"Soccer could be so much bigger here"

[tovan]

Soccer could be so much bigger here

CSA needs to rethink its goals and rebuild the national team

Kent Gilchrist

The Province

Published: Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Two of the best teams in Canada -- the Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact -- are about to collide in the semifinals of the USL First Division playoffs.

A regional home-and-home tussle, it will be underplayed by the national media because of that, and the fact Canada's national team is so wretched that it is going miss qualifying for the World Cup yet again.

Until the Canadian Soccer Association can rebuild its national team, soccer is going to be viewed as a niche sport, even if both the Whitecaps and Impact are accepted into the Major League Soccer to join Toronto FC.

Attempting to get to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in the CONCACAF Group 2 qualifier, the Canadian team is winless in three games and its only home game left is against the superior Mexicans. Canada's only point has come from a home 1-1 tie against Jamaica. It will take something along the lines of the Miracle On 34th Street for the Canadians to advance.

It isn't a case of this country being unsupportive of world-class soccer -- stadiums across the country were repeatedly sold out last summer when Canada hosted the under-20 World Cup -- it's a case of the national team simply not being competitive.

"If that had been hockey," said Whitecaps president and former national team coach Bob Lenarduzzi, "it would have been big, big news. People would be talking about it, and what to do about it." As Lenarduzzi pointed out, the only time Canada made the Olympics in soccer was 1984 and its only World Cup appearance was 1986. Those high-water marks coincided with the heyday of the North American Soccer League.

"The key to that group of players was the NASL," said Lenarduzzi. "I was fortunate enough to be one of the players. I remember Bruce Wilson and Tino Lettierri and Dale [now national team coach Mitchell]. I had come back from Reading [England] and had watched Alan Ball as a 13-year-old, and now I was playing beside him. You had to get better as a player.

"Where we are right now, I see this as an opportunity." What he means is, the CSA brass needs to recognize the fact that the pro teams in this country are the ones developing the players. All three of them have started residency programs that are already producing results.

The Whitecaps, for instance, have started 17-year-old Ethan Gage of Camrose, Alta. And other players Randy Edwini-Bonsu, Dever Orgill and Navid Mashinghi -- all still in their teens -- have seen action with the big club.

"Ninety per cent of what the CSA does is on the recreational side," said Lenarduzzi. "I think the CSA has tried to do its best, but the way it's set up right now, it's just not going to work. When I got fired [in 1997], I kept my mouth shut because it would have sounded like sour grapes. And here we are 11 years later, and four or five more coaches, and we're worse off. It can't be the coach's fault every time.

"Now they have quality people like [Whitecaps owner] Greg Kerfoot, Joey Saputo [impact owner] and Maple Leaf Sports [Toronto FC owner]. If there isn't interest in the CSA [about seeing how the pro organizations can help out], their heads are up their a--es. And you can quote me on that."

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=9cc6efe0-71bb-4996-8868-5b6fe56c92ae

[RJB]

Maybe we need a summit. Gather all the top soccer people in the country, and have a summit as to what is wrong with Canada and soccer. That's my suggestion.

[Guest Ed]

Lenny B's results are looking pretty good compared to our results under Osieck, Yallop and Mitchell. What LB fails to elaborate on is that much of our competition has vastly improved. Having the names mentioned 'help' the useless CSA is a starting point but we have a lot of catching up to do.

[Canuck Oranje]

Sounds sooo Canadian.

quote:Originally posted by RJB

Maybe we need a summit. Gather all the top soccer people in the country, and have a summit as to what is wrong with Canada and soccer. That's my suggestion.

[Free kick]

quote:Originally posted by tovan

Until the Canadian Soccer Association can rebuild its national team, soccer is going to be viewed as a niche sport, even if both the Whitecaps and Impact are accepted into the Major League Soccer to join Toronto FC.

The writer seems to contend, like many, that the effort to rebuild the national team and eforts to grow the sport rests first with the CSA. But isnt that putting the carriage ahead of the horse. Its the clubs and their accompanying infrastructures that produce the players that make the national team or determine the success of the national teams. Not the other way around. This is how it is every where else in the world, why do people expact Canada to be different. Do we produce good hockey teams because of the Hockey canada? or is it because of the NHL< AHL< CHL> minor hockey leagues etc.

[Gian-Luca]

I came away from that article wondering what exactly is being suggested. How (other than developing players for the national teams, which at least one of the three aforementioned pro teams is not doing enough of by deliberately reducing domestic playing opportunities) can the pro teams help out with rebuilding the national team? "We want to help out" more is fine, but at least suggest some basis and criteria where that help can be directed to. Otherwise it comes across as "give us more say for the sake of giving us more say".

[RJB]

quote:Originally posted by Canuck Oranje

Sounds sooo Canadian.

After Canada failed to medal at the 1998 Olympic Hockey Tournament in Nagano, the powers that be declared it unacceptable, and gathered top people to figure out exactly what needed to change. Low and behold, we went on to win the gold four years later, as well as World Championships, World Junior Championships, and many more at other levels.

