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    Guest
    by Gian-Luca
    I keep hearing, even from some Canadian fans, that this year's Gold Cup is a "meaningless" tournament. The argument for this is that some teams are not sending their best players to the tourney, and because the winner of the tourney doesn't get an invite to the Copa American or qualify for the Confederations Cup.
    As Tom Baker once said, what a load of empirical poppycock. Fans and teams in this region complain that Concacaf doesn't get enough respect, doesn't get enough World Cup Qualifying spots, and isn't taken seriously enough - yet the same people making this complaint are themselves guilty of not taking their own region's championship seriously enough. How exactly do we expect others to take us seriously if we don't do it ourselves? Quite frankly, I find the suggestion that our regional championship is not a worthy enough thing in itself to strive to win and that it is only "meaningful" if it automatically leads to an allegedly more prestigious tournament somewhere else to be completely pathetic and shows signs of insecurity for the region.
    There are some people for whom this Gold Cup has a great deal of meaning. The 19 men still in camp for Canada who are proudly wearing the Maple Leaf, giving it there all and restoring the pride, success and some belief in the program. Two games in and they are rising to the challenge in the group of death. With yesterday's very comfortable 1-0 win over El Salvador the team is virtually assured a spot in the Quarter-Finals. They have clinched at least a 3 place spot in their group, and it would seem very unlikely that even if they finished in 3rd that two other 3rd place teams would also have 6 points and a superior goal differential. The boys are doing us proud and we should be supporting them all the way, rather than trying to diminish their accomplishments thus far. With a long way to go still, they will need all the support they can get.
    By the way, if any game demonstrated the serious flaw in the World Cup qualifying system in this region, this was it. A non-Hex team missing 5 or 6 top players from its roster comfortably dominates a team that is in the Hex (and very much alive) which was missing just a single player of note. Yes, Canada can only blame itself for what happened in 2008, but the logic of having a semi-final group that is overall tougher and has less margin for error than the final group still escapes me.
    Guest

