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A short story of the last 9 years …. 9 years ago TODAY Liam and I stepped off the plane in London on this crazy journey. Liam began a 6 week trial at Fulham FC Jan 6th 2013 and after 5 days signed a 3 year contract. He was the first player in 18 months of trials to sign( 31 players had been on trial in that time at Fulham prior to his arrival) He spent the next 3 years lighting up south London winning two National Premier League Youth Championships scoring 65 goals in his U16 year leading the entire UK cat 1 scoring. That lead him to a England U16 call up which he turned down (people forget he was a dual national…) instead opting to go to the Montague tournament at14(turning 15) with Canada’s U16 team coached by Sean Fleming… He made a move to Liverpool FC at 16 signing a scholarship followed by a pro contract a few weeks later. He scored a Hatrick on his debut vs Blackburn Rovers!! He played for LFC U18s u19 UEFA youth league and Captained the U23s before going on Three loans before finally moving to FC Basel this year where he has 7 goals and 3 assists in 27 games … And I believe the best is yet to come…

Scott is fine.

Hey guys, Axel's brother here. I thought I would update his situation. First of all, the promotion was something else. He said the night of the game til the next morning was the best time of his life. He said it gave him a taste of what it's like to win something for a team, for the fans, and for a city. Especially in Spezia, where the fans are fanatics. Secondly, with a promotion in a first division, there comes a lot of changes. They have a new director, and everyone at the club is getting re-evaluated this week, including Axel. Spezia will decide if they want to keep Axel, send him on loan or transfer him in the next days. He is doing the best he can and still working very hard. They had physical tests a few days ago and he absolutely annihilated his teammates in the strength department scoring the highest by far. Axel and his agent are doing the best they can to get some minutes next season. I'll try to keep you guys updated, but we'll get some more official news soon.

He is such a solid player for us and such a solid human being! Some of you may know my son John, @JDub recently had a massive stroke! Steven sent a heartfelt get well video message to him that even brought a tear to this crusty old bastard's eye! Our family appreciate that so much!👍

Yes he is my lil cousin. We are proud. He is working hard and developing quickly. He is trusting the process and getting a bit of recognition. He still have room to develop. The good thing is Canada team is doing well and there are some promising players stepping in. I love our national team. And would be great and a dream come true if he was part of it now or later. The criticism is fine. People have their own opinions. Our skin is thick and will keep moving on. Negative comments won’t effect his abilities. He is a humble kid that is trying to live out his dream and trying to get better every day. There are a lot of Canadian youngsters that look promising as well. I wish every footballer has a chance to live out their dream and hopefully can help out national team our for the future of Canada soccer. Nothing but love!!

Just want to clear some items on this thread. Lucas was born in Toronto, grew up in Woodbridge and made a name for himself at Sporting's Toronto Academy who at the time was being headed by another (unrelated) Dias who played several seasons in Liga NOS. He's always been on Canada's radar, and TFCs for that matter during Dichio's amateur scouting days. He denied their academy at 10 in lieu of knowing full well he was going to be Sporting's Toronto academy's first import to their main academy in Lisbon and sure enough by 11 he was requested to join the main academy. He's been/being groomed to be a 10 the same way Bruno at ManU was. He's the real deal. He has played u-16 for Portugal at various unsanctioned friendlies. He's played in multiple international tournaments against u-14/u-16/u-17 and now u-23 with Sporting against other academies like Barcelona, Tottenham, etc. Even winning a u-16 tournament with Sporting and being named top player at the age of 14. He isn't at the 1st team with Sporting and it's quite simple. If anyone knows anything about Portuguese soccer, the top three clubs play players based on their transfer values. They sign players for cheap, and make these massive buyout clauses. Then they just spam minutes for these players and evidently these players begin to produce and showcase talent. Some are the real deal like Bruno Fernandes and Joao Felix and deserve the price tag others don't (like Renato Sanches at the time). Anyways Sporting has 2-3 guys they need to sell before they can give him an opportunity as a perhaps a 19 year old in the 10 role. They are quite deep at that position. I would not be surprised if we see Dias loaned to a smaller 1st Division team in Portugal to get 1st team minutes in the near future. I should note that he was asked to join the Canadian team that went to world cup in Brazil but was injured/recovering at the time. Here's a documentary that was made about him during his early days at Sporting. Lucas' dad in this documentary is my cousin/godfather, who was also born in Canada. I am elated to see him put on the red jersey. I will say I was being a tad selfish hoping he would choose Canada over Portugal. Rest assured ill try to persuade him to keep those colours if he does continue to rise up the ranks, but that Portugal squad does look enticing haha. Also for any podcast folks trying to pronounce his name. Just simply say Lucas like you would phonetically in English. You also pronounce our last name as "Dee-as" not "Die-as" unless you speak Portuguese then it's "Dee-uh-s" Happy to share additional info, but I'll let him do most of the talking on the pitch. He will be going to Mexico on Wed and he's excited. He does have instagram if people also want to follow him - it's lucasdias.89 - Jason

