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Miller back as Interim Head Coach for Gold Cup

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:10:00 EDT

With the Canadian Soccer Association announcing on Tuesday that Colin Miller has been confirmed as Interim Head Coach for Canada’s upcoming participation at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the national team has a good choice in place to guide the Canadian National Team through its region’s premier tournament.

Miller has done a good job to date working with young, unproven players and undermanned squads. He has plenty of CONCACAF experience and will provide something of a sense of continuity as the Canadian National Team continues to test and give experience to the young players who will hopefully form the core of the senior national team for the next couple of World Cup qualifying runs.

He also has a good relationship with Technical Director Tony Fonseca and that is vital given that Canada still does not have a full-time head coach. Most importantly, given that any head coach was going to have little preparation time and will have to hit the ground running for the Gold Cup, Miller’s familiarity with the Canadian player pool makes him a safe choice for a program that has many questions surrounding it.

Miller will join the Canadian National Team at the team's pre-tournament training camp following the conclusion of FC Edmonton’s spring schedule.

Interestingly, two other Canadian national team related developments came to prominence on the same day as the Miller announcement.

Tyler Green of Team 1040 radio in Vancouver tweeted that he's been told by sources that Yallop could take over as Head Coach of the Canadian national team by August. The relatively quick hiring of the former San Jose Earthquakes Head Coach would be a surprise choice by the Canadian Soccer Association given that there has been every indication to date that the CSA is really going to take its time making a decision this time around and is looking at candidates from around the world rather than just in Canada. Yallop is the reigning MLS Coach of the Year, but has already had one unsuccessful run as Canadian National Team Head Coach.

It was also announced on Tuesday that former Canadian National Team Coach Stephen Hart has been named as Head Coach for Trinidad and Tobago and will lead that national team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. While Fonseca had previously spoken about the possibility of Hart continuing to play some type of role with the Canadian national team program, the former T&T international will now look to improve the fortunes of the country where he was born.

Countdown: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Chivas USA

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:54:00 EDT

First Thoughts
The Whitecaps and Chivas USA have already met once this season, with that game going to the Goats. That was back during the time when the Caps were in a brutal slump and could barely buy themselves a goal, let alone a win. There has been an extreme change in Vancouver’s performances since then, so this match will likely have a completely different outcome than the last.

These two sides have met 6 times in MLS play, with the Whitecaps getting a pair of wins, Chivas only getting one and the other three games ending in a draw. In those 6 matches, Vancouver has scored a total of 7 goals and conceded 4 in return. It should be said that the last time these two sides met at BC Place was last season, and that match ended in a 4-0 blowout for the Whitecaps.

Keep Thinking
The Whitecaps have been in fantastic form of late and have been scoring goals like never before. In their last 5 matches, they have scored a whopping 13 goals, while conceding 10. Rarely before has Vancouver ever been so free scoring and a lot of credit can be given to Kenny Miller and Camilo for that. Between the two of them, Camilo and Miller have a total of 12 league goals on the season, and the little Brazilian has 9 goals in his last 11 matches in all competitions.

When these two teams last met earlier in the season, Chivas was in a much different situation than they are now. They were under the management of the legendary Mexican coach Chelís and it seemed to be working out. Fast forward to present day, el Chelís is now gone and the Goats are tied for second last in the MLS.

A team like Chivas should be easy prey for the Whitecaps with the good form they have been in lately. After coming off a great 4 goal performance against the Revolution, who are having a great season so far, the Goats should be no problem. They should not be underestimated though, as the Whitecaps must not let their good performances get too much to their head.

In The End
In theory, this should be an easy win for the Whitecaps, as long as their play from last match carries over into this one. Expect to see a number of goals in this game, and with the fans behind the Caps throughout the entire 90, they will be motivated to keep it coming. Do not expect a total blowout, but look for Vancouver to control the run of play for the majority of the game.

Prediction
Vancouver Whitecaps 3 – Chivas USA 1

Countdown: Montreal Impact vs Houston Dynamo

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:07:00 EDT

First Thoughts
Two first half goals from Matias Sanchez and Dominic Oduro saw Montreal Impact slump to a 2-0 defeat away to Columbus Crew in uncharacteristic fashion on the weekend. Massive gaps in the defense, cheap turnovers and a lack of finishing were key aspects to what could be considered a rare defeat that ended the club’s winning streak at 3 matches.

Now the Impact will return to Stade Saputo and face another major test in Houston Dynamo, a squad that was dumped out of the US Open Cup by Texas Derby rivals FC Dallas and that have gone winless in its last 4 league matches and are looking to separate from the logjam that is the Eastern Conference.

Keep Thinking
Montreal will welcome back Marco Schällibaum to the touchline after he served a one match ban following his actions during the match against Sporting KC. Going up against his opposite number in Dominic Kinnear and a quality team like Houston that has a point to prove, it will be vital for the players to shake off the Columbus match and get a quality result before going on yet another bye week.

Getting the likes of Daniele Paponi and Andrea Pisanu back from injury is a good boost to the squad. Both have shown flashes of quality during a relatively short period in MLS and were brought in as complimentary pieces to goal poacher Marco Di Vaio.

Even though lesser talked about players like Andrew Wenger and Justin Mapp have made major contributions to the overall play of the team, there is still something missing from the attack that could be sparked when the three Italians play together.

It’s a given that the Dynamo will look to make it a priority to mark Di Vaio out of the match. They will be all the more vigilant of this given their recent struggles and depleted squad due to international call-ups. From Montreal’s standpoint, it’s the likes of Paponi, Pisanu Wenger and Mapp that will need to make the difference either from the start or off the bench.

Houston will have central defender Bobby Boswell back into the fold after serving a suspension for a head butt against New England Revolution. However, with captain Brad Davis and midfielder Oscar Boniek Garcia on international duty with USA and Honduras, the attack losses much of its bite and the wide positions will be an area that Montreal will attempt to exploit.

An area this team needs to improve upon is goal scoring. At the beginning of the season this was a team that didn’t have too many problems scoring goals but in recent matches they’ve either been kept off the score sheet completely or had to labor to get its goals. On the bright side, this is a squad under Kinnear that gets balanced scoring across the board and doesn’t have to rely on one player, so this will make the Impact’s defensive priorities a challenge.

The overwhelming key to this match is from a stylistic perspective, Montreal is at its best when keeping the formation tight and compact and springing counter attacks through Patrice Bernier, Felipe and, at times, from central defence through Alessandro Nesta via quick turnovers. Houston on the other hand likes to take command of the midfield by squeezing playmakers out of the match, denying access to the middle of the pitch, providing speed on the wings and allowing Giles Barnes and Will Bruin to get into the box.

In the End
Montreal will have the comfort of Schällibaum being back on the touchline and they are looking to respond after a rather timid and lackluster performance that was out of character for the Eastern Conference leaders. Getting maximum points against the Dynamo before going on another bye week would give the club something to build off before what is a relatively easy run over the next three games (Colorado Rapids, Toronto FC, Chivas USA).

Houston should never be underestimated if for no other reason than they’ve made the last two MLS Cup Finals. However missing Brad Davis and Oscar Boniek Garcia is a fairly significant blow to the squad and performances over the last few matches following all the hype over the 36 home winning streak have been suspect.

Prediction
Montreal Impact 1-1 Houston Dynamo

514FC Montreal Impact Podcast: This match had 22 minutes

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:40:00 EDT

George & Robb recap a match that meant more for the Columbus Crew and was all but over in 22 minutes for the Montreal Impact. Despite the road loss, IMFC remain #1 in the east. We talk MLS Fantasy rosters and player transfer strategy. Finally, a post-game chat with Felix & Emilio of A.R.M.S.

XI out of 10: Montreal Impact vs Columbus Crew

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:10:00 EDT

Struggles in Columbus continued for the Montreal Impact. The Impact have not been able to get a result at Crew Stadium in their first three encounters. The Crew downed the Eastern Conference leaders two-nil yesterday.

XI out of 10: Vancouver vs New England Revolution

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 18:42:00 EDT

The Whitecaps always seem to play better when they are losing, and this game was no exception. If Vancouver wants to be a consistent team and secure a postseason spot, it needs to play with the same level of intensity during the whole 90 minutes. If it weren�t for inspired games by Vancouver�s forwards, the Whitecaps would be mourning another loss.

XI out of 10: Toronto FC vs DC United

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 18:41:00 EDT

At this point we�ll take what we get from Toronto FC and although it wasn�t a glorious victory with heaps of possession and attacking pressure, at the end of the night a winless streak is finally over as the Reds downed DC United 2-1. The post-match pattern continues of signs of encouragement, but also warning signs that the result and performance weren�t such to breed too much confidence that TFC have turned a corner in their season.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Toronto FC 2 � 1 D.C. United

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 14:28:00 EDT

The Good
A Win At Last!

Hey, Move it!
It was quite fun to see Robert Earnshaw push around Brandon McDonald and get his head on the ball for Toronto’s first goal. Perhaps it was a shove too deliberate for some referees, and, in most cases, would have resulted in a foul, but on this particular night, Earnshaw leapt into the air, beat his (significantly taller) marker, and scored his sixth of the season.

Front flip, matador, Toronto level at one a piece – bless you, Robbie.

Three Points
That’s right, three whole points. Not one, not zero, three! A win over D.C. United keeps Toronto FC five points clear from the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and with a game in hand, Toronto has a chance to make that lead much wider. The Reds take on the Houston Dynamo next, but three points against D.C. United means Toronto FC can take Houston on with a bit of momentum behind them.

Familiar Foes
While the game itself was lacking in certain areas for Toronto FC, the one storyline that was interesting to follow was the battle between Ben Olsen and his former teammate, Ryan Nelsen. The two young head coaches squared off for the first time this season, and Nelsen made his return to RFK Stadium, in a night that saw two struggling teams battle for a desperate win. Nelsen tops Olsen, but the handshake after the game was a treat to see.

Bendik the Hero
It looks like Joe Bendik, like Milos Kocic before him, has taken the goalkeeping spot and made it his own. Even with a healthy Frei waiting on the bench, Kocic’s form and performance has made him a clear starter and his heroics were on display once again against D.C. United. He made a number of saves that prevented D.C. from levelling or going ahead, but his presence in the box makes him a real leader in the backline, too.

The Bad
Yikes! Was that a penalty?

Inside or Out
Gale Agbossoumonde may have thought his tackle on an onrushing Nick DeLeon was outside the box, but the referee thought otherwise. Now, discussing whether or not a penalty was conceded is futile, but what does matter in this particular instance is two things: one, Matias Laba and Jeremy Hall completely failed to stop DeLeon’s run, and two, Agbossoumonde’s tackle was too rough to ever get away with, inside or outside the box. Smarter defending from midfield and in the backline would prevent those kinds of mistakes.

Russell the Enforcer
He came on and was yellow carded two minutes later. Did Darel Russell spend his recovery time watching the NHL Playoffs? It seems like Nelsen brought him on specifically to defend, which is a fine tactical decision, but picking up a yellow card that quickly puts Russell in a strange category of footballers on the evening. Still, it was funny to watch, and there are no complaints on Toronto FC’s end.

The Ugly

One day, Dwayne De Rosario will announce his retirement from soccer. Major League Soccer will come together to celebrate the Canadian international’s long career in the league. Many will come forward and say De Rosario was one of the most talented and professional players in league history, an all-star, a MLS cup winner, a champion.

While all that fanfare is going on, Toronto FC will finally breathe a sigh of relief – no more Dwayne De Rosario to score against them. It seems like, in every encounter, De Rosario gets on the scoresheet against his former club, and having a threat like that with motivation behind him to punish is a dangerous weapon. Sure, this time, it was a penalty, but he’s done it before, and, truly, when he steps away from the beautiful game, Toronto FC’s biggest threat will no longer be around to haunt them.

A footballer with a personal motivation to score is a dangerous and deadly player and they don’t come any more dangerous than Dwayne De Rosario!

Quoteworthy:
“We have to learn how to win at this club. Sometimes it hurts before it gets better. We saw it out very well today. The defenders stepped up when they needed to and the midfielders were brilliant today in controlling the midfield.” – Ryan Nelsen, post game.

Plot Twist? Thoughts on Kara Lang�s Comeback

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 13:31:00 EDT

I nearly fell off my chair last night.

We all know Kara Lang’s story. Capped for the senior national team at just 15 years old, the sweetheart of Canadian soccer was forced to retire in January of 2011 at just 24 years of age due to the effects of ACL tears in both 2005 and 2009. Just eight short of 100 international caps, it all seemed too unjust.

However, Lang’s soccer story is not finished.

An article by Sean Fitz-Gerald of the National Post Friday evening revealed the now 26 year old is already working on a ‘comeback’- this would be her third- to the national team, which began when head coach John Herdman “planted the seed” of a return to her before the Olympics last year.

I was pleasantly shocked by this news.

The intense rehab she is undergoing is outlined in the National Post article, including totally altering the way in which Lang runs to alleviate pressure on the damaged ligaments and strengthen the muscles around her right knee. Fitz-Gerald reported that if all goes well, Herdman might have Lang back in Canadian camp as early as November.

If she is successful, what does this mean for the women’s national team, who have constantly struggled on the international stage to score and give support to Christine Sinclair?

In a best case scenario that sees Lang fit and getting regular match minutes, she could provide much needed width in the attack, and provide the team with a link from the midfield to forwards, something that was evidently lacking most recently in the team’s 3-0 loss against the United States.

In her short career, we witnessed Lang magnificently strike a dead ball into the back of the net on many occasions, including this free kick goal at the 2003 WWC (at 1:35). My favourite memory of Kara Lang was her penalty kick in the semifinal of the 2002 U-19 Women’s world cup, where she showed poise and a little sass when the Brazilian keeper attempted to intimidate her. (here, at 5:40)

However, many have commented that she was always more physical and athletic than technical. But therein lies the ‘what-ifs?’ of her short career. Lang retired at just 24 years of age, and even after her second comeback in 2009, she was not at her best. We may have never witnessed her full technical ability and potential.

What strikes me about this story is that it was indeed Herdman who gave Lang the idea for another comeback. Herdman has been the best national team coach the Canadian women’s program has ever seen, and his confidence in Lang is encouraging. He genuinely believes she has a shot to impact the team once again, and I am forced to believe him.

It’s all so poetic. With the World Cup just two short years away, in Canada no less, fans can’t help but be excited while envisioning a team once again with Kara Lang. Nobody will question her determination and work ethic. But is a comeback from two ACL tears actually possible? Few return from major knee injuries in top form. Will we ever see an in-form Kara Lang again? Only time will tell.

In the past few weeks, Canadian soccer has been littered with more news of Junior Hoilett’s unwillingness to commit to representing the Canadian men’s national team, continuing debates over Sydney Leroux’s ‘class’, and a ridiculous ban on harmless religious head coverings in Quebec.

Lang’s story is different. She represents all that is pure about sports- perseverance and courage in the face of continuous adversity. Whether the outcome of her comeback is more international caps or just a few call-ups to camp, her message for life and sports will not soon be forgotten.

Never give up.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Vancouver 4�3 New England Revolution

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 13:05:00 EDT

The Good
Goal scoring and Carlyle Mitchell

The Whitecaps have been scoring goals like never before of late and it has made all the difference in their results. Regardless of the amount the Caps have conceded, for the most part they have managed to score more. Kenny Miller and the brilliant form of Camilo have been the two driving forces of all these goals being scored. Between the two of them, they have a combined total of 12 so far this season, and expect that total to keep increasing as the year progresses. The fact that Vancouver was able to shift gears and score 3 goals in a single half to come from 2-0 behind speaks measures about what the team is capable of.

With all the injuries the Caps have, especially in their backline, Martin Rennie was left with no other option but to recall Carlyle Mitchell from NASL side FC Edmonton. Despite a lack of chemistry with his fellow defenders, Mitchell actually had an exceptional game against the Revolution. Granted he had a few mistakes here and there, but so does every player on the pitch. Speaking for most people who attended the match, many were impressed with his performance. We must all look at the positives of this call up, it's better to have Mitchell in the lineup than Klazura.

The Bad
Poor start and finishing

Apart from a few matches, the Whitecaps have been victim to a number of extremely poor starts to matches. Against New England, they unfortunately went down 2-0 early and spirits were obviously lowered drastically. Although, much to their luck, the Whitecaps gained a man advantage, as well as a penalty kick, which was just the spark they needed. Vancouver must avoid these poor starts because they will not get lucky like they did in this game too often in matches to come.

Despite the fact that the Caps scored a whopping 4 goals in this match, they had countless opportunities to score even more. It is always a good idea to finish every chance because anything can happen late in the match. Vancouver was fortunate not to settle for a draw and drop points on this day, but another goal or two would have sealed this win much earlier.

The Ugly
Shutting down

The Whitecaps shut down late in the match once again and risked their 2 goal lead when they conceded a goal to make the game 4-3. This is a really dangerous way to play as it may come back to bite the Caps in future matches. If this team ever wants to compete for an MLS Cup, they must learn to close out a match properly. This means calming everything down by connecting passes and avoiding just booting the ball down the pitch to kill time. Often times, the Whitecaps set their sights on their desired final result and quickly lose focus on the task at hand. Thus resulting in the opposition beginning to crawl back and get themselves into the game again.

Kara Lang may return to the national team

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 12:44:00 EDT

Will one of Canada’s most well known soccer players return to the Canadian Women’s National Team? On June 14, Sean Fitz-Gerald of the National Post exclusively revealed that Kara Lang started working on her comeback in March under the guidance of B2ten, a privately-funded organization “that contributes to athletic excellence in Canadian amateur sport,” as well as certified athletic trainer Scott Livingston, who treated the Montreal Canadiens for almost a decade.

Before the 2012 London Olympics, CanWNT coach John Herdman got the idea going that Lang should suit up for the team once again. Canada’s bronze medal win and the potential of playing on home soil at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup were both likely incredibly alluring for Lang.

Placing her broadcasting career on hold and remaining cautious yet optimistic, the rehabilitation process may see Lang, now 26, officially back on the pitch as early as November.

Plagued by ACL injuries sustained in 2005 and 2009, Lang was forced to cut her soccer career short and retired from the national team in January 2011 at just 24-years-old. She made 92 appearances for Canada, scoring 35 goals.

A lauded striker with thundering free kicks from distance, Lang was the youngest player to debut for Canada at the age of 15 (March 1, 2002). She scored her first goals two days later, netting a pair against Wales.

Canada Women's soccer team incredible Goals:

It was the 2002 FIFA U-19 Women’s World Cup in Canada where the nation was captivated by an exhilarating group of young players. Almost 48,000 filled the seats of Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton to watch Canada finish in second place, with Lang among those (Melanie Booth, Candace Chapman, Robyn Gayle, Erin McLeod, Carmelina Moscato, Christine Sinclair and Brittany Timko) who would soon form the core of the senior team for years to come.

Lang went on to star for the UCLA Bruins (2005-2009) at the college level. And, along the way, saw relative success with the CanWNT, finishing fourth at the 2003 WWC and making it to the quarter-finals of Beijing 2008, Canada’s first appearance at the Olympic Games.

News of Lang’s potential return to the CanWNT was met with great fanfare. Around the Internet, folks were excited that their favourite player could be back, they wrote about themselves or relatives who were inspired by Lang and tweeted words of encouragement to the athlete herself (@Kara_Lang). On a personal note, I was part of the generation introduced to women’s soccer by the 1999 WWC, but it was Lang (and Sinclair) who turned me into a proud supporter of Canada’s national team.

“This is an opportunity to re-write my ending... Who’s going to turn that down, no matter how painful the rehab is?” Lang told the National Post.

We are all enthusiastically waiting for the next chapter of her story. Wishing her nothing but the best.

Montreal Impact shutout on the road in Columbus

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 11:35:00 EDT

This was obviously not the return to action the Impact were hoping for. Montreal came out very flat and couldn't do much despite having 57 percent of possession. To be fair, the game plan was not that bad for an away game against a side like Columbus who were well below the Impact in the standings and were also in poor form. On the road, Montreal sometimes liked to sit back and defend by having a large number of players behind the ball. The team exploded with quick counter attacks, scored once or twice and then sat back once again.

Kenny Miller brace lifts Vancouver over New England

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 11:35:00 EDT

Saturday�s win over New England marked just the third time in Vancouver�s MLS tenure that the team had managed to score four goals in a match, the two previous occasions coming last year against a dismal Chivas side late in the season, and of course, that memorable opener against Toronto in 2011.

TFC end winless streak with victory over D.C. United

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 02:01:00 EDT

Toronto FC 2 – 1 DC United

The Prelude to Battle
Fresh off a 10-day break and coming off an impressive performance with ten men in a 1-1 draw with the Philadelphia Union two weeks ago, Toronto were looking for their first road win of the year against a D.C. United squad that entered action on 12 game winless streak.

TFC Head Coach Ryan Nelsen made only made one change to his starting eleven from the draw against Philadelphia, with central defender Gale Agbossoumonde starting in place of the suspended Doneil Henry.

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The First Forty-Five
Both Toronto and D.C. United kicked off the first half by showing that they were intent on pushing forward in search of all three points.
With Canadian International Dwayne De Rosario looking very motivated against his old club, D.C. engineered the better scoring chances in the early going, with the home side coming close in the 6th minute when Gale Agbossoumonde was just able to clear a dangerous ball into the TFC box.

TFC had an excellent chance to open the scoring in the 13th minute when Jonathan Osorio set up Robert Earnshaw in a prime position in the D.C. box, but the Wales International shot high over the cross bar.

D.C. United drew first blood in the 18th minute when Agbossoumonde was called for bringing down Nick DeLeon in the penalty area. One minute later De Rosario confidently stepped and slotted in the first goal of the match on the penalty kick, beating Joe Bendik with a low shot into the left corner.

The home side continued to apply the pressure as the half progressed, with forward Lionard Pajoy failing on a couple of chances that he should have done better on and that would have allowed his side to take firm control of the match.

Toronto tied things up in the 31st minute when defender Steven Caldwell delivered an excellent ball that Earnshaw did really well on to beat his defender and head it into the back of the net.

The Reds took the lead ten minutes later when Luis Silva delivered an excellent free kick into the opposition box that D.C. defender Daniel Woolard headed into his own net.

The Second Half
D.C. United came out of the half-time break looking for an equalizer and Bendik came up big on a number of occasions to keep his team in the lead.

The TFC shot stopper made a huge save on a blast from distance by DeLeon in the 47th minute and following that up in the 58th minute with a great reaction save on De Rosario to prevent a sure equalizer.

While the Reds did not generate much in the way of scoring chances in the second half, they used some excellent high energy pressing to prevent D.C. from building much offensive momentum.

Toronto was also a bit lucky on a few occasion when the home team were able to get off quality shots that fell just wide, with Casey Townsend’s blast in the 68th minute sailing past a diving Bendik but just outside the post.

Unlike so many other matches this season, Toronto held strong down the stretch and through five minutes of extra time and closed out the win.

The Final Word: TFC finally get their just rewards
Over the course of TFC’s previous 11 game winless streak, Ryan Nelsen had often stated his belief that his side’s play had often deserved better than what the team was getting with respect to points earned. While there is something to be said for the saying that good teams find ways to win and poor teams find ways to drop points, a close examination of Toronto’s play in matches this year usually did reveal many positives that were often overshadowed by goals conceded late in matches.

Simply put, TFC got their just rewards today and should be credited for an overall solid road performance and for the fact that they did not end up conceding a late goal once again. The next test will be for the team to earn three points a better team. With the Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake next on the schedule, TFC won’t have to wait long to prove that they can build on this result.

In looking at the match a little more closely, there are plenty of positives to call attention to and one significant negative that should be highlighted.

Ultimately, Toronto FC were solid one through fourteen on this day, with all eleven starters and the three substitutes contributing to the three points earned. Keeper Joe Bendik made some key saves when needed and generally did what all winning teams need.

Overall, this performance really highlighted the nice mix of youth and rock solid veterans that Nelsen now has at his disposal. Steven Caldwell and Darren O’Dea lead the team exceptionally well from the back and the young legs of Matias Laba, Jonathan Osorio, Jeremy Hall, Ryan Richter and Luis Silva allowed the Reds to press effectively and dominate the midfield.

While it was nice to see Robert Earnshaw score a fantastic goal, the performances of two relative newcomers to the squad were the highlights of a solid team performance. Central defender Steven Caldwell looked like a keeper once again and TFC fans will likely be hoping the team will be able to lock him up for the remainder of the season. Midfielder Matias Laba was phenomenal in this game and is starting to look like a player who will only get better and better as he continues to evolve as a young talent.

Toronto also responded well when the referee awarded D.C. United with what looked to be a pretty harsh penalty call against Gale Agbossoumonde. The fact that Toronto bounced back from that bit of adversity when many struggling teams often use an occurrence like that to close up shop for the night was something says a lot about the team and manner in which Nelsen is managing his squad.

In terms of negatives, only one really stands out – Toronto generated next to nothing in terms of scoring chances in the second half. Most winning teams would likely have gone for the jugular against a team lacking confidence such as D.C. United. So the fact that this one did not end 3-1 is a bit disconcerting, but probably also a bit overly picky given what we have seen from TFC to date.

Toronto FC Starting XI:
12 Joe Bendik
6 Gale Agbossoumonde
33 Ryan Richter 
13 Steven Caldwell 
48 Darren O’Dea 
21 Jonathan Osorio 
25 Jeremy Hall
20 Matias Laba 
15 Bobby Convey
10 Robert Earnshaw 
11 Luis Silva

Substitutions: Reggie Lambe in for Bobby Convey (67); Jeremy Brockie in for Robert Earnshaw (80’); Darel Russell in for Luis Silva (87’).

Impact's long June break completely different this time around

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 11:10:00 EDT

For two straight seasons, the Montreal Impact were given a two week break to start the month of June. That's about the only similarities at this point between this season and the last. It's been quite the year for Major League Soccer's youngest franchise. Looking at how the team has started the 2013 season, today's results would be seen as a pipe dream to somebody exactly one year ago.

MLS Week 16 Marquee Match-Up

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 10:28:00 EDT

The jam packed fixture list continues in Major League Soccer this week with some important games and a few teams pulling double duty. One of these clubs are the Portland Timbers, who look to keep its 13 match unbeaten streak going against Western Conference leading FC Dallas in ESPN’s MLS Game of the Week.

These are two sides that have gone about business in slightly different fashions but have produced similar results. In the case of Portland it has been a combination of coach Caleb Porter’s fresh take on tactics and “Porterball” style of play along with the growth of his midfield core of Diego Valeri, Darlington Nagbe Will Johnson and Diego Chara, as well as players excelling in new and challenging roles (most notably Rodney Wallace playing wide forward/winger).

Dallas, on the other hand, have gotten the job done through its superior size throughout the spine of the squad through the likes of George John, Matt Hedges, Andrew Jacobson and Blas Perez, quality goalkeeping from Raul Fernandez and boasting an undefeated home record of 7-1-0 (the best in MLS). Coach Schellas Hyndman has managed to get the most out of this group of players even amidst some long injury spells. The one aspect of the team that needs major improvement is road form and getting a victory at JELD-WEN Field would legitimately be its first major scalp this season.

This will be a rather challenging match for both sides, as not only do they pose real problems for each other but both teams are also missing key players due to injury and international duty. The way each manager sets out their respective sides and makes adjustments will be something to watch, especially given the high stakes within a talented Western Conference.

FC Dallas @ Portland Timbers

Portland and Dallas are both coming off 4th round victories in the US Open Cup. FC Dallas defeated Texas Derby rivals Houston Dynamo by a commanding 3-0 score line while the Portland Timbers saw off NASL’s Tampa Bay Rowdies by a score of 2-0. In a rather ironic twist of faith, both of these teams will now face each other in the Quarterfinals in a little over a week. Changes to both squads would be expected between the two matches but there is still much that could be learned between now and then.

When first looking at this match-up the main aspect that is clear and that will be a major talking point ahead of kickoff will be the dynamic roles of each clubs chief playmaker. These players set the table for their teammates, draw a lot of attention from opposition defenders and are widely considered the best in the league (along with Columbus Crew’s Federico Higuain). Both Argentine midfielder Diego Valeri and Colombian midfielder David Ferreira are the first two names on the team sheet for good reason but while they get all the headlines and are at the crux of all things positive, their midfield “ball winning” partners are also worth keeping an eye on.

