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    Michael Mccoll
    Have a listen!
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    Michael Mccoll
    REPORT:
    After so many heartbreaking losses in the Canadian Championship, Vancouver Whitecaps lifted their first Voyageurs Cup in front of 19,616 fans at B.C. Place. Octavio Rivero scored in the first half, Tim Parker provided the second and David Ousted earned the clean sheet in the 2-0 victory on the night and a 4-2 aggregate win over the Montreal Impact.
    The Whitecaps started off the match looking for an early strike and Techera looked to set up Manneh but the attempt on goal was stopped by the keeper in the second minute.
    Techera had his own chance in the 24th minute when his attempt off a free kick forced Kronberg into some quick thinking to keep it scoreless.
    The turning point came on the half hour mark, when Impact defender Victor Cabrera was sent off, after picking up his second yellow, for taking down Rivero just outside the box.
    The ensuing free kick by Morales was sent over the net but the Caps would make the one man advantage count when Rivero opened the scoring five minutes before half time.
    It was Techera who intercepted a Reo-Coker back pass and got a shot off that deflected off Kronberg, dribbling towards the net before Rivero slammed the ball in from an inch out.
    The opening five minutes of the second half saw Manneh try to double the lead but the winger was first stopped by Kronberg and then had a pass smothered by the keeper.
    The match never seemed in doubt but the insurance marker came in the 53rd minute when Tim Parker connected on Pedro Morales corner and headed the ball powerfully home.
    Vancouver had two to three more chances to extend the lead but two goals were enough for the Whitecaps to capture their first Voyageurs Cup and become Canadian Champions, clinching a spot in next season’s CONCACAF Champions League in the process.
    The players will have very little time to enjoy the title as they will travel to Texas on Saturday where they will face the Houston Dynamo, looking for three points in the Supporters’ Shield race.
    FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 2 – 0 Montreal Impact [Vancouver win 4-2 on aggregate]
    ATT: 19,616
    VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Kendall Waston,　Tim Parker, Jordan Harvey; Russell Teibert, Gershon Koffie (Matías Laba 84); Cristian Techera, Pedro Morales (Mauro Rosales 68), Kekuta Manneh; Octavio Rivero (Darren Mattocks 72) [subs not used: Paolo Tornaghi, Christian Dean, Robert Earnshaw, Jordan Smith]
    MONTREAL: Eric Kronberg; Ambroise Oyongo, Victor Cabrera, Laurent Ciman, Donny Toia; Calum Mallace, Marco Donadel (Eric Alexander 73), Nigel Reo-Coker; Johan Venegas (Andrés Romero 64), Dominic Oduro (Anthony Jackson-Hamel 64), Justin Mapp [subs not used: Maxime Crépeau, Eric Miller, Maxim Tissot, Wandrille Lefevre]
    　VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
    CARL ROBINSON
    On whether this was the strong performance he was looking for:
    "I think it was, yes. Going into a cup final, second leg, I said to the guys, it’s one game. We’re one game away from making history for the club, because we’ve never won this tournament before. I didn’t know whether to put a bit of pressure on them or try and take the pressure off them, but I challenged them. I said listen, ‘They don’t come round to you too often, games like this. We’re at home, in front of our 20,000 fans, it’s in our court. Time to step up boys,’ and they certainly did, each and every single one of them. What a professional performance that was. So bloody proud of them today, really am."
    On what’s going through his head right now:
    "Do you know what? If I’m being honest, it’s about my father. 18 months ago when I took the job, I lost a big part of my life and I said I was going to enjoy myself and do everything to make him proud of me. My wife and two children are here today, mom’s back home, but I miss my dad, I really do. So I’m a little bit sad, but don’t take away from how important this trophy is for the club. Because, it’s not about me. The group of players love it, love it to bits in there, the mentality they have. But it’s about the club, the club has never won it and it’s for them today. I’m delighted for every single one involved with the club."
