Neil Davidson: Things Are Looking Up

[Winnipeg Fury]

Things are looking up

Canada's national teams struggled in 2004, but there's plenty to look forward to on the pitch in the coming year.

Bounced from men's World Cup qualifying, derailed on the road to the Olympics, disappointed at the women's world under-19 championship.

It was a rough 2004 for Canadian soccer, especially when the flagship men's side ends the year looking up at Togo in the world rankings at No. 90.

But there are still positives.

National teams are in good hands in coaches Frank Yallop (senior men), Even Pellerud (senior women), Dale Mitchell (men's under-20) and Ian Bridge (women's under-19).

The 2007 World Youth Championships were awarded to Canada. An outdoor stadium suitable for soccer is finally in the works in Toronto. And a major sponsorship deal was struck with CIBC.

On the field, the senior men's team ended the year on a winning note, with a 1-0 victory in Guatemala in World Cup qualifying.

Pellerud and Bridge continue to unearth such young female talent as 14-year-old Sydney Leroux and 15-year-old Jodi-Ann Robinson. The future of the women's program is bright with the likes of thunder-footed Kara Lang, who just turned 18 and already has 43 caps for the senior side.

Striker Brittany Timko won the Golden Shoe as leading scorer at the world under-19 championships in Thailand. World Cup team star striker Christine Sinclair of the University of Portland is one of three finalists for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy, considered NCAA soccer's equivalent to the Heisman Trophy.

On the men's side, fullback Paul Stalteri won the league and German Cup as a starter for Werder Bremen. Striker Dwayne DeRosario was honoured for the goal of the year in Major League Soccer. Midfielder Sandro Grande made a forceful entry on the men's national team scene. A camp in Vancouver led to contracts with England's Millwall for defender/midfielder Josh Simpson and midfielder Adrian Serioux. Look for a bigger club to snap up 21-year-old Tranmere forward Iain Hume at some point. And 17-year-old midfielder Jaime Peters burst on the scene and is now said to be mulling over offers from England's Chelsea and Ipswich.

The Montreal Impact won the A-League while the Vancouver Whitecaps captured the women's W-League, fitting rewards for two model franchises. The Toronto Lynx remained committed to the cause, although A-League teams in both Edmonton and Calgary called it quits in 2004.

Canadians made it to the finals of the NCAA soccer tournament, with Katie Thorlakson, Melissa Tancredi and Candace Chapman helping Notre Dame to the women's championship.

Greg Sutton of the Montreal Impact was named A-League MVP and goalkeeper of the year. Impact teammate Gabe Gervais won top defender honours.

Ottawa Fury forward Kelly Parker was chosen W-League MVP while Vancouver's Sasha Andrews was co-winner of the top defender award.

That was the good news. Now the bad.

Taking over from the departed Holger Osieck, Yallop had little time to prepare the senior men for the start of World Cup qualifying in June. There were a pair of 4-0 wins against outgunned Belize before qualifying started for real in mid-August against a tough group consisting of Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica.

A dreadful 2-0 loss to Guatemala in Burnaby, B.C., followed by a 1-1 draw with Honduras in Edmonton left the Canadians in a hole from which they never emerged.

Injuries, defensive errors and some bizarre officiating did not help Canada's cause. But bottom line, the Canadians did not deserve to go through.

Still Yallop is already making a mark. Taking over a national program that was shedding players rather than attracting them, he has treated players like adults and they have responded by returning to the fold.

As for 2005, a game against Northern Ireland in Belfast has already been announced for Feb. 9. The Gold Cup is set for July south of the border.

Yallop is also looking at exhibition games in London against Jamaica and possibly Australia. Bulgaria is a possible opponent in January. In all, the coach hopes to play more than 10 times in 2005.

There will be changes. The international careers of goalkeeper Pat Onstad and defender Mark Watson are over. Former captain Jason deVos is likely to concentrate on his club responsibilities.

All three deserve thanks for their considerable loyalty and contribution to the national team, even if Watson retired for a time rather than play for the abrasive Osieck.

The next year will be one of transition for Yallop's squad as he looks ahead. That means probably allowing veterans like Tomasz Radzinski and Stalteri some leeway in focusing on club duties while Yallop tests other talent.

"What I want to do is obviously not be weakened but I want to give some of the young guys chances to prove themselves, like in Guatemala (where) they did great," Yallop said.

"I want to see what they're made of," he added. "I can't be, in three years' time, guessing or wondering how they're going to play. I want to know."

Sutton and fellow goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld, defenders Simpson, Gervais, Kevin McKenna and Atiba Hutchinson, midfielders Grande and Serioux, and forwards DeRosario and Olivier Occean will get plenty of playing time.