It’s the work of FC Dallas’ Michel and Portland Timbers Diego Chara in the engine room of the midfield that will make or break this match. The last time these two teams met in Week 11 it was Chara’s tackles on Ferreira and his runs made from deep positions that set the tone of the match and it was only a late penalty kick conversion from Kenny Cooper that saw both teams share the spoils in an entertaining 1-1 draw.

It will be vitally important for Chara to do a similar job this time around and for Michel to stay close to a player in Diego Valeri that has quickly adapted to life in MLS. When it comes to evaluating two newcomers to the league, both Michel and Valeri have been amongst the best.

Examining this match a little closer, the fact that forward Blas Perez likely won’t be available for selection due to suffering from gastroenteritis will force Hyndman to make a tactical decision. One of the main criticisms leveled at him has been a lack of versatility and willingness to stray from a lone forward formation and this could be a good opportunity to try a forward partnership of Kenny Cooper and Eric Hassli in a similar way to how he set out his side midweek against Houston in the US Open Cup.

On the one hand, it will add a bit of variety to the attack against a Portland side that have proven to be difficult to break down when keeping its shape and almost impossible to contain when pressing high up the pitch. However, both Kenny Cooper and Eric Hassli are essentially the same type of forward and like the ball in the same areas of the pitch and adding a forward would likely take away a wide threat for a playmaker like Ferreira to exploit.

Although Cooper and Hassli provide size and strength neither of them use it in the traditional sense, rather than play the “typical No. 9” role of back to goal hold up play, both like to drop deep, possess the ball facing goal, occasionally move out wide and allow the likes of Fabian Castillo and David Ferreira to advance forward. This is a good option to have when needing to try something different but it has the chance to backfire, particularly against a Timbers side that are one of the best counter attacking sides in the league as is evident in this MLSsoccer.com “Anatomy of a Goal” video.

One other area of the pitch that will get a lot of attention is down the FC Dallas left wing/Portland Timbers right wing and the specific match-up of Fabian Castillo/Jair Banitez vs. Darlington Nagbee/Jack Jewsbery. The combination play between the fullback and wide midfielder, the midfielders ability to cut inside, how the fullback uses vacated space on overlap runs, and defensive positioning will all be key elements of this battle and could be the wild card to victory for whichever duo executes it best.

There are countless elements that could be analyzed further including how the changes in either line up will affect the teams going forward, however, here’s how I see both teams lining up in what should be an enjoyable match.

FC Dallas:

Portland Timbers:

Prediction
FC Dallas 2-1 Portland Timbers

From the Black Hole: Episode 9

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 00:13:00 EDT

In the last podcast we have seen 2 weeks filled with controversy and we try to deal with some of that in Episode 9. Quebec, Leroux, Hoilett, and the less controversial (we think) Fraser Aird all have their own little segments.

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Countdown: Toronto FC @ DC United

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 21:51:00 EDT

Toronto FC have been off on a needed 10-day break, something required after another match where points slipped through their fingers after the 1-1 draw with the Philadelphia Union. The Reds are in a fortunate position where that result could be long forgotten as they go head to head with Eastern Conference rival, and shockingly worse in the table, DC United. While Ryan Nelsen has lamented poor luck and tried to indicate things aren't as bad as they seem, this game, even on the road, will determine exactly where TFC stands.

Countdown: Vancouver Whitecaps vs New England Revolution

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:21:00 EDT

First Thoughts
The Vancouver Whitecaps face off against the New England Revolution Saturday, which is a match up that has been pretty rare since the Caps joined the league back in 2011.

One initial thing to note is that Vancouver has never defeated New England in MLS play, recording one draw and two losses. The only point that the Whitecaps have recorded against the Revs was back in 2011, in what was one of the most memorable matches of that season. A match that saw three red cards, one of which was for Eric Hassli, who removed his shirt after scoring a penalty after having already been on a yellow. Other than that, the Whitecaps have not had the greatest of luck against the Revolution.

The last time these two sides met was back east in Massachusetts when the Caps got an early 1-0 lead thanks to Eric Hassli. Following that goal, the Whitecaps completely shut down and allowed the Revs to net four unanswered goals. That fixture ultimately finished in a 4-1 victory for New England.

Keep Thinking
Martin Rennie desperately needs to sort out a solid backline for this weekend. With Rusin and O'Brien both out injured, he is quickly running out of options. Carlyle Mitchell has been recalled from FC Edmonton for this weekend and do not be surprised to see him get the start as well. The back four will likely have YP Lee on the right and Harvey on the left, with Leverón and Mitchell in the middle. If Rennie decides to give Greg Klazura the start, he may potentially be putting a possible victory for the team on the line.

Some players the Whitecaps must look out for this weekend are Juan Agudelo and ex-Cap Lee Nguyen. Both are goal threats at all times and Mitchell and Leverón must find chemistry quickly and deal with these two players accordingly. The Whitecaps traded Lee Nguyen to the Revs at the beginning of last season after some off-pitch issues had occurred. Nguyen is an extremely talented player and, in the opinion of some, is definitely one that Vancouver should have held on to. It will be interesting to see if he is a player who is able to burn the Whitecaps in a return visit to Vancouver.

In The End
Expect this to be a tight and low scoring match, consisting of probably no more than three goals combined between the two sides. The Whitecaps will be going in with a slight advantage due to the fact they are playing at BC Place. The Caps home pitch has been an absolute fortress for them so far this season, so expect the Revolution to have a difficult time on Saturday.

Prediction
Vancouver Whitecaps 2 – New England Revolution 1

Countdown: Montreal Impact @ Columbus Crew

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:45:00 EDT

First Thoughts
Still sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings after a landmark victory away to Sporting KC and coming off a subsequent bye week, Montreal now head into a stretch of matches that will continue to put the squad depth and rotation policy of coach Marco Schällibaum to the test. The team will play two matches during this round of fixtures, starting with a trip to Columbus Crew Stadium before hosting Houston Dynamo midweek.

The Crew for its part is coming off a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to Philadelphia Union and, at the moment of writing, have a US Open Cup match against Chicago Fire, a match that was postponed from June 15th to June 16th due to severe weather. Recent results and injuries to the squad have put coach Robert Warzycha under some pressure, with the likes of Chad Marshall, Josh Williams, Danny O'Rourke, Agustin Viana and Eddie Gaven all suffering from varying degrees of injuries. With Jairo Arrieta also away on international duty, lineup changes are expected.

Keep Thinking
Given the aftermath of the match against Sporting KC, some changes will need to be made following the red card suspension to central defender Alessandro Nesta, Given how well its defensive unit has played throughout the season amidst previous absences due to injury, it shouldn’t be much of a problem to for Schällibaum to make the necessary adjustments. The two key players along the back line this season have been Hassoun Camara and Jeb Brovsky, not only have they shown versatility but they have also provided toughness in tackling/marking and intelligence in positioning.

Robert Warzycha will be, as usual, relying on his chief playmaker in midfielder Federico Higuain, with his ability to control the ball, create space and draw multiple defenders out of position. The class of the Argentine combined with the pace and much improved finishing of team leading scorer Dominic Oduro will be a challenge for a defensive unit that relies much more on proper positioning than athletic ability or brute strength. Even with some changes expected in the Crew’s starting XI, this is a team that perennially goes under the radar but that is always in the mix within the Eastern Conference, Thus, this has all the signs of a “trap game” for Montreal. With a midweek match against Houston Dynamo on tap, these are the types of games that can get overlooked.

Tactically this is a Crew side that doesn’t do anything drastically different or revolutionary that would force the Impact to change its game plan beyond dealing with the free reign Higuain is afforded to basically do as he wishes. However the solid play of goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum as a leader at the back along with the much improved fullback play of Josh Williams and former Montreal Impact player Tyson Wahl gives them a solid base to build from. Provided Williams is healthy, these are two players that offer width, service from the wide positions and who are factors on set pieces.

Although Higuain will take charge of most set pieces Wahl has shown this season an ability to deliver quality balls while Williams has gotten himself on the end of them.It will be important for Montreal to occasionally apply high pressure in order to pin them back and provide Columbus limited outlets for extended possession, as well as requiring wide players such as Justin Mapp, Andres Romero and Sanna Nyassi to track back and help keep the shape of the team tight and compact.

In the End
Even with some forced changes at the back, this is a match that Montreal should really have few problems getting a result in. Only a general lack of focus, looking ahead to the Houston Dynamo match midweek or some individual brilliance from Federico Higuain could cause them to lose.

Columbus are one of those unassuming teams that go on quiet runs and always end up in the mix for a playoff spot and these are often the sides that can cause problems for a rising club like Montreal Impact, who are coming off a massive victory over Sporting KC and who play another big conference match against the Dynamo midweek.

Prediction
Montreal Impact 2-1 Columbus Crew

Will Rochat trade continue a disconcerting trend?

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:32:00 EDT

The Whitecaps have not had the best of luck with transfers in the past since joining the MLS. Whether it has been the player received, or sending one way away, it has often resulted poorly for the Caps.

Recently, Vancouver traded their most reliable defender Alain Rochat to DC United for a pair of picks. This surprised quite a few Whitecaps fans, as no one had expected him to be the one to go. Surely this transfer has been done as a way to open up some cap space for a new player, and Martin Rennie hinted to the media that that was indeed the reason that Rochat was jettisoned.

However, something that has worried a number of supporters is the possibility of this trade having the same result as the one Davide Chiumiento's had last season. For those who do not recall, the Caps had an immediate drop of form and barely made the playoffs, coincidentally right after Chiumiento left.

Some may remember Lee Nguyen from the 2012 preseason, who was traded away to the New England Revolution prior to the first regular season match. Nguyen came back to haunt them later on that season when the Revs hammered the Caps 4-1. This is exactly the reason why Vancouver should stop trading players away for reasons unrelated to their performances on the pitch. Unfortunately, Nguyen was moved due to problems off the pitch, rather than on.

Some other talented players that were transferred away are Eric Hassli, Nizar Khalfan and Micheal Nanchoff. All three of which could have easily added to this franchise in the long term.

While the Whitecaps have had many failed outgoing trades, they have also had their fair share of incoming ones as well. Two prime examples of this are Mustapha Jarju and Barry Robson. There was so much hype when the Caps signed these two players, and they looked good initially. Although as games went by, fans began to realize they were not doing what they were brought in to do.

Both of these players were signed as DPs and both brought very little to the table in return. The signing of Robson made fans wonder why the club could not just have kept Davide Chiumiento.

Perhaps this is all one tiny step in Martin Rennie's long term master plan. Certainly there is so much more behind the scenes that us spectators do not know. However, one thing is for sure, a considerable number of the trades Rennie and the Whitecaps front office have made have not remotely paid off.

Who knows, if Chiumiento wasn’t moved to FC Zurich, maybe the Caps would have gone on an impressive playoff run last season.

It’s hard not to be as skeptical about the trading of Alain Rochat. The club must be more cautious and thoughtful with their trades in the future, as the track record is becoming a consistently negative one. Rennie must now use the cap space he has gained in an effective manner that improves his team's performances on the pitch.

CanWNT preparing to face Germany

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 08:07:00 EDT

Eighteen players have been called up for Canada�s upcoming friendly against Germany. The match in Paderborn, Germany will kick off on Wednesday, June 19 at 6pm local time and will be broadcast in Canada on Sportsnet ONE at 12pm ET/9am PT. Of note, 13 players on the roster took part in last month�s camp. Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc will stay with her club team, while 26-year-old Stephanie Labb� of Sweden�s KIF �rebro earned a spot. Also on the training squad is forward Adriana Leon, 21.

Stankovic a risky proposition for TFC

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 20:58:00 EDT

According to Sky Italia reports, Dejan Stankovic is close to signing for either Toronto FC or for the Seattle Sounders. With TFC in mind, this would be a mistake for both sides involved. Stankovic will be 35 in September and gone are the days where good money is available to be wasted on aging designated players.

Stankovic would only be taking up a spot of a young Canadian player who is hungry for experience. Stankovic is not for this league and he wouldn’t have been suited for MLS even in his younger days. This would not be anything similar to the decision to bring David Beckham to the LA Galaxy. This is no longer the MLS of before where Europeans can come and go as they please to finish out their careers.

When one looks at the statistics of Dejan Stankovic, one might be fooled and be impressed. Five and a half years with Lazio and nine years with Inter Milan. There are however other things in soccer that matter as much as stats or that matter even more. Things such as charisma, character, creativity, leadership and personality. All of which Stankovic lacks. His barcode tattoo goes to show that he is just another number on the field.

Stankovic (tied with Savo Milosevic) holds a record 102 caps for the Serbian national team, scoring 15 times. He captained Serbia for a full five years from 2006 to 2011 and – besides the goals which were few and far between – showed absolutely nothing for the national team. He was often rightfully criticized for taking care of his legs for his club career.

Stankovic, even in his heyday with Lazio, was slow, injury-prone and limited on the pitch. If not for the defensive midfielder position, there wouldn’t be a position left for him to play. He can’t play on the wings, isn’t good at passing and can go a full match without being noticed at all.

He said he doesn’t want to return to Red Star Belgrade to take up a young player’s spot but the question remains: why then would he come to play in MLS?

Across the Pond: Who's looking ahead to 2013/14?

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 23:03:00 EDT

This was not originally supposed to be a component to the yearly review, but this season warranted it because a case can be made for several players on the Canadian Men's National Team, that their fortunes will be determined through this offseason. A handful might not have had the best year, or featured in enough games, yet several Canadians overseas still have something to prove and if they get more minutes, or make the right move could benefit not just their domestic careers, but the national side.

Defensive tactics to dicuss in Vancouver's 3-2 loss to Seattle

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 23:02:00 EDT

The Whitecaps versus Sounders clash from this past weekend certainly delivered to the 53,000+ fans who showed up to watch the Cascadia Cup fixture. But this rivalry also give us some interesting tactical decisions to discuss post 3-2 victory for Seattle.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Vancouver 2�3 Seattle Sounders

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 23:02:00 EDT

Camilo had a man of the match performance once again against the Seattle Sounders. The little Brazilian scored two top quality header goals, both from the service of Russell Teibert. Camilo has been somewhat of a shining star in the Whitecaps' offence so far this season.

The Dark Arts: East Side stand Up!

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 22:29:00 EDT

New East Side Stand Up! strip by Paul Marhue.

A closer look at the Montreal Impact's upcoming Champions League journey

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 22:28:00 EDT

The Impact gets a favourable group stage draw

The Montreal Impact will represent Canada in the upcoming edition of the CONCACAF Champions League after winning the Canadian Championship on May 29.

This will be the Quebec side's second time in the competition. In 2008, a USL Impact team beat Toronto FC (MLS) and the Vancouver Whitecaps (USL) in the inaugural Canadian Championship.
Montreal surprised many that year when they lost out on top stop in their group after losing to Mexican side Atlante on the final matchday of the group stage. The two other teams in the group were Honduran side CD Olimpia and Joe Public FC from Trinidad and Tobago.

In the knockout stage, the Impact were seeded against Mexican side Santos Laguna in the quarter-finals. In the first leg played in Montreal, over 55,000 people at the Olympic Stadium witnessed Eduardo Sebrango score a brace for a 2-0 win.

In the return leg, things seemed to be going the Impact's way. The USL minnows had a 2-1 lead at halftime in Mexico, 4-1 on aggregate. The unthinkable happened in the second half. Going into the 90th minute, Santos Laguna scored twice to lead 3-2, but was still down 4-3 on aggregate. When Carlos Quintero scored in the second minute of added time, the Impact were still on the verge of progressing on away goals. In the fifth minute of added time, Quintero scored again to ensure Montreal's biggest meltdown in club history.

This was the last CONCACAF Champions League match Montreal played. However, much has changed from 2008.

Five years later, the Montreal Impact are back and they're bringing plenty of momentum along for the ride.

The 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League will see the Impact enter the group stage, first and foremost, as a Major League Soccer side.

As an MLS team, the Impact have a completely revamped roster from that 2008 side. Players like Marco Di Vaio, Alessandro Nesta, Matteo Ferrari, Felipe and Patrice Bernier will be leading the team. Some of these players' experience playing in World Cups, European Championships and UEFA Champions Leagues will come in handy.

Montreal is also cruising in league play at the moment. After 12 matches played, the Impact tops the MLS Eastern Conference with 26 points. They have a record of eight wins, two draws and two losses. The club's home record has been phenomenal with five wins and one draw, while their away form is respectable with three wins, one draw and two losses.

Manager Marco Schällibaum has the Impact playing in a very organized manner. The Impact defends well, often keeping the center compact and forcing their opponents to the outside. The team's back line has size and can easily deal with oncoming crosses. Goalkeeper Troy Perkins has also been a rock for Montreal.

Offensively, Schällibaum likes his side to keep possession as much as possible. The midfield typically looks for a run from Marco Di Vaio or any other striker playing alongside him. The team is averaging almost two goals per match.

Montreal will need to keep this form going until July when the group stage begins.

On Monday, June 3, this year's group stage draw took place in Miami, Florida. Montreal was placed in Group 5 alongside MLS side the San Jose Earthquakes and a yet to be determined Guatemalan side.

The CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage comprises of 24 teams split up into eight groups of three teams. All eight group winners advance to the quarter-finals.

Looking at the current draw, the Impact should be feeling enough confidence to win the group. With the San Jose Earthquakes, Montreal will know what to expect. Both sides play in the same league, against the same opponents and should have no excuse to be prepared when they square off against each other.

Montreal and San Jose have also played each other earlier this year. On May 4, they played out to a 2-2 draw at Buck Shaw Stadium. Justin Mapp scored a brace, but the Earthquakes came back from behind to earn a draw with their 91st minute goal.

Since then, San Jose has lost three of its last five league matches. Canadian manager Frank Yallop stepped down as Earthquakes boss on Friday, leaving the California outfit to search for a new man to lead them through their Champions League campaign and rest of their MLS season.

As for the undetermined Guatemalan team, both Montreal and San Jose will have to wait a few more weeks until the playoffs of the 2013 Guatemalan Clausura comes to an end. The second leg of the quarter-finals takes place June 8 and 9. Comunicaciones has already guaranteed a berth in the Champions League by winning the Apertura. Comunicaciones are currently ahead of Xelajú after the first leg. Xelajú were one of the two Guatemalan sides in last year's Champions League.

Regardless of the team that makes this group, Montreal should still be considered favourites to progress to the quarter-finals. San Jose will be a tough opponent, but the Impact have beaten them in the past. Four points from their two group matches against the Quakes should be enough for the team to advance.

In terms of the Guatemalan side, six points has to be the objective for the Impact. Playing in Guatemala will be difficult, but with the squad the Impact has, Montreal should be able to win there.

However, the two matches against the Guatemalan side shouldn't be considered 'walks-in-the-park'. Just last year, Xelajú won their group that consisted of Mexican outfit CD Guadalajara and W Connection of Trinidad and Tobago.

In terms of the crowd Montreal will face when playing in Guatemala, their domestic matches average less than 2,000 people. The highest attendance of this season was just over 7,000 people in a match between Comunicaciones and Municipal.

Even with the travel time, local supporters, weather and field conditions, Montreal should not find any excuses to not win in Guatemala. Depending on the date and their MLS schedule, the Impact may field a reserve side, but even then three points in Guatemala is very possible.

If all this comes true, Montreal should progress to the knockout phase of this Champions League tournament. Depending on if they get seeded with a top Mexican side right away or not, the Impact could even make a push in the semi-finals or even the finals of the tournament. Even if they do get seeded against one of Mexico's best teams, Montreal still has enough firepower to beat, if not, contend with that team.

But, it will have to be one game at time. With their MLS season looking good, Schällibaum will have to keep a good squad rotation throughout the remaining months of the summer to be successful both in the league and Champions League.

MLS Week 15 Marquee Match-Up

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 08:11:00 EDT

There are only five matches on tap this week in Major League Soccer, but even with the shortened schedule a few still stand out and look rather intriguing. This is an ideal time for some clubs to gain ground in the standings while others are aiming for a higher position. The main match this week is Seattle Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, however with it already being covered in detail on Red Nation Online this week we�ll look at an inter-conference affair between two sides trending upward.

Countdown: Vancouver Whitecaps @ Seattle Sounders

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 06:58:00 EDT

First Thoughts
The Cascadia Cup. What more could you ask for out of an MLS match?

The Seattle Sounders are potentially the Whitecaps' biggest rivals in the league and fans are getting geared up for the latest installment of the rivalry. The Cascadia Cup is the Caps' most realistic shot at silverware this season and a win over the Sounders can put them in first in the competition.

The Whitecaps are coming off a 2-1 road victory over the New York Red Bulls, their first away win since July 4th of last year. They went down 1-0 in the second half when Greg Klazura deflected the ball into his own goal. Very encouragingly, Vancouver did not let that decide the game, as they stole the come from behind win with goals from Jordan Harvey and Kenny Miller.

The Sounders are also coming off a road victory over the slumping Chivas USA, as they defeated the Goats by a score of 2-0. Both of Seattle's goals came in the first half, as Obafemi Martins scored the first and Mario De Luna got the second.

Keep Thinking
The Whitecaps have not lost an MLS match in over a month, with their last defeat coming back when they lost 2-0 to Real Salt Lake on May 4th. Since then the Whitecaps have won twice and drawn once, scoring seven times while only conceding four, one of which was an own goal.

The Sounders do not have as an impressive a statistical record over their last three matches, although it is still quite exceptional. They have won twice and lost once over those three matches, scoring six goals while also letting in six goals as well.

Seattle have not been spectacular defensively of late and that is definitely something the Whitecaps must take advantage of. Vancouver have proven that they can score goals, so they must continue to prove that this weekend. With the likes of Camilo, Kenny Miller and Russell Teibert in the attack, the Caps should have no trouble tallying a few on Saturday.

While the Whitecaps have been scoring somewhat freely of late, the Sounders are also known for the attacking talent in their side as well. Thus, the Vancouver back line will have to be at its best in order to take care of players like Rosales, Martins and Alonso.

In The End
This will definitely be a very exciting match to watch, as it will likely be constantly back and forth for a good amount of it. There will also likely be a fair share of goals for each side as both teams have many talented attackers but neither particularly excel defensively. The Sounders will have a slight advantage going in since they will have home field advantage and their incredible fan base behind them, but it may not be enough to hold back the now confident Whitecaps.

Prediction
Vancouver Whitecaps 3 – Seattle Sounders 2

1v1 Soccer FC: Time and patience are essential ingredients in youth development

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 06:12:00 EDT

Over the next few months, RedNation Online will have the privilege to post thoughts and experiences, as well as excerpts from Ian McClurg's upcoming book, on soccer development in Ontario and Canada. Ian is the technical director of 1v1 Soccer FC, a training academy in Ancaster, Ontario who has a relationship with Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. in England. Below is the third installment on the challenges faced for the demands of quick results. Please watch out for Ian's upcoming columns.

Let's face it: soccer at all levels is obsessed with short-term results. The history of the game has provided us with several different ways to play. Fans have seen Herbert Chapman's Arsenal side of the 1930's (with its classic "W M"� Formation), the total football played by Ajax in the 1970s, the Milan pressing game in the late-1980s and now the Barcelona tiki-taka style of play that we have been fortunate to enjoy during the last few years.

But Barca's success especially has been the result of rejecting short-term gains in favour of long-term development. The reality is that the "seeds"� for the current Barcelona philosophy and style of play were planted 25 years ago by Johan Cruyff.

A recent article by Paul Grech called Exporting the Barca method argued that the real secret of Barcelona's recent success has been time. I would have to agree with Paul Grech that for lasting player development success, the hard part is not changing or putting in place a new way of doing things but giving those changes and the system time to mature. An entire club must breath and move in the same way.

Enrigue Duran Diaz has spent a decade absorbing the Barcelona philosophy and is currently trying to plant the seed of that distinctive playing style at the South African club Mamelodi Sundown. He argues that for a system like Barcelona's to be copied then everyone involved must believe in it both in terms of the on-field game, and the core values that surround a club. He also argues that setting up the structure takes time and requires many seasons, which may be contested without success as measured by standings and goals. It is his belief that the Barca model cannot be successful if others are looking to copy it simply to achieve short-term results.

At 1v1 Soccer FC, we are establishing a new philosophy and one that challenges the current norm in Canada for elite soccer development. Our players are encouraged to play across multiple age-groups, play different
positions and challenge themselves to get outside their comfort zone to master technical, tactical, physical and psychological strategies that are new to North American players. We know this will take time but we are willing to sacrifice the short-term results in our weekend games to develop better players and people who can go on to achieve their soccer goals and be successful in life. We demand respect for our staff, the game officials, the opposition and in the way our players interact with each other. The rules and spirit of the game must be upheld and the parents must be appreciated for giving up so much to support their children.

We encourage our players to do the best they can be at school, and to be good people away from the field. We want to play attractive football, keep possession as a starting point and take the attacking initiative to our opponents. We want to encourage our players to take opponents on, try things and to be comfortable with failing. When we lose the ball we want to win it back quickly so we can attack again. (At Barca, players are challenged to win the ball back within 6 seconds of losing possession!)

We want our players to be comfortable on the ball technically, to be capable of making good decisions on the field, to work together and help each other both on and off the field and to learn at each practice and at each game. We want to allow our players to make mistakes, take responsibility for errors, work on learning from these errors and be open to seeking and taking advice to improve. As our philosophy is different, we come across many problems every day that hinder our progress and what we are trying to do. Change can be difficult and the short-term and immediate results focus within football (soccer) will always add significant pressure. We understand that!

However, through education and patience our players and their families are finding the ability to change their mind-sets for the benefit of the players we train. And we ask that those players and families trust us when we ask them in turn to do things they might find challenging like playing at an unfamiliar position, or playing in an age group not their own.

The bottom line is that, like Enrique Duran Diaz, I am challenged by focusing only on the things that I have direct responsibility for. The short-term set-backs and frustrations have to be set-aside so that we can successfully continue along our pathway of developing better and better players and more and more of them.

Time and patience are the essential ingredients along the way.

Ian McClurg is technical director of 1 v 1 FC, a soccer training academy based in Ancaster Ontario and author of the upcoming book, The 1v1Way: Soccer Tips from an Emerging Talent Centre. For more info, contact Ian at ian@1v1soccer.ca or visit www.1v1soccerfc.com

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Toronto FC 1 � 1 Philadelphia

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 06:01:00 EDT

The Good
A Dominant Display at BMO Field

Moving Around
This must have been the one performance that Toronto FC truly dominated in, until they didn’t. The passing, the movement on and off the ball, and the overall style of build up saw Toronto FC control the midfield in the first half and earn the lion’s share of possession, until it all went down the drain in the second half. Still, it was refreshing to see how Toronto has slightly matured under Nelsen.

Smart Substitutions
It seems like every substitution Nelsen makes pays off. Whether is be Justin Braun or Andrew Wiedeman coming on and scoring or Jonathan Osorio doing the same, Nelsen knows how to manage his bench. This was evident, once more, when Nelsen put Jeremy Brockie on, and his presence was felt immediately, his hold up creating space and his cross finding Osorio for the goal.

Welcome Back
Sure, it was a sentimental substitution, even though Nelsen would call it a defensive one, but the return of Danny Koevermans from injury was a treat to see. Welcoming back the Dutch striker is a moment TFC fans have been waiting for, and his return to action gives Toronto another dangerous forward up top. 17 goals in 26 games – can he keep it going?

The Bad
Like Clockwork, Isn’t It?

The Clock Struck 90
It seemed like déjà vu but it’s a symptom of a larger problem: Toronto FC’s inability to hold a lead in the last five minutes comes from two things; one, the opposition realize that there is no point in holding back anymore, and push forward from the back; two, Toronto concede possession needlessly, make minor mistakes and get punished cruelly for it. It’s time to try the opposite, hold onto the ball, and dare to make mistakes in midfield, instead of making them in the backline.

The Week That Wasn’t
Toronto FC had a chance to pick up three points and build morale heading into a break week for the club, and that chance was blown, once more. A win against Philadelphia would have left the players on a high during a week without a game, and that, in turn, would translate to a healthier resolve in training. Back to the drawing board, it seems.

Jack Mac Unmarked
It doesn’t really matter who scores, sometimes, but the fact that Jack McInerney scored displays clearly that someone dropped the ball in defense. He was left unmarked in the box, and he’s the one player who should have been marked, regardless of his spot.

The Ugly

Where one’s a yellow, the other’s a red, where one shove is punished, the other, ignored. That seems to be the general feeling that Ryan Nelsen has in regards to the refereeing his team has encountered throughout the season – he has now, twice, blamed the referee’s “inexperience” with poor results going Toronto FC’s way. He has already illicited a response from them, and instead of being fined or suspended, the target of his pointed finger actually agreed with him.  

