’s vision?
A. Our vision is to create a healthier and safer world through the power of sport and play.
Q. Why sport and play?
A. Sport and play are essential development building blocks, helping to foster healthy physical, social and emotional development. Nothing else has the universal appeal of sport—it crosses ethnic, cultural, gender, and linguistic lines. Sport has the power to reach and teach like no other medium.
Q. What life skills and values can you learn from sport and play?
A. Sport and play can teach important life skills and values including leadership skills, teamwork, fair play, conflict resolution, inclusion, self-esteem, communication, commitment, compassion, respect, optimism, integrity, and joy.
Q. How can sport prevent HIV and AIDS?
A. The universal appeal of sport makes it an important tool for reaching especially the most vulnerable populations including youth. Right To Play’s games and group discussions carry prevention messages and information about HIV and AIDS to help stop the spread, change behaviour and reduce stigma.
Q. How does Right To Play deliver its child development programs?
A. Right To Play has a unique delivery model—a global team of staff and volunteers who train Volunteer Local Coaches. These Local Coaches create the foundation in a community for long-term sports programs and for individual and community leadership.
Right To Play is a partner of choice for leading aid agencies including UNICEF, UNHCR, the Vaccine Fund, CARE International, the International Red Cross, UNRWA.
Q. What do Local Coaches learn? In addition to learning to run regular sport and play programs, Right To Play Coaches learn practical skills of leadership, communication, project management, event organization, conflict resolution, and peace building skills that help them to build a stronger future and a stronger community.
Q. Where are Right To Play’s programs being implemented?
A. Our programs are currently implemented in 23 countries: Azerbaijan, Benin, Chad, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali,Mozambique, Pakistan, occupied Palestinian territories, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, and Zambia.
Q. What is the Red Ball?
A. The Red Ball, represented in Right To Play’s logo, is the organization’s symbol and a symbol of the humanitarian potential of sport to promote health, development and peace. It is the embodiment of Right To Play’s values the best values of sport including cooperation, respect, inclusion, integrity and fair play. Written on the Red Ball are the words “Look after yourself, look after one another”. This is the philosophy that guides Right To Play’s work. Through its programs Right To Play strives to empower individuals to look after themselves and look after their communities.
Q. What Athletes are involved?
A. Right To Play is supported by an international team of professional, Olympic and paralympic athletes from over 40 countries. These athletes inspire children, are role models for healthy lifestyle choices and help raise awareness and funding for Right To Play projects. Led by four-time Olympic Gold Medalist, and Right To Play President and CEO Johann Olav Koss, the team of Athlete Ambassadors include Wayne Gretzky, Steve Young, Martina Hingis, Dikembe Mutombo, Haile Gebrselassie, Michael Essien, Frank Lampard, Anja Pärson, Joey Cheek and many more. Right To Play is also supported by sports properties like Chelsea Football Club, Los Angeles Galaxy and Major League Soccer.
Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia
There isn't much to say about this. Except maybe to dream of a day when FIFA has the balls to tell countries that have absolutely no respect for human rights or dignity to stuff it and ban them from international competition (they could give the World Cup spot to, oh, I don't know, Ireland).
How, exactly, would allowing the people of the People's Democratic Republic of Korea the opportunity to watch Honduras play France be a bad thing? You know, other than watching the Honduras dive and Henry throw the ball around?
I hope the people of North Korea are well versed in how to use internet proxies.
How, exactly, would allowing the people of the People's Democratic Republic of Korea the opportunity to watch Honduras play France be a bad thing? You know, other than watching the Honduras dive and Henry throw the ball around?
I hope the people of North Korea are well versed in how to use internet proxies.
Pure class in Columbus
(Alejandro) Moreno was told he was left off the Crew’s protected list by former road roommate Stefani Miglioranzi and as of late this afternoon had not heard from anyone in the Crew front office.
Shawn Mitchell - Covering the Crew blog
You know what? Don't take my word that this is another example of how the backward hillbillies that run the Crew down there in C-Bus (there goes my accreditation request for next March) lack any sort of class or common sense and seem hell-bent on alienating all of their players and fans.
No, take the word of one of their biggest apologizers.
The Crew front office is a disaster. Give them another two or three more years of this and they will have run that team into the bloody ground. Columbus readers that find this can get defensive – and all Ugly American with anti-Canadian comments – or you can actually open your eyes to what many of us have been saying for a long time. There is a problem in Ohio. Whether it’s failing to put any sort of reasonable security plan in place to deal with 2,000 TFC fans (despite months of effort from the leadership of the TFC supporter’s groups to reach out and work with them), harassing their own supporter’s groups with a near obsession over the word “asshole,” 10,000 empty seats for a playoff game, low-balling the 2008 league MVP in contract negotiations, or failing to have the decency to tell one of their players that he had been selected by Philadelphia, there is clear and consistent evidence that they are basically incompetent.
Columbus and MLS deserves much better than what they are getting from the Crew front office.
TFC season ticket sales - same old, same old
A while back one of my best friends in Columbus suggested that TFC season ticket sales were not as strong as in past years and that there were bound to be games that weren't sold out. When I suggested to him or her that the sales were the same as in past years, with about a 95 per cent renewal rate, he or she asked me to provide documented proof of that claim.
An e-mail from the TFC ticket office to those on the Gold waiting list today:
So, about 15,400 season tickets have been sold out of the 16,000 available. That would be a 96.25 per cent renewal. With more than 16,000 people on the waiting list it would seem pretty likely that the 400 tickets left, along with the 2,000 partial packages, will once again sell out (the Gold list is for people that have purchased partial packages before. They get first crack at both the full and partial sets before those that have never had tickets get a chance).
Now, just because the seats are sold doesn't mean that people are using them. The ticket scalpers controlled a great deal of seats in the past few years and, as a result, there have been empty seats at TFC games (it's made to look even worse on TV because of the amount of people that squeeze into rowdier sections, or who watch the game from the north end beer garden. I would estimate that at least 1,000 fans per game are not watching from their assigned seats).
More involved fans have been frustrated by that phenomena, and critics of TFC and its fans use it as a GOTCHA! example of how the team isn’t nearly as popular as it is made out to be. However, season ticket renewals do not lie. That there are still 16,000 people willing to fork out money to watch a MLS team in Toronto after three losing seasons is significant. There is no novelty factor anymore. Toronto is just a good market and good for MLS’ bottom line. I don’t say that as a pompous brag, but rather as a "stuff it" to the critics that told us in 2006 that it would never work and in 2007 that the bubble would burst after the party was over and in 2008 that the team would need to win to keep the fans and in....
The team is here to stay. Clearly. For those of us that have supported the game in this city and country for a long time, it’s still a big deal to realize that.
An e-mail from the TFC ticket office to those on the Gold waiting list today:
Hi there ,
The time is so close! Thanks for your continued patience. We are currently preparing for the GOLD Waiting List sale of 2010 seasons seats and partial packages. The good news is we are holding onto some great seat locations for you!
Similar to past years, we will email you an appointment time in which a Toronto FC Account Executive will contact you by phone to discuss your 2010 options. If you need to update your contact information, you can do so through your online Account Manager under 'edit profile'.
This year we have over 400 Full Season Seats available (mostly in the Dark Grey sections) and approximately 2000 Partial Packs!
Don't forget to keep checking your inbox for an appointment time (we're hoping to be able to send the email by mid next week). The email will include all of the information you need to know about this year’s ticket process and packages.
Talk to you next week!
Toronto FC
// All For One
So, about 15,400 season tickets have been sold out of the 16,000 available. That would be a 96.25 per cent renewal. With more than 16,000 people on the waiting list it would seem pretty likely that the 400 tickets left, along with the 2,000 partial packages, will once again sell out (the Gold list is for people that have purchased partial packages before. They get first crack at both the full and partial sets before those that have never had tickets get a chance).
Now, just because the seats are sold doesn't mean that people are using them. The ticket scalpers controlled a great deal of seats in the past few years and, as a result, there have been empty seats at TFC games (it's made to look even worse on TV because of the amount of people that squeeze into rowdier sections, or who watch the game from the north end beer garden. I would estimate that at least 1,000 fans per game are not watching from their assigned seats).
More involved fans have been frustrated by that phenomena, and critics of TFC and its fans use it as a GOTCHA! example of how the team isn’t nearly as popular as it is made out to be. However, season ticket renewals do not lie. That there are still 16,000 people willing to fork out money to watch a MLS team in Toronto after three losing seasons is significant. There is no novelty factor anymore. Toronto is just a good market and good for MLS’ bottom line. I don’t say that as a pompous brag, but rather as a "stuff it" to the critics that told us in 2006 that it would never work and in 2007 that the bubble would burst after the party was over and in 2008 that the team would need to win to keep the fans and in....
The team is here to stay. Clearly. For those of us that have supported the game in this city and country for a long time, it’s still a big deal to realize that.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Survey, Survey, Survey!
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CONCACAF changes
CONCACAF changed the way that youth teams must qualify to international tournaments today. In the past the North Region of CONCACAF (Canada, USA and Mexico) received a bye to the final round of CONCACAF qualifying, while the Caribbean and Central America regions were forced into a semi-final stage.
The seven Central American teams will join the three northern teams to compete for five slots in the final stage. The Caribbean will continue to qualify three teams into the final eight, which has typically seen two groups of four teams compete.
The North - Central round format has yet to be determined, although two groups of five, with the top two in each group qualifying and the two third place teams playing for the final spot would seem to make sense.
The new format will begin immediately, although there will be some changes to the 2011 sub-17 format as Mexico is in the tournament already as the host.
It's probably good news for the Canadian set-up as it will provide more games for the youth teams. Even though they run the risk of missing the final stage from time to time, there is no reason why that should worry Canada. Typically, the Canadian youth teams are competitive enough to get through a Central American qualifier (although one of Costa Rica, Honduras or Canada is bound to be the odd team out more often than not).
The bottom line, as always, is that if the team can't get by nations of that stature in sub-qualifying rounds, it doesn't really deserve its place in the final round anyway.
The seven Central American teams will join the three northern teams to compete for five slots in the final stage. The Caribbean will continue to qualify three teams into the final eight, which has typically seen two groups of four teams compete.
The North - Central round format has yet to be determined, although two groups of five, with the top two in each group qualifying and the two third place teams playing for the final spot would seem to make sense.