They will need support -- both moral and financial -- from the Canadian Soccer Association. The 2005 budget of $11.1 million has just $850,000 earmarked for Yallop's team.

Yallop has never complained about his lot, but he says questions need to be answered.

"In the next eight years, Canada needs to really internationally decide if they really want to go for it or not. And I think this is the start. I want to play as many games as possible. I want to get some things going in the youth setup, like a residency program. All these things that I know that we need to get before we can get better.

"Playing lots of games is going to help us, but it needs to get the full backing of everyone involved."

Plus Yallop's bosses and Canadian soccer have to sort out a vision for the domestic club scene. Is putting all its eggs into one MLS team basket the right way to go? That's if someone steps up with deep enough pockets to buy a franchise.

Young Canadian talent needs to be nurtured at home. No one has yet found a viable, comprehensive answer how to do it.

The year saw more soccer than ever on Canadian TV. Most of it was of the foreign variety, however, underlying the structural problems that plague Canadian soccer.

In other Canadian national team news, Mitchell's under-20 team heads to Honduras in late January to join the host side, Jamaica and Mexico at a qualifying tournament for the 2005 World Youth Championships in the Netherlands. Two teams will advance.

The early word is the Canadians look to have a solid defence but will need to work on creating and scoring goals. Canada has done well at this level, but this qualifying tournament could be a challenge.

The men's under-17 side will also take the next step in world championship qualifying at a regional tournament with host Mexico, Honduras and Haiti in either April or May. The group winner will advance to the 2005 world championships in Peru while the runner-up has another shot to move on via a playoff.

Like the Olympic under-23 competition, the under-17 championship has proved to be a tough nut for Canadian teams to crack.

The men's Olympic side stumbled early in 2004, finishing last at a qualifying tournament in Mexico in a group that included Honduras, Panama and the United States. Olympic coach Bruce Twamley, another loyal servant to Canadian soccer, subsequently stepped down.

The women's senior side also failed to make it to Athens after suffering a 2-1 loss to Mexico on a dry pitch in Costa Rica in early March at the CONCACAF qualifying tournament. "It's not a performance we're proud of," Pellerud said at the time. "Our team is devastated."

The senior women were essentially put on the shelf for the rest of the year, as money intended for Athens preparation was funnelled elsewhere. The women only played three more games, losing to the U.S. 1-0 in July before going 1-1 on a short summer tour of Japan paid for by the Japanese.

Consider it a lost year. The women finished 2004 where they started it, 11th in the FIFA women's rankings.

Games against Germany in Vancouver and Edmonton beckon in the new year.

The under-19 women showed tremendous character in dethroning the world champion Americans at the CONCACAF regional qualifying tournament. And the team demonstrated even more spirit in bouncing back from a 3-0 deficit to tie eventual champion Germany 3-3 in a preliminary-round game.

But the Canadian run ended in a 3-1 quarter-final loss to China, crumbling after a first-minute red card to goalkeeper Stacey Van Boxmeer.

On a sad note, former national team forward Domenic Mobilio died of a heart attack. He was just 35.

[bettermirror]

i know there are a tonne of areas to comment on, but 10 senior men's matches next year! that's fantastic. are they betting on a guaranteed 3 plus 1 at the gold cup? bulgaria, australia, and jamaica are quality opponents.

[Alex]

Things ARE looking up. Even if we go all the way and play 6 games in the Gold Cup, 4 friendlies is pretty good for the year after World Cup elimination. I assume the article was suggesting that we would play Bulgaria during the camp in January. London does mean England not Ontario, correct? It got me for a second. I like the determination Yallop is showing, now I hope all you haters keep your mouths shut.

[bettermirror]

just because there is talk of this expanded fixture list doesn't mean it'll happen.

[Daniel]

quote:Originally posted by bettermirror

just because there is talk of this expanded fixture list doesn't mean it'll happen.

Exactly. One only has to look at the Victoria Day game in Edmonton that never materialised. Talk is cheap, so is the CSA.

[DoyleG]

quote:Originally posted by Daniel

Exactly. One only has to look at the Victoria Day game in Edmonton that never materialised. Talk is cheap, so is the CSA.

In that case, the CSA is more cheaper than talk.

[Blue and White Army]

Friendlies in London - sounds a great idea to me!

[Guest Can. in UK]

"Yallop is also looking at exhibition games in London against Jamaica and possibly Australia. Bulgaria is a possible opponent in January."

Oh my God YES!! Perhaps we'll get the Canada v. Australia at the New Den after all.

[Guest Can. in UK]

"Yallop is also looking at exhibition games in London against Jamaica and possibly Australia. Bulgaria is a possible opponent in January."

