Canadian men's u-20 roster

GK- Julien Latendresse Lévesque | GER / Energie Cottbus (on loan)
GK- Jordan Santiago | ENG / Cardiff City FC
CB- Derrick Bassi | CAN / Simon Fraser University
D- Francesco Augustin | CAN / Académie Impact Montréal
D- Daniel Di Biagio | USA / Winthrop University
D- Doneil Henry | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
D- Dominic Roberts | USA / Southern New Hampshire University
D- Roger Thompson | USA / University of Concinnati
D/M- Ashtone Morgan | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
D/M- Chris Suta | CAN / Milltown FC
M- Ethan Gage | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
M- Nicholas Lindsay | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
M- Jonathan Osorio | CAN / Clarkson Sheridan
M- Matthew Stinson | USA / Winthrop University
M- Russell Teibert | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
F- Jerome Baker | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
F- Niall Cousens | CZE / Slavia Praha
F- Massimo Mirabelli | CAN / Portugal FC

Eleven domestic players (12 that were mostly trained in Canada) represent a significant shift. Although the club names aren't as impressive as in the past, I can't help but think the movement is wonderful news for Canadian soccer.

Also, conrats to Dino Rossi and Milltown FC! Less than a year in and the club has already produced a youth international.

Need. More. Games.

Caribana kicks off today in Toronto. Although government stupidity has meant that the festival is not quite as big as it once was, it's still a major tourist attraction for the city each year.

What does that have to do with football? Well, nothing. But, maybe it should.

I thought I'd throw this idea out one more time: An annual Caribana international football tournament. You invite three Caribbean countries. The ex-pats at Caribana eat it up and buy lots of tickets. Add the Canadian u-20 or u-23 program (but manipulate it so it's considered a full A friendly – we need the FIFA points) into the mix and play a tournament (probably semi-final, A/B final. A round robin might be too tight).

Canada's younger and domestic-based players get a chance to play. The Caribbean teams would likely love an opportunity to play in a tournament. Ex-pats get to watch their Island (and Canadian soccer would earn some money) and it gives Caribana another feature event. Everybody wins.

I'm sure it isn't as easy as snapping your fingers to make something like this happen, but it also shouldn't be that hard.

The Caribana Cup. Sounds good to me.

It's Called Football - Guests: Domenic Di Gironimo, Scott Mitchell

Today we're joined by Scott Mitchell, the president of the Hamilton Tiger Cats, the group behind Steeltown's NASL bid, to talk about yesterday's announcement and their plans for the future.

We're also be joined by CSL commissioner Domenic Di Gironimo to talk about their plans for further expansion next year, the new start for the league and what the future holds.

We'll also set up TFC's game against Kansas City and name our MLS games of the week.

What to do about the women

The W-League Vancouver Whitecaps have advanced to the championship final of the second tier of North American professional women’s soccer. They defeated the Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues 3-1 last night to win the semi-final.

They play the Buffalo Flash Saturday for the championship. The Flash and the ‘Caps are both undefeated. The title game is being played at a neutral venue, in Santa Clarita, Ca.

The ‘Caps organization is likely strong enough to enter WPS and make a good run of it. I would argue that a Canadian WPS side would enter as one of the league favourites, as they would be likely to attract a good portion of the Canadian national team (while the USWNT is evenly spread around the other teams). Unfortunately the ‘Caps have long said that they are not interested in WPS. At least right now. As much as I emotionally wish that were different, I can’t argue with the logic behind it.

With the LA Sol gone after year one and St. Louis Athletica joining them before the second year was a quarter done it’s hard to see a bright future for the league. Increasingly, I wonder whether the ‘Caps don’t have the right idea. Maybe the franchise based model of WPS is doomed to failure and the correct way forward for women’s soccer is club based and regionally focused.

We can lament all we want about people not supporting womens' sport. The world is unfair. However, complaining about it isn’t going to put more people into the seats. For the women’s game to take root at a professional level it needs to find a way to be sustainable. The best way to do that is to slowly grow and find a core audience that comes back year after year

That’s where WPS fails. By attempting to sprint in the 100m Olympic Final on steroids before it crawls, the league sets itself up for a constant battle of survival. Travel costs are too high. Player’s aren’t paid what they are worth, but are paid more than what teams can afford, and fans don’t emotionally invest for fear that they will be burned down the line when everything goes you-know-what up.

I hate to be a killjoy, and I certainly do not celebrate this, but how much longer do we reasonably expect WPS to survive. One year? Three? Does anyone see it hitting a decade? I’m sorry, but I don’t. And when it all crashes down again, where does that leave us?

It leaves us with the W-League. I’m not sure that’s a bad thing, because for what the W-League lacks in exposure, it makes up for in greater stability and long term viability. Instead of trying to create something (WPS) out of nothing, those interested in investing in the women’s game should look to those clubs that are already out there slugging around at the amateur level. If more people put their money there and let it evolve naturally I suspect you would find that, to use a cliché, the cream would rise. You would end up with 10 or so powerful clubs that would be every bit as strong as what WPS has to offer and established in their communities.

When the women’s pro game started to grow in Europe that’s the model that was used. The good Euro sides are in places where there is a demand. They have stayed within theirselves and have not tried to compete with WPS or WUSA for players. I’m sure that if you asked those that manage women’s teams in Europe they would tell you that they fully expect many of the WPS stars to come back to them once the league folds.

If I had to guess, I would suspect that the most powerful women’s pro teams in the world will be in Scandinavia (or maybe England) in 10 years time. That’s despite the fact that, by far, the biggest market for women’s football is in the U.S. and Canada. It doesn’t have to be that way, but for the power to shift to this side of the Atlantic there needs to be a hell of a lot more vision – and trust in the ability of the game to grow on its own.

That’s why I don’t wish WPS to fail, but I’d welcome its demise if it opened the door to doing things right.

The third time’s a charm, right?

NASL expansion

Geez, this will be a lot easier when we're all on the same website...

For now:

Hamilton applies for NASL entry, two groups targeting 2012 for Ottawa entry

We're working on getting Bob Young, owner of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and the man behind the Hamilton bid on tomorrow's It's Called Football.

A mid-summer break

With apologies, there are a few things I need to take care of over the next few days. Therefore I cannot guarantee updates. Regular service should be back by Monday. The podcast is not impacted. I’ll update if things change.

I will be updating my Twitter feed. If you don't already, subscribe to follow me @24thminute

It's Called Football - Guest: Marc Weber

Tonight, we'll be joined by Marc Weber, a Whitecaps writer for the Province, to talk about the Residency program there, the Caps keeping a team in NASL and how things are shaping up in their march towards MLS.

We'll also get into Toronto's game versus Montagua, NYRB's imminent 3rd DP signing and Don Garber's latest comments about bringing another team to New York.

It's all in the perspective

It’s the biggest game of the season.

More than one TFC fan has expressed that in regards to tonight’s CONCACAF Champions League match with Motagua. They suggest that winning in the CCL is more important than winning in the league. For many, last year’s loss to Puerto Rico was considered the low point of the season – even worse than losing 5-0 to New York to fall out of the playoff chase.

Some more excitable types claim that TFC “shamed” Canadian soccer by losing to the Islanders. Since Montreal ran to the quarters, TFC should also go deep in the competition was the thought. Such thinking ignores that TFC lost to a team that went to the semi-final the year before while Montreal drew Real Esteli in the preliminary round – by far the easiest touch the Canadian team has drawn in the three editions of the tournament.

So, is tomorrow’s game the most important of the season? So far, likely. However, I’m not sure I agree with the sentiment that CCL success is more important than league success. An appearance in the CCL quarters would not erase the disappointment of TFC failing to make the playoffs for a fourth straight year. Actually, the disappointment would not even be close to being comparable.

After the Islanders tie ended last year it really did feel like the end of the world (or season anyway). But, it didn’t take long for the playoff push to erase those memories. Ideally you’d like to be successful at both competitions (and I’m sure that’s TFC’s goal), but the truth is you don’t run into many Motagua fans on the BigSoccer boards in the off-season. Winning in MLS, beating your rivals, has a more personal touch.

You also have to look beyond the hardcore if you are to put this competition in its full perspective. The sad truth is that of the 20,000 that fill BMO Field week in and week out only about 3-4,000 truly care about the CCL. Maybe another 5-6,000 are even aware of it while the rest aren’t quite sure what to make of it. There is a reason TFC is using Amado Guevara’s face on the marketing of the game – casuals can understand Amado coming back to play. They don’t necessarily understand that winning the tie could set up a visit from Cruz Azul, nor that they should be very excited that Cruz Azul could be at BMO later this season. Chivas USA is more of a draw to the casual fan at BMO than Chivas Mexico is. Really.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the CCL. For me, a soccer geek, this is one of my favourite competitions. I love learning about clubs from Central America and watching to see if the gap can be closed on Mexico. That said, I also want the general sports watching public to be enthralled by TFC and I realize that a deep MLS playoff run will have far more traction than a deep CCL run (if, for no other reason, that the CCL runs over two seasons).

