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    Onward! the Elephants!

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    So, now that my heart has divorced and disowned the English national soccer team, I am free to follow the 2010 World Cup without the ancient, aching anchor of anxiety being an England fan used to impose upon me.
    Certainly, it will be intriguing to see how my heart responds to seeing my former passion in action – particularly when they open the tournament this Saturday in a brawl-for-it-all showdown with the upstart United States.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    I think some of you who read my “England, you’re fired!” piece the other day believe I have transferred my allegiance Stateside. I haven’t. I can’t – even though I would love to see the Yanks down the Brits, once and one time only. It would be a deeply significant upset, with all kinds of future implications, and it couldn’t come at a better time.
    My search for a new team didn’t actually last very long. Part of being strapped to England is that you see other countries having much more fun that you are – playing ecstatic, lovely, daring, risky football, and to heck with the consequences.
    It doesn’t surprise me in the least that, the second my heart was free, it floated almost instantly to Africa.
    Africa and I go way back. I spent my grade one year in Ibadan, Nigeria, where my university-professor father was teaching for a time. I vividly remember the sounds and colours of the place – so hugely different from the then-cold and terribly, dourly Scottish mid-sixties Toronto I grew up in.
    The heat of the high, overhead noonday sun. The clamour and colour of the local cloth market. Boiling thunderstorms that could materialize out of literally nothing in short, scant minutes at the height of the rainy season. And the guns. And the civil war. Not always the happiest of memories, though I’ve been blessed all my life my having seen such a different world when I was still so young.
    I’ve flirted with cheering for Nigeria, but it doesn’t stick. Dazzling success in youth football seems to wreck on the harsher realities of the top-flight game. I adore the passion of African soccer. I just wish the Nigerians had a bit more fun playing it.
    Cripes, Ben! This “fun” thing burns bright with you! What’s the big hairy deal about enjoying yourself?
    Well, we only get so many World Cups in our lives. As a former England fan, I found myself feeling rising frustration every time the Three Lions strode the stage. Negative tactics, false pomposity, cruel and often self-imposed fate. When England wasn’t around, I felt freer and had a lot more fun.
    Yes, England gave soccer to the world. But the world didn’t wait around, blithely taking England’s word for how the game should be played. Yes, the English Premier League is spectacular. But limit it to native sons, and it’s basically Belgium.
    Any World Cup is an all-you-can-eat soccer smorgasbord. Why limit myself to bangers and mash, and toad in the hole?
    Looking at the draw, there is one utterly spectacular group in World Cup 2010. Group G is a certainly Group of Death.
    Just for starters, Brazil and Portugal – drawn together at last. There’s a passionate debate in Toronto about whether the city’s vast numbers of Portugal and Brazil fans are, in fact, the same people, simply flying the car flags of whichever of these two great soccer lands is still standing at the end. The debate enflames people on both sides. Have no doubt, when the two Latin giants clash on June 25 in Durban, that will be an epic day of horn-honking in Toronto – and we shall know at last, and for certain, who supports whom.
    Now, just for yoks, let’s toss Cote D’Ivoire into that group. Only their second World Cup appearance, but what wonder, flash and dazzle rises off of these lads come game time. Yes, they just suffered a huge blow when their finest player, Didier Drogba, busted a wing just before takeoff. They also have disgraced former England (and Mexico) manager Sven-Goran Eriksson calling the shots on the sidelines. Sven has had a very strange career, due to both a compelling success rate and his curious ability to utterly lose his mind at any given strategic moment.
    And then – to fill it out – howzabout North Korea? What’s a Group of Death without a crazed, megalomaniacal dictator and his mysterious, enslaved people? One of the real benefits of the World Cup, is that it is played by real people. National stereotypes abound, but there are so many vivid, different versions of humanity in any starting soccer side. In the rest of the world, we never get to see North Koreans operate. Now, for at least six hours in three soccer matches in the global spotlight, we do.
    This group electrifies me. So I’ve decided to take a routing interest.
    For at least the next couple of weeks, Onward! is passionately rooting for the Elephants of Ivory Coast.
    And that’s without Drogba, and that’s with Eriksson. This was never about backing a side that has a better chance than England to actually win the freaking tournament. This was about finding a starting point, and throwing all the joy and passion I can muster into an entirely new footballing experience.
    I know how it feels to be an England fan. I don’t want to be one anymore.
    I’ll take the wild, expansive passion of Africa over the brooding, lingering misery I have endured for far too long. I will watch England, and closely chronicle whatever conflicts arise in my seeking, searching heart. And then I will turn around and savour Group G.
    Cote D’Ivoire has a chance to survive, people! An African side, playing in Africa, should be a lot less stiff than we’ve seen them in so many off-continent World Cups. Brazil looks unassailable, but Portugal has that eternally dangerous tendency to get lulled off their game. If the Portuguese don’t come at the Elephants with their absolute A-game in Tuesday’s group opener, they could find themselves a long way from safety right out of the chute.
    Yes, I’m jumping on a band wagon. One with a busted wheel and a strange, strange driver – but a bandwagon nonetheless.
    An African World Cup is no time to be mired in the past. We’ll see what odd and delicious stories emerge from this strange new perspective I’m adopting.
    May we all have a sensational tournament! Nothing else in all of life is anything like – this!
    Onward!
    Guest

    England, you’re fired!