Oh my God YES!! Perhaps we'll get the Canada v. Australia at the New Den after all.

[DJT]

quote:Originally posted by Daniel

Exactly. One only has to look at the Victoria Day game in Edmonton that never materialised.

Or the national cup they talked about for three years in a row and then never mentioned again.

[DJT]

quote:Originally posted by Daniel

Exactly. One only has to look at the Victoria Day game in Edmonton that never materialised.

Or the national cup they talked about for three years in a row and then never mentioned again.

[Gian-Luca]

Some significant news here that I was unaware of - such as Twamley stepping down as Olympic coach after the failed qualification attempt. Why did it take nearly a year for us to find out about that?

Also, Onstad's international retirement wasn't something I had heard of before (though had suspected might happen).

Interesting to see who is and who isn't listed on the "plenty of playing time" list - not sure how much we should read into that.

The proposed friendlies sound nice, but of course seeing is believing. Or with Sportsnet's coverage, perhaps that should be reading on the internet is believing.

[Gian-Luca]

Some significant news here that I was unaware of - such as Twamley stepping down as Olympic coach after the failed qualification attempt. Why did it take nearly a year for us to find out about that?

Also, Onstad's international retirement wasn't something I had heard of before (though had suspected might happen).

Interesting to see who is and who isn't listed on the "plenty of playing time" list - not sure how much we should read into that.

The proposed friendlies sound nice, but of course seeing is believing. Or with Sportsnet's coverage, perhaps that should be reading on the internet is believing.

[G-Man]

How could they look any worse than 2004. The worst year in the CSA's history.

BUT!!!!

I heard that Watson is being looked at by Chelsea for a 2 year deal (They're not happy with Paulo Ferreira). Lars is heading to Real Madrid or the Edmonton Aviators. And Brazil has invited our National team coaching staff to give technical and tactical sessions to it's own coaches.

[Guest Jeffery S.]

I can't believe Neil let Yallop of the hook for simply not doing his job in preparing the team for the most important set of games since 2000. Since we had a bye in the first round in February he could well have added something to get a start on preparing the team, but he didn't. Now, with less budget, we are actually going to play more?

I understand though, that he doesn't want to burn any journalistic bridges as he needs Yallop and the CSA to keep him up on things.

If we were to play any game in London, with enough time I would definitely fly out to see Canada play, but give us long enough lead time guys, we need to know well in advance. Don't surprise us with a late fixture.

[analyst]

Jeffrey

Everyone is letting Yallop off the hook. He worked his butt off for Canada as a player so its hard for his former fans to be critical of him for the teams WCQ failure.

The older players seem to like Yallop as demonstrated by Onstad's criticism of Kevan Pipe. Yet it is some of the oldest players who made the biggest defensive blunders (Watson and Onstad). This is not to excuse the subpar performances of most of the rest of the team. When Yallop first selected Watson to the MNT, many Voyageur posters were critical of the selection, but they changed their tune after Watson played well early in 2004. Some De Guzman fans on this site have been critical of Yallop for playng De Guzman wide right rather in a central midfield role. Is that the benefit of hindsight?

Former MNT coaches like Lenarduzzi have defended Yallop by saying he didn't have the talent to win. Lenarduzzi also said the same thing about Osieck. Some Voyageur posters have claimed that Yallop had the most player talent ever. Most of the players are playing on non-Premier division teams, hardly a sign of talent.

Your criticsm of Yallop, that he failed to get more friendlies before WCQ to prepare the team ignores the fact that many of the players had Club team commitments and could not attend more friendlies. Yallop had to call on many ALeague players for the games against Millwall and Hearts in the summer.

Overall I'm not sure any other coach could have done a better job.

[canadiankick97]

Man if we get those friendlies that'll be f*#@ing awesome!

But we'll probably only get 1 of the 3 at most...(I hope I'm wrong)

[Guest Jeffery S.]

quote:Originally posted by analyst

Jeffrey

Everyone is letting Yallop off the hook. He worked his butt off for Canada as a player so its hard for his former fans to be critical of him for the teams WCQ failure.

The older players seem to like Yallop as demonstrated by Onstad's criticism of Kevan Pipe. Yet it is some of the oldest players who made the biggest defensive blunders (Watson and Onstad). This is not to excuse the subpar performances of most of the rest of the team. When Yallop first selected Watson to the MNT, many Voyageur posters were critical of the selection, but they changed their tune after Watson played well early in 2004. Some De Guzman fans on this site have been critical of Yallop for playng De Guzman wide right rather in a central midfield role. Is that the benefit of hindsight?