The new format will begin immediately, although there will be some changes to the 2011 sub-17 format as Mexico is in the tournament already as the host.
It's probably good news for the Canadian set-up as it will provide more games for the youth teams. Even though they run the risk of missing the final stage from time to time, there is no reason why that should worry Canada. Typically, the Canadian youth teams are competitive enough to get through a Central American qualifier (although one of Costa Rica, Honduras or Canada is bound to be the odd team out more often than not).
The bottom line, as always, is that if the team can't get by nations of that stature in sub-qualifying rounds, it doesn't really deserve its place in the final round anyway.
And Philly selects...
The original Philly Union is:
Jordan Harvey (D) Colorado Rapids
Andrew Jacobsen (M) D.C. United
Brad Knighton (G) New England Revolution
Sebastien Le Toux (F) Seattle Sounders FC
Stefani Miglioranzi (M) LA Galaxy
Alejandro Moreno (F) Columbus Crew
Dave Myrie (D) Chicago Fire
Shea Salinas (M) San Jose Earthquakes
Shavar Thomas (D) Chivas USA
Nick Zimmerman (M) New York Red Bulls
Of course, many of these guys will never be much more than a bit player for the Union. A significant amount will never even play a game for Philly, while more than half will not play more than a full season's worth of games. A look at the history of the MLS expansion draft in the second wave of expansion shows that typically about five players will suit up for more than 10 games over the course of their career with the drafted team (Toronto is the noted and extreme exception. The Reds did not have a single player from the expansion list last the season and if it wasn't for Adrian Serioux coming back to the team this past year, there would have been a total of five games played by all 10 players).
Here are the players that featured more than 10 times for the club:
Chivas
Arturo Torres M
Orlando Perez D
Ezra Hendrickson D
Francisco Gomez M
Matt Taylor F
Thiago Martins F
Salt Lake
Andy Williams M
D.J. Countess GK
Brian Kamler M
Nelson Akwari D
Chris Brown M
Rusty Pierce D
Toronto
Adrian Serioux M
San Jose
Ryan Cochrane D
Ned Grabavoy M
James Riley D
Ivan Guerrero D
Jason Hernandez D
Seattle
Nate Jaqua F
Peter Vagenas M
Tyson Wahl D
James Riley D
Stephen King M
Brad Evans M
Clearly this is an exercise in depth rather than a search for starters -- Andy Williams has had a nice career, Nate Jaqua was a significant piece of Settle's puzzle and Serioux is now a starter for TFC, but by and large it's a rag tag bunch.
So, is there a future starter for Philly?
Le Toux, maybe. Moreno, if he isn't moved elsewhere for a draft pick or allocation. It's an interesting group, and not what a lot would have expected.
In the end, these guys will mostly be forgotten. But today amongst the Sons of Ben and other Philly soccer fans they are kings -- kings they have been waiting nearly a lifetime to know.
Jordan Harvey (D) Colorado Rapids
Andrew Jacobsen (M) D.C. United
Brad Knighton (G) New England Revolution
Sebastien Le Toux (F) Seattle Sounders FC
Stefani Miglioranzi (M) LA Galaxy
Alejandro Moreno (F) Columbus Crew
Dave Myrie (D) Chicago Fire
Shea Salinas (M) San Jose Earthquakes
Shavar Thomas (D) Chivas USA
Nick Zimmerman (M) New York Red Bulls
Of course, many of these guys will never be much more than a bit player for the Union. A significant amount will never even play a game for Philly, while more than half will not play more than a full season's worth of games. A look at the history of the MLS expansion draft in the second wave of expansion shows that typically about five players will suit up for more than 10 games over the course of their career with the drafted team (Toronto is the noted and extreme exception. The Reds did not have a single player from the expansion list last the season and if it wasn't for Adrian Serioux coming back to the team this past year, there would have been a total of five games played by all 10 players).
Here are the players that featured more than 10 times for the club:
Chivas
Arturo Torres M
Orlando Perez D
Ezra Hendrickson D
Francisco Gomez M
Matt Taylor F
Thiago Martins F
Salt Lake
Andy Williams M
D.J. Countess GK
Brian Kamler M
Nelson Akwari D
Chris Brown M
Rusty Pierce D
Toronto
Adrian Serioux M
San Jose
Ryan Cochrane D
Ned Grabavoy M
James Riley D
Ivan Guerrero D
Jason Hernandez D
Seattle
Nate Jaqua F
Peter Vagenas M
Tyson Wahl D
James Riley D
Stephen King M
Brad Evans M
Clearly this is an exercise in depth rather than a search for starters -- Andy Williams has had a nice career, Nate Jaqua was a significant piece of Settle's puzzle and Serioux is now a starter for TFC, but by and large it's a rag tag bunch.
So, is there a future starter for Philly?
Le Toux, maybe. Moreno, if he isn't moved elsewhere for a draft pick or allocation. It's an interesting group, and not what a lot would have expected.
In the end, these guys will mostly be forgotten. But today amongst the Sons of Ben and other Philly soccer fans they are kings -- kings they have been waiting nearly a lifetime to know.
It may be a cheesy North American name, but it's our cheesy North American name
Common sense has prevailed. The Vancouver Whitecaps will remain the Vancouver Whitecaps when they enter MLS in 2011. Now, we wait for a similar statement from Portland, and all will be good.
With the 'Caps now a sure thing, it brings the total amount of MLS teams using the old names up to three (Earthquakes, Sounders and Whitecaps), with the Timbers very likely to make it four.
Of course, the TOA breakaway group also seems set on calling its league the NASL, so it appears that nostalgia is at a peak.
Good. Although there are some that insist that it is a mistake to label teams and leagues with the names of the past -- a failed past in many cases -- it's important to hold onto tradition in football, one of the most tradition laden sports in the world.
Yes, the NASL failed in 1984, but it was successful for a goodly few years in the late '70s. It's legacy was the millions of kids that spent Saturday morning chasing a black and white chequered ball around the local (gridiron) football field in the '80s. Many of those kids, then in college, made road trips to watch the 1994 World Cup and, then, two years later scraped together their pennies to buy season tickets to the fledgling MLS. Today, they still stand in those stadiums, sometimes with their children beside them, as they go through life as the first generation of native-born North American soccer (and I use that word purposely) fans. From wide-eyed child to grumpy old man, they will live their life following and understanding the beautiful game.
That's the legacy of the NASL and that's why there is nothing wrong with giving a nod to the past every now and than.
The history of the sport here in North America is different than it is in Continental Europe and the UK. We simply don't have the ability to track club teams back through 100 plus years of history. However, we do have 100 plus years of history to look back at. It's been a sputtering history, with ebbs and flows, stops and starts, but it's our history. When someone in Toronto talks about TFC being a young team they are, of course, correct. However, to me, the history of TFC goes back much further than 2007. It stretches through the Lynx and the CSL Blizzard, the NASL glory years, including the 1976 Soccer Bowl champion Metros-Croatia, and it finishes with Toronto City and beyond. It's all one , if occasionally broken and often erratic, line.
In the past MLS has tried to shy away from the NASL. Let's hope that bad habit is done now. Yes, the Cosmos crumbled, taking the league with them, but there was a lot to like about what they did.
And what they put in motion.
With the 'Caps now a sure thing, it brings the total amount of MLS teams using the old names up to three (Earthquakes, Sounders and Whitecaps), with the Timbers very likely to make it four.
Of course, the TOA breakaway group also seems set on calling its league the NASL, so it appears that nostalgia is at a peak.
Good. Although there are some that insist that it is a mistake to label teams and leagues with the names of the past -- a failed past in many cases -- it's important to hold onto tradition in football, one of the most tradition laden sports in the world.
Yes, the NASL failed in 1984, but it was successful for a goodly few years in the late '70s. It's legacy was the millions of kids that spent Saturday morning chasing a black and white chequered ball around the local (gridiron) football field in the '80s. Many of those kids, then in college, made road trips to watch the 1994 World Cup and, then, two years later scraped together their pennies to buy season tickets to the fledgling MLS. Today, they still stand in those stadiums, sometimes with their children beside them, as they go through life as the first generation of native-born North American soccer (and I use that word purposely) fans. From wide-eyed child to grumpy old man, they will live their life following and understanding the beautiful game.
That's the legacy of the NASL and that's why there is nothing wrong with giving a nod to the past every now and than.
The history of the sport here in North America is different than it is in Continental Europe and the UK. We simply don't have the ability to track club teams back through 100 plus years of history. However, we do have 100 plus years of history to look back at. It's been a sputtering history, with ebbs and flows, stops and starts, but it's our history. When someone in Toronto talks about TFC being a young team they are, of course, correct. However, to me, the history of TFC goes back much further than 2007. It stretches through the Lynx and the CSL Blizzard, the NASL glory years, including the 1976 Soccer Bowl champion Metros-Croatia, and it finishes with Toronto City and beyond. It's all one , if occasionally broken and often erratic, line.
In the past MLS has tried to shy away from the NASL. Let's hope that bad habit is done now. Yes, the Cosmos crumbled, taking the league with them, but there was a lot to like about what they did.
And what they put in motion.
It's Called Football Daily: Best. Show. Ever (that was taped yesterday at 10 p.m.)
Liverpool in the Europa League! Philly expansionmania!! NASL-USL-TOA insanity!!! Duane dressed in male appropriate clothing!!!! All this and more on It's Called Football Daily.
The cool kids have iTunes. Are you cool?
It's cool if you aren't though. Really (but you should get iTunes).
The cool kids have iTunes. Are you cool?
It's cool if you aren't though. Really (but you should get iTunes).
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Reader survey
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TOA, USL, NASL, DUMB
Another scenario is that the TOA application is accepted with the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA). The CSA is Canada’s equivalent to the USSF. If the application is accepted in the CSA, all teams could play within that league just as the other Canadian teams have been playing in the USSF-sanctioned USL.
Once again, Brian Quarstad has a great article up summing up the current situation in the TOA - USL dispute. When you go over -- and do go over -- make sure to read the comments. Here in Canada we are typically seeing pro-TOA perspectives, based on the fact that the Whitecaps and Impact are the leading voices on the TOA side. Quarstad's comment's section is more from a USL perspective.