No qualms there. However, Nelsen’s post-game lambasting of the referees was born of a flaw in logic. Nelsen argued that, if Doneil Henry’s offenses led to a red card, then so should Zac MacMath’s. However, in the end of the day, Henry and MacMath both picked up yellow cards for the “was-it-handled-outside-the-box/Henry’s-post-whistle-goal/pushing-and-shoving” affair, and Henry only ever picked up another yellow card when he slide tackled an onrushing Union player from behind, did not get the ball, and brought him down for a foul.  

Soft red card? Maybe. However, it was also not unwarranted. When a player dives in, he takes the risk of getting a yellow card, and if he’s already on a yellow, then that risk is for a red. Henry took that risk, and the referee gave him the card for making a poor tackle. That’s the end of it. Instead of throwing the referees under the bus (who, believe me, have shown in previous incidents to warrant it), Nelsen needed to accept the fact that Henry was shown two yellow cards for two yellow cardable offenses.

  It’s unfortunate, but it’s true.

Quoteworthy
“I’m obviously biased, but it was an extremely soft sending off. Their goalkeeper pushed and shoved one of our players and started the whole thing. That’s a sending off. If you are going to go letter of the law, like he did for the two yellow cards that Doneil got, then the letter of the law is that their keeper should have been sent off.” – Robert Earnshaw, post game.

Bobby Convey: �Toronto FC is much different than playing in Kansas�

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 20:05:00 EDT

Bobby Convey has been a regular face in Major League Soccer for a long, long time.

The newest Toronto FC signing started his career with D.C. United back in 2000, and his career has seen him play in San Jose, Kansas and in England. Playing against the Philadelphia Union, Toronto FC took a 1-0 lead courtesy of a Jonathan Osorio goal, but in typical fashion, conceded a goal after the 90-minute mark, bringing the game level at 1-1 and leaving BMO Field feeling less-than-satisfied with the result.

However, the game against the Union marked the first start for Convey. The 30-year-old winger had a chance to play in the second half against Columbus, but against the Union, Convey looked more comfortable and was involved in more of the play.

Speaking after the game, RedNation Online asked Convey how he felt, and Convey was pleased with his side’s play, remaining optimistic that Toronto FC will improve.

“I thought we did well,” said Convey. “We controlled the first half, I thought that was one of our best performances of the year so far, and obviously with the red card it changes the game, but I think we deserved the goal and they got a lucky bounce there at the end and it went bounced right to the guy through a couple guys’ legs. If we keep playing like that, we’ll win more often than we lose.”

Convey spoke about playing in Toronto FC, and compared the club to some of his former Major League Soccer outfits.

“It’s similar to playing for San Jose, it’s much different than playing in Kansas,” said Convey. “There’s just such a set thing that they want to do there in Kansas and in San Jose I had more freedom to switch sides and do different things and I think it showed today. I think it showed today, Oso and I, playing out wide, both of us can play each side and it really caused problems.”

Playing on either wing, with Jonathan Osorio on the other side, Convey earned his first start for Toronto FC against the Philadelphia Union. His performance was strong, and his ability to drop back and defend makes him an asset on the left wing. However, it is in the attack that Convey excels, and his ability to cross into the box was wasted due to a lack of height in the box.

However, the return of Danny Koevermans gives Toronto FC – and Convey – a target to aim for up top, and for a winger, Koevermans is the perfect centre forward. His ability to score from out of nowhere and pick up on long crosses makes Koevermans a complimentary piece to Convey, and vice versa. When asked if he was excited with Koevermans’ return and the prospect of playing alongside him, Convey said:

“Yeah, sure! Any time you can bring in a goalscorer, that’s always great. I think the other guys we have as well have done well and it can only help us going forward to have another guy who can score goals.”

How the two will combine, Toronto FC supporters will have to wait and see. However, with Koevermans up top and a capable winger in Convey out wide, Toronto FC may have gained two very important pieces in the offensive end.

Hoilett still focused solely on club career

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:06:00 EDT

Brampton, Ontario born forward Junior Hoilett made a long awaited appearance playing for a Canadian team that wears red on Tuesday afternoon.

Unfortunately for supporters of the Canadian Men’s National Team who would like to see the prodigiously talented attacker playing for Canada at the International level, Hoilett and his younger brother Jaineil Hoilett were simply at Toronto FC’s training facility to train with TFC and keep fit over their offseason from the European football circuit.

“I called up Ryan (Nelsen) and asked to train with him in order to keep fit during the offseason,” Hoilett said. “I have to go back for preseason with QPR in a few weeks. Preseason starts in July. There is no chance (I’ll stay longer with TFC).”

The Queens Park Rangers forward is coming off a season that was challenging for him personally due to a lack of first team playing team and for his club as a whole, as QPR were relegated from the English Premier League to the English second division.

“It was a difficult season of course,” Hoilett said. “We underperformed and it was a tough season. We now need to work hard to get back into the Premier League, where we belong.”

With his focus firmly on QPR, the 22 year old continued to detail that he is focused on his club career when he was asked the inevitable question about his plans with respect to International level.

“My lips are sealed right now,” Hoilett said.

While his mind is currently focused on his club career and situation with QPR, Hoilett did admit that he was impressed with quality of players on his home town club and very impressed with Toronto FC’s training facilities at Downsview Park.

“It was a good quality of training. There are a lot of good players on the team. The facility here is great and it’s the first time I have been to the new training facility. It’s good to be here,” Hoilett said. “The facility is top of the line and one of the best. It’s better than our facility back at QPR. They have everything here.”

Tattica: Chelis' three-man back line seals his fate

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 07:26:00 EDT

Last Wednesday, news that Chivas USA had fired head coach Jose Luis Sanchez Sol� was a surprising one. Of course, Chivas USA had a 3-7-2 record that put them firmly rooted last in the Western Conference with a total of 11 points in 12 games. However, to fire a manager after just one third of the season under his belt, with a poor roster, was a tough and potentially poor decision. Despite the team�s statement, Chelis did not have a competitive team at his disposal, but some of his tactical decisions recently came under scrutiny.

The Twelfth Man: Team Spirit

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 07:25:00 EDT

In a neat 90-minute package, Saturday�s game against the Philadelphia Union exemplified the rollercoaster ride of emotions that has been Toronto FC�s season. Sitting in the barely half full section 116 a few minutes to kickoff, I wondered where the spirit had gone. When the loudspeaker announced Danny Koevermans would be on the bench, a first timer in front turned and innocently asked, �Why are they cheering so much for him?�

XI out of 10: Montreal Impact vs Sporting Kansas City

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 07:24:00 EDT

Plenty of supporters were on hand at Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport to give the Impact a hero's welcome when they arrived home from Kansas City on Sunday. In the week that was, the men in blue hoisted the Voyageurs Cup in Vancouver on Wednesday night and had to come back from a goal down to beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 at Sporting Park on Saturday.

XI out of 10: Vancouver Whitecaps vs NY Red Bulls

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 07:23:00 EDT

Despite once again allowing a goal on the opening five minutes of the second half, the Whitecaps got their first road victory of the season. Vancouver got a great effort from relievers Kobayashi, Lee, and Manneh, scored the last two goals of the game, and beat the New York Red Bulls 2-1.

Post-"Rematch" Video interviews with Sinclair, Herdman, McLeod and Buchanan

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 10:46:00 EDT

Canada 0 – 3 United States

Prelude to the Battle
What has been coined “The Rematch” due to the fallout from epic 2012 Olympic Semi-final at Old Trafford against the rival Americans was scheduled from a Canadian perspective for a few reasons. The main priority was for coach John Herdman and his charges to continue preparations for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, develop more young talent and to get a taste of what to expect as the host city, but it was also the first opportunity to see the team play on home soil since winning Olympic Bronze.

The fact that the match sold out within a few hours of tickets going on sale is a big indication of what the Canadian Women's National Team means to the Canadian soccer community. With the news that Edmonton, Montreal, Moncton and Toronto have been named host cities for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, as well as the Canadian Women`s National Team`s next home match will be against South Korea in Edmonton on October 30th, 2013, it all played a part in what was a massive occasion for Canadian Soccer as a whole and for the women’s game specifically.

They took on a US squad preparing for its first major tournament under coach Tom Sermanni, who replaced Pia Sundhauge. The main priority for them as the consensus top team in the women`s game is to reassert themselves as the best in the women’s game and avenge the crushing 2011 FIFA World Cup Final loss to Japan.

The Opening Forty-Five
Canada came out pressing the action from the start with a focus on getting the ball out to the wings and pressuring the US fullbacks, Crystal Dunn and Ali Krieger. The US put emphasis on possession play and the Americans gave the Canadian defense a few scares through Alex Morgan but it was to no avail.

The Canadian supporters in cleaver fashion began counting whenever US goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart has the ball in her hands, referencing the controversial “6 second rule” during the Olympic encounter. Both teams began to settle down and play more controlled at the 15-20 minute mark with a few set piece chances falling to both teams. The majority of the first half was a feeling out process with not many clear goal scoring chances.

In a slight change to her usual deep “destroyer” role John Herdman looked to be allowing Desiree Scott to push a little higher up the pitch at times in order to win the ball in the final third. Much of the focus in the attack for Canada has been down the right wing through Dianna Matheson, Christine Sinclair and Melissa Tancredi and this has seen Sophie Schmidt drop back and have the dual responsibility to support the attack when countering at pace and dropping deeper to help Scott in the center of midfield.

Christine Sinclair:

Best scoring chance of the half fell to the Americans in the 33rd minute when a cross into the box fell to the head of Heather O’Reilly which forced a save from Erin McLeod. Acouple of corners followed in succession but came to nothing. Some nice combination play between Scott, Matheson, Schmidt and Sinclair gave Canada its best scoring chance in the 42nd minute.

The half ultimately ended scoreless but Canada were the aggressors and saw a few players put in standout shifts to start the game, most notably the understanding in midfield between Desiree Scott, Sophie Schmidt and Dianna Matheson allowed Canada to push forward and give Christine Sinclair and Melissa Tancredi more opportunities at goal. Another standout in the first half was Kadisha Buchannan, who marked Abby Wambach out of the game for large parts and who didn't look out of place or let inexperience show alongside her veteran defensive unit.

Kadeisha Buchanan:

Second Half
From the restart the Americans picked up the tempo and started to put purpose behind its build-up play, looking to play crosses into Wambach and through balls to Morgan, capitalizing on the strength and speed combination. The pressure resulted in a quality chance falling to Abby Wambach in the 55th min, with her header from a corner getting cleared off the line from a few Canadian defenders.

Although Canada had a few half chances, the pressure of the Americans ultimately paid off in the 70th min through Alex Morgan, collecting the ball out wide and slotting it far post. A second goal followed quickly for her in the 72nd min, almost a carbon copy finish past Erin McLeod`s far post to give the US a 2-0 lead. `

The Canadian`s tried to pull a goal back through creating some half chances on the counter attack but the Americans looked to develop a comfort zone with a 2-0 lead, focusing much more on keeping a solid shape and positioning.

Canadian born American backup forward Sidney Leroux came on late and added a third goal much to the consternation of the Canadian supporters in attendance.

Final Word: The building process toward World Cup 2015 continues
Ultimately regardless of the result this was a good test for a Canadian team that has shown steady improvement along the way under John Herdman. In this match specifically there was a good emphasis on high pressure and working combinations, two aspects of the game that weren't as prominent during the Olympics and that will have to become better based on the matches against quality opposition like England and France, as well as upcoming matches against Germany and South Korea.

As the World Cup rapidly approaches there will be a kind of pressure on this group as the host nation that they've never felt before. Matches like these will be experiences that can be used as positive reinforcement going forward.

John Herman - Post-Match Press conference:

Erin McLeod:

Sharing the Journey: Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 23:12:00 EDT

For defender Kadeisha Buchanan and midfielder Ashley Lawrence, this recent call-up to the Canadian Senior Women�s National Team brings about a story that is quite rare in the world of sports. What is all the more unique in the global game of soccer is the fact that these two players have managed to come up through the ranks together at all the different levels. Going from youth club to youth national team to senior national team and soon to be collegiate teammates all within a short few years, the bond seem to get stronger and stronger with every step of the way.

Morgan's double sees off Canada in �The Rematch�

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 20:16:00 EDT

Canada 0 – 3 United States

Prelude to the Battle
What has been coined “The Rematch” due to the fallout from epic 2012 Olympic Semi-final at Old Trafford against the rival Americans was scheduled from a Canadian perspective for a few reasons. The main priority was for coach John Herdman and his charges to continue preparations for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, develop more young talent and to get a taste of what to expect as the host city, but it was also the first opportunity to see the team play on home soil since winning Olympic Bronze.

The fact that the match sold out within a few hours of tickets going on sale is a big indication of what the Canadian Women's National Team means to the Canadian soccer community. With the news that Edmonton, Montreal, Moncton and Toronto have been named host cities for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, as well as the Canadian Women`s National Team`s next home match will be against South Korea in Edmonton on October 30th, 2013, it all played a part in what was a massive occasion for Canadian Soccer as a whole and for the women’s game specifically.

They took on a US squad preparing for its first major tournament under coach Tom Sermanni, who replaced Pia Sundhauge. The main priority for them as the consensus top team in the women`s game is to reassert themselves as the best in the women’s game and avenge the crushing 2011 FIFA World Cup Final loss to Japan.

The Opening Forty-Five
Canada came out pressing the action from the start with a focus on getting the ball out to the wings and pressuring the US fullbacks, Crystal Dunn and Ali Krieger. The US put emphasis on possession play and the Americans gave the Canadian defense a few scares through Alex Morgan but it was to no avail.

The Canadian supporters in cleaver fashion began counting whenever US goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart has the ball in her hands, referencing the controversial “6 second rule” during the Olympic encounter. Both teams began to settle down and play more controlled at the 15-20 minute mark with a few set piece chances falling to both teams. The majority of the first half was a feeling out process with not many clear goal scoring chances.

In a slight change to her usual deep “destroyer” role John Herdman looked to be allowing Desiree Scott to push a little higher up the pitch at times in order to win the ball in the final third. Much of the focus in the attack for Canada has been down the right wing through Dianna Matheson, Christine Sinclair and Melissa Tancredi and this has seen Sophie Schmidt drop back and have the dual responsibility to support the attack when countering at pace and dropping deeper to help Scott in the center of midfield.

Best scoring chance of the half fell to the Americans in the 33rd minute when a cross into the box fell to the head of Heather O’Reilly which forced a save from Erin McLeod. Acouple of corners followed in succession but came to nothing. Some nice combination play between Scott, Matheson, Schmidt and Sinclair gave Canada its best scoring chance in the 42nd minute.

The half ultimately ended scoreless but Canada were the aggressors and saw a few players put in standout shifts to start the game, most notably the understanding in midfield between Desiree Scott, Sophie Schmidt and Dianna Matheson allowed Canada to push forward and give Christine Sinclair and Melissa Tancredi more opportunities at goal. Another standout in the first half was Kadisha Buchannan, who marked Abby Wambach out of the game for large parts and who didn't look out of place or let inexperience show alongside her veteran defensive unit.

Second Half
From the restart the Americans picked up the tempo and started to put purpose behind its build-up play, looking to play crosses into Wambach and through balls to Morgan, capitalizing on the strength and speed combination. The pressure resulted in a quality chance falling to Abby Wambach in the 55th min, with her header from a corner getting cleared off the line from a few Canadian defenders.

Although Canada had a few half chances, the pressure of the Americans ultimately paid off in the 70th min through Alex Morgan, collecting the ball out wide and slotting it far post. A second goal followed quickly for her in the 72nd min, almost a carbon copy finish past Erin McLeod`s far post to give the US a 2-0 lead. `

The Canadian`s tried to pull a goal back through creating some half chances on the counter attack but the Americans looked to develop a comfort zone with a 2-0 lead, focusing much more on keeping a solid shape and positioning.

Canadian born American backup forward Sidney Leroux came on late and added a third goal much to the consternation of the Canadian supporters in attendance.

Final Word: The building process toward World Cup 2015 continues
Ultimately regardless of the result this was a good test for a Canadian team that has shown steady improvement along the way under John Herdman. In this match specifically there was a good emphasis on high pressure and working combinations, two aspects of the game that weren't as prominent during the Olympics and that will have to become better based on the matches against quality opposition like England and France, as well as upcoming matches against Germany and South Korea.

As the World Cup rapidly approaches there will be a kind of pressure on this group as the host nation that they've never felt before. Matches like these will be experiences that can be used as positive reinforcement going forward.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 New York Red Bulls

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 19:21:00 EDT

The Good
Good Managing and Rare Road Win

One of the key factors in this match was the top quality managing from Martin Rennie. The Whitecaps had a poor performance in the first half and Rennie was the first to recognize that. He sent his players out onto the pitch at half-time and got them into sprinting drills to get their heads back into the game. Another thing Martin Rennie got right in this game was the timing of his substitutions. When Kenny Miller scored the go ahead goal, Rennie was smart not to substitute defensive players too early. He waited until just the right time to make any substitutions, something he got wrong in the Voyageurs Cup final against Montreal.

This win was Vancouver's first road win since July 4th of 2012 when they defeated the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Almost 11 months later and the Caps snapped that poor run of away results with this brilliant victory over the Red Bulls. Road matches could make it or break it for the Whitecaps this season and could potentially decide whether or not they qualify for the playoffs.

The Bad
Depleted Lineup

The Whitecaps must be careful going into matches like these with such a depleted lineup. They were missing the likes of Nigel Reo-Coker, Brad Rusin, Gershon Koffie and of course Jay DeMerit and Omar Salgado. Obviously injuries come and go and most are unavoidable but for Reo-Coker, injury was not the reason why he was ineligible for this match. He accumulated too many cautions over previous matches which resulted in a single match suspension. Things like these must be avoided if possible because in future matches, these suspensions could come back to haunt the Caps.

The Ugly
Greg Klazura

The primary reason why the Red Bulls were even able to get a goal in this match was because of the inexperience of Greg Klazura. Firstly, he was caught extremely out of position when Thierry Henry played the through ball into the box. Klazura was about 2 metres too close to his centreback which gave room for Henry to easily play a ball into the path of the player making the run into the box. His second mistake was when he attempted to make a recovery run after getting caught out of position. After committing the cardinal sin of being out of position, a defender should give everything he has to recover after making such a mistake. Greg Klazura did not so this, he only went into a half slide tackle, which in turn deflected the ball straight into his own goal.

Montreal first in the Eastern Conference after wild second half comeback in Kansas City

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 10:54:00 EDT

The Prelude to Battle
A fiery clash was expected on Saturday night when the Montreal Impact travelled to Sporting Park to take on Sporting Kansas City.

The Impact headed into this match full of confidence following their Canadian Championship victory against Vancouver on Wednesday night. In league play, Montreal was on a two-match winning streak and were looking to win on the road for the first time since March 9 when they beat Portland 2-1.

Sporting Kansas City were coming off a midweek Open Cup victory against Des Moines. In all competitions, the team was undefeated in their last five matches. Their last loss came on May 8 when they lost to Seattle 0-1 at home.

This was not the first matchup between both sides. On March 30, Kansas City defeated the Montreal 2-0 at home, putting an end to a four match winning streak the Impact had going.

The Opening 45
Both sides came out cautious, not wanting to concede early. The Impact had the first chance of the match.

In the 17th minute, a quick counter attack led by Justin Mapp almost resulted in an easy goal for Felipe. Mapp made a run through the middle of the pitch and fed Felipe in space. With gaps starting to form in the Sporting KC back line, Felipe sent a pass to Di Vaio who played a lobbed ball back to Felipe in the box. The Brazilian failed to control the pass when he was one-on-one with Jimmy Nielsen.

Di Vaio and Felipe combined once again later in the half. In the 39th minute, Di Vaio received a pass from the midfield and flicked a ball forward for Felipe. Felipe had just the keeper to beat, but he curled his shot off the post. Di Vaio fanned on the follow-up.

On the stroke of halftime, the match took a controversial turn. Impact center back Alessandro Nesta and Sporting KC's Claudio Bieler battled for a bouncing ball just outside the Montreal penalty area. Nesta took down Bieler with a shirt pull, but the referee seemed to have initially waived play on. The assistant referee signalled for the infraction, making the referee reverse his original decision and call a penalty, even though the foul was outside the box. This was just the beginning of an intense battle between Nesta and Bieler.

After all the protests from the Impact, one which probably resulted in head coach Marco Schällibaum getting ejected at half time, Bieler stepped up and drove home his spot kick.

Kansas City had a 1-0 lead at the break.

The Second Half
The penalty incident and all that ensued lifted the Impact. The away side came out on fire and were rewarded with two quick goals.

In the 47th minute, Patrice Bernier's free kick from the left side was unable to be cleared by the Kansas City back line. The ball found Sanna Nyassi just outside the box. Nyassi controlled and sent a low drive into the bottom corner.

Six minutes later, Sporting KC were punished once again for not being able to clear their lines. The Impact kept sending crosses into the box, putting pressure on the Kansas City back line. A poor clearance attempt landed atop the box where Felipe flicked the ball forward into the box once more. After a botched clearance, the ball found Collen Warner who made no mistake scoring from less than 10-yards out.

In the 65th minute, the home side were close to levelling the score. A long throw into the Impact box bounced right through everyone at the near post leaving Benny Feilhaber with an acrobatic kick from just outside the six-yard-box. Troy Perkins made a fingertip save to deny the effort.

In the 74th minute, the Impact's task of defending its away lead got a lot tougher when Nesta was sent off. The Italian got into another altercation with Bieler after fighting for a loose ball. Bieler seemed to have stepped on Nesta's hand while he was on the floor causing the Impact center back to react by getting in Bieler's face. Nesta was shown a straight red for the headbutt.

Sporting Kansas City attacked nonstop for the final minutes with their man-advantage. Seconds before the final whistle, Kei Kamara had a great chance to equalize, but he sent his low shot on the opposite side of the post.

Montreal's two goals early in the second proved to be enough as the team successfully defended its lead despite being down a man for the final 15 minutes.

The Final Word: The Impact showed its character when tempers flared in an emotional match.
The Impact have been fearless when on the road this season. The two wins in Cascadia when the season started seemed to have given the club plenty of confidence for every other road fixture.

Montreal played the same way that earned them those victories. They were extremely compact defensively and did not give much away in terms of chances. Sporting KC had a tough time getting through the Impact's zonal bloc for most of the 90 minutes.

The Impact found its chances mostly off counter attacks. When the team won back the ball, they would build up through the middle and play quickly forward to Di Vaio.

Their counter attack was dangerous mostly because Sporting KC were far too exposed at the back with little support.

When the counter attack was not on, Montreal played simple by just moving the ball around and keeping possession. At around the 30 minute mark, the team had a great spell with the ball that saw almost the entire team touch the ball and move it attractively around their opponents.

The wrong penalty decision interrupted the good display of football that was being played. This decision was responsible for all the clashes in the second half.

After the break, Montreal did what every good team knows to do. With elevated tempers following the penalty call, the team channelled the energy and unleashed it on the pitch as soon as the second half started. They scored twice in quick succession after bombarding the Kansas City penalty area with countless crosses.

The Impact capitalized on two errors, took the lead and never looked back.

Defending the lead was a lot tougher when Nesta was shown a red. As any player would do, Nesta was in the spur of the moment and reacted after being provoked Bieler. On the replays, Bieler seemed to have stepped on or attempted to kick Nesta when he was down. The referee only spotted Nesta's infraction and rightly sent him off.

Even with 10-men, the Impact defended the lead and fended off Sporting KC attacks that came their way.

With the win, Montreal climbs into first place in the Eastern Conference with 26 points. The Impact have a two week break before they face Columbus at Crew Stadium.

Montreal Impact Line-up
1 Perkins
17 Iapichino
13 Ferrari
14 Nesta
6 Camara
8 Bernier
18 Warner
11 Nyassi
7 Felipe
21 Mapp
9 Di Vaio

Substitutions: (73) Romero in for Mapp; (77) Brovsky in for Felipe; (89) Wenger in for Di Vaio

Keys to the Match: CanWNT vs USWNT

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 10:24:00 EDT

In women’s soccer, the gap between the Americans, the world’s number one ranked team, and Canada is slowly closing and it no longer seems like a monumental task for the Canadians to keep up. Here are five keys to Sunday’s game for the CanWNT:

Contain Abby in the Air

Abby Wambach has scored 155 international goals for the United States. 68 of those have been headers. That is 44%. It really goes without saying that Canada must shut her down in the air if they want to get a result, but this is easier said than done. The good news is, as of late, Canada have effectively done this, as Wambach has not scored on a header in Canada’s past two games against the US. Centre back Carmelina Moscato is usually tasked with handling Wambach on set pieces.

However, if you haven’t tucked it away in the very depths of your memory, you will know that it was Alex Morgan who scored that header goal in the dying seconds of the Olympic semi final last summer. Bottom line: Canada must be clinical in the air near the box, doing everything they can to clear away balls in front of goal.

No Loss of Focus

Christine Sinclair has mentioned it in various interviews all week: Canada cannot afford mental mistakes in Sunday’s game. Clinical finishers like Morgan and Wambach will punish any errors Canada makes at the back, and they have done it in the past. Something as simple as leaving the front post open on a corner kick for a couple of seconds can lead to a goal being conceded, and it did in the Olympic semi.

Be Compact around the Box

The Americans have a long list of players who are technical enough with the ball to be great playmakers. Carli Lloyd, who scored the winning goals in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic finals, is great at both attacking and playmaking when around the 18. Additionally, players like Tobin Heath and Christen Press are exceptional at cutting inside when playing at the wide midfield positions.

This is where compactness is key for Canada. Desiree Scott, Sophie Schmidt and Diana Matheson, the midfielders who are likely to start Sunday’s game, need to collapse on anyone near the box who has the ball and they need to make it difficult for the Americans to send the ball around. Again, the good news for Canada is that these three have been standouts in the NWSL so far this season, and are sharp and game ready.

Attack with Width

Canada are likely to employ their usual 4-3-2-1 on Sunday, and not having typical ‘wide midfielders’ means they will rely on their outside backs to get involved in the attack. These outside backs, likely Lauren Sesselmann on the left and Rhian Wilkinson on the right, have done a great job in the past of sending in quality crosses, and this will be absolutely essential to Canada’s attack on Sunday. Stretching the American team will leave space for players like Sinclair and Melissa Tancredi to run onto balls played into the box.

Belief

The belief needs to be there. When stepping onto the field, Canada cannot think of their 12 year winless drought against their neighbours.

It will take something special, an extra foot in here or there, and an extra effort in winning the ball back after a turnover. But a result is not impossible, and the desire to put in a good performance for the fans is evident amongst the Canadian squad.

After a training session this week, defender Emily Zurrer commented on the team’s desire to get a good result: “We want to win it. It’s about the performance, but a win would mean a lot to this country and a lot to our team, so we are obviously going to go out there and try to win it.”

A d�j� vu game for Toronto FC and the Philadelphia Union

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 01:01:00 EDT

Toronto FC 1 – 1 Philadelphia Union

The Prelude to Battle
It’s a chance for Toronto FC to measure their growth.

The last time these two teams met, Toronto FC carried a 1-0 lead late into extra time, only for Philadelphia to equalize in the dying minutes of the game. This time around, and at home, Toronto will hope to pick up the full three points, but the team will have to do it in some of spring’s worst offerings; on-and-off rain makes for a hot, humid and sticky night at BMO Field awaits the two outfits.

Playing the Union once more, Toronto FC can now see if they have improved since the last visit. The record would suggest they have not, but the player personnel would say otherwise; the acquisition of Matias Laba and Bobby Convey boost Toronto’s line up, and the return of a few familiar faces like Terry Dunfield and Darel Russell give the squad depth once more.

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However, the big story of the night will be the potential return of Toronto’s Designated Player, Danny Koevermans. The Dutch forward picked up an ACL injury last year, and has been out of commission since last July. A small worry about his other knee was the concern in midweek, but it looks like Koevermans will see some time in this one. Koevermans has scored 17 goals in 26 games for the club.

Goal scoring hasn’t been a real problem for Philadelphia as of late, and it all comes down to Jack McInerney. The young American forward has netted 12 goals this season alone, in 13 games played, and has picked up MLS’ player of the month award for the last two months in a row. His partners up top include Conor Casey and Sebastien Le Toux, who are competent goalscorers, too.