    On whether this is an experience they can draw upon moving forward:
    "I hope so, I really do. It’s difficult being a manager. I will say that, because you’re here to get shot down. If you rest a couple of starters or regular players, which I have done, you get criticised. I’ve never underestimated this tournament, without a doubt. I’ve been fortunate enough to win it. I think [John Molinaro] asked me a question on Tuesday about winning it, and I did but it isn’t about me. It’s about these group of players in there and this football club at this current time. Hopefully it will stand us in good stead. I told them to enjoy it tonight, because they deserve it. The performance, the way we managed the game, we didn’t get caught up in anything, because I think it could have gone overboard at times, but we didn’t. For a group so young, they showed a lot of maturity tonight. We’re still early stages, we’re still building this football club."
    Thoughts on Russell Teibert and his play throughout the tournament:
    "It’s fitting, isn’t it [that Russell is a Canadian bringing home the MVP trophy]. Russell hasn’t been in the team lately because of how good Matias and Koffie have been. Team’s don’t win things, squads do. I’ve said that all along. To rest Matias today, and it was resting him, I put Russell in because this tournament means a lot to Canadian players, without a doubt. I just sensed it in training that he had a bit between his teeth. I challenged him and arguably he was the best player on the field today and really deserves the MVP and the bottle of champagne he has in there."
    On Octavio’s earlier play and getting under Montreal’s skin:
    "Even though he hasn’t scored goals in the last couple of games, what he brings to the table is fantastic. His movement, his hold up play. I think he gave the two centre backs a torrid time. He gets his reward in the end from working hard and being a big contributor to the team. I pulled him off and he wasn’t too happy, because he wants to stay on and score goals, but Darren is a big part of this club as well. And Darren looked sharp when he came on and could have got himself a goal or two as well. You know, the squad depth will be tested this week. We go to Houston, a very tough game for us. We’ll go and we’ll try and win that game."
    On winning Cup as a player v a manager:
    "You know what, I’m probably more pleased as a manager, even though I’ve had nothing to do with it, as funny as it sounds. Because when we won it in Toronto, everyone wrote us off and unfortunately for Vancouver, we managed to score five, six goals. It was great, because I had a big influence in that. I didn’t say I played brilliant, because DeRo scored a hat trick, but I was involved in the team. Today, it’s about that group of players in there. No glory for me whatsoever. Whichever manager is in charge, it’s about the club and it’s about the group of players today. And they should enjoy it."
    RUSSELL TEIBERT
    On winning the Canadian Championship:
    "It is hard to put it into words. It means so much winning this in front of friends and family. It is about time we won this. The season is not over yet, we still have a lot of work to do."
    On being MVP:
    "I am grateful but it is important we won the trophy as a team. I am happy we won this championship. We have to get used to winning trophies and championships, this was our time tonight and we showed what we are capable of."
    On starting this game:
    "The manager is always taking care of his players. Whether you are playing or not, we are happy that we won as a team. I would still be celebrating if I did not start this game."
    On winning as a Canadian:
    "As a Canadian winning this trophy meant a lot to me. I am proud to be a Canadian champion, and I want to take part in every major competition game but this one meant a bit more to me because I am Canadian."
    On winning in front of the home crowd:
    "I am proud, we have had too many heartbreaks in this tournament. The fans were always supporting us, and always having our back. We deserve this trophy and I am glad we won it."
    GERSHON KOFFIE:
    On his performance:
    "I did good. I did what the coach asked me today and we were able to get the victory. "
    On playing against Nigel:
    "It was great playing against Nigel. He is a great player and I learned from him at Vancouver. I did what I had to do get us the victory."
    On winning after losing three times previously:
    "It means a lot to me. I have been with this club for a long time and this is my first trophy. I am so excited, to come up with these results, it requires a lot of team effort and we were able to win as a team."
    On winning in front of the home crowd:
    "It is great. The fans made it happen and we are very thankful to have such great supportive fans."