As for the quoted passage above? Oh, dear. It certainly is an interesting, if bizarre, possibility. Imagine explaining that one to your friends from overseas. Yes, the Canadian domestic league has 80 per cent of its teams in the US. Don't ask, just roll with it.
I would hope that the CSA would require a bit more of a Canadian presence in the league before agreeing to be the sole sanctioning body. I would also think that FIFA might require that at least half the teams be from the nation that is sanctioning it, but then again who bloody knows with FIFA.
A true optimist could look at this as the impetus to the start of a Canadian league, I guess. American expansion didn't work for the CFL, but maybe this could be different. Personally, I can't see it, but Kool-aid is the favourite drink of a particular subset of Voyagers (the ones that like to post elaborate pan-Canadian league set-ups that include the possibility of FC Charlottetown Islanders taking on AFC Saskatoon in a two legged championship final).
The bottom line with all of this remains the same, however. Both sides need to suck it up and figure out a compromise. Otherwise, it seems, they are going to blow everything up.
It's Called Football: more than a dress, really
Yes, I wore the dress. But Rohan Ricketts and Ives were on too.
Subscribe and download It's Called Football Monday - Friday now on iTunes
No iTunes, no cry - download the show for your Zune, MP3 player or tape deck
Subscribe and download It's Called Football Monday - Friday now on iTunes
No iTunes, no cry - download the show for your Zune, MP3 player or tape deck
Monday, November 23, 2009
TFC's protected list for the expansion draft
No time for a full post now, but:
Attakora-Gyan, Nana
Barrett, Chad
Brennan, Jim
Cronin, Sam
de Guzman, Julian
DeRosario, Dwayne
Gomez, Emmanuel
Sanyang, Amadou
Serioux, Adrian
White, O'Brian
Wynne, Marvell
The players exposed:
Edwards, Brian
Fellinga, Lesly
Garcia, Nick
Gerba, Ali
Guevara, Amado
Robinson, Carl
Vitti, Pablo
Gala, Gabe
What the Philly fans are thinking.
Attakora-Gyan, Nana
Barrett, Chad
Brennan, Jim
Cronin, Sam
de Guzman, Julian
DeRosario, Dwayne
Gomez, Emmanuel
Sanyang, Amadou
Serioux, Adrian
White, O'Brian
Wynne, Marvell
The players exposed:
Edwards, Brian
Fellinga, Lesly
Garcia, Nick
Gerba, Ali
Guevara, Amado
Robinson, Carl
Vitti, Pablo
Gala, Gabe
What the Philly fans are thinking.
About the dress - Rohan Ricketts and Ives on tonight's very special edition of It's Called Football
If you follow me on Twitter (24thminute) you can see the actual dress in all its glory. If not, you can appreciate that it has a certain Little House on the Prairie feel to it.
Join us tonight to see it in all its glory at 9 p.m. EST on thatchannel.com.
The show should be pretty good too. We have Rohan Ricketts and Ives.
At the end of the show I’ll tell you how you can get me to wear it to the home opener. No, Chad Barrett will have nothing to do with it.
Join us tonight to see it in all its glory at 9 p.m. EST on thatchannel.com.
The show should be pretty good too. We have Rohan Ricketts and Ives.
At the end of the show I’ll tell you how you can get me to wear it to the home opener. No, Chad Barrett will have nothing to do with it.
Sober Second Thoughts: Nothing Fake about it
So the team with the worst name in the history of professional sports (he says without hyperbole. Seriously) are champions. It's a shame, really, that my lead refers to the stupidity of pretending to be a 107 year old club from Spain that has been honoured by the King with the Real distinction, when you are actually a 5-year-old MLS expansion team in Utah. But, the reality is that many people the world over will wake up today and go "What was that team Beckham lost to? What? Real Salt Lake. You're kidding, right? Good God, never mind."
So here we are. Ignoring the championship run and instead focusing on the name. Get over yourself Duane, many might be muttering. Fine. Fair enough. The game, then:
It was good, I thought. The First half a bit dull, with LA playing its "make 'em look ugly and grab a goal" style that has served them so well all year. And when Mr. McGee tapped home that sitter late in the first half all seemed set-up for the perfect Hollywood script -- stars redeemed, underdog becomes hero, Don Garber pees self in excitement, SOCCER, SOCCER, SOCCER SUUUUUNDAY AT THEATRES EVERYWHERE!
But, something happened in the second half. Salt Lake started to play a little football. They took some risks. They broke down LA's midfield, exposing insane gaps to come at the Galaxy wave after wave. Robbie Findley was getting all kids of chances. If he had a little bit better first touch (or if the game wasn't being held on plastic grass) there is no need for extra time or penalties -- Salt Lake wins it going away. The Galaxy just never seemed likely after the first 45. You just knew, somehow, that it would be the No. 8 seed that would be standing in the confetti at the end.
And when Beckham limped his way up to take the first kick you could have been forgiven for thinking Ahhhh...this is the twist. He's missed one like this before, hasn’t he. Those Brits, always blowing penalties. Har Har Har. But, then he hit it, booked his flight to Italy, and we all waited to see how it all would play out.
No one imagined that it would be the other Galaxy star that would choke up the hairball. Landon Donovan had hit 8,769,765 consecutive penalties. He was money. The ball still hasn't landed.
Of course, Salt Lake managed to blow the ensuing chance to clinch the Cup, but the enduring imagine of MLS Cup 2009 will be Landon the MVP becoming Landycakes again. Grant Wahl has the subject for his next book now -- Landon Donovan: Sawker Enigma.
As for SLC: good for them. It's the league's smallest market, Utah hasn’t won anything, pretty much ever and the Mormons are really decent people. When a No. 8 seed wins, it's hard to be overly inspired, but it is what it is and it's no less legitimate than when No. 1 plays No. 2.
They may not ever be royal, but Salt Lake is no longer fake. In the crazy little world that is MLS, their title has to give everyone hope that they are just one bounce away from a magic run of their own. It's just 121 days to we start to find out which teams do.
So here we are. Ignoring the championship run and instead focusing on the name. Get over yourself Duane, many might be muttering. Fine. Fair enough. The game, then:
It was good, I thought. The First half a bit dull, with LA playing its "make 'em look ugly and grab a goal" style that has served them so well all year. And when Mr. McGee tapped home that sitter late in the first half all seemed set-up for the perfect Hollywood script -- stars redeemed, underdog becomes hero, Don Garber pees self in excitement, SOCCER, SOCCER, SOCCER SUUUUUNDAY AT THEATRES EVERYWHERE!
But, something happened in the second half. Salt Lake started to play a little football. They took some risks. They broke down LA's midfield, exposing insane gaps to come at the Galaxy wave after wave. Robbie Findley was getting all kids of chances. If he had a little bit better first touch (or if the game wasn't being held on plastic grass) there is no need for extra time or penalties -- Salt Lake wins it going away. The Galaxy just never seemed likely after the first 45. You just knew, somehow, that it would be the No. 8 seed that would be standing in the confetti at the end.
And when Beckham limped his way up to take the first kick you could have been forgiven for thinking Ahhhh...this is the twist. He's missed one like this before, hasn’t he. Those Brits, always blowing penalties. Har Har Har. But, then he hit it, booked his flight to Italy, and we all waited to see how it all would play out.
No one imagined that it would be the other Galaxy star that would choke up the hairball. Landon Donovan had hit 8,769,765 consecutive penalties. He was money. The ball still hasn't landed.
Of course, Salt Lake managed to blow the ensuing chance to clinch the Cup, but the enduring imagine of MLS Cup 2009 will be Landon the MVP becoming Landycakes again. Grant Wahl has the subject for his next book now -- Landon Donovan: Sawker Enigma.
As for SLC: good for them. It's the league's smallest market, Utah hasn’t won anything, pretty much ever and the Mormons are really decent people. When a No. 8 seed wins, it's hard to be overly inspired, but it is what it is and it's no less legitimate than when No. 1 plays No. 2.
They may not ever be royal, but Salt Lake is no longer fake. In the crazy little world that is MLS, their title has to give everyone hope that they are just one bounce away from a magic run of their own. It's just 121 days to we start to find out which teams do.
The Randomizer: Ole' Irish Eyes are broke, apparently
The clip is a week or so old, but anyone with an interest in the world of football (as opposed to the big leagues plus maybe MLS only) should have a look at this Irish TV’s report on the state of the League of Ireland.
It’s an interesting report on a lot of the pressures and temptations facing the world’s smaller leagues. How can they attract fans? How can they get better without getting broke? And, what is the way forward?
The news report runs about nine minutes and can be seen here. They follow-up with a round-table discussion on the subject. All told, the report lasts about 15 minutes. Like I said, it’s well worth a look.
It’s also the perfect opportunity for me to introduce a new feature for the blog. During this off-season I will take a weekly look at a random domestic league, far from the mainstream. Called The Randomizer (‘cause it’s random. Well, sort of. More on that in a bit), I will look at the current top teams and players, the issues surrounding the league, a little history – especially if it’s a league that very few are familiar with – and try and take a look ahead. At the risk of betraying the name, if readers have a league that they want to see featured, let me know by e-mail. Also, when I don’t quite get something right, let me know in the comments – despite what you might think, I don’t actually follow the Belize domestic league all that close.
What originally attracted me to this game is its vastness. I hope to explore that a little with this feature.
It’s an interesting report on a lot of the pressures and temptations facing the world’s smaller leagues. How can they attract fans? How can they get better without getting broke? And, what is the way forward?
The news report runs about nine minutes and can be seen here. They follow-up with a round-table discussion on the subject. All told, the report lasts about 15 minutes. Like I said, it’s well worth a look.
It’s also the perfect opportunity for me to introduce a new feature for the blog. During this off-season I will take a weekly look at a random domestic league, far from the mainstream. Called The Randomizer (‘cause it’s random. Well, sort of. More on that in a bit), I will look at the current top teams and players, the issues surrounding the league, a little history – especially if it’s a league that very few are familiar with – and try and take a look ahead. At the risk of betraying the name, if readers have a league that they want to see featured, let me know by e-mail. Also, when I don’t quite get something right, let me know in the comments – despite what you might think, I don’t actually follow the Belize domestic league all that close.
What originally attracted me to this game is its vastness. I hope to explore that a little with this feature.