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    It is the thing no soccer fan can ever do.
    Picking a team to root for is not only a lifestyle choice, it’s a lifetime one. And often, we don’t pick. It’s done for us, by ancestry, birth or some other large and insurmountable circumstance.
    And so we cheer, and so we suffer, and so it goes. The one thing we are not allowed to do is call it off. Our team is our team, and we must accept whatever woe and pointlessness they chronically inflict on our yearning souls. Especially now, with the World Cup less than one short week away.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Five or six generations ago, somewhere in Surrey, England, south of Ye Olde London Towne, lived a member of the local constabulatory whose surname was Knight. All I shall ever know about Constable Knight is that he existed, and that I am his straight, direct, blood-line descendent.
    In truth, I have relatives all over the British Isles – in England, Scotland and Ireland. But my people have been in Canada (or the States) for at least four generations on all sides. I am as Canadian as one can be – but that doesn’t help me, of course, come the World Cup.
    I spent a few summers in London as a kid. I adore the place – and I discovered soccer there. The idea of every town having a team, big leagues and little leagues, and the same game being played everywhere was irresistible to me. Yeah, I know Canada has basically the same set-up in hockey. But hockey doesn’t have promotion and relegation, and cup competitions where you, me and a nine-piece rhumba band could theoretically earn a match with the Stanley Cup champions. Soccer does, and I love it forever for that.
    So I picked an obscure team in the English Fourth Division to cheer for (Forza Port Vale!), and settled into a happy and largely soccer-free life in the colonies. Until Toronto FC came along, I was actually a paid soccer writer who didn’t have a stadium to go to.
    So I support Port Vale, Toronto FC, Canada … and England.
    Oh, England. Sigh.
    A lot has changed in my life these past few months. In recent times, I have made a conscious move away from grinding frustration, choosing to embrace the things I love in life – regardless of how broke or out on my own that can frequently leave me. I feel done with struggle in my life. I have a new love, a second home town, and a huge amount of joy and inspiration I want to share with anyone who gets within ten feet of me.
    And, despite whatever rules of fandom have bound us all to misery since time and the game began, I find my heart no longer includes any link at all to the team that usually wrecks my dreams when World Cup time rolls ‘round.
    To paraphrase Lyndon Baines Johnson, when he looked out at the ruins of 1968 and could no longer stomach being the most powerful man in such a terrible world:
    “I will not seek, nor will I accept, another World Cup as a fan of the English national soccer team.”
    England! The nation that gave the world soccer, and never learned a thing about it since. A place that feels it rules by right, and is stuck hopelessly behind the global soccer curve. A place that did actually win one World Cup, and took the triumph as confirmation of everything it had actually been wrong about, before, during and ever since.
    Yeah, I know. They went abroad and hired Fabio Capello as coach, and the guy is the goods, and he’s not buying into the old crap, and they’re a real soccer team now. Too late and sorry, guys. It’s still too much of the same old same old for me.
    I am so tired of watching you bozos half-ass your way past Paraguay and Trinidad, only to get iced by Portugal on penalty kicks. If I’ve got to go through all that, let me at least do it with some guys my heart can believe in.
    One more round of “Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard can’t play together in the centre of midfield,” with the gawdamn tabloids inventing scandals and the WAGS (wives and girlfriends) flaunting and flutzing their way across an impoverished African nation? Pass.
    In the past couple of days, I’ve actually come to realize I hope you get pasted by the States in your opening game on Saturday. The soccer fan in me – who is less and less patient with the England fan in me – sees huge benefits for the global game if the Yanks drop the Brits. A changing of the guard, if you will. A desperately needed echo of revolutionary times.
    Don’t get me wrong. I’d be an Englishman over an American any time. But English soccer needs an almighty kick in the caboose, and I don’t see their other first-round opponents – Algeria and Slovenia – packing a big enough boot for that much butt.
    On a more selfish level, I want to have an exultant, life-affirming month of soccer. Chaining my heart to this same, grinding, overly self-important bunch of overrated under-achievers feels, frankly, like abuse.
    So – I’m out. Breaking the chains. Releasing England’s footballling finest to find their fate without me.
    I know. Big hairy deal, right? Who actually gives a sideways squid in a sluggish sea what team the Knight kid is cheering for? Some of you, I hope – and I’ll tell you very soon.
    The deeper point is – maybe being a fan doesn’t have to be a life sentence after all. Maybe there actually comes a point where the same old same old is simply too unsatisfying to be sustained.
    I do not want England to win this World Cup. I want England to be embarrassed in their opening game.
    I am no longer an England fan. I … am … free!
    Any of the rest of you sons of St. George want to come along?
    Onward!
    Guest

    The defence doesn’t rest

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    It’s never just about scoring goals, of course.
    As this free-flowing, fast-firing Toronto FC side of oh-ten pushes forward and starts actually creating goals, they’re doing so with a confidence rarely seen in these parts.
    But that confidence, I would suggest, is based only slightly on the fact that DeRo is hitting from everywhere, Chad Barrett looks confident and competent, and O’Brian White is playing more and more like a pro.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    I think the real reason this crew is literally firing on all cylinders is not because they know they can score – they also know they’ve got help and support at the back.
    The back! The defence! Goaltending!
    It’s tough enough to score goals in soccer . No one needs the added pressure of having to bang home a couple of beauts because your back four is going to kack away a brace by halftime.
    Well, suddenly – and it’s hard to admit this, because leaky defence has been a festering fact of life at BMO Field from the get-go – TFC strikers have had a significant chunk of their burden removed. They know they can try something daring, have it come up short, and not be at undue risk of going a goal down off the restart.
    Coach Preki has, as promised, got this team playing smart, hard-nosed defence. Pretty’s not the issue. De Guzman and de Rosario can provide plenty of that going forward.
    It’s the emergence of three young players – central defenders Nana Attakora and Adrian Cann, and sophomore goalie Stephan Frei – that is keeping the Torontos in match after match after match.
    For three years, supporting TFC has meant having two loops playing over and over and over in your head – constantly! “I hope we can score” and “I hope they don’t get a good shot.”
    It’s not that Toronto goalies have been horrible. Frei – and Greg Sutton before him – have put in plenty of fine, valiant efforts. But far too often, they were left stranded and victimized by insane beer-league miscues in the back four.
    Sometimes, they rallied spectacularly. Sutton, stopping London Donovan on multiple breakaways as TFC stole a win in Los Angeles in ’08. Other times – well, what exactly are you supposed to consistently do when your teammates cough up death balls at the opposite post, or forget to rise for headers the other team gleefully heads home?
    Frei looked frantic off the start of the new season. Screaming orders constantly, and trying way too hard to get to everything. But then, Preki’s lineup came together, and things … settled.
    Toronto FC – as they check out their reflections in their second-consecutive Voyageurs Cup this morning – are a much harder team to take shots on, with a goalie who is in fine form, getting to almost every ball that tries to get past him.
    Nothing’s perfect, nor ever will it be. But de Rosario doesn’t have to press so hard now. He doesn’t have to try to force home every half chance from anywhere on the field. The man has the luxury of options – and the considerable comfort of knowing his mates will stop the enemy and get him the ball back if this particular attacking foray goes south.
    Attacks do, after all. You spend the huge majority of your time on a soccer pitch not scoring.
    And, of course, it’s early. This has been the time of year where TFC teams – if they’re ever going to do well – have their best runs of success. But there’s a real sense of construction and design with this roster, something Preki must have brought with him, because lord knows GM Mo Johnston cannot get there on his own.
    It’s at least possible now to watch the other team line up a shot without thinking it’s all over.
    And that takes a lot of pressure off the fans, as well.
    Onward!
    Guest