    DAVID OUSTED:
    On his thoughts this game:
    "Delighted for fans, and the organization. It meant a lot and you could see the team but the fans, it means a lot to them. Hopefully one of many to come."
    On his play of his team:
    "I thought we played well and were able to control the game. I think we played well, especially second half, we made sure to possess the ball more and not give them any chances to win. I think it was clear who was going to win because of our possession."
    On his thoughts on how winning can boost his confidence:
    "I think the silverware is going to give us confidence going forward. It is going to make us hungry to try and win a couple more trophies. Let’s see where we get to but I think we are going in the right direction."
    MONTREAL IMPACT
    FRANK KLOPAS
    On tonight’s loss:
    "It’s hard to swallow. There were two different games. The first 30 minutes and the next 60 minutes."
    On playing shorthanded after Victor Cabrera’s second yellow card:
    "It’s unfortunate because both teams came to play and then the game changed. We made a mistake to go down 1-0 and that changed everything. The second goal came after that and there’s not much you can do. You push the game as much as you can but when you’re playing shorthanded for 60 minutes, it makes it very difficult. It’s a whole different story."
    On the team’s chances after falling behind 1-0:
    "We were organized. You have to push the game so you take more risks and you’re more open. Regardless, the whole game changed for me after the second yellow card took Cabrera out. That changed the whole game. My two centre backs got first yellows right away. It’s amazing especially when the linesman called the first."
    On the team’s performance in the first 30 minutes:
    "It’s a final. We wanted to make sure we defended well in the middle. We didn’t give them opportunities in transition. They had one chance early in the game then the game settled. There were moments when we had the ball and moved the ball well but everything changed after that. Congratulations to Vancouver, they played well. It’s just unfortunate that the game would’ve been a lot more entertaining for the fans as a final. It’s a shame that the players on the field could’ve played an exciting game for 90 minutes but it was only for 30. I’m sure the fans here enjoyed it because it went their way but I’m just disappointed that we’re here talking about the referees. I’m not taking away from Vancouver, congratulations to them. It’s disappointing with those fouls and yellow cards came so easy."
    On the quick turnaround to the next match:
    "We’re playing right away. We travel five hours to play, that’s what makes it difficult. We wanted to push the game and win the game, just like they did. Obviously, that became difficult after the 30-minute mark. Not only you lose the final but you play shorthanded for 60 minutes. You have to travel back, you try to make moves thinking forward to Saturday after the second goal. We thought about this game first more than anything."
    On goalkeeper Eric Kronberg’s performance:
    "I thought he did a good job. I don’t think he could’ve done anything. We made a mistake on the first goal. The second goal was off a set piece. I think we were marked tight but Tim Parker somehow maybe was a little bit stronger, pushed our guy off a little bit and gets a little bit of an advantage and they scored. The first was off a mistake and the second was off a set piece."
    ERIC KRONBERG
    On tonight’s loss:
    "I think we’re going to look back at this game and think it was something that got away from us. Sometimes there are some extra factors that play into that. It hurts but you have to move on. We have another game on Saturday that’s important to us. You have to move forward. Going into the game, I was confident. The boys were confident. We all felt we had a shot. We get out there and some calls were made. It’s kind of strange that the referee didn’t make all the ticky-tacky calls but he called light yellows. Usually, it’s the ticky-tacky referees that call the light yellows. It was a little different from what I’ve seen. It’s just the nature of the game. You get different referees and you just have to adapt."
    On the quick turnaround to the next match:
    "We’re going to have a tough time sleeping tonight. That’s the nature of the beast. You have to turn around quick and be ready for the next game quickly. I think we’re going to put it behind us quickly and work hard in the next couple of days. We’re going to get things sorted out. We don’t lose anybody so that’s good. It’s also a chance to redeem ourselves a little bit. It’s another rivalry. We get to go into Toronto and it would be awesome to get a win. We can get right back on track. The game against Toronto would be a great opportunity for that."