    Canada Muffles Jamaica 1-0

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    by Gian-Luca
    In 2003 I drove to the Gold Cup on Foxboro, Massachusetts. Nearly a 9 hour drive, I arrived in time to see Canada open the Gold Cup with a 1-0 win over Costa Rica. So far so good.
    A couple of days later it was time for some more sight-seeing in the area during the day before heading to Gillette Stadium for Canada's second and final group game against Cuba. But disaster struck - I got to my car early that morning to find that my muffler clamp had fallen off and I needed a new one. I gingerly drove my car to the nearest auto repair shop I could find in the tiny town of Foxboro (the entire population of which I think could fit into one side of Gillette Stadium three times over). Foxfield Tire it was called. It took some time for them to see me, and then they discovered that they didn't have the right parts. So they had to send someone to get it. Only they made a mistake and someone sent the wrong part. We tried again and failed, and ultimately improvised by finding some metal wire to hold the thing in close, which I prayed would be enough to keep it in place for the 9 hour ride home the next day. In the meantime, some 7 or 8 hours had passed and I almost didn't make the game in time. Instead of spending the day sight seeing I was trapped in the town of Foxboro and spent most of my time reading copies of Readers Digest in the waiting area of this quaint auto repair shop. It was the worst day of a vacation I had ever spent in my life, but I figured Canada would beat Cuba and make the day turn out right after all.
    Canada was upset 2-0, a loss that would eventually put them out of the tourney. The person I drove down with had decided to extend his vacation in Boston so I drove home alone and in silence for 9 hours contemplating the ultimate misery of being a Canadian soccer supporter.
    Flash forward 6 years. With my drivers license up for renewal soon and only working until noon today, I decided to go get the required clear air emissions test before I can do the renewal with some 8 hours to get this done before the 2009 Gold Cup begins with Canada. Its takes me three attempts to find a place early on a Friday afternoon, and even then I still have to wait 45 minutes before they start the test. But disaster struck. It is discovered that muffler now has a hole in it and needs to be replaced. They have to order in the parts which will take time and then it will take another couple of hours after the parts come in, so it won't be done until 7. Their shuttle car is currently out of service and its raining outside, so I'm stuck once again. A horrible sense of Gold Cup deja vu is happening. Just like the day of a Canada Gold Cup game in 2003,I have the whole afternoon to do anything I like, but instead I spend it hanging around an auto repair place waiting for them to fix my muffler. The only difference is that it is Canadian Tire instead of Foxfield Tire. Even the length of time waiting was the same. How can this happen twice to the same guy the day of a preliminary round Gold Cup game? This is obviously a bad omen that a same result going to happen, a disappointing Canadian loss.
    All this is to say, thank you Ali Gerba for tonight's goal. I feel like you've just exorcised some demons that have been haunting me for the past 6 years. You can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned from now on.
    Guest
    by Gian-Luca
    Canada comes into the 2009 Gold Cup on the heels of arguably the most disappointing World Cup Qualifying campaign ever. Canada has everything to play for in this tourney to restore some pride, optimism, hope and success to the Men’s National team program. They also come to this tourney after being screwed by CONCACAF officiating in the last one, so we have some unfinished business to take care of. There arguably should be no team with a greater motivation to do well in this tourney than Canada, and Patrice Bernier’s recent comment that the team is going to go into the Gold Cup with a vengeance is exactly what I want to hear.
    Having said that, Canada comes into the Gold Cup as the Group A team with (arguably) the most depleted roster. Not counting Pat Onstad and Tomasz Radzinski who may or may not have already retired from national team duty at ages 41 and 35 respectively, the Canadian team is missing some key pieces to their line-up. Without Iain Hume, Rob Friend (both through injury) and Dwayne De Rosario the team is without much of its potential offensive firepower. Without Adrian Serioux we lose one of our top defenders in World Cup Qualifying last year, and without Lars Hirshfeld we lose our top keeper. Asmir Begovic declined the Gold Cup invitation and rumours out of Bosnia that he may choose to play for them instead of us now that FIFA has changed to rules (just in time to screw Canada yet again) to un-cap-tie him may have resulted in us losing our top keeper prospect, and not just for this tourney. Other notable names missing (without any reason having been provided officially by the CSA) are David Edgar (staying in the EPL having just signed with Burnley) and veteran Daniel Imhof.
    All is not lost though. Far from it. While having enough reason to do well at this tournament by itself, the tourney can also be used as a chance to give some valuable international experience to some of Canada’s younger players who will play a role in the next Gold Cup, the next Confederations Cup (call me an optimist) and of course World Cup Qualifying which should start in 2012. And those younger players are no slouches. Will Johnson, Andrew Hainault and Dejan Jakovic are all regularly playing 90 minutes for their respective MLS teams. Simeon Jackson has come off a wonderful season in England where he literally brought Gillingham back up to League One. Marcel De Jong has quietly but effectively been playing in the Dutch top flight and Jamie Peters looks to be rounding back into form at Ipswich. In addition to this, much of the core of our top team – De Guzman, Hutchinson, Stalteri, Klukowski – are all here ready to mix in with our emerging players.
    The biggest question mark and possible concern is in goal. Greg Sutton and Josh Wagenaar both had recently lost their starting jobs at their respective clubs, and Sutton ended up losing his job altogether (although as a peculiar result of the salary cap, his release was because money was needed to sign another defender rather than due to any deficiencies of his own). Both played in Canada’s recent 3-0 win over Guatemala, but by all reports neither were tested much. There is no clear number one to choose from, but perhaps this is a tourney where Wagenaar might be able to make a name for himself.
    Outside of goal, the potential starting line-up is quite good, particularly if yesterday's pre-Gold Cup friendly against Guatemala is anything to go by. The starting back four was Mike Klukowski at left back, Dejan Jakovic and Kevin McKenna in the middle and Paul Stalteri at right back. Plenty of experience there with Jakovic a player that can play the ball out of the back with confidence. The only problem with this back four is that there isn’t any room for Andrew Hainault in it, but its nice to know that he’s waiting in the wings on the bench if one of these players goes down (and having played left back for Houston he’s shown some recent versatility). 2000 Gold Cup hero Richard Hastings and Adrian Cann are also in camp but may not see a lot of playing time unless injuries and suspensions happen back there.
    Last year some fans were touting Canada’s midfield as being the best in CONCACAF. I’m not sure if that was ever true and nobody is saying that after our disastrous 2010 Qualifying Campaign. Nevertheless, two of the four players that made up that midfield, Julian De Guzman and Atiba Hutchinson, are back with the team for this tourney, with Julian De Guzman being the key player. It’s not often that a player on a team that only made it to the semi-final gets picked as the MVP for a tournament, but that’s exactly what happened in the 2007 Gold Cup. If he repeats his form from that tourney Canada could win this tournament.
    De Guzman can’t do it alone. Atiba Hutchinson is coming off an excellent season in Denmark where he was voted as being the second best player in the entire league, and this tourney his chance to make a similar mark in CONCACAF. The absence of Dwayne De Rosario might not hurt us too much if Will Johnson is able to step up to take his place – in the long run that’s exactly what Johnson will need to do, so there’s no better time to start.
    It will be interesting to see what coach Stephen Hart does with the formation. With only a handful of strikers in camp, lead by Canada’s Gerd Muller himself, Ali Gerba (with 13 goals the most of any player on the Canadian roster), it seems as though a 4-5-1 set up is what we’ll go with to start most games. In the Guatemala friendly it seems as though Hart went with Marcel De Jong and Jamie Peters on the flanks. De Jong brings a decent ability to cross the ball (which resulted in the first goal against Guatemala) while Peters brings an abundance of speed. There are options here however – Josh Simpson and Issey Nakajima-Farran can also play on the wings and bring plenty of speed. They both could feature up front in a 4-4-2 alongside Gerba or youngster Simeon Jackson.
    There’s just enough space to mention Patrice Bernier and Kevin Harmse, who are both useful in being able to play a number of positions in midfield (and likely to see a lot of action there) and in the case of Harmse, cover at the back in the unlikely event that they will still need it with so many other defenders available. Chris Pozniak, Charles Gbeke and Kenny Stamatopolous comprise the “taxi squad” to be called in if any of the 20 man roster go down with injury.
    Canada is in the group of death once again, but the last two times we were in a group of death for a tournament (World Cup Qualifying for 2006 and 2010) we finished in last place. This time we need to at least get out of the group at a bare minimum and hopefully go for a long run and win the tourney. We will have to watch out for CONCACAF officiating and the ever-present desire for a Mexico vs. U.S. Gold Cup final for the organizers of the tourney hoping to make yet another miserable buck. They key to getting past this is playing so well that not even the officiating can stop us. It won’t be easy, but if the players have the desire and the passion (and I believe they do), it is certainly achievable. And they are playing for a coach they like and on grass, so those excuses from World Cup Qualifying are gone.
    We need a success now after so many disappointing failures at various levels. Win hard with a vengeance, boys!
    Guest
    by Gian-Luca
    Guadeloupe
    Mexico
    Nicaragua
    Panama
    Guadeloupe
