Ben Knight Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 http://onwardsoccer.com/2009/01/13/deal-the-picks/ :-) // Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ed Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Ben, quit calling OBrian White a Canadian. In soccer terms, he is a Jamaican, he has turned his back on the Maple Leaf. He was with Jamaica in 2005 when we went 3-0 down in Honduras to go onto the U20's in Holland. Canadian gem my ass. More like Jamaican rube. FINAL MATCH STATISTICS/ESTADISTICAS FINALES 2005 FINAL ROUND/RONDA FINAL GROUP/GRUPO B Match/Partido #5 30.01.2005: San Pedro Sula, HONDURAS; Estadio Francisco Morazán (A: 6069) CANADA – JAMAICA 1:0 (0:0) Ryan GYAKI 74’ CAN: 22-Asmir Begovic – 3-Nikolas Lederwood-C, 4-Andre Hainault, 5-Simon Kassaye, 8-Tyler Rosenlund 12- Riley O’Neill, 13- Mike D´Agostino (46: 7-Jamie Peters), 14- Cameron Wilson (72: 10- Will Jonson) 15-Brad Peetoom 16- Graham Ramalho 17- Julian Paolo Uccello, (64: 9-Ryan Gyaki). Booked: none TD: Dale MITCHELL JAM: 13-Ralston Robinson – 4-Rodolph Austin, 6-Kenell Moodie, 8- Steven Morrissey (83: 15-Horace Howell), 9-Luton Shelton-C (67: 10-Richard West), 11- Akeem Priestley, 12- Jermaine Hollis (83: 7- Mario Harrison), 14- Adrian Reid, 17-Obrian White, 20-Nicholy Finlayson, 31-Kieron Bernard. Booked: none TD: Wendell DOWNSWELL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deschamp86 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 He was born in Jamaica and spent only a couple years in Canada as far as I know. I wouldn't say he turned his back on Canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyola Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 He is now known as "Obrian WHORE" to canadian soccer fans....[8D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ed Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 quote:Originally posted by deschamp86 He was born in Jamaica and spent only a couple years in Canada as far as I know. I wouldn't say he turned his back on Canada. OK. Given that, he is 100% Jamaican then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squid2 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Ed Ben, quit calling OBrian White a Canadian. right on... but it's not just Ben, the hosts at the various poker channels make a hash of it as well, as does Dobson, Reed.... but... "Canadian mega-prospect", ... NOT! Dwayne DeRosario was born in Scarborough; raised in Scarborough; played youth soccer in Scarborough; essentially developed right there in Scarborough. He's Canadian! There is a difference! Now I haven't spoken to O'Brian in over a year, but know this, he loves to talk. White was born in Jamaica, Dec 14/1985 (23 as at last month). He moved to Canada sometime in 2002. He and family lived in Scarborough (east end Toronto), specifically the Malvern area, where he attended Lester B. Pearson C.I. Chri$t, he's probably spent more time on the UConn campus than he has on Canadian soil.</u> From a brief discussion and the numerous articles about O'Brian and his ties to Canada, there's nothing factual coming from O'Brian stating that he is a landed immigrant or intends to obtain Canadian citizenship. He also confirmed that he travels on a Jamaican passport. Rhetorically speaking, How tough is it to pick up a phone, ask questions and seek clarity. So until he clarifies his "citizenship" he's Jamacian; and that's how he should be referred to, as a Jamacian. I stand prepared to be corrected with regard to the FIFA rules (FIFA Statutes Article 15) and since he's beyond the age of 21), it would appear that he's forever tied to Jamaica. Given that he has participated in FIFA sanctioned competitions at U-15, U-17 and U-20 with the Jamaican National youth program in various youth World Cup qualifying games. And fwiw, it will be through his father's US residency that O'Brian will/may have already obtained his green card. His father lives just outside of Storrs, Connecticut. And it was his dear old dad that turned Coach Ried on to O'Brian. With regard to the draft picks, this is the year to deal the picks. There's a handfull of players in this current draft who will go on to having very productive MLS careers. And in the case of 3 or 4 of those players, given the right infrastructure, will graduate to bigger and better leagues. I don't envision OW as being an elite prospect or a top flight MLS striker. For his sake, I hope I'm wrong. Trade the picks for established proven players. TFC needs to start scoring goals, being competitive game-in and game-out and maybe even winning some games. MoJo, JC and CC also need to work the bugs out of TFCA and figure out how to develop "home-grown" players, i.e. Canadians. What TFC requires is not OW - injury aside, he's not MLS ready. NO way does he step in and contribute in 2009! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Not exactly on topic Ben but I subscribe using Bloglines and it thinks you have not added a post since December 29. Something may be wonky with your RSS feeder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Knight Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 Guys, I have no sympathy for the "WHORE" campaigners. I backed Hargreaves, and while the De Guzman decision disappointed me, he has a perfect right to pursue his craft at the highest level. There are few things, in fact, much more Canadian than that. No point blasting me on it, either. I'm not changing my mind on that one. Toodles! // Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonovision Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I don't want to start a sh!tstorm here, but by saying that you backed Hargreaves but were disappointed by De Guzman, are you suggesting that Owen's decision was LESS reprehensible than the one taken by Jonathan de Guzman? And, for the purposes of staying on topic, by any reasonable definition, O'Brian White is not Canadian. Signing him to TFC may be a good move strategically, but it is a very cynical way of fillign their Canadian quota. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyola Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 BTW, my reference to "Obrian WHORE" was ironic...it was a reference to a recent V's drama that we went through a few weeks ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Knight Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 I think Owen had far less choice than De Guzman. Canada was utterly hopeless back then. This gang might have gone further had Jonathan signed on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I recently talked to the U-Sector's own Sean Keay about the MLS Draft and he helped me out with a few questions, and I've put in my own opinions on the upcoming MLS draft here: http://canadianstretty.blogspot.com/2009/01/2009-mls-superdraft-preview.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SthMelbRed Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Shouldn't it be Whore-Brian White? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpg75 Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Judging from the amount of teams without a 1st round pick there must be a market for Mo to trade the picks: http://web.mlsnet.com/mls/events/superdraft/2009/article.jsp?ymd=20090113&content_id=211958&vkey=draft2009&fext=.jsp San Jose (17th pick), Houston (40th), Columbus (30th), Colorado (20th) and Chicago (28th) are all missing 1st round selections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youllneverwalkalone Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Why are all the Generation Adidas so old? I mean, in soccer terms, if you're over 20 playing North America, how many years to you realistically have before you want to try Europe? If there was a Brek Shea or Alex Nimo available I'd go against the grain here and suggest that drafting the 17 year-old has a lot of upside. This isn't a top flight league and I don't see any reason a top teenage player couldn't contribute at least a little. Ibrahim looked pretty good last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Ben Knight Guys, I have no sympathy for the "WHORE" campaigners. I backed Hargreaves, and while the De Guzman decision disappointed me, he has a perfect right to pursue his craft at the highest level. There are few things, in fact, much more Canadian than that. No point blasting me on it, either. I'm not changing my mind on that one. Toodles! // Ben Ben this response is obfuscation of the highest order. The criticism is not of White's decision to play for Jamaica but your reference to him as Canadian when noone here has seen any evidence that he is indeed Canadian (in fact, this has been discussed on this very board this week before your article came out). If you are going to call him a "Canadian mega-prospect" it seems only the bare level of competent journalism to determine that he is in fact a Canadian citizen. Did you do any research on this matter at all? As far as I can see he has only lived in Canada for a couple of years and I have serious doubts as to whether he is a Canadian citizen. We can argue about whether someone with Canadian citizenship but who plays for another country should be referred to as Canadian but it is quite obvious that someone who does not hold Canadian citizenship should not be referred to as a "Canadian mega-prospect". You were asked point blank about whether you had found out he had Canadian citizenship and instead of responding to the questions changed the subject with referrences to old debates we have had long ago about Hargreaves and JDG2. Since you are so concerned about people practicing their craft at the highest level then why not do so yourself? Either inform us that you have found out he is a Canadian citizen or do proper research when writing your articles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Rollins1555362254 Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 From a TFC perspective, he's Canadian. His passport is Jamaican. I think the way to get around this is to refer to him as "domestic" when talking about him in MLS. Like it or not, his status *is* useful to TFC and ignoring it would be stupid. It is *completely* unfair to criticise him for representing Jamaica. It would be like us criticising JDG jr. for not representing Holland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Rollins1555362254 Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Ben Knight I think Owen had far less choice than De Guzman. Canada