Happy New Year, On Oct 29, 2022, due to massive impact with Svante Ingelsson in front of the net in the games against Hansa, Scott was unable to join the National Team in Qatar. With the impact, his collar bone separated from his shoulder. With surgury on Monday, Oct 31, it was "pinned" back into place. Here's what the Jahn news reported: "It's the fourth minute of the home game between SSV Jahn Regensburg and FC Hansa Rostock. The guests attack on the right side, the cross comes into the penalty area, Scott Kennedy wants to head the ball out of the penalty area without pressure. Svante Ingelsson rushes in from Kenndy's right without a chance to get the ball. There's a bang, Kennedy goes down and Ingelsson falls onto the Jahn defender. Kennedy immediately grabs his right shoulder, the pain showing on his face. The Canadian has to go. That's it. Not only for this game, but also for the World Cup, which starts in a few weeks." Qatar did a very good job of hosting the World Cup. Everything was clean, controlled and safe. The stadiums were the best I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Scott came home (to Calgary) for the holiday. He trained, did physio and we were able to play hockey on the outdoor rink a number of times. He's back in Germany now training with Regensburg and he's looking forward to catching up with the National Team in March. I don't know when he'll be back in the Regensburg line up. That will be a decision Scott and the Regensburg medical team will make (but I would expect later in January, early February). Cheers!

A Historic Weekend - There are moments in life when you stop, reflect and cherish. This past weekend provided more moments. Being able to attend the game in Toronto, with the other 29,121 crazy Canucks, and watch the team qualify was extraordinary. The fact that Scott was on the field made it even better. An electric, fantastic, ever lasting memory.

Thank you. It's been a tough day. Adversity is not new to Scott. He'll be back.

Wanted to share these photos of Liam's shirt that his family had framed for him from his senior debut! He's a proper proud Canadian!! It's up in his room in Liverpool!!

We just returned from a visit to Regensburg. Beautiful Unesco world heritage historic City. The Jahn in Regensburg are sort of like the Roughriders in Saskatchewan. The team is a big deal to the locals. The stadium is beautiful and we were able to attend two games. As I approached the Stadium Fan Shop for the 1st game, there was a full sized card board model of Scott in the window. Surreal. Unfortunately Scott was injured in the against Erzgebirge Aue and he was unable to join the National team for their latest WCQ round games. Go Derrick! Jahn has had a great start to the season(and Scott too). According to the Bundesliga 2 website Scott is in the Team of the Season (so far). They'VE also done a nice profile article on his career. We look forward to seeing him back in the line up.

i sat on this for a week, after turning down approaches from Porto and a few premier league clubs after a chat with Klopp Liam decided to sign a new long term contract and head out on Loan to Kilmarnock..,Really happy and excited for the opportunity for Liam...Here's to him going and smashing up the SPL!!! Buzzing!!! Sent from a hotel in Kilmanock!!!!