    On the outlook for the rest of the season:
    "Now, we have to make a run for the playoffs. That’s what it comes down to. We just need to believe in ourselves. We have to play consistently and make the playoffs and make a run."
    CALUM MALLACE
    On tonight’s loss:
    "We came out pretty well. We knew they were at home and they were going to come out fast. We knew they were pretty comfortable with the 2-2 draw at Montreal but I thought we matched them pretty well. Our game plan was to catch them at times and play well defensively but push the game as well. I think that’s what we did. That second yellow card came and that changed the game."
    On Victor Cabrera’s yellow cards:
    "I don’t know, I have to look back at it. At that time, I thought it was a little harsh. I thought the second one was definitely a yellow card. I couldn’t even see the first one. It is what it is. You have to deal with it and move forward."
    On losing another championship final:
    "It’s never easy losing any game but a final is that much more difficult, especially the Canadian Championship with a few teams in it. You feel like every game is a rivalry game. This one being a cup final, it’s definitely a difficult one to swallow."
    On the quick turnaround to the next match:
    "It will definitely be difficult to put this one behind us but that’s what we have to do. With the end of our season coming, we have a lot of games in a short span so regardless of the result, we have to put it behind us as soon as possible and move on to the next one. It’s going to be a tough game in Toronto."
    Guest
    Until next time, have a great soccer!
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    James Grossi
    Unique names are not rare in sport.
    One theory, is that such an identifying feature helps an athlete stand out in the crowd. They are memorable amidst a sea of James' and Michael's.
    Larin was thrust onto the Canadian soccer scene at the start of 2014, called into National Team camps while still playing college ball at the University of Connecticut. The 20-year old forward saw his first minutes for Canada against Bulgaria in May, then still only 19, and has since delighted fans in Orlando with his play in MLS, sitting on the cusp of a rookie scoring record having been selected first-overall in the 2015 SuperDraft.
    Throughout it all, the 'C' has been a curiosity.
    Undoubtedly already known in some circles, a conversation with Jason Bent, the head coach of TFC II last week began to unravel the enigma, flushing out the details behind the unique moniker.
    Bent was asked about whether Toronto FC were ever aware of Larin's talent, developing so close to the city proper, in Brampton – his hometown – and Mississauga – where he trained with Sigma FC.
    “Funny you say that,” smiled Bent. “My cousin is his godmother and she brought him to my attention when he was about 13, 14 years old and I was working in the TFC Academy at that point in time.”
    Bent, at the prompting of one astute reporter, who asked 'isn't that where his name came from?', would go on to recount how his cousin, Cimone, the aforementioned godmother, and did indeed play a role in the letter selection.
    Cyle's mother, Patricia Larin picked up the story later that week.
    “Her and I grew up together, practically like sisters. When Cyle was born I wanted a name that had a Kha-sound, and I liked the name Kyle, so I said 'How about Kyle?' and she said 'Well, why not spell it with a C?', 'Alright, (I'll) spell it with a C'” she explained with a laugh.
    Mystery solved, no over-tired and under-caffeinated hospital orderly to be pointed to, it was an homage to a close family-friend.
    Ms. Larin, an unceasing supporter of her son, continued, “I know a lot of people make fun of how I spell his name, but I just joke back, 'C' is the Canadian way.”
    And if Cyle is part of the new generation tasked with rejuvenating Canadian soccer, perhaps one day soon with a 'C' will become the new norm, leaving everyone to wonder why is was ever spelt with a 'K' in the first place.
    Before drifting into the wilderness once more, I wanted to apologize for not keeping up to date with the Canadian Content posts. With new developments, it has been difficult to commit the time required to do the job correctly. I fear it may have gotten away from me, but will endeavour to catch back up over the coming weeks, perhaps in a much-condensed form to ease the travail.
    Much has happened worthy of note.
    James can be followed on twitter @grawsee and more of his writing is available at Partially Obstructed View
    Michael Mccoll
    Have a listen!
