Jump to content

  • Articles

    Manage articles
    Show all categories
    Guest
    Teal Bunbury has accepted the call for the United States. He will be part of the squad that will be going to South Africa to play in a friendly.
    The move does not cap tie him to the US, but Canadians should put thoughts of Alex's kid playing for the red and white out of their mind. This isn't Jonathon de Guzman we are talking about here. It's a pretty raw MLS striker that is a borderline prospect for both the U.S. and Canada. Maybe he'll turn out good. Maybe. Since he's decided that he'd rather try his luck in the American set-up Canadians should wish him luck and move on.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Speaking personally, I don't at all feel betrayed by Bunbury's decision. He's an American. His mother is American and he grew up in the United States. He spent more time in Portugal growing up than he did in Canada. I fully understand his desire to play for the US. The decision isn't a cynical one made by, say, a kid from Alberta that moved to Germany when he was 14 and then decided to play for a country he had never set foot in prior to putting on its strip.
    Where I do have a bit of an issue with Teal is that it's pretty damn clear that he told me a baldfaced lie on It's Called Football last week. I asked whether he had talked to the U.S. national team set-up. He said no. A week later he's called up?
    Bull****.
    He's a kid though and it was a sensitive topic so I'll let it pass. But if Teal or someone close to him is reading though let me offer you a bit of advice.
    The reaction to your decision would have been 100 times better if you had just told the truth.
    Note: Since Bunbury has declared for the U.S. he will be considered an American when I report. Therefore he'll be talked about in the context of MLS, but not as an international. Since not many five goal MLS players that aren't in Toronto get talked about, this will likely be the last post on him. That isn't out of spite. It's a pragmatic decision of focus. I didn't report Owen Hargreaves' short lived comeback because he's English now. So long as Bunbury is American, there are plenty of fine places out there that will cover him as such.
    I'm clarifying this because it's my general policy on such matters and God knows we will deal with this again.
    Guest

    TFC coaching chase - hurry up and wait?

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cdn.wn.com/pd/19/85/14f54f48e96f8c1b2da29c2eb0f5_grande.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 468px; height: 325px;" src="http://cdn.wn.com/pd/19/85/14f54f48e96f8c1b2da29c2eb0f5_grande.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Could you imagine the reaction in Ohio!</span></span>
    </div>
    When people think about TFC's manager search they tend to look afar. Big Euro names with some sex appeal would make TFC fans feel that the club is trying to flex its financial muscle. The thing is, of course, there is no guarantee that a big name will bring big results.
    There is no guarantee it won't either, but such is the reality of a coaching search.
    However, what if there was a person out there that have proven that he can win at MLS wherever he's been. There is, and he's pictured above, but to get him you might have to wait a year.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    As best as I can determine Sigi Schmid has one year left on a contract that pays him about $350,000 a year. That(again, as best as I can tell. Finding out manager salaries in MLS is akin to cracking state secrets) ranks him about third in manager salaries behind Bruce Arena and Hans Backe. As Seattle showed you could coax him away from a team prior to his contract ending (with some compensation), but maybe TFC doesn't need to do that.
    Tom Anselmi has talked about his desire to promote within. Although most of us think that Nick Dasovic is a few years away from being the guy, I'm not sure you can say for certain that he isn't based on the limited evidence of this season's stretch run. What TFC was at the end of 2010 was a product of the Mo and Preki show. Daso couldn't do much more than to try and squeeze some juice from the rind.
    It's more important to get the right guy than the quick guy. Letting the interim team run the show through what is sure to be a re-building 2011 wouldn't be the worst thing (hiring the wrong guy for the sake of it would be). Maybe they step up and prove they are the right management team. Maybe they don't.
    When Juergen Klinsmann is looking at options he needs to look at every option, even those that might take a year to get. If Sigi is the best possible solution -- and he might be -- then you need to figure out if you can get him. Seattle has a lot of money too, but MLSE has the financial ability to match them. Throw a million bucks at Sigi (it's easy to spend other's money, isn't it?) and I'm sure he'd think about a move north.
    P.s. - He's German. Just sayin'
    Guest
    La fédération américaine de soccer a sévèrement puni les joueurs Hicham Aaboubou, Adam Braz (duh!), Richard Pelletier ainsi que le directeur technique Nick De Santis pour leurs actes après la défaite de 2-0 subie contre les Railhawks.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Il faut noter que la fédération a rencontré les joueurs et partis impliqués afin de recueillir toute l’information nécessaire. J’imagine donc que les sanctions sont déjà connues du côté de l’Impact.
    Un résumé des sanctions présentées par le US Soccer et rendues disponibles sur le site Inside Minnesota Soccer :
    Nick DeSantis : Suspension de 6 matchs et amende de 1500$ pour avoir déclenché les tristes incidents du 17 octobre 2010.
    Hicham Aaboubou : Suspension de 4 matchs et amende de 200$
    Adam Braz : Suspension de 3 matchs et amende de 1500$.
    Richard Pelletier : Suspension de 6 matchs et amende de 500$.
    La photo ci-dessous pourrait-elle expliquer pourquoi Richard Pelletier a obtenu une suspension de 6 matchs ? S’en serait-il pris à un vieux policier de Cary ?