Trust me when I say It would only be a loan Liam is going no where permanently anytime soon.(I would know) He is very happy at Liverpool and very highly rated, he is being developed as a back up in the Firmino mould... but understands the need for first team football to help develop his game. Last thing we want is for him to be a just in case player it would stifle his development... ATM it seems he is going to stay at LFC playing in the Premier league 2 with Liverpool FC u23s and pushing for fist team opportunities in the Caribou Cup. With him likely to go out on loan in January. He is gutted to have not gone on the first team tour to the USA but LFC had 6 players return from loan Origi. Ojo Wilson, Sturridge, Kent and Markovic... Wilson has gone to Derby Kent to Rangers...once more players go out on loan he should be in training with the first team. He is right on the fringe of the first team atm.. The one thing I never really got as a player(I played for a short time for Charlton 25 years ago...)was the mental side and how important it is..in my day u just got on with it... Liam has a mental skills coach through the club, that deals with set backs(like not going on tour, or being dropped back down) and dealing with ups and downs of the game, and injuries...it has really helped him... at the level Liam is at now that is the difference maker and the thing we lack in Canada.. the players that can deal and push through are the ones that go on to make it. The journey is a real rollercoaster ride of success and failure... sorry long post...

@admin Again this is Robert's new account. It's actually impressive how you and TGAA can singlehandedly ruin intelligent discussion from hundreds of people and turn this forum into a frustrating place to visit.

I'm the real Scott's Dad (not "slim shady") and yes I'm incredibly proud of him and happy for him. Thank you. He's a wonderful human being. He makes it easy to be proud. His ability on the pitch is an extension of who he is. I've previously shared a story about how, as a young player (12 or 13), when Scott led the Calgary West team to win the Provincial Championship, his coach stated some prophetic words, he said: "Scott, it is said that one's true nature (good/bad) surfaces under intense competition. Some crumble, some shrink back, others will compromise their integrity and values to win. I've had the pleasure of watching you, and teaching you, and have asked you many time to compete. To compete at a higher level, a championship level, to lead us on the field. You never flinched, you stepped up and you delivered. Your performance on the field was matched only by the integrity you displayed, even when things got ugly. You are a premier athlete, not just because of your abilities, but also because of your character. Any coach would love to have you on his/her team." I am grateful to this coach for sharing these words and giving his time generously to Coaching Scott's team. He made a lasting impact. This kind of support and direction has helped Scott navigate the last 6 years climbing from the German 6th league to where he is today.

I've been a member here since maybe 2008. I'm getting old and don't really remember. This is my first post. I do not post because it will just lead to problems but I do stay tuned on this site regularly. Damar, Micah Chisholm are the real deal. They have been spending time in Europe since 15 years old. Training with big clubs, playing in friendlies and making contacts. They have been coached by people like Norbert Duwel, 9 years Bundesliga head coach and 6 year German women's National team head coach and Manchester United senior scout. Also, Marco Desisti UEFA A pro and 15 years Manchester United senior scout. Their Development has been calculated a long with Ruben Silva and a couple of others that will sign in Europe in near future all these players have been playing together since 8 years old and with the same coach. Stats say he is one of the best coaches in Canada. Damar is special, swift , athletic, with a high football IQ and most importantly the ability to learn. Damar is the youngest on his team. Not sure how much playing time he will get but he is making it very difficult for coach Defrancesco (a coaching legend in italy) to send him down to Primavera 1. He will play some games in Primavera but train with the first team. He already has about 4 teams in Europe asking g for a loan deal in January. He plays mid outside left and is an attacking player but the coach has also used him at left back. He is going to turn heads. The fans in Frosinone are already asking about him. I know this Info because I am the guy who has signed Damar and Micah. I live next door to Damar in Italy and travel to Hannover to visit Micah. These are young players who need support. It is an investment for my company, the clubs and communities they play for and Canada Soccer to guide them. They both can play for Jamaica and Jamaica has called but there hearts are 100 percent for Canada. They dream to play for Canada. In a few years time they will be both offered a German and Italian passport. Sorry for the long post but at Alcorso Sports Management are super excited for these player's. You can follow both Damar and Micah on Instagram as they go through their ups and downs. You can follow me on Instagram at to @alcorsosports to keep up with these players and others. Thanks for your time and noticing these players. They are fantastic human beings and an asset to their communities. They truly appreciate any support they can get! Sempre Avanti

