Kristina Kiss' Status

[Elaine]

hey guys-

how ironic that i have something to "share" on kiss' birthday, eh?

anywho ... as been speculated the past few months, what everyone probably already knows (or come to the conclusion of) is in fact true.

i 'officially' got word from kristina today that it's true, she will not be returning to team canada and that she will continue to play with fløya in norway.

the people involved already knows and understands the reasons and why kiss made this decision ... and unfortunately it's not really any of our business!

however, kristina wanted me to tell ya'll that she wishes the team all the best as she'll be their biggest fan in norway and that she's happy playing there. and she thanks you for all your support through the years.

personally, i'm kinda bummed that it's "official" that kiss is stepping away from the team, especially when i think she's an amazing player and person and i will truly miss her on the team!!! i don't think there's another player on team canada like her and when it comes to CK and FK, i will defintiely miss her beautiful services!!

but, as i told kristina every time i emailed her these past few months ... regardless if she is playing for team canada or not, i will forever be a kiss fan and will continue to support her in all her future endeavours no matter what.

if you have a message you would like to send to kristina ... whether it to be to show your support, thank her for her contributions to canadian womens soccer or just to wish her all the best ... you can either email it to me or post it over at Go Big Red!!. i'll be more than happy to collect all messages and forward it along to her.

thanks!

ttyl

elaine

[The Beaver]

Pure speculation, but I think Kiss is tired of the lame system Pellerud is employing. I think she may have been miffed, too, that she did not get some key playing time in the World Cup. She is one of the few players both willing and capable of playing the sophisticated brand of soccer we have all been calling for. She passes well, has good vision, is a solid play-maker etc etc/

I am sad to see her leave the team.

[Gian-Luca]

I had thought it was a club conflict issue? Although I suspect there may be more to it than that. It would be nice to know, as she is one of our best midfielders & so far we have struggled without her.

[Elaine]

quote:Originally posted by Gian-Luca

I had thought it was a club conflict issue? Although I suspect there may be more to it than that. It would be nice to know, as she is one of our best midfielders & so far we have struggled without her.

she resigned with floya in last winter after the wwc...so she sorta "picked" them ... but yes, i think there's a lot more to this than meets the eyes, but i doubt we (the fans/public) will ever really know.

elaine

[The Ref]

quote:Originally posted by Elaine

she resigned with floya in last winter after the wwc...so she sorta "picked" them ... but yes, i think there's a lot more to this than meets the eyes, but i doubt we (the fans/public) will ever really know.

elaine

Unfortunately posting like this encourage further rumors and speculation. If the truth cannot be told because of a gag agreement, then a believable excuse should be made up so the matter is closed.

[The Ref]

quote:Originally posted by Elaine

she resigned with floya in last winter after the wwc...so she sorta "picked" them ... but yes, i think there's a lot more to this than meets the eyes, but i doubt we (the fans/public) will ever really know.

elaine

Unfortunately posting like this encourage further rumors and speculation. If the truth cannot be told because of a gag agreement, then a believable excuse should be made up so the matter is closed.

[eastcoaster]

I hate to say it..but it IS our business. Anytime an athlete decides to walk away from playing for their country, it is a big deal that deserves answers.

Luckily for Kiss, she is not a "name" player, so she can get away lightly. Do you think if Lang, Hooper, or Sinclair did this, that they would get away so easily?

For good or bad, we need know what is going on. The pinnacle of womens soccer is not semi-pro in Norway, but the Olympics and WWC, thus national team play. For her to walk away from a potential medal at Athens is a very very big deal. So I hope she has good reasons. I am sure she will regret the fact that she could have taken part in the Olympics, and did not, as she gets older. If this is about PT, I would advise her suck it up, and then quit the team after the olympics. She is not going to get rich playing semi-pro soccer in Norway, so in my mind club vs country, should not even really be a factor in this case. This is not mens soccer, or mens bball, where there are million dollar contracts on the line.

[red card]

I echo EastCoaster comments. It is our business why a player doesn't want to play for Canada? The same standards we apply to questioning why a men's player doesn't play for Canada need to be set here.