    Can't Beat the Canadian Kids

    By Guest, in Voyageurs,

    That was surreal.
    Imagine if you will Canada trailing by a goal in 2nd half injury time against a South American opponent on their home turf, not having scored in nearly a year, and who do we have out there to end the drought and get an equalizer?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The (comparatively speaking) grizzled veteran at age 25, Issey Nakajima-Farran - by far the most experienced international who was not in the back four - takes charge of a last-minute free kick, places a perfect ball on the head of Gavin McCallum (nephew of former Canada and Toronto Blizzard bruising defender Trevor McCallum) who equalizes. McCallum, in his first cap for Canada, races down the field in celebration and he is joined in the celebration by the likes of those house-hold Canadian soccer names such as Simeon Jackson, Adam Straith, Eddy Sidra, Gian-Luca Zavarise, Jonathan Borgeault and Stephen Ademolu, while no doubt another house-hold name in Haidar Al-Shabani was pumping his fist in celebration while tending the Canadian goal and Pedro Pacheco had a big Portugese smile while sitting on the bench after having played the first 81 minutes, along with fellow starter Massih Wassey and his half-German/half-Afghan smile. If you look closely at the video of the tying goal on this link:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZYhIEKf6Jk
    You might just make out a brief glimpse of Paul Stalteri and Richard Hastings as the only two recognizable Canadian players, on the field probably by default to provide at least some experience at the back. Otherwise even a fairly knowledgeable fan of the Canadian national team - one who doesn't spend hours on the internet following the exploits of young Canadians in the German and English lower divisions - could be forgiven for asking "Who the hell are these guys?" if they managed to stumble by accident on last night's telecast (I say "by accident" as I believe that fact that the game was being shown on one of Sportsnet's digital channels had been deemed classified information by CSIS, hence the lack of publicity and word getting out).
    In the past Canadian supporters have enjoyed their favourite pasttime of complaining that the current manager of the team doesn't give so-and-so young/new player a look. How dare Stephen Hart spoil this great Canadian past-time, by throwing out a ton of players with little or no experience, and then seeing them get a result on the road against a decent team! Okay, Venezuela isn't a great team, not the level of a World Cup entrant and they were playing a lot of younger players as well, but getting a result with our own inexperienced (internationally, and in terms of playing together) group of players is something to find encouraging, particularly the way they did it. 6 players got their first caps for Canada on this two-game trip to South America, four of them in this game (Pacheco and Straith came on late against Argentina for their first) while Sidra, Bourgeault, Wassey and Ademolu each barely have more than one
    So for all you people who didn't uncover the near-secret broadcast of the match, here's a quick guide to the new Canadian players:
    Pedro Pacheco - looked like the offensive creative midfielder that Canada is often in short-supply of. His fitness at high altitude seemed to desert him in the 2nd half, but was most impressive as being the go-to guy in the first half. Should definitely be kept in the squad as he will probably only improve once he gets to know his teammates better as well as (hopefully) learning more of the English language to be able to better communicate with them.
    Terry Dunfield - weird to think of him as a "new" player since he played for the U20 and U23 teams many moons ago, but this was his first cap. Did nothing special, but was fine as the holding mid.
    Massih Wassey - willing to shoot from distance and can hit them. A left-footer to boot. Qualities that Canada also doesn't have an abundance of, given his age and his club team definitely worth keeping an eye on.
    Adam Straith - not very noticeable - which is what you want from a 19 year old defender getting his first start in front of 20,000 South Americans (and what appeared to be 60,000 South American moths flying about the stadium - what was up with that?) Very promising.
    Eddy Sidra - very impressive going forward, as the youtube link demonstrates. Again, not the type of player we have an abundance of.
    Haidar Al-Shabani - didn't have much time to make an impression but any keeper getting his first cap in a meaningless friendly who screams at his teammates to get the hell up the field and thereby showing it was meaningful for him is okay in my books. He just *looks* like a keeper, and with Canada's woeful depth there after the stunt Begovic pulled, we may be seeing him again soon.
    Jonathan Bourgeault- also didn't have much playing time, but I'm glad that he wasn't forced to play goal after the previous stunt Begovic pulled.
    Gian-Luca Zavarise - gets credit for achieving what I failed to do - becoming the first Gian-Luca to play for Canada.
    Gavin McCallum - the guy scored, what more do you want?
    - Gian Luca
    Guest

