ex-CANWNT player Latham: Moscato says morale is bad. Moscato denies saying this.

[Swangardian]

Christine Latham, the 34 year old ex-Team Canada player has drummed up some controversy after her comments on Fox Sports (she is one of the commentators). 

 

Here is what she said: 

 

On why Canada changed their starting 11 against the Swiss:

 

"I'm confused as well. I don't think...that this is Canada's best 11. I think that Jessie Fleming, when she came into the first game, she's the one who caused that penalty kick opportunity for Sinclair..."

 

 

On Herdman has managed thus far:

 

"Umm...I think he's mismanaged, actually...is the proper word. I think that we're seeing a lot of umm...desperate lineup changes...and let's go through them: Rhian Wilkinson has been out for over a month now, with a hamstring injury. She played the last 15 minutes of the Netherlands game. John Herdman expressed regret on bringing her in the game in the last 15 minutes because Rhian Wilkinson wasn't ready. You can't expect a player to come into a game like that when you have the lead..." 

 

 

When Asked about Canada's Team Morale: 

 

 "When I talked to Carmelina Moscato, it's not good. Everyone has been on this roller coaster of 'it's fine, the goals will come, this and that.' But inside the Team Camp, they know that it's do or die time. They know they haven't played their best soccer but they still managed to win their group, come out on top, basically scrape through considering the chances that the other teams had..."

 

 

More on Moscato:

 

 "She also expressed concern about the starting eleven that are on the field, noting that it's disappointing every day when they're in practice and these players aren't performing, because of injury, and they're starting."

 

 

FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH MOSCATO HAS RESPONDED:Moscato says Latham's comments were "not an accurate depiction of myself (or) of this team."

 

On Herdman:

 

He's putting on a little bit of a front here also, as far as wearing a casual polo and jeans to the press conference, wanting everyone to think he's in this relaxed atmosphere...and he's not and I think that everybody knows it because...let's face it...if it's not broken you don't fix it? And here we see in the starting eleven...several changes have happened to this starting eleven..."

 

 

On whether she's cheering for Canada:

 

"Well yes, and of course if they win (Herdman) is the hero and if they lose, he's the zero."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, Latham is a somewhat controversial figure. She did take coach Pellerud to a sport tribunal back in 2006 and Sinclair and Matheson testified on behalf of their coach.

 

 

As reported on the11.ca "In 2006, Canadian national-team members Charmaine Hooper (at that time the women’s all time scoring leader), Sharolta Nonen and Christine Latham took then-coach Even Pellerud and the CSA to the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada. At the hearing, serious cracks in the team were revealed to the public.

The three plaintiffs — who lost their case in June, 2007 — contended that the CSA was trying to force all of its national-team women to play for the Vancouver Whitecaps, and that they were threatened to be tossed from the program if they didn’t follow suit. They claimed that the CSA was beholden to Whitecaps owner Greg Kerfoot. In the hearing, it was revealed that “Pellerud and his wife rent and live in a large home in West Vancouver owned by Greg Kerfoot.”

It was dirty, nasty business. The tribunal found that the plaintiffs’ testimonies were inconsistent, and did not agree that Pellerud renting his home from Kerfoot was a conflict of interest.

Latham admitted that she talked to several of her women’s teammates, including floating the idea of — ahem — boycotting games to pressure Pellerud’s job.

“We are a team. We agreed to stayed together and stick to what we had decided as a team,” Latham wrote in an e-mail to her teammates. “If we are going to get what is fair, and secure the future for the players that will come after us, we must stay together 100%. This isn’t about individual players. This is about the Canadian Women’s National Team and getting the respect we deserve from our Federation and Even. I hope everyone is doing well.”

Christine Sinclair, at the time Canada’s rising star testified on behalf of Pellerud. So did current national-team midfielder Diana Matheson.

It was an ugly court battle that pitted player against player. And, after the court case, the women’s team’s form plummeted, a downward spiral that was only corrected when Morace was brought in to coach the team."

 

 

 

You can read the entire Outcome here: http://www.crdsc-sdrcc.ca/resource_centre/pdf/English/422_SDRCC%2007-0051.pdf

[paul-collins]

Marc Weber's discussion of the same:

 

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/soccer/Weber+Canada+first+controversy+this+Women+World/11161301/story.html

 

edited to draw out the Moscato story:  Here is the discussion of Lauren Sesselman that we were having in the game thread.  Basically she is starting ahead of Carm and Emily Zurrer and it sounds like Carm is disappointed;  but it also sounds like Carm was griping to a (former) friend and now it's gone viral.