If you (Elaine) or Kristina want to keep it personal, then you're opening a wide open door to rampant speculation.

In this vein, from a soccer perspective, it is bonehead move by Kristina. If it was made due to personal reasons - unrelated to soccer, it should be said.

I'm glad you can pass along this type of info to us - since the Canadian media won't; but, what bothers me about these type of comments is whether you're posting as a friend; a soccer fan; or a quasi-journalist? Because, on the face of it, the "not your business" comment is pretty condescending.

[Elaine]

quote:Originally posted by red card

If you (Elaine) or Kristina want to keep it personal, then you're opening a wide open door to rampant speculation.

ok guys ... i'm just the messenger. i do not know the reasons why kristina stepped away from the team...she did not tell me anything that isn't already known. nor do i think it's my place to ask it from her.

i'm just passing along the message i was given, and in no ways am i trying to start speculation/rumors etc. heck, if i didn't post something about it, i'm sure no one would ever know ... sorta like how burtini's retirement was never made "public" through the usual lines.

perhaps in the future kristina's reasons will surface and come up as it's still pretty "fresh" right now and could be difficult to deal with. but until that happens, i respect her decision to keep things private. that is JMHO.

and no matter how much slack you can throw her way in regards to why she chose to step away from the team when there's so little turnaround b/t the WWC and olympics, or why she's playing overseas in norway or whatever you can possibly say ... bottom line is that kiss made the best decision for her. she's doing what she needs to do. and maybe b/c i'm such a big women's team fan and really don't have the broader "soccer perspective" as all of you guys here do... and that i've met kristina many times in the last few years and respect her so much as a person and player, that you can say i'm being naive and biased--that i'm not being objective in wanting to get the facts and demanding of the truth. but because of this, i'm willing to accept her decision and wish her all the best in the future w/o flamming and/or questioning her decision to do so. it's not to say i'm not going to miss her on the team and all that she brings to the table.

JMHO ...

elaine

[mattbin]

quote:Originally posted by red card

I'm glad you can pass along this type of info to us - since the Canadian media won't; but, what bothers me about these type of comments is whether you're posting as a friend; a soccer fan; or a quasi-journalist? Because, on the face of it, the "not your business" comment is pretty condescending.

Dudes, relax. Why is Elaine's info up for all this criticism? No one else is called to task like this on this board, and most people with "inside" sources are far less forthcoming about what those sources are than Elaine is.

Furthermore, no, you don't have a right to know why an athlete decides to retire from his or her country's team, any more than the public has the right to know why a coach doesn't select a particular athlete.

If someone retires because of a problem with the system or the organization or the people, then yes, it might be in the public's best interest to know the reason so that the system can be improved. But we don't have any more right to knowing why Kiss decided to leave the team than we have the right to know, say, why you chose your wife (or significant other if applic.).

And finally, Elaine didn't say that it wasn't "your" business, she said "unfortunately it's not really any of our business". I suspect that she was anticipating these demands for knowledge of the intimate details, in which case she is proved correct.

In short, Elaine, thanks for your info and perspective. It is valuable and appreciated.

Allez les Rouges,

M@

[hamiltonfan]

ya Elaine thanks for keep us up to date on the womens team!

[mtlfan]

The only reason I see that Kiss is no longer with the team is because Pellerud has was disappointed with her performance at the World Cup. I think he expected her to turn it up a notch and she didn't.

When I look at her playing time I see she was not involved in the two games against Japan and China except for 13 minutes in the Japanese game.

These were the defining games when measuring success or failure and the team was successful with her on the bench.

Playing time at WWC 2003

90 Min Ger. Lost

90 Min Arg. Won (she lost her spot due to her performance in this game)

13 Min Jap Won (Replaced Neil with Canada leading 3-1)

0 Min Chi. Won

35 Min Swe Lost (relaced Burtini)

90 Min USA Lost

In the world of international soccer the motto is " What have you done for me lately "

Hopefully she'll not suffer the same fate as Amy Walsh.