    Gualeloupe makes it to their second Gold Cup in a row, having made it all the way to the semi-finals their first time round, losing only to Mexico and having defeated Canada (in the group stages) and Honduras (in the quarter-finals) along the way. Despite their relatively miniscule population they are not to be taken lightly as seemingly the entire population plays soccer 24/7. The team features many French based players (and indeed, their last Gold Cup squad featured players who had actually played for the French National team), a couple in Belgium and Therry Racon of Charlton Athletic in the UK. We should also not forget that this is the country that helped to produce the likes of Lilliam Thuram, Thierry Henry, Mikael Silvestre, William Gallas, Louis Saha, Eric Abidal, Nicholas Anelka and Slyvain Wiltord for France. Guadeloupe could probably qualify for the World Cup and beat France when they got there with those players on its team.
    The rules have changed this year however, and the players who suit up for Guadeloupe must have been born in the country and or have parents who were, and those who play or have played for the French national team can’t play for Guadeloupe any more. This automatically suggests that the team will not be as successful with fewer options to choose from, but they still bring a squad with a fair number of overseas-based players. Guadeloupe (who really has one of the coolest National flags that I’ve ever seen) finished third in the Caribbean Championship in 2008, beating Cuba on penalties, and proved that their 2007 qualification was no one-off fluke.
    One player Guadeloupe will still be able to rely upon is Franck Grandel, who won the award for top keeper of the 2007 Gold Cup. He may need to stand on his head to get Guadeloupe as far as the semi’s this time round, but a quarter-final appearance is definitely a realistic goal. They will be helped at the other end by top striker Michale Antoine-Curier, a former teammate of Chris Pozniak’s at Dundee in the Scottish First Division. Antoine-Curier has six goals in just eight games, all of which came in the 2008 Caribbean Cup.
    Mexico
    Mexico is also bringing an under-strength squad, but it would be a deception to call it a “B” team as some commentators have done. Like the US, their Gold Cup team is incredibly strong by regional standards and they must be considered favourites to win their group and the whole tourney. Mexico have been struggling away from home in World Cup Qualifying but playing in the US in the warm weather is usually not a problem for them, and they have arguably the weakest group.
    The Mexican Gold Cup roster is largely domestic based, but their domestic league is so strong in this region that it doesn’t have the “ah, well those players must not be that good” feel to it that you might say about rosters from other domestic leagues. Nevertheless there are some very notable exceptions – Tottenham Hotspurs prodigy Giovanni Dos Santos is on this team, as is Arsenal prodigy Carlos Vela, with only other foreign-based player merely being striking stalwart Omar Bravo who plays for Deportivo La Coruna in Spain (ie. De Guzman’s team for the past few seasons).
    There are many familiar names providing a wealth of experience. Gerardo Torrado and his flying elbows are back to provide a defensive backbone in midfield (and excellent long-range striking ability), while other familiar names include Jonny Magallon, Alberto Medina and former U23 keeper Guillermo Ochoa.
    The Mexicans have won 4 Gold Cups, but by their standards they might be overdue for a fifth (the last one coming in 2003, their only triumph in the last 5 tourneys). With a blend of experience and young prospects eager to book their place in the World Cup team, this team could go all the way.
    Nicaragua
    Arguably the surprise of the tournament already just by getting here. This is their first Gold Cup, which they qualified for by finishing fifth in the Central American Championships, defeating Guatemala 2-0 to knock Guatemala out of the Gold Cup. Fans of the Montreal Impact will have a good sense of what the team is like as nine members of the roster come from Real Esteli, the team that Montreal beat in the preliminary round of the 2008-2009 CONCACAF Champions League. One of those Real Esteli players, Samuel Wilson, scored both goals for Nicaragua in that match against Guatemala and will presumably be relied upon for more scoring should Nicaragua have any hope of progressing out of the first round.
    Nicaragua is best known as a baseball nation and their soccer players toil in relative obscurity. This Gold Cup appearance is considered the apex of their soccer history thus far, so much so that their coach has compared their trip to the Gold Cup to the equivalent of a trip to the World Cup. One can’t help but feel that the squad, with no player having more than four caps according to at least one source, might have a “just happy to be there” mentality to it. Their brightest hope might be 18 year old Daniel Reyes, who is one of the few players on the squad on a foreign club – Tigres of Brazil, no less. Perhaps the clear underdog of the whole tourney, Nicaragua will be thrilled to get to the quarter-finals.
    Panama
    After a recent surge through the middle-part of this decade that saw them qualify for the Hex for 2006 and reach the 2005 Gold Cup Final, the Panamanian team has slipped a bit. They were eliminated by El Salvador in the preliminary round of World Cup qualifying for 2010 in a bitterly played, controversial two-game series that Panama unsuccessfully officially protested. The Gold Cup is a chance for Panama to swing things back in the other direction and with the squad they have brought and the group they are in, they should have few problems reaching the quarter-finals.
    Panama, like fellow Central Americans Honduras and Costa Rica, have more players playing abroad than ever before. They are led up front by Colombian and Mexican based strikers Luis Tejada and Blas Perez, respectively. The duo have 24 goals between them. Captain Felipe Baloy of Monterrey in Mexico is the leader at the back, while the midfield can boast the likes of Brazilian-based Juan Perez (of Juventude) and Israeli-based Alberta Blanco (of Maccabi Netanya). Panama’s top domestic team San Francisco (which featured in the 2008-2009 CONCACAF Champions League) also supplies four players, including veteran Ricardo Phillips who can boast a team-leading 67 caps to his name.
    Because of Panama’s even-more-truncated-than-Canada’s 2010 World Cup Qualifying Campaign, it is difficult to examine the form of the team in person. They do come into the tourney as Central American champions however, having defeated Costa Rica on PK’s in the final. All signs point to this being a formidable opponent in the 2009 Gold Cup.
    Guest
    by Gian-Luca
    Grenada
    Haiti
    Honduras
    USA
    Grenada
    This team is making their first ever appearance in the Gold Cup, having finished in second place in the 2008 Caribbean Cup behind champions Jamaica. The team gave Costa Rica a fairly significant headache in a two-game World Cup Qualifying preliminary round series in 2008, marching out to a 2-0 lead in the first game before ultimately drawing 2-2 and then losing 3-0 in San Jose. They did enough in that series and in the Caribbean Cup to warrant their inclusion here and not to be taken lightly.
    The team has two superlative players that need to be mentioned – Blackburn Rovers’ striker Jason Roberts leads the attack, having scored 9 goals in just 14 games for his country, while one of the best midfielders in MLS, Shalrie Joseph of the New England Revolution, provides a solid anchor to the team’s midfield.
    Most of the rest of the team is domestic based and I’d be lying if I pretended to know much about them. However, given that they finished ahead of fellow Caribbean nation Haiti in the 2008 Caribbean Cup, there is every chance they could do so again, finish 3rd and possibly nab one of the quarter-final spots on that basis.
    Haiti
    The big question for Haiti is if they can pull a Denmark circa 1992 and win their continental championship only after qualifying because another country withdrew. Because that’s the task that the Haitians face, qualifying for this year’s Gold Cup only because Cuba pulled out citing reasons of player development and being able to field a competitive team before Haiti beat Trinidad & Tobago in a draw (so its not just Canada who does that sort of thing) to get here.
    But Haiti is here now, and anyone who takes a former top team of the region lightly (albeit the early 1970’s, but still) does so at their peril. The potential with Haiti is always there, it’s always a question of whether it can be realized. This Haitian team does not come in under the best run, as we have already seen. They missed a golden opportunity with a relatively weak semi-final group to qualify for the final round of World Cup Qualifying in this region for the first time since 1982, going winless in six games against Costa Rica, Surinam and El Salvador.
    Nevertheless there are players to watch out for, such as Leonel Saint-Preux. Canadian fans (and keeper Josh Wagenaar) might remember him as the striker who smashed in a shot for 40 yards out that helped to beat Canada in an otherwise-controversial U23 Olympic qualifier last year. Saint-Preux plays for the Minnesota Thunder in USL Division 1 where he occasionally comes up against Haitian teammate Kenold Versailles of Canada’s own Vancouver Whitecaps. The Haitian team is now made up of more overseas players than has typically been the case with a handful of players plying their trade in France, Portugal, MLS, and USL (including Puerto Rico Islander striker Fabrice Noel). They are captained by the experienced defender Pierre-Richard Bruny, who has garnered 75 caps at the age of 37.
    Haiti has enough quality about them that they should qualify out of this group as a third place team, but whether they will remains to be seen. Their match against Grenada will be key in this regard.
    Honduras
    Honduras enters their 9th Gold Cup tournament with largely a second string squad. Many of their star players, including Wilson Palacios, Maynor Figueroa, Hendry Thomas, Ramon Nunez,David Suazo, Julio Cesar De Leon and Amado Guevara are missing the tourney, with Suazo in particular still out injured. With a couple of exceptions (such as Roger Espinoza of the Kansas City Wizards in MLS), nearly entire 23 man roster that I’ve seen (and I’ve yet to see an final one) is domestic-based. Before anyone thinks that this automatically means Honduras will be an easy team to beat, a lot of times these domestic-based players will play in a tourney like this and the next thing you know they have signed for Wigan or been loaned to Birmingham. Honduras is currently on the upswing and may very well be heading towards their first World Cup appearance in 28 years.
    This is the Gold Cup however, and while the team should not be taken lightly, they will probably find it hard to win their first Gold Cup without so many of their star foreign-based players (of which there are a lot more now than there ever was before). They should still have enough to finish second in the group. It is unclear to me at the time of writing if Carlos Costly is on the 23 man roster or not (the one I provided with was a 24 man roster with Costly as the 24th man) – if so he alone will ensure that Honduras has a potent attack that needs to be respected. Where they may have a weakness is in goal, as their typical number one keeper Noel Vallerdes is also not with the team, and he’s not even that strong of a keeper to begin with. On the other hand, keepers named to his tourney might be relatively inexperienced but it is difficult to say that they suck without having seen them play.