    You can listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on iTunes HERE.
    Or download it for your later listening delight HERE.
    We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app.
    And if that's not enough, we're on Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 20,000 other shows HERE.
    Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

    Michael Crampton
    In fact, not only is the game not must-win, were the Reds to succeed in defeating the Lions, there is the very real possibility that the Eastern Conference playoff race could be close to wrapped up as a practical matter by the end of the weekend.
    Montreal face Philadelphia at home on Satuday evening, and will look at that match as a great chance to put distance between themselves and the pack as well. Having tied Columbus in midweek, New York City have to travel across the continent to face a red hot LA Galaxy team on Sunday. Chicago’s draw in Philadelphia last weekend left their playoff hopes on life support, and even a win over league-worst Colorado would not change that status.
    By Sunday evening Toronto may have opened up a six-point gap, with all of the teams below them having eight or fewer games left to play. That doesn’t sound insurmountable, but when you look at the sort of sustained points-per-game it would take to close, it’s actually quite a mountain. To even make a lowly figure like 42 points, NYCFC and Orlando would need to sustain a 1.75 points-per-game the rest of the season. That’s better than the league’s best teams have managed so far. And 42 points might not be enough, as that would require Montreal or Toronto to collapse to a 1.00 PPG or lower during their last 12 and 10 games, respectively.
    Even if Toronto FC were to lose this weekend, their situation would be far from catastrophic. Set to conclude the season with a home-heavy schedule, they just need to win games, and will have seven more chances to pick up points at BMO before November. Pessimism and TFC may go hand-in-hand, but this time even Toronto’s pessimistic fans should keep in mind the reasons for pessimism that exist in other MLS markets.
    But yes, simply for psychological reasons, TFC could use a win. Debates about goalkeepers, formations, and underperforming designated players won’t go away, that much is certain. But they may lose the existential edge they develop when the team is losing. Someone predicting that this time, surely this losing streak must be the end of Toronto FC, is another long tradition of discussion around the team. Avoiding that, for at least a week, has value in and of itself.
    *The collapse is not actually annual. Toronto FC collapses in their good years. In poor ones, they’re just terrible all season.
    Duane Rollins
    Currently, a FIFA-approved match ball should be no more than 450 grams, but no less than 410 grams. The Locust Lite weighs in 100 grams lighter at 350 grams for the size 5 ball and the size 4 weighs just 290 grams.
    The company talks about the “ouch factor” being reduced by using the ball. Having used the ball during a competitive, intermediate level men’s league I would agree with that assessment. As a keeper, I can tell you that the ball does “sting” far less than a normal ball. There is very little feel at all when taking the ball off the head, actually.
    To be clear, this is a ball primarily designed for youth soccer. The men I played with found that the ball was a little harder to control (bounce was higher) and that it traveled further in the air. It’s not scientific, but I found that I could kick the ball about 10-15 yards further off of goal kicks.
    When I shared that observation with the manufacturers, they agreed with my findings. Again, this is a ball designed for youth players.
    Does it prevent concussions? A physician I spoke to said that there was no way to know. He cautioned that it is less the weight of a ball that is problematic as it relates to head injuries, as it is the spin on the ball as it makes contact with the head. Without specific research that finds that the ball does reduce concussions, it is simply not fair for me to suggest that it does. My expertise is on the sport, not the medicine.
    That said, I can back-up the claims that the “ouch factor” is reduced. I would suggest that a ball that is more comfortable to head would allow coaches to better train youth players on the proper technique for heading the ball. Simply put, the players would be more willing to put in the work needed to learn the technique because the act of training would be more comfortable. It would follow that proper technique would be a good start to reducing concussion risk.
    An additional, perhaps unintended benefit, is that the ball is easier to put spin on than a heavier ball. That could allow coaches to introduce players to the proper technique for curling a shot at an earlier age.