    Argentine aftermath

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    May 29, 2010
    Argentine aftermath
    By Ben Knight
    Author’s note: No, I can’t really explain to your dear, patient people why it should ever take this many days to get a breezy little blog item out of my head and onto the Internet. Some combination of work, lack of work, exhaustion, romance, living in two cities, covering Juve-Fiorentina for CP, a heatwave, car woes, dental distraction, a doctor’s appointment and One Other Thing ©. With all that said – and before we all watch the Venezuela match tonight – let’s go back to Buenos Aires:
    They’re so fast – relentless. They leap on mistakes like pumas on a wounded bratwurst.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    In a packed park in Buenos Aires, World Cup-bound Argentina laid a 5-0 sledgehammering on a game but exposed Canada, in their final tune-up game before next month’s World Cup in South Africa.
    Canada didn’t play all that badly overall, I thought. But any margin they’d usually have – that half second before the tackle, that yard of space you’d normally have to work with – was simply gone.
    Relentless Argentine ball-hawking and layered, almost rugby-style fast breaks rendered Canadian intention and strategy irrelevant. The lads in red did what they could. What was done to them could not be reasonably withstood.
    So – a disaster? An embarrassment? Honorary mention at the world avalanche-eating championship?
    I’m going to take the minority position – that this was actually a useful exercise.
    I mean, we’ve finally got a Canadian Soccer Association that actually gets the men’s team playing in the run-in to the World Cup. An away match with Argentina would have come along negative-once in a lifetime up until now. Everyone from the players to the coaches to the fans knew Our Lads could be in for a freight-training.
    That was never going to be the point.
    Canada’s players got to see something very few professional players ever experience: the full flow and fury of the Argentines – up-close and live – in a gigantic stadium filled with roaring, passionate South American fans.
    It’s one thing for you and me to watch the match on television. We see pretty much everything that happens out there, but that’s just the surface stuff. Canada’s players, were they in the stands watching Argentina dismantle someone else, would see more – the way a slight hesitation here turns into a bad result there.
    But from the seats, they would see the Argentine ballhawks swoop. When Andre Hainault got his pocket picked on one of the goals, he never saw the predator’s approach. Dwayne de Rosario, harried to the sidelines, knew he was badly outnumbered, and tried to play the ball to safety down the wing. I doubt he ever saw the opponent who stormed out of nowhere, and buried the ball with an outlandish outside-of-the-foot long volley deep into the Canada net.
    What Canada saw last Sunday afternoon was How It Is Done. They understand, better than ever before, how suddenly and fatally the counterthrusts can come. If that makes anyone on the roster sharpen his game, that’s good for everyone. If any of the Canucks found a flaw in their thought patterns or assumptions, maybe that saves us a goal-against in a game that matters down the road.
    You don’t play a game like this to win, folks. You play because maybe it’s the only chance you’ll ever have – short of actually qualifying for a World Cup – to play the very best, on their turf, on their terms.
    In that sense, a 0-5 paste job is likely more beneficial than a tight loss, or even a draw. And while it would have been sensational if Canada’s attack-oriented formation had actually magicked home a goal, that gleaming moment of success might have overshadowed the deeper, more urgent lessons of this rare and scarce opportunity.
    Argentina took Canada apart with speed, deception, tenacity, toughness, off-the-ball movement, vision, skill, passion, fury and joy. If the Canadian players went south with any holes in any of those parts of their game, they know it much clearer and better than they ever did before.
    For the older players, this match was both a reward for service rendered, and an ultra-intense footballing reality check that should serve them very well in future coaching days. The youngsters – the ones who may, one day, tread a World Cup pitch in real World Cup matches – just got the best view possible of how the best do business.
    There’s nothing about playing the Houston Dynamo, or grinding out midwinter matches in Scotland or Norway, that will ever, ever look like that. It was a bad loss on the afternoon – but an excellent set of lessons for the future.
    Onward!
    Guest

    Don't cry for me Venezuela

    By Guest, in Voyageurs,

    Canada's match today against Argentina sadly went as predicted. Argentina's World Cup team against a largely second string Canada squad in Buenos Aires was always going to be about how few goals Canada would concede. Canadian fans can rest easy that had Canada's first string squad played, the scoreline would likely only have been 4-0. The picture accompanying this blog entry was really the turning point in the game.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    What has become frustrating, even if it was predictable in this match, is that Canada has nearly gone a full year without scoring. If they do not score against Venezuela on Saturday, their next possibile opportunity to get one will be September 4th in Toronto against Peru - more than a year after their last goal (which to date, was Marcel De Jong's first half strike against Costa Rica last July in the first round of the Gold Cup). Der Cucumber Bomber is unfortunately not with the Canadian team for this South America, and De Rosario has headed back to TFC, so someone else will have to pick up the slack. While Canada's opponent is a much less tricky opponent than Argentina, Canada will also be featuring a much weaker side than the already-weakened line-up that got beat by Argentina.
    The positives to take out of this match is that Canada, despite only a couple of training sessions, looked fairly organized defensively. Almost all the goals came off silly giveaways (as opposed to players simply being out of position), which is what they'll obviously need to work on going forward. Plus it's always good to give some players their first cap - Adam Straith looked confident at the back in the short time he was on the field and apparently Pedro Pacheco got his first cap for Canada - not that the Argentinian broadcasters let us know about this mind you, as they seemed more interested in showing us pictures of Messi doing nothing on the bench or Maradona berating the Referee even with a comfortable lead. Credit to Pat Onstad and Daniel Imhof in particular for coming out of international retirement to play this game, and to veteran Richard Hastings, who if he is not fit for Saturday, may have played his last game for Canada. No offense, but this blogger certainly hopes so because we need to explore better options for the 2014 World Cup qualifying cycle, options that will still be around by the time qualifying starts.
    One hopes the boys enjoyed themselves, but let's throw caution to the wind against Venezuela, even with a largely third string line-up, and get some frigging goals. Attack! Attack! Attack!
    - Gian Luca
    Guest