    Quant à l’organisation de l’Impact de Montréal, celle-ci a également été mise à l’amende (5000$) pour ne pas avoir su contrôler ses joueurs et staff.
    Bon, c’est facile de se plaindre des sanctions qui ont présentées, mais comme vous le savez, on n’a pas vraiment eu droit aux reprises vidéos. Tout ce qu’on a vu c’est des scènes un peu désolantes en fin de match.
    L’équipe montréalaise était gonflée à bloc après quelques erreurs du corps arbitral et n’a pas agi de façon professionnelle. C’est mon opinion.
    Il faut savoir perdre. Peu importe la manière.
    Source : Inside Minnesota Soccer
    Photo : Merci à G.U.I.N.D.O.N de m’en avoir fait part !
    Guest

    MLS : Buts de l’année 2010

    By Guest, in Le12eJoueur,

    Un récapitulatif des buts des 30 semaines d’action en saison régulière de la MLS.

    Le choix est difficile, il y a pas mal de boulets dans la lucarne. Et beaucoup de buts de Seattle aussi.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    Welcome to another edition of Long Balls: Canadians Abroad. It’s a service for those without time to wade through multi-page forum threads to keep tabs on Canadian footballers. We won’t list all of the Canadians abroad, just the weekly performances we feel are most relevant to our readers. Or in the case of Isidro Sanchez, relevant to no one.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    So let’s see… American politics mired in deadlock, China conducting a census and Tomasz Radzinski slamming in goal after goal in Belgium. Is this November 2000 or November 2010?
    (Yep, there’s a reason this site is free.)
    I highly doubt Radz will top the 23 goals in 31 appearances he managed for Anderlecht in 2000~01 this season, but he scored again this weekend to bring his tally to four goals in 11 appearances and three goals in his last three games. Whether or not he should get the Canada call again was last week’s debate, but it will be harder to ignore him if he keeps up this pace through to February when Canada plays Greece, in Greece.
    On a somber note, 21-year-old striker Marcus Haber suffered a season-ending injury with St. Johnstone. That is the absolute ****tiest of luck and we all hope that with time on his side he makes a full recovery.
    Championship
    Striker Iain Hume scores for Preston North End in the 2nd minute and plays the full 90 in a 1-1 draw against Bristol City on Saturday. On Tuesday, he was ineligible to play against the club he’s on loan from, Barnsley.
    On Saturday, Simeon Jackson and David Edgar faced off as Norwich City met Burnley. Edgar didn’t play and Jackson was subbed off in the 67th minute. On Tuesday, Jackson came on in the 65th minute in a 1-1 draw with Millwall while Edgar rode the pine again versus Doncaster.
    Germany
    Defender Adam Straith gets back into playing action, going 90 minutes for Energie Cottbus at centreback in 2.Bundesliga.
    Turkey
    We haven’t seen defender Mike Klukowski with Canada since May, but he has 10 appearances and 900 minutes logged with Ankaragucu in the Turkish Super Lig this season. He put in another full game over the weekend in a big 4-2 victory over Fenerbahce.
    Spain
    Jonathan de Guzman played 78 minutes for Mallorca in a 3-2 loss to Zaragoza, who scored in the 84th and 94th minute. Also of note on this front… Jono deGuz was again left out of the most recent Dutch squad.
    Despite my optimism over the past few weeks on the possibility of junior deGuz eventually playing for Canada, a spell of rational thinking now has me leaning otherwise. If Jonathan de Guzman really has his heart set on representing the Netherlands, at 23 years of age he has little to lose by simply waiting it out for the next few years while continuing to file good performances from Spain. Hell, with a run of Dutch injuries he might even find himself playing in the 2012 Euros. The one positive to take from this is that if he does choose to represent Canada, it would have to be because he genuinely wants to.
    Mexico
    In his first start for Puebla since July, Isidro Sánchez storms back into the collective consciousness of Canada supporters with a spectacular brace against 2nd-place Monterrey to single-handily give Puebla a 2-0 vic… Oh who the **** am I kidding?
    -Grant
    Guest
    The Vancouver Whitecaps officially launched their new website yesterday.
    It's pretty boring as far as the colour scheme goes, but it is far easier to navigate.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Due to the new ease of navigation, I came across the roster of players currently in camp on trial for MLS contracts. Everything looked as expected, except for the name Bedri Gashi. I've never heard of the kid. Supposedly he has come over from the same club Ridge Mobulu was last with; FC Lausanne Sport. His name doesn't appear on any of their website's lists of former players, so I am left with the impression that he was a member of their youth program.[PAGE][/PAGE]
    Guest