    Despite not having their strongest team, the Honduran team should finish second in this group if the players are motivated enough. The players selected will be fighting for starting spots for the “A” team and also trying to attract the attention of foreign club scouts, which along with Honduras’ quest to win their first Gold Cup, should provide plenty of motivation for the team to do well.
    United States
    The U.S.A. have come off their most successful FIFA international tournament finish ever, losing 3-2 to Brazil in the Confederations Cup final after leading for about three quarters of the game. They are also two time defending champions for the Gold Cup, winners of the tourney four times overall, and have not lost a match in this tourney to another CONCACAF team since the 1998 Gold Cup Final (in 2000 and 2003, the only times this decade they haven’t won the Gold Cup they were eliminated by Colombia and Brazil respectively). They have a comparatively weak group, and because they are hosting the tournament as they have done every time they just might get the odd mystical call go in their favour to ensure CONCACAF doesn’t lose a ton of money on this tourney. So what’s not to like for their chances to win it for the third straight time and record fifth overall?
    There’s only one small thing that I can think of - their roster. The vast majority of the team that surprised in the Confederations Cup is gone, and US team number two comes in. Only a few players on their Gold Cup roster are considered to be members of the US “A” team – Brian Ching and Steve Cherundolo (both injured for the Confederations Cup) are on the Gold Cup team along with Confederations Cup striker Charlie Davies and although they didn’t see much playing time, Freddy Adu and Heath Pearce have also survived from South Africa.
    This is no B team by CONCACAF standards though. The U.S. has such depth now in the region that this team should finish first in their group and with home-field advantage in tow, be a contender and favourite to win the whole tourney. Their group, with fellow Hexsters Honduras also wielding a B team, is not the toughest, with all due respect to Haiti and Grenada. And while some players many not have graduated to the US’s best 11, this tourney gives them a chance to prove they should. Houston’s Stuart Holden may have his chance to shine as the main creative force in midfield and Dallas’ Kenny Cooper gets his chance to become a major goalscoring threat.
    Where this team is short is international experience, with most players having less than 5 caps and 7 having none at all. Goalscoring will likely have to come from new sources if the US is to progress to the final, as outside of Brian Ching who has 9 career goals, nobody else on the roster that has been called has more than 2.
    Goalkeeping is also a question mark. It is my understanding that Jon Busch is on the taxi squad, so coach Bob Bradley will have to choose between Troy Perkins and Luis Nobles, who have one cap between them at the time of writing.
    Of course as CONCACAF announced a few hours before I wrote this article that the US has been given special permission to bring a 30 man roster (!) to the tourney from which they can pick and dress 18 because they had to go through the rigours of playing in the Confederations Cup, everything I just wrote might have to be thrown out the window, as it so often is.
    Guest
    by Gian-Luca
    Canada
    Costa Rica
    El Salvador
    Jamaica
    We’ll look at Canada more closely in an entry of its own. This group features the only two teams still involved in World Cup Qualifying who are bringing either their full squad or pretty close to it to this tourney. Naturally they both happen to be in Canada’s group, along with an always tough Jamaican team, making this yet another “group of death” (by Concacaf standards) for Canada to get out of. Canada has been placed in what are arguably “groups of death” for the past two World Cup Qualifying tournaments, only to finish last in both. Let’s hope a better fate awaits us this time.
    Costa Rica
    Must be considered the clear favourite to win the group, if not a favourite to win the whole tourney. They are currently in first place in the final round of World Cup Qualifying and have brought what is basically their top squad to the tourney. The team is led by the seemingly ageless Walter Centeno who will turn 35 in October. He brings plenty of experience (being the most capped “Ticos” player in their history) and provides a solid anchor to the midfield – and plenty of goals, with 19 for his country. There are plenty of goals overall in this squad – strikers Alvaro Saborio and Andy Furtado have 27 goals between them, which is probably more than any other team’s top two strikers have in this edition of the Gold Cup. In the back Harold Wallace, who played against Canada in the 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2007 editions of the Gold Cup, is still there and as you might have guessed by now is the other incredibly experienced player on the Costa Rica team. Its not all about experience however – look out for midfield youngster Celso Borges who plays in Norway and already has 5 goals in just 12 caps, including 3 in the final round of World Cup Qualifying, two of which were game winners.
    On paper this team should win the group and contend for the championship. However, despite seemingly indicating a serious intention to win the Gold Cup for the first time by bringing an "A" squad, the Costa Rican coach has been quoted in the Costa Rican press as saying “Suppose we win the Gold Cup. And? We don't win anything because: it doesn't get us to a Copa America, it doesn't get us to a World Cup and there is no Confederations Cup ticket”. There are many ways in which to take this comment – as a ready-made excuse before underperforming, as a way of keeping pressure off the players, or possibly as a sign that the team isn’t as motivated as others might be to win this since they are still involved in qualifying. What it does suggest to me is that if countries in this region want to earn respect of the rest of the world, we need to respect our own competitions first, and the suggesting that being champions of the region is in of itself worthless shows a severe lack of respect.
    El Salvador
    El Salvador was a major player on the Concacaf scene for a long time, having made their way to two World Cups in a 12 year span in the 1970’s and 1980’s. They fell from the scene in the last 10 years even worse than Canada has, but a controversial victory over Central American rivals Panama (who seemed to have supplanted them in the Central American soccer hierarchy) and an extremely favourable draw in the semi-final stage sees them back into the “Hex” for the first time since 1998, and they have followed that up with their sixth Gold Cup Appearance. They also are taking this competition very seriously – not just because their roster is their top squad (all 18 players from their last World Cup Qualifier are in the 23 man squad) but unlike Costa Rica, they have publicly admitted it instead of claiming the opposite, with one key member stating “We're playing to win, not just because it's an obligation."
    The team is led in midfield by Eliseo Quantanilla who has recently returned to play in El Salvador after a spell in Cyrprus. The midfield star and striker Rudis Corrales account for most of the goals on this team with 25 between them. The squad is largely domestic based – only 3 players ply their trade outside of El Salvador, New York Red Bulls Defender Alfredo Pacheco and two recent signings for Club Leon in Mexico, Julio Martinez and Rodolfo Zelaya. The latter is suspended (along with defender Deris Umanzor) for the first two games of the tourney, which apart from hampering their own team, means they won’t face Canada.
    The domestic-based nature of this team makes it difficult for someone based in Canada to write about them with any authority – especially as the two countries last met in a Gold Cup Qualifier in 1999 and the entire El Salvadoran team has changed since then (along with most of the Canadian one). But even if you were familiar with the team, it would still be difficult to know what to expect, as anything might happen. For example, their recent Central American Nations Cup semifinal (which acted as qualifiers for the Gold Cup) against Costa Rica had to be abandoned by the officials because the team ended up with just 6 players on the field in the second half, due to 2 expulsions in the first 25 minutes (one to Quintanilla), 3 early substitutions and then three alleged injuries (which resulted in three suspensions mentioned above). The team’s fortunes have improved recently, but they are, like so many Central American teams, far stronger at home (they recently beat Ecuador and Mexico in a World Cup Qualifier there) but won’t have that particular luxury in this tourney. As a team still attempting to qualify while Canada is out, they definitely should be respected by the Canadian team and its fans.
    Jamaica
    The Jamaicans arrive for their seventh Gold Cup after unluckily being eliminated from the “Group of Death” semi-final World Cup Qualifying round on goal differential to Mexico – and even then only because Mexico was gifted with a draw in Canada due to the Ref’s bizarre decision to reward Gerardo Torrado’s flying elbow into the face of Marcel De Jong with dangerous free kick for Mexico, which they of course scored on. Much of that same Jamaican team is along for the Gold Cup and definitely helps to make this another Group of Death as there are no weak teams here. The main missing player for Jamaica is English born-and-bred striker Marlon King, who is having some legal issues back home in the UK. Otherwise it is basically their first string team, which means that of the four teams in this group, it is actually Canada who will be bringing the most depleted roster.
    The Jamaican team bring arguably the most experienced defense in the entire competition – 36 year old Ian Goodison of Tranmere Rovers, 30 year-old Captain Ricardo Gardner of Bolton, 30 Year old Claude Davis of Derby County and 34 year old Tyrone Marshall of Seattle Sounders bring (at the time of writing) a total of 349 caps between them to this tourney. They will be playing in front of keeper Donovan Ricketts of the LA Galaxy who has long been the Jamaican number one. The Jamaican midfield will also be strong – a plethora of Euro-based midfielders in their 20’s – Demar Phillips, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Jermaine Johnson, Jason Morrison, Rodolph Austin, Oneil Thompson – are all quick and skillful on the ball. And up front are prolific strikers Luton Shelton of Valerenga in Norway (at 27 goals is already tied for top Jamaican goal scorer of all time, at just age 23) and Ricardo Fuller of Stoke City in the UK. This is a complete team, very experienced and could be the dark horse of the tournament. They should also be brimming with confidence in their opener against Canada, having drawn 1-1 in Canada and beaten us 3-0 in Jamaica in our two most recent meetings (the latter was against a second-string Canadian team with nothing to play for, but that might not affect the Jamaicans confidence either way).
    Guest