It's Called a Dress Edition
'Chad Barrett, I love you man, I do, but dude...dude'
It's Called Football goes live tonight at 9pm EST. I will be wearing a dress on the show because Chad Barrett couldn't score 10 goals this year.
Come watch, join the live blog here and let me know if purple is really my colour.
Saturday, I went out with Ben to pick out that dress.
Have a look at that shit show and tune in tonight.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Looking back at how stupid I was
In the preseason The Score asked me to submit some predictions on the MLS season. The compiled the results of several "experts" and published them on The Footy Blog. Against my better judgement, here were my picks:
MLS Season
MLS Cup Prediction: Chicago over SLC (Hey, I should get some credit for SLC, right!)
Supporters Shield: Columbus
MLS Awards
MVP: Huckerby (I'm sure I meant "retired" rather than MVP)
Coach of the Year: Jason Kreis
Comeback Player of the Year: Gomez
Defender if the Year: Chad Marshall
Goalkeeper of the Year: Nick Rimando
Golden Boot: Donovan (I'm guessing no one picked Jeffie)
Newcomer of the Year: Vitti (umm...yeah)
Rookie of the Year: Cronin
MLS Over/Unders:
Seattle over/under 34 points - under
Freddie Ljungberg o/u 17 appearances - under
Fredy Montero o/u 8 goals - under
Kenny Cooper o/u 16 goals - over
Juan Pablo Angel o/u 14 goals - under
Guillermo Barros Schelotto o/u 16 assists - under
David Beckham o/u 10 appearances - under
LA Galaxy o/u 36 points under (Whoops)
TFC Specific Predictions and Over/Unders
Does TFC make the playoffs? yes
Who leads TFC in goals? Vitti (um, yeah 2.0)
Who leads TFC in assists? DeRo
Does Marvell Wynne finish the season in a TFC uniform? no
TFC over/under 40 points – over
TFC o/u 8 clean sheets - under
TFC o/u 3 home losses - under
TFC o/u 3 road wins - over
Pablo Vitti o/u 8 goals - over
Dwayne De Rosario o/u 8 goals - under
Stefan Frei o/u 8 games played - under (Good God...)
Adrian Serioux/Kevin Harmse combined red cards o/u 3 – under (SERIOUX ONLY HAD FOUR CARDS LAST YEAR – ONLY 1 RED!) (<- That was me editorializing )
Games Played by management, coaching staff or Rick Titus o/u 0.5 - Under (Does Dichio count?)
MLS Season
MLS Cup Prediction: Chicago over SLC (Hey, I should get some credit for SLC, right!)
Supporters Shield: Columbus
MLS Awards
MVP: Huckerby (I'm sure I meant "retired" rather than MVP)
Coach of the Year: Jason Kreis
Comeback Player of the Year: Gomez
Defender if the Year: Chad Marshall
Goalkeeper of the Year: Nick Rimando
Golden Boot: Donovan (I'm guessing no one picked Jeffie)
Newcomer of the Year: Vitti (umm...yeah)
Rookie of the Year: Cronin
MLS Over/Unders:
Seattle over/under 34 points - under
Freddie Ljungberg o/u 17 appearances - under
Fredy Montero o/u 8 goals - under
Kenny Cooper o/u 16 goals - over
Juan Pablo Angel o/u 14 goals - under
Guillermo Barros Schelotto o/u 16 assists - under
David Beckham o/u 10 appearances - under
LA Galaxy o/u 36 points under (Whoops)
TFC Specific Predictions and Over/Unders
Does TFC make the playoffs? yes
Who leads TFC in goals? Vitti (um, yeah 2.0)
Who leads TFC in assists? DeRo
Does Marvell Wynne finish the season in a TFC uniform? no
TFC over/under 40 points – over
TFC o/u 8 clean sheets - under
TFC o/u 3 home losses - under
TFC o/u 3 road wins - over
Pablo Vitti o/u 8 goals - over
Dwayne De Rosario o/u 8 goals - under
Stefan Frei o/u 8 games played - under (Good God...)
Adrian Serioux/Kevin Harmse combined red cards o/u 3 – under (SERIOUX ONLY HAD FOUR CARDS LAST YEAR – ONLY 1 RED!) (<- That was me editorializing )
Games Played by management, coaching staff or Rick Titus o/u 0.5 - Under (Does Dichio count?)
And the name is....
USL News is breaking a story today that shows that one member of the TOA breakaway group has registered a name for the proposed new league.
That name?
The North American Soccer League.
You can't make this stuff up.
In other TOA/USL-1 news, the TOA group has shot back at the USL-1's attempts to bankrupt its proposed Minnesota team and thus put the amount of teams in the league below the threshold of seven (with a promise to get to eight) needed for sanctioning. It's done so by adding two more groups to its proposal -- Baltimore (The pre-existing USL-2 Crystal Palace Baltimore) and Tampa Bay, which was scheduled to enter the USL-1 next year as the Rowdies. So, now there are nine teams ready to play.
In the NASL, apparently.
That name?
The North American Soccer League.
You can't make this stuff up.
In other TOA/USL-1 news, the TOA group has shot back at the USL-1's attempts to bankrupt its proposed Minnesota team and thus put the amount of teams in the league below the threshold of seven (with a promise to get to eight) needed for sanctioning. It's done so by adding two more groups to its proposal -- Baltimore (The pre-existing USL-2 Crystal Palace Baltimore) and Tampa Bay, which was scheduled to enter the USL-1 next year as the Rowdies. So, now there are nine teams ready to play.
In the NASL, apparently.
It's Called Foot Hockey
Squizz over at Some Canadian Men Rappin’ About Handball* has posted a satirical piece today that talks about the CSA’s efforts to re-brand soccer as “Foot Hockey,” after a popular schoolyard game played throughout Canada (it’s four or five a side soccer, played with a tennis ball on a hard surface. The nets are usually the size of an ice hockey goal and goalies play much in the same way as an ice hockey goalie would – often with a ball glove as a trapper).
As much as the post is clearly a joke, like all good satire, there is an element of truth to it. It’s profoundly telling that Canadian kids refer to this game that is clearly a version of soccer as “Foot (or sometimes Kick) Hockey."
Squizz’ post reminded me of an anecdote from my childhood:
I was at a summer hockey (the ice kind) school when I was about 10. As part of the off-ice training, the coaches had us play soccer every day in an outdoor skating rink (so, indoor soccer, really). Soccer is actually a fairly common cross-training activity for hockey players, as the similarities between hockey and soccer are quite strong -- especially if you play it on a surface that emulates a hockey rink.
It wasn’t a popular part of the day. Most of the kids bitched and moaned about having to play soccer. It wasn't a real sport (“dad told me so”), it sucked, etc. We BEGGED the coaches to let us play a different game. We were desperate to switch up soccer for the oh-so-different Kick Hockey! (we called it Kick Hockey in Eastern Ontario, rather than Foot Hockey. Same game though).
So, the coaches replaced the soccer ball with a tennis ball, called it Kick Hockey and suddenly EVERYONE loved our daily off-ice Kick Hockey game.
Sadly, as stated, this is a true story.
Maybe Squizz is onto something after all...
*That's what it's called, right?
As much as the post is clearly a joke, like all good satire, there is an element of truth to it. It’s profoundly telling that Canadian kids refer to this game that is clearly a version of soccer as “Foot (or sometimes Kick) Hockey."
Squizz’ post reminded me of an anecdote from my childhood:
I was at a summer hockey (the ice kind) school when I was about 10. As part of the off-ice training, the coaches had us play soccer every day in an outdoor skating rink (so, indoor soccer, really). Soccer is actually a fairly common cross-training activity for hockey players, as the similarities between hockey and soccer are quite strong -- especially if you play it on a surface that emulates a hockey rink.
It wasn’t a popular part of the day. Most of the kids bitched and moaned about having to play soccer. It wasn't a real sport (“dad told me so”), it sucked, etc. We BEGGED the coaches to let us play a different game. We were desperate to switch up soccer for the oh-so-different Kick Hockey! (we called it Kick Hockey in Eastern Ontario, rather than Foot Hockey. Same game though).
So, the coaches replaced the soccer ball with a tennis ball, called it Kick Hockey and suddenly EVERYONE loved our daily off-ice Kick Hockey game.
Sadly, as stated, this is a true story.
Maybe Squizz is onto something after all...
*That's what it's called, right?
It's Calld Football Daily: MLS Cup preview + Preki and Montreal to MLS
Ben confirms that Montreal will be named the 19th MLS team at first kick 2010 (to start play in 2012), we break down the Preki hiring and preview the MLS Cup. Oh, and interview Henry's hand.
ummmm iTunes.
ummmmmmm other platforms
ummmm iTunes.
ummmmmmm other platforms
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Landycakes gets the last laugh
Your 2009 MLS MVP:
It's deserved. And it's probably time to move on to one of those fancy European leagues we are hearing so much about. It doesn't have to be for a g14 team, either. Actually, I think Donovan would be better off going somewhere with a little less pressure. He's struggled in Germany, so he should stay the hell out of there. He's been homesick in the past, so it probably should be somewhere that feels like home.
To me, that means London. West Ham, anyone (he says without even a hint of a rumour). Something like that anyway.
First things first, however, the Team With The Horrible Name awaits Sunday in the MLS Cup final.
It's deserved. And it's probably time to move on to one of those fancy European leagues we are hearing so much about. It doesn't have to be for a g14 team, either. Actually, I think Donovan would be better off going somewhere with a little less pressure. He's struggled in Germany, so he should stay the hell out of there. He's been homesick in the past, so it probably should be somewhere that feels like home.
To me, that means London. West Ham, anyone (he says without even a hint of a rumour). Something like that anyway.
First things first, however, the Team With The Horrible Name awaits Sunday in the MLS Cup final.
Forget what will happen. Let's talk about what should.
I get it. Mistakes happen. It would open up a Pandora’s box of possibilities (like Canada could demand a replay of the entire 2002 and 2006 qualifying campaigns. And likely be justified in doing so). And it will never, never (never, never, never...never) happen.
I don’t care though. I want to see a replay of Ireland – France.
I want to see it because it would be classic drama, because it would be fair (and I desperately want sport to be fair) and because I like the Irish more than the French.