    Celebrate

    By Guest, in Voyageurs,

    Away up north Canadians from coast to coast will be keeping that strangest of holidays, that celebration of both spring and our colonial heritage popularly know as Victoria Day. We're a strange and diverse bunch, no doubt about it, but it says something to the nature of the peoples who live and have lived in this broad land that we can take something we've inherited from abroad and over the years mocked it up into a beloved and uniquely Canadian tradition.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    So fire up the barbeque, grab a beer, and bring on the fireworks. Another May Long is upon us.
    Speaking of fireworks.
    Away down south Argentinians all across their broad lands will be keeping their autumn holiday celebrating the beginning of the end of their colonial ties. It's a bit earlier and a bit longer this year as the Revolution Day festivities will include a final send off for coach Diego Maradona and his team as they ready to depart for the World Cup Finals in South Africa.
    With a stern look and a fresh beard Mr Maradona will be serving up a hot helping of Argentina's finest footballers for the spectators at one of soccerdom's great cathedrals, River Plate's home the “El Monumental” in Bueno Aires.
    Oh, and one more small thing, they'll be playing Canada.
    No small stage this for coach Hart and his lads. No friendly kick about either. Argentina is leaving for Africa and 70,000 Argentinians are going to damn well demand they do it in style.
    There is no denying Stephan Hart would have loved to have been able to bring a stronger squad to this wonderful event but with season end injuries having taken a toll on more than one important figure in his plans, the task ahead just gets harder and harder. There is also no denying Diego Maradona would have loved to see Canada bring a stronger squad as well. You can't sharpen your blade on a soft opponent. He might be in for a bit of a surprise.
    It may be wishful thinking but Canadian teams have shown an aptitude for punching above their weight a little from time to time when the occasion calls for it. Just ask Mexico. Just ask Brazil.
    It'll be some old familiar faces and baby-fresh new ones in Canadian reds today at the El Monumental. A hard days work and a memorial experience awaits for all. Win, lose, draw, or slaughter, it'll be a memorial day for Canada supports as well.
    Viewing parties!
    You can't have a Canada match and not have a Voyageur's Viewing Party. Enjoy a bit of company and a shout with Vs across the country, many with children friendly venues. Wear red, forgive the odd bit of passionate language and drive safe.
    Must see!
    RedNation has been doing the good work down in BA and giving our Canadian lads no respite. A must see well worth the watch. Check it all out at rednationonline.ca
    Argentina vs Canada
    Monday, May 24th
    Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina
    3:30 PM EST
    Roger's SportsNet
    Until Brazil 2014
    Allez Les Rouges
    - Cheeta
    Guest

    Spotlight on reform

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    Suddenly, unexpectedly, the drive to reform the governing structure of the Canadian Soccer Association is taking huge, unprecedented steps forward.
    The CSA’s “Constitution Committee” has recommended enormous changes – including the outright elimination of provincial and territorial soccer association reps on the CSA board.
    This is huge, because Canada has been eternally saddled with an ineffective board, filled to overflowing with members looking out for their local agendas first, and our national soccer teams second.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    These changes were tentatively approved at the CSA’s annual general meeting this past weekend. And even though the fight is not over, and no reforms can be enacted until the middle of next May, the fact that such huge changes are so very, very close to fruition is – frankly – astonishing.
    There are still some nasty confrontations and dirty tactics ahead. Multiple sources have told me Alberta and Quebec both opposed the reforms. Alberta is a huge point of interest right now, because the reform process has split the province to the point there are actually two Alberta Soccer Association boards, and a brewing legal dispute over who actually holds power.
    And many of the CSA’s highest-ranking bureaucrats – the ones with the most to lose – are also far from comfortable with the imminent change.
    I’ve got a lot of research to do before I’m up to speed on the whos, whys and wherefores, but I’d like to issue a little call to arms – to the fans and all my fellow Canadian soccer journalists.
    Whatever fight is coming, let’s all work together to see that it gets fought in public. Whichever provincial reps are refusing to go quietly, let’s all make sure that can’t just sneak into the back rooms and start swinging meat hooks and cleavers.
    The call for actual reform is now louder than I’ve ever heard it, and the fact that provincial reps are this close to getting the heave-ho is far more than I thought I’d live to see happen.
    Please understand: it’s not that I don’t want regional voices on the board. Indeed, the new proposal insists on regional representation from across Canada. The reps just cannot be affiliated with provincial and territorial boards.
    The goal is to create a truly national CSA, that can offer clear leadership and blanket programs, without having to politically appease a dozen or more local agendas.
    So it’s time to put Alberta and Quebec under the spotlight. What is going on? Are they resisting for reasons that are good for national soccer, or for local or even personal reasons? It’s time we met all the characters – on both sides of the debate.
    Gradually, I’ll be working to do this. But please don’t wait for me. Writers – get on the phone. Fans – tell us what you know.
    The stakes are simple: opponents to these reforms are putting their interests ahead of our collective dream. Canada’s road to the World Cup has been needlessly blocked for too long. Anyone standing in the middle of it now had better have a reason that doesn’t start with “I”.
    The spotlight’s coming on, people. Please help me make it burn as hotly and brightly as possible.
    More soon.
    Onward!
    Guest

    Simpler times

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    Two things are clear following Toronto FC’s 1-0 win over Montreal in the Voyageurs Cup midweek:
    - The Reds are actually in the tournament driver’s seat, for seriously the first time ever.
    - There is going to be a clean conclusion to this tournament.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Only Toronto and Vancouver are still in contention, and with the ways the early results have fallen, it is mathematically impossible for the Redcoats and Whitecaps to end up tied on points.
    TFC’s on six points with two games to play – both against the ‘Caps. Vancouver has one point, with a visit to Montreal and a home-and-home with Toronto.
    Vancouver could, theoretically, end up on six points with a win and a couple of draws. But at least one of those draws would have to be against Toronto, and that same result would put the Reds a point ahead.
    The Whitecaps can, of course, win the whole thing with a couple of victories. But there’s no way the standings are tied when the round-robin concludes. That means we’re spared a copy of last year’s bizarre ending, when Toronto needed – and got! – six goals on the road in the final match to claim the cup.
    Certainly, the attending anguish that arose from that result has coloured this year’s competition. Everyone came out with a chip on their shoulders, but Montreal’s poor, self-eliminating play took a lot of starch out. It’s more than merely possible now that the tournament’s final match or two won’t mean anything except a night out at the park and one more tussle with an in-country foe.
    It really comes down to TFC-Vancouver now, which is cool because the ‘Caps have thrown big monkey wrenches into Toronto’s cup-claiming plans for two summers on the trot.
    But we can all stop counting goals now. A plus-17 goal difference won’t win anything for anybody. From here on, it’s all about who gets the heck out there and bags the points.
    And – for this year, at least – I’m finding that a welcome relief.
    Onward!
    Guest

    Having “the talk”