    In summery, Canadian Soccer News recommends the Locus United Lite as a great addition to any u-12 or lower coaches training or game day bag. It probably should be restricted to training once players reach their teen years, as the weight of the ball makes it more difficult to control, or keep down when shooting. However, the ball would allow training at all ages to occur more comfortably and therefore would be a good addition to training at any age.
    More information can be found at info@locust.com or http://www.locust.com/united
    If you are a sports equipment manufacture or book publisher that would like your product or book independently reviewed please contact Duane at DuaneGRollins@gmail.com. You will be required to send one review copy to CSN.
    Guest
    With
    Daniel Squizzato of mlssoccer.com
    Matthew, listener and patriotic Canadian Soccer fan
    David Bailey, Toronto Supporter from the early beginnings of the Blizzard
    and Danny Miller of the Supporters Section
    For the 100th time, have a great soccer!
    @TwoSolitudesPod
    @24thminute
    @KevLaramee
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    Duane Rollins
    Goalkeepers:
    Maxime Crépeau – GK – Impact
    Ricky Gomes – GK -- MVV Maastricht (Holland)
    Quillan Roberts – GK – Toronto FC
    Marco Carducci – GK – Whitecaps
    Defenders:
    Doneil Henry – DF – West Ham United
    Fikayo Tomori – DF – Chelsea u21
    Daniel Stanese – DF - FC Augsburg II
    Luca Gasparotto – DF - Greenock Morton FC (Scotland)
    Giuliano Frano – DF -- Seattle Sounders II
    Johnny Grant – DF – FC Montreal
    Sam Adekugbe – DF – Whitecaps
    Allan Zebie – DF – FC Edmonton
    Marko Aleksic – DF – FC Edmonton
    Midfielders:
    Kevin Aleman – MF -- CS Herediano (Costa Rica)
    Michael Petrasso – MF – QPR u21
    Manolis Zabazis – MF - Iraklis Thessaloniki (Greece)
    Manjrekar James – MF -- Pécsi MFC (Hungary)
    Patryk Misik – MF – Unattached (released by Ottawa in June)
    Dylan Carreiro – MF – Dundee FC
    Fraser Aird – MF – Rangers
    Samuel Piette – MF -- Racing Ferrol
    Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé – MF – Impact
    Chris Mannella – MF – Toronto FC
    Jay Chapman – MF – Toronto FC
    Ben McKendry – MF – Whitecaps II
    Marco Bustos – MF – Whitecaps II
    Kianz Froese – MF – Whitecaps II
    Mauro Eustaquio – MF – Ottawa Fury
    Forwards:
    Calum Ferguson – FW -- Inverness Caledonian Thistle
    Dario Zanatta – FW/MF – Hearts
    Ben Fisk – FW -- Deportivo de La Coruña B
    Cyle Larin – FW – Orlando City
    Hanson Boakai – FW – FC Edmonton
    Molham Babouli – FW/MF – TFC2
    Raheem Edwards – FW – TFC2
    Jordan Hamilton – FW – Toronto FC
    Caleb Clarke – FW – Whitecaps II
    Sadi Jalali – FW – FC Edmonton
    What are your thoughts?
    Michael Crampton
    Consider that in 2014, Toronto FC defeated the eventually Supporter’s Shield winners, the Seattle Sounders, away from home in their first game. They defeated D.C. United, who would go on to finish first in the Eastern Conference, a week later. There was a historic nine points from nine versus their old rivals, the Columbus Crew. Yet the Reds still missed the playoffs.
    This year, though wobbly, Toronto looks like a playoff team in a weak Eastern Conference. They won, away, at the current Western Conference leading Vancouver Whitecaps on opening day, then proceeded to lose four matches in a row, including to a dire Chicago side. A win at, once again, East-leading DC United was followed by a loss at home to an expansion team.
    You can’t simply look at who the Reds are playing and confidently state: “This game should be a win, and that one a loss.” Results will happen, and if TFC can keep stumbling along just a little bit better than the bottom half of their conference, they’ll be playing in November for the first time ever.