Philadelphia sits at fifth in the Eastern Conference, Toronto in second-last, and the Reds will be looking to leap over the Chicago Fire by night’s end.

The First Forty-Five
Toronto FC kicked off the first half with a bang, earning a corner in the first minute of the game and nearly converting the effort into a goal. The first 10 minutes saw Toronto FC control possession and create two strong scoring chances. In the 15th minute, Keon Daniel came in for Kleberson, as Philadelphia head coach John Hackworth looked to change things up in midfield.

Brian Carroll picked up a yellow card in the 25th minute, after fouling Jeremy Hall in midfield. The resulting free kick led to a dramatic moment, when MacMath looked to handle the ball outside the box and Doneil Henry took a shot on goal after the whistle had blown. Both players picked up a yellow card for the incident.

With only 10 minutes to go in the first half, Toronto FC won a series of corner kicks that created half-chances to score, but the finish wasn’t there. Philadelphia won a chance of their own, when Henry brought down Danny Cruz right outside the box. The foul resulted in a second yellow for Henry, and the red card saw the young Canadian’s day finished at BMO Field.

The resulting free kick would come to nothing for the Union, but Toronto, now a man down, had a steep hill to climb against Philadelphia in the second half. With minutes to go, Toronto FC won a corner kick off a strong run by Robert Earnshaw, but MacMath eventually scooped the effort up. The first half ended with both sides level at 0-0, but Toronto FC controlled more than 60% of possession. Down a man, Danny Koevermans sits on the bench, waiting for his chance.

The Second Half
Ryan Nelsen made the first change of the game for Toronto FC, Ashtone Morgan coming in for Luis Silva. Philadelphia began to show their man advantage and controlled more of the play than in the first half, stretching Toronto’s backline. Toronto FC began winning corner after corner, but lacked the height to capitalize on them.

In the 59th minute, Conor Casey came in for Sebastien Le Toux, giving Philadelphia a different threat up front. Earnshaw won a free kick on the hour mark, and it would be his last contribution on the night, as he was subbed off for Jeremy Brockie. His impact on the game was immediate!

Ryan Richter won the ball from two Union defenders and turned it to Hall, who slipped the ball into Brockie. The resulting cross was met by Jonathan Osorio, whose header was good and beat MacMath, Toronto FC 1-0 Philadelphia in the 65th minute!

In the 71st minute, Philadelphia made their final change, Antoine Hoppenot coming in for Michael Farfan. With 15 minutes to go, Philadelphia began pressing higher and higher, trying to break Toronto FC’s backline. Toronto FC earned a free kick in the 75th minute, but the Union picked up possession and launched a counterattack. Matias Laba hit Danny Cruz hard, and picked up a yellow card in the process, a necessary sacrifice to stop the move.

Jeff Parke picked up a yellow card in the 84th minute for a hard tackle on a streaking Matias Laba run, which earned Toronto FC a free kick outside the box, too. In the 86th minute, the moment Toronto FC fans had been waiting for nine months for finally came to fruition; Danny Koevermans came in for Jeremy Brockie, who had done his job to a tee and set up the Osorio goal.

The 90th minute struck, and like clockwork, Jack McInerney got on the end of a poor clearance, bringing the game level at 1-1. Five minutes of added time would give Toronto FC another chance at finding a goal, Laba hitting a shot right into the hands of MacMath.

It’s a case of déjà vu for Toronto FC, who blow a 1-0 lead in the 90th minute to Philadelphia once again. The point is a plus, but the draw, as ever, feels like a loss for Toronto FC.

Post-Game Reaction
After the game, Ryan Nelsen targeted the referee’s inexperience as a reason for Toronto’s man disadvantage.

“It’s an extremely soft sending off,” said Nelsen. “Their goalkeeper has pushed and shoved one of our players and started the whole thing, it’s a sending off. If you’re going to give, letter to the law, like he has for the two yellow cards that Doneil got, well, the letter of the law is that MacMath gets sent off. Inexperienced referees, they do that, just like inexperienced players make mistakes. We always seem to get the inexperienced referees, and that’s life, but they keep making inexperienced decisions and we always seem to be at the end of them.”

On Jack McInerney, Nelsen acknowledged the forward’s ability but summed up the goal as mostly luck.

“Well I think he’s a very good player who finds holes, that’s what good players do,” said Nelsen. “He just drifted into an area, and if the ball went a yard either side of him, we would have got away and probably won the game.”

“That was a defensive move, bringing him on, because the guys were tired and they were playing balls up and getting back pretty easy, so I needed a big presence up there just to make sure they’re hitting it out, and holding it up,” said Nelsen.

Still, a point is a point, and Toronto FC still remain contenders approaching the halfway mark of the season. Nelsen summed it up nicely:

“Thank God we’re in the east.”

The big story of the day was the return of Danny Koevermans, but the forward lamented on his debut from injury.

“I wish it could have been different,” said Koevermans. “A comeback should feel great but it still feels, if I may say, shitty, now, because again we concede late. But, all the work paid off and finally I made my comeback and the audience gave me a warm welcome which was an awesome feeling so it’s mixed feelings today.”

“Fine, it’s just unlucky that last week we played in Boston, otherwise I would have been back last week. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t mark McInerney, the one goalscorer they have, and he puts it in. Here we are again in Toronto, conceding a late goal and not winning.”

The Final Word: Perhaps, Perhaps Not
As Ryan Nelsen pointed out, the last time Philadelphia visited Toronto, the result was an absolute disaster – a 6-2 loss at the hands of an Eastern Conference rival was one of the low points in Toronto FC’s 2012 season, and a 1-1 draw, albeit conceded late, is certainly an improvement. However, this game, which echoes the late-game debacle of others this season, is slightly different; it’s an almost minute-for-minute replication of the two team’s last encounter this season.

Toronto FC, up 1-0, concede late to a Jack McInerney goal, a 1-1 draw that should have been a win the only thing the club took from the Union on the night. While McInerney may be the hottest forward in MLS, the goal, like last time, was not a piece of brilliance on his part, rather, the pouncing of a bouncing ball in the box falling kindly at his feet.

Let’s not forget that a young Canadian defender was given two yellow cards in each game, resulting in a man advantage for Philadelphia. It was eerily similar, how things played out.

So, is it déjà vu for Toronto FC? Perhaps not!

The game itself was vastly different from the last; strong passing and wing play gave Toronto FC a large chunk of possession in the first half, 62.8 per cent to be exact. The passing, shooting, corner and chance creation was much improved, and, unlike last time, Joe Bendik was not called upon to save Toronto FC time and time again.

Toronto controlled the midfield this time around, and that was due to the strong physical play of Matias Laba and the defensive diligence of Ryan Richter. While Laba was a strong distributor and recovering midfielder on the night, it was Richter who handled Keon Daniel effectively, giving Philadelphia’s tough offense an even tougher time.

Last time around, Daniel gave Toronto FC a major headache late on, but he was denied a second chance to do the same on this particular night.

The similarities may be there, and the result may be the same, but in the end of the day, Toronto FC is showing something they have not shown in their history:

Consistency.

Now, that consistency needs to translate into consistent wins. When will that happen?

According to Nelsen: “When we win.”

Toronto FC Starting XI:
12 Joe Bendik
4 Doneil Henry
33 Ryan Richter
13 Steven Caldwell
48 Darren O’Dea
21 Jonathan Osorio
25 Jeremy Hall
20 Matias Laba
15 Bobby Convey
10 Robert Earnshaw
11 Luis Silva

Substitutions: Ashtone Morgan in for Luis Silva (45’ HT); Jeremy Brockie in for Robert Earnshaw (60’); Danny Koevermans in for Jeremy Brockie (86’).

Herdman cautiously welcoming pressure for the CanWNT

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 13:49:00 EDT

Standing on the sidelines of the women’s national team open practice Thursday night, where hundreds of fans paid to watch the team practice for just an hour, I couldn’t help but reflect on the ups and downs of support the team has experienced in the past decade.

The 2002 Under 19 Women’s World Cup, held in Edmonton, comes to mind as the first ever wave of support for women’s soccer in Canada. Eleven years ago, that U-19 Canadian team, who narrowly finished second to the Americans in extra time after an amazing run in the tournament, absolutely captivated Canada. That summer, Canada was introduced to household names such as Kara Lang and Christine Sinclair. The video below highlights the team’s epic semi-final win over Brazil in penalties (and Marta even misses her PK!):

Over 37 thousand fans packed into Edmonton’s Commonwealth stadium for the semi-final, and almost 48 thousand came for the final. Interestingly, there are currently four Canadians in camp in Toronto who were on that team in 2002: Robyn Gayle, Carmelina Moscato, Erin McLeod and Christine Sinclair.

The National team is now experiencing a second wave of support that they never could have imagined. The difference this time is that the attention seems like it is here to stay, after the epic events of Canada’s Olympic bronze medal captivated the country last summer. In 2009, only 10,255 fans attended the international friendly between Canada and the United States at BMO field in Toronto, whereas on Sunday, there will be very few empty seats in the 20,000+ seat stadium.

Carmelina Moscato:

At training earlier this week, Karina Leblanc commented on the support, saying, “When you dream of winning an Olympic medal, you don’t dream about after and what its going to be like… That’s why it has been incredible. It inspires us on so many different levels.”

Even Christine Sinclair admitted that the attention still surprises her. “It’s still shocking. It’s our first time back home since the Olympics and it is surprising.”

Canadian coach John Herdman welcomes the attention, and believes the team will need it Sunday and beyond as they prepare to host the 2015 Women’s World Cup across Canada. “If this energy doesn’t drive you to find another level of performance than I don’t know what will. So I just hope these fans bring it, it might push us over the line.”

However, Herdman remains cautious about the expectations now placed on his team. He mentioned that Dr. Kimberly Amirault, the sports psychologist brought in by the CSA to help the team after a devastating 2011 World Cup, is currently helping develop strategies to squander any negative effects of playing at home in front of large crowds.

“The girls are going to experience something they are not used to. For some of them, they will fly, and for some of them they will sink a little bit, and I hope we just learn a lot from this weekend...We have a couple different strategies in place to try and learn about how you deal with this sort of stuff.”

Kylla Sjoman:

Of the international friendly this Sunday against the Americans, Herdman said, “It will be a great learning experience and a hell of a test, the US, 35 games unbeaten.”

Additional quotes from Thursday’s open practice:

Herdman on the 2015 World Cup Turf Controversy:

“We are just focused on really enjoying the World Cup in Canada. I think these sort of conversations, I’d love it if people just put them to bed and went, ‘look it’s going to be an amazing tournament in one of the true women’s football countries’. Whether it’s on grass, or whether its on turf it makes no difference. There are two goals at the end of the pitch, and for those older players that have got sore knees, they have new challenges and they have to find ways of getting around that. So we will be focused on just really enjoying the experience. I am hoping other teams worry about that and they can be distracted by all that. We can just enjoy the experience and we will use the turf to our advantage.”

Herdman on the how the NWSL is helping develop a winning attitude amongst the Canadian women:

“They have to go out there and win every week- they didn’t have that in the build up to the Olympics. It was a nice cozy training environment, and if you didn’t play well in training, some of these players were guaranteed their shirt the next game. In these pro environments, they have to fight for the shirt… I mean, you look at Wambach in that semi final game. She was making sure that she wasn’t going to lose that game. And for Canada, I think that little gap that we have been missing, that bit of ruthlessness, the pro league will bring.”

ACC XI out of 10: Montreal @ Vancouver

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 11:49:00 EDT

The Montreal Impact left it until late to find an equalizer that would eventually crown them Canadian champions. The Whitecaps had a one goal lead twice, but Felipe and Hassoun Camara cancelled out the goals in the 2-2 draw.

Countdown: Montreal Impact @ Kansas City

Fri, 31 May 2013 17:39:00 EDT

First Thoughts
Two teams on positive runs of form will collide on Saturday at Sporting Park in Kansas City. The Montreal Impact are fresh off winning the 2013 Canadian Championship tournament and qualifying for the CONCACAF Champions League. In league play, Montreal are coming off an impressive 5-3 home win against the Philadelphia Union.

Sporting Kansas City have also been in high gear and extended their current undefeated streak to three games with a 1-1 home draw against the Houston Dynamo last weekend. SKC also advanced in the U.S. Open Cup in a midweek 2-0 victory over the Des Moines Menace.

Keep thinking
The Impact have scored eight goals in their last two games and striker Marco Di Vaio is coming off the first hat trick of his MLS career in a match in which he netted three goals in only 30 minutes. The Italian star now co-leads the league in scoring with Philadelphia’s Jack McInerney with nine goals apiece. SKC defenders Aurélien Collin and Matt Besler are going to have their hands full trying to contain a player who has been unstoppable force in recent weeks.

As good as Di Vaio has been lately, Montreal have been anything but a one man show, as players such as Justin Mapp, Andres Romero, Felipe, Patrice Bernier and Andrew Wenger have all been in top form as well.

Even though Sporting are undefeated in three matches, SKC Head Coach Peter Vermes has recently characterized his own squad as good, but inconsistent. Kansas City currently sit just behind Montreal in third place in the Eastern Conference, but have been a team that have not always used their ability to dominate possession in games to generate scoring chances.

Argentine Claudio Bieler leads SKC with 6 goals for a side that has recently been buoyed by the return of Kei Kamara from a loan stay with Norwich City FC of the English Premier League. The vaunted Montreal Impact back line will need to be at the top of their game if they hope to keep these two dangerous players off the scoresheet.

In the end
For many teams that are coming off a Cup winning performance, you would expect a bit of a let down in their next match, purely based on emotional and physical fatigue. However, Montreal have shown themselves to be an especially resilient and well-managed squad this year. Impact head coach Marco Schallibaum has managed his team like a chess master so far and it would be a major surprise if the team came out flat against Kansas City. It’s never easy to get a result on the road, but Montreal have proven themselves again and again that they are the real deal, so expect them to gain at least a point on Saturday.

Prediction
Montreal Impact 1 – 1 Sporting Kansas City

Canada announces preliminary roster for Gold Cup

Fri, 31 May 2013 15:59:00 EDT

Canada's Men's National Team has announced its 35-man preliminary roster for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup to take place from July 7th to July 28th in the United States.

Canada will have to trim its roster to 23 players before entering the tournament.

The team will take part in a 10-day training camp in Oxnard, California ahead of the tournament.

Canada will kick-off the Gold Cup on July 7th against Martinique in Pasadena, California and will then travel to Seattle, Washington for a July 11 fixture against Mexico. Canada will then close-out the group stage with a match against Panama in Denver, Colorado on July 14th.

The top two teams from each group, as well as the two highest-seeded third-place finishers will advance to the knock-out stages.

Canada won the Gold Cup in 2000 and has since succeeded in making it to the tournament semi-finals on two other occasions (2002, 2007) and made it to the quarter-finals in 2009.

All of Canada's matches at the tournament will be broadcast on Sportsnet.

Julian de Guzman speaks with RedNation after Canada's final Gold Cup warm-up match:

CANADA
GK- Haidar Al-Shaïbani | FRA / Nîmes Olympique
GK- Milan Borjan | TUR / Sivasspor
GK- Tomer Chencinski | unattached
GK- Lars Hirschfeld | NOR / Vålerenga Fotball
GK- Simon Thomas | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
D- Nana Attakora | USA / San Jose Earthquakes
D- Marcel de Jong | GER / FC Augsburg
D- David Edgar | ENG / Burnley FC
D- André Hainault | unattached
D- Doneil Henry | CAN / Toronto FC
D- Ashtone Morgan | CAN / Toronto FC
D- Adam Straith | GER / FC Saarbrücken
D/M- Nik Ledgerwood | SWE / Hammarby Fotboll
M- Fraser Aird | SCO / Rangers FC
M- Keven Aleman | ESP / Real Valladolid
M- Kyle Bekker | CAN / Toronto FC
M- Julian de Guzman | unattached
M- Daniel Haber | unattached
M- Atiba Hutchinson | unattached
M- Will Johnson | USA / Portland Timbers
M- Jonathan Osorio | CAN / Toronto FC
M- Pedro Pacheco | POR / unattached
M- Samuel Piette | GER / Fortuna Düsseldorf
M/F- Dwayne De Rosario | USA / D.C. United
M/F- Issey Nakajima-Farran | CYP / Alki Larnaca
M/F - Russell Teibert | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
F- Lucas Cavallini | URU / Club Nacional
F- Stefan Cebara | SVN / Nogometni Klub Celje
F- Randy Edwini-Bonsu | unattached
F- Marcus Haber | ENG / Stevenage FC
F- Simeon Jackson | unattached
F- Frank Jonke | FIN / FF Jaro
F- Kyle Porter | USA / D.C. United
F- Tosaint Ricketts | NOR / Sandnes Ulf

Countdown: Toronto FC v Philadelphia

Fri, 31 May 2013 09:48:00 EDT

Toronto FC are in the midst of another signature slide and it won't be easy reversing their fortunes as they host the Philadelphia Union on Saturday at BMO Field. The Union, a side who dropped near to the bottom of the league last season, have managed to make the right off-season moves to get their side back in a competitive position in MLS. TFC, on the other hand, remain perennially in expansion-quality mode as they retool and regig their line-up looking for the right combination to get a result.

The Reds form of late has been disconcerting to say the least. Five losses in a row, as well as the 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Montreal in the Voyageurs Cup, leaves a team and head coach Ryan Nelsen searching for answers. Philadelphia come in to town in the midst of a respectable run of form, and most notably off of a thrilling 5-3 loss to Montreal. What is most concerning for TFC fans is the Union's ability to score 3 goals on the road, and with Toronto's offence particularly anemic of late something will need to be shaken up if they have any hope of earning even just one point.

Keep thinking
Toronto comes into this match-up in the midst of a terrible run of form that has seen them drop five league matches in a row, but most alarmingly from this stretch has been an impotent offence that has only managed two goals over this period. What is most disappointing is the goals scored came from players one would not most expect, in Justin Braun and Jonathan Osorio, putting emphasis on the struggles of Robert Earnshaw, Luis Silva and even Reggie Lambe.

Most recent was an improved road display that ended in the same old story as TFC were downed in New England 2-0. The question is can they take, what was an improved display from their lacklustre one at home against Columbus, and push it further to potentially earn a result? There isn't too much pointing to it at this stage, but stranger things have happened and Philadelphia aren't a complicated side to figure out.

The Union are coming in off last weekend's 5-3 loss to the Montreal Impact, although disappointed, but with regards to playing Toronto, should have confidence. In most matches, three goals should be more than enough to secure at the very least a draw, let alone a win. If Philadelphia can maintain their form, as seen away from home, it should be a near lock for a result at BMO Field.

Philadelphia's strength is obvious and front and centre to anyone who has followed the league since Toronto joined. On paper, the names Conor Casey and Sebastien LeToux jump out as immediate threats, and both have been getting better over the weeks. It is the 20-year old Jack McInerney though, that is lighting up the league and creating a buzz for his scoring display that has him tied for league-leading scorer with 9 goals.

The Union are a decent enough side moving back and made up of solid MLS calibre players in Brian Carroll, Danny Cruz and now have their quality in Brazilian Kleberson. They've been consistent at the back with Jeff Parke, Sheanon Williams and youngester Ray Gaddis. Zach MacMath is one for the future, but also inexperienced and while we've pumped up the Union for scoring three on the road, they also surrendered five goals and that is what and where TFC need to put their sights on.

Unfortunately for the Reds, three of the five goals scored in Montreal came from the quality of Marco Di Vaio - a player TFC simply don't have right now. Much has been made in recent weeks about the impending return of Danny Koeverman, however, the word circulating is that he has tweaked his other knee and will not suit up just yet. What that means is the same faces of late will be making an appearance, and responsible for breaking out and changing the team's fortunes.

Jeremy Brockie has looked lively in his few appearances so far and with Robert Earnshaw going cold, will likely be the one to raise the team. However, Earnshaw's last goal came against Philadelphia, his only goal not from a defensive blunder or penalty, and might lift hopes this is the team he could regain his touch against. Moving through the midfield, Toronto should be competitive with the Union in this area as Matias Laba has looked the part so far, while that one spot wide left remains a concern as Reggie Lambe is just existing out there week after week, rarely putting in a performance of note.

The last note going into this game is on the defensive end and how Ryan Nelsen has set up the formation of late. Recalling the last time these two teams went head to head, one of the real battles was along the right side as Danny Cruz and Ashtone Morgan went head to head. Nelsen has gone with Doneil Henry in the middle and Darren O'Dea at left back of late, but with the Irishman called up for national team duty against England, his fitness to manage that responsibility might not be enough. Morgan looked better against Costa Rica on Tuesday and this might be the match up to get the most out of him and eliminate the mistakes seen earlier in the season. Getting his line-up spot on will go a long way in this match, and at this point critical in trying to stop the losing streak setting the team back.

In the end
Desparate for anything other than a loss, Toronto FC, even at home, will be in tough against a much improved Philadelphia Union. Their last meeting ended in a 1-1 draw when the Reds were down to 10-men off a dubious card, and this is a chance a redemption. Both teams have not been great at keeping goals out and there is little doubt of balls being pick out of the back of the net. It's just a matter of who can bring the most pressure up top and right now the Union look to be the stronger side in this regard. However, if Toronto's defence can hold up and are well prepared, they might be able to stem the tide. In the end, anything and everything rests on the shoulders of an attack who've lost their touch and need this game to regain their confidence - it will all come down to those players and if they can match up with the Union's.

Prediction
Toronto FC 1 – 2 Philadelphia Union

Pre-Match Video Interviews with Sinclair, Herdman, Matheson, LeBlance and Zurrer.

Fri, 31 May 2013 09:43:00 EDT

First Thoughts
Being dubbed “The Rematch”, coach John Herdman and the Canadian Women’s National Team host the rival US Women’s National Team for the first time since the classic Olympic Semi-final, which ended 4-3 to the Americans in extra time and which is the infamous match involving the controversial call by Norwegian referee Christina Pedersen.

Although this match is technically a “Friendly”, this fixture has three specific meanings. For starters it always means something to go up against a rival no matter the stakes. Playing in front of a sold out BMO Field crowd also gives the players a little taste of what to expect when Canada is hosting the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Lastly, this is a good opportunity for coach Herdman to figure out the remainder of his squad outside the regulars and build some depth going forward.

Christine Sinclair:

John Herdman:

Keep Thinking
Since being named the host city for the 2015 FIFA World Cup, the coaching staff along with the CSA have made it a priority to schedule top quality opposition and more home matches. This has been done in an effort to not only to prepare the team in the best way possible but also to guard against having anything close to the anemic performance in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

So far since the start of 2013 following the Olympic Bronze medal, the team has played in the Four Nations Tournament in Youngchuan, China against China, South Korea and Norway and ending with a 1-1-1 record, in the Cyprus Women’s Cup where they topped the group by defeating Switzerland, Finland and Netherlands in the group stages before losing to England in the final and then most recently have played International Friendly matches, drawing France 1-1 in Nice, France and losing to England 1-0 in Rotherham, England.

With this match being played at home followed by another scheduled Friendly later in the month against Germany, this group under Herdman has signaled its intent. However, against a stacked US squad widely considered the best team in the world the focus will be on keeping a solid defensive shape, staying compact and making quick transitions whether it be from an attacking perspective on the counter or from a defensive perspective when possession is lost.

Outside the obvious in captain, leader and arguably the best female soccer player in the world in Christine Sinclair, the key players for Canada will be in its spine starting with the goalkeeper, which in recent times has been Erin McLeod over Karina LeBlanc. How they organize the back line and command the area will be vital as well as how defensive midfielder Desiree Scott both does her primary job of shielding the defensive unit but also seamlessly collecting the ball out of the back and moving it forward or wide. Another area of vital importance is the fullback positions, whether it is the duo of Rhian Wilkinson/ Lauren Sesselmann or a slightly different pairing, they need to strike a balance between supporting the attack in the wide positions and tracking runs.

Diana Matheson:

Karina LeBlanc:

Since taking over as coach for Pia Sundhage at the start of the year, former Australian National Team coach Tom Sermanni has prepared his team by playing two Friendly matches against Scotland in Jacksonville, Florida and Nashville, Tennessee and playing and winning the 2013 Algarve Cup against Iceland, China, Sweden and Germany, as well as playing Friendly matches against Germany in Offenbach, Germany and Netherlands in The Hauge, Netherlands both which finished without defeat.

This is an American side that although they will be without two key players in goalkeeper Hope Solo and Meagan Rapinoe, there are still plenty of dangerous players capable of breaking the game wide open, even with the focus being mainly on Abby Wambach. The speed that Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux bring in combination with more underrated players such as Lauren Cheney and Carli Lloyd, as well as players doing well in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) like Kristie Mewis, Rachel Buehler and Ali Krieger, makes the USA a very dangerous team.

Emily Zurrer:

In the End
When looking at this match closely, it’s clear that all of the pressure will be on Canada to put in a quality performance and come out with a positive result in front of a sold out crowd. Conversely, the US are virtually in a “no lose situation”, winning or losing this match really has no bearing on its overall goal, which is to reassert its dominance in the women’s game after losing to Japan in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Prediction
Canada 1-3 USA

MLS Week 14 Marquee Match-Up: San Jose vs Real Salt Lake

Thu, 30 May 2013 20:07:00 EDT

The issue of international call-ups has hit MLS teams this week and will see squads begin to play around with the squad depth in order to find the right mix that can bridge the gap until the full complement of players returns. However, both of these teams will stay relatively intact for what shapes up as an important match in the Western Conference.

Real Salt Lake is coming into this match off mixed results in recent weeks as they host a struggling San Jose Earthquakes side at Rio Tinto Stadium. This is a key stretch of matches for both sides as RSL look to further close the gap between them and conference leading FC Dallas while the Quakes early season struggles with injury and suspension have derailed the campaign and currently see them sitting closer to the bottom of the conference than challenging for the playoff places.

San Jose Earthquakes @ Real Salt Lake

Both of these sides are coming off midweek US Open Cup fixtures, however while Real Salt Lake squeaked by NASL side Atlanta Silverbacks by a 3-2 score line in extra time, San Jose Earthquakes were knocked out by USL PRO’s Charleston Battery.

The Quakes looked to have taken the US Open Cup fairly seriously with defenders Víctor Bernárdez and Justin Morrow as well as forward Steven Lenhart playing a full 90 minutes while Chris Wondolowski, Marvin Chávez and Adam Jahn all came off the bench to change the game. On its own this is a result coach Frank Yallop and his charges can get over but, in combination with recent performances in league play, it doesn’t make for good reading. Last season’s supporters shield winners have only picked up one point from its last three matches and in that span have only scored 1 goal while conceding 6 goals. The most glaring result was the 4-0 defeat to Seattle Sounders a few weeks ago that was completely unexpected and it seems to have knocked them for a loop.

Even though the results don’t necessarily show it, RSL have been playing a really attractive brand of soccer and have been getting the best out of a variety of players outside of the regulars in captain Kyle Beckerman and chief playmaker Javier Morales. The most impressive performances have come from midfielders Joao Plata, Luis Gil and Ned Grabavoy in recent weeks and with the return of clinical finisher Alvaro Saborio from injury, the attack only shapes up to be stronger.

The play of Joao Plata has been particularly eye catching, as he looks a completely different player than the one that played for Toronto FC. He’s being given more freedom to roam in a fluid 4-1-2-1-2 “diamond” formation and has proven to be useful either on the wing, in the middle alongside Morales or up front in a “little and large” combination with Saborio, or in recent weeks in a speedy partnership with Robbie Findley.

In terms of key match-ups to watch, the main one that stands out is Javier Morales vs. Sam Cronin. It’s no secret that Morales is the table setter for any and all attacks and is involved in the overwhelming majority of positive play, but it will be up to Cronin to keep him in check. Cronin’s role becomes even more important with an ever-changing midfield, with the latest being his midfield partner Rafael Baca suffering from a hamstring strain and missing the last match, in addition to central defender Victor Bernardez being suspended due to yellow card accumulation.

Another interesting battle to watch is the wing play of San Jose’s Honduran duo of Walter Martinez and Marvin Chavez going up against the Real Salt Lake fullbacks Tony Beltran and Chris Wingert. Since joining the team a few months ago, Martinez has fit in rather seamlessly and has staked a claim for the position over Shea Salinas and, in tandem with, Chavez gives more attacking options for Chris Wondolowski. They will be in a real battle with Wingert and Beltran, whom have developed a true understanding and balance over the last few seasons. The RSL defensive unit looks much more stable since the return of Wingert from injury and gives the side confidence over fill in players such as Lovel Palmer and Abdoulie Mansally.

