Lucas Cavallini

[Moldy9]

3 hours ago, SpecialK said:

But we the fans and media, don't hold them accountable. The soccer media in this country is small yes but they don't ask the tough questions. I watch/listen to interviews and they ask fluff questions. 

To : James Sharman, Kristian Jack, ,Duane Rollins, Daniel Squizzato, Matt and the red nation gang, Kevin Laramee, Anthony Totera and etc.

please ask the tough questions like :

 what is the process going/ any updates on  Cristante, Ferreira and Gutiérrez?

What is being done keep players from leaving Canada to other nations ?

With the failures of U-17 and U-20 why are coaches sill with the program? U-17 was filled with MLS  academies  why wasn't any European players  chosen ? 

with the rumours going around with Canada playing England, is Canada going to be  playing a top 20 team in the near future? 

 why hasn't soccer Canada created a council of excellence like other major sports organizations like basketball Canada , hockey Canada . Most councils are formed with former players,managers, executives to help advise can guide and give advice and  recommendations to the CSA? 

Canada is now playing more friendlies but most nations will play 2 games per break, why is Canada only playing 1?

There are players playing in European  Academies that playing well and winning awards like Tristan Jumeau, did the CSA know about him ? If no why ? What is being done to make sure players are not falling  through the cracks of the national team programs.  Is there a scouting department/ team ? If not maybe create one and it good  opportunities to bring for  formal retired players in to scout?

what are the  salaries of the CSA board directors ?

 is there a conflict of interest of the a CSA board member who is owner of a professional soccer club ?

 There are top executives in the soccer world Who are Canadian or who are related to Canada in some way, have they been ask to be help/join the CSA? 

What is the CSA doing to  promote Canadian players and the Canadian national program ? 

Tough questions like that and  those questions are just off the top of my head. 

 

 

the reason why I think the knowledgeable soccer reporters community in Canada don't ask the tough questions cause they are either in bed with CSA/TFC/IMFC/VW so you won't ever see them asking tough questions or they are scared of reprisals, being blacklisted or burn bridges by those organizations, reprimand  by their editors or lose their perks in the pocket of elites. They are all either former players, employees or part of a click or old boys network. 

This is just my opinion. I hope I'm wrong so I'll let some of the Vs that do write and report on the Canadian game to give us insight.

I believe it also speaks to why soccer has taken a backdoor in terms of exposure and development until recently cause they (hockey click) just can't contain it but they still use ways of putting it down in a bad light in the media or not giving much attention to games in contrast to hockey. 

[A_Gagne]

^agreed!

If we every want to be one of the top teams in CONCACAF, it should ALWAYS be time to win now!

[Kent]

I totally agree with Yoginess. Would we say that in hockey countries like Ukraine, Italy, Belarus, etc, just don't have heart and don't want it? No, we would say relative to Canada in hockey, they just aren't very good. I don't think a pro soccer career just falls in the lap of Canadians and so they can get there without caring. Our problems are much deeper than just a lack of hustle on the field.

As for the media not asking tough questions, I think probably part of that would be that they are not just tasked with reporting on the sport, but also trying to sell it. For as much progress as has been made in terms of interest, the Canadian game is still pretty niche, and likely the reality of those hard questions would really turn off people on this board to reporters that held the CSA etc accountable. We hate it when mainstream sports guys say stuff like "wake me up when we are a top 25 country in the world".

[shamrock]

Yeah no doubt football in Uruguay is more life-or-death than in Canada, but surely the players don't like to loose. I've never met a Pro player who doesn't mind loosing. I guess that punishment in Honduras let him to say that. 

[BearcatSA]

7 hours ago, shamrock said:

Yeah no doubt football in Uruguay is more life-or-death than in Canada

It's a good thing Osorio left because he stated earlier in the season that he felt the pressure of playing as a hometown boy with TFC.

[Blackdude]

11 hours ago, BearcatSA said:

It's a good thing Osorio left because he stated earlier in the season that he felt the pressure of playing as a hometown boy with TFC.

I'm confused by that statement. Do you mean that he left for the Gold Cup or that he left Uruguay to go back to Canada?

[BearcatSA]

2 minutes ago, Blackdude said:

I'm confused by that statement. Do you mean that he left for the Gold Cup or that he left Uruguay to go back to Canada?