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    It’s a rite of passage for male soccer fans the world over. You might never know quite exactly when it’s going to happen, but most of us must eventually face a subtle, daunting, delicate task:
    Explaining soccer’s offside rule to your girlfriend.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    For me, it was a long time coming. Most of the times I’ve been partnered up coincided with yawning chasms in the Toronto and Canadian soccer scenes. I don’t recall more than once or twice I’ve ever taken a date to a match – and I don’t believe the offside rule came up either time.
    I was blissfully unattached when Toronto FC came into being, and remained that way for all of the Canadian MLS club’s first three seasons.
    Then, right around the time of the Jersey Swamp Meadowlands Meltdown that brutally destroyed all hope for TFC ’09, I met and began to fall very deeply in love with a wonderful gal from the Kawarthas. Lilli runs a holistic healing centre in Peterborough, and bless our hearts, we simply adore each other.
    She’s very interested in my world, and actually came out partying with the Red Patch Boys on one of our very first dates. Never been much into soccer, but she played hockey as a girl – and was red-headed hip-check queen of Brantford, Ontario, in her glory days.
    So I scored a pair in 221 for the Chicago game this past Saturday, and made the carefully thought-out decision that the offside rule was something that needed to be … addressed.
    Soccer’s such a simple sport, isn’t it? There’s the field, there’s the ball, don’t use your arms.
    But offside explanation remains a tricky task. Several hilarious movie scenes have been devoted to the problem. The guy goes all earnest and increasingly baffled, while his lovely mate gets confused, condescending or outright catatonic.
    It’s all in how you approach the task. Charts and paper can be really confusing, because offside is a fluid and changing situation. It’s not like hockey, where the blue line is bolted down. Soccer’s blue line – the second-furthest-back member of the defending team – is a thinking, moving human being. He can be brilliant, banged-up, or having a bad day. It’s hard to show all that on paper.
    So I just went with the available resources. In my case, the bed and a bunch of stuffed animals.
    With whatever skill with words I might have – and some genuine patience on her part – I was able to explain to Lilli that the forward-most attacking penguin cannot be ahead of the last purple mastodon before the trailing penguin kicks the ladybug paperweight forward.
    Once that was clear, I stressed that the purple mastodon can actually time the trailing penguin’s pass, and create an offside by moving forward suddenly just as the ladybug paperweight gets hoofed.
    That didn’t go as well, but eventually we came to a rudimentary understanding – at least enough to get us through the weekend. (I didn’t even get to the most-confusing point: that the polar-bear goaltender counts as one of the two backmost defenders, just in case he gets caught wandering and the penguins suddenly reacquire the paperweight.)
    As it eventualized, Toronto FC’s wind-blown and quite delightful 4-1 romp over the visiting Chicago Fire was a largely offside-free affair. Lilli – seeing soccer for only the second time in her life – was able to follow the ball easily, and cheered and cringed at all the right places. We got separated by BMO Field’s appalling concession-stand crunch at halftime, but were reunited just in time to watch Chad Barrett break in alone (and onside!) to score Toronto’s fourth and final goal.
    It was a lovely – if cold and blustery – day at the park. And the fact there were no actually penguins or mastodons on the pitch didn’t seem to confuse things at all … although the penguins would have been very much at home in the prevailing weather conditions.
    What’s your best offside-explaining story?
    Onward!
    Guest

    Canada: discuss

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    Welcome to the morning Montreal becomes the nineteenth franchise in Major League Soccer.
    L’Impact – or whatever other name emerges – will join North America’s premier non-Mexican soccer league in 2012. With Toronto FC already there, and the Vancouver Whitecaps launching next spring, Canada will have a sealed and significant place at the highest available level of pro footie.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    All of this was all-but-utterly impossible five years ago. Canadian soccer was a perpetually struggling minor-league venture back then. Talk of an all-Canadian league had crashed and burned horribly, one last time.
    Let’s be clear on a couple of key points:
    - The birth of Toronto FC did not kill the dream of a Canadian league.
    - The success of Toronto FC clinched there won’t be such a league for years or decades to come.
    The plain, simple fact? With the odd exception of the Canadian Football League, pro sports in Canada needs American teams – and lots of them. Remember, this is a country that has been globally dominant in ice hockey since the late nineteenth century, and does not have its own professional hockey league.
    An MLS franchise is a fairly modest undertaking, compared to the megabuck monstrosities the other big pro sports have become. But even there, a huge city like Toronto could not generate real buzz, genuine passion, and consistent crowds of 20,000 fans until MLS came along.
    A level down, in Minor League Soccer, both Vancouver and Montreal have been thriving. They compete, not against Calgary and Halifax and Quebec City, but against Rochester and Portland and Puerto Rico. Crowds are modest, but strong ownership and prudent planning have now brought both cities to the top level.
    And that, for Canada, is as far as MLS is ever likely to go. The league has never, to my knowledge, even hinted at exceeding 20 teams. Only Ottawa remains as an outside longshot, and their stadium problems appear – for the next few years – to be insurmountable.
    So, that’s it? No Canadian league, and only three cities in the soccer spotlight?
    Not at all.
    See, a funny thing happened a few years back. Canada’s national soccer supporters’ group, the Voyageurs, donated a cup for whichever division-two team did better against the others over an entire season. No one much knew about it, and Montreal won it six seasons on the trot.
    And then – well, as you know, CONCACAF created a Champions Cup, gave Canada a spot, and the CSA huddled up with the three teams and created an official Voyageurs Cup tournament. It’s been all Toronto-Montreal-Vancouver, of course, but Edmonton has a new D2 team and will be joining the dance next spring.
    Ottawa could easily be playing D2 three years from now. So could Hamilton. Quebec City and Victoria are being glanced at, as people wonder who will take the places of Vancouver and Montreal in the lower league?
    Here’s what I think is going to happen:
    Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal will all be small, strong, fervently supported squads in MLS. Edmonton and Ottawa will struggle, but survive in D2.
    And, along the way, the Voyageurs Cup will unite us all. The annual tournament will provide just the right number of all-Canadian games between the two levels. Toronto and Edmonton will get to know each other. Ottawa and Montreal will cook up nicely, just as Montreal and Toronto did.
    When American soccer bloggers look north, they can’t understand why we can’t have our own pro league up here. They don’t get that Canada, population-wise, is longer and narrower than Chile: that money is scarce, travel is prohibitive, and the crowds just won’t turn out unless American teams are in the mix.
    Understand, too: there is an appetite for all-Canadian soccer matches, but it isn’t as voracious as you might think. Imagine living in central Ohio, as many Canadian soccer-bashers tend to. How much Indianapolis, Muskegon and Quad Cities do you want before someone offers you a tasty slice of L.A.?
    I’m not saying Canadian cities aren’t major-league. But we are so used to pro sports teams crossing borders, it’s become a conditioned appetite up here. The Voyageurs Cup is a shining and wonderful exception – but there will never be enough MLS-calibre franchises in this country to create a consistently interesting national league.
    But with three MLS franchises, and the V-Cup offering instant derbies and rivalries for any Canadian town that rises as far as D2, pro soccer’s healthy place in the True North sporting landscape seems secure.
    I’ll be watching the Montreal announcement this morning, fondly remembering the scathing e-mails I used to get, back in my Sportsnet days, when I dared suggest Canada could – nay, should! – have at least one team in MLS.
    Three teams was beyond any delusional fantasy even I could concoct. And this morning – hallelujah! – here we are.
    Nobody else’s soccer set-up looks like Canada’s. Scotland’s probably should, but who am I to interrupt an epic tragedy that’s been writ that deep?
    However odd and strange, though, Canadian pro soccer has never been stronger than it is right now. Room for growth is clear, as well.
    Anyone who’s ever been part of either the debate or the process – fans, owners, players, bureaucrats, writers – can certainly stand and take a little bow this morning.
    We did it.
    (And we ain’t done, neither.)
    Onward!
    Guest