Here is how I see both sides lining up:

San Jose Earthquakes:

Real Salt Lake:

Prediction
San Jose Earthquakes 1-2 Real Salt Lake

Late Camara goal sees Montreal through to Champions League

Thu, 30 May 2013 14:56:00 EDT

Vancouver Whitecaps 2 – 2 Montreal Impact

The Prelude to Battle
The second leg of the Amway Canadian Championship final saw the Montreal Impact lift the Voyageurs Cup with a 2-2 draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

After a scoreless nil-nil draw in Montreal two weeks ago, both sides had a great chance to become national champions and represent Canada in the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League.

The Vancouver Whitecaps came into this match after an 11-day break. Their last match was on May 18 when they drew the Portland Timbers 2-2 at BC Place. Jose Valencia scored late for the Timbers to deny Vancouver a victory over their Cascadian rivals.

The Montreal Impact played their last match this past Saturday against the Philadelphia Union at Stade Saputo. Marco Di Vaio's three goals in the first half saw the Impact win a goal filled match, 5-3.

The Opening 45
The 'Caps came out flying after the opening whistle.

No less than one minute into the match, Camilo was played in alone with Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush. Bush made the stop, but the ball bounced around the area until Gershon Koffie's blast was deflected out for a corner.

In the fourth minute, the home side took the lead. Off a free kick, Camilo's well-struck ball from 35-yards out flew into the top corner beating Bush to his left.

Five minutes later, the Impact almost equalized from a set-piece. Justin Mapp played a curling free kick from the right to the back post. The ball met an unmarked Hassoun Camara, whose diving header beat Brad Knighton in the Vancouver goal. However, it would not count as the assistant referee signalled for offside.

In the 12th minute, Russell Teibert and Nigel Reo-Coker combined well on the left flank leaving Teibert with space for a thunderous blast on goal. Bush deflected it out for a corner.

On the ensuring corner, center back Johnny Leverón got his head on the end of a ball whipped in to the front post. His header smacked the crossbar and stayed out.

Second before halftime, Knighton's drop kick sailed down the pitch and was missed by Impact center back Matteo Ferrari. This left Kenny Miller in behind Montreal's back line alone against Bush. Bush made a fantastic stop to deny the Whitecaps a second goal.

The eventful first half ended with Camilo's screaming free kick goal being the difference.

The Second Half
Four minutes after the restart, Montreal equalized and got their first important away goal.

The Impact worked their way into the Vancouver's defensive third, but a poor clearance went right to Felipe just outside the box. Felipe's driven shot sailed past Knighton, hitting the side-netting.

In the 61st minute, the Whitecaps were inches away from leading the matchup once again. From the left side, Camilo rolled a ball across the penalty area that found Reo-Coker. The Englishman and Teibert played a quick one-two leaving Reo-Coker with a good look at goal. His shot was a hair away from finding the bottom opposite corner.

Eight minutes later, the home side was back in front. Reo-Coker and Teibert combined well on the right leading to two good Reo-Coker crosses. After the first was blocked, Reo-Coker got a second attempt. This time his ball found Daigo Kobayashi who guided the ball past Bush.

In the 71st minute, Teibert stole a ball off Andrés Romero right near the Impact's corner flag. Teibert squared the ball for Camilo who ripped a shot off the nearside upright. The Whitecaps would lament this miss.

Two minutes later, Di Vaio almost silenced the BC Place crowd. The Impact worked their way up through the center of the pitch. Di Vaio received a ball outside the penalty area and was able to turn towards goal. Vancouver almost regretted giving the Italian as much space as they did. Di Vaio's curling effort was not too far off from finding the far corner.

In the 84th minute, Montreal equalized for the second time. Justin Mapp controlled lobbed ball on the left flank. His first touch gave him space in the middle, where he slipped a through ball for Di Vaio. The clear shot on target was blocked Andy O'Brien sliding in.

Off the ensuing corner, Camara weaved his way through the box unmarked and was able to direct his header past Knighton.

The Whitecaps went all out in search of grabbing the lead. Substitute Jordan Harvey had great chance to score, but his shot from inside the box was wide.

The draw was all Montreal needed to win their second Voyageurs Cup and to be crowned Canadian Champions.

The Final Word: Vancouver struggled to finish, while Montreal kept calm and worked for their equalizers.
Following the first leg, Whitecaps head coach Martin Rennie promised his team would come out attacking at home in leg two. They did.

The Whitecaps did not waste any time putting the Impact on the back foot. The home side had plenty of chances within the first 15 minutes of the match. Camilo was responsible for most of them.

The Brazilian was world class the entire match. Every chance his side had, came from his foot. In the fourth minute, he surprised everyone by scoring a long range free kick.

Another combination that worked well for the Whitecaps was Teibert and Reo-Coker. In the first leg, both were very dangerous and they were just as lethal in this one.

With Camilo dominating the left side and Teibert, Reo-Coker on the right, Vancouver controlled the flanks. Success down the wings forced the Impact to slightly defend wider out, leaving some gaps in the middle. The Whitecaps controlled this way for the entire game.

Vancouver only have themselves to blame for not scoring when they should of. As a result, Montreal was never feeling pressured.

The Impact trailed only by one on two occasions. Knowing what a draw was enough for them to win, Montreal stayed calm the entire match and waited for its chances.

At no point in the 90 minutes, did the Impact really start to panic being down a goal. In the final 10 minutes, there was a sense of urgency, but they still kept their composure.

Despite Vancouver dominating in terms of chances, Ferrari and Nesta were exceptional at center back. The Whitecaps probably would have scored over two goals if it weren't for the two Italians.

Bush was also a key figure in the win. The Impact keeper had to make some key stops to keep his side in the match.

With the victory, Montreal completes one of their season objectives. Before the start of the season, management made it very clear they expected to win the Canadian Championship. The Impact struggled to do so, but they got the job done.

Montreal will now represent Canada and Major League Soccer in the next edition of the CONCACAF Champions League.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Lineup
18 Knighton
4 Rochat
16 Leveron
40 O'Brien
12 Young-Pyo
28 Koffie
27 Marques Davidson
13 Reo-Coker
7 Camilo
9 Miller
31 Teibert

Montreal Impact Lineup
30 Bush
5 Brovsky
14 Nesta
13 Ferrari
6 Camara
15 Romero
7 Felipe
8 Bernier
21 Mapp
9 Di Vaio
33 Wenger

Substitutions: (57) Kobayashi in for Koffie; (73) Harvey in for Miller; (73) Smith in for Romero; (82) Mattocks in for Camilo; (82) Warner in for Brovsky; (88) Iapichino in for Felipe.

Countdown: Canada vs United States

Thu, 30 May 2013 08:57:00 EDT

First Thoughts
Being dubbed “The Rematch”, coach John Herdman and the Canadian Women’s National Team host the rival US Women’s National Team for the first time since the classic Olympic Semi-final, which ended 4-3 to the Americans in extra time and which is the infamous match involving the controversial call by Norwegian referee Christina Pedersen.

Although this match is technically a “Friendly”, this fixture has three specific meanings. For starters it always means something to go up against a rival no matter the stakes. Playing in front of a sold out BMO Field crowd also gives the players a little taste of what to expect when Canada is hosting the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Lastly, this is a good opportunity for coach Herdman to figure out the remainder of his squad outside the regulars and build some depth going forward.

Keep Thinking
Since being named the host city for the 2015 FIFA World Cup, the coaching staff along with the CSA have made it a priority to schedule top quality opposition and more home matches. This has been done in an effort to not only to prepare the team in the best way possible but also to guard against having anything close to the anemic performance in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

So far since the start of 2013 following the Olympic Bronze medal, the team has played in the Four Nations Tournament in Youngchuan, China against China, South Korea and Norway and ending with a 1-1-1 record, in the Cyprus Women’s Cup where they topped the group by defeating Switzerland, Finland and Netherlands in the group stages before losing to England in the final and then most recently have played International Friendly matches, drawing France 1-1 in Nice, France and losing to England 1-0 in Rotherham, England.

With this match being played at home followed by another scheduled Friendly later in the month against Germany, this group under Herdman has signaled its intent. However, against a stacked US squad widely considered the best team in the world the focus will be on keeping a solid defensive shape, staying compact and making quick transitions whether it be from an attacking perspective on the counter or from a defensive perspective when possession is lost.

Outside the obvious in captain, leader and arguably the best female soccer player in the world in Christine Sinclair, the key players for Canada will be in its spine starting with the goalkeeper, which in recent times has been Erin McLeod over Karina LeBlanc. How they organize the back line and command the area will be vital as well as how defensive midfielder Desiree Scott both does her primary job of shielding the defensive unit but also seamlessly collecting the ball out of the back and moving it forward or wide. Another area of vital importance is the fullback positions, whether it is the duo of Rhian Wilkinson/ Lauren Sesselmann or a slightly different pairing, they need to strike a balance between supporting the attack in the wide positions and tracking runs.

Since taking over as coach for Pia Sundhage at the start of the year, former Australian National Team coach Tom Sermanni has prepared his team by playing two Friendly matches against Scotland in Jacksonville, Florida and Nashville, Tennessee and playing and winning the 2013 Algarve Cup against Iceland, China, Sweden and Germany, as well as playing Friendly matches against Germany in Offenbach, Germany and Netherlands in The Hauge, Netherlands both which finished without defeat.

This is an American side that although they will be without two key players in goalkeeper Hope Solo and Meagan Rapinoe, there are still plenty of dangerous players capable of breaking the game wide open, even with the focus being mainly on Abby Wambach. The speed that Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux bring in combination with more underrated players such as Lauren Cheney and Carli Lloyd, as well as players doing well in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) like Kristie Mewis, Rachel Buehler and Ali Krieger, makes the USA a very dangerous team.

In the End
When looking at this match closely, it’s clear that all of the pressure will be on Canada to put in a quality performance and come out with a positive result in front of a sold out crowd. Conversely, the US are virtually in a “no lose situation”, winning or losing this match really has no bearing on its overall goal, which is to reassert its dominance in the women’s game after losing to Japan in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Prediction
Canada 1-3 USA

Canadians in the NWSL: Week 7 Recap and Week 8 Preview

Thu, 30 May 2013 08:18:00 EDT

Fourteen Canadians who play in the NWSL got called into the Canadian squad for June 2nd’s international friendly vs the United States. However, before flying to Toronto, all eight NWSL teams were in action last weekend. Here is the week seven recap:

Week 7 Recap

Western New York Flash 2, Chicago Red Stars 1
An injury report last week indicated that Canadian and Chicago keeper Erin McLeod would be “questionable” for last Friday’s game against the Western New York Flash due to a “right hand incomplete fracture”. McLeod ended up not playing in the match, however her replacement Taylor Vancil had a great game, denying the many strong attackers of the Flash on multiple occasions.

Chicago scored first, in the 52nd minute, however the lead was short lived, as WNY’s Abby Wambach and McCall Zerboni scored in the 54th and 65th minute respectively, to take the lead and win the game.

Rachel Quon, newly called up defender for the Canadian squad (who is American born) played the full 90 minutes for the Red Stars, and Canadian Carmelina Moscato came on in the 87th minute.

As for McLeod’s injury, no further word has been given by the Chicago Red Stars, the NWSL or Canada Soccer, so her ability to play in Sunday’s international friendly is unclear.

Boston Breakers 3, Washington Spirit 0
Saturday’s matchup at Boston’s Dilboy Stadium was the third meeting of the young NWSL season between the Boston Breakers and the Washington Spirit. With the first two meetings ending in 1-1 draws, both teams were eager to end the deadlock and earn a win.

However, Saturday’s game was different, as after a bit of a slow start due to some heavy rainfall and slick turf, it seemed like Washington came out flat, while Boston came out very attacking minded. Washington could not string very much meaningful possession together, and efforts in the midfield from Diana Matheson did not result in any dangerous attempts on goal, even after the Spirit launched a few promising counter attacks. Washington had no shots on goal throughout the entire match.

Boston’s goals came in the 38th, 55th and 68th minutes, and all three assists were credited to Breaker’s midfielder Lianne Sanderson, who had a phenomenal game.

Four Canadians featured in the match, with Matheson and Robyn Gayle playing 90 minutes for the Spirit, Rhian Wilkinson playing 90 minutes for the Breakers (in her first start after recovering from a hamstring injury), and Breaker Adriana Leon coming on in the 70th minute.

Sky Blue FC 1, FC Kansas City 0
Sophie Schmidt scored her league leading fifth goal on Saturday with a converted penalty kick in Sky Blue FC’s narrow 1-0 win over FC Kansas City.

The penalty came in just the 23rd minute when fellow Canadian Lauren Sesselmann pulled down Sky Blue forward Lisa De Vanna in the six-yard box. De Vanna had Sesselmann and the other FC Kansas City defenders, as well as keeper Nicole Barnhart beat, and had a clear path in on goal, when Sesselmann dragged down De Vanna with two hands and a fistful of jersey. Sesselmann was promptly sent off with a straight red card, and FC Kansas City was forced to play the remainder of the game with 10 players.

To their credit, Kansas City matched Sky Blue for the remainder of the game, with Desiree Scott’s role as a defensive midfielder becoming more important than ever. Both teams had chances to score, however playing a man down for well over an hour proved to be too much for FC Kansas City to overcome.

Canadian defender Melanie Booth came on in the 83rd minute to help secure the win for Sky Blue.

The win puts Sky Blue at the top of the NWSL standings, tied for first place with the Portland Thorns FC.

Portland Thorns 1, Seattle Reign FC 0
Hope Solo made her debut in goal on Saturday night for the Reign, where a controversial penalty kick call and even more poor refereeing decisions lead to a 1-0 win for the Portland Thorns.

The game started out very physical, with Alex Morgan and Canadian Kaylyn Kyle fighting for the ball on multiple occasions throughout the match. For the second game in a row, Kyle was deployed at centre back, an unusual position for the midfielder. However, Kyle did very well throughout the game to hamper attacks by Morgan and Christine Sinclair and she was a bright spot in Seattle’s defense. It was evident that having Solo in the lineup for the Reign also helped a great deal with the organization of their back line, as the Thorns only registered three shots on goal.

On the other side of the field, Karina Leblanc had many great saves in goal for the Thorns, denying Seattle’s seven shots on goal throughout the game. Leblanc looked sharp and prepared and was tested more in this game than in any of the other seven Thorns games this NWSL season.

However, controversy struck in the 83rd minute. With play in the Reign box, the referee blew her whistle and pointed to the penalty spot just after a clearance by Kyle. Watching the event over multiple times (here at 1:52:15), no clear foul that would result in a penalty can be seen, and many believe this was a make up call for an uncalled hand ball which previously occurred in the second half. Sinclair netted the penalty in the bottom left corner past Solo.

Despite a late push from Seattle, no more goals were registered and Portland came away with the narrow 1-0 win. The Reign are still winless, despite playing their best game of the season.

Canadian Tiffany Cameron played 90 minutes for the Reign, and despite having the ball at her feet on multiple occasions, she was not able to beat Leblanc with her two registered shots on goal. Canadian Emily Zurrer did not feature in the match for the Reign.

Week 8 Preview

Saturday, June 1 2013

Chicago Red Stars @ Portland Thorns FC 5pm ET
All Canadians on the Red Stars and the Thorns will be in Toronto and will miss this NWSL game, therefore depth of both teams will be tested. The Red Stars are still looking for their first win of the season.

Boston Breakers @ Sky Blue FC 7pm ET
Two Canadians not in the squad for June 2nd’s friendly will likely feature in this game, in Boston’s Adriana Leon and Sky Blue’s Melanie Booth. Both teams are coming off of wins, and are looking to add separation in the top half of the standings.

From the Black Hole: Episode 8

Wed, 29 May 2013 21:26:00 EDT

It's a busy week in Canadian soccer and From the Black Hole breaks it down for you. Men's friendly vs. Costa Rica, Women's (un)friendly vs. the US of A, and the final game in The Voyageurs Cup are all on the card in Episode 8.

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Player Ratings - XI out of 10: Canada vs Costa Rica

Wed, 29 May 2013 08:00:00 EDT

Canada 0 – 1 Costa Rica

It was better than some would have expected given the inexperience of the squad, but familiar themes and patterns played out on Tuesday night that kept Canada off the scoresheet as they were downed 1-0 by Costa Rica. There were chances down to the final seconds, but rarely was the opposition's keeper tested even though Canada were able to maintain long stretches of possession and open up Costa Rica on several occasions.

With it not being an official FIFA date, and a squad missing almost all of the names expected from the best players available, there was still some bright spots on this night. Canada's attack has been questionable over the years but two players stood out in the game in Issey Nakajima-Farran and Randy Edwini-Bonsu. Nakajima-Farran was able to get into space and do well dribbling through the midfield, while Edwini-Bonsu was very impressive getting through out of spaces with no fear and showing he was the thoroughbred on the field when it game to pace.

While this game was always going to be about the bigger picture of getting young players time on the pitch, it ultimately was part of the undoing for Canada. Samuel Piette will no doubt be a mainstay for years to come, but the decision to come down on a Costa Rican anywhere near the 18-yard box will be a required lesson learned for him moving forward. The TFC trio of Doneil Henry, Ashtone Morgan and Kyle Bekker all showed well, but perhaps save for Henry, showed some inconsistencies that would be smoothed out with more playing time and games under their belt.

With the next stop being the 2013 Gold Cup there were some positives to take from the game. Canada certainly brought the requisite determination and attitude, even when down a goal early. This is a testament to Colin Miller who has done well in his two stints with the National Team to instill at minimum the right mentality. If the telecast is any indication, the hint that Miller's availability for the Gold Cup could point to him taking over for the tournament should be looked at positively that should there not be a permanent choice come July, the team will be in good hands in the interim.

The key to the ratings, as seems to be the logic on a scale of 1-10, is not to view it as a “grade”, as in a 6 would be a 60 or a C. The formula is that each player begins the game with a 5 and is the equilibrium from which their performance either improves or degrades moving in increments of .5.

Here is the breakdown of the starting XI:

Borjan – 5.5
A good game for Borjan between the posts who looked assured and confident right down to his involvement downfield in the dying seconds. Even though it looked like the Rodriguez header wasn't a foul, and was caught on the Arrietta header, he was brave on crosses, made saves when needed and his gambles paid off coming off his line to snatch loose balls and cut down angles.

Your rating:

Morgan – 5
A much better display than seen with Toronto FC of late, especially on the defensive side where he managed to keep his opponent at bay for most of the night. His crossing failed him a few times, but showed glimpses of his old self with a few nice moves deep in Costa Rica's end to get good crosses in.

Your rating:

Hainault – 5.5
The most reliable defender of the group followed up a solid end to his time at Ross County in Scotland with a steady display in front of Borjan where he was good with the ball on his feet and never looked like he was going to be taken advantage of anywhere in the 18-yard box. Unfortunately he could not direct Kyle Bekker's free kick near the end of the first half as that has been one of his strengths over the years and will need to tighten that up if he's called upon for the Gold Cup.

Your rating:

Henry – 5.5
The young TFC defender has been on a bit of a run of late with positive outings and this was another he can build upon. The attributes are there to see in terms of size, strength, speed and physicality, it's just the experience to improve his decision making and technique. Was capable defending and tackling his opponent, few glaring turnovers and was a menace on set pieces. LIke Hainault, just needs to finish his chances and will be that much further in cementing himself as an asset.

Your rating:

Ledgerwood – 5
It was a decent game for Ledgerwood, unfortunately the red card but a damper on an otherwise reliable performance at right back. His tackle that led to the card was excellently timed and unfair in the sending off, but Ledgerwood just needs to keep his head up and look forward to getting back to his club and the next call up for Canada.

Your rating:

Piette – 4.5
The 18-year old did not look out of place at all in this match and it was really only the foul in the box that was the only real negative on the night. LIke the other young players on the team, it comes down to building up experience to make the right decisions and against a side like Costa Rica who will embellish most anything, especially to win a penalty, that will have to be one to learn from.

Your rating:

De Guzman – 5.5
The captain of the squad came in and did what was required in serving as an outlet for the defence to push the ball forward and move it around effectively. It wasn't anything on the level he's done for Canada in the past, but a competent game for the veteran midfielder.

Your rating:

Bekker 5.5 – 5.5
A bit of a mixed performance for Bekker, but he grew as the game went on and had some influential passes that nearly were the elusive final ball to create a goal for Canada. His one noted strength coming in this year from Boston College was set piece delivery and on this night it was inconsistent with an very poor one at the 43rd minute only to deliver a delicious one minutes later to Hainault that should have been a goal. Another case of more minutes and experience and hopefully that would result in a better percentage of accurate deliveries.

Your rating:

Nakajima Farran – 6
A real positive outing for the world traveler who was a real spark in the first half along with Edwini-Bonsu. Had a glorious chance in the first half that he just could keep down enough that went screaming over the bar. Nakajima-Farran for the most part was clever with his passing and pretty good in possession to put Costa Rica on their back heels.

Your rating:

MOTM Edwini Bonsu – 6
An extremely positive performance for Edwini-Bonsu who should generate some discussion for the team moving forward and give supporters some confidence that he has the skill to land at a decent club for the upcoming season. Having not played much in 2012/13, it was an eye-opening display that saw him have excellent control of the ball, especially in tight spaces. His speed was also on display as once he turned into open field was able to weigh the ball just enough to run onto and past any Costa Rican. Edwini-Bonsu at this point should be strongly considered for the Gold Cup squad as he brings that intangible needed to unlock opposition.

Your rating:

Haber – 5.5
Another one of the younger players, and someone looking for a new club in the new year. Haber's experience at Stevenage was apparent as he looked fit and confident in his role holding up the ball and getting it on to the likes of Edwini-Bonsu and Bekker. He wasn't able to get any real chances on goal, but did what was required and kept at it for the entire game.

Canada - Costa Rica Post-Match Interviews

Wed, 29 May 2013 08:52:00 EDT

Canada 0 – 1 Costa Rica

With this match taking place on day that wasn’t an official FIFA date, Interim Canadian National Team Head Coach Colin Miller had a roster at his disposal made up primarily of young players from the MLS and a number of out of season/out of contract Europe-based players. Thus, the name of the game for many players was going to be around showing the national team brass that they deserve a spot on Canada’s squad for this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament.

See also: Countdown: Canada vs Costa Rica

Similarly, Costa Rica came into this fixture with a young roster comprised mainly of players from their domestic Primera division. Even though the Costa Ricans are still competing for a spot at the next World Cup, Head Coach Jorge Luis Pinto did not field his first choice squad for this math.

Julian de Guzman Post-game comments:

The Opening Forty-Five
This one kicked off with Canada playing the ball on the ground and Costa Rica playing very direct, as the visitors delivered long ball after long ball in the early going. However, it would be a typical CONCACAF play that would allow Costa Rica to open the scoring in the 15th minute.

Forward Jairo Arrieta went down under the slightest of contact from Canadian starlet Samuel Piette and the referee went for the dive hook, line and sinker. Welcome back to CONCACAF young lad!

Arrieta, who plays his club football in the MLS for Columbus Crew, delivered a fine finish on the penalty kick and gave his team an early lead. To top everything all off, the announcer that was calling the game for Costa Rican radio delivered the most over the top goal announcement in the history of meaningless friendlies.

While Nikola Tesla was likely rolling over in his grave at the abuse of his creation, Canada got back on track and delivered a number of fine instances of attacking play, many of which were characterized by inspired and electrifying runs by forward Randy Edwini-Bonsu.

Randy Edwini-Bonsu Post-game comments:

Midfielder Issey Nakajima-Farran had an excellent chance to even things up for Canada in the 18th minute, but shot sailed just over the crossbar.

Arrieta came close to doubling Costa Rica’s lead in the 38th minute when he showed some nice skill to bring down a long ball over the Canadian back line, but then shot wide of the near post with Canadian keeper Milan Borjan coming out of his net and cutting down the angle.

Canada’s best chance of the half came during injury time when midfielder Kyle Bekker delivered some quality on a dead ball, but Andre Hainault was unable to get his header on target.

Tosaint Ricketts Post-game comments:

The Second Half
A number of the younger Canadian players continued to impress in the second half, with Bekker and Ashtone Morgan doing their parts to get Canada back into the match.

However, it was Costa Rica that almost scored in the 67th minute when Arrieta delivered a fantastic header off the cross bar.

The friendly became anything but when a scuffle broke out between Canadian right back Nik Ledgerwood and Costa Rican defender Christopher Meneses following a clean but hard tackle by the veteran Canadian International. The referee, of course, got the call wrong again, sending off both players when yellow cards were in order for some pushing that was really relatively tame.

Jonathan Osorio Post-game comments:

As is often the case for the Canadian national team, the home side struggled to generate scoring chances in general and from open play in particular.

The Canadians had a fantastic opportunity to earn a draw during second half injury time when another corner kick ended with Doneil Henry getting into the right position in the box, but also putting a free header wide of the net.

The Final Word: Several players state their case for the Gold Cup.
Ultimately, this one played out in a very similar fashion compared to Canada’s recent performances following the team’s failed qualifying run for Brazil 2014. With a squad composed primarily of young players, Canada showed quality at times while also struggling to finish and having a few shaky moments from a defensive standpoint.

Overall, the veterans in the lineup – keeper Milan Borjan, Nik Ledgerwood, Andre Hainault – were solid and Julian de Guzman did a fine job shepherding the squad in an elder statesman role.

Ultimately, this match was always about seeing what the young and up and coming players could bring to the proceedings against a quality CONCACAF opponent and, overall, the young players did pretty well.

Samuel Piette was solid outside of showing some inexperience on the penalty call and Marcus Haber delivered something akin to a mature workmanlike performance, with his defending on opposition set pieces standing out as something useful for the Canadian toolbox.

The standout player in this match was Randy Edwini-Bonsu, who personifies the adage that you can’t teach speed. It would be a major surprise if he was not called up to be part of Canada’s Gold Cup squad later this summer.

Toronto FC supporters were likely heartened by what they saw from Kyle Bekker, Ashtone Morgan and Doneil Henry.

Bekker was probably Canada’s second best player and looked especially dangerous in dead ball situations. Morgan looked very much like the young player who has excited so many over the last couple of years with his pace down the left side and propensity to deliver quality balls into the opposition box. Henry was solid defensively playing alongside Hainault in central defense and looked like a player who has the potential to be a monster on Canadian set pieces as his game matures in the coming years. Jonathan Osorio earned his first appearance for the senior national team and did not look out of place in limited minutes.

Canada Lineup
Milan Borjan
Nik Ledgerwood
Andre Hainault
Doneil Henry
Ashtone Morgan
Samuel Piette
Julian de Guzman
Kyle Bekker
Randy Edwini-Bonsu
Issey Nakajima-Farran
Marcus Haber

Substitutions: (64) Tosaint Ricketts in for Randy Edwini-Bonsu; (70) Jonathan Osorio in for Samuel Piette; (76) Daniel Haber in for Issey Nakajima-Farran; (89) Pedro Pacheco. Who is your Man of the Match?

Colin Miller Post-game comments:

Countdown: Montreal Impact @ Vancouver Whitecaps

Wed, 29 May 2013 00:33:00 EDT

First Thoughts
The second leg of the Canadian Championship final is upon us and bragging rights for the title of best team in Canada are up for grabs between the Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps. Home field advantage goes to Whitecaps for this one following the 0-0 draw in the first leg in Montreal. However, the Impact cannot be underestimated given that they have delivered some exceptional performances on the road this season.

The Whitecaps are undefeated in three straight matches, including a victory and two draws. In those three games that Caps have only conceded three goals while scoring five against the likes of the Galaxy and the Timbers. Thus, confidence levels are likely at their highest in the Whitecaps side this season and it has shown on the pitch in their last few matches.

The Whitecaps are coming off a bye week but in their last match a week prior to that they drew 2-2 to the Portland Timbers. The Caps took a 2-0 lead but failed to close out the match by conceding twice to finish in a draw.

The Impact also have a multitude of reasons to be feeling confident and are coming off a massive 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Union which saw Marco Di Vaio net a hat trick by the time the match hit the 30 minute mark. While Vancouver’s form has been patchy to date this season, Montreal has been remarkably consistent and has shown a lot of depth whenever Head Coach Marco Schallibaum has rotated his squad.