Then there is the fact that the MLS Cup is in Toronto. Close your eyes for a moment and imagine TFC playing in that game. Imagine what that would mean for the sport and how awesome it would be to be in that stadium. Other than maybe winning it, there is nothing the CCL could provide that would even be close (and TFC is far more likely to win the MLS Cup than it is to win the CCL).

Tonight is a very important game. It is one of the most important that will be played this year. However, the only way it’s the most important game is if TFC fails to make the playoffs.

And that would be a disaster of far greater proportions than losing to a good Motagua team would be.

It's Called Football - Guest: Dino Rossi

Today we're joined by the President of Milltown FC, Dino Rossi, as he finds his first year CSL club at the top of the table. As a man who came into this league with the intent of showing a new way of doing things, we'll talk to him about why his model is working, how the CSL is changing its own approaches to development and what lies in the future for the league and Milltown.

We'll also talk about another Toronto draw at home, set up the Champions League game against Motagua and debate if Kansas City's win over Manchester United holds any weight.

MLS strength of schedule

The following is a ranking of MLS teams' strength of schedule remaining. The lower the number, the harder the schedule is.

Each team is ranked one to 16. The total ranking of teams remaining on each club's schedule is added up and divided by the amount of games they have remaining. The number ranking represents the average rank of the teams remaining.

The rankings from hardest to easiest:

1. New York - 7.35
2. DC United - 7.50
3. Colorado - 7.92
4. Chicago and Philly - 8.06
5. Dallas - 8.42
6. Salt Lake - 8.53
7. San Jose - 8.66
8. Kansas City - 8.71
9. Chivas - 8.73
10. Galaxy - 8.75
11. Toronto - 9.07
12. New England - 9.33
13. Columbus - 9.78
14. Seattle - 10.07
15. Houston - 10.15

Amado is in the house

There was some question of whether Amado Guevara would be making the trip north to play TFC in Tuesday's CONCACAF Champions League game.

He is.

If you don't feel like slugging through a Spanish article, it's a pretty standard account of how Motagua feels it can win, thinks it is coming together as a team quickly (they are in pre-season), feel it's important to score first and think it's great they are playing the second leg at home.

Sober Second Thoughts: Clichés about half-full glasses

“I had better not get an e-mail talking about the undefeated streak at home, the fortress of BMO. Not a full house; not a win. That’s no fortress.”

That was what was yelled in my direction by one of TFC’s most dedicated supporters moments after the final whistle Saturday. Another late game goal allowed (three weeks running now) had flushed two more points down the toilet against Dallas (it’s also two years in a row that Dallas had pulled a draw back in the game’s closing moments).

Saturday was not a day to celebrate. For the first time all year the players didn’t salute the south end – not even Dan Gargan. Instead they quickly fled down the tunnel and out of sight. There weren’t any boos in the crowd, but that’s likely because most were too exhausted and dejected after spending two hours in the pouring rain and watching it all slip away again.

We all know the positives. It has been a full calendar year since TFC last lost a competitive game at home (against Puerto Rico in the CONCACAF Champions League). If Motagua is held off Tuesday, it will be a full year, period (Real Madrid, Aug. 7, 2009) the next time TFC plays at home (the Bolton game was a draw by any rational observation).

The one year mark is a bit skewed it must be said. Since the Reds had such a front loaded home schedule in 2009, the record is just 14 games (12 in MLS play). Of those 14 games, six have been draws.

What’s more upsetting to most has been the way those draws have come along. The San Jose game at the end of 2009 and Saturday are the most jarring. You never want to give up late goals. You especially don’t want to at home.

The recent form, however, is the most troubling. There was a point this year when BMO was looking like a fortress. But a D-D-D-D-W-D stretch has people on edge.

Personally, I’m not on the edge, but I am close enough to see it. I fully understand the frustration. As a Man City supporter I watched as a string of draws ultimately killed the possibility of Champions League football at Eastlands last year. I look at the rest of MLS now, however, and I realize that Toronto is still in a good position.

It won’t be if it keeps letting two points slip away at home, but right now...

Home/away adjusted final standings projections for July 26

A short week resulted in not a lot of shifting.

East

1. Columbus - 57**
2. New York - 49**
3. Toronto - 41*
4. Philly - 37
5. Chicago - 36
6. Kansas City - 30
7. New England - 27
8. DC United - 21

West

1. Galaxy - 68#
2. Salt Lake - 49**
3. Dallas - 49*
4. San Jose - 47*
5. Colorado - 44*
6. Seattle - 36
7. Houston - 32
8. Chivas - 28

# Supporters Shield
** Automatic playoff
* Wildcard playoff

Whitecaps earn draw with Minnesota

In a twist from three days earlier, the Vancouver Whitecaps came hard out of the gate against the NSC Minnesota Stars—and initially, they wound up worse off for their troubles. In the end, their efforts were rewarded, but not to the degree they would have hoped for as they finished with a 1-1 draw.

"It was two points lost," head coach Teitur Thordarson said. "I think we played well, especially in the first half. ... I think we still played well in the second half, but there wasn't the energy and there wasn't the intensity."

Unlike Thursday’s game against Portland where they started slow but came on late in the half and collected the match’s first goal, Vancouver controlled the play early on and created plenty of great chances. Marc Weber of The Province tweeted that it looked like a 3-0 Vancouver victory, and I concurred.

The game changed dramatically in the 28th minute on a counterattack when Johnny Meyongar sent Simone Bracalello through with a perfect long ball and Bracalello beat Jay Nolly with a tremendous strike from about 25 yards out. Energized by the goal, Minnesota began playing better defence and taking away some of Vancouver’s possession. The Whitecaps seemed somewhat stunned by the change in their fortunes and limped into the half.

The first half didn't produce the results for the Whitecaps it did against Portland, but it was a much better effort from Vancouver. Thordarson said he didn't change the pre-game approach, but his team came out a lot stronger.

"We were still focusing on having a go at them," Thordarson said. "We managed better today to keep posesssion in the open field. ... I thought we played extremely well in the first half."

The second half featured less stellar play, but it produced better results for Vancouver. Chances went back and forth, with Martin Nash narrowly missing in the 49th minute and Nolly diving to get one hand on a Bracalello long-range blast. The Whitecaps finally got on the scoreboard in the 67th minute when Marlon James, making his first appearance since May thanks to injury, set up Cornelius Stewart. Stewart fed Nash near the top of the six yard box, and Nash deked a defender, pulled it onto his left foot and beat keeper Matthew VanOekel.

Vancouver poured on the pressure after that, but the Minnesota defence held. Residency products Alex Elliott and Alex Semenets, the latter of whom was making his first-team competitive debut, gave good accounts of themselves as substitutes, but they couldn’t find the net. James narrowly missed in the 80th minute and Takashi Hirano sent a 25-yard free kick just high in the 86th minute. In addition to dominating the possession, the Whitecaps outshot Minnesota 16-7 and had nine corners to the Stars' two, but all the offence came to naught and they finished with only a single point.

Thordarson said he was impressed with his young players' performances.

"These are guys with great talents," he said.

According to Thordarson, the recent moves to trade Ricardo Sanchez and Jonny Steele and release Justin Moose were partly due to a desire to see what he had in his young players.

"Quite a bit, but it's more about trying to get together a roster we think is right to move forward with," he said.

Nash said the roster turnover has been a bit difficult to adjust to personally.

"It's tough," he said. "I've made friends with these guys over the past years."

Nash said he thinks the team has made the adjustment well on the pitch, though, despite the recent lack of results. He chalked part of that up to familiarity with many of the young players through their time in the Residency system and their occasional first-team appearances.

"They're all players who have been around us," he said.

Nash said he was comfortable working with Ethan Gage in central midfield thanks to the youngster's presence with the first team on and off over the past few years.

"Ethan's been kind of in and out for a while, but we know he can do it," Nash said.

The team may have adjusted to their new lineup, but they haven't produced the desired results yet. After a 1-1-2 record on this homestand, they head out on a five-game road trip and won't be back home until August 29. Nash said the recent results may be concerning, but the team's play isn't.

"I thought we had a great start to the game and we had a great first half," he said. "Tonight, we deserved more than a draw. We're playing well, we just have to find a way to win."

[Cross-posted to Sporting Madness]

Vancouver Whitecaps - NSC Minnesota Stars live blog

The weekend of Whitecaps coverage continues here and at Sporting Madness. I'll be live-blogging tonight's clash against the NSC Minnesota Stars. Kickoff is at 10 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Pacific. Here are match previews from Simon Fudge of WhitecapsFC.com and Marc Weber of The Province. Check them out, then join me at 7 for the live blog!

Whitecaps off to W-League Final Four

The Vancouver Whitecaps will be heading to the W-League Final Four for the first time since they hosted the tournament and claimed the championship in 2006. They sealed a berth today with a 2-1 victory in the Western Conference final against the rival Pali Blues in front of 1,712 fans at Swangard Stadium, but it wasn’t an easy one.