Former MNT coaches like Lenarduzzi have defended Yallop by saying he didn't have the talent to win. Lenarduzzi also said the same thing about Osieck. Some Voyageur posters have claimed that Yallop had the most player talent ever. Most of the players are playing on non-Premier division teams, hardly a sign of talent.

Your criticsm of Yallop, that he failed to get more friendlies before WCQ to prepare the team ignores the fact that many of the players had Club team commitments and could not attend more friendlies. Yallop had to call on many ALeague players for the games against Millwall and Hearts in the summer.

Overall I'm not sure any other coach could have done a better job.

That last excuse, about club committments, is totally bogus. We failed to use at least 3 and maybe 4 FIFA dates for friendlies in the period leading up to the qualifiers. And since he was willing to look at those in North America, he could have done that anyways. He simply did not do the job and we saw what happened.

[MikeD]

quote:Originally posted by G-Man

How could they look any worse than 2004. The worst year in the CSA's history.

Worst year in the CSA's history? No. Try 1988, when we crashed out of World Cup Qualifying after only 2 matches.

1997 was also pretty horrible, but at least we had made it to the hex thanks to a good run of matches in '96.

[Massive Attack]

I agree Jeffrey. The February, March and April FIFA dates were not used for friendlies in 2004. Looking back at Frank Yallop's poor player selection, these dates could have gone a long way in cementing the best possible line up for the World Cup Qualifying. The only thing we don't know is who is to blame for the MNT not taking advantage of these possible days. Was it the CSA being tight and saying they couldn't afford friendlies? Or did Frank Yallop not lobby hard enough for friendlies on these dates?

[DoyleG]

quote:Originally posted by Can. in UK

Oh my God YES!! Perhaps we'll get the Canada v. Australia at the New Den after all.

Canada and Australia would more likely be at Loftus Road.

[kelownaguy]

Jeffrey how can you be so sure that our lack of friendlies and preparation was Yallop's fault?? I realize that there is a certain lynch mob on this site that wants Yallop fired (which I definitely don't agree with) but I wouldn't want to jump to conclusions like that putting all the blame on him without knowing the full story. Do you really think that he was satisfied with the one exhibition game against Wales (his first as coach) , one against San Jose, and two mickey mouse games against Belize, and didn't want to play any more then that?? I highly, highly doubt that. As a new coach , I'm pretty sure he would want to play as much as possible to see all his player options and get them prepared. I'm going to venture a guess that somewhere along the line his hands were tied by the CSA head haunchos.

[canadiankick97]

Good point, IMO.

[Jeremy Loome]

He's not "letting him off the hook", Jeffrey. It's a story, not a column, so he has to source criticism.

[Grizzly]

I generally like Neil Davidson's articles and find that he is the only Canadian soccer journalist who actually digs up interesting information. However, this is one of the worst articles I have ever read by him and precisely regarding the most important issue we have had in four years. This is less a newspaper article than a CSA press release, i.e. propaganda designed to deflect any criticism of the CSA. Jeremy Loome rightly states that it is not an opinion column so Davidson is not obliged to state his own opinion. However, a journalist is obliged to ask pertinent questions and not just accept the viewpoint of the subject of the article. Failure to do so is indeed letting both Yallop and the CSA off the hook.

Davidson seems to be brave enough to write second party criticism of Pipe but not to even ask mildly critical questions of Yallop. In what country would a MNT coach fail to qualify and not even be questioned about his decisions and reasoning behind them? Would this same attitude be extended to a coach of our national hockey team even if he was the most respected coach in the country? Our only national team soccer writer obviously had access to Yallop but didn't feel compelled to ask him about player selections, lack of friendlies, tactical formations, venue choice, etc. Yallop may have good answers to these questions but we are not going to hear them if they are not asked. Davidson does not have to ask them in a manner in which he will burn his bridges, only in a manner giving Yallop a chance to respond to valid criticism. Instead he says the team is in good hands, repeats the usual lack of preparation excuses and states that Yallop has brought players back into the fold. Whether or not one is a Yallop supporter, I don't see how the claim that we are in good hands can be substantiated because the results this year have been poor. At best one could say that the jury is out on whether Yallop is a good national team coach or not. As far as lack of preparation I would like to know why we played so few friendlies (we have received no answer to date on this), why we have planned 10 matches for this year but couldn't play on several open dates in a WC qualifying year and would like an answer to some of my questions mentioned above about selection, etc. before the lack of preparation excuse is rolled out. How can an unbiased journalist mention players coming back to the fold without mentioning several that were alienated rightly or wrongly?

I know Davidson reads this forum so my message to him is: I have enjoyed your articles in the past and will read them again once you stop being a CSA spokesperson and return to journalism.