[loyola]

quote:Originally posted by RJB

After Canada failed to medal at the 1998 Olympic Hockey Tournament in Nagano, the powers that be declared it unacceptable, and gathered top people to figure out exactly what needed to change. Low and behold, we went on to win the gold four years later, as well as World Championships, World Junior Championships, and many more at other levels.

And we crashed out in the 1/4 finals in Turin 2006.

[ray]

quote:Originally posted by RJB

Maybe we need a summit. Gather all the top soccer people in the country, and have a summit as to what is wrong with Canada and soccer. That's my suggestion.

Its not a bad idea, really. Invite CSA, TFC, Whitecaps, Impact, CSL & PDL clubs and decide how player development can be accomplished with some involvement from each level of the pyramid. Right now everyone does their own thing. Integration of national youth teams and club academies, funding, player transfers, talent identification are topics that might be discussed.

[squizz1402635577]

quote:Originally posted by RJB

After Canada failed to medal at the 1998 Olympic Hockey Tournament in Nagano, the powers that be declared it unacceptable, and gathered top people to figure out exactly what needed to change. Low and behold, we went on to win the gold four years later, as well as World Championships, World Junior Championships, and many more at other levels.

It's kind of an apples to oranges comparison, though. We already have the best hockey talent and infrastructure in the world; losing out in 1998 was the exception, not the rule. Truth be told, our chances of winning those subsequent tournaments were just as good as they would have been if the summit hadn't been held.

Soccer is in a much, much different state. I'm not saying a summit of the country's soccer minds is a bad idea, but you can't really compare it to anything that's been done by Hockey Canada.

[RJB]

quote:Originally posted by squizz

It's kind of an apples to oranges comparison, though. We already have the best hockey talent and infrastructure in the world; losing out in 1998 was the exception, not the rule. Truth be told, our chances of winning those subsequent tournaments were just as good as they would have been if the summit hadn't been held.

Soccer is in a much, much different state. I'm not saying a summit of the country's soccer minds is a bad idea, but you can't really compare it to anything that's been done by Hockey Canada.

Comparing Hockey Canada to the CSA may be a bad idea, but if there are so many people disgruntled about the CSA, and so many people who think they can do it better(many Voyageurs included!) why not get all these people together and try to solve the problem.

[Free kick]

quote:Originally posted by RJB

After Canada failed to medal at the 1998 Olympic Hockey Tournament in Nagano, the powers that be declared it unacceptable, and gathered top people to figure out exactly what needed to change. Low and behold, we went on to win the gold four years later, as well as World Championships, World Junior Championships, and many more at other levels.

That would be great idea if it would work. But i think that the culture is different in soccer than in Hockey. In hockey, its easy because everybody cares and everybody is on the same page on what the ultimate objective should be. They care how we look on the world stage. But I still believe that in soccer few parties would even care about the national teams. Sure, every now and then, they will pay you lip service, but in truth they are more interested in micro issues that relate to them and what in it for them (ie. : Soccer being more of a recreation rather than a source of national pride) moreso than being something to be proud of at world stage.

As I have always stated here for years, When the hockey team doesn't win gold, there is an outcry from all source on what wrong and what needs to be done. When we dont win as many Olympic medal Olympic, there is again, and outcry and national consternation from many sources on what we need to be doing and what we are doing wrong. But in soccer; nothing.....not a word.... except to blame it all on the CSA without providing solutions. Thats not an environmemnt that allows for constructive solutions to be devised.

In fact, I'll bet that there are many down the amateur soccer hierachy who would applaud or would not feel the slightest twinge of dissapointment when one of their protegés suites up for another national side. With that, accomplishing anything from such summits would be impossible. With improvements in the club game and support, things are very slowly changing. But soccer, in canada, is not yet a source of national pride. Otherwise, how else can you explain that in key WCQ in MOntreal, you see Hondurans who traveled hundered of miles to be there, accounting for roughly 80% attendance. You could make a similar claim to many other WCQ matches played in canada in the last five years. Such a summit would work in a place like Honduras but not in Canada.

[Dare431]

I think there is a long way to go, without a doubt. Soccer is the most popular youth sport in Canada so why is it that so many people lose interest later on in life? There's so many advantages to soccer (registered in an amateur league or not). It's more affordable being a main advantage. In the long run is our own domestic league the answer to our national team woes? (split into regions of course). If investment is there and there is interest (pending that the game is promoted heavily in the next 10 years or so) I can't see why we can't have our own domestic league sometime in the future. I see MLS being a huge deterrent however, would TFC/Impact/Whitecaps ever convert?

[Eric]

quote:Originally posted by Free kick

I agree, and bring the media in too, they need to see and hear from the actual participants, what they think and feel. It should be done. Such a summit would work anywhere people wants a real change. Can the V's organize it?

Start wining with the National Teams and you'll see how fast it becomes a national pride!!