Keeper Siobhan Chamberlain turned in a tremendous performance for Vancouver, turning away four shots, including one that went off her and then off the post. She said it was a thrilling experience despite the pressure.

"I enjoyed this one, although it was hard work," she said. "You need a bit of luck sometimes and we got it today."

Pali began with a lot of pressure, but the scoring chances they generated were repelled by the Vancouver defence. Emily Zurrer and Martina Franko stood strong in the middle, while Robyn Gayle and Chelsea Stewart were solid on the wing and Chamberlain made some key stops. Still, Pali easily could have pocketed a couple of goals in the early going if luck had been on their side.

Vancouver broke the game open in the 35th minute when Desiree Scott crossed it across the field to Gayle, who delivered a lovely ball in to Melissa Tancredi. Tancredi made no mistake, heading it home past Pali keeper Chante Sandiford from short range to give Vancouver a 1-0 lead. Six minutes later, Gayle sent in a great free kick for Tancredi, who crossed it to the wide-open Amy Vermeulen. Vermeulen made no mistake, burying the shot from six yards out to put the Whitecaps up 2-0. It looked like they were well on their way to victory.

The momentum shifted after halftime, though. The Blues put on pressure and created several good chances, but they still couldn’t beat Chamberlain. That changed in the 61st minute when Julie Bukh delivered a perfect free kick from 30 yards out to defender Sara Gama, who finished off a superb run with a terrific header that beat Chamberlain and pulled Pali within one.

Both sides continued to go for goal, and they each had their chances. Tancredi delivered a tremendous strike from 25 yards out that Sandiford punched off the bar. The rebound fell for Melanie Booth, who volleyed it wide. Christen Press and Janice Cayman each had chances for Pali, but they couldn’t convert and the match finished 2-1.

Head coach Hubert Busby Jr. said the close game followed a pattern the team's seen all season.

"We always try to make it interesting for the fans," he said with a laugh.

Busby said Pali's three-defender formation caught the Whitecaps by surprise at first, and they weren't prepared for the waves of attackers heading at their goal.

"We tried to make adjustments during the game," he said.

He was particularly impressed with Chamberlain's performance in goal.

"She made some key saves at key moments."

Defender Martina Franko concurred with that assessment.

"She had the game of her season," Franko said. "She just showed leadership and made saves when needed."

It was Tancredi who won the game for Vancouver, though, scoring one goal and setting up the other. Busby said her performance didn't surprise him.

"She's been our MVP," he said. "She's a very experienced player, she knows how to get the goals."

Tancredi said it was a terrific feeling to see off a long-time rival.

"I feel great," she said. "This is a great win against Pali, again. I'm kind of sick of playing them, but it was great."

She said she was worried when they conceded a goal in the second half, though.

"I was kind of afraid because we have kind of a tendency to let teams back in games," she said.

Tancredi attributed Vancouver's eventual success to the decision to keep attacking rather than sitting back and defending.

"We kept pressure, kept going, and it worked for us."

The Final Four starts next week in California. The semifinals will take place Thursday, with the final set for Saturday. The Whitecaps men are back in action tomorrow night at 7 p.m. Pacific against Minnesota; I'll be live-blogging that one so come back then!

[Cross-posted to Sporting Madness]

Whitecaps women - Pali Blues live blog

It's time for a bit of different blogging coverage today, as I'll be heading to Swangard Stadium to live blog the Whitecaps' women's team in their W-League Western Conference playoff clash against the Pali Blues. Alan Douglas has a preview of the game and who to watch over at whitecapsfc.com. The game's at 7 p.m. Eastern/4 p.m. Pacific, so come swing by then for the live blog!

Win tickets for today's TFC game

Two tickets for today's game thanks to Gatorade.

TFC ticket giveaway question is: What date did LA galaxy keeper Donovan Ricketts first play at BMO Field and what was the result of the game?

Post answer on gatorade Facebook wall. You must pick tickets up at will call.

Whitecaps fall to Timbers, lose Cascadia Cup

Last night's 2-1 Portland Timbers victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps was an odd game for a variety of reasons. For one thing, Portland had won only one of their last 17 matches at Swangard Stadium and hadn't won there in six years [Prost Amerika]. The victory also allowed Portland to retain the Cascadia Cup [Simon Fudge, WhitecapsFC.com]. Furthermore, the result was probably pretty fair given the overall flow of the game, but it came in a highly unexpected way.

The Timbers dominated the first half of play, but didn't come away with much to show for it. Vancouver had a few early chances as well, but they looked disorganized at the back at times and not terribly dangerous in attack. George Josten really should have opened the scoring for Portland; he had a tremendous chance in the 26th minute that was nullified by an offensive foul, and had another chance in the 29th minute, but drilled a rebound wide from five yards out.

The second half was a different story. The Whitecaps were fired up coming out of the break, and they took the lead six minutes in when Phillipe Davies ran down the right flank and picked out Nizar Khalfan in front, who blasted a tight-angle shot home from close range. It was Davies' first-ever point for the Whitecaps [Marc Weber, The Province] and Khalfan's second goal of the year.

The weirdness continued from there, though. For a while, it looked like Vancouver would take over the game, but momentum abruptly shifted when the ever-dangerous Ryan Pore broke away from the pack. Greg Janicki went after him and brought him down from behind, receiving a red card for his efforts and conceding a penalty. Pore stepped up and clinically drilled it into the bottom-left corner to tie the match; Vancouver keeper Jay Nolly guessed right, but couldn't quite get a hand on it. The call changed the landscape of the game, and it stirred up some controversy.

Whitecaps' captain Martin Nash said after the game he understands the foul being called, but he didn't think it should have been a penalty or an ejection.

"You're going to get that call pretty much all the time, but, for me, I think he was outside the box when it happened," Nash said.

Vancouver head coach Teitur Thordarson said he also didn't agree with the decision to award a penalty.

"I don't think so," he said. "It happened outside the box from where I was standing."

Thordarson said the call knocked the Whitecaps off balance.

"After the penalty, we were a little irritated and lost focus a little bit," he said.

That lost focus proved critical. Only six minutes later, Portland sent a free kick in towards the top of the box. There appeared to be a communication mixup on the defence, causing Nolly to come a long way out for it. He couldn't collect, and the loose ball eventually fell to Timbers' defender Mamadou Danso, who put the winner home.

Nolly took the blame afterwards, saying a goal like that was a tough way to lose.

"I took a bad run at it, I think two or three of us missed it and it was just a scrum ball," he said. "It's just tough to lose like that."

Nolly was particularly disappointed to lose the last second-division Cascadia Cup competition. Vancouver, Portland and Seattle will all compete for the trophy again in MLS next season, but that didn't take the sting out of this one for him.

"We lost the Cascadia Cup at home and it's frustrating," he said. "As a player, you want to win every cup that's out there."

What frustrated Thordarson more than the loss of the cup was a late Bright Dike tackle on Takashi Hirano that only earned a yellow card, although it capped off an evening of tough tackles and rough play.

"I usually do not criticize referees, but there were a lot of things that weren't called," Thordarson said. "That last challenge on Taka was a straight red."

There were positive signs for the Whitecaps, though. Only a few days after shipping out a pair of highly-regarded veteran midfielders in Jonny Steele and Ricardo Sanchez, they didn't appear too much worse for the trade. Nash and Luca Bellisomo continued their strong play in central midfield, with Blake Wagner and Phillipe Davies threatening on the wings. Alex Elliott, Ethan Gage and Justin Moose also appeared impressive in relief. The trade means the Whitecaps' reliance on young players has gone even further, but Thordarson said he isn't too worried about a lack of experience on the bench.

"Those guys who were on the 18-man roster today, we feel that they are good enough," he said. "We could have had a bit more experience out there, but young and fresh is always good."

A pair of young players who have been particularly impressive lately are striker Cornelius Stewart (who left thanks to injury in the 79th minute) and midfielder-turned-striker Nizar Khalfan. Thordarson said he likes the strike-force pairing the two have formed.

"They have been very good together, and very important to our team," Thordarson said. "They help each other out all the time, and hopefully they'll just keep getting better."

The Whitecaps will need them and their other young players to keep getting better quickly, though. Vancouver is still in first place in the NASL Conference, but losses like Thursday night's will be significant setbacks. They don't have a lot of turnaround time, either, as they host Minnesota Sunday night at 7 p.m. Pacific (10 p.m. Eastern). I'll be live-blogging that one here and at Sporting Madness; come join me then!

It's Called Football - Guest: Sounders writer Dave Clark

Today, we're joined by Dave Clark from Sounders at Heart to talk about the Freddie Ljunberg departure, what it means for the club and where it all went wrong.

We'll also setup Toronto FC's game versus Dallas, discuss Mista's debut and talk about some major changes afoot in USSF Division 2.