    The corollary to a loss to the Red Bulls not being automatic is that a win won’t mean that Toronto is about to storm on to the Supporter’s Shield title. It’s not just this one match that is impossible to predict, it’s the rest of the Reds’ season. Winning the Shield is probably less likely than missing the playoffs, but neither outcome is inconceivable, or even totally improbable.
    Again: results will happen. There will be surprises; results that are not anticipated. A couple good ones in sequence, and things will seem to be on the up. Poor ones, and the #TFCMajorAnnouncement hashtag will be lurking in the back of fans’ heads again.
    So rather than trying to divine the future, concentrate on the game. The Jays are rightfully getting all the attention in Toronto at the moment. But the Reds’ are playing meaningful matches in mid-August too. There have been lots of seasons where that wasn’t the case.
    Toronto’s new signing, Herculez Gomez, has completed his transfer and travelled with the team to New Jersey. Benoit Cheyrou has returned from suspension, and will see the field with Michael Bradley ahead of him for the first time in weeks. Doubts over who should be starting in goal linger, but most of the side is reaching the point where it picks itself.
    This is Toronto FC. This is the team that will see out the season, and either succeed in making the playoffs for the first time, or just add another notch to the club’s history of misery. But one game in New Jersey will not decide that.
    Guest
    Duane and Kevin celebrate their 99th Two Solitudes Podcast by reminiscing on the past year of podcasting and they talk about the Voyageur's Cup!
    Until next time, have a great soccer!
    @TwoSolitudesPod
    @24thminute
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    Duane Rollins
    The lack of payment of these fees is an unspoken issue in North American development. Without having incentive to graduate players to higher levels, clubs may be motivated to hoard top talent in a futile effort to win more youth championships – plastic trophies that ultimately have no real value beyond the fleeting.
    Fighting for the fair payment of these fees – fees mandated to go to the youth club – is a far more important issue than the false gold of promotion and relegation, which is what most reform minded fans often focus on.
    The financial reality of the North American pyramid is such that pro/rel would only ever be possible when there is greater opportunity for lower level clubs to financially benefit from developing players.
    Bluntly put: If you want to see a more open system this is a winnable and more important fight than dreaming of Chattanooga being able to get promoted to the USL (or for the Chicago Fire to fold after getting relegated to NASL).
    Guest
    Plus Post-Game comments from: Frank Klopas
    Carl Robinson
    Eric Kronberg
    Maxim Tissot
    Anthony Jackson-Hamel
    Paolo Tornaghi
    Darren Mattocks
    and the "plat de resistance" Justin "I'M BACK" Mapp !
    Until next time have a great soccer!
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    Guest
    Plus, post game comments from Zachary Sukunda, Jacques Haman ( in french ) , Mitchell Bringolf ( CB in the USL Team of the Week ) and the goalkeeper coach of FC Montreal, Jack Stern talks about the progression of his keepers and the reason behind their only 2 goals conceded in the last 4 games!
    Post-Game Report by Tristan D'Amours :http://uslradio.com/2015/08/12/fc-montreal-win-their-second-401-derby-game-at-home/
    Until next time, have a great soccer!!
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    Duane Rollins
    To do that we looked at each keeper’s save percentage, the team’s points per game in game’s that he’s played in, as well as, in an attempt to measure how well the keeper marshals the defense in front of him, the average Whoscored rank of the two CBs that played in front of them during their starts.
    We also looked at an advanced stat that is getting a lot of traction right now – expected goals against (xGA). By taking xGA and comparing to actual goals against you can come up with a differential that tells you how well a keeper is doing at stopping shots that he should be expected to stop (in simple terms, the formula is based on league wide data of what shots typically produce goals. So it speaks to the concerns of those that say that save% doesn’t accurately reflect performance).