was utterly hopeless back then. This gang might have gone further had Jonathan signed on. Ben...there is a middle ground with these players. That is you don't have to respect their decision to understand that they had the right to make it. OH made an easy decision that was completely based on self-interest. I'm not a jingoistic half-wit for being uninspired by that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Ben Knight I think Owen had far less choice than De Guzman. Canada was utterly hopeless back then. This gang might have gone further had Jonathan signed on. There should only be one choice in the heart of a player, and that is his country. Owen was playing Wales/Canada/England against themselves, and that sounds awfully mercinary to me. At least de Guzman had spent more than a holiday in the country he chose to represent. Honestly Ben, how can you possibly support a turn-coat as self-centred as Whoregreaves? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpg75 Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Dobbers take: http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/blogs/2009/01/13/dobson_stlouis/ There are two opposing theories about the importance of the MLS combine for draft-eligible players. One is that it's the final chance to see the best college players in action to help make those critical decisions on draft day in St. Louis on Thursday. The other is that it is largely a waste of time, that most GMs already know what they need to know and that they spend most of their time discussing trades involving current league players. After watching it all unfold, I subscribe to the latter... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ed Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 quote:Originally posted by MediaGuy From a TFC perspective, he's Canadian. His passport is Jamaican. I think the way to get around this is to refer to him as "domestic" when talking about him in MLS. Like it or not, his status *is* useful to TFC and ignoring it would be stupid. It is *completely* unfair to criticise him for representing Jamaica. It would be like us criticising JDG jr. for not representing Holland. ^ As I started this, please note that I am not criticizing him for representing Jamaica, I criticized the author for calling him Canadian. I am getting sick of him being called a Canadian prospect/gem whatever as he is clearly Jamaican and is not Canadian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Knight Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 If he can fill a Canadian spot on the roster, that makes him "Canadian" for present purposes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Hombre Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Ben Knight If he can fill a Canadian spot on the roster, that makes him "Canadian" for present purposes. No, actually that makes him Jamaican with dual citizenship. Or maybe, to reword your article: "Jamaican mega-prospect who may count as a domestic for TFC." Definitely not Canadian mega-prospect. And is it official that he can fill a domestic spot on TFC? I'm woefully unknowledgeable about immigration laws in Canada, but because he went to high school for a couple years (at most) in Malvern does he have some sort of official documentation giving him some sort of Canadian status? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Hombre Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Ben Knight If he can fill a Canadian spot on the roster, that makes him "Canadian" for present purposes. No, actually that makes him Jamaican with dual citizenship. Or maybe, to reword your article: "Jamaican mega-prospect who may count as a domestic for TFC." Definitely not Canadian mega-prospect. And is it official that he can fill a domestic spot on TFC? I'm woefully unknowledgeable about immigration laws in Canada, but because he went to high school for a couple years (at most) in Malvern does he have some sort of official documentation giving him some sort of Canadian status? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Ben Knight If he can fill a Canadian spot on the roster, that makes him "Canadian" for present purposes. No he is Canadian if he is a Canadian citizen and if he is not a Canadian citizen he is not Canadian and especially not a "Canadian mega-prospect" end of story. It doesn't matter how MLS classifies him for quota purposes. I am not fully up on their complicated system but he may count as domestic because he has landed-immigrant status or a US green card but that does not make him Canadian. I might be a bit more diplomatic if you were trying to respond honestly to some legitimate criticism. If you made an honest mistake and admitted it it would be one thing. However, having someone try to lie and bamboozle me makes me lose any sympathy for them. I think you printed he was Canadian without doing the minimum of research that any respectable journalist would do and are now trying to weasle your way out of admitting your error. That is piss poor journalism Ben followed by piss poor responses to valid criticism on this thread by your most avid readership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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