All that and you'll find out what happened to Duane on Wednesday night.



NOTE: Our weekly CSL guest will be done on Monday next week.

CONCACAF Champions League for Dummies

I'm posting this commercial from TFC TV because it amuses me when Jim Brennan says it would be great to add TFC's name to the list of FIFA Club World Cup winners. You know, beside Barcelona, Manchester United and São Paulo.

Yes, Jim, that would be awesome. But, first we need to make the group stage.

Mista-mania

Thanks for all of the messages of concern. I'm not dead. Just...well, gotta keep the reputation up. My Facebook says I'm Hunter S Thompson with less talent. Let's just go with that.

Annnnyway. Check out Mista's cross from the Bolton game. Keep in mind he’s in off-season form. One play in a friendly does not mean much, but...promising, eh?



As for the game, the TFC academy drew Bolton 1-1 and then lost on penalties. I never thought I'd see the day when TFC took a game with an EPL side less seriously than said EPL side, but it was what it was. I'm glad I didn't play full value for the tickets, but, then again, the game wasn't all that bad once you got over the fact that you hadn't heard of half the players on your team.

That and I got to see Martin Petrov. Once a blue and all that...

I'll be live-blogging tonight's Vancouver Whitecaps - Portland Timbers clash tonight at 7:30 p.m. Pacific (10:30 p.m. Eastern), both here and over at [Sporting Madness]. The rivalry games between these sides, both set to join MLS next year, are always interesting on their own, but this one comes with some extra importance. It's only two days since Vancouver made an interesting trade [Marc Weber, The Province], sending FC Tampa Bay a pair of fine midfielders in former USL-1 MVP Jonny Steele and all-star Ricardo Sanchez in return for future considerations.

It's a curious move from a pure talent perspective, as both Sanchez and Steele had been tremendously successful at the USL-1 level and had played well with the Whitecaps when called upon. However, when you consider other factors, this makes more sense. Vancouver has quite a bit of midfield depth, and the starting central tandem of Martin Nash and Luca Bellisomo has played quite well. Sanchez and Steele were valuable as substitutes or for depth purposes, but neither was probably all that happy with that role. Moreover, moving them out allows the Whitecaps to find more playing time for younger players like Nizar Khalfan, Ethan Gage and Alex Elliott. Perhaps most importantly, the move frees up two of Vancouver's allowed eight international slots, which may let them bring in some other players.

For the moment, though, the Whitecaps have less proven midfield options. Tonight will be an interesting chance to see who takes the place of Steele and Sanchez. Join me at 7:30 for the live blog!

Alvaro Fernandez to Sounders

See, this is what I'm talkng about.

Alvaro Fernandez is not a sexy signing, but what he is, is a signing that further illustrates that MLS is the elite North American league.

It is. really. Sorry, Cruz Azul and company...but it is.

Red Patch update for Wednesday

Again, comments will be strictly moderated.

Welcome Back everyone.
I am pleased to have everyone back on the forums. Please be advised that the boards will stay open only until 4PM EST today. At which time we will turn off the boards for the night and run offline tests.

Registered Users - The board experience is now a little different for you. Please be advised that you will now only be able to view the general Toronto FC section, Red Patch Boys section, Daily news and Ticket Trader.

All other access has been promoted to members only.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask by emailing me at boris@redpatchboys.ca or by sending me a PM.

Lastly, remember to change your passwords. Please keep the passwords alphanumeric.

Winning the lotto MLS style

It's everyone's favourite kind of day -- it's weighted lottery day in MLS!

In case you're new to following this wacky little league, the weighted lottery is used to assign players who sign with the league without going through a normal (as much as anything MLS does is normal) allocation process. We're generally talking about young players that are coming back from unsuccessful European adventures here.

Today it's former USA u-20 player Sal Zizzo. He's had some injury difficulties and has left Hannover to come come to re-start his career. The kid has talent. Although we don't know what the contract is, he'll likely come in as a Generation adidas player and thus will not affect the cap, nor take up a roster spot.

So, he's worth winning. In case you're wondering, TFC has an 8.1 per cent chance of getting the prize. DC United is most likely at 16.7 per cent, followed by Kansas City (14.7), Chivas USA (12.9), New York (11.2) and New England (9.6).

Of course it doesn't really matter. More often than not these guys have one or two teams they are willing to play for and if those teams don't win the lottery then the understanding is that the winning team will find a way to move him. Zizzo is a SoCal kid. If TFC wins the race today they will likely be getting some allocation/a 3rd round draft pick from the Galaxy/Chivas.

I'll resist suggesting that it would just be easier to let the kid negotiate with the teams he wants to go to.

The photo above, by the way, is a classic MLS moment. Danny Szetela wanted to play for New York. Columbus won the lottery for his rights. As you can see, he was thrilled to go to Ohio. His career has been in the toilet ever since (I'll let others draw the connection to playing in Columbus and having your career go into the toilet...).

Freddie walks

The Freddie Ljungberg experiment is apparently over. The Sounders have told the Swedish prima donna to go ahead and try and find his next team. The divorce papers have not been signed, but it's the equivalent of letting your wife date other people while you sleep on the couch.

No, that hasn't happened to me. Yet.

Essentially the Sounders have thrown their hands in the air and are letting him walk away. The possibility of letting him go on a free has even been brought up. It's doubtful they will get much of a transfer fee for him, seeing that he's in the strength position. If they refuse to transfer him, he'll just chill out to January and move then when MLS and the Sounder will have no power whatsoever.

The question now, I guess, is was his signing a success. It's a harder question to answer than you might think. From a strictly what-did-he-do-on-the-pitch perspective, probably not. Ljungberg was solid down the stretch last season, but he never really reached out and grabbed the league by the neck. Kasey Keller was Seattle's MVP last year, not Ljungberg.

It's been clear for a while that Ljungberg didn't want to be here. He reported to camp late, had mystery injuries and bitched and moaned about the style of football over here. Even with 30,000 plus adoring fans at Qwest, Freddie never seemed satisfied.

It's easy to look at the success Seattle has had at the gate and say that they didn't need to sign Ljungberg. His gate appeal was wasted on a team that was going to be successful anyway. However, we simply don't know how much of a push his signing brought the Sounders. When he came on, they had already sold about 17,000 tickets, but the rumours had swirled for some time. The fans might not have been responding to Ljungberg himself, but rather the idea that Seattle was going to go out and sign a Ljungberg-type player -- a big star that would make the club matter in the footballing world.

In that way I do see a value in his signing. However, I don't think the benefit outweighs the issues that came with Ljungberg. When he was signed we all knew he was injury prone. The assumption was that playing on the turf would do him in. A petulant attitude was far from the radar. That said -- and I argued this last year -- it was clear that the Sounders were gambling that they could win out of the gate. With as much money tied into 40-year-old Keller and gimpy Ljungberg as there was this was not a team on a 5-year building program.

A US Open Cup win and CONCACAF Champions League berth did materialize, but the run to the MLS Cup fizzled (largely because Ljungberg could never quite figure out how to effectively play with Fredy Montero to put the ball into the net). This season has been a disaster and Seattle will need to go on a serious run to even have a chance at the playoffs. It looks like the Sounders will be rebuilding in year three.

It’s not really my call. You tell me Seattle fans. Was it worth it?

Regardless, it seems like a long time since the scene below, doesn't it?

Home/away adjusted final standings projection for July 20

Last year I ran final standings projections that factored in team's home and away form. As with any projections formula it wasn't perfect. However, in the end, it did prove to be a fairly good indicator of where teams would stand up (for instance, even when it looked like TFC had fallen away from the playoff pack, the projections pegged it correctly that the Reds would be in it to the final week).

The point totals don't so much matter as much as do the positions teams are projected into. They also do a good job of showing how big of a hole certain teams have dug for themselves by not taking care of home points.

Here they are for July 20:

East -
Columbus - 56**
NYRB - 49**
TFC - 43*
Philly - 37
Chicago - 36
Kansas - 30
New England - 27
DC United - 21

West -
Galaxy - 70#
Salt Lake - 55**
Dallas - 49*
San Jose - 48*
Colorado - 47*
Houston - 34
Seattle - 33
Chivas - 28

# - Supporters Shield
** - Automatic playoff spot
* - wildcard playoff spot

The playoff matches would be Columbus versus Colorado and NYRB versus TFC in the east; Galaxy versus San Jose and SLC versus Dallas in the west.

The kids are alright (to play Bolton)

It seems clear that TFC is going to use Wednesday’s Carlsberg Cup game to give some of the academy players a run-out. Luke Wileman reported on the club's site today that Matt Stinson, Doneil Henry, Nicholas Lindsay, Oscar Cordon and Brennan McNicoll have all been training with the first team and could see action against the EPL side.

In past years the Carlsberg Cup has allowed unlimited substitutions and for players to be subbed in and out of the game. If that remains the case this year it's likely that most of the starters will get some time. Mista's ITC cleared yesterday and you would imagine that he will start and play a good 60 as he looks to get back in game shape.