    War drums at BMO

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    It’s all happening right now on the Mo Johnston front.
    Former coach Chris Cummins laid it all bare in an interview with The Score yesterday. Johnston is threatening legal action, and other former coach John Carver is apparently set to settle his debts with Johnston later today.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    I find I don’t have a lot to add this morning. Predictably, Toronto FC played a fine match on the weekend, knocking off Seattle 2-0 and looking significantly like a real soccer team while doing it. That will certainly blur the issues a bit.
    Here’s what’s not blurrable, though:
    Toronto FC has a general manager interferes too much, promises more than he delivers, gets too many players from too few places, and routinely frustrates and baffles the people who work for him, cover him, and cheer for his team.
    The next question: why does Toronto FC sign so many players from First Wave Sports Marketing, which just happens to also represent Johnston and TFC head coach Preki? I have no direct knowledge of anything untoward here, but there’s been smoke coming off this question from the beginning, and it’s time the media put on their fire hats and took a look.
    Duane’s got some great stuff on all of this over at The 24th Minute, and we knocked it around last night on “It’s Called Football.”
    I’m going to hang back a bit. I really want to hear what Carver has to add.
    Onward!
    Guest

    The Gerba thing

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    I’m afraid the only thing we know for sure in the wake of Ali Gerba’s public scolding of Mo Johnston and Preki is how the ex-TFC striker feels about his former general manager and coach.
    I don’t want to say Gerba isn’t a reliable witness. He spoke earnestly for 17 full minutes in an interview with Kristian Jack at The Score. There’s no question he feels Preki and Johnston were needlessly blunt in sending him home from training camp, and subsequently buying out his contract.
    But what do we really know?
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Gerba has now come and gone from 11 different pro soccer clubs. His two longest runs anywhere – 25 and 32 games – were both with the Toronto Lynx.
    He was clearly and badly out of shape for most of his brief 11-game run with the Reds.
    He claims injury, and says he was in very good shape in training camp. He cites Canada coach Stephen Hart as a witness. I had the chance to be part of an interview with Hart on “It’s Called Football” on Monday night, and all he would say is that Gerba will need to play regular first-team soccer before he’ll be considered for another cap for his country.
    Not exactly confirmation. And there was no shortage of witnesses during camp who thought the big, strong striker was not fit.
    Going deeper, Gerba accused both Johnston and Preki of unprofessionalism, saying 80 per cent of TFC’s players are unhappy. He accused the coach of lacking strategy, and capped it by accusing both his former bosses of “fraud.”
    Here’s what I can tell you:
    Johnston has lost the press. The majority of working scribes in the BMO Field pressbox are deeply sceptical of pretty much everything he says. But Johnston is a master of creating reasonable doubt. Anyone who still wishes to defend the TFC mastermind can say there’s a new coach and a bunch of new players in town, and it will be weeks before we know how good this 2010 team is – or isn’t.
    And, of course, that’s true.
    Just like it’s true that signing Dwayne de Rosario raised hope. Just like it’s true that signing Julian de Guzman raised hope. Just like it’s true hiring Preki raised hope.
    Gerba paints a picture of players lured to Toronto by sweet talk, then thrown to the triple wolves of dressing room discord, inefficient coaching and vague management.
    That squares with what most of us are seeing, but it’s really hard to shed light on things. Prominent ex-players Danny Dichio and Jim Brennan were bought off with organization jobs. Ali Gerba is hollering his head off, but his claims of peak fitness and past tendency to get outright released by multiple clubs tend to undermine his credibility.
    But…!
    Gerba’s comments will be extremely useful should other ex-TFCers follow his lead, and start granting interviews. Carl Robinson, Adrian Serioux, Marvell Wynne, Greg Sutton … call home, guys.
    There are plenty of reporters watching this team who can see very clearly how bad and ugly the backroom situation truly is. But speculation won’t convince Mo Johnston’s bosses. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment have always had their own unique take on sports management theory. Johnston’s smoke screen couldn’t have a better atmosphere for success.
    We need more former players to speak. Back Gerba – or disagree with him. Anything on the record is a big improvement over the fog, evasion and double-talk Toronto’s sports media is having to wade through now.
    Onward!
    Guest