    Canada 3 Guatemala 0

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    by Gian-Luca
    Canada defeated Guatemala 3-0 today in a closed-door friendly in the final tune-up before the 2009 Gold Cup. According to one report, Ali Gerba scored first and last (with the latter on a PK) with Patrice Bernier scoring in between. Canada led 1-0 at the half. The starting line-up for Canada featured:
    GK: Josh Wagenaar
    RB: Paul Stalteri
    CB: Dejan Jakovic
    CB: Kevin McKenna
    LB: Mike Klukowski
    M-F: Will Johnson
    M-F: Julian de Guzman
    M-F: Atiba Hutchinson
    M-F: Marcel de Jong
    M-F: Jaime Peters
    F: Ali Gerba
    More details when we get them.
    Guest

    Holger's Heroes

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    It's hard to imagine now, with the
    prevalence of footie channels on cable and the all encompassing
    influence of the internet in today's society how very different
    things were just 10 years ago in this country. The long suffering
    soccer sub-culture in Canada which had learned to survive on short
    rations from the mainstream media was only just beginning to get a
    taste of the luxuries which accompany recognition by that particular
    business community. The luxuries that today, we all take very much
    for granted. Twenty-four hour soccer channels on the tube, endless
    availability of soccer news from around the world, a strong domestic
    blog-o-sphere and soccer as a necessary part of the sports coverage
    for any and all of Canada's biggest media broadcasters. A decade
    ago, things were very, very different. By 2010 we were seeing the
    end of the dark ages of footie non-coverage but were still a long cry
    from where things stand today.
    So it speaks to the accomplishments of
    Canada's 2010 Gold Cup Champions that their unlikely but fully
    deserved victory gained national attention by a media which was only
    just waking up to the size and potential of Canada's soccer
    community.
    And why not? Why shouldn't they? This
    was a sporting story worthy of print. Everyone loves to wave the
    flag and everyone loves the under-dog story with a happy ending but
    there was so much more to this incredible piece of Canadiana. The
    Fates (or at least Chuck Blazer and his 25 cent piece), pure, random,
    chance for once smiled at a Canadian squad and what that squad would
    do with that blessing afterwords. “The Keeper” and The Big Red
    Line which fiercely defended in front of him. A Golden Goal from the
    most unlikely of sources against the most indomitable of opponents
    and of course that unheard of Corazzin chap game in and game out
    torturing the unsuspecting opposition.
    This was a team which went undefeated
    in the tournament. Which had to defeat higher ranked opponents along
    their way to collecting winners medals and did it all in fine style.
    They'd sweep the individual awards and have three players named to
    the tournament's Best 11.
    In the history of the Gold Cup few
    players have ever stood out as having owned a tournament in the way
    Canada's Craig Forrest owned 2000. Not before, and not since. The
    Keeper kept an over-matched Canada on it's feet long enough to punch
    above it's weight and together earned the grand prize in the end.
    Not too bad for a squad which wasn't
    suppose to advance beyond the group stage. The difference between
    also-ran to Holger's Heroes measured by The Fates on the axis of a
    coin.
    It's a funny old game sometimes. A
    wonderful, inspiring, funny old game.
    The good people over at rednationonline
    have done their usual excellent work in commemorating this 10th
    anniversary of Canada's 2-nil victory over Colombia in the Gold Cup
    final. A must see for all Canada supporters and sports fans alike,
    guaranteed not to disappointed.
    Guest