Interestingly, Brant News is reporting that two Brantford Galaxy players, Drazen Vukovic and Miodrag Anjelkoviv have spend the last week training with TFC and that they will see action against Bolton. The News is the only source reporting that the players will take part in the game and it's unclear how accurate the information is -- although it would not be unheard of for CSL players to train with TFC (and Preki does like those Eastern European guys).

Anjelkoviv has had an interesting career. At 32, he is currently playing for his 24th club. He's never played more than 27 games at any one stop, but did top out with a brief stint at Espanyol.

Of note, the Bolton Wanderers soccer club from Bolton, Ontario is apparently sending 600 fans to the game to cheer on the visitors (although the club president says that most of those traveling to the game are also TFC supporters so it will be interesting to see how vocal they are.

The last time an EPL side visited (Aston Villa in 2007) it was a festive, fun night out at the park. The 4-2 Villa win (featuring Andrea Lombardo's only TFC goal!) is still talked about as one of the best games ever played at BMO. The international friendlies have been a mixed bag, with a few great games (2008 versus Pachuca also stands out) a couple duds (Independente in 2008 and a terrible, terrible Benfica game in 2007) and one surreal (Real freakin' Madrid). They also played River Plate, but I can never get myself to remember that game (although I do remember Boca Juniors fans cheering against River Plate our section, so that was fun). These games aren't going anywhere so we might as well try and enjoy them.

I have a feeling tomorrow’s game will be fun. Bolton is recognizable enough that it will provide a thrill for the casual fan (Martin Petrov FTW!), not so strong as to make it impossible to actually get a result off of and not popular enough to have 1,000 of fanboys trying to fill the stadium (600 fans from a youth soccer club cheering for them is amusing, not annoying. I shudder to think how agitated I'd be if TFC ever played Manchester United...).

HT to reader Michael Joyce for pointing me to the Brant News story

Red Patch update

Comments will be strictly moderated. If you want to express yourself to Boris or any of the RPB leadership, they are pretty damn visible at the games and they have publically available e-mail addresses.

Here's an update on the web server. As I mentioned in yesterdays message, a fix was implemented on the server. This fix will be tested throughout the day on Tuesday. Once we feel that the boards are ready to go back online they will be turned back on. I would like to tell everyone that we have taken every precaution possible to ensure that no information was taken from the any other source. The only compromise was on the forums database and as far as we can tell it was only one user.

There have been questions raised as to the integrity of the forums and be advised that we have had this forum software running for two years. In those two years we have only seen one previous successful attack. The web team works very hard to ensure that the integrity of the information is kept. We also work very hard to ensure that should an attack happen, that all information is kept safe. Should you have any extra questions in regards to this please do not hesitate to ask.

There are times we seem to portray that we are more than just supporters.. To all of the members, we are certainly a strong force for North American support. We have people who will do anything in their power to distract us from our goal which is ultimately to support Toronto FC. We will continue to sing for 90 minutes. We will continue to chant for our team. We will continue to do what we do best and that's support our team, our Toronto FC. Let's never forget that. Let's put aside all of these distractions and support our team. The boards may be down, our means of communication may be limited at this time, but our drive and love for our team and our club can be stronger than ever. The team is in the middle of what's been a very interesting year. They need our support. They need to be able to hear us, to feel our drive.

Thank you for your patience during this time. Again, I will update everyone again.

Boris Roberto Aguilar

I was wrong. Would it also be wrong to sell Stefan Frei?

In many ways I was just looking for an excuse to post a Social Distortion track, but I did want to point out that, for the first time I can recall, I was wrong yesterday. Although MLS teams typically get 66 per cent of transfer revenue when they sell players, Generation adidas are now treated differently under the new CBA.

A GA player with one year experience yields one-third of the transfer for the team, two years is a half and after three the full two-thirds kicks in. Damn MLS and its confusing, ever changing rules.

That said, the Frei rumour still makes no sense. Again, there is no UK noise at all and, beyond that, £3 million is an outrageous amount for an unproven keeper. As much as it would hurt to see him go, the league would be stupid to turn down that kind of coin for Frei at this point of his career. I’ve been told that Frei’s agent has been pushing hard for a transfer. It’s unclear whether a move to a bigger league is in the best interest of Frei (other than financially, which can’t be ignored) right now. He’s a young guy and keepers play a long time.

Even at £1 million, which is what TFC would get, would provide the Reds with a lot of money to spend. Under the new CBA teams can spend up to $625,000 of money received from transfers to acquire players.

Frei’s a keeper. He’s a good keeper. But, in a harsh cost benefit analysis, he’s not $625,000 better than TFC’s other keepers.

It's Called Football - Guest: Andreas Morse

Today we're joined by Andreas Morse - who covers FC Edmonton for the local paper - to talk about the club's start, if the team will last as well as Portsmouth coming to town.

We'll also dissect the Stefan Frei to Stoke rumour, discuss whether Bob Bradley has done enough to earn an extension with the USMNT and if a second MLS team in New York would work.

Frei rumour makes no sense

Stefan Frei has been (precariously) linked to Stoke City. A respected poster on the Voyageurs board with connections to the CSL suggested that Milos Kocic was going to be recalled by TFC from his loan with the Serbian White Eagles to take over from Frei.

Frei is to be sold to Stoke for £3 million. TFC would, and this is where it gets odd, get 35 per cent of the sale, with the league getting the rest.

If that was the case the transfer would be unique from every other MLS transfer out. There is no reason that TFC would get less for Frei than the two-thirds that is normally the case. That the rumours have these numbers attached makes me think that the origin of them is from someone that is uninformed of MLS rules. That makes me doubt them.

I also doubt the rumour because Stoke City just signed a keeper and there isn't a single source in the UK reporting this possibility (and my cat was linked to a move to Bristol Rovers by The Daily Mail...).

Frei will likely move to Europe sooner rather than later. I can't see it being now though and not to Stoke.

A message from the Red Patch Boys

Unedited:

Early in the morning of July 17th a moderators account was compromised. This then lead to the possibility of private information of this account to be leaked into the public domain. The Executive has been working all weekend in order to ensure that private information remains private and that no information has been exposed. We have taken the boards offline and at this point we are confident that only one account was compromised. Any information in the public domain should be viewed as a fabrication and it is misrepresentation.

To further the investigation we are forensically examining log files to find any unauthorized access. Late last night it was discovered that there was a security leak in the forum software enabling access to the compromised account. A fix has been implemented and we are continuing monitoring the board.

Information on the board is still intact, we are continuing to investigate and we are hopeful that the boards will return to full service this week. As a precaution it is advisable that users of the board change your password as well as change any passwords for popular sites such as: Facebook, gmail, hotmail and yahoo mail.

Thank you for your patience and we will be updating with any information as it becomes available.

Boris Roberto Aguilar

Sober Second Thoughts: The sky is falling again

It took me about 90 minutes to not be angry. You cannot lose points in the final seconds of a game. It's inexcusable. It's why the Reds missed the playoffs last year.

It's also important to remember that it hadn't happened this year up to last week. However, it's also important to look objectively at the last two games. They hung on against Colorado, but only because Stefan Frei played out of his head. A point on the road against Philly would not have been anything to get too excited about, but it would have been something. As it was, however, the TFC fan base is left with a very bad taste in its mouth.

The thing about having a lot of fans is that many of those fans will not be the most logical in their thinking when it comes to the team. The illogical ones also tend to be the loudest. So, the result in Philly is likely to set off A Week Of Anger on the various Internet TFC hang-outs. The hyperbole that will sure to follow will be a bit much, but it is fair to ask a few pointed questions.

Why have the Reds cramped up so much during the last 15 minutes of the last two games? Has Preki not learned his lesson from the playoff failures at Chivas? Is he running the team into the ground to get them into the playoffs at the expense of success later?

How come TFC fails to create scoring chances? Although (Philly game aside) the club has becomes one of the best in the league at keeping the ball out of its own net, it also creates less than any other.

Can anyone not named Dan play full-back? Nana Attakora and Adrian Cann have had to cover a whole lot for the failings on their right and left.

Why in hell is Amadou Sanyang playing? I hate throwing individual players under the bus and he's still a kid, but...I just don't get what Preki sees in Sanyang.

Is TFC DeRo and pray? The scoring slump started when DeRo went cold. Barrett is having a very nice season (his crossing has improved tenfold since last year as well as his six goals), but too often he's forced to hopelessly chase up front.

Why is Julian de Guzman so inconsistent? There are many fans that are blind to anything de Guzman does. However, when he's on his game he can be an incredible stabilizing force. He just knows how to find space (makes sense since he played in Spain so long). But, every third game he disappears.

The sky is hardly falling. One loss in nine is not reason for panic. But, three goals in six in no reason to be complacent either.

No press is bad press....right?

"Und ich habe der Mannschaft gesagt: ,Wer sich nicht bewegt, kann nicht mal gegen Kanada gewinnen!"