I was referring to his pre TFC days

[Club Linesman]

Cavallini is doing the Q and A on the CSA facebook page tonight.  Should be some interesting answers if the right questions are asked.

[Gordon]

On 2017-06-29 at 2:34 PM, Moldy9 said:

the reason why I think the knowledgeable soccer reporters community in Canada don't ask the tough questions cause they are either in bed with CSA/TFC/IMFC/VW so you won't ever see them asking tough questions or they are scared of reprisals, being blacklisted or burn bridges by those organizations, reprimand  by their editors or lose their perks in the pocket of elites. They are all either former players, employees or part of a click or old boys network. 

I am struggling to see it the same way. 

[rob.notenboom]

Argh. When you try and post a Steve Martin - Chatty Cathy Doll GIF and it just doesn't work. Le sigh. 

Edited July 4, 2017 by rob.notenboom

[Zem]

5 hours ago, Club Linesman said:

Cavallini is doing the Q and A on the CSA facebook page tonight.  Should be some interesting answers if the right questions are asked.

For anyone who was interested. Nothing particularly interesting tbh

 

[ThiKu]

On 6/29/2017 at 0:45 PM, Unnamed Trialist said:

Very nice point about fast players outrunning slower and seeming to be more intense for it, good one.

Mentality: we do not have even a properly competitive youth environment, so we cannot build mentality. We have no accountability anywhere. We have HP leagues where the teams are set in stone and other clubs, with better pedigree, can´t get in. As long as we cannot pit all 12 year olds in Oshawa or the Fraser Valley against each other and let the quality rise, we will never know who is doing a good job or who is really a competent player. And this system favours the economic interests of clubs who don't want their weaknessnes to be exposed

It is a sort of trust, in the economic sense, of mediocrity. 

This explains why unrecognized players in Canada can go to Europe as teens and be picked out. It also explains whey scouting is hard in Canada. It is not the distances, it is the system: pit the best against each other the scouts can go watch them. Hide them away in private or MLS academies and not play top rivals, you really don't know.

We don't have relegation, either. Having watched my kid play in a pro-rel youth system, I can assure you the intensity is so much higher, except on the bottom division unless you are being expected to promote by the club. He plays on a modest club, but it aspires to more, tries to unseat stronger clubs from the same part of town, tries to promote as many teams as possible to offer better quality play to those coming in. I can say when they are in a promotion or relegation battle the intensity and pressure is high, and stressful, and really matters to the club--and he enjoys it way more, as do they all.

Getting the top players in Fraser Valley up tp age 12 is no issue at all. It happens in sub-districts, larger districts, and tournaments. The issue is that the FV team is based in Langley. This is the furthest west a team can be based in the league. Thus, Abbotsford and Chilliwack players are reluctant to join. Add to that players from Surrey etc take spots from FV kids - which is why it was moved to Langley - so they could attract more talented players from bigger cities closer to Vancouver. If the team is based in Abbotsford they got very few kids from Langley and further west. In my view - I say move it back to Abbotsford, and put pressure on the 5 clubs in FV to start developing players in a unified way with a unified development platform. The reason FV struggles is due to a rec mentality by too many in decision-making positions (not referring to the TD's).

 

Pro-rel is not the way to go. The reason is because you get teams playing like I had to play against in a recent tournament. Team 1 - the coach didn't shut up. Constantly telling each and every player where to go, when to move, what to say (they beat us 6-2 but I truly believe my kids learned a lot more). Team 2 - played 3 defenders, and 3 forwards (this is a 7v7 u10 tourney). I didn't count a pass being completed by them until the second half. They literally bashed the ball back to front EVERY.SINGLE.ATTACK whether it was through their regaining possession in their defensive third in open play, or from a goal kick. The tournament rule was "no heading" so they purposefully bashed the ball to my defenders heads and tried to run beyond (and because I don't have robots my players figured out for themselves how to adequately deal with these long ball tactics - and I can say by the 2nd half my players were laughing at the opponent and didn't care we were losing because they knew the other team was playing garbage soccer - we ended up winning). 

Canada cannot have a pro-rel youth system because coaches will abuse it to try and get wins. They will ignore development, but likely claim they are totally focused on development to get ignorant parents to sign up. The parents are starting to learn as well, and that will quickly get old for them. The parents on my team for example talked often about the kids running in little groups and how discouraging it was for them, and were so glad to see the team in a 2 month period begin to utilize positioning, space, and trying to control/pass. They didn't care we lost more than we won. They only cared the players were starting to play "real soccer."