[drewsome]

It certainly pulls at our Red & White Blood Cells but Kristina telling the national team to "Kiss Off" (had to try to work the pun in) for the sake of a Club interest is what is best for her. She has to look in the mirror every day and answer her personal needs.

I wish her the best of luck and hope that down the road she may find her way back home.

[The Ref]

I think that is exactly what happened. Hell, not everybody makes the team. I like Kristina's personality and I am sure she will have great success in her life. She has made many friends.

[Chet]

Let's not forget that since the WUSA folded, there aren't a lot of career options for female soccer players. Opportunities like the one Kiss had with Floya may be too precious to pass up. At least Kiss will have a chance to keep playing the game full time and make a living off it. She will still have the option of returning to the national program in a few years as a veteran player or a coach.

For most female players, it's not just a choice between club and country, it's a choice between amateur sports and having a career. It can be just as hard to get time off from from a real job as is to get time off from your pro soccer team.

[drewsome]

Well Said!

I do keep hearing rumblings of a resurection of something like the WUSA. But I'm not sure if anything will come of it. I think there needs to be a serious investment from some DEEP pockets to do that (or anything similar) and maybe the $$$ would be better spent in the men's game.

[El Hombre]

There is an article in today's Ottawa Citizen regarding Kiss and why she retired from the national team. In it she says that she isn't too keen on playing Pellerud's kick and run style and much prefers a possession style of play. She also mentions that the commute back and forth from Europe was getting a bit much and that her knees are taking a beating on the artificial turf.

I'm sure if you go online and root around for awhile, you can find the article.

[DJT]

quote:Originally posted by El Hombre

There is an article in today's Ottawa Citizen regarding Kiss and why she retired from the national team.

Thanks for the heads-up. I'd like to read that and I'm sure many others would, but the problem is that you have to be a subscriber to read it online. The article is here. Any chance someone has access to it, or is willing to scan/type out the print version and post it? Yes, I suppose that's illegal [:I], but even if just for a while and then we can delete it, if that would make you feel better.

[Gian-Luca]

quote:Originally posted by El Hombre

There is an article in today's Ottawa Citizen regarding Kiss and why she retired from the national team. In it she says that she isn't too keen on playing Pellerud's kick and run style and much prefers a possession style of play. She also mentions that the commute back and forth from Europe was getting a bit much and that her knees are taking a beating on the artificial turf.

That is exactly what I didn't want to hear, though I still wonder if there's more to the story than that. The last thing we can afford is to have good young talented creative players leaving the team because the style we play we employ unnecessarily sucks.

By artificial turf is she referring to Field Turf in the stadiums in Canada (ie. Ottawa & Montreal)? Because that isn't the greatest news in the world either considering the stadium direction we are heading in for much of the country.

[El Hombre]

Not sure if this is illegal or not, but here's a transcript of the article:

Sometimes the pursuit of happiness is a far greater goal than the run for an Olympic medal.

Just ask midfielder Kristina Kiss of Kanata, who retired from the successful Canadian women's soccer team last month after a four-year run.

"I've removed myself from the team," she said in an interview this week from her home in Tromso, Norway, which is inside the Arctic Circle.

"I did this at the beginning of the year, when I talked with Even (Pellerud, the head coach). In some ways, it was difficult. It was a great experience playing on that team, but this is something I need to do."

Her decision came less than two months before Canada entered the CONCACAF Olympic women's qualifying tournament, which started yesterday in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Canada is slated to meet Jamaica in its first game today, followed by matches against Panama on Saturday, and Costa Rica on Monday. The semifinals are Wednesday, with the medal matches March 5. The finalists qualify for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Kiss, who played 60 international games for Canada, scored five goals and was fourth in goal scoring at the 2003 World Cup. She left the national team to return to play pro soccer for Floya in Norway and because she didn't like the Canadian team kick-and-rush style of game. Playing on artificial surfaces also was affecting her knees.

"I had a lot of fun here (with Floya) last year," Kiss, 23, said. "They offered me a good contract and I'll play one more season. I'm happy here."

After this season in the Norwegian Premier League, she may return to university.

"I definitely didn't enjoy that," she said, referring to the Canadian style of play. "I'd rather play a technical possession game."