That's German coach Jogi Löw. You don't want to know what the translation is. No, you don't.

Ok, if you do: "And I've told the team 'if you don't move around, you can't even beat Canada!'"

So, apparently, we're now the worst team in the world or something. Or, I suppose, the worst team in the world that a big country might possibly play one day (I can't see Germany scheduling a friendly against Bermuda).

Actually, you do want to read that. If you support Canadian soccer you need to stare that hard. You might be tempted to tell Löw to verpiss dich, but the better thing to say would be danke.

Now is not the time to be defensive. No, it's a time to be supportive in making the changes that are needed. We need to support the program and the players to make it better. We can want results, but in football results are never a sure thing. What is a sure thing is that results rarely come without support.

Canadian soccer: It's about support. As fans that needs to be our motto heading into the 2014 cycle. It's time to build up, not tear down.

Then, maybe, we can tell Löw were to stuff it in four years time.

HT to the Voyageurs

Jackson move official

Simeon Jackson's move to Norwich City is complete.

He's been signed to a two year deal, with a club option for a third.

Here is a nice summery of his time at Gillingham. Interestingly, Jackson will have an early chance to play the Gills as Norwich has drawn the club in the first round of the League Cup.

Three charged in Philly flare incident

Chester police put the kill in overkill Wednesday when they criminally charged three Celtic fans for lighting flares at Wednesday’s Union - Celtic friendly.

My position on flares has been stated before, but I'll repeat it now. I love them. But, I'm aware that lighting them off is against the rules in MLS stadiums. So, and I think most would agree with me here, if you play with fire you had best be ready to deal with the consequence of that.

The consequence should be that you get booted out of the stadium. If clubs want to ban them from the stadium, fine. Thrown in jail though? I think Chester police have more to worry about than football fans lighting firecrackers.

Since the lighting of flares is considered normal in many parts of the world, you must view the actions of those that do so here in that light. That's especially the case when pretty much every team in the league uses smoke and sometimes fire as part of their approved stadium atmosphere plan. If you are going to one game a year how can you possibly tell the difference between the "official" flare being lit in front of the supporter's section and the "unofficial" one being set off elsewhere in the stadium.

Last year in Chicago security was more interested in stopping the visiting Toronto support from swearing than it was in the flares that were lit off in the second half (and immediately responded to in Section 8). All that happened then was a bucket of sand was brought out and we were asked to make sure it was fully out. (EDIT - Someone in Chicago contacted me to suggest that my experience may not have been typical)

A security guard can be seen dancing with Section 8 members after flares were lit late in the first game at Red Bull Arena. No one had to spend a night in lock-up there.

Rather than saying that they "we agree with the actions of the Chester Police Department wholeheartedly," Union president Tom Veit should be quietly speaking to police about priority enforcement (and also figuring out a way to move the away support section from its current location directly across from the Son's of Ben).

I'm not suggesting that every stadium treat flares the same way Chicago does. Nor, am I suggesting that there should not be consequences for breaking stadium rules.

The punishment should fit the crime, that's all.

Note - From the comments...Last night in Montreal:

Taking the next step

Last Sunday, 24.3 million Americans watched the World Cup final. In Canada, 5,131,000 tuned in (interestingly that’s about 200,000 more than watched the Grey Cup).

There, soccer, is your current ceiling.

By percentage that’s 7.3 per cent of the U.S. and 15.5 per cent of Canadians. That tells me, as I have long suspected, that the game here in Canada is more palatable to casual, soccer dad types. I don’t want to belabour it, but it was hard to find a Canadian that wasn’t at least somewhat invested in the tournament. The dinosaurs are just that now. They sit in the corner muttering about pansy diving metrosexual Europeans while the rest of us get on with our lives.

Sadly, I don’t have the answers as to how MLS reaches more of those fans that tuned into the final. Hitting the closest thing we have to it – the MLS Cup final – hard would be a start. If I were MLS/MLSE I’d be out there promoting the final game already. Tickets won’t be an issue, but we need TFC’s TV numbers to get up higher if the game is to take the next step.

We don't care because we get it

Don't you love how bitchy British journalists are...

God forbid that the Toronto sports media show cover local sports teams when the glory that is Man U is in town. Clearly the United scrubs are the biggest thing to ever hit this town.

What our British friend will never understand is that the indifference around this game is evidence of how the game is more entrenched here now than ever before and that Toronto soccer fans are becoming more sophisticated in how they enjoy soccer (sorry, better call it football in case I offend...).

For many tomorrow's game will be an enjoyable night out. United and Celtic fans will have a great time watching their teams. But, they will understand where the game stands in terms of importance. It's a friendly. It will be treated as such.

And that's a good thing.

NOTE: I just did a Ticketmaster search and was able to get 10 tickets in a row at the centre line two rows up from the field -- Section 111, row 2, seats 1-10.

The scalpers will not have fun tomorrow night.

It serves the promoters right. A low ticket price of $90 is ridicules.

Ali, part III

It's official. Ali Gerba is going back to Montreal.

This is the third time he's played for the Impact. He's played for 11 different clubs.

Good luck to him

Average age of MLS players by team

There was a hubbub yesterday when a British newspaper asked whether “MLS was a retirement home for has-beens.”

The question is, clearly, idiotic. However, one thing that came out in the fall-out to it yesterday is that no one has really calculated the average age of MLS. Is it an older league? Anecdotal evidence suggests it’s a normal, but where is the proof.

I decided to find the truth. I found that the average age of a player in MLS is 26.2 years. The average age by team is:

• 1 - NYRB -- 27.6
• 2- LA Galaxy -- 27.5
• 3- Houston -- 27.3
• 4- Seattle -- 27.1
• 5 -San Jose -- 26.7
• 5- KC Wizards -- 26.6
• 7- NE Revs -- 26.6
• 8- Columbus -- 26.2
• 9- Chivas -- 26.0
• 9- Colorado -- 26.0
• 11- Chicago -- 25.6
• 11- Salt Lake -- 25.6
• 13- TFC -- 25.3
• 13- Dallas -- 25.3
• 15- DC United -- 25.2
• 16- Philly -- 24.4

But what about the influence on aging Euros? Surely non-American players (non American and Canadian in Toronto) are mostly on the wrong side of 30.

Or not. The average non-American player is a little bit older, but it’s almost statistically irrelevant. I found the age to be 26.8 years.

By team:

• 1- Houston -- 28.3
• 2- Colorado -- 28.1
• 3- Dallas -- 27.8
• 4- Chivas -- 27.7
• 5- Columbus -- 27.6
• 5- DC United -- 27.6
• 5- NYRB -- 27.6
• 8- LA Galaxy -- 27.1
• 9- San Jose -- 26.9
• 10- KC Wizards -- 26.7
• 10- Seattle -- 26.7
• 12- NE Revs -- 26.4
• 12- Salt Lake -- 26.4
• 14- Philly -- 25.8
• 15- Chicago -- 24.7
• 16- TFC -- 24.3

A look into the future in Portland

The Portland Timbers have released a mock-up of the renovated stadium so that people can buy their season tickets with some knowledge of what the place will look like. It's not new technology. Most pro sports teams are providing a similar service. But, it is some serious stadium porn for the true hardcore North American footy geek.

Have a look. Check out the virtual scoreboard, which shows the Timbers winning 4-0 over Seattle.

There are some interesting pricing decisions in there. The Timbers Army have been placed behind the north goal, with season seats going for $360. That's in line with most supporters seats in the league. What's interesting is the price jump for the section directly behind the corner flag (like BMO, sections 112 and 113). Those seats jump up to $540 a year making them likely the worst value in the stadium.

The Timbers have managed to put in a few $99 a season seats. The value terrace is in the upper deck. They don't look bad at all either. Section 218C is right on the centre strip (and the seats directly below the section are $420 and $540. I'm not sure how they are going to stop sneak downs...).

Those in Ottawa may want to take note of what can be done to a baseball park to make it seem like a soccer specific venue.

Buuuunbury!

Team Bunbury scored his first MLS goal last night. You can see it at the 45 second mark below.



Then, for good measure, he went over to taunt the Nordecke. It was $1 beer night in Columbus, but it looked likely only one thing got thrown at him.

K.C. won 1-0. That means that the Crew sit just six points up of TFC in first, with Toronto holding a game in hand.

Whitecaps - Miami: A star is reborn

For a long while, Blake Wagner seemed like another cautionary tale of giving athletes too much hype too early. He was identified by the U.S. national team through their Olympic Development Program back when he was 13, was highly publicized and went on to play for the U.S. at the U-14, U-15 and U-17 levels. He then joined Generation adidas and was drafted 18th overall by FC Dallas in the 2006 MLS Superdraft. Dallas did bring him along slowly, only using him once as a substitute in a friendly that season and not starting him in MLS until 2007. He made 12 appearances with the team that year, then started 23 of 24 matches for them as a defender in 2008. He only saw limited time with them in 2009 though, and they opted not to bring him back. It looked like he had fallen off the map, but he then signed with Vancouver earlier this year, and his star appears to be back in the ascendancy.