Long time lurker. I am from Turkey, live in Canada, and am connected to Fenerbahce in various ways at the board level. Update on Ferdi Kadioglu: - The front runner is Turkey and there is a lot of pressure being put on him since he is playing there. I have seen some links that were posted here about him not having Turkish citizenship, but he has acquired it and has had it for over a year now. Unfortunately Turkish media is just littered with poor journalism and has no integrity. - He obviously wants to play for the Netherlands, but cracking that line-up is difficult so it doesn't sound in play at the moment. - Canada is being considered, but the odds are quite low this 10 seconds. Keep in mind, Canada has two things going for them. A huge influx of talent in recent years, and automatic qualification of the World Cup in 2026. Considering Turkey struggles to qualify for major tournaments on a consistent basis, and the Netherlands has a lot of barriers for him to break the line-up... Canada is definitely not a 0% chance. Canada is my home, I've coached here for years and see a promising shift to the sport. I do agree with some of the comments above, I don't think anybody should be groveling for any players services, especially if they haven't chosen said nation earlier on. Unfortunately, this sort of baggage comes with talented players that hold multiple citizenship's. Personally, if I were Ferdi, I would choose Canada. You can be part of their up and coming golden generation and a darling dark horse that will certainly be a story in the 2026 World Cup. In parallel, by then he'll be in the prime of his career.

He was voted best midfielder of September by the league

He had an amazing 75 mins in front of 58000 fans at Celtic Park. The atmosphere was unbelievable. (I was there!!!) He was Completely shattered after the match. He absolutely worked his socks off for the team. It was very disciplined and mature performance in a left mid of a 4 which he hasn’t to my knowledge ever played. A left wing in a front 3 yes not a midfield 4. BBC player ratings of the match he was rated the 3rd best performance on the pitch!! Not bad for his first start against arguably the best team in scotland! Sorry gushing a bit still buzzing. Hopefully first of many starts now! Not many 19 year olds get to make that starting appearance or even ever get to experience that. It has been a fabulous year with ya tin of growth and experiences! Liam’s looking forward to getting back with the National team lads if selected for the Gold cup Dop !!

A few more sorry proud!!

Micah Chisholm is a fantastic player! When he gets on the field he takes control. Loud, physical, athletic, hates to lose, high football IQ and Captain material. Micah was in Italy in May training with a team, I got a call from Hannover to see if we would send Micah there for atleast a week. After the first training session they called me and offered Micah a contract. Micah is 6'3 but needs to add some mass. Hannover is very pleased with Micah. He is a left footed left back that runs like the wind. They are now playing him at center back. Micah is a great person to be around and confident in any room. This guy is going places. I think he may get a few starts on the first team team this year. Hannover needs left backs and Micah fits the bill. You may not of heard of him but his football community has. Our goal is to develop him, find him him a team and contract and worry about national team stuff later. Both Micah and Damar Dixin will force the CSA to make the call with their play. We have already been in contact with the CSA. I think both parties are waiting for the right time to team up. These players woukd live your support and follow! You can find Micah on Instagram and @Alcorsosports SEMPRE AVANTI