    Too late for caution

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    Sunday’s monolithic Onward! broadside against the admiral of Ye Goode Shyppe TFC had two purposes:
    - State the obvious as loudly, clearly and un-take-backably as possible.
    - Start a discussion.
    It’s turning into quite a conversation.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Excluding all the personal stuff about me being immature and childish (I prefer “child-like”), the biggest concern both fans and colleagues expressed is what will happen after Mo Johnston’s departure?
    The point is valid, and my friend Duane Rollins lays it out very well this morning.
    Essentially, all agree Toronto FC is caught in a management earthquake. The cautious approach says let the earth stop shaking (play out the 2010 MLS season) before starting the clean-up.
    I respectfully counter that it’s time to evacuate – especially since this particular earthquake is clearly and unquestionably Mo-induced.
    Let’s go read the seismograph. Here’s what’s shaking – and why:
    1) The roster:
    Had to be blown up after the 0-5 faceplant that snuffed out the 2009 season. It was left late. Appallingly late.
    Yes, the uncertainty turfed up by lingering CBA negotiations didn’t help, but Mo threw every cent he could possibly commit at last year’s team – the one riven with internal dissention and creepy cliques. Sure, you can’t always know how players are (or aren’t) going to gel, and MLS roster rules could drive anyone insane. But it was Mo’s team, and Mo is responsible.
    2) The coach:
    Preki’s a hard-ass butt-kicker. Everybody knew the job was dangerous when he took it. So he inherits Mo’s mess, and starts kicking serious can. Mo is left scrambling trying to find players to fill the chasming void.
    But how’d we get here? John Carver was an odd choice in ’08, and Chris Cummins wasn’t ready a year ago. I understand that Mo likely wanted his old pal Preki all along, and grabbed him as soon as he was available. But that crying lack of an experienced coach the past two seasons bred and festered the locker room discontent, and Cummins had no answer when it all went ulcerous at once.
    3) The former players:
    TFC has a history of failed goal scorers. Jeff Cunningham, Carlos Ruiz, Collin Samuel and Edson Buddle are all scoring well and frequently since they left Toronto. Cunningham won the Golden Freaking MLS Boot last year, knocking home half chances for FC Bouncy Castle. Oh, and apparently Pablo Vitti’s been finding twine lately, too.
    It will be very interesting to see what kinds of seasons departed stalwarts like Carl Robinson and Marvell Wynne have, now that they’re not swimming in TFC toxicity.
    4) Mo’s signings:
    You have to be Mo’s kind of player. Or maybe now it’s Preki calling shots. Either way, it really helps if you’re a client of First Wave Management, or a former member of last year’s underwhelming Colorado Rapids squad. And if you’ve got reconstructive knee surgery on your resume – well, howdy pal, how quickly can we fly you in?
    This is the world Mo made, folks. Maybe Preki makes it better, or maybe that just isn’t possible.
    I understand completely that dropping Mo now might torch the oh-ten campaign. But there are already lots of fires in earthquake country, and they burn sweltering and toxic for a long, long time.
    I respect all those who call for caution. I just think it’s way, way, WAY too late.
    And speaking of Earthquakes – who did you say is running that team in San Jose? Yeah, no guarantees, and SJ’s been pretty wretched. But I’ll take my chances right now with a proven champion – especially a Canadian one.
    … And the man could be available – at any moment.
    (Sssssh!)
    Onward!
    Guest

    48 HOURS!

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    by Cheeta

    It's your last chance to participate in the polling for the 2009 edition of the Voyageur's International Player of the Year. Voting ends 12:01 AM EST New Years Day 2010 and the past year has produced probably the most wide open field of candidates for the IPoY in quite some time.
    Club Brugge stalward Mike Klukowski is the bookies favourate as the veteran defender's impressive club resume was reinforced by yet another stellar performance in this summers Gold Cup. Canada's first choice wingback was selected to the Gold Cup's 1st Eleven (along with team mate Julian de Guzman) after an outstanding tournament which helped to highlight to Canadian footie fans why this left footed 'back has become such a fixture with the Belgian Juliper league side and a recognized face in Europe's top club compitions over the past few years.
    But the educated & informed Voyageur population rightfully finds worthy competitors for this years trophy both at home and abroad.
    CSA Male Player of the Year, Simeon Jackson has been all over the sporting news in 2009 not only for his dramatic exploits with England's Gillingham but for his striker performances with Canada's senior Mens National Team. Young Mr. Jackson continues to work his tale of skill, determination, and hard work into the opening chapters of what hopefully will be one of those great, and lengthy stories of athletic success. Even taking in context the lower leagues in which the fleet footed striker is playing there is no denying that Canadian fans are being teased with all the hallmarks of greatness, and the polling is showing that the potential on display may be worthy of a vote.
    If Simeon Jackson is on route to inherit Canada's "Wee Man" title up front from '08 IPoY Tomasz Radzinski, Wil Johnson, as a different sort of animal, has an MLS Cup winners medal and a years worth of rave revues from this side of the Atlantic to give Voyageurs pause for thought as they contemplate their votes for International Player of the Year. Mr. Johnson's cerebral determination, unquestionable work rate and footballing ambition has well served the progress of a young career which demands if not the recognition of Canadian fans at this point, then for certain, at least their astute attention.
    For all of their successes in 2009 it's impossible for some players, especially those who play in European leagues outside of England, Italy, or Spain, to help but fly under the popular radar. A trio of Dark Horses threaten to throw a wrench into the gear-works of this years polling and it would be a hard argument to make that out as a great injustice if they did. A hard argument indeed.
    Copenhagen star and Voyageur's 2006 IPoY Atiba Hutchinson continued to build his club reputation through 2009, and in a year when the much vaunted Canadian midfield struggled to live up to expectations on the international stage, the versatile Hutchinson more than pulled his weight.
    Holland cannot hold young Marcel de Jong. Barring serious injury there is no denying the Canadian born Dutchman is destined for things bigger and better than the Eredivisie. And if he can manage to hold to the course he's set for himself, Mr. de Jong is not a player who looks like he will allow himself to be overmatched on any World Cup stage you wish to set.
    From Canada, to England, Germany and on to Asia Minor, Josh Simpson has over the past few years put hardship and injury behind him in his travels as he's built on success after success in these earliest stages of his career. That's no small feat, and when added to a lengthy and critical acclaimed tour with the MNT during the '09 calender year a season worth well worth consideration.
    It's the Voyageur's International Player of the Year. Weigh contributions to club and country as your judgment sees fit, but be sure to have your voice heard as the clock is ticking. We're down to the last 48 hours.
    Voting ends at 12:01 AM EST, New Years Day, 2010.
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