    TV situation still not ideal

    By Guest, in Euro File,

    So apparently I went to sleep last night and woke up in 1995.
    At least it seemed that way when I was checking the TV listings for tomorrow's Manchester Derby. I say "TV listings", but I really mean "semi-legal, crappy webstream" listings, since that's the only way fans in Canada will be able to watch the match without paying the extortion fees required to receive Setanta in this country.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The two biggest sports networks in Canada, both EPL rights holders and with seven different channels between them, decided that bowling and team tennis were top priority in the cut-throat 3:00-5:00pm ET time slot*.
    No seriously, check out the listings for yourselves.
    Hardcore fans of Team Glazer and Oil Shiek FC will find ways to watch it. As a netural, I couldn't be - as the locals say - arsed.
    I thought we were past this stage, at least where Manchester United is concerned.
    Still a ways to go, I suppose.
    *To be fair, Sportsnet is showing Chelsea vs. Fulham, so I guess that's something. TSN and its offshoot channel have no real excuse.
    Guest
    The Canadian National Womens Soccer Team has qualified for the World Cup in Germany!
    Don't expect a game recap here, just not really my scene.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    So I don't normally write about our National Soccer Program on this page but today I feel the need.
    It appears that we have truly turned the corner with the Women's program. While the women barely qualified for the last Olympic Games and they didn't really perform to the degree that was expected of them while they were in China. Things really appear to be on the upswing now.
    Several of the players in todays fixture featured prominently in the Vancouver Whitecaps Women's team this year. Sophie Schmidt was ferocious on the back line, while Kaylyn Kyle and Desiree Scott worked their tails off in the mid-field tonight. Kara Lang and Chelsea Stewart made appearances as substitutions later in the match as Jonelle Filigno and Deseree Scott simply ran out of juice. Melissa Tancredi got to rest up and watch from the sidelines.
    While it is impressive to see the Canadians playing a more possession oriented style there were large gaps in the game where they seemed to knock the ball about and fall back into their bad habits. With that being said, they had the game in their control for all but what seemed like the first 15 minutes of the second half. They will have to run a much tighter ship if they plan on actually beating the American's.
    The Americans are much stronger then any of the competition the Canadians have faced thus far while the Canucks have been hammering their opponents into the ground, they have been doing it without a lot of their normal starters on the pitch. This speaks volumes to the depth of the program which was something that has always been a problem over the years, but the reality is as well that while a lot of these new comers have been playing there are several battle tested players itching to get back on the pitch. Kara Lang is still recovering from an injury she received towards the end of the Whitecaps season and is just starting to get worked back into the line up, Brittany Timko was watching from the stands while she is still recovering from an injury also but has been travelling with the team. Melanie Booth is out and so is Emily Zurrer who both had fantastic seasons this year with the Whitecaps. Now the Canadians went the entire tourney without conceding a goal and while we look at that and think "man that's fantastic!" It really is, but, to beat the best in the world we might have to be a little bit better.
    I know that a lot of people think that the gap between Canada and the rest of the c.o.n.c.a.c.a.f. nations is closing quickly, I don't feel that this is really the case. I'm of the opinion that the end of Pellerud's tenure was really a low point for the program as a whole. While he did push our progress and achievements to a new level, we constantly saw the team play one style against every team they could beat handily but once the women came up against the Germans, Americans, or Swedes the entire game plan changed, and lets be realistic he had no faith in his players technical abilities. Having seen a lot of these women play from their early teens onward I can say without a doubt that this new coaching philosophy has been the best thing to happen to the women's program since this new crop of players came in, and by new I mean the women that played in Edmonton all those years ago. Physically there are only a handful of teams that can compete with the likes of a Melissa Tancredi, Lang or Sinclair in the air or even on the ground for that matter, and that was how we used to smash team like Jamaica and Panama 6-0. With a coach in place who has the faith in our players to let them play with it on the ground like they did growing up playing rep, and provincially, or even in college, I think we might really have opened the gap up even further.