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, ThiKu said:

Getting the top players in Fraser Valley up tp age 12 is no issue at all. It happens in sub-districts, larger districts, and tournaments. The issue is that the FV team is based in Langley. This is the furthest west a team can be based in the league. Thus, Abbotsford and Chilliwack players are reluctant to join. Add to that players from Surrey etc take spots from FV kids - which is why it was moved to Langley - so they could attract more talented players from bigger cities closer to Vancouver. If the team is based in Abbotsford they got very few kids from Langley and further west. In my view - I say move it back to Abbotsford, and put pressure on the 5 clubs in FV to start developing players in a unified way with a unified development platform. The reason FV struggles is due to a rec mentality by too many in decision-making positions (not referring to the TD's).

 

Pro-rel is not the way to go. The reason is because you get teams playing like I had to play against in a recent tournament. Team 1 - the coach didn't shut up. Constantly telling each and every player where to go, when to move, what to say (they beat us 6-2 but I truly believe my kids learned a lot more). Team 2 - played 3 defenders, and 3 forwards (this is a 7v7 u10 tourney). I didn't count a pass being completed by them until the second half. They literally bashed the ball back to front EVERY.SINGLE.ATTACK whether it was through their regaining possession in their defensive third in open play, or from a goal kick. The tournament rule was "no heading" so they purposefully bashed the ball to my defenders heads and tried to run beyond (and because I don't have robots my players figured out for themselves how to adequately deal with these long ball tactics - and I can say by the 2nd half my players were laughing at the opponent and didn't care we were losing because they knew the other team was playing garbage soccer - we ended up winning). 

Canada cannot have a pro-rel youth system because coaches will abuse it to try and get wins. They will ignore development, but likely claim they are totally focused on development to get ignorant parents to sign up. The parents are starting to learn as well, and that will quickly get old for them. The parents on my team for example talked often about the kids running in little groups and how discouraging it was for them, and were so glad to see the team in a 2 month period begin to utilize positioning, space, and trying to control/pass. They didn't care we lost more than we won. They only cared the players were starting to play "real soccer."

Interesting case study.

You know, I think development at that age is the most important thing for players, but I don't understand why / how winning is not a priority? Can you (or anyone) not teach kids how to play "real soccer" without devaluing winning?

[jpg75]

34 minutes ago, Obinna said:

 I don't understand why / how winning is not a priority? Can you (or anyone) not teach kids how to play "real soccer" without devaluing winning?

It can be done, but unfortunately here in Canada it seems that some bozos take it way too far and think they're Mourinho. Others have mentioned this in the past in regards to OYSL, which had pro/rel.

[Levi Oakey]

Winning was removed because of parents. End of story.

[Boominbooty]

16 minutes ago, Levi Oakey said:

Winning was removed because of parents. End of story.

This has drifted from a Cavallini page But I will happily jump in here. I am fairly involved in Victoria youth soccer and the one thing that strikes me is how in soccer (U8-U10) we dare not keep scores or have a playoff system or, God Forbid, have medals or a trophy for an actual winner BUT in  a sport like baseball which is played often by the very same children and involves the same parents there are: playoffs, medals for the winners, scoreboards at the parks etc. In baseball, nobody is harmed or feels alienated from the sport or is not developing (I would argue that Victoria produces better baseball players than soccer players but that's for another post). So, why can't we do it in soccer?? It boggles the mind.

[Levi Oakey]

9 minutes ago, Boominbooty said:

So, why can't we do it in soccer?? It boggles the mind.

There is consistently parental violence at sports games. Give a search to Crazy little league or, Sports rage. Hockey has had some of the worst instances you can find in Canada. It get's wild at these little games.

Edited July 4, 2017 by Levi Oakey

[El Diego]

37 minutes ago, Boominbooty said:

This has drifted from a Cavallini page But I will happily jump in here. I am fairly involved in Victoria youth soccer and the one thing that strikes me is how in soccer (U8-U10) we dare not keep scores or have a playoff system or, God Forbid, have medals or a trophy for an actual winner BUT in  a sport like baseball which is played often by the very same children and involves the same parents there are: playoffs, medals for the winners, scoreboards at the parks etc. In baseball, nobody is harmed or feels alienated from the sport or is not developing (I would argue that Victoria produces better baseball players than soccer players but that's for another post). So, why can't we do it in soccer?? It boggles the mind.