    Signs of Spring

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Every year winter weary Canadians from coast to coast to coast eagerly go through the annual ritual of checking off their list of tell tale signs that unofficially qualify spring as having finally sprung across this gianormus country we call home. Melting snows and swollen rivers. Those 1st shoots of green on branch and lawn and of course the return from warmer climes of the red breasted robin not to mention every motorists favourate yearly event, pothole season. But nothing announces Spring is again in full bloom in Canada with quite the same authority as the return of domestic soccer. So with the arrival of April it's safe to once again put away those heavy coats and winter boots for another year, footie has returned to The Great White North and as with every year, it hasn't arrived a moment too soon.
    For Toronto Football Club what more can possibly be said for Season #4 that hasn't been said over and over again already? For want of a colourful term some observers might call the Major League Soccer franchise bi-polar. Others, would use a term like schizophrenic. Local supporters would likely be more kind and describe their home town team as complicated. But using whatever terms you like there is no denying that one of MLS's most successful franchises is a creature with a real Jekyll & Hyde nature. An organization which can't place a wrong step off the field is also looking no closer to on-field success than it did in Season #1. Again. It remains to be seen whether TFC can take there expanded stadium, world class natural grass pitch, commanding media presence and that knowledgeable fanatic base which would be the envy of any soccer team in the world, and manage to blend it all into the concoction which will slay for once and all the ugly Mr Hyde which has been to date the teams sometimes sorry on field product.
    It's too early to make any judgment but the franchise's 4th coach in as many years, former American international Preki, has been given license to make this team his own, and he is certainly doing so with some enthusiasm as he reshapes the squad into what everyone hopes will be a winner in 2010. Whether or not Preki can make in-season the team he couldn't put together in pre-season we're not going to know at the beginning of April but the signs are already there that we'll know the answer by the end of it, for better or worse.
    New England vs Toronto
    Gillette Stadium, Foxborough MA
    Saturday, April 10th
    7:30 PM EST
    GolTV
    For theVancouver Whitecaps it's their United Soccer League swan song. With the organization set to move to Major League Soccer and eventually their new home at a freshly renovated BC Place in 2011 it will also be the last we're likely to ever see of the Whitecaps' scenic long time home, Swangard Stadium. And to be honest, it's about time. Vancouver long ago outgrew both the league and the venue and there could be just no having traditional rivals Seattle and Portland competing in another league without the 'Caps. Nope. That just wouldn't be right. USL's loss in the Pacific North West is MLS's massive gain. Of that there is no doubt.
    All looks good for the 'Caps this final season as head office has been busy putting into place all the bits, bobs, and structure which any soccer organization needs to make claim to a truly professional reputation.
    And while it would be impossible for those around the team not to help but look towards the longer term, 2011 and beyond, no one expects the Whitecaps to do anything but their best to leave 2nd division soccer in proper style. Joining MLS with a couple of titles to their name and a bit more silverware crowding the trophy case has to be the goal.
    For defending USL 1st Division Champions Montreal Impact, similar expectations must exist. For one of the most successful soccer organizations of any shape or stripe north of the Rio Grande, last seasons dramatic finish offered some redemption for a team and city which had suffered some stinging defeats, both on and off the field, earlier in the year. And while it is certain the good people throughout the Montreal Impact organization are hoping nothing but the best for their rivals in Vancouver as they play their way towards MLS's greener pastures it is also certain that these same good people aren't willing to see that happen at their expense.
    For Montreal it's a year of defending their Championship title, returning the Voyageur's Cup to it's traditional home in the Impact trophy case, and once again showing North America's soccer culture that they can play some winning football out of Saputo Stadium, and they don't need MLS to do it.
    Vancouver vs NSC Minnesota
    Swangard Stadium, Vancouver BC
    Sunday, April 11th
    7 PM EST
    Austin vs Montreal
    House Park, Austin TX
    Sunday, April 11th
    7 PM EST
    All USSF 2nd Division fixtures are suppose to be streamed live on the internet once again this year. Check into the club websites for links and details.
    Guest

    3000 simple words about fixing TFC

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    Mo must go.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. Mo must go. 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    Onward!
    Guest

    Well, what did we expect?