I want to see it because I don’t want to see cheating rewarded, because it would be the fairest thing for France and because it would show that FIFA cared about the integrity of the sport.
You’ll note that I’ve added a banner to your right, linking to a Facebook petition demanding that the game be replayed. Yeah, I know, but still it can’t hurt. More than 70,000 people have joined today. And it’s not even March 17.
This wasn’t just an average game. It had a World Cup berth on the line. The entire footballing world was watching. This isn’t a (somehow) charming hand of God situation (Oh that Maradona! He’s such a bad, bad boy!!). It was just blatant cheating (understandable cheating, but still blatant) that potentially cost Ireland millions and millions of dollars. So, instead of having to justify why the game should be replayed, I think we should be looking for reasons why it shouldn’t.
Do the right thing FIFA (for once). Replay the game.
I don’t care though. I want to see a replay of Ireland – France.
I want to see it because it would be classic drama, because it would be fair (and I desperately want sport to be fair) and because I like the Irish more than the French.
I want to see it because I don’t want to see cheating rewarded, because it would be the fairest thing for France and because it would show that FIFA cared about the integrity of the sport.
You’ll note that I’ve added a banner to your right, linking to a Facebook petition demanding that the game be replayed. Yeah, I know, but still it can’t hurt. More than 70,000 people have joined today. And it’s not even March 17.
This wasn’t just an average game. It had a World Cup berth on the line. The entire footballing world was watching. This isn’t a (somehow) charming hand of God situation (Oh that Maradona! He’s such a bad, bad boy!!). It was just blatant cheating (understandable cheating, but still blatant) that potentially cost Ireland millions and millions of dollars. So, instead of having to justify why the game should be replayed, I think we should be looking for reasons why it shouldn’t.
Do the right thing FIFA (for once). Replay the game.
Preki: the terms
Sources have confirmed that Preki has signed a two three year, $600,000 $900,000 ($300,000/per) deal with performance bonuses tied in. The deal was worked out directly with Tom Anselmi, rather than through Mo Johnston.
It's estimated that the salary will make Preki the third highest paid coach in the league, behind Bruce Arena and Sigi Schmid.
It's estimated that the salary will make Preki the third highest paid coach in the league, behind Bruce Arena and Sigi Schmid.
Preki speaks
TFC didn't wait for the press conference to get the news out that Preki is the man. TFCTV has an interview up now. Enjoy:
Henry's shame
With 12,768 opinions on the subject already out there, I'll keep this brief. Ireland was pretty much screwed. FIFA has no backbone. Henry knew exactly what he was doing (and his reaction -- "meh," basically -- was to be expected). Fans of the game will feel grieved, but will get over it. And the Irish will talk about it for generations.
Although the reaction today is typically conservative, it's possible that the incident will one day be viewed as the tipping point towards the implementation of some form of instant replay (and why the hell not???). If that's the case, then good.
There is, of course, nothing that can be done about this particular injustice - although I do find this interesting. A replay won't happen, but, full credit to the Irish for asking for one (I do wonder, however, why there shouldn't be one in cases where there has been a clear screw-up that so undeniably changed the result -- not only should the goal not counted, but you could argue that Henry deserved a red card for the stunt).
Ireland lost. France lost. Henry lost. And, especially, fans of the game lost. It should have been a great day for the sport, instead it was an infamous one. What a shame.
Although the reaction today is typically conservative, it's possible that the incident will one day be viewed as the tipping point towards the implementation of some form of instant replay (and why the hell not???). If that's the case, then good.
There is, of course, nothing that can be done about this particular injustice - although I do find this interesting. A replay won't happen, but, full credit to the Irish for asking for one (I do wonder, however, why there shouldn't be one in cases where there has been a clear screw-up that so undeniably changed the result -- not only should the goal not counted, but you could argue that Henry deserved a red card for the stunt).
Ireland lost. France lost. Henry lost. And, especially, fans of the game lost. It should have been a great day for the sport, instead it was an infamous one. What a shame.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Stalteri creeps closer
There was a lot of chatter yesterday about Paul Stalteri. Many close observers of the Canadian national team were arguing that the Stallion should be put out to pasture (*cough* sorry). That, after 79 senior caps for Canada, it is time to build for the future and bring in some younger fullbacks.That Stalteri is just three caps away from becoming Canada’s all-time leader is irrelevant to many of the critics. No, it has to be all about building for the future.
Tomasz Radzinski getting a run-out in Poland, that's different. They can't tell you why it's different, but it just is.
It's, of course, a load of crap. If Canada were to deny Stalteri the all-time caps lead now, when he's this close, would be incredibly, well, there isn't a better way to put this, shitty.
Playing for Canada is not always easy. Anyone that has answered the call as many times as Stalteri deserves our respect as he chases the record. After he gets number 83 by all means start looking younger. But until that time the classy thing to do is to keep running him out. It's three bloody years until the next World Cup cycle. Doing the right thing by Stalteri is a hell of a lot more beneficial to the long-term success of the program than seeing what kid might feature in the chase for Brazil.
In a perfect world Canada will play three more times before BMO is ready to host a friendly next spring. I look forward to sitting in the south end of BMO Field as the captain breaks the record in his home town. Maybe someone could even make a tifo. And, if it's done right, Canada can take another baby step to becoming a true footballing nation.
332 reasons to be worried? Or two reasons to be thankful?
Canada is supposed to be able to score. It's ironic, when you consider the history of the thing, but it is what it is. Defending...suspect. Keeping...scary. The attack...that's where it's at under Stephen Hart's Canada. A fluid, possession orientated game that is pleasing to the eye and dangerous to the opposition.
Except it hasn't been for the last 332 minutes of action. After a pair of defeats to Poland (1-0) and Macedonia (3-0) Canada has now gone more than three and a half games since it last put a ball in the back of the net.
The back-line is still horrible and the keeping situation worse.
It's probably a good thing we are three years away from World Cup qualifying time.
There were some positives about Canada's game today. The wing play looked dangerous. Canada forced a lot of corners. Mike Klukowski showed why he's a CONCACAF top XI and Radz had a nice run-out.
The less said about the Macedonia game the better. Canada missed two penalties, while giving up two against. There, that's the summary.
I'm sure the Canadian hardcore, all 34 of them, are having a conniption right about now. And you can understand why. It wasn't a pretty pair of games. The thing is -- and this really can't be said enough -- the games didn't really mater. No one is paying attention, it's too early to truly be building towards anything and the FIFA ranking is such a crap shot that it's beyond silly to worry about it. The important thing about these two games -- the only important thing -- is that they happened.
A high ranking CSA official contacted me unsolicited last mouth and told me that the CSA wanted to play 30-35 games before the next qualifying cycle. It was understood that it was vital to the program that it try to play on every available date. Not to do so would doom the program to another disastrous qualifying campaign.
Two down, 33 to go. We'll worry about the results in about a year's time. For now, let's just play.
Do that and the goals will come eventually. Hell, you might even find a keeper...
Except it hasn't been for the last 332 minutes of action. After a pair of defeats to Poland (1-0) and Macedonia (3-0) Canada has now gone more than three and a half games since it last put a ball in the back of the net.
The back-line is still horrible and the keeping situation worse.
It's probably a good thing we are three years away from World Cup qualifying time.
There were some positives about Canada's game today. The wing play looked dangerous. Canada forced a lot of corners. Mike Klukowski showed why he's a CONCACAF top XI and Radz had a nice run-out.
The less said about the Macedonia game the better. Canada missed two penalties, while giving up two against. There, that's the summary.
I'm sure the Canadian hardcore, all 34 of them, are having a conniption right about now. And you can understand why. It wasn't a pretty pair of games. The thing is -- and this really can't be said enough -- the games didn't really mater. No one is paying attention, it's too early to truly be building towards anything and the FIFA ranking is such a crap shot that it's beyond silly to worry about it. The important thing about these two games -- the only important thing -- is that they happened.
A high ranking CSA official contacted me unsolicited last mouth and told me that the CSA wanted to play 30-35 games before the next qualifying cycle. It was understood that it was vital to the program that it try to play on every available date. Not to do so would doom the program to another disastrous qualifying campaign.
Two down, 33 to go. We'll worry about the results in about a year's time. For now, let's just play.
Do that and the goals will come eventually. Hell, you might even find a keeper...
It's Called Football Daily: Garber, Poland and MLS expansion
We try and figure out what the hell Don Garber was on about and look at Canada-Poland on the daily edition of Canada's favourite podcast that's taped at Yonge and Lawrence at 10 p.m. weeknights.
6,000 people choose to listen to this? Really? Oh well, I guess you better too.
No iTunes, no cry - download the show for your Zune, MP3 player or tape deck
6,000 people choose to listen to this? Really? Oh well, I guess you better too.
No iTunes, no cry - download the show for your Zune, MP3 player or tape deck
Canada - Poland stream
It's right here starting at 11 a.m. EST.
Out of Touch is running a live blog. Misery loves company, so you can check out the always entertaining doom and gloom game day thread at the Voyageurs.
Canada's starting line-up is: Hirschfeld, Klukowski, Jakovic, McKenna,Stalteri, Jong-de Guzman, Hutchinson, Peters, Radzinski, Friend
Out of Touch is running a live blog. Misery loves company, so you can check out the always entertaining
Canada's starting line-up is: Hirschfeld, Klukowski, Jakovic, McKenna,Stalteri, Jong-de Guzman, Hutchinson, Peters, Radzinski, Friend
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Yawn: Something about Montreal and MLS
"We've had productive conversations with Montreal to be our 19th team."
Don Garber
By now most will have heard Garber's latest pronouncement about the state of an expansion franchise in Montréal. There really isn't much more to say about it, as it's kind of old news by now. Montreal has been the front runner for the next expansion site for a while (and was the front runner the last time out to before Joey "shoot himself in the foot" Saputo went and overplayed his hand).
Last week, Ben Rycroft reported on It's Called Football that Saputo was invited to the MLS Cup. So, it seems like here is an ongoing dialogue. That's good.
The current USL-1 crisis clearly demonstrates what I've been screaming from the rooftop for sometime -- Montreal needs to get the hell out of the second tier. So, let's hope that those conversations really have been productive.
Canadian blog awards for people that actually write about Canadian things
I’m well aware that these things don’t actually matter, but...