    So it will be interesting to see in the coming months how well our women do, Diana Matheson looks great out there getting balls to her feet so she can create from the middle of the pitch. Rather then her being forced to fight for headers when she is normally the smallest player on the pitch for Canada. Her play, and that of Carmelina Moscato is really what is going to make this team tick over the next several years. I would have to imagine that we will see Moscato return to the line up for the final against the U.S. Look for Melissa Tancredi to return also as her presence upfront is unparalleled by any other player on the squad.
    Moscato couldn't crack the line up with Even Pellerud as the coach, she didn't really ever seem to fit the style of play. It's good to see her back in favour with the coaching staff, anyone who remembers her play during the U-19 world cup in Edmonton will tell you she was a force to be reckoned with.
    Local hero and team captain Christine Sinclair had a fantastic game. She had a brilliant volley that was saved magnificently in the first half and then managed to tally a goal in the second.
    So the final was 4-0 if you were wondering.
    Goals went like this:
    Josee Belanger scored in the '62 to make it 1-0
    Jonelle Filigno scored in the '72 to make it 2-0
    Team Captain, and potential World Player of the year Christine Sinclair scored to make it 3-0 in the '75
    Rhianne Wilkinson scored in the '93 to make it 4-0
    A strong Canadian team came to Mexico and smashed every opponent in the mouth (so far) .
    Guest
    There have only been two instances in which I’ve been able to see Jack Warner‘s face without feeling the bile rising up in the back of my throat. On both occasions, he’s handing a Gold Cup trophy to the captain of a Canadian national team.
    Ten years ago, it was Jason de Vos. And last night, it was Christine Sinclair.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Ten years ago, it was a fortuitous coin flip that allowed the men to progress into the knockout stages of the tournament. Last week, the biggest upset in women’s soccer history (the Mexicans’ semi-final defeat of the #1-ranked USA) gave Big Red an easier path to the trophy than they were anticipating.
    Ten years ago, the men’s national team had high expectations after the recent appointment of a well-regarded international manager (Holger Osieck). Today, the women have Carolina Morace.
    But that’s where the similarities end. Whereas the men’s Gold Cup success never translated over into World Cup qualifying, and dissension within the dressing room helped contribute to Osieck’s departure, I can’t help but think that this women’s side may be at the precipice of a defining moment in Canadian soccer.
    The women’s national team truly functions as a team, more so than any men’s national team ever could. The unfortunate reality, right now, is that the club situation for most female players (even those as the highest levels of the international game) is usually tenuous at best. Women’s Professional Soccer, the two-year-old league in which international stars like Sinclair and Marta ply their trade, is reportedly in immediate financial jeopardy.
    So for women with the requisite talent to represent their countries, the national team becomes their default team. Their true teammates are the ladies who may play for a different club, or on a different continent, or at a university, or (outside of the national side) not at all.
    To put things in perspective, the Canadian women’s national team has played 15 matches this year, with three more scheduled. The men’s national team will finish the year having played six times.
    Paul Stalteri recently became our all-time games-played leader on the men’s side. He has 84 caps to his name, at 33 years of age. Meanwhile, four members of the Gold Cup-winning women’s squad have more caps than that (Sinclair, Kara Lang, Diana Matheson, Rhian Wilkinson). Karina LeBlanc isn’t far behind, with 82. Hell, Brittany Timko, who wasn’t in the squad but is still only 25, has 94.