I just wanted to thank everyone including Jamie for all the effort that put into making yesterday's experience in all of us buying tickets for the WCQ match vs. Jamaica later this month here in Toronto. The landscape certainly changed with the addition of the Canada Red + White memberships through the CSA and there will be things learned from it. Both avenues seemed to go smoothly for most. I think one thing that stuck out was with the 2 ticket limit in the Vs section vs. 4 for the rest of the stadium and as such it forced some who would normally buy in the south end to buy elsewhere to be able to bring all those they wanted too, thus it left a number of tickets unsold initially. Also as the day went on we saw the issues with groups of three tickets together and not being able to leave a single. These are all things that will be learned from and solutions will be found, especially during what will be exciting times for Canadian soccer and all those that are along for the ride. The stadium will be loud, proud and something we will never forget. Thanks again for all the effort that has been put into this and March 27th for most and for those heading to Costa Rica a few days earlier cannot come soon enough.

For non-Spanish speakers, apart from what was explained by @Unnamed Trialist, it was also debated whether or not Crepeau's move was a penalty. An interesting detail was that they said that apparently many of the Mexican players who came from Europe, are being affected by the height of Mexico City. In my personal opinion, I think Canada has shown that it has an excellent competitive level. It is a team that is not afraid to attack and that even without having its entire starting team, knows how to get results. It's a delight to see this new Canada play. As some of you know, I live in Panama, but I was born in Venezuela and I have followed Canada since the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis where I attended the game vs. Chile, and from there I have become a soccer fan of your beautiful country- Thank you Canada for making us dream

Very happy for him. He needs to play first team football in a tight competitive environment with a good coach that will make him a better player. He had a good chat with Bowyer before signing and the goal is to get promoted. End of. A good driven team really good for his development... another step on his pathway...

He is in the photos now

Spoke with Cordova over Instagram DM since it had been 12 months after his last call up (Oct 2017 vs ES) - He said he was nominated vs NZ in Spain but turned it down due to a big match solidify his spot and so therefore Herdman let him - That he was only left out of the last two due to Technical decisions *No RB’s being selected - Very motivated and committed to Canada ?? - Currently he’s fighting in his club with Jose Bizama who got called up for Chilean national team not too long ago - He thinks Canada will be a powerhouse since Canada already has very good players without its own league, “Just imagine what it will be like when they do” - Would consider a move to MLS in the future should he receive any offers - He’s learned the Oh Canada Anthem, English has improved and talks to Herdman with out a translator - Likes the healthy competition at Huachipato and finally hopes to be playing the Copa Sudamericana next year!

Cheers! On that note I am pleased to let everyone know my son @JDub came home Tuesday after 3 months in the hospital following a massive stroke, he has an uphill battle ahead but will be watching tonight for sure! 👍

Something happened. Either he wasn't called and must have thought he wasn't in Herdman's plans, or Herdman called him but gave him an ultimatum that if he couldn't commit to this window he likely wasn't in Herdman's plans in the future. Either way it is sad to lose a player of Scotty's quality. THAT SAID, We should be celebrating his short but eventful Canada career. A Premiership quality player who chose Canada despite other options (yes waiting for Scotland counts), I think we should give Arfield credit for being one of those transitional pieces from the 'old' Canada to the 'new' Canada. He was there captaining the side with a young Davies, David, Larin, etc in the squad. And he always gave it his all. I'm sure he helped move the program forward to where it is now. So thank you very much for your service Scotty! I'm sure Canada will qualify for the World Cup and crush it and bring a smile to your face!

Away from all the covid talk and stuff some different news… Liams mom has officially been Shortlisted for an Academy Award as Makeup Designer for nightmare Alley!! Yes I know not soccer related but amazing news for another Canadian doing well!! https://www.oscars.org/news/94th-oscarsr-shortlists-10-award-categories-announced

First class work by Alistair Johnston and Theo Corbeanu

You’re welcome.