Last year I got into a heated argument with the winner of the Best Sports Blog at the Canadian Blog Awards. He runs a blog called Joy of Sox, which exclusively covers the Boston Red Sox. I suggested to the organizers of the awards that there should be some requirement that the blog named best in Canada should try and write a little bit about subjects that are actually Canadian. The truth is we are inundated by big American sports and I fail to see how having a blog that is entirely focused on an American subject promotes or advances blogging in his country – regardless of how well it’s done (and this little rant is in no way focused on the quality of Joy of Sox).
At any rate, the nominations are open for this year’s awards. It takes about 30 seconds to nominate a blog. Obviously, I’d appreciate it if you were to deem it worthwhile to nominate this blog, but I’m more concerned with ensuring that Canadian focused blogs are given a fair look. From a football perspective, Onward, A More Splendid Life, some Canadian guys writing about soccer, The Maple Leaf Forever, Out Of Touch, The Canadian Stretford End, to name but a few would all be worthwhile of attention. Neate Sagar’s wonderful Out of Left Field, Andrew’s Sporting Madness or Eyebleaf’s Sports in the City are three good general blogs. Drunk Jays Fans, Pension Plan Puppets, From the Rink...etc., etc., etc. would all be awesome choices as well. There are lots of great Canadian sports blogs that write about Canadians, for Canadians and that do so in such a way that they still attract non-Canadians to their sites. Let’s celebrate those blogs.
You can nominate a blog here. It takes about 30 seconds. The top nominees will move on to a second round of voting to determine the winner. There is no cash incentive for winning. I’d appreciate it if you could take a few seconds to nominate a blog of your choice (and, yes, non-Canadians can nominate blogs as well).
Last year I got into a heated argument with the winner of the Best Sports Blog at the Canadian Blog Awards. He runs a blog called Joy of Sox, which exclusively covers the Boston Red Sox. I suggested to the organizers of the awards that there should be some requirement that the blog named best in Canada should try and write a little bit about subjects that are actually Canadian. The truth is we are inundated by big American sports and I fail to see how having a blog that is entirely focused on an American subject promotes or advances blogging in his country – regardless of how well it’s done (and this little rant is in no way focused on the quality of Joy of Sox).
At any rate, the nominations are open for this year’s awards. It takes about 30 seconds to nominate a blog. Obviously, I’d appreciate it if you were to deem it worthwhile to nominate this blog, but I’m more concerned with ensuring that Canadian focused blogs are given a fair look. From a football perspective, Onward, A More Splendid Life, some Canadian guys writing about soccer, The Maple Leaf Forever, Out Of Touch, The Canadian Stretford End, to name but a few would all be worthwhile of attention. Neate Sagar’s wonderful Out of Left Field, Andrew’s Sporting Madness or Eyebleaf’s Sports in the City are three good general blogs. Drunk Jays Fans, Pension Plan Puppets, From the Rink...etc., etc., etc. would all be awesome choices as well. There are lots of great Canadian sports blogs that write about Canadians, for Canadians and that do so in such a way that they still attract non-Canadians to their sites. Let’s celebrate those blogs.
You can nominate a blog here. It takes about 30 seconds. The top nominees will move on to a second round of voting to determine the winner. There is no cash incentive for winning. I’d appreciate it if you could take a few seconds to nominate a blog of your choice (and, yes, non-Canadians can nominate blogs as well).
MLS/Crew in tough in CCL
If MLS is to break through in the second edition of the CONCACAF Champions League and advance to the semi-finals, it will do so in style. The Columbus Crew have been drawn against the top Mexican side left in the competition, Toluca.
The rest of the draw is:
Comunicaciones vs. Pachuca
Marathon vs. Pumas
Arabe Unido vs. Cruz Azul
It's hard to look at that and not see an all-Mexico semi-final round, although Marathon is the most likely side to pull the upset. The first leg games go between March 9-11 with the return fixtures March 16-18.
It still should be fairly cold in Ohio March 9-11, so the Crew can look to the weather as a possibly advantage. The return leg is close enough to the MLS regular season that C-bus shouldn't have an excuse there either.
Yesterday, Don Garber said that it was important to have a MLS team win this competition soon. Hopefully, the Crew were listening because another embarrassing exit from the tournament (which has already been bad enough for MLS) would be hard to defend.
The rest of the draw is:
Comunicaciones vs. Pachuca
Marathon vs. Pumas
Arabe Unido vs. Cruz Azul
It's hard to look at that and not see an all-Mexico semi-final round, although Marathon is the most likely side to pull the upset. The first leg games go between March 9-11 with the return fixtures March 16-18.
It still should be fairly cold in Ohio March 9-11, so the Crew can look to the weather as a possibly advantage. The return leg is close enough to the MLS regular season that C-bus shouldn't have an excuse there either.
Yesterday, Don Garber said that it was important to have a MLS team win this competition soon. Hopefully, the Crew were listening because another embarrassing exit from the tournament (which has already been bad enough for MLS) would be hard to defend.
A sorry excuse for a...Crew
Forget arguments about how Columbus' inability to penetrate the local market impacts MLS as a whole. They've been made, fallen on deaf ears and will continue to be ignored in favour of rationalizations/justifications until the last moving truck is pulling away from Crew Stadium.
No, let's look at things in a different way. Let's examine how Columbus' inability to make money impacts fans in Columbus.
It isn't good.
There are ways, of course, to justify low-balling the 2008 league MVP and the best player on MLS' best team week in week out. He's 36, it's a cap league, the Crew didn't win the cup this year so maybe it's time for a change, etc. However, those arguments ring hollow. The truth is that even at 36, Guillermo Barros Schelotto is worth DP money. And, if there were more people in Columbus that really cared about the Crew, he'd be far more likely to be getting DP money there.
Maybe the Crew are (apparently) making this decision for football reasons. Based on his brace in the second leg of the Salt Lake playoff series, it's hard to imagine how, but it's possible. I suppose. If the business people in the Crew's front office were at all competent then one could maybe make a feasible argument for it. However, as it stands, the move just comes off as being cheap.
Justify the move if you want Crew fans, but you'll only be deluding yourselves. You deserve butter better.
And so does the rest of MLS.
No, let's look at things in a different way. Let's examine how Columbus' inability to make money impacts fans in Columbus.
It isn't good.
There are ways, of course, to justify low-balling the 2008 league MVP and the best player on MLS' best team week in week out. He's 36, it's a cap league, the Crew didn't win the cup this year so maybe it's time for a change, etc. However, those arguments ring hollow. The truth is that even at 36, Guillermo Barros Schelotto is worth DP money. And, if there were more people in Columbus that really cared about the Crew, he'd be far more likely to be getting DP money there.
Maybe the Crew are (apparently) making this decision for football reasons. Based on his brace in the second leg of the Salt Lake playoff series, it's hard to imagine how, but it's possible. I suppose. If the business people in the Crew's front office were at all competent then one could maybe make a feasible argument for it. However, as it stands, the move just comes off as being cheap.
Justify the move if you want Crew fans, but you'll only be deluding yourselves. You deserve
And so does the rest of MLS.
Yet another podcast
I had the pleasure of appearing on Young Sam's (just like Young Nana) podcast Canadian Terrace Talk yesterday (the show is normally co-hosted by blog comments king Pompey Canuck). In Sam's words the show covered:
Do have a listen by going here.
Canada, TFC-Preki links, who's the best club in Manchester, World Cup Qualifiers, and some CIS women's action.
Do have a listen by going here.
It's Called Football Weekly - Roundtable insanity!
We do the roundtable thing on our first show in the new time of 9 p.m. EST.
Subscribe and download It's Called Football Monday - Friday now on iTunes
No iTunes, no cry - download the show for your Zune, MP3 player or tape deck
Subscribe and download It's Called Football Monday - Friday now on iTunes
No iTunes, no cry - download the show for your Zune, MP3 player or tape deck
Monday, November 16, 2009
USL-1 takes the upper hand in TOA dispute?
With the Minnesota Thunder on shaky financial ground they could be considered a lame duck unless they can produce financing for the team in quick order. USL awarding a franchise to another group in the Twin Cities with the proper finances could severely damage the chances of the TOA. The breakaway league would need a strong 7th team to get up and off the ground in order to get approval from the USSF to start a new league.
Do take the time to read the above link, as Inside Minnesota Soccer has done a wonderful job of reporting the USL-1 - TOA
In summary, however, here is where we stand today. The TOA group has seven members. FIFA requires eight teams to sanction a league. However, seven teams have been allowed in the past so long as there is evidence that the new league is working on getting an eighth.
Two of the TOA teams -- Vancouver and Montreal -- look likely to make a jump to MLS in the near future. Whether they will keep a presence in the new league remains to be seen, although Vancouver has made noises about keeping a team in the second tier in the past.
Minnesota is, essentially, broke. So, if the USL puts a team in that market under other ownership the potential of the TOA Minnesota group finding enough local money to make a go of it becomes much more unlikely. So, before you dismiss the USL's move to put an expansion team in Minnesota as nothing more than a power play, you should at least acknowledge that it's a very effective one.
Both Montreal and Vancouver -- the two biggest and most important markets in the TOA group -- have made noises that they remain open to a repairing of the relationship with the USL. If that happens, the rest of the TOA is right screwed. Canadians, however, have every right to not really care about that. The truth is it's this country that is poised to lose the most if the dispute isn't resolved and the new TOA league isn't sanctioned.
The best outcome remains for there to be an agreement that allows for a single second tier league. Failing that we need to see both the USL-1 and the TOA league sanctioned. Without the stamp of approval, both Vancouver and Montréal would be better off sitting the year out than playing in an outlaw league (and if it's such a sure thing that the Voyageurs' Cup will not be impacted by this, how come the CSA continues to refuse to answer questions about it? If you're reading CSA...).
One last crazy thought: If the TOA league is not sanctioned and the dispute not resolved, maybe the Whitecaps and Impact could attempt to play a season in the Canadian Soccer League. It wouldn't be ideal (especially for the 'Caps), but at least it would allow the two sides to stay together for the year as they prepare for MLS. It would also ensure that there weren’t any issues with Canada's entry in the CONCACAF Champions League. Absolute worst case scenario, the 'Caps can probably play a season without a league. They could set-up friendlies with MLS teams as well as touring Euro sides. The Canadian championships would, effectively, be their regular season. Fans in B.C. know that they will be back as a MLS side in 2011. However, until we hear for sure that the Impact are making the jump, it's vital that Montreal find a league. Even if it’s playing against the Serbian White Eagles.