    Before we get into all that, a quick word on salary. Whereas it is true that Bendik is payed below league average for a starter, it’s not that significant. He’s paid $157,375, which ranks him 13th among keepers. The league median for starters is $183,000. Konopka is on $66,000 (36th), which is less than TFC2 back-up keeper Alex Bono is currently getting (in fairness to TFC, Bono’s salary is off the books as generation Adidas player).
    Let’s start by looking at the contentious issue of save%. There is a point to be made that save% is an imperfect measure in soccer. If a keeper is only facing shots from well outside the box then he will have an inflated number. However, as with anything, that factor tends to even itself out over the course of a season. That’s especially the case when you are comparing players that are playing for the same team – It’s reasonable to expect that both Konopka and Bendik have faced roughly the same kind of shots since they are playing behind the same defence.
    The numbers:
    Konopka: 11 games played; 139 shots faced; 15 goals allowed; .892 save%
    Bendik: 11 games played; 127 shots faced; 22 goals allowed; .826 save%
    That’s not insignificant. Bendik is allowing an extra goal ~ever 20 shots (roughly a game and a half) he faces.
    Of course a keeper’s job is more than just stopping shots. He also marshals the back-line and plays a leadership role. To measure this we looked at the team’s record with each man playing as well as the average Whoscored ranking of the two CBs that played in front of him. This isn’t a perfect measure, of course, but you would expect that CBs that are getting effective support by their keeper to perform better and, ultimately, a team to play better with a better keeper in goal.
    The results:
    Konopka: Ave CB WS ranking 7.07; TFC PPG 1.63
    Bendik: Ave CB WS ranking 6.75; TFC PPG 1.18
    It’s getting harder to defend Bendik as he relates to Konopka now.
    However, a keeper also contributes to a team’s attacking play by being efficient in distribution. This is an area where fans have long called for Bendik’s head, suggesting he is very poor at this part of his game.
    Does that subjective opinion hold up?
    Konopka: Pass completion percentage 47.5%; Long balls per game 4.2
    Bendik: Pass completion percentage 55.4%; long balls per game 6.5
    Disclosure: CSN knew these numbers would show this. We demonstrated last season that the idea that Bendik was poor at distribution was a false narrative likely driven by confirmation bias. In fact, Bendik’s numbers rank 6th on pass completion among keepers and 14th league wide on long balls (the long balls stat refers to passes over 30m that directly lead to a team holding possession in the attacking third of the field).
    Konopka ranks 14th and 44th.
    It should be plainly stated: Distribution is a clear area of STRENGTH for Bendik, both in relation to Konopka and as it relates to the rest of the league.
    Finally we end with the expected goals metric. In many ways this is the most telling of all as it puts a value on how well a keeper is doing at his most important job – keeping the ball out of the net – while factoring in the quality of shots he is facing.
    We’ve used the work of American Soccer Analysis for this. ASA has been tracking this stat all year. You can read an explanation on how they come up with the number here.
    The bottom line with Bendik and Konopka --
    Bendik: Goals against 22; xGA 16.89 – xGA differential +5.11
    Konopka Goals against 15; xGA 17.73; xGA differential -2.73
    This is damning. Whereas Konopka has PREVENTED 2.73 goals that, statistically speaking, should have gone in, Bendik has ALLOWED 5.11 more goals than should be expected based on league wide tracking of shot quality.
    Basically, xGA tells us that Bendik has screwed up 5 times. That likely represents at least a couple dropped points.
    To put in a league wide perspective Bendik has the WORST xGA differential in the league by .59 goals and is 1.75 worse than the third worst number. Konopka, meanwhile, has the fifth BEST xGA differential in MLS.
    You can see the whole list here: http://www.americansocceranalysis.com/keeper-xgoals-2015/
    If you don’t want to click, the top three xGA differential numbers are held by Bill Hamid, David Ousted and Nick Rimando, so the stat seems to line-up with subjective opinions about who the top keepers in the league are.
    Bendik’s effectiveness at distribution shouldn’t be ignored, but based on the rest of the statistical evidence it is very difficult to argue he should be starting in front of Konopka.
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