Although this was only Wagner’s fourth match with Vancouver, he has already surpassed his career goals total with FC Dallas. He didn’t score in 40 appearances for the MLS side, and that trend held true in his first three matches with the Whitecaps, although he only played 213 minutes. He did show some promise in midfield last match, though. Tonight, the floodgates broke open and Wagner notched a hat trick to lead the Whitecaps to a 3-1 victory over FC Miami.
Those floodgates opened on a club level as well as an individual one. The Whitecaps’ struggles to score this season have been well-documented; they went 276 minutes in league play and 296 minutes in all competitions without a goal earlier this year.

Vancouver head coach Teitur Thordarson said afterwards he was impressed with Wagner's play, but he would have been happy to see that offensive output regardless of source.

"It's just a relief to have someone score three goals," he said. "We haven't had that in a long time, so we're very excited."

Wagner’s hat trick was the first by a Whitecaps’ player since Marlon James recorded one against Minnesota last year, and the first by a Vancouver midfielder since Alfredo Valente accomplished the feat in 2000.

Tonight's match was much more open than last week's 1-1 draw against AC St. Louis, but Thordarson said that wasn't thanks to differing styles.

"They weren't that much more open in the beginning, but we opened them up," he said. "We haven't really played badly, we have been creating chances, but we're getting better."

Vancouver opened the scoring in the 18th minute when Wagner played a lovely ball in for Nizar Khalfan, then followed his pass and raced towards the net. Khalfan smartly overlooked Cornelius Stewart, who was covered in front, and dropped it back for Wagner who was completely unmarked. Wagner showed a lack of finish during his time with FC Dallas in MLS, recording no goals in 40 appearances, but he was clinical tonight and made no mistake from eight yards out.
After the half, Wagner added a second goal in the 56th minute on an almost identical play, receiving a drop-back pass on the other side from Stewart this time. Funnily enough, that tied him for the team scoring lead in regular-season play, which tells you something about Vancouver’s offence.

Miami pulled one back one minute later, when Brian Shriver played a nice give-and-go with Euzebio Neto and finished from close range. Both teams went for it after that, odd considering that neither has been overly aggressive or proficient up front this year, but it produced some entertaining soccer. Vancouver still had the better opportunities, but Miami certainly had chances to tie the match, and it took the Whitecaps quite a while to seal the deal. They did so in style, however.

In stoppage time, Wagner completed his incredible night by finishing the hat trick, driving home a Randy Edwini-Bonsu cross from close range. Vancouver product Alex Elliott, making his Whitecaps debut, made a nice play to pick out Edwini-Bonsu, and Wagner completed the play with a terrific finish.

Wagner said scoring three goals was a thrill.

"It felt really good," he said. "Today was just one of these days. I'll take them more often."

His goals were set up by strong team play, but the hat trick was hardly a fluke. Wagner was responsible for six of Vancouver's 11 shots, and all of his shots were good chances. By contrast, Miami only recorded seven shots all game, and many of them were weak.

Wagner made one particularly interesting comment afterwards when I asked him if he had noticed a substantial difference between the quality of play in USSF-II and MLS.

"So far, it's been really good," he said. "I'm not going to lie, these guys on the team we have, they're quality players. I could see half of them on the FC Dallas team."

FC Dallas is in third place in the Western Conferenceat the moment, so that's a higher compliment than it often has been. It says a fair bit about the talent the Whitecaps have put together that I'd tend to agree with Wagner; obviously, USSF-2 isn't MLS, but there are a lot of guys on this roster who either could play at an MLS level now or have the potential to play at one in the future. For them, as well as Wagner, the future looks bright.

As is often with the future, though, there may be unexpected stops along the way. I'm sure Wagner never imagined playing Division II soccer in Vancouver back when he was an American prodigy, but if he can continue to put up performances like he did tonight, it might just be a great move for him. Wagner's hat trick seemed to have taken even him by surprise, though. When quizzed afterwards, he couldn’t even remember the last time he scored a hat trick at any level.

“Maybe in my dreams,” he said with a laugh. “High school, maybe middle school?”

It will likely be sweet dreams for Wagner tonight, but we'll have to wait and see if this dream will last for him.

[Cross-posted to Sporting Madness]

Vancouver Whitecaps - Miami FC live blog

[The It's Called Football Live post is below]

I'll be live-blogging tonight's Vancouver Whitecaps - Miami FC USSF Division II match from the Swangard Stadium press box tonight. Come swing by! Game time is 10:30 p.m. Eastern/7:30 p.m. Pacific.

It's Called Football Live

On today's show we're joined by Toronto FC Academy Head Coach Jason Bent to talk about the recent success of the program, what players are ready for the first team and when they'll be making the jump and what role he sees the club playing on the national scene.

We'll also discuss how MLS dropped the ball with its scheduling of Champions League and the All-Star game, where Ali Gerba is about to land (insert fat joke) and if Simeon Jackson has hit his ceiling for career success.

That and we'll talk about the flurry of Designated Player signings/departures that's about to happen.

The C-C-Ceiling

A career in The Championship is, clearly, a hell of an accomplishment. Debates about where any league stacks up in the world are a bit pointless, but England's second tier would more than likely be a top tier in most countries.

You play in front of a lot of people and you are well paid.

To use a hockey analogy, you're in the AHL. There are worse places to end up.

So, news today that Canadian international Simeon Jackson is likely headed to Norwich City should be celebrated, right?

Maybe. Sort of. Forgive me for not doing back flips.

Yes, it's good that Jackson is moving up a level of football. He played last year for Gillingham in League One. The Gills were relegated to League Two, so it's especially good that he's not away to Accrington Stanley this season. However, Jackson was linked to some mid to lower level EPL sides last year. Those rumours never came to be (the Gills were likely not eager to sell while in a relegation battle. Jackson's form slipped back ever so slightly towards the end of the year as well). However, that they were out there at all gave one hope that he might be able to break through the Canadian CCC ceiling.

In a real world way Jackson is young, just 23. In football terms, however, he's pretty much at the end of his young years. If he goes to Norwich now he might end up stuck at that level for the rest of his career. Actually, I'd put money on it.

As stated, it is a good level of football and if that's all he's able to get to then he'll still be a useful part in the Canadian set-up for years to come. However, I'm not going to celebrate that Jackson's chances to get to the Prem are likely gone now. Yes, he would have likely started on the bench, but it's a hell of a lot easier to get on the pitch during an EPL game from a club's reserves than it is from the CCC.

Let's hope I'm wrong.

Here he comes to save the day!

I suppose I'm supposed to write about Thierry Henry today. If you have not heard the long rumoured move to New York has been made official.

Those of us in the know are likely having trouble getting pumped up about it today since we've known it was going to happen for about two months and it was a strong rumour for a year before that.

Simply put, the signing is anticlimactic.

However, it is important to try and think like the average fan. The guy or gal that was jumping up and down at a pub when Landon scored likely heard about this possibility about an hour and a half ago. Although I think Henry still has something to give (if he is coming into this with a drive to compete still), that's who this type of DP signing is for.

It's already being reported that tickets to the Spurs friendly that he will debut in are going for $300 on eBay. After the opener, there have been a lot of empty seats at Red Bull Arena.

To evaluate what this will mean to the race in the east, we are going to need to see how he fits in. The DP rule has been around long enough now for us to realize that it really is a hit and miss proposition. Some DPs have been great signings (Angel, Blanco), others have been middling (Julian so far, Beckham last year) and a few have been utter disasters (Denílson, Claudio Reyna).

On paper, it looks great for New York. Paper doesn't matter.

Unless it's being used to print a ticket off.

All-star game ra ra ra

I'm not a fan of the all-star game. I'm even less of a fan of the fact that MLS continues to show disrespect to to the CONCACAF Champions League by scheduling it during the preliminary round of that competition.

At any rate, here are the starters:

GOALKEEPER - Donovan Ricketts (LA Galaxy)

DEFENDERS - Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Jamison Olave (Real Salt Lake)

MIDFIELDERS - Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC), Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake), Marco Pappa (Chicago Fire)

FORWARDS - Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)

For the record, my vote was:

Forward -- Edson Buddle (LA)- Landon Donovan (LA)
Midfield -- Dwayne De Rosario (TFC) - Patrick Nyarko (CHI) - G. Barros Schelotto (CLB) - Sebastien Le Toux (PHI) - Julian de Guzman (TFC)
Defenders -- Omar Gonzalez (LA) - Todd Dunivant (LA) - Jamison Olave (RSL)
Keeper -- Bouna Coundoul (NY)

Improving SuperLiga

The SUM cash grab 2010 SuperLiga kicks off tomorrow. In the early days of this tournament you could always amuse yourself by reading Mexican fans complaining about it. Now, you can't even find that such is the indifference.