It's Called Football LIVE BLOG!
It's Called Football is at a special time today - 9 p.m. EST. Join us for a live blog.
We had a last minute guest cancelation so it looks like it will be a roundtable tonight. Watch here for updates as we try to grab someone at the last minute.
We had a last minute guest cancelation so it looks like it will be a roundtable tonight. Watch here for updates as we try to grab someone at the last minute.
TFC coaching search
By now, most will have heard that this guy:
is the front runner for the vacant TFC coaching position. Shocking, I know. Preki has only been the most consistent, legitimate (Steve Nicol is NOT coming folks. Get that out of your head) rumour out there. If you take Mo Johnston at his word and believe that MLS experience is a requirement, then Preki is really the only viable candidate.
Is it the right move? At the risk of sounding like a copout, that remains to be seen. He certainly has managed to squeeze a lot out of not much in the past -- and that's a good thing -- but he's also played favourites at the expense of more talented players. Just ask Amado. TFC seems to have a few talented players in its room that may or may not think highly of their abilities. So, we'll see if he can make it work.
Regardless, it will be an upgrade from any coach the Reds have ever had and since MLS is a coach’s league...
is the front runner for the vacant TFC coaching position. Shocking, I know. Preki has only been the most consistent, legitimate (Steve Nicol is NOT coming folks. Get that out of your head) rumour out there. If you take Mo Johnston at his word and believe that MLS experience is a requirement, then Preki is really the only viable candidate.
Is it the right move? At the risk of sounding like a copout, that remains to be seen. He certainly has managed to squeeze a lot out of not much in the past -- and that's a good thing -- but he's also played favourites at the expense of more talented players. Just ask Amado. TFC seems to have a few talented players in its room that may or may not think highly of their abilities. So, we'll see if he can make it work.
Regardless, it will be an upgrade from any coach the Reds have ever had and since MLS is a coach’s league...
Sober Second Thoughs: A Real* head-shaker
The image -- the last image, really, of the 2009 home season -- is stuck in my head. As Toronto FC celebrated a 1-0 win over Salt Lake on Oct. 17 a SLC player dropped to the turf. His head hung low. His body language that of a defeated man. Players in red rejoiced. Players in white walked aimlessly around, looking hopeless.
On that crisp autumn day just a kilometre or so north of the Lake Ontario shore, Real Salt Lake was done. Making the playoffs required a staggering amount of if that, then this. You could tell that the players didn't believe it possible. Of the two teams on the pitch, it was the home side that was thinking of future possibilities.
Yet here we are less than a month later. The sting of Toronto's 5-0 loss to New York to end its season not yet fully removed. Salt Lake, meanwhile, is no longer despondent. Rather, it's in Raptures. All those if thats came through, an upset of Columbus was followed by a war of attrition over Chicago and the team with the horrible name is now preparing to play in the MLS Cup final against David Beckham.
It's crazy little league this MLS. And before someone gets all Eurocentric and starts to make anti-playoff comments, let's repeat this one more time: the rules and understandings are the same for every team. It's a playoff league. If you want to be champions, you have to win the playoffs. That doesn't make a champion, even if that champion is the lowest seed, any less legitimate. It just makes them a champion because they were the club that managed to do what 14 others weren't able to do.
So, it's Salt Lake versus Los Angeles. If anyone picked that final at the start of the year then congratulations. The staff will have your belongings ready for you at the outtake room. Sorry about the misunderstanding. We hope you enjoyed your stay at CAMH.
We will break this game down throughout the week, but for now have a look back at the penalty shoot-out. Canadians should take particular note of Will Johnson's pressure soaked fifth kick. Based on what we saw in Macedonia, Johnson may have moved up the pecking order for PK takers in the Canuck set-up (but that's a different topic, for a different post).
*over/under on number of Real puns we read this week = 4,500
On that crisp autumn day just a kilometre or so north of the Lake Ontario shore, Real Salt Lake was done. Making the playoffs required a staggering amount of if that, then this. You could tell that the players didn't believe it possible. Of the two teams on the pitch, it was the home side that was thinking of future possibilities.
Yet here we are less than a month later. The sting of Toronto's 5-0 loss to New York to end its season not yet fully removed. Salt Lake, meanwhile, is no longer despondent. Rather, it's in Raptures. All those if thats came through, an upset of Columbus was followed by a war of attrition over Chicago and the team with the horrible name is now preparing to play in the MLS Cup final against David Beckham.
It's crazy little league this MLS. And before someone gets all Eurocentric and starts to make anti-playoff comments, let's repeat this one more time: the rules and understandings are the same for every team. It's a playoff league. If you want to be champions, you have to win the playoffs. That doesn't make a champion, even if that champion is the lowest seed, any less legitimate. It just makes them a champion because they were the club that managed to do what 14 others weren't able to do.
So, it's Salt Lake versus Los Angeles. If anyone picked that final at the start of the year then congratulations. The staff will have your belongings ready for you at the outtake room. Sorry about the misunderstanding. We hope you enjoyed your stay at CAMH.
We will break this game down throughout the week, but for now have a look back at the penalty shoot-out. Canadians should take particular note of Will Johnson's pressure soaked fifth kick. Based on what we saw in Macedonia, Johnson may have moved up the pecking order for PK takers in the Canuck set-up (but that's a different topic, for a different post).
*over/under on number of Real puns we read this week = 4,500
CIS wrap
Congratulations to the Laval Rouge et Or (men's) and the Trinity Western Spartans (women's), who captured Canadian university championships on Sunday.
Laval (located in the Quebec City suburb of Ste. Foy) defeated Montreal's McGill University (which can be argued to be the place that American gridiron football rules first started to evolve from. Seriously. It's also the Alma matter of James Naismith, the guy that invented basketball. So, McGill has some sporting history...) 3-2 in the first all-Quebec final in history. McGill actually had a 2-0 lead before Laval stormed back to score three goals in four minutes near the end of the first half.
Trinity Western (Vancouver suburban Langley, B.C.) captured the bronze with a 2-1 win over the University of Toronto.
In the women’s tournament, Trinity Western got by Université de Montréal on penalty kicks (0-0, 4-2). It was the little, Christian school's third championship in six years.
Vancouver's University of British Columbia defeated Kingston, Ontario's Queen's University 2-1 to win bronze.
Laval (located in the Quebec City suburb of Ste. Foy) defeated Montreal's McGill University (which can be argued to be the place that American gridiron football rules first started to evolve from. Seriously. It's also the Alma matter of James Naismith, the guy that invented basketball. So, McGill has some sporting history...) 3-2 in the first all-Quebec final in history. McGill actually had a 2-0 lead before Laval stormed back to score three goals in four minutes near the end of the first half.
Trinity Western (Vancouver suburban Langley, B.C.) captured the bronze with a 2-1 win over the University of Toronto.
In the women’s tournament, Trinity Western got by Université de Montréal on penalty kicks (0-0, 4-2). It was the little, Christian school's third championship in six years.
Vancouver's University of British Columbia defeated Kingston, Ontario's Queen's University 2-1 to win bronze.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
The MLS Cup Experiment
Yes, the game is over.
It was not a classic, but it was memorable. And in the end the league gets its dream finalist in the David Beckham LA Galaxy. I'm sure there will be lots of fall-out on the game tomorrow. It sure looked to me like Houston got a bit screwed on the tick-tac foul that lead to its goal being called back and the Galaxy's first goal could have seen a similar call. Oh, and the penalty was a dive.
But, there is no conspiracy. Just poor officiating. So, nothing out of the ordinary. Just another night of MLS action.
The more pressing concern is how does the Home Depot Center lose power twice in a match? I was sitting with a few casual soccer fans waiting for the game to get going. The phrase "Mickey Mouse" was uttered. Fair? Likely not, but it is what it is. Hasn’t anyone heard of a back-up generator in LA?
Anyway...now we wait for the second piece of the dream final. Blanco vs Beckham. McBride vs. Donovan. 50,000 in Seattle. If Don Garber tells you he doesn't care, he's lying.
You do have to feel for Houston though. They looked the better team for much of the night. But, that's football. The Galaxy have gone from (tied for) last to the MLS Cup final in one year. What a difference coaching makes, eh? I wonder if Mo Johnston is taking notes.
Things can change quickly in this league. It’s the strength and the weakness of the thing. But, regardless of your opinion of parity, affection for Beckham or opinion on the Disney like qualities of MLS, you have to admit that it’s a little compelling to have the overrated Brit in the final. The Cup is supposed to be a spectacle. It’s guaranteed to be one now (and it might even attract some outside interest).
It was not a classic, but it was memorable. And in the end the league gets its dream finalist in the David Beckham LA Galaxy. I'm sure there will be lots of fall-out on the game tomorrow. It sure looked to me like Houston got a bit screwed on the tick-tac foul that lead to its goal being called back and the Galaxy's first goal could have seen a similar call. Oh, and the penalty was a dive.
But, there is no conspiracy. Just poor officiating. So, nothing out of the ordinary. Just another night of MLS action.
The more pressing concern is how does the Home Depot Center lose power twice in a match? I was sitting with a few casual soccer fans waiting for the game to get going. The phrase "Mickey Mouse" was uttered. Fair? Likely not, but it is what it is. Hasn’t anyone heard of a back-up generator in LA?
Anyway...now we wait for the second piece of the dream final. Blanco vs Beckham. McBride vs. Donovan. 50,000 in Seattle. If Don Garber tells you he doesn't care, he's lying.
You do have to feel for Houston though. They looked the better team for much of the night. But, that's football. The Galaxy have gone from (tied for) last to the MLS Cup final in one year. What a difference coaching makes, eh? I wonder if Mo Johnston is taking notes.
Things can change quickly in this league. It’s the strength and the weakness of the thing. But, regardless of your opinion of parity, affection for Beckham or opinion on the Disney like qualities of MLS, you have to admit that it’s a little compelling to have the overrated Brit in the final. The Cup is supposed to be a spectacle. It’s guaranteed to be one now (and it might even attract some outside interest).