Many Whitecaps supporters will be delighted that the Whitecaps Scottish striker Kenny Miller will be available for Wednesday's crucial Canadian Championship match. It is yet to be seen whether Miller will get a spot in the starting eleven, but the fact he is back in the squad is good enough news in itself.

Keep Thinking
A key to this match for the Whitecaps will definitely be on the defensive side of the game. Montreal is well known for the attacking talent in their side with Felipe, Wenger and especially Di Vaio. Martin Rennie must start his strongest possible back line in order to have a chance in this final.

While defensively Vancouver must be strong, they must also put the ball in the back of the net as well. Look to see Camilo and Teibert in the starting lineup on Wednesday and either Mattocks or Miller as the starting striker.

Marco Di Vaio is coming off an impressive performance against the Union in last weekend’s MLS play with a hat trick within 35 minutes from kickoff. The Italian striker currently sits in first in the MLS scoring race and he presents a strong challenge for the Whitecaps back line. All of that said, Montreal is far from a one man show and players such as Justin Mapp, Patrice Bernier, Andrew Wenger and Andrea Pisanu have been in top form as well in both the Canadian Championship and league play.

With Montreal firmly in the driver’s seat to qualify for the MLS Playoffs and Vancouver in a more than decent spot to work their way back into a playoff spot in the Western Conference, it will be interesting to see the makeup of each lineup ahead of the opening whistle.

In The End
Despite all the goal scorers in each of the sides, I expect a close match between the Whitecaps and the Impact in the 2013 Voyageurs Cup Final second leg. Expect to see the final result decided by a goal or two or possibly even extra time and the dreaded penalty shoot-out. The fans will be roaring at BC Place in this midweek Canadian clash, as there has been quite a bit of hype circulating in the city of Vancouver over the past week.

Prediction
Vancouver Whitecaps 1 – Montreal Impact 0

Canada fall to Costa Rica in International friendly

Tue, 28 May 2013 23:58:00 EDT

Canada 0 – 1 Costa Rica

With this match taking place on day that wasn’t an official FIFA date, Interim Canadian National Team Head Coach Colin Miller had a roster at his disposal made up primarily of young players from the MLS and a number of out of season/out of contract Europe-based players. Thus, the name of the game for many players was going to be around showing the national team brass that they deserve a spot on Canada’s squad for this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament.

See also: Countdown: Canada vs Costa Rica

Similarly, Costa Rica came into this fixture with a young roster comprised mainly of players from their domestic Primera division. Even though the Costa Ricans are still competing for a spot at the next World Cup, Head Coach Jorge Luis Pinto did not field his first choice squad for this math.

The Opening Forty-Five
This one kicked off with Canada playing the ball on the ground and Costa Rica playing very direct, as the visitors delivered long ball after long ball in the early going. However, it would be a typical CONCACAF play that would allow Costa Rica to open the scoring in the 15th minute.

Forward Jairo Arrieta went down under the slightest of contact from Canadian starlet Samuel Piette and the referee went for the dive hook, line and sinker. Welcome back to CONCACAF young lad!

Arrieta, who plays his club football in the MLS for Columbus Crew, delivered a fine finish on the penalty kick and gave his team an early lead. To top everything all off, the announcer that was calling the game for Costa Rican radio delivered the most over the top goal announcement in the history of meaningless friendlies.

While Nikola Tesla was likely rolling over in his grave at the abuse of his creation, Canada got back on track and delivered a number of fine instances of attacking play, many of which were characterized by inspired and electrifying runs by forward Randy Edwini-Bonsu.

Midfielder Issey Nakajima-Farran had an excellent chance to even things up for Canada in the 18th minute, but shot sailed just over the crossbar.

Arrieta came close to doubling Costa Rica’s lead in the 38th minute when he showed some nice skill to bring down a long ball over the Canadian back line, but then shot wide of the near post with Canadian keeper Milan Borjan coming out of his net and cutting down the angle.

Canada’s best chance of the half came during injury time when midfielder Kyle Bekker delivered some quality on a dead ball, but Andre Hainault was unable to get his header on target.

The Second Half
A number of the younger Canadian players continued to impress in the second half, with Bekker and Ashtone Morgan doing their parts to get Canada back into the match.

However, it was Costa Rica that almost scored in the 67th minute when Arrieta delivered a fantastic header off the cross bar.

The friendly became anything but when a scuffle broke out between Canadian right back Nik Ledgerwood and Costa Rican defender Christopher Meneses following a clean but hard tackle by the veteran Canadian International. The referee, of course, got the call wrong again, sending off both players when yellow cards were in order for some pushing that was really relatively tame.

As is often the case for the Canadian national team, the home side struggled to generate scoring chances in general and from open play in particular.

The Canadians had a fantastic opportunity to earn a draw during second half injury time when another corner kick ended with Doneil Henry getting into the right position in the box, but also putting a free header wide of the net.

The Final Word: Several players state their case for the Gold Cup.
Ultimately, this one played out in a very similar fashion compared to Canada’s recent performances following the team’s failed qualifying run for Brazil 2014. With a squad composed primarily of young players, Canada showed quality at times while also struggling to finish and having a few shaky moments from a defensive standpoint.

Overall, the veterans in the lineup – keeper Milan Borjan, Nik Ledgerwood, Andre Hainault – were solid and Julian de Guzman did a fine job shepherding the squad in an elder statesman role.

Ultimately, this match was always about seeing what the young and up and coming players could bring to the proceedings against a quality CONCACAF opponent and, overall, the young players did pretty well.

Samuel Piette was solid outside of showing some inexperience on the penalty call and Marcus Haber delivered something akin to a mature workmanlike performance, with his defending on opposition set pieces standing out as something useful for the Canadian toolbox.

The standout player in this match was Randy Edwini-Bonsu, who personifies the adage that you can’t teach speed. It would be a major surprise if he was not called up to be part of Canada’s Gold Cup squad later this summer.

Toronto FC supporters were likely heartened by what they saw from Kyle Bekker, Ashtone Morgan and Doneil Henry.

Bekker was probably Canada’s second best player and looked especially dangerous in dead ball situations. Morgan looked very much like the young player who has excited so many over the last couple of years with his pace down the left side and propensity to deliver quality balls into the opposition box. Henry was solid defensively playing alongside Hainault in central defense and looked like a player who has the potential to be a monster on Canadian set pieces as his game matures in the coming years. Jonathan Osorio earned his first appearance for the senior national team and did not look out of place in limited minutes.

Canada Lineup
Milan Borjan
Nik Ledgerwood
Andre Hainault
Doneil Henry
Ashtone Morgan
Samuel Piette
Julian de Guzman
Kyle Bekker
Randy Edwini-Bonsu
Issey Nakajima-Farran
Marcus Haber

Substitutions: (64) Tosaint Ricketts in for Randy Edwini-Bonsu; (70) Jonathan Osorio in for Samuel Piette; (76) Daniel Haber in for Issey Nakajima-Farran; (89) Pedro Pacheco.

Hold on to your hats: Carlos Tevez linked to Toronto FC

Tue, 28 May 2013 16:09:00 EDT

Toronto FC has been linked to some pretty serious names in the past, but on Tuesday morning, the biggest, most ludicrous name began to circulate. Ladies and Gentlemen, Toronto FC has been linked, somehow, to Carlos Tevez.

That’s right, Tevez, the Argentine international and Manchester City icon, scorer of goals, creator of chances, and all around dangerous forward, has his name thrown in with Toronto FC. The report comes out of Italy, but originated from Brazilian outlet ‘Lancenet’ three days ago. The rumour says that Toronto FC, AS Monaco and Juventus are all interested in Tevez’s signature. Toronto FC has supposedly offered a $10 million transfer fee as well as $85 million in salary, bonuses and sponsorship deals to the player over three years.

I’ll preclude the analysis of this rumour with the simple fact that the chance of Tevez signing for Toronto FC is slim. There are outfits in Europe who can pay similar fees and Tevez is keen to continue living in Europe. However, a chance is a chance, and if he were to sign with MLS, well, there would be drastic changes at BMO Field.

So, on to Tevez and his $85 million offer. It’s an incredibly high price to pay, considering that the league’s most expensive player currently playing is Robbie Keane, and he doesn’t make a fraction of that price at just under $3 million a year.

The rollercoaster ride that is Toronto FC has its ups and downs, but the signing of Tevez would be the club’s highest point. Monaco is said to be Tevez’s preferred destination, and the French league club has an offer allegedly similar to Toronto FC’s on the table.

Even if Toronto FC doesn’t sign Carlos Tevez, just being linked to the striker, with the amount of money supposedly offered, is a massive signal of intent for the club. Kevin Payne said that the club would be chasing the signature of a designated player who would be the best player in the league, and Tevez would certainly fit the bill. His upside is greater than that of Thierry Henry and, in truth, Tevez could start for any outfit in the world.

It’s precisely for that reason that Tevez to Toronto FC could very well bear some weight; recall that Tevez spent much of his career content at West Ham United or at Corinthians in Brazil, coupled with his on-going want-away saga at Manchester, and the lure of a big city with charm could be enough to sway him to Toronto, should a deal with Monaco or Juventus not go through.

Stranger things have happened.

Now, Toronto FC’s big-spending initiative falls in line with the plan Tim Leiweke introduced at the LA Galaxy, when he spearheaded the signing of superstar David Beckham. Now with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Leiweke’s continued dedication to soccer was, at first, in doubt, considering the organization oversees the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors, two culturally significant outfits. However, if just the rumour that Toronto FC has made an offer is true, then the signing itself becomes another story.

The first story is a shade more important, at least in the build up. The fact that MLSE is willing to spend that kind of money on a soccer player says a lot about the club’s intent. If not Tevez, wouldn’t another player of equal value command a similar fee? It’s certainly possible that Tevez isn’t the only player who Toronto FC could make this kind of offer to.

The signing of Carlos Tevez to Toronto FC would truly be one of the league’s biggest achievements in player acquisition, but there is the question of quality: when you slot a player like Tevez into a line up alongside players like Reggie Lambe and Luis Silva, ultimately, the quality of the forward suffers, too. In order for a player like Tevez to fit into the team, a strong supporting cast is necessary.

David Beckham only ever worked well when he had Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan and Mike Magee to aim for; Thierry Henry reaped the benefits of Dax McCarty, Dwayne De Rosario and Fabián Espíndola; Tevez at Toronto FC would need a similar level of talent, of which Matías Laba and Danny Koevermans come closest to matching. Simply put, the club needs more than Tevez in order to click, lest they grow reliant on the Argentine and fail to recover from his departure a few years down the road.

Then there’s the question of priorities for Manchester City. If Tevez is indeed interested in a move to Major League Soccer, then the immediate reality is that his current team is building the league’s 20th franchise in New York City proper. The allure of playing in the city that never sleeps, and for Manchester City to kick off New York City FC with a superstar striker, may just be too big a hurdle for Toronto FC to climb over.

Finally, there’s the immediate issue that Tevez is far too good for MLS. He is a player capable of finding a role in any team in the world. Tevez signing for Real Madrid or for Bayern Munich or any of the major European outfits would be a headline devoid of controversy or mass shock: it’s par for the course, really, for a player of his quality. AS Monaco, freshly injected with a new owner with deep pockets, has just completed the signing of Portuguese international João Moutinho and are set to sign Falcão, one of the best strikers in Europe.

AS Monaco signing Tevez is the expected outcome; a move to MLS is a controversial one, but would make sense in a few years’ time; a move to Toronto FC?

Out of this world.

And yet, once more – stranger things have happened!

Countdown: Canada vs Costa Rica

Mon, 27 May 2013 23:51:00 EDT

If anything, the Canadian Men's National Team has stayed busy since bowing out of World Cup Qualifying as they head into their fifth friendly since the loss to Honduras. On Tuesday they will be in Edmonton to take on the Copa Centroamericana Champions Costa Rica. Both teams are far from their best roster as the match is not on an official FIFA date and with mostly domestic league players making up Costa Rica, and a mix of MLS and out of season European players for Canada, the playing field is a bit more level and one that should see Canada capable of earning a result at home.

Colin Miller:

Keep thinking
Since the unceremonious flaming out of the 2014 World Cup Qualficiation, Canada has kept suprisingly busy in terms of matches - a stark contrast to the 2010 cycle where the program sat in limbo for the better part of six months and did not get going again until approaching the 2009 Gold Cup. This time around, Canada is now on it's fifth friendly and have faced a mix of opposition from Europe to Asia and now another rival from CONCACAF in Costa Rica.

As has been the case since late January, Canada has been playing with an interim head coach, as well as a roster far from what many would consider it's strongest group of players. Colin Miller is back at the helm after his two matches at the end of January, likely more to do with proximity as he is leading FC Edmonton and his city is hosting the match.

Daniel Haber and Nik Ledgerwood:

Miller did well four months ago to bounce back from a lacklustre 4-0 defeat to a Denmark side consisting of Super League players, to face off against the United States on their home soil and keep them to a 0-0 draw. Tony Fonseca took over for the games in March and Canada showed fight in the second half against Japan, but fell short in the second game against Belarus.

For this match, the roster is thin for Canada and is primarily made up of players getting limited minutes at their MLS club, out of season in Europe, or not featuring on a weekly basis. Of the list of players in this camp, only Milan Borjan and Andre Hainault could arguably be listed as integral components competing at a high level right now. Despite this, Miller is a good choice taking over the side for this game to deliver the right approach in terms of commitment and determination, regardless of it being a friendly.

Randy Edwini-Bonsu:

Costa Rica have approached the game similar to Canada as their side is comprised mostly of players in their domestic Primera Division. Even though they are on an impressive run of late where their only loss was against the U.S. in a Colorado blizzard, of all their players, only Michael Umana has significant national team caps at 66. However, even though many of these players have had limited time with the national team, most have logged a high number of club matches, even those at a young age such as Christopher Meneses.

Canada should know what to expect from Costa Rica as they'll have a young midfield and attack with Columbus Crew forward Jairo Arrieta as the senior player in that group at 29-years of age. There might not be much international experience, but they will be technically sound and should be able to work the ball effectively forward to their attackers.

Kyle Bekker:

While at this stage, one without a permanent head coach, a result is not imperative by any means, a strong showing is something that would go a long way in buoying the side as they head into the 2013 Gold Cup. The defence will likely be anchored by Hainault, who has just begun to settle in to his Scottish club Ross County. In the midfield, this is where Canada could shift the balance. Julian De Guzman gets another call-up but it might be wiser to allow the likes of Samuel Piette and Kyle Bekker or Jonathan Osorio and Stefan Cebara get minutes as these could be the players for the future, and realistically have something to prove by putting in a good performance.

If Canada can assert themselves in the midfield, the options up front, while uncertain in their ability to finish consistently, could deliver if enough pressure is brought forth. Of the four forwards, only one - Tosaint Ricketts - is currently with a club as Randy Edwini-Bonsu, Marcus Haber and Daniel Haber all are looking for new contracts. It is an opportunity for all of them to prove they have what it takes and also get an important chance at a call-up for the Gold Cup where more games could ensure they get notices by potential clubs.

Jonathan Osorio:

In the end
Canada have been given a good chance, at home, to take on a regional rival and earn a result. While both teams are missing the majority of their key players, for Canada the game can serve more than one purpose. At this stage, determining what players can be counted on as the program moves forward is critical. There are a handful of youngsters whose club form and national team form can go hand in hand if they take this game seriously. Even though it's a friendly, a win would go a long way in lifting the confidence of the team, players and supporters, especially with the Gold Cup coming in the next month. While a win is not really important in the big picture, a result is something within reach and should be expected at home.

Prediction
Canada 1-1 Costa Rica

Julian de Guzman:

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Toronto FC 0 � 2 New England Revolution

Mon, 27 May 2013 21:14:00 EDT

The Good
Matias Laba and Jonathan Osorio, Everybody!

Argentine Aggression
In the last instalment, Matias Laba earned a nod in the Good category, and he’ll repeat this time around, too. Laba’s play is one of the few bright points in midfield, and his ability to break down plays and stop opposing attackers makes Laba an example for other players to follow. He’s living up to the bill of being a recovering midfielder, something few players can do effectively.

Uruguayan Footwork
There’s a reason that Jonathan Osorio and Matias Laba were the two noteworthy players in this encounter. It’s the same reason many players from South America do wonderfully in Major League Soccer – Osorio showed a keen sense of space, strong footwork and a good passing ability, all skills that were honed during his time in Uruguay.

The Bad
The Numbers Don’t Lie

One
That’s the number of wins Toronto FC has this year, and also the amount of wins Toronto FC has in their last 27 league games. That’s simply not good enough. While Nelsen and company may be in a rebuilding mindset, that’s no excuse for a lack of results, and a win against lower quality teams like New England should be achievable.

Five
That’s how many losses Toronto FC has in a row, following this game against the Revs. While it’s not quite as bad as last year’s record losing streak of nine, it’s definitely a cause for concern. The losses keep racking up for Toronto FC, bringing the season’s total to seven, which reminds me…

Seven
That’s the number of clear-cut starters Toronto FC has in the starting line up, out of 30 players on the roster, a number that was made quite obvious against New England. A lack of quality at left fullback, right wing, left wing and up top leaves Toronto FC without a clearly defined starting XI, something that needs to be addressed over the summer window.

The Ugly

The lack of quality out wide is just alarming for Toronto FC. The club has, in truth, employed two wingers of acceptable quality in their seven-year history: Joao Plata and Nick Soolsma. It is a position that Toronto FC has never boasted a stud player in, never acquired a designated player for, or designated a large chunk of the salary cap towards. The team’s current offerings of Reggie Lambe and Hogan Ephraim have shown absolutely nothing the entire season, while new signing Bobby Convey has picked up another injury, before even getting a chance to start for the club.

It’s about time Toronto FC picked up a proper pair of wingers. Against the New England Revolution, Toronto’s midfield work was absolutely squandered by a lack of options out wide; each ball won by Jeremy Hall or Laba was wasted when sent out wide to Lambe. While other teams employ wingers like Brad Davis, Graham Zusi or Mauro Rosales, Toronto FC’s options on either flank leave a lot to be desired.

It’s time to pick up a quality pair of wingers. Too much of the salary cap is tied up in the defensive end, and while Danny Koevermans’ return is close, without proper support out wide, it’s hard to see what the big Dutchman can do alone.

Time to make some signings.

Quoteworthy
“Our standards need to be raised from what they have been over the last several weeks. We need to improve very, very quickly. Next week you will see a very different team because we can’t put out what we did today. There has definitely got to be improvement and there will be.” – Robert Earnshaw, post game.

Across the Pond - The best from 2012/13

Mon, 27 May 2013 08:22:00 EDT

As another season Across the Pond winds down, it is worthwhile to look back on the year that was and what Canadians stood out as key performers for their domestic clubs. While it's a bit tricky to effectively do a year-end review, especially considering there are a handful of players competing in the Scandinavian summer season, it is still worth looking back on the last twelve months of who performed well and what it means for the Canadian National Team.

Montreal 5 - 3 Philedelphia Union: The good, the bad, the ugly

Mon, 27 May 2013 08:21:00 EDT

It was a feast in Montreal. There was the 20th anniversary cake and there were many goals. Here's the Good, the Bad and the Ugly from Stade Saputo.

XI out of 10: Toronto FC vs New England Revolution

Mon, 27 May 2013 08:21:00 EDT

These pills are not only tough to swallow, but beginning to choke the life out of a TFC side that is still only 1/3 of the way through the season. After a bright start to the campaign, the Reds are finding themselves back in the depressing form that masked all of the 2012 season. A 2-0 loss to the New England Revolution underlined the glaring issues with the side as both goals could have been avoided and at the other end of the field the attack has become completely impotent.

Montreal comes out on top after an eight goal thriller

Sun, 26 May 2013 18:03:00 EDT

Montreal Impact 5 – 3 Philadelphia Union

The Prelude to Battle
The Montreal Impact were back in action this weekend following a bye last week. The team hosted the Philadelphia Union at Saputo Stadium on a cold and rainy night in Montreal. This was the first meeting between the two sides this season.

Montreal came into this match following a needed 10-day break. On May 15, the Impact drew the Vancouver Whitecaps at home in the first-leg of the Canadian Championship final.

Against the Union, head coach Marco Schällibaum had a major reinforcement when Alessandro Nesta was declared fit to play. Jeb Brovsky remained in the starting XI wearing a protective facemask despite breaking his nose against Vancouver. Nesta and Felipe were the only two changes.

The Union arrived in Montreal fresh off a one-nil home victory against the Chicago Fire. Jack McInerney scored in the third minute to secure the three points.

In this match, head coach John Hackworth only made one move by bringing on center back Jeff Parke in exchange for Bakary Soumaré.

The Opening 45
This match got off to a lively start with the Impact testing Philadelphia goalkeeper Zach MacMath inside the first minute.

In the second minute, the first of the game's eight goals was scored. On the right side, Justin Mapp took space and passed to the corner where Andrew Wenger was making his run. Wenger hit low cross to the top of the box where Marco Di Vaio's left-foot connected with the ball and sent it flying into the back of the goal.

Three minutes later, the Union would respond. Right back Sheanon Williams' curling cross was missed cleared by Brovsky leaving Michael Farfan in possession from 17-yards out. Farfan found McInerney at the back post who just guided the ball in.

McInerney had two more decent chances still inside 15 minutes of play. This time he sent his two shots wide of the frame.

After the match seemed to be settling down, Di Vaio netted a second. In the 28th minute, Mapp picked out Di Vaio's run behind the back line with a perfect floated ball. Di Vaio controlled with the chest and casually chipped MacMath.

Four minutes later, the Italian continued his rampage. Andrés Romero did some brilliant work on the left side beating his markers and picked out Di Vaio at the back post. Di Vaio simply tapped in the pass from inside the six-yard-box.

In the 38th minute, Di Vaio should have scored a fourth. In midfield, Wenger send another ball over to top where Di Vaio was making a run. MDV controlled and unleashed a canon that barely missed the top section of the goal.

Montreal stayed at 3-1 heading into the break.

The Second Half
In the second half, both sides exchanged a few minor chances until the hour mark.

In the 69th minute, Union substitute Antoine Hoppenot beat out Impact substitute Blake Smith on the right flank and sent a ball inside the box. The cross-turned-shot fooled everyone, even Perkins, by sailing into the opposite far corner of the goal. This brought the visitors to within one.

In the 74th minute, the Impact restored their two-goal cushion. A corner kick from MacMath's right found Wenger at the near post. Wenger connected well and headed the ball easily into the goal for his first goal of the season.

Philadelphia were not down and out. Instead, five minutes from time, they decided to make a game out of it. In the 85th minute, a long throw-in from the right created problems for the Impact at the back. The ball ended up on Sebastien Le Toux's foot at the top the box. With an unobstructed path, Le Toux drove his shot low and to the corner where Perkins had little chance.

In the fourth minute of the 90, Montreal would add the last nail to the coffin. Patrice Bernier flicked on a ball for Smith who was making a surging forward. With only the keeper to beat, the rookie made no mistake rolling a ball under MacMath for his first ever Major League Soccer goal.

That was the last of the eight goals. Montreal was on the right side of the 5-3 score line.

Final Word: Lethal finishing from both sides made it a nightmare for the two keepers.
Looking at the statistics, eight goals were scored from only 13 shots on target combined for both squads. Montreal tested MacMath with nine shots on target, while the Union sent four balls on target.

The signs of a goal fest were evident thirty seconds into the match. The Impact put the visitors under constant pressure and were rewarded with a goal 120 seconds in.

The Union did well not to let the early conceded goal affect them. Instead, they took advantage of a sleeping Montreal back line and scored six minutes later. Of Philadelphia's three goals, two came of missed Impact clearances and the other was an unexpected fluke.

Like Brovsky said after the match, it was the offence that covered up the Impact back line that is usually top class most nights.

Marco Di Vaio definitely has to thank his outside midfielders for his first half hat trick. Romero and Mapp were extremely dangerous in this match and created all sorts of problems for the Union.

This made the Impact's attack lethal. On most nights, it's usually one flank or the other that connects well, and not both of them. In this one, everything was working perfectly so the team had options when attacking on the left or right.

Even in the center of midfield, Montreal won all of the battles. Felipe and Bernier had a relatively easy time winning back possession and building out from the center.

It wasn't that the Impact was far better than the Union. Instead, Philadelphia's problem all night was a combination losing most 1v1 battles and not pressuring enough in the final third. The gap between the back line and the midfield was far too wide, thus allowing the Impact plenty of time and space to pick out Di Vaio's runs in behind the defenders. Montreal scored three goals like that.

The Impact also had troubles defending. For most balls sent their way, the back line dealt with them without too many problems. They had trouble dealing with crosses after the Union's constant flank switches.

Philadelphia would start their attack on one side and then switch a ball over to the opposite flank. This created problems for the Impact, as their zonal block was too slow to shift over, creating large gaps and openings. The Union would cross the ball to the far post where McInerney was usually making a run. The Impact failed to deal with two balls in, and the visitors made them pay.

Despite some problems at the back, Montreal still managed to always control the match by having a two goal lead for a majority of the time. The Impact now jump provisionally into second place of the Eastern Conference, but they have games in-hand on every team near them,

Montreal Impact Line-up
1 Perkins
17 Iapichino
13 Ferrari
14 Nesta
5 Brovsky
15 Romero
7 Felipe
8 Bernier
21 Mapp
9 Di Vaio
33 Wenger

Substitutions: (61) Smith in for Romero; (77) Ouimette in for Brovsky; (85) Ubiparipovic in for Di Vaio

Toronto FC lose fifth straight in New England loss

Sat, 25 May 2013 23:14:00 EDT

Toronto FC 0 – 2 New England Revolution

The Prelude to Battle
It has been a tough start for Toronto FC. In a season that has begun to mimic the last, Toronto FC has only won one game in their last 25, and the club is growing more and more desperate for the full three points with each and every passing day. Against the New England Revolution, Ryan Nelsen will hope that a win is earned at last.

  Darren O’Dea starts at leftback once again, with Nelsen preferring the duel combination of Steven Caldwell and Doneil Henry in the middle. Ryan Richter occupies the right fullback slot, with Richard Eckersley’s injury recovery being delayed by another three to four weeks.   

The rest of the line up is pretty straightforward, with one change, Jeremy Brockie coming into the midfield and starting his first game for Toronto FC. Meanwhile, New England start 2013 MLS SuperDraft first overall pick Andrew Farrell, as well as the club’s newest acquisition, Juan Agudelo. Young forward Diego Fagúndez starts up top, too. The Revs and Toronto both share a tendency for dropped goals, with the two outfits losing out on nine points even when leading the game.

  It’s pressure time for Toronto FC, who take another stab at MLS opposition in the hopes to mimic their last away victory, against the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium!

The First Forty-Five
Toronto FC started the game with a few strong chances, Laba finding an onrushing Brockie and earning a corner before the second minute. New England maintained much of the possession, passing the ball around well on the wet turf and threatening Toronto FC with their build-up play. In the 15-minute mark, Toronto FC found their best chance to score, when Brockie intercepted off a Revolution defender and ran straight to goal; the goalkeeper snatched his effort up.  

Agudelo found his first chance in the 20th minute, when Lee Nguyen got his cross off near the edge of the box. Bendik gobbled up the headed chance, but three minutes later, New England were right back at it, with another cross landing favourably for Fagúndez, who volleyed the ball into the back of the net; Toronto FC 0-1 New England Revolution.  

After the goal, Toronto FC began fouling more and more, and it didn’t take long before the referee dished out a yellow card, the first caution of the match going O’Dea’s way in the 29th minute. Juan Toja picked up the Revs’ first yellow card 10 minutes later. Toronto FC began to push forward more and create chances, but just couldn’t find that clinical finish; New England, too, looked threatening, but neither side could find another goal and the teams headed into the locker room at 1-0 for the Revs.

The Second Half
Nelsen kicked off the second half with a substitution, putting Jonathan Osorio in for Reggie Lambe. There was a noticeable difference in Toronto’s play in the first 10 minutes of the second half, with Laba in particular getting more playing time and Osorio being much more involved offensively than Lambe before him.   

New England came close to doubling their lead on the hour mark, when Nguyen took a strike from far outside the box and smacked the crossbar, before kissing the goal line but staying out. Right after, Juan Toja was subbed off for Kelyn Rowe. The positive pressure from Toronto FC continued, and eight minutes later, Hogan Ephraim came in for a struggling Robert Earnshaw. Laba also picked up a yellow card.   