Kiss prefers the Brazilian and American method of ball possession and creativity.

"I'm happy I settled here. I thought about it (leaving the national team) for a while, but I wanted to go to the World Cup.

"It was OK, but the travel (between Norway and Canada for camps and games) was hard on me. I felt a little tired and run down by the World Cup."

The Floya season runs from April through November.

[Gordon]

I am glad she is putting her money where her mouth is. Hopefully others will also voice some discontent. We did as well as we will ever do last year, unless we can, at a minimum, modify the kick and rush game to be roughly equal to Sweden's version.

[The Beaver]

quote:Originally posted by Gordon

I am glad she is putting her money where her mouth is. Hopefully others will also voice some discontent. We did as well as we will ever do last year, unless we can, at a minimum, modify the kick and rush game to be roughly equal to Sweden's version.

Yes, I agree entirely. Many nations will blow past us in development if we do not learn to play a more sophisticated game. Perhaps the talent level available in Canada is so weak that we have no choice to play lump and chase to be successful, but I suspect this tactic--lump and chase--will do little to encourage and develop more talented, sophisticated players. Latham and Sinclair, Hooper and Nonen, not to mention a few others, are all easily capable of playing a stronger possession-oriented game. In fact, any of the players plying their trade in US colleges will be familiar and increasingly comfortable with that sort of game, and unless Pellerud has some tricks up his sleeve, I fear that all of these developments--in possession tactics and skills--will be needlessly lost.

Hey, does anyone else here find Pellerud's approach naive? Or, even worse, do you not find his approach sort of condescending? Perhaps we truly do NOT have the talent pool to be successful playing the sort of high-level game the Germans and US play. Any thoughts on this?

A final note: I am sad to hear we are losing Kiss for the very reason (in part) I'd guessed at earlier in this thread. I wanted a midfield that included Kiss and Hooper in the centre of the pitch, with Lang out right and Timko on the left. Put the two Christines up front, let Nonen and Hermus, Boyd and Chapman secure the back, with Swiatek in goal, and this is not a bad squad at all. in fact, it seems to contain a good whack of talent, the sort of talent--I dare say--that could even successfully employ a more sophisticated brand of football.

[Chet]

I don't think the approach is naive. I think Pellerud made an honest assessment of where our talent level was at when he came aboard and concluded that the kick and run style would be the most effective method for improving our results in a short period of time. It worked. It was good enough to raise the team from a winless finish in the 99 WWC to being among the final four in 2003. That's a pretty huge leap in four years.

I don't think anyone, Pellerud included, really believes this style is going to win us the World Cup. Obviously, teams like USA, Germany, Sweden and China are in a different class. We might beat them occasionally playing this style, as we did against China, but we're not going to beat them consistently.

But, I think by doing what he had to do to get those positive results quickly, Pellerud has helped the game. Ironically, this style that doesn't demand a lot of skill is helping to improve our skill level. I know a number of girls in their early teens who are taking the game very seriously now and are working hard on their ball skills in hopes of playing for the CNWT. Most girls that age hadn't even heard of the CNWT 6-8 years ago.

The question is, at what point do we decide that the skill level is high enough to make the next step. The fact that players like Kiss are already becoming discontented indicates that the girls believe they're ready. Does Pellerud? And is Even capable of coaching a possession-oriented team?

The progress this team has made still makes my head spin. The talent level of the teenagers on the team -- hell, the fact that there even are teenagers on the team shows how fast the skill level is improving. I'm certainly not going to start trashing Pellerud at this point. But if we're still playing kick and run at the 2007 WWC, I will be very disappointed.

[DJT]

But according to this quote from Ian Bridge, the Pellerud style is being taught at all levels. That doesn't make sense if it's just supposed to be a short-term approach.

[The Ref]

quote:Originally posted by Chet

Ironically, this style that doesn't demand a lot of skill is helping to improve our skill level.

I have a different view point. Their current style requires a lot of skill. I was impressed to see it being played standing on the sideline. Perhaps not the dribbling skill a la Brazil style, but skill nonetheless. I wish I could do what they do.