[Swangardian]

Meanwhile in sports illustrated, assistant coach Sermanni says the team is tight knit: 

 

"Sermanni, 60, said the heavy financial support from the Canadian Soccer Association for a long residency in the Vancouver area has given the Canadian team a connection that he has rarely witnessed during his career."  http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2015/06/21/fifa-womens-world-cup-tom-sermanni-canada-uswnt

 

 

 

 

As far as injuries are concerned, Schmidt, Sesselman, Wilkinson, and Buchanan are all resting in training due to injuries. 

 

[Swangardian]

Also: 

 

 

Marc Weber @ProvinceWeber
Moscato: "It's unfortunate that happened. It's not an accurate feeling, not an accurate depiction of myself, of this team." #canWNT #FIFAWWC

Moscato: "It's a very interesting position she took. I think she wanted to attach a bit of credibility to her own opinions" #FIFAWWC #canWNT

 

 

Herdman (sarcastically) on morale: "Yeah, it's really terrible. The girls are fighting each other. They hate each other."

[tc-in-bc]

This person's twitter has most of the video of Christine Latham's comments posted in six separate parts.  You have to scroll down to June 21 though:

 

https://twitter.com/xphile101

 

Complete version of part 6:

 

http://twitter.com/FOXSports1/status/612760656702377985

[king1010]

Theres nothing wrong with changing the starting line up. Teams that win the world cup and win the champions league dont put out the same starting 11 every game.

Moscato was probably upset and vented to an old teammate latham who apparently has a big mouth and made it public. Me thinks moscato wont be talking to latham too much in the future.

Shows that latham is ruthless for attention though, throwing her old team into a firestorm.

[Blue and White Army]

Read the comment. The players aren't happy with their performances, and are aware they could do better. Nothing directly negative about that, is there?

[king1010]

Read the comment. The players aren't happy with their performances, and are aware they could do better. Nothing directly negative about that, is there?

Other comments are fine. This one is negative.

"She also expressed concern about the starting eleven that are on the field, noting that it's disappointing every day when they're in practice and these players aren't performing, because of injury, and they're starting."

[king1010]

Conspiracy theory?

 

Willes: A believable conspiracy theory on Canada's Women's World Cup controversy

 

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/soccer/Willes+believable+conspiracy+theory+Canada+Women+World/11164065/story.html?google_editors_picks=true

[Joe MacCarthy]

The players aren't happy with their performances, and are aware they could do better.

An interesting and somewhat amusing sideline to this.  Sherri Forde of TSN asked Herdman what his halftime speech was to the players (Switzerland game) he didn't want to say.

 

So as I'm watching each TSN clip of her interviewing players she asked each of then to find out what he actually said.  After the first player it became painfully and hilariously obvious what she was doing,

[Joe MacCarthy]

You can read the entire Outcome here: http://www.crdsc-sdrcc.ca/resource_centre/pdf/English/422_SDRCC%2007-0051.pdf

At the time i didn't believe the "rebels" and this document only confirms that.  Latham is not playing nice and she comes out bad in the above decision.  A few damning excerpts:

 

Facts and Evidence particular to Latham

Prior to 2006, Latham was a striker on the Team.  In 2005 and 2006, the Team was strong at the striker position, and Latham sensed that her position on the Team may be in jeopardy.  She was not invited to a Team training camp in January, 2006.  In an email to her dated December 24, 2005, Pellerud advised her that she had not been invited to the camp due to her unsatisfactory performance level coming off the bench, her  disappointing reaction to his criticism, and that her “high maintanance (sic) factor will no longer be tolerated”.

Latham advised Pellerud that she had signed a contract to play for Atlanta.  Latham had not signed a contract with the Silverbacks. She had completed and submitted a document entitled “2006 W-League Amateur Registration Form” dated January 20, 2006.  The document in evidence does not contain any commitment by Latham to play for the Silverbacks or any W-League team.  It is a form providing personal information and a liability waiver to the W-League.   

Findings

The evidence of Pellerud and Meszaros is preferred to that of Hooper and Latham.  Both Pellerud and Meszaros were prompt, direct and forthcoming in their responses.  Their individual recollection of events was good and detailed.  Each appeared to be stating the facts as recalled, without adding any particular emphasis.   Hooper’s answers were frequently not responsive to the questions put to her.  Inconsistencies were apparent in her evidence when compared to her emails.  Further, her acknowledgement that much of the substance of her email apology of September 26, 2006 was not true, adversely impacts her credibility.   

Much of Latham’s evidence seemed to be somewhat embellished.