So a bit of an update. This experience has been exactly what Liam needed. Scotland has been a blast, he was thrown right in but hit the ground running. He's now had two really good first team substitute appearances and is really growing as a player. It's the small things you don't get from youth football. The day to day competition and struggle of working towards trying to get that starting spot... being around pros who can help you with the details.. training for an opponent.. Liam is hungry and happy!! Liam has come into a very good settled team but the manager Steve Clarke seems to have faith in him as he has thrown him into both games where he has come on and made a real impact and has been unlucky to not get his first goal. Big game on Saturday vs his former coach Stevie G and Rangers on Saturday!!! It won't be easy but nothing worth doing is and nothing good comes out of being comfortable...Very happy with his loan move

It was a strong 5 minutes (but as you know, I'm biased). Great to seem him back on the pitch doing what he loves to do. Scott's coming home for the holidays. It will be great to see him. He'll get a break from what has been a roller coaster 1st half of the season. It was a "rocket ship" trajectory start, quickly stopped by injury. I look forward to hearing about how he's feeling about the second half of the season with the Jahn and the next CMNT games. Happy holidays!

Champions!! Amazing for Liam to be a part of such an amazing club and not a bad year to make your senior debut!! Onwards and upwards!! #ynwa!!

New Captain!

I am sure I speak for every forum member when I send my best wishes to Scott ( and his family @Ian Kennedy ) . The rest of Canada sadly won't get the chance to see him on the biggest stage at the World Cup, but we the die-hard fans know who got us qualified and brought us to this point. Rest and recovery and hopefully we will see Scott during the March window. 💪

On a funny side note I have been a constant poster here and have had a few people talk about my film work(Peakys and GOT which are all true lol) but little is ever said about Liam’s muM in the media writeups Jo-Ann his mom is an award winning Make Up designer! She has done films like Suicide Squad, Dune and most recently designer of Nightmare Alley!!! Spends months away and I wanted to shine a bit of light on all she has done and sacrificed to help in Liams success. random post but wanted to share…

So Obs disappointed at LM not being called up but in the end it’s one of the best Canadian squads In a long time and there is a very talented group of players going to WCQ… But!!!! Liam is through to the group stage of of the Europa Conference league!! Liam came on in extra time when FCB were losing and made in instant impact and again helped changed the game!! Basel tied the game soon after he came on and ended up winning on Penalties!! What an amazing game and experience to be a part of!! Bring on the group stage!! Draw tomorrow!!!! I’m just bursting!!! So happy for him and FC Basel!!!

I’m crying…

A little bit of positivity after last night Liam is back in full team training for preseason today with FC Basel and ready to get to work ( he worked really hard in the off season to get trim and fit…) Here’s to a great start to the season (I wouldn’t write him off the WC squad quite yet, as some have …)

You will find out in the coming weeks where he will play. He is very excited for the next chapter of his career. And thankful for the experience he got.

Oh how the times have changed 🤣 a year or so ago we would’ve been breaking down our chances against the likes of Curacao or Honduras. Now we’re all “what a waste of time, give us Brazil or England” 😅

Jahn hasn't yet posted the game highlights or the game, so I don't have much to add. Scott did send me a note. He was disappointed to leave the game but he said he'll be fine ... nothing serious. Nice to see him in the starting line up!

Unbelievable performance from back to front from the whole team. To come out and beat a league one team with basically a u20 team. Brilliant so incredibly proud of Liam asked to do a job to press and push and run. He put a proper shift in and did all that an more. That dummy near the end and if Curtis would hve put him in he would have scored for sure. so so proud. . No one can ever take that away from him having played for Liverpool FC in the FA Cup team a winning team. lost for words time for a beer

https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/331460-melwood-photos-liverpool-training-christmas-eveLiam’s in training with the first team over Christmas... a few shots from today’s session... nice to see him line up against Kieta... Liam looks very serious(Right side beside Lallana behind Henderson!) but he is very happy for the opportunity... lots of fixtures of the next few weeks