How do you fix SuperLiga? I suppose you could open it up to all of CONCACAF and make it a Europa League sort of thing, but there is no will whatsoever to do that. Really, all you can do is take it for what it is -- a meaningless exhibition tournament that provides an excuse to have Mexican teams play "competitive" games in MLS markets. I'm sure the Pachuca fans in Houston are excited for Wednesday's game against the Dynamo.

Just don't expect anyone else to pretend it matters.

Getting there is all the battle

We've been hearing rumblings that CONCACAF is thinking of changing its qualifying format in time for the 2014 World Cup.

Many people feel the current format is unfair, especially at the semi-final stage where the groups have been badly unbalanced the last two cycles.

Sportsnet's Gerry Dobson reports today that things will change. It's not new news to those tuned in, but he does report that the CSA is leading the charge for the change. That makes sense because Canada (along with Jamaica) is the country that might most benefit from an increase in the final round. The longer the round goes the more likely a Canadian team that has the talent to compete for the third spot can get its crap together.

CONCACAF might be open to this because they have been looking for a way to get more games for the smaller countries in the region, while at the same time they are under pressure from USA and Mexico to reduce the burden placed on them. There is a way to do both.

Imagine this:

The top 10 ranked teams in the region get a bye into the semi-final round. The remaining teams (25 based on last cycle) are divided into six groups. They play a round robin with the winner of each group advancing to the final round (you could also go with five groups of five and the best second place finisher).

That would leave you with 16 teams in the semi-final. After seeding eight teams, you draw for a home and away aggregate series. The winners advance to the final round.

The eight teams in the final round play a round-robin.

Such a format would give tiny Caribbean countries six (or eight) games and would reduce the burden on the top 10 ranked teams from 18 games to 16 (14 in final round and two in semi). It would also give countries like Jamaica and Canada the chance to go head to head with both the USA and Mexico, which could increase the profile of the sport in those countries.

We will find out in December how it will work. Qualifying will start a year earlier this time, so that will give plenty of time to play the first round.

Slowly getting it

The CSA listened. For once they heard.

The Sept 4 Canada friendly against Peru has been moved from 7 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The change means that the game will no longer be in conflict with the TFC - Dallas game that night. They went with 5:30 because the popular CNE air show is at Exhibition Place until 4:30 p.m. (parking is going to be a nightmare that night. Leave early.)

Next up: Getting MLS to not schedule game on international dates.

NOTE: I'll be getting to your e-mails regarding tickets for game tonight.

Hope comes from strage places

• A national sports federation without money.
• Calls for reform are abundant.
• Fans of the program are frustrated and few and far between.
• Corporate Canada ignores the sport.
• Old media seems almost resentful about covering the sport and often makes snide comments about Canada's place in it.

No, I'm not talking about soccer and the CSA. Rather, I'm referring to the problems that surrounded Canada Basketball just a few short years ago when the national team crashed out of Olympic qualifying (or before -- see comments). Canada Basketball and the CSA have a lot in common. They struggle in the same way to make inroads in sports that truly are played around the world (basketball isn't as universal as soccer, but it's the only other team sport in the conversation).

Following the 2008 failure a spirit of reform engulfed the program. There was an effort to change a losing culture. Yesterday -- and you can be forgiven for not seeing it -- the country's u-17 program rewarded that rebuilding program with something that is exceptionally rare in Canadian team sports -- a medal.

It was a nice result in a season that sees Canada Basketball in every men's and women's world championship.

See, soccer, it can be done.

It's Called Football - Guest: Michael Grange

Today we're joined by the Globe and Mail's Michael Grange to talk about How Canada will get to the World Cup

If you haven't read this definitive article on the state of Canadian soccer yet ... click the link. Then go listen.

We'll also breakdown the weekend TFC game, update on D2 sanctioning (a USSF meeting set for early August, Ottawa in 2013 and Vancouver D2 staying in Vancouver) and talk about what teams will be getting in on the big name transfers when the window opens this week.

...And thanks for all the fish

So, it's over. A month later and we can all get some work done again. I'm not going to bore you all with a blow-by-blow of the World Cup because you can get that 1,000 different places from 1,000 people that were actually there.

Instead, I'm going come at the end of the Cup from a Canada perspective.

What did the World Cup teach us about the game here that we didn't already know? I'm not sure much. Except, perhaps, that soccer is no longer even close to a niche sport in urban Canada. The CBC did a great job showing that in the remote-showing-grown-men-screaming-and-drunk-at-a-pub-at-1 p.m. kind of way. However, the real evidence could be found in the day-to-day interactions.

My mother-in-law asking me what time the "Ghana game" started. The guy in the Leafs cap explaining offside to his girlfriend. The for-the-first-time-ever real debate about why Canada isn't there.

Canadians care about this sport -- not every Canadian, but a lot. Enough to ensure that it's never, ever going anywhere even if a bunch of anonymous commenters on newspaper sites write "soccer sucks." Even if they do it IN ALL CAPS!

Not every person that watched a World Cup game will tune into the next TFC, Whitecaps or Impact game. But, some will. And, little by little the sport pushes closer to the traditional big four sports here. For fans of the Canadian national team that can only mean good things. More attention means more of a demand to be better. Soon, we might exist in a time when a Canadian coach isn't promoted for leading his team to an embarrassing three losses, no goals performance at a u-20 tournament being played at home (for example).

The 2010 World Cup cycle is over. That means the 2014 cycle starts today.

Canada is in the game again. It's time to take advantage of it.

First half highlight

If they score five goals in the second half they'll call it a classic...

TFC signs Maicon

Shocking news on the TFC front with the announcement that the club has inked Brazilian Maicon. Dan Gargan had been playing well at right-back, but this move is...

Wait, what?

Maicon Santos. Released by Chivas. Oh.

Carry on...

But seriously. A little depth up front is fine. Obviously he's a Preki guy too.

With the move TFC now has a full roster.

LeBron's lessons for MLS

It was a train wreck, no doubt. Watching LeBron James’ self-indulgent sideshow last night was not a high point in my sports watching life. There was nothing pure, for-the-love-of-the-game about it, nor, I expect, would many of his contemporaries think there should have been.

I’m not that much older than a 25-year-old, but when it comes to the display we saw last night I might as well be. (Grumpy old man alert) somewhere along the way the idea that it is worthwhile to support a team that doesn’t always win seems to have fallen away. There are exceptions, of course, but most young sports fans seem to think that supporting a losing side is a sucker’s proposition.

Front run. Glory is ensured. Adversity is defined as losing in the finals to the other super team.

It stands to reason that the athletes themselves would be a reflection of the society that they come from. Thus, James decides to join the South Beach Globetrotters, rather than do the work needed to lift his former 60-win team to a championship.

MJ has a statue; LeBron had a one hour infomercial. It isn’t 1993 anymore.

But this isn’t a basketball blog. What it is is a soccer blog with a major focus on MLS. In addition to the old man disgust I was feeling last night I was also thinking about how the whole thing fits with MLS. Some of those fans that you will find today justifying James’ cynicism are also soccer fans. You can bet that they don’t support Wigan.

Nor do they support the Chicago Fire. MLS sucks, they would tell you. You are a fool for wasting your time with the losers. Glory, glory Man United.

As much as many of us hate the idea of the South Beach Globetrotters, there are many, many more that will embrace it in that shallow way that all super teams get embraced. When Chris Bosh comes back to Toronto next February you can be assured that there will be a significant amount of diehard Heat fans from Brampton in attendance. It will be like that everywhere.

And even those that will be booing Bosh and the boys that night will be there, invested in the game. I saw more than one person on Twitter last night Tweet out that they now had 29 favourite NBA teams – anyone but the Heat.

The NBA has become the Premiership – The Lakers as United, Celtic is Arsenal and Miami playing the role of Chelsea (that makes the Knicks City and Chicago Liverpool). The thing is, the Prem does OK. It says here the NBA will bounce back from some of its recent difficulties this season and will make a lot of money again.

The question it brings up for MLS, obviously, is whether the current forced parity is the way to go. Would a Dallas or Colorado be better off playing the role of spirited underdog against a L.A., New York and Seattle super team? For some time, I’ve been consistent in my opinion that they would be. Most people disagree with me, but the amount of attention last night generated has done nothing but solidify my position that the single biggest thing holding MLS back is the lack of separation between its clubs. The stumble towards the eighth playoff spot appeals to the already dialled in fan, but does nothing to attract new fans.

The one way the Prem is different than the NBA is that it has a playoff at the end of its season to determine a champion. James’ decision ensured that the Heat will win 60 games each of the next five years, but it didn’t ensure even a single championship. Such is the reality of a playoff system. That’s how the super team model can work more effectively in North America than it does in European football. The Heat will probably win a championship, but I’d be stunned if they win five straight.

It would be the same thing in MLS. If the Galaxy were a superteam they would still need to beat Salt Lake City in a two-game aggregate to get to the conference final. They would most of the time, but not all the time.

Regardless, we’d all be watching.