    The addition of Morace to the mix has only made this sense of cohesion stronger. All comments I’ve heard coming from players have been positive about the on-field tactical approach and off-field attitudinal approach brought by the former Italian striker. A shout of “You’re our hero, Carolina!” (sounded like LeBlanc) could be heard coming out of the post-game celebrations being held by the Canadian ladies.
    Any man who suits up for his country is doing it out of a sincere desire to succeed in that uniform. But male players are often chastised for accepting a national-team call in certain circumstances, as pundits question the potential impact upon the fellow’s club career. While winning the World Cup is the ultimate prize for any footballer (explaining the painfully pragmatic approach many players take to determining their national allegiance), men can fall back on the dream of hoisting a reputable and famous domestic trophy if those World Cup aspirations don’t quite pan out.
    At this stage in the evolution of women’s soccer, though, trophies like the World Cup and Gold Cup are, by necessity, the pinnacle of achievement — and in many cases, the only benchmark of achievement. I’m sure Sinclair was pleased that her team, FC Gold Pride, won the WPS title this year… but how long that can that sense of joy last when the future of the club, and the entire league, is in question?
    So the women ardently, passionately and fully commit themselves to representing their nation. Suiting up for Canada isn’t seen as a duty, or a chore, or a side project. This is a team that, for large portions of the year, trains and plays together, presumably developing a sense of camaraderie comparable to that of a club team (perhaps even stronger, as the players know their teammate won’t be traded away in the off-season).
    Yeah, maybe we’re still big fish in a small pond. Mexico’s upset of the Americans notwithstanding, the playing field is still vastly unequal, on a global scale, when it comes to women’s soccer. There are, of course, plenty of cultural and socio-economic reasons behind this (for instance, the fact that in many soccer-mad countries, the prevailing social wisdom is still that women are meant to cook, clean and service their husbands, and not much else).
    But times change. North Korea showed this year that their success in 2008 (winning the inaugural FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup) was no fluke, as they narrowly missed out on making the finals in this year’s tournament (ultimately finishing fourth). The rest of the world is beginning to catch up. We can’t rest on our laurels, complacent in the knowledge that Canada has traditionally done well in women’s soccer… since, y’know, you can’t bank on tradition forever.
    That’s why, whatever its faults, the Canadian Soccer Association must be lauded for landing Morace as the women’s national team coach. Some myopic nitwits will say the money she’s being paid would be better spent on hiring a high-profile international coach for the men’s national team. These people are idiots.
    Anyone not beholden to a staggering level of naivete or ignorance is fully aware that we will never see the Canadian men’s national team win the World Cup. I’m about as gung-ho a Canadian soccer supporter as you’re likely to find, and yet all I hope is that I’ll get a chance to see them score a goal in the World Cup before I die.
    The women’s national team, on the other hand, could realistically win the World Cup. It’s much newer, much smaller and lacks the global prestige as the men’s tournament, of course. But the sight of Sinclair hoisting the Women’s World Cup trophy would, hopefully, finally put to rest some of the more tired cliches about Canada simply being no good at the sport.
    A whole generation of young girls would have heroes to look up to… and to them, soccer would make the transition from “something fun to kill an hour on the weekend with” to a real, viable long-term goal. Plus, the exposure could shine a spotlight on the failings on the men’s side, and in youth development. “Look what the women’s team did. Kids’ soccer is worth investing in. Also, why the hell can’t the men do this? What’s so fundamentally flawed in our development system that there can be such a glaring discrepancy between the performances of our two senior national teams?”
    OK, I’m making quite a few assumptions about the impact of an event that hasn’t even taken place yet.
    But for all that people grouse about what’s wrong with Canadian soccer, the women’s national team — 2010 Gold Cup champions — have shown, and will hopefully continue to show, all that can be right.
    And for that, surely, they deserve our attention and our support.
    Congratulations, ladies.
    - Squizz
    Guest