Things that might make you a little crazy
This man is going to the World Cup.
This man is not.
Not that Canada did anything to deserve it, but it is a bit, um, something to look at New Zealand's path to South Africa and compare it to basically anyone else. While CONCACAF teams were dealing with hostile crowds in Latin America, the Kiwis were in Vanuatu (where they somehow allowed a bloody goal).
That said, good luck to Andrew Boyens. Anyone that played on the 2007 Toronto FC back-line deserves a few breaks in life.
This man is not.
Not that Canada did anything to deserve it, but it is a bit, um, something to look at New Zealand's path to South Africa and compare it to basically anyone else. While CONCACAF teams were dealing with hostile crowds in Latin America, the Kiwis were in Vanuatu (where they somehow allowed a bloody goal).
That said, good luck to Andrew Boyens. Anyone that played on the 2007 Toronto FC back-line deserves a few breaks in life.
Friday, November 13, 2009
It's Called Football Daily: MLS playoffs, university sport in Canada and a special message from UEFA
Today's It's Called Football Daily. Must. Listen. Internet.
And yesterday's too (since I didn’t post it. Sorry)
Note: For some reason the show isn't showing on my screen...not sure why. If you are experiencing the same thing you can find both episodes here.
Better yet:
The more iTunes subs we have, the cooler I am. It's really all about me and my ego.
No iTunes, no cry - download the show for your Zune, MP3 player or tape deck
And yesterday's too (since I didn’t post it. Sorry)
Note: For some reason the show isn't showing on my screen...not sure why. If you are experiencing the same thing you can find both episodes here.
Better yet:
The more iTunes subs we have, the cooler I am. It's really all about me and my ego.
No iTunes, no cry - download the show for your Zune, MP3 player or tape deck
No TV for you Canada fan
Although GolTV did appear to try and get the rights to the two Canadian friendlies, the effort was for naught. Once again, Canadian fans will be searching the interwebs tomorrow morning looking for a web feed.
If one becomes available, I will post the link (I usually try to avoid linking illegal web streams, but in this case I'll make an exception since it's not like we're stealing anything from Canadian broadcasters).
You should also keep an eye on the Voyageur's site for updates and possible stream links. Also, J over at Out of Touch is going to try and do a live blog.
As far as anyone can tell, the CSA is making no effort to stream the game off of its web site. Conclude what you want from that.
If one becomes available, I will post the link (I usually try to avoid linking illegal web streams, but in this case I'll make an exception since it's not like we're stealing anything from Canadian broadcasters).
You should also keep an eye on the Voyageur's site for updates and possible stream links. Also, J over at Out of Touch is going to try and do a live blog.
As far as anyone can tell, the CSA is making no effort to stream the game off of its web site. Conclude what you want from that.
CIS semi-finals set
The semi-finls are set at both the men's and women’s CIS nationals after a full day of quarterfinal action yesterday. It was a bad day for PEI (0-2) and the Atlantic region as a whole (0-4) and a great day for Trinity Western. It remains in contention for a gender double.
The men's results:
Laval 3 vs UPEI 1
Victoria 1 vs. Toronto 2
McMaster 0 vs. McGill 1 PK
Cape Breton 0 vs. Trinity Western 2
That sets up Saturday's semis:
Laval vs. Toronto
McGill vs. Trinity Western
It was a late night at Toronto's Varsity Stadium, with two of the day's four games going to extra time. It was nice to see the women's game so competitive, with the Atlantic schools having closed the gap a great deal in recent years (still, as mentioned, the AUS went 0-4 on the day in both tournaments. There is room to grow yet).
The results:
Queen's 1 vs. StFX 0
Trinity Western 1 vs. UPEI 0
York 1 vs. UBC 2
Montreal 3 vs. Toronto 2
The Montreal - Toronto game was a highlight, with U of T going up two goals in the first half only to see Montreal storm back with three goals in a little more than 15 minutes in the second. The comeback was spurred by a beautiful overhead volley by Montreal's Éva Thouvenot-Hébert.
The semi's go Saturday:
Queen's vs. Trinity Western
UBC vs. Montreal
The men's results:
Laval 3 vs UPEI 1
Victoria 1 vs. Toronto 2
McMaster 0 vs. McGill 1 PK
Cape Breton 0 vs. Trinity Western 2
That sets up Saturday's semis:
Laval vs. Toronto
McGill vs. Trinity Western
It was a late night at Toronto's Varsity Stadium, with two of the day's four games going to extra time. It was nice to see the women's game so competitive, with the Atlantic schools having closed the gap a great deal in recent years (still, as mentioned, the AUS went 0-4 on the day in both tournaments. There is room to grow yet).
The results:
Queen's 1 vs. StFX 0
Trinity Western 1 vs. UPEI 0
York 1 vs. UBC 2
Montreal 3 vs. Toronto 2
The Montreal - Toronto game was a highlight, with U of T going up two goals in the first half only to see Montreal storm back with three goals in a little more than 15 minutes in the second. The comeback was spurred by a beautiful overhead volley by Montreal's Éva Thouvenot-Hébert.
The semi's go Saturday:
Queen's vs. Trinity Western
UBC vs. Montreal
Would someone please think about the money
"I'm a bit tired of so much football. I want to enjoy my family a bit. I'm very keen to stop and get a bit of calm. I've already won a lot. Living for football has saturated me."
Carlos Tevez
Say what now?
Someone should probably tell Carlos that he won't get paid quite as much playing for Boca Juniors than he will for City.
He's in contract to 2014. It seems a bit farfetched that he's actually serious.
Suck it up Carlos. You're a footballer.
Who let the Wolves out?
The latest rumour in the Simeon Jackson transfer sweepstakes sees the Canadian international League One superstar linked to Wolves.
Again, a lower table Premier League team. Earlier, Blackburn was said to be interested. Other Championship sides, most intently Queens Park Rangers, have also been suggested as possible destinations.
It's becoming more and more clear that Jackson won't be at Gillingham come February 1. Cleary, that would be the best for Jackson, as the Gills are sitting just one point clear of the relegation zone and are a club that is very much at home in the English third or fourth tier.
The question will be whether Jackson would be better off playing for an EPL relegation battler in Wolves, or a ambitious Championship side like QPR. Would four months of guaranteed Premiership football be better than playing for a side that looks like it will be in the promotion battle all year in the CCC?
Given the precarious nature of the Championship -- there are currently 10 clubs within five points of the four playoff spots -- to me you take the sure thing. Even if Wolves were to go down -- and if the season ended today they would -- Jackson would be exposed to the EPL for a brief time. He would have the opportunity to prove himself at the level and to perhaps attract interest from a more stable top flight side.
Canadians need to stop selling their players short. Jackson is at a point in his career where it is time to pounce on the opportunities, not take timid steps forward.
Jackson currently has eight goals in League One play.
Again, a lower table Premier League team. Earlier, Blackburn was said to be interested. Other Championship sides, most intently Queens Park Rangers, have also been suggested as possible destinations.
It's becoming more and more clear that Jackson won't be at Gillingham come February 1. Cleary, that would be the best for Jackson, as the Gills are sitting just one point clear of the relegation zone and are a club that is very much at home in the English third or fourth tier.
The question will be whether Jackson would be better off playing for an EPL relegation battler in Wolves, or a ambitious Championship side like QPR. Would four months of guaranteed Premiership football be better than playing for a side that looks like it will be in the promotion battle all year in the CCC?
Given the precarious nature of the Championship -- there are currently 10 clubs within five points of the four playoff spots -- to me you take the sure thing. Even if Wolves were to go down -- and if the season ended today they would -- Jackson would be exposed to the EPL for a brief time. He would have the opportunity to prove himself at the level and to perhaps attract interest from a more stable top flight side.
Canadians need to stop selling their players short. Jackson is at a point in his career where it is time to pounce on the opportunities, not take timid steps forward.
Jackson currently has eight goals in League One play.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
City's Money: Can Hughes manage the egos?
"He took all the praise and publicity and I felt, as hard as I was working - even when I was giving 110% - I never got that recognition."
Why would anyone ever sign themselves up to manage an EPL team? It would be a bit like being stuck on permanent chaperone duty at a grade 7 girl's slumber party -- all those hormones and fragile egos needing constant reassurance. It would be about enough to make one want to snap.
Imagine, then, what Mark Hughes life must be like. He's chaperoning that slumber party like every other EPL manager, but his party is made up entirely of girls that come from families that have just won the lottery and who were picked on by the other girls up until very recently -- they are full of new entitlement and have a chip on their shoulder.
You'll be hard pressed to find a City supporter anywhere that has a bad thing to say about Ireland (other than his taste in vechicles). He seems to legitimately bleed for the crest, insomuch as any modern footballer does. Still, as evident by the quote above, he needs his ego stroked from time to time.
Everyone -- and I do mean everyone -- said prior to this season that Hughes' biggest challenge this year would be managing the egos in his dressing room. With only 11 spots up for grabs each week someone pretty good would be sitting on the bench at 3 p.m. GMT Saturday afternoons. In the linked article, Ireland suggested that Elano was causing problems in the past. Speculation is that Robinho could be the next issue that needs to be dealt with (and the Brazilian's habit of telling anyone with a microphone how much he would love to play for Barca isn't helping change that perception).
With five straight draws causing the blue half of Manchester to get very, very nervous some questions have to be surfacing about just how well the gaffer is handling things in that dressing room. Perhaps it's telling that a player like Craig Bellamy -- as uncomplicated a bloke as you can imagine. A ticking time bomb, but not a complicated one -- is having such a strong start to the season, while a more sensitive type, like Ireland, has struggled (and one Brazilian has already been shipped out of town).
Thing is, Bellamy is great and all, but if City really is to legitimately break into the top four than it needs its head case stars to be the stars. Bellamy will be a fine 70th minute energy player. Hughes needs to make sure all of his talent is performing.
The Blues are on pace to have their best season in nearly a generation. That's wonderful, but expectations are a funny thing. Once they have been raised, it's hard to bring them back down. Even if it's the reasonable thing to do. With Liverpool away and Chelsea at home two of the next three on the fixture list, it's a vital time at Eastlands. Hopefully Hughes can enjoy his little holiday in Abu Dhabi this week because things are about to get a little hotter.
And, those draws are only going to be tolerated so long.
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