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    Understand. No one much goes to Toronto FC press conferences expecting to hear “the truth.”
    Every last member of the press corps understands, on the way past security and down the concrete chutes and past more security, that what we will be presented with is “the spin.”
    The trick – the almighty guessing game, truth be told – is to try to hook “the spin” back to some reasonable version of “the truth.” But this is a universe where “reasonable” remains undefined, so those of us who dare to draw conclusions are – for the most part – guessing.
    And so, while your guess is as good as mine, here’s mine:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] A week ago Wednesday, Toronto FC captain Jim Brennan told “It’s Called Football” he was in good shape, and really looking forward to the new campaign. Two days ago, he sat smiling at a hastily arranged TFC presser to say he is done.
    Okay. That’s true.
    Jimmy B has also accepted a kick upstairs, and a new role as GM Mo Johnston’s assistant GM. That’s literally true, but how much of a “job” he really has will likely remain in shadow.
    For what little it’s worth, I have no real qualms or quibbles with Brennan’s side of this. Truth is, he’s on the downside. Deeper truth: this is MLS and Brennan got caught on the wrong side of the spreadsheet. That happens to everyone sooner or later, however crazy it drives those of us who dream of better things.
    Oh, you think it’s money, Ben? What about rifts with new coach Preki and such? The ones vehemently denied by both Brennan and Johnston during Wednesday’s spinfest?
    Well, sure, it’s possible. There were huge rifts in the Toronto FC dressing room when Preki arrived – rifts that Brennan’s captaincy had done bug-squat to heal. And, yes, Brennan famously tossed former Canada coach Dale Mitchell under a spike-wheeled street car when the ‘08 World Cup qualifying run went iceberg in Mehico.
    But let me suggest a reason or six why that part of the story might not matter. Regardless of whether you think Brennan is done as a player, he was long-gone done as a captain.
    Three things should have happened immediately after TFC lost 0-5 to the New York Product Placement on the awful last Saturday of the ‘09 playoff tease.
    · Chris Cummins needed to be canned as Toronto coach.
    · Mo Johnston needed to be reassigned to a new position as assistant to the guy wot changes bulbs in the BMO Field light standards.
    · Jim Brennan needed to be stripped of the captaincy.
    Folks, that one game is going to haunt this franchise for years and years to come. Johnston threw everything he had into making TFC a winner last year.
    He squirreled together draft picks and allocation money, landed DeRo and de Guzman, and threw it all on the need for one single decent result, on the road, in the Joisey swamps, against one of the worst teams Our Little League has yet produced.
    Nil-five loss. Horror. All these cap problems TFC is currently choking on? They would have been here anyway. The difference is – the team with the ridiculous name from Utah that snuck into the playoffs when TFC wrecked are now the cup-claiming champions of all men’s division-one pro soccer north of the Rio Grande. And Toronto FC has been rendered a soggy, seeping mess.
    Well, Cummings is gone, and Brennan’s been bought out. That just leaves your pal and mine, Mo Johnston.
    And his old pal Preki, and their old pal Nick Garcia in the centre of defence, even though he can’t run, can’t jump and has grievous lapses of field-reading judgment.
    Deep breath.
    In MLS, anything remains possible. The good teams are limited in how good they can be, half the squads still make the playoffs, this will always be a coach’s league, and Preki has proved he can coach undermanned squads into the playoffs. More players will arrive, and some semblence of teamwork will congeal, even if it can’t be tastily cooked up.
    Those who are deeply suspicious of Mo Johnston already were before he and Brennan spun this pretty little top of theirs.
    I find myself glad the armband is being passed, but I will miss Brennan’s heart. The fact that he’s about the only player the club has ever had who can reasonably cross the ball from the left side is going to need to be addressed – two years ago.
    People, you either believe Mo Johnston or you don’t, and nothing I write either way is going to ever change anyone’s mind on that.
    This team is in a lot of trouble right now, and there’s little anyone who loves it can do but hope Preki is the right coach, and that Mo can bandaid together just enough guys who can do just enough jobs to just about sneak this soggy, sagging soccer side into the playoffs.
    I just want Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment to know that we aren’t being fooled, and we’ll happily explain the entire mess to them, if they’re ever feeling curious.
    Onward!
    Guest

    Progress!!

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    Well, no sooner do I resolve to take a more optimistic outlook to the strange, self-inflicted blandness of Our Little League, than the powers-that-be at Major League Soccer do the right thing, and give each team the option to spend their own money on a second Designated Player.
    And a third!
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The idea (if you haven’t been trudging through this swamp for the past three years) is to actually create some separation in this parity-riddled loop, giving teams notably different identities – something which, these days, they really don’t have.
    This is a league where just about every team has an all-white uniform (thanks, loads, Toronto FC, for jumping on that bandwagon for oh-ten!), there are very few stars, and everyone’s pretty much in the playoff hunt on the final weekend of the season.
    Sure, that last part makes for interesting Octobers, but long lapses of vanilla-pablum dullness tend to lurk as the spring and summer congeal.
    Or do they?
    The problem with the original DP rule was the $400,000 cap hit, which puts one dollar out of every six in the pocket of the guy who’s getting paid way extra by the club owner anyhoo. That blows holes in the rest of the roster, guts a lot of the advantage the big buy was supposed to render, and the wheels on the bus go ‘round and ‘round, ‘round and ‘round.
    Well, the salary cap’s up – a bit – and the DP cap hit is down to $335,000 per man.
    That’s a bit of a disappointment. A lot of us were hoping the second DP would be off the cap completely. That would free teams to bulk up a bit without taking money away from the rest of the roster. Adding new hits kind of takes us sideways – not really ahead, but not all that far back, either.
    Goes like this:
    The real, crying need for the second DP came from the simple fact that a single player – no matter how gifted – cannot single-handedly lift an undermanned soccer squad to glory. David Beckham didn’t do anywhere near as much to raise the L.A. Galaxy from flatulence to the final as head coach Bruce Arena.
    But – two of them? Now you might be getting somewhere – particularly if they can link up with each other on-field. Beckham passing to Landon Donovan is a top-grade weapon in this league – when they’re uninjured and not playing overseas.
    That kind of weapon now carries a $670,000 cap price – which leaves about as much as a single DP used to, given that the cap just went up. The third DP is an odd idea, but it opens the door for a headline-seeking team to really make a splash. New York Energy Drink, anyone?
    The cap hit annoys the heck out of me, but it’s crucial to MLS. It allows the overall talent pool to grow, without any inflationary effect on the general salary pool. If anything, money for “normal” MLS players may actually go down, depending on how many teams actually buy into the third DP.
    Still with me? Yeah, I know. Whatever happened to just kicking the ball?
    The good news: each team is now individually assessing its DP strategy. They are not all going to take the same route. Some teams will buy in. Some will improve, while others won’t. Teams are perfectly free to sit out the whole DP craze. Most squads currently don’t have one, and some will undoubtedly continue to hold out. No reason they can’t win, though. This is still a league where parity runs deep.
    What we’ve got – finally – is a chance for each team to state its personality in its roster moves. The rest of the pro sports world takes that for granted. Not MLS. We’ve been watching near-identical teams all do just about pretty much as well as each other.
    There won’t be enough separation here for any individual team or two to dominate. There will still never be a great team in MLS. But things will get much more interesting now – and intriguing.
    The brilliant baseball writer Bill James used to say that each individual match is a passionate argument about how the game should actually be played. Finally – finally!! – those arguments can actually begin.
    This could, yet, turn into a satisfying season.
    Onward!
    Guest

    Optimism!!