    It's Called A Post Game Show

    By Guest, in It's Called Football,

    It's not often Canada wins a title, so today, we're doing a post-game show talking about the Canadian Women's National team success in Mexico, the new system under Carolina Morace and the now infamous 'shush' by Sinclair.
    We'll be back with our regular programming on Wednesday - which will include an interview with a Whitecaps player, some info on the Toronto FC coach and GM search and an update on MLS Cup sales and marketing.
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/20779/nov9.2010final.mp3%27,initialScale:%27scale%27,controlBarBackgroundColor:%270x778899%27,autoBuffering:false,loop:false,autoPlay:false}" width="400" height="25" scale="fit" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>
    Guest
    Today, We're by joined by Puerto Rico Islander writer Kristian Varquez to talk about their winning season and the future of Division 2 soccer in North America.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    We'll also talk about the reaction to the Vancouver Whitecaps season ticket prices, the Canadian Women's team on the verge of qualifying for the World Cup and our picks for the weekend MLS playoff games
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/20722/nov5.2010final.mp3%27,initialScale:%27scale%27,controlBarBackgroundColor:%270x778899%27,autoBuffering:false,loop:false,autoPlay:false}" width="400" height="25" scale="fit" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>
    Guest
    Les partisans du FC Basel ont trouvé une façon très originale de montrer leur mécontement face à la décision de recéduler un match contre le FC Luzern pour accomoder la couverture TV d’une finale de tennis à Basel impliquant Roger Federer .
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Lorsque le match a finalement commencé, les partisans ont réussi à lancer des milliers de balles de tennis sur le terrain de Lucerne. Assez fort, mais très poche pour ceux qui ont dû les ramasser!

    Je me demande ce que le partisan du FC Basel Roger Federer pense de tout ça!
    Guest
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-DrSlFiucE


    Il faut dire qu’avec un nom comme Sidney Sam, il ne peut pas se permettre des petits buts de con.

    Une reprise de volée de 30 mètres pour l’ailier du Bayer Leverkusen. Quel but !
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Ce but gagnant lui donnera-t-il une place au sein de la Mannschaft ? J’espère qu’il sera choisi juste pour son nom.

    Sidney Sam !!
×
×
  • Create New...