In the 69th minute, Toronto FC won a free kick outside the box, which Ephraim took short to Laba, who chipped it up to no avail. The resulting rebound landed favourably to Osorio, who slipped the ball into O’Dea. His cross almost found Silva, but the shot drifted wide. Soon after, New England made their second change, with Jerry Bengston coming off for Saer Sene.   

With only 15 minutes remaining in the match, Toronto FC began to control the flow and tempo, pushing into New England’s half consistently. In particular, Jonathan Osorio looked comfortable on and off the ball, passing the ball around with skill. Doneil Henry picked up a yellow card in the 80th minute for a rough challenge, Toronto FC’s third yellow card.

  New England made their final change of the night with Scott Caldwell coming off for Andy Dorman. In the 87th minute, Saer Sene picked up a yellow card of his own, and Luis Silva got one soon after, as the game continued to increase in both physicality and pace. With four minutes of added time, Toronto FC’s last chance to score seemed to fade away, with New England wasting time and picking up a corner kick, and was killed off completely when Agudelo easily added a second.   

New England 2-0 Toronto FC was the score on the night, Toronto slumping into a five-game losing streak and winning only one game in 27 over two seasons.

The Final Word: Toronto FC Exposed
There are glaring deficiencies at Toronto FC.   Whether it be on the field or off of it, Toronto FC’s current form is one devoid of a clear leader, a selection of key and important players, and a style of play. The club has reverted to a long-ball method that screams desperation, looks to turn over a large number of faces once more, and once again try to find a combination of 11 players that works.  

The number 11 here is key, for a number of reasons; in the seven years Toronto FC has played in Major League Soccer, the club has never been able to comfortably say that they have 11 players of clear quality who deserve a starting spot. There has been, at most, six or seven, with the rest of the starting line up filled in with journeymen or utility pieces.

  It is the unfortunate truth of this current inception of Toronto FC, too – the club uses all 30 roster spots, as well as the full allocation of salary cap space they are allowed to, and does not employ a clear starting XI. There are gaps in the wings, the fullbacks and up top. The current starting line up has no leaders, no veterans and no one with experience enough to guide the rest of the players forward.

  It is very much a “learning on the job” style that Toronto FC’s current crop is undergoing. There are only two players worth noting under Ryan Nelsen’s tenure as head coach: Matías Laba and Jonathan Osorio, each for different reasons. The former has shown in his limited appearances for the club that he is of obvious quality and can be a regular fixture in TFC’s midfield for years to come; the latter has demonstrated not only the required level of talent and work rate to earn a spot on the team, but shows also a healthy and exemplary attitude.  

Yet, at the same time, there are many players who are underperforming consistently; Reggie Lambe is by far the most obvious, but Robert Earnshaw, Luis Silva and Hogan Ephraim aren’t consistent threats, either. Jeremy Brockie hasn’t shown enough to warrant a starting spot yet.

  It’s clear that Nelsen and Kevin Payne understand the work that is needed to be done, but what they say off the field does not match up with the reality of the situation at Toronto FC – this is not a playoff team; the players being signed are not necessarily “world class” and the Toronto FC that will be on the field three years from now could very well be a brand new squad.

  It will take a minimum of three transfer windows for Toronto FC to figure out this roster once and for all; the beauty of a rebuild is in keeping the pieces that work and discarding those that are not needed, but the danger lies in player turnover, too. Simply put, it should not take this long to find a winning combination. Montreal and Seattle and Vancouver and many other expansion teams have used their expansion drafts and kept a very similar core together, adding pieces that improve the team and discarding those that don’t.   

It’s going to be a long ride but one thing is certain – this current crop of Toronto FC players lacks important, fundamental characteristics that winning teams need, and until a clear starting XI is established, the club will continue to function without clear direction, understanding and, most importantly, resolve.   

One win in 27 games; five losses in a row – the results are piling against the club.   

Are we in crisis mode yet?

Toronto FC Starting XI:
12 Joe Bendik 
33 Ryan Richter 
13 Steven Caldwell 
4 Doneil Henry 
48 Darren O’Dea 
19 Reggie Lambe 
20 Matias Laba 
25 Jeremy Hall 
22 Jeremy Brockie 
11 Luis Silva 
10 Robert Earnshaw

Substitutions: Jonathan Osorio in for Reggie Lambe (45’ HT); Hogan Ephraim in for Robert Earnshaw (68’).

MLS Week 13 Marquee Match-Up

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:26:00 EDT

International call-ups will begin to impact MLS teams over the next few weeks and will see many teams become depleted. However, before that is set to take place there is one MLS match-up this week that shapes up to be very fascinating, both tactically and stylistically.

This Western Conference battle is an ESPN broadcast and late game Sunday kickoff on the East Coast that sees a red hot Seattle Sounders squad look to keep its good form going after a slow start to the season when they travel to The Home Depot Center to take on a LA Galaxy side with a new lease on life with the return of the Robbie Keane/Landon Donovan partnership. The Sounders are coming off back-to-back 4 goal performances while the Galaxy look to recover from a last minute loss courtesy of Tim Cahill and the New York Red Bulls.

Seattle Sounders @ LA Galaxy

The first aspect of this match that comes to mind is just how well Seattle is playing and the slight adjustments that coach Sigi Schmid has made over the course of a relatively short period. The changes have included the growing role of forward Eddie Johnson, the inclusion of defensive midfielder Servando Carrasco and how that has freed Osvaldo Alonso to push higher up the pitch, and the budding central defensive partnership between Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Djimi Traore.

In the case of Eddie Johnson, he has been a much more mobile presence up front and has been showing an ability to come deeper to collect the ball and be more of a hold up forward, allowing him to open up space for fellow forwards Lamar Neagle and Obafemi Martins, as well as hitting the back of the net himself by making secondary runs into the box. The three forwards have combined for 10 goals so far this season and each provide different threats for chief playmaker Mauro Rosales to pick out.

The move to bring Carrasco into the starting XI has given Seattle the option for him to sit deeper and allow Osvaldo Alonso to win the ball higher up the pitch. This not only cuts down on the amount of build-up play but also puts opposition defenders under pressure and gets the ball to the attacking players quicker and in a much better position.

All of that being said, the main reason for the Sounders success of late is due to a settled back line after major changes and adjustments from last season, with the commanding presence of Michael Gspurning in goal and the underrated partnership of Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Djimi Traore. These two defenders have marked forwards completely out of games and are particularly good at covering a lot of ground and winning aerial battles. All of that combined with the capability to calmly control possession out of the back will be a challenge for the Galaxy.

Much of LA’s success comes from its spine as well through the defensive pairing of Omar Gonzalez and AJ DeLaGarza, the Brazilian midfield duo of Juninho and Marcelo Sarvas and arguably the best attacking combination in the league in Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan. Since getting Donovan back from his self-imposed sabbatical and Keane back from a myriad of injuries, coach Bruce Arena has seen his team make a complete 180 degree turn for the better. Getting playing time for young players like Jose Villareal, Gyasi Zardes, Charlie Rugg and Jack McBean in the early going has proven to pay off, but the two DP’s make this squad into the scary two-time defending champions that they are.

One factor that might play a role in this match aside from international call-ups is the fact that both teams have to travel a fairly long distance for US Open Cup ties in midweek against NASL opposition, with the Sounders making the trip to Florida to take on the Tamba Bay Rowdies while the Galaxy make the trek to North Carolina and a date with the Carolina RailHawks.

This is a nationally televised league match on ESPN 2 so it’s expected that both clubs with put out strong sides but will also likely manage minutes. The US Open Cup is increasingly more important but at this stage MLS sides will be more inclined to play mixed squads.

Here’s how I see both sides lining up:

Seattle Sounders:

LA Galaxy:

Prediction
Seattle Sounders 2-2 LA Galaxy

Countdown: Toronto FC @ New England

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:19:00 EDT

It's two sides who look to be heading in opposite directions as Toronto FC, winless since the second week of the season, head to Foxboro Stadium on Saturday night to take on the New England Revolution. TFC's Eastern Conference rivals have been a team who, over the last few years, could be counted on as having the potential for at least a point. However, a 2-0 win for the Revs in Houston last weekend should serve notice this is a team who Toronto will need to be extremely focused for and be at their best if they have any hope at coming away with anything.

Canada announces roster for friendly against Costa Rica

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:55:00 EDT

Interim National Team Head Coach Colin Miller spoke with members of the Canadian media on Thursday to announce Canada’s 18-player roster for the team’s upcoming Men’s International Friendly against Costa Rica on May 28th at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta.

Canada’s roster selection for the friendly features a mix of European-based players with a sizeable contingent from MLS clubs as well.

Miller admitted that the fact that the game is not played on an official FIFA date hindered the Canada’s Soccer Association’s chances of bringing in a number of players, including Will Johnson of the Portland Timbers and Dwayne De Rosario, Dejan Jakovic and Kyle Porter of D.C. United, as well as any eligible members of the Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal due to the fact that the second leg of the Canadian Championship final will be played the day after Canada faces off against Costa Rica.

“We had some difficulties getting some guys released. Some guys are in between clubs and one player’s wife just had a baby. So we had a number of different issues to deal with,” Miller said. "We're trying to build relationships with clubs rather than ticking them off on this occasion."

Edmonton natives Tosaint Ricketts and Randy Edwini-Bonsu have been named to the squad for Canada’s first match in Alberta since 2008.

"It's a special occasion for any player to play a national team game in their home city. I know they'll both be very excited by the game," Miller added.

Toronto FC and former Canada U-20 midfielder Jonathan Osorio has earned his first call-up to a Men’s National Team camp and Doneil Henry and Samuel Piette have earned recalls to the senior team after featuring for Canada at February's CONCACAF U-20 Championship.

The Canada-Costa Rica friendly in Edmonton is part of Canada’s continued preparations for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament that will take place in July and Miller highlighted the fixture as a fantastic opportunity for the players who have been called up to show that they are deserving of a spot on Canada’s Gold Cup squad.

"The match against Costa Rica will be a great challenge for this young group," Miller said of a side that will feature a large number of young players. "Hopefully some of these young lads will rise to the occasion and stake a claim for a place at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

"We are playing at home and we know that means we need to be positive - and I will certainly encourage the boys to be positive, Miller added. “We will not sit back and wait for Costa Rica to come after us.”

CANADA
GK- Haidar Al-Shaïbani | FRA / Nîmes Olympique
GK- Milan Borjan | TUR / Sivasspor
GK- Simon Thomas | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
D- Nana Attakora | USA / San Jose Earthquakes
D- André Hainault | SCO / Ross County FC
D- Doneil Henry | CAN / Toronto FC
D- Ashtone Morgan | CAN / Toronto FC
D- Adam Straith | GER / FC Saarbrücken
M- Kyle Bekker | CAN / Toronto FC
M- Stefan Cebara | SVN / Nogometni Klub Celje
M - Julian de Guzman | GER / SSV Jahn Regensburg
M- Issey Nakajima-Farran | CYP / Alki Larnaca
M- Jonathan Osorio | CAN / Toronto FC
M- Pedro Pacheco | POR / CD Santa Clara
M- Samuel Piette | GER / Fortuna Düsseldorf
F- Randy Edwini-Bonsu | GER / Eintracht Braunsweig
F- Marcus Haber | ENG / Stevenage FC
F- Tosaint Ricketts | NOR / Sandnes Ulf

RedNation Interview Series: Desiree Scott

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:11:00 EDT

In this interview, RedNation and Desiree discuss Canada’s upcoming match against their arch rivals the United States, the current state of the Canadian Women’s National Team and the recently launched National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, 25 year old Desiree Scott is a key member of the Canadian Women’s National Team and a midfielder with FC Kansas City in the National Women's Soccer League. Nicknamed ‘The Destroyer’ for her effective and tenacious play as a central midfielder with Canada, Scott is a core player for a Canadian National Team that is currently focused on building and preparing for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup that will be held in Canada.

Audio Interview:

Open Player in a New Window | Subscribe | iTunes | MP3

American born Quon headlines Canada squad for U.S.A. rematch

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:04:00 EDT

A closer look at American born Rachel Quon’s call-up to the CanWNT roster for “The Rematch”

If you haven’t already seen it, yesterday the roster for June 2nd’s Canada vs. USA Olympic rematch in Toronto was released and a media call took place where Canadian coach John Herdman gave his thoughts on his selected 18 players and the upcoming game.

The most interesting talking point from the roster appears in 22 year old defender Rachel Quon. Quon who? That’s what many Canadian soccer followers were saying yesterday morning, when the news of her inclusion in the Canadian squad mysteriously broke from Jeff Kassouf before the roster was announced. Quon has previously played at all youth levels for the American National team. Yes, the United States U14, U15, U16, U17, U20 and U23 national teams. Quon currently plays on the Chicago Red Stars of the NWSL, and has played every minute of the Red Stars five games.

When pressed for what exactly Quon’s Canadian connection was, Herdman alluded to nothing other than a “family connection.” Quon was born in the United States, educated in the United States, and has lived in the United States for presumably her entire life. It came as quite a shock to most on how this call up came about, so naturally, Herdman took quite a bit of time to explain:

"Rachel came on our radar in August of last year. We followed her through the college season, we tried to engage with her in January and December to bring her into camps but she was injured. She was injured for the Cyprus Cup [last February] and only returned back to full fitness in March and April and wasn't quite ready to go into those tough games against France and England."

I am sure in the coming months and years there will be endless discussions into the ethics of a move of this sort, similar to discussions around American born Lauren Sesselmann playing on the CanWNT, and Canadian born Sydney Leroux playing for the USWNT. However, all three situations are very different, so it is limiting to try and compare the three.

These are the facts of Quon’s case: The United States Soccer Federation has spent considerable resources on Quon’s development, with the details of how much money could have been spent fairly impossible to calculate. However, even though Quon is only 23 years old, many believe she would not have gotten a second look from American coach Tom Sermanni or would have never been consistently featured in the American squad, and therefore a move to the Canadians would guarantee her at least a much better chance at senior international play.

Herdman continued by saying Quon’s situation is looking favorable with FIFA, in that he fully believes there will not be major problems with citizenship. Through this switch, Canada will be acquiring a natural left footed defender, a position where depth is needed on an aging Canadian backline. Good on Quon for realizing her situation, and taking action to ensure her international soccer career is prolonged. However, the ethics of the move are still cloudy, and I will let you form your own opinion on the matter.

When asked, Herdman criticized a failing Canadian youth soccer system as the reason for him needing to look to the States for specific players.

"The challenges at this stage are creating a youth system and a whole structure that can produce a conveyor belt of Canadian players [… ] Until that system is in place, we get a 30-year old that is starting to come to the twilight years of her career, and you actually have to start looking in the U.S. for a player, because there isn't a Canadian, either with a left foot or that skill set that can maintain the pace of the modern game; tactically, physically, technically, and I think that's the challenge we're facing," said Herdman.

Herdman ended the Quon, and subsequent Canadian youth soccer discussion, by providing these comments: "I would say in five, six years time, we should never have to do this. We shouldn't have to go and recruit players from other countries because our talent pool, our population base, is bigger than the majority of countries we play against."

Other notable inclusions into the squad are Melissa Tancredi, who was the leading scorer in 2012 Olympic group play, but has not played a soccer game since the Olympics due to her decision to finish chiropractic school in 2013. Christina Julien was also included in the squad after not being called up for friendlies against France and England last April. Julien currently plays with Russia’s WFC Rossiyanka.

Herdman delivered on his commitment to mix experience with youth, as he decided to call in three youngsters, 17 year old centre back Kadeisha Buchanan, who played the full 90 minutes in both of Canada’s aforementioned friendlies against France and England, as well as 17 year old midfielder Ashley Lawrence and 21 year old forward Tiffany Cameron.

Jonelle Filigno was originally included in the squad by Herdman, however he said personal reasons forced her to decline. A replacement for Filigno may be announced in the coming days, as it was initially a 19 player roster.

The full squad is below.

CANADA
GK- Karina LeBlanc | USA / Portland Thorns FC
GK- Erin McLeod | USA / Chicago Red Stars
D- Kadeisha Buchanan | USA / West Virginia University*
D- Robyn Gayle | USA / Washington Spirit
D- Carmelina Moscato | USA / Chicago Red Stars
D- Rachel Quon | USA / Chicago Red Stars
D- Lauren Sesselmann | USA / FC Kansas City
D- Rhian Wilkinson | USA / Boston Breakers
D- Emily Zurrer | USA / Seattle Reign FC
M- Kaylyn Kyle | USA / Seattle Reign FC
M- Ashley Lawrence | USA / West Virginia University*
M- Diana Matheson | USA / Washington Spirit
M- Sophie Schmidt | USA / Sky Blue FC
M- Desiree Scott | USA / FC Kansas City
F- Tiffany Cameron | USA / Seattle Reign FC
F- Christina Julien | RUS / WFC Rossiyanka
F- Christine Sinclair | USA / Portland Thorns FC
F- Melissa Tancredi | unattached

* to join NCAA team in Fall 2013

Countdown: Montreal Impact vs Philadelphia Union

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:24:00 EDT

First Thoughts
Fresh off another bye week and having accumulated as much as four games in hand on fellow conference opposition, the Montreal Impact host the Philadelphia Union at Stade Saputo. This is a key match at this point in the season with both teams are separated by only two points in the tight Eastern Conference.

Having had so much time off recently will see the Impact squad be put to the test with so many fixtures to be played later in the season, but in the short terms it has been good for coach Marco Schällibaum with respect to squad rotation and fixture congestion. To date the Swiss manager has gotten his rotation policy correct and it will be fascinating to see how he approaches this match with the return leg of the Canadian Championship also left to play.

Keep Thinking
These two teams are almost mirror images of each other in terms of a style of play that is predicated on a robust approach to defending, physicality, energetic wide play and a clinical finisher up front. This match is highlighted by the match-up between Philadelphia’s young American forward Jack McInerney and Montreal’s Italian front man Marco Di Vaio. Both players are known as goal poachers and currently both are amongst the league leaders in goals scored. Both defensive units will need to be sharp and communicate when setting offside traps and on set pieces.

Montreal and Philadelphia each have strong spines and keep a compact shape so the wide areas will be prime real estate and it will be up to the wide midfielders to take advantage of any open space, creating angles for secondary runs, providing service into the box and widening the field so that it’s less of a fight in a phone booth.

Montreal will be looking to Justin Mapp and Andres Romero to use speed and creativity against Philadelphia fullback’s Raymon Gaddis and Sheanon Williams. The Union defenders are two of the lesser talked about players around the league but are known to be tough customers that give up little ground. A weapon that Philly like to use is the long throw in into the box courtesy of Williams; this proves to be an effective form of service that’s difficult for defenders to stop.

Philadelphia’s wide players aren’t typical wingers but both Michael Farfan and Danny Cruz have a responsibility to be much more of a creative presence and providing link play with Jack McInerney and his strike partner, either Sebastien Le Toux or Connor Casey, in lieu of traditional service. Depending on the health of the Impact defensive unit, the position of left fullback will be an area Philly will look to exploit. The play of home grown talent Maxim Tissot has been an upgrade to that of Dennis Iapichino from a positional sense, but at only 21 years of age he still has a lot to learn and going up against a side that is known to be physical will prove a tough challenge.

In the End
To a large degree this match will be determined by how Montreal respond to having had so much time off and how serious this match is taken with a Cup Final a few days later. This has all the makings of a low scoring affair with two teams that pride themselves on being difficult to break down. Each have a proven mean streak about them and possess two of the best goal scorers in MLS, so it should still prove to be entertaining.

Prediction
Montreal Impact 1-1 Philadelphia Union

My Perfect Ten - Jonathan Osorio

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:45:00 EDT

The Toronto FC midfielder reveals the ten players he would most like to line up with in a 4-3-3 formation with an El Clásico flavour to form his ideal starting eleven.

Related:
‪My Perfect Ten: Kyle Bekker

GK – Iker Casillas, Real Madrid – Casillas has proven himself his whole career. I think he is the best keeper in the world and one of the best ever to have played the position.

RB – Dani Alves, Barcelona – He is a good attacking right back. I really like his attacking mentality.

CB – Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid – He picks up a lot of yellow cards, but I think you need someone like that because it will intimidate the opposition forwards.

CB – Nemanja Vidić, Manchester United – Vidic has excellent leadership abilities and his work ethic is contagious. He is also a very smart player and doesn’t pick up many yellow cards or anything like that.

LB – Marcelo, Real Madrid – He is a very crafty player who I like a lot. He gets up the pitch and I like for my wingers and fullbacks to get up.

M – Andres Iniesta, Barcelona – In my eyes, he is the third best player in the world. What he does as a player is incredible – the way he moves and passes.

M – Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid – I think he is the best defensive midfielder in the world. He is an excellent defensive player but also has the technical and passing abilities to play with the other players on my squad.

LW – Lionel Messi, Barcelona

RW – Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid – Messi and Ronaldo are the two best players in the world today.

CF – Radamel Falcao, Atletico Madrid – I think he would do really well working alongside Messi and Ronaldo. He makes good runs and could link up well with Iniesta and is also an excellent poacher.

Was it really the referee's fault? Bringing a whole new perspective to the referee debate

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:38:00 EDT

Being a referee has to be one of the toughest jobs in all of sport. In football, this individual has the power to change a match in a matter of seconds, something a referee should never hope for by the way. A referee's decision should always be determined by a player's actions.

Now this is not an article to further criticize officials in football. Instead, this article will try to defend the referees of our game.

Whether you are refereeing in your local recreational league, or a match at the FIFA World Cup, every referee starts their training at the same level. Over the years, they acquire certifications and work their way up to the professional level, first starting out as assistant referees, referees and even fourth officials.

What drives an individual to become a professional referee is often mindboggling considering how much abuse they get from players, coaches and fans. Seriously, when you think of it, you must be a tad mental to take up this profession. There can't really be people out there who enjoy being yelled at for 90 minutes straight, can there? Apparently there are.

A referee is the only profession I can think of that you're in a 'damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't' situation. No matter what call they make; there will almost always be somebody or a team screaming as a result. It could be a late penalty call or a throw-in in the fourth minute, some team or player will be livid. Neither side will ever be pleased at the same time. It just can't happen during a match.

It's very easy to criticize decisions made by officials. A lot of fans forget about this, and this is something that makes football great and authentic in my opinion, it's that there is no video replay available in our sport. Unlike every other sport, football referees do not have the luxury of stopping a match to check if the player was really clipped inside the area or if the ball crossed the line. It's a split second decision.

After spotting an infraction, the referee has literally seconds to make a decision and stop the play. Depending on how the referee saw the incident, it can go one way or the other. The ref has no way of reliving the moment and just has to stick with his gut and make the decision.

At home, you're feverishly cursing at your television after seeing the replay a bunch of times, and in slow motion. Live, you thought the referee actually made the right call, turns out he didn't after seeing it on replay. It happens all the time doesn't it? Sometimes it's even the opposite where you were wrong initially and the replay confirms the referee's decision.

There are three pairs of eyes, sometimes five, in charge of overseeing a football match. One center referee is responsible for 22 players on the pitch. Mistakes will happen, referees are humans. I'm a huge fan of this human-error factor. Sometimes your team gets the short end of the stick; sometimes you get a lucky break.

At the same time, I do agree that a game should not be influenced by a certain decision from the referee. But, is there a way of fixing this? Would technology really help? I don't think so.

Look at other sports. In hockey, the play stops consistently and officials get to have another look at the play. In American football, the play stops even more. In both these sports, technology solves little as there just as much 'poor' officiating, if not more, than in football.

The thing I hate most seeing, especially at the grassroots level of the game, is when coaches or parents lose it with the referee. What gives you the right to yell at the referee because you thought a decision should have been in your favour? Did you ever referee a match in your past? Probably not. I agree referees should know the rules of the game, but so should coaches, players and parents in my opinion.

Just to prove this, I'm sure there are people reading this and actually think 'playing with the ball while on the floor' is an actual foul/rule in football. It's not. Think I'm wrong? Find it in the latest updated FIFA Laws of the Game and let me know.

I grew up playing the sport like many others have in the past. I also was a local referee for a few years at the regional level and have now moved on to coaching for the past five years. No, I've never made it to the professional level, but I still feel I see the game a lot differently than most people. Having done all three, I understand what it's like to be the frustrated player, or the referee calling the game. As coach, no matter how much I think a referee made the wrong decision, I will never get into an argument with the referee. I was in their shoes once and know how they feel.

A lot of people, and I mean A LOT, blame the referees for certain outcomes of matches. It can be at your child's U-11 game or the Major League Soccer game you just watched. I find this to be the worst excuse in the books.

At the youth level, if you're like this guy please stop right now.

Your child is not a professional footballer...yet. Stop expecting to have world class referees at your child's U-8 game. You'll probably have some kid fresh out of refereeing classes doing his first match as the head referee. If you dislike his refereeing, go see the club or region responsible for training the poor kid and talk to them. Realizing you're getting angry at somebody two or three times younger than you is just plain out embarrassing.

At the professional level, as a fan or as a player, stop constantly blaming the referee for your side's loss. I know there are many wrong calls, especially in Major League Soccer for example, which we all know. We've witnessed them all first hand; the wrongly given free-kicks, offside calls, and ones that just leave you scratching your head. But you know what; at least the poor quality is consistent. I mean at this point you just have to expect those bad calls. C'est la vie...nothing you can do about it.

If you still think most referees are incompetent and don't know anything about the sport, go sign up and become a referee. Even refereeing local kick-abouts at the park nearby your house, you'll get to see how demanding it is. Your perception of referees will change, I guarantee it.

You could have been around the game all your life, a former professional, and know every single rule in the book. But, when it comes down to making that split second decision you'll understand just how tough it is to make the perfect call under pressure. Sometimes you'll get the call wrong, other times you will be correct. It happened to me, it'll happen to you and it'll keep happening to the guy in-charge of your next match.

The purpose of this article is not to defend everything a referee does. They are not always right and they constantly make wrong calls throughout matches. Instead, the purpose of this article was to bring up the side that's never really looked at when it comes to the referee debate. Referee mistakes are as much as part of the game as goals, corner kicks, goal kicks, etc.

Hopefully next time you watch a football match, you'll see it in a different way. Maybe you'll start understanding more how referees work and will stop blaming them whenever something goes wrong.

Matias Laba settling into life at TFC

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:56:00 EDT

RedNation Online had a chance to speak to Matías Laba after Toronto FC’s 1-0 loss to the Columbus Crew. The interview, which I conducted in Spanish, has been translated into English.

When Toronto FC first signed Matias Laba, club president Kevin Payne described the Argentine midfielder as a player whom the club could build around long-term. Picked up from Argentinos Juniors, Laba has already filled in at central midfield alongside Jeremy Hall.

His playing style is that of the standard holding midfielder: ball recovery, distribution and defensive duties define his role for the team. In his three games for the club, Laba has already shown flashes of this skill. RedNation asked Laba how he was adjusting to playing in MLS:

“It’s very good,” said Laba, regarding his playing transition for Toronto FC. “The team and the technical staff are very helpful. I have friends that speak Spanish too, and I’d like to settle down as soon as possible.”

“I’m slowly settling down, for now I’m living in a hotel but soon I’ll be living in my own place,” said Laba, of life in Toronto.

When asked to compare Major League Soccer to the Argentinian league, Laba, like many players from abroad, spoke of the challenging nature of the league.

“Both are different, both are difficult, both leagues are first division,” said Laba. “Now I’m here and trying to do the best I can for this team.”

Laba’s acquisition marks the signing of Toronto FC’s first Young Designated Player. His signature wasn’t easy to get, however, as many other clubs were interested in his services. His decision to ultimately sign for Toronto FC comes down to the club’s strong interest.

“The club, the president and the coach were interested in me and I really valued that interest,” said Laba. “For me, this is a good challenge.”

Laba also spoke about playing under Ryan Nelsen, a manager who, just a year ago, was plying his trade in the English Premier League with Queens Park Rangers. Nelsen’s experience in the game of soccer is something Laba respects.

“The coach is a person who has been helping me a lot,” said Laba. “He knows a lot and has achieved a lot in soccer. I’m trying to learn a lot from him.”

Laba is a holding midfielder, a position that Toronto FC has invested heavily in before. Julian de Guzman was the club’s first Designated Player signing, and he was used in central midfield as well; his successor, Torsten Frings, captained the club, too. In midfield, Laba plays alongside Luis Silva, a player whom he believes is important to the club.