Not keeping score atvthat age isn't to protect the kids from having their egos bruised, it's to prevent bad coaching. If you emphasize winning at that age then as a coach you pick the biggest and strongest players and emphasis a safe style. Technical, small, younger players get pushed aside because they don't help you win now. Coaches don't allow their kids to do anything creative in game because winning matters not skill development. When people advocate to not keep score or not focus on winning at a young age it is not for the benefit of the kids directly, it is for the coaches.

You bring up baseball which should actually illustrate this point further. Do you think the Blue Jays *really* care how well their farm teams do? They monitor pitch counts on young pitchers and help them develop different pitches rather than try and win. They let young guys learn how to play third base rather than just DH. If winning is all that mattered in A ball then it'd just be stacked with older journeyman. 

Now I know that the Jays are in control of their single A team so they can tell them that winning doesn't matter and that a private soccer club doesn't have to focus on development to better Canadian soccer but if you're in charge of player development then to us want to somehow institute a policy that favours development over winning at prime development ages.

Also when comparing soccer development to other sports in Canada there is a problem of not having the counterfactual. For example, you say Victoria produces more baseball players than soccer players and they keep score. But what if they didn't? They might produce EVEN more players.

[Boominbooty]

20 minutes ago, El Diego said:

Not keeping score atvthat age isn't to protect the kids from having their egos bruised, it's to prevent bad coaching. If you emphasize winning at that age then as a coach you pick the biggest and strongest players and emphasis a safe style. Technical, small, younger players get pushed aside because they don't help you win now. Coaches don't allow their kids to do anything creative in game because winning matters not skill development. When people advocate to not keep score or not focus on winning at a young age it is not for the benefit of the kids directly, it is for the coaches.

You bring up baseball which should actually illustrate this point further. Do you think the Blue Jays *really* care how well their farm teams do? They monitor pitch counts on young pitchers and help them develop different pitches rather than try and win. They let young guys learn how to play third base rather than just DH. If winning is all that mattered in A ball then it'd just be stacked with older journeyman. 

Now I know that the Jays are in control of their single A team so they can tell them that winning doesn't matter and that a private soccer club doesn't have to focus on development to better Canadian soccer but if you're in charge of player development then to us want to somehow institute a policy that favours development over winning at prime development ages.

Also when comparing soccer development to other sports in Canada there is a problem of not having the counterfactual. For example, you say Victoria produces more baseball players than soccer players and they keep score. But what if they didn't? They might produce EVEN more players.

Not sure I buy the argument. I've coached in soccer games/tournaments where score isn't supposedly being kept and I can guarantee you everyone knows what the score is and the coaches are playing the players that will help them win the game; Yes, they are helping all the players develop and trying to improve their abilities but you know damn well they are also trying to win the game. On the other side, in baseball, coaches are trying to win but they are also developing the kids and helping them improve. I think you can have developing players and scores being kept. Our hockey system isn't suffering because we keep score. Kids are running cross country and are aware of their times and where they placed in the race. Competition is ingrained in all these sports: if you think kids, parents, coaches aren't aware of score and how it is affecting the play, tactics etc you are fooling yourself

[Kent]

1 hour ago, Boominbooty said:

In baseball, nobody is harmed or feels alienated from the sport or is not developing (I would argue that Victoria produces better baseball players than soccer players but that's for another post). So, why can't we do it in soccer?? It boggles the mind.

Full disclosure, I haven't been involved in youth soccer since I played it in the 80's and 90's. And I've never been involved in youth baseball. That being said, I think baseball is different enough from soccer that it's tough to draw conclusions from one based on the other. At the youth level, when emphasizing winning, soccer can be coached in a way that would be equivalent to getting your third baseman to catch a grounder and then run it all the way over to 1st base instead of throwing it there, except in soccer at that age it can actually be successful. In baseball, that doesn't work.