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    Okay, it’s a few days gone from Toronto FC’s season-opening loss in Columbus. Even longer since the new MLS CBA locked us all into five more years of financial life-support. And lord, the Reds did not look good on Saturday.
    I could grumble on forever if I chose to.
    But sports is supposed to be fun. I modestly believe I make my best contribution when I find something to be happy about against all perceived odds and logic.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    So rather than dwell on two gruesome Nick Garcia giveaways and another very late goal against (referee-assisted, which doesn’t improve the mood any), I’m going to step back from Onward’s recent multi-week chronicle of woes, and endeavor to get … happy!!
    It’s tricky, because it’s not just me feeling down right now. There was something profoundly missing from TFC support group U-Sector’s pub gathering to watch the first real game of 2010.
    Beer? Check. Emotional ups-and-downs with every significant movement of the soccer ball? Check. Giddy, opening-day optimism and buzz?
    No.
    Absent.
    Huge contrast from three years ago, when U-Sector’s leaping, screaming, full-throated enthusiasm just about leveled the pub. That, too, was a bad 0-2 defeat. But the mood could not have been more different.
    Yes, three years out of the playoffs have taken their toll. No, TFC GM Mo Johnston’s off-season acquisitions have not, as yet, offered much hope of change. But there should still be a buzz on opening day. Maybe the Red Patch Boys pulled it off. I didn’t get a chance to get down there to join them.
    I left the pub feeling more than a bit ground out. I didn’t see a lot to love in TFC’s effort. Better, surer control at the back (Garcia’s gruesome gaffes aside), but ongoing difficulty linking up with the midfield. It felt a bit too familiar. I suspect this may be a fairly common feeling ‘round these parts.
    The real test, of course, comes on April 15. BMO Field reopens, with a new north stand and real grass on the pitch. Throw in a goonish expansion Philadelphia Union side (Toronto fans love to hate Philadelphia) and that … is … going … to … be … a … buzz!
    Which will feel great.
    Yes, I’ve had a bit of a bellyful of MLS. The cap’s too low, the teams are too identical, and there will never be a great soccer team from here under the prevailing rules.
    So, maybe it’s just time to watch some soccer. Hone in on the on-field product, dwelling less on its artificiality and more on the actual eleven guys going each way, and what they do when they get there.
    Next week, Onward! will move back to twice a week (most weeks), filled with wheeling, colourful dispatches from the roof of BMO Field on match day. MLS issues will still bubble up – along with CSA and Canada ones.
    You guys have been very patient while I’ve been laying out the obstacles. I owe you – and myself – some giddy, exultant runs through the obstacle course.
    Is someone going to emerge in the TFC attack who can offset the Nick Garcia effect at the back? Surely I hope so. Let’s go find him together.
    (Oh! And what’s the BMO Field record for most mac-and-cheese fritters consumed in a single match? Is anyone planning to ride out after it? Comments, please, if’n y’all got the goods.)
    Onward!
    Guest

    Welcome to the Coin-Toss League

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    Ah, it’s always nice to get in on the ground floor of history.
    Today, Onward! celebrates the birth of a new soccer league. No, I don’t mean a reborn Major League Soccer, saved from labour chaos and tucked into a cozy five-year cocoon of forced league-wide mediocrity.
    I refer to a new project that begins on MLS opening night – this very Thursday when Philly debuts against Highlighter-Green Rain Forest.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    To back my ongoing claim that MLS is essentially a coin-flip league, where the teams are largely equal and no team or teams can ever become strong enough to lift themselves – and the competition – clear of the middlesome mire, I am going to start … counting coin-flips.
    Whoever wins the opening coin-toss of each and every MLS soccer match shall be credited with – a win! Such dead-even fifty-fiftiness should produce a thrilling, dead-even competition, with all 16 teams squarely in the playoff hunt come the Autumnal Equinox.
    A couple of provisions:
    - Obviously, I won’t have access to every opening coin flip. So it shall be policy of the Coin-Toss League that whichever team kicks off to open the match shall be declared the winner. If team X decides, for whatever loopy reason, to defer its choice to the second half, it does so at its own competitive peril.
    - If – when! – an MLS match ends in a draw, it shall be considered a draw in the coin-flip league, as well. Two reasons for this. It’s a statistical control which ensures both leagues will have the same number of wins. This will become important for satirical reasons. Also, because MLS is designed to be a place where equality rules, why should the Coin-Toss League deny equal points to teams who spent an entire match unable to defeat each other?
    And in the post-season, of course, coin-calling will be … everything.
    I expect a thrilling parallel soccer season. Which teams will emerge? Which MLS captains can’t call a flying coin worth bat spit? (The eyes of Red Patch are upon ye, Jimmy B!)
    It’s the only proper, admiring response I can give to a league where the players won some minimal human rights in exchange to committing to five more years on competitive life-support.
    If MLS wants to hold a little coin-flip ceremony at the beginning of games which are essentially forced coin-flips anyway, it’s long-since time that someone’s soccer blog started adding them up.
    Onward! is that blog – and I am that someone.
    Heads or tails, y’all?
    Onward!
    Guest

    So strike already!

    By Guest, in Onward Soccer,

    One of the things about labour strife in pro sports that is hardest for fans to deal with is the way a strike or lockout shatters “the illusion.”
    Sports, to most fans, is an alternate world where their troubles can’t intrude. Take a break from the boss. Don’t deal with that nagging, growing, uncomfortable incompatability with whomever you happen to be locking lips with this year.
    But, of course, any alternate metaphor for life is going to include all the angst, anguish and emotion of the real thing (whatever that may be).
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The deal, though, is that the games go on. Or, that used to be the deal before all these strikes started happening. Baseball in 1981 was an apocalypse for me. After the 1994 ball strike, I never went back.
    TFC supporter group U-Sector has cancelled the Boston trip. The “Goodbye Columbus” tour buses have been parked, because no one knows with any honesty if the New England-Toronto FC match is going to be played – ever.
    And now we hear that all but two players in the entire league support a strike. The number is statistically impossible, and as much as I hate to ever agree with Bill Archer, I always find it significant when I do.
    So as I wake up this morning – awaiting French toast and bacon in my new, warm and beloved second home – I’m ready to call shenanigans on the whole rotten mess.
    So a bunch of modestly talented players who mostly only have jobs because Our Little League tightly restricts the market for their services want to lay down their ankle tape, endangering the start of a 16-team, seven-month race for eighth place?
    Go for it!
    Folks, I’m not a union guy, and never have been. Liberal as all get out, but I’ve always, always, always made my own deals. I don’t like market restrictions, whether they come from ownership or labour. I’m glad MLS has found a way to survive, but if there’s nothing in this new agreement to let teams spend some of their own money to uneven the playing field a little, I’m afeared I may be approaching my limit.
    Walk out, lads. Get whatever concessions you can. It doesn’t look like a real league is going to be with us anytime ever. If the little tree that is Major League Soccer is as rooted to its structure as every so-called expert keeps telling me it is, then by all means, give the thing a shake.
    But damn it all, get on with it! These precious days before a new season begins are a sacred time for us fans. Anything can still happen. Anyone can still win. The regrettable fact that, in MLS, that will still be true in September doesn’t alter the illusion. This time of year is for US!
    So go back your demand for slightly guaranteed contracts and modest, nearly meaningless free agency. At least make it look to those who might still sympathize that you’re not going down without a kitten fit.
    It’s mid-March, and I want my bland, drab little soccer league.
    Life can’t be all love and French toast, after all.
    Onward!
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