I have a theory based on basically nothing that basically these short cuts to winning aren't uniquely possible in a coaching poor nation like ours. Without having the exact stats to back it up, it seems like when our MLS academies play European powerhouses, the younger the teams are, the better we do. For example, someone recently posted in another thread (the wonderkid thread I believe) about a game where TFCA U12 tied Barcelona U12 2-2 a couple of years back. I think those results tend to dry up as players get older, because the stuff that worked when they were younger, stops working.

[jpg75]

I have no problem with keeping score in a youth game, as said, everyone knows what the score is in the game. The problem imo is keeping standings and punishing teams for losing with pro/rel. Kids under age 14 shouldn't be told to play safe, kick it long, bunker etc.

[Obinna]

2 hours ago, Boominbooty said:

This has drifted from a Cavallini page But I will happily jump in here. I am fairly involved in Victoria youth soccer and the one thing that strikes me is how in soccer (U8-U10) we dare not keep scores or have a playoff system or, God Forbid, have medals or a trophy for an actual winner BUT in  a sport like baseball which is played often by the very same children and involves the same parents there are: playoffs, medals for the winners, scoreboards at the parks etc. In baseball, nobody is harmed or feels alienated from the sport or is not developing (I would argue that Victoria produces better baseball players than soccer players but that's for another post). So, why can't we do it in soccer?? It boggles the mind.

I agree with this. 

It seems like we are more concerned with protecting feelings. Not keeping score kills competitive spirit, but competition drives excellence.

It's good to have winners, losers, relegation and promotion, as it rewards excellence and punishes mediocrity. 

Edited July 4, 2017 by Obinna

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, jpg75 said:

I have no problem with keeping score in a youth game, as said, everyone knows what the score is in the game. The problem imo is keeping standings and punishing teams for losing with pro/rel. Kids under age 14 shouldn't be told to play safe, kick it long, bunker etc.

Agreed, but can't we achieve this and keep standings at the same time? Other countries seem to have no issue with this, why do we?

I suspect there is a belief here that it is easier to win playing kick and run in youth soccer. Therefore, if we want to get away from this style and develop players properly, we can't have winning / score keeping / standings / pro-rel etc.

I think this is B.S.

Perhaps I am naive, but I am a firm believer that if kids are coached properly, they should have no trouble beating teams who play kick and run. 

We want to develop players to play possession based, technique driven soccer, not just because it is the "proper" way to play, but because we believe this is how you get results, right? Why then do we hold this erroneous belief that kick and run is the only way to play safe, effective and winning youth soccer? 

Edited July 4, 2017 by Obinna

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, Kent said:

Full disclosure, I haven't been involved in youth soccer since I played it in the 80's and 90's. And I've never been involved in youth baseball. That being said, I think baseball is different enough from soccer that it's tough to draw conclusions from one based on the other. At the youth level, when emphasizing winning, soccer can be coached in a way that would be equivalent to getting your third baseman to catch a grounder and then run it all the way over to 1st base instead of throwing it there, except in soccer at that age it can actually be successful. In baseball, that doesn't work.

I have a theory based on basically nothing that basically these short cuts to winning aren't uniquely possible in a coaching poor nation like ours. Without having the exact stats to back it up, it seems like when our MLS academies play European powerhouses, the younger the teams are, the better we do. For example, someone recently posted in another thread (the wonderkid thread I believe) about a game where TFCA U12 tied Barcelona U12 2-2 a couple of years back. I think those results tend to dry up as players get older, because the stuff that worked when they were younger, stops working.

This is exactly what I was alluding to. 

I understand that kick and run works in youth soccer, but I believe that it wouldn't if teams were coached better to deal with it. 

I say this from my experience playing recreational youth soccer, competitive youth soccer, coaching high school soccer and running clinics and camps for players from the ages of 14 all the way down to 5. 

In my opinion, U10 is when kids are coordinated enough and mentally focused enough where you can actually teach them how to play the game (and get results while doing it).

Before then, let them run around like flies and win and lose. Don't take the fun out of it by not keeping score. It is ridiculous.

Most 6 and 7 year olds are not concerned with developing skills and learning "how to play" anyways. They just want to kick the ball in the net. Let them have fun.

[DannyFromToronto23]

cavallini interview before leaving for the national team

when the reporters ask him how the type of soccer Canadians play he says " it's Nothing Special " 

and he says " They don't play with passion" 

and says some other awful  stuff about the CANMNT basically trashing the team in front of Uruguayan media 

if you speak Spanish you will understand