“The truth is that Luis plays a good game,” said Laba, when asked about his chemistry and bond with Silva in midfield. “His play is the kind of style the team needs and in reality I get along very well with him.”

Laba isn’t the only player Toronto FC has added to the roster in recent days. The club has signed many new players to various types of contracts, including players like Steven Caldwell, Jeremy Brockie and Bobby Convey. We asked Laba if he had spoken to his former teammates about Toronto FC and if he thought any of them would join him at Toronto FC.

“Yes, I’ve spoken to my teammates in Argentina, and I hope that they could also get the possibility to play in this league,” said Laba.

His career in Argentina included a spot in the Argentina U20 National Team. RedNation Online asked Laba if he believed his move to Toronto FC would get him noticed by Argentina’s senior national team head coach Alejandro Sabella:

“This has always been a dream for me, the possibility for me to show my best for [Argentina],” said Laba. “For now, I’m just focusing on Toronto and for the club to be in the best place possible.”

Laba’s signing signals the club’s intent for player signings. Toronto FC has already declared an interest in signing players from South America. While Laba may not be the last player signed by Toronto FC, his signing may just prove to be the most important, for a club looking for a strong core in midfield.

We wrapped the interview up with Laba’s prediction for the Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. Laba was quick in his decision, saying, simply:

“Bayern Munich.”

Getting to know Matías Laba:

Favourite Food: French Fries

Football Club: Argentinos Juniors

Favourite Music: Cumbia

Favourite Football Player: Juan Roman Riquelme

Favourite Movie: Scarface

XI out of 10: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Portland

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:00:00 EDT

Vancouver Whitecaps 2 – Portland Timbers 2

Vancouver lost a golden opportunity to start building a winning streak and only tied with the Portland Timbers. The ‘Caps were one score ahead twice, but again defensive meltdowns at the beginning of the second half and close to the end of the game resulted in opponent’s goals.

Your rating:

Jordan Harvey – 3.5
Harvey had problems defending high and low balls throughout the game. Despite the fact that he focused on defence instead of on offence, he was not able to effectively defend his wing.

Your rating:

Brad Rusin – 3
Rusin missed badly on a high ball on Portland’s second goal. The Whitecaps defence missed Leveron.

Your rating:

Andy O’Brien – 2.5
O’Brien bore responsibility for both of Portland’s goals. The veteran defender suffers when he has no one to cover for his lack of speed.

Your rating:

Lee Young-Pyo – 4
On the play that led to O’Brien’s handball, Johnson got Lee out of the play with a chop. A veteran like the Korean should not be fooled that easily.

Your rating:

Jun Marques Davidson – 5
Good game by Davidson. Reo-Coker, Koffie, and him were able to control the Timbers’s midfielders.

Your rating:

Nigel Reo-Coker – 5.5
Good defensive game by Reo-Coker. He got booked and will not be able to play the next ‘Caps game. Vancouver is going to miss him.

Your rating:

Gershon Koffie – 6.5
Very good game offensively and defensively by Koffie. He handled the Timbers’s midfielders effectively and also scored a beautiful goal on the second half.

Your rating:

Erik Hurtado – 5
Hurtado was more focused on defending than attacking. His speed allowed him to cover the whole left side of the field and he provided Harvey with lots of help.

Your rating:

Russell Teibert – 5.5
Another very good game by the young Canadian. He looks more comfortable playing on the right wing, even though he’s a leftie.

Your rating:

Camilo Sanvezzo – 7
Great game by Camilo. He handled the entire Portland defence by himself, scored once, and had an assist.

Your rating:

Substitutes:

Matt Watson – 5.5
Good defensive game by Watson. He complemented well with Reo-Coker and Davidson to control the Timbers’s defence.

Your rating:

Alain Rochat – NA
Rochat only played the last seven minutes of the game.

Your rating:

Darren Mattocks – NA
Mattocks only played the last two minutes of the game.

Your rating:

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Vancouver Whitecaps 2-2 Portland Timbers

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:53:00 EDT

The Good
Finishing and overall performance.

One thing was very positive from Vancouver in this match and that is the top class finishing of the Whitecaps on the day. The Caps scored two crackers of goals. First, from a beautifully taken free kick from the foot of Camilo. He has shown time and time again what he is capable of from set pieces and he should never lose the job to anyone else in the squad. Vancouver's second goal came from the Ghanaian star Gershon Koffie when the Caps took back the lead. Koffie's strike found its way into the top right corner through a plethora of boots and legs, giving Vancouver the 2-1 advantage.

The Whitecaps definitely out finished the Timbers on this occasion with both of Portland's goals being nothing but fortuitous. Their first came from a fairly awarded penalty kick taken by Will Johnson and the other coming from Jose Valencia who used both his arms to control the overhead ball.

While the Caps definitely out finished the Timbers, they also outplayed them for much of the match too. The overall performance level from Vancouver has vastly improved, enough to stay unbeaten in 3 consecutive matches against the likes of the Galaxy, the Impact and the Timbers. The Whitecaps are finally starting to rid themselves of the ghosts of previous matches past and appear to be breaking out of all their terrible habits that they used to have.

The Bad
Knighton poor rebound control and slow start.

Brad Knighton has indeed been playing well when he gets his opportunity in goal for the Whitecaps. Outside of that, something he has not been doing well is controlling his rebounds when opponents have a strike on him. We saw this occasionally against the Impact and early in the match against the Timbers it happened again on what seemed to be a simple save. Luckily for Knighton, Brad Rusin and a couple other Vancouver defenders were there to bail him out, but if he wants to get more starts in the future, he must work on this weakness.

The Whitecaps endured another slow start to the match, although not as much as in their previous two matches. The Caps were extremely fortunate to see the Timbers squander a couple of their golden scoring opportunities. Portland had the majority of possession and chances in the beginning of the match and luckily for the Whitecaps, did not take the early lead. The Whitecaps must come storming out of the gates in future matches if they want to have any chance at more silverware and another qualification for the MLS Playoffs.

The Ugly
Shutting off.

Despite the Whitecaps displaying three great performances over the same number of matches, shutting off too early in the game has definitely been a downfall of theirs. Granted that the Timbers second goal was definitely one that should have been blown down by the referee, it still should not have happened. Few can deny that Vancouver deserved the three points in this match and the score line does not really reflect what the final result should have been.

On May 29th the Whitecaps have their best ever shot at a piece of silverware and the Impact will not be an easy side to beat. Montreal have many talented and dangerous attackers and one single moment of shutting off from the Caps could cost them the Voyageurs Cup.

XI out of 10: Toronto FC vs Columbus Crew

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:39:00 EDT

Toronto FC 0 – 1 Columbus Crew

While there wasn’t a late goal conceded by Toronto in this one, TFC’s 1-0 loss to Columbus on Saturday did fit in perfectly with team’s recent string of missed opportunities. Simply put, three points were there for the taking and Toronto once again found ways to lose as opposed to how good teams find ways grind out wins and draws.

Ryan Nelsen can only hope that Danny Koevermans, Richard Eckersley and Terry Dunfield will all be match fit again soon in conjunction with newcomers Steven Caldwell, Jeremy Brockie and Bobby Convey finding their legs quickly. The inexperience of players such as Ryan Richter and Doneil Henry and the technical deficiencies of a player like Justin Braun have been obvious chinks in the armor of TFC during their winless streak.

The key to the ratings, as seems to be the logic on a scale of 1-10, is not to view it as a “grade”, as in a 6 would be a 60 or a C. The formula is that each player begins the game with a 5 and is the equilibrium from which their performance either improves or degrades moving in increments of .5.

Here is the breakdown of the starting XI:

Joe Bendik 5
Not a particularly busy afternoon for Bendik, who could not do anything about the goal conceded or the post and cross bar hit by Higuain. The most promising aspect of his play on the day was the fact that he really cut back on the goal kicks that have been going directly to the feet of opposition players.

Your rating:

Ryan Richter 4.5
It is easy to understand why TFC Head Coach Ryan Nelsen likes Ryan Richter so much. He is a workhorse who gives it his all and puts in a full shift for the full ninety that minutes. That said, once again the young fullback’s deficiencies were on full display, with his usual struggles to defend 1v1 and his propensity to deliver crosses that do not have enough height to get past the first opposition defender.

Your rating:

Doneil Henry 4.5
In many ways the success of the unorthodox back four that Nelsen fielded was always going to hinge on how well the TFC graduate played. Henry undoubtedly has exceptional athletic abilities and a bright future, but he also got caught out of position on the Columbus goal. Hindsight is always 20/20 but it probably would have made more sense to play Henry at right back, where an experienced central defender such as a Danny Califf could have provided some cover in the instance or two in a game when his relative inexperience often shows.

Your rating:

Steven Caldwell 5.5
One of the main positives of the losing effort was the play of Caldwell, who was very solid and pretty much came as advertised. He was quite vocal and showed his leadership abilities on the back line.

Your rating:

Darren O'Dea 5
While he didn’t remind anyone of Ashley Cole on the overlap, Toronto’s team captain did just fine playing at left back. He was defensively solid and delivered some decent balls into the Columbus box.

Your rating:

Matias Laba 5.5
Another match in which the young midfielder’s positive quality were in evidence. Laba delivered an energetic performance in the midfield, closing down the opposition quickly and ready plays very well towards intercepting Columbus passes.

Your rating:

Jeremy Hall 5.5
Another quality performance from Hall, who continues to impress as a central midfielder who does all the little things and adds some steel and grit in the middle of pitch. His passing to Toronto’s offensive players looks to be improving, with one nice play in which Robert Earnshaw was just whistled off side standing out as something that all TFC supporters would certainly love to see more of.

Your rating:

Reggie Lambe 5
This was a standard performance from Lambe compared to what we have seen from him to date. He was quite strong defensively with Toronto’s overall tactical framework but did not offer a whole lot going forward.

Your rating:

Justin Braun 4
The former Chivas USA forward has to wear the Goat horns in this loss, as he had a perfect goal scoring opportunity set up for him on a platter by Luis Silva and made a major meal of it. The momentum of the game really turned after the missed opportunity with Columbus scoring and TFC never recovering.

Your rating:

Luis Silva 5
Silva looked quite good at times while linking up with Earnshaw up top. He should have had an assist for the way that he beat two Columbus defenders to head a ball back across the box to a wide open Braun in the first half. In a similar fashion to Earnshaw, the sophomore attacker also had a couple of plays on which he should have done better.

Your rating:

Robert Earnshaw 4.5
Another tough day at the office for the Welsh striker. He continued to put himself into the right positions to score in a masterful way. Unfortunately, his scoring slump continued as he was unable to finish chances that a player of his quality usually puts in the back of the net.

Your rating:

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Toronto FC 0 � 1 Columbus Crew

Sat, 18 May 2013 23:30:00 EDT

The Good
Keeping the initiative in a downward slip

Settling In
It is never easy to settle into a new team, but that’s exactly what Matias Laba has done. The young Argentine midfielder looked very strong beside Jeremy Hall, living up to his reputation as a recovering mid and breaking up a few crucial plays. His passing looks good too. Is he worth the price? There are flashes of play that suggest so.

Defensive Debut
Another player Toronto FC supporters had a chance to get a look at was central defender Steven Caldwell. The Englishman slotted in beside Doneil Henry and performed well, using his experience and his frame to help lead Toronto’s backline. Is Danny Califf’s time up at Toronto FC?

Relentless Reds
Sure, Toronto didn’t score, but it was not for a lack of trying; the amount of chances Earnshaw and Braun were involved in bodes well for Toronto’s ability to control a game, and avoiding a similar performance as the one against San Jose is worth noting, too.

The Bad
Finishing Chances Is Key

Finishing Chances
It seems Toronto FC’s main problem isn’t in its defensive end, but in the conversion of chances into goals; Earnshaw had three opportunities to put the club ahead or level the match, and all three efforts were scuffed. Braun’s missed volley could have been the turning point.

Coming Up Short
Another major issue with Toronto FC’s offensive play is the lack of height in the box. Ryan Richter, bless him, has a gifted arm and a long throw in technique that creates chances for the club, but with one big body in Doneil Henry, Toronto just can’t utilize those throw ins effectively. Toronto FC need Danny Koevermans back, stat.

Trillium Triumph
It’s a fabricated rivalry, sure, but losing to the Columbus Crew always stings. With a 1-0 loss to Columbus at BMO Field, the Trillium Cup advantage is now in Columbus’ side. It may be the case that the Trillium Cup is almost a non-trophy, but it is silverware nonetheless, and it’s one less trophy Toronto FC could lose out on, after a Canadian Championship blowout.

The Ugly

#Ugly

That’s what Toronto FC fans ought to be tweeting, after Columbus’ social media campaign came true. The Crew used the hashtag #BeatTFC leading up to the game, goading Toronto FC and retweeting supporters who did the same. It may be trivial, but it is also one of the first successful Twitter campaigns, considering F.C. Dallas’ #CrushTheOrange failed completely. It’s not so much the flurry of Tweets that will feel like a blow to Toronto’s tech-saavy supporters, but the smug satisfaction the Crew must have right now that their hashtag paid off that stings.

That, coupled with one win in 25 games, of course.

Quoteworthy:
“No, it’s not panic time.” – Fran O’Leary, Toronto FC Assistant Coach

Toronto FC come up short against the Columbus Crew

Sat, 18 May 2013 23:05:00 EDT

Toronto FC 0 – Columbus Crew 1

The Prelude to Battle
Coming off a week-long break, Toronto FC take on their bitter rivals, the Columbus 2looking for a win, plain and simple – the club has suffered with a flurry of last-minute let downs and will be looking to bounce back with a victory over Columbus.

Over the break, Toronto FC added three new players to the roster; Steven Caldwell, a defender from England, Jeremy Brockie, a forward from New Zealand, and Bobby Convey, a winger who was last with Sporting Kansas City. Of the three, Caldwell gets the start, with the other two on the bench.

Ryan Richter starts at right fullback, and Darren O’Dea plays on the left, an unconventional decision for Ryan Nelsen. Doneil Henry also gets the start in the backline, while the rest of the line up looks unchanged, Braun partnering Earnshaw up top.

Meanwhile, Columbus field a full starting XI of their own, with Federico Higuain and Dominic Oduro up top. The Crew will rely on former Toronto FC midfielder Tony Tchani in the midfield, too. It’s Toronto FC taking on the Columbus Crew at BMO Field!

The First Forty-Five
Toronto FC started the first half with the expected level of energy and movement, picking off a few loose balls and creating chances from throw ins. However, it was Columbus who tested the keeper first, when Henry’s rough challenge on Oduro earned the Crew a free kick from outside the box. Bendik made the save, and Toronto kept the pressure up, retaliating with a free kick of their own, which was saved by Andy Gruenebaum.

Earnshaw found a pair of chances within two minutes, the first, when Jeremy Hall picked out a through ball, the second, when a Luis Silva hit landed favourably in front of him; both chances were scuffed, and Columbus returned the favour with a well hit shot that tested Bendik. Earnshaw created a chance for himself five minutes later, when he slipped by two Crew defenders before misfiring on the shot.

A little over the half hour mark, Columbus found their best scoring chance thus far, a shot from a few feet outside the box striking against the right-hand post. Columbus began controlling more and more of the ball and Toronto reverted to a long-ball approach. Earnshaw created a perfect goalscoring chance, crossing the ball into Luis Silva in the box, who’s downward headed pass found Justin Braun wide open – Braun scuffed the volley and Toronto blew an easy chance to score.

With only five minutes to go, Columbus finally managed to get on the end of a chance, when Higuain slipped a through ball past Caldwell and found Oduro’s run. Henry was unable to catch him, and Oduro broke through, beating Bendik, and scoring for Columbus in the 42nd minute of play – Columbus 1-0 Toronto.

The two teams went into the dressing rooms with Columbus on top and Toronto rueing their missed chances.

The Second Half
At the start of the second half, Nelsen made his first change, putting Bobby Convey in for Braun. The first ten minutes yielded little, and in the 57th minute, Jeremy Hall came off in exchange for Jonathan Osorio, in order to give Toronto another attacking option.

Tyson Wahl picked up a yellow card on the hour mark, the first of the game. Robert Earnshaw found yet another chance but his shot was deflected. Reggie Lambe came off for Jeremy Brockie in the 64th minute. Toronto began pushing back, and in the 74th minute, earned a free kick right outside the box. Earnshaw’s shot landed safely in Gruenebaum’s hands.

With 15 minutes left to play, Glauber picked up a yellow card, and Toronto earned another dangerous free kick, which came to nothing. In the 79th minute, Columbus made their first chance, with Justin Meram coming off for Ethan Finlay. Tyson Wahl came off in exchange for Chad Barson in the 83rd minute, and one minute later, Aaron Schoenfeld came into the match, replacing Dominic Oduro.

Schoenfeld’s first bit of action was a rough elbow on Caldwell, which earned him a yellow card, Columbus’ third of the game. With just a few minutes left to play, Toronto won a free kick, which Toronto eventually converted into a corner – Columbus, however, defended well. Four minutes of added time gave Toronto FC another chance, when Brockie had an opportunity for a header, but he hit it wide.

Toronto mounted one final chance, with a long Richter throw in, but it was headed wide and time was finally up for Toronto FC. Columbus picked up all three points, the final score, Toronto FC 0-1 Columbus Crew.

Post-Game Reaction
After the game, Toronto FC assistant coach Fran O’Leary, stepping in for Ryan Nelsen at the post-game press conference, told the assembled press he did not believe it was panic time quite yet for Toronto FC.

He also answered questions regarding the future of Danny Califf, offering the explanation that there are central defenders higher on the pecking order than the former Union player.

O’Leary also gave a timeline on the return of Danny Koevermans, saying it would still be two or three weeks until the Dutch forward is ready to play.

After the game, goalkeeper Joe Bendik was pretty pointed in his assessment of the 1-0 loss to Columbus.

“We lost,” said Bendik, when asked about the game. “Pretty plain and simple, isn’t it? We can’t win a game without scoring a goal. That’s pretty much it.”

Steven Caldwell is a new addition to the backline, and Bendik thinks that the backline is shoring up well.

“From a results stand point, we can’t say it’s getting better, but from my standpoint, from my point of view, it looks decent. Just tighten up one thing in the back and it could have been a different story,” said Bendik.

“No, not at all,” said Bendik, when asked if the defence just needed to play together more. “They played well. Look at all [Columbus’] chances, they’re all from outside the box, besides the goal.”

Ryan Richter once again started at right fullback, and contained much of Columbus’ offensive movement. Speaking about the result, Richter admitted work still needed to be done.

“Obviously it’s really disappointing,” said Richter. “Overall I think our play was decent, I don’t think it was our best game but at the same time, I think we did enough to win that game, we created enough chances, and we got a little unlucky I guess.”

As for playing beside Caldwell, Richter was pleased with the new addition.

“Steven is fantastic, from the first day he got here, he’s the loudest guy on the field, and I think personally I’m really going to benefit from playing next to him and I think the whole backline, you can see we were a lot more organized today,” said Richter.

Finally, we asked Richter how it felt filling in for Richard Eckersley. Like Bendik before him, Richter has slotted in well and could be on his way to cementing a starting spot in the line up.

“Ecks is a really good player and he’s done really well for this club but I’m just trying to do my best every time I’m in the game,” said Richter. “I feel like I can be a starter on this team. At the same time, we have to start winning games, and if I’m going to prove myself, we have to get some wins.”

The Final Word: A Change of Expectations.
Toronto FC has been criticized for an inability to finish games.

The amount of goals that the club has conceded late into a match has transcended mere coincidence and has created a culture of expectations; it is expected that Toronto will concede late, it is expected that a minor defensive error with turn into a major upset, and it is expected that Toronto FC will walk away from games with fewer points than they deserve.

In this game, however, Toronto FC broke away from this notion, mounting a counterattack late in the game and preventing a late goal from being conceded. The Reds maintained possession for the most part, rode challenges, earned free kicks, won corners and throw in in an effort to score a goal late.

It was all for naught, of course – Columbus had already scored right before half time; the rest of the game, from the Crew’s perspective, was limiting chances and seeing out the game. In truth, Toronto FC didn’t look like conceding a late goal, because there was no game to salvage; the initiative was up top, and that is where Toronto’s major failures were most prominent.

Was it Justin Braun’s missed volley, or Robert Earnshaw’s trio of scuffed shots? Perhaps. These are but instances of a larger trend, that Toronto FC is unable to convert chances into goals. Forget the defence for one moment and the real problem stares you right in the face: the forward line is wasting chances. The net should be ruffling multiple times, and yet, Toronto isn’t scoring in abundance.

There are some mistakes that are forgivable, of course. Some forwards simply cannot get a shot away due to defensive pressure from the opposition, while other chances just do not fall right. Some clubs agonize over a lack of chances in total, and some clubs finish once or twice but concede more than they score.

At the same time, there are some goals you have to put away.

Toronto’s issue isn’t in chance creation; it is in execution. Earnshaw has scored his fair share of goals but his production has petered off, to a point where, what was once expected of Earnshaw to finish a chance, to turn in, cut to his right, and curve the hit, the increasing reality is that there is a better chance he will graze the ball with his studs and the goalkeeper will swoop it up graciously.

Meanwhile, Braun, who is a capable trapper of the ball in the air, isn’t consistent enough in front of goal, and his half time substitution saw Convey come on instead. So, while Matias Laba and Jeremy Hall continue to create opportunities to score, it is Earnshaw and Braun who take the blame.

Toronto FC needs to expect more from these forwards. Danny Koevermans is still a few weeks away from returning, but it has become very obvious Toronto needs him more than ever. This game smelled of 3-1 for Toronto FC but three missed chances means three points never gained for the club.

Perhaps it’s time to change our expectations.

Toronto FC Starting XI:
12 Joe Bendik
4 Doneil Henry
13 Steven Caldwell
48 Darren O’Dea
33 Ryan Richter
20 Matias Laba
25 Jeremy Hall
19 Reggie Lambe
11 Luis Silva
10 Robert Earnshaw
17 Justin Braun

Substitutions: Bobby Convey in for Justin Braun (45’ HT); Jonathan Osorio in for Jeremy Hall (57’); Jeremy Brockie in for Reggie Lambe (64’).

Countdown: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Portland Timbers

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:57:00 EDT

First Thoughts
The Whitecaps will be looking to begin a winning streak on Saturday against one of the hottest teams in the MLS in the Portland Timbers.

Vancouver are coming off a first leg scoreless draw with the Montreal Impact in midweek Voyageurs Cup action. Martin Rennie fielded a strange defensive lineup with 5 out of the 10 out-field players being defenders. Nigel Reo-Coker got his first start of the season in the outside back role and did quite well, as he got up into the attack numerous times but defended solidly as well. The Caps have the opportunity to increase their undefeated streak to three this weekend against the Timbers.

Portland had very few troubles in their most recent match as they brushed Chivas USA aside by a score of 3-0. One of the three goal scorers for the Timbers was Canadian midfielder and team captain Will Johnson, who continued his brilliant form so far this season.

Portland currently sits 2nd in the Western Conference with 18 points while the Whitecaps are down in 7th with 12 points.

Keep Thinking
These two Cascadian rivals have met a total of 5 times in MLS play since 2011, the year that both these sides joined the league. In those matches, the Timbers are undefeated, recording 4 victories and a draw while outscoring the Whitecaps 6-3. The last time these two clubs met was back in 2012 at BC Place when the Timbers got the 1-0 away victory courtesy of a Jack Jewsbury goal.

There will be a strong battle for control in the middle of the park in this game, with Will Johnson of the Timbers and Nigel Reo-Coker definitely being a key match-up to keep an eye on.

Portland are undefeated in MLS play in 9 straight matches with a goal difference of +7 from those matches. The Timbers will arguably be a greater challenge than the Galaxy were but the Caps should have confidence going into this match regardless.

Johnny Leverón has been suspended one match from the MLS due to his poor tackle on the Galaxy's José Villareal last weekend. Leverón will be unavailable for this weekend's match against Portland, so expect to see Brad Rusin filling in his vacant position come Saturday.

In The End
This match is extremely hard to predict mainly because of how sporadic the Whitecaps have been so far this season. They beat the odds last weekend against the Galaxy but the Timbers will conceivably be a much tougher encounter due to their incredible run of results in their past 9 games. Portland will likely dominate play for much of the match but the Whitecaps should not be written off right away.

Prediction
Vancouver Whitecaps 1 – Portland Timbers 2

Women�s National Team Public Training Session at BMO Field

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:14:00 EDT

Fans will have an opportunity to see the Canadian Women’s Soccer Team up close during their public training session on Thursday, May 30, 7pm (gates open at 6:30pm) at BMO Field. Tickets are $10 and will be available for purchase through Ticketmaster.ca starting on Friday, May 17 at 10am ET. Blocks of tickets for groups of 26+ can be purchased using this order form (deadline is Tuesday, May 28) or by contacting marketing@canadasoccer.com.

During the training session, Umbro Canada will also unveil the newest Canadian National Team kit.

The Canadian Women’s Soccer Team will be preparing for a sold-out (not-so) friendly against the United States on Sunday, June 2, 4:30pm ET at BMO Field. This occasion marks the first time the sides have met since the storied London 2012 Olympic quarter-final in August, where the USWNT won 4-3 after extra time; June 2 is also the 100th Anniversary of the United States Soccer Federation.

The rematch will be broadcast live across Canada on all four regional Sportsnet channels.

Roster of the EXCELeration Program is Announced

A series of developmental camps are being held to create a better pipeline for players to potentially transition into the Senior National Team. The roster of the May 15-19 EXCELeration camp, coached by Andrew Olivieri in Morgantown, West Virginia, was recently named, featuring 18 players ages 17 to 23. The first of such camps was held earlier this year from March 16-25 in Portland, Oregon.

Some of these players, born in 1994 or later, are also candidates for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014 squad. The U-20 tournament is taking place next year from August 5-24.

EXCELeration camp roster

GK- Dayle Colpitts | 1992-04-18 | USA / Virginia Tech
GK- Sabrina D’Angelo | 1993-05-11 | USA / University of South Carolina
D- Molly Allen | 1990-12-17 | AUT / LUV Graz
D- Jade Kovacevic | 1994-04-10 | Unattached
D- Rachel Melhado | 1992-09-24 | USA / University of Louisville
D- Rebecca Quinn | 1995 | USA / Duke University*
MF- Emma Fletcher | 1995.02.04 | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
MF- Parkes Kendrick | 1994-11-15 | USA / FC Portland
MF- Kinley McNicoll | 1994-04-17 | USA / University of Wisconsin
MF- Sabrina Santarossa | 1995-02-01 | CAN / CS Vallée Richelieu
MF- Danica Wu | 1992-08-13 | USA / Ohio State University
F- Mélissa Busque | 1990-02-18 | USA / Seattle University
F- Haïsha Cantave | 19-years-old | USA / Darton State College
F- Katie Kraeutner | 1994-03-22 | University of Nebraska
F- Kelley Monogue | 1992- 09-01 | USA / Texas A&M
F- Christabel Oduro | 1992-11-01 | USA / University of Memphis
F- Nichelle Prince | 1995-02-19 | USA / Ohio State University*
F- Jenna Richardson | 1992-07-06 | USA / Oregon State University

* - Player to join NCAA team in Fall 2013

Canadians in the NWSL: Progress Report

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:52:00 EDT

With the first five weeks of the NWSL completed, here is a look at how the league and its teams, especially the Canadians on each team, are doing:

Standings:

	Points	Played	W	T	L	GF	GA
Portland	13	5	4	1	0	9	3
Sky Blue	10	5	3	1	1	7	4
Boston	8	4	2	2	0	8	4
WNY	7	5	2	1	2	6	6
Kansas City	7	4	2	1	1	5	3
Washington	3	5	0	3	2	5	7
Chicago	2	5	0	2	3	3	10
Seattle	1	5	0	1	4	2	8

Key Notes:

Portland Thorns FC
With no injury threats, plenty of attacking force, and a back line that has defied early doubts, the Thorns seem to be in a great position heading into week six. Early concerns of a midfield that looked utterly disjointed have also been squashed, and this is partly due to coach Cindy Parlow’s decision to move Christine Sinclair into an attacking midfield position, instead of pairing her directly with Alex Morgan up top.

Since the change was made after the team’s week one draw in Kansas City, Sinclair has seen way more of the ball, and has been able to show her dominance in winning balls from box-to-box and setting up goals, in addition to tallying two goals herself.

Canadian keeper Karina Leblanc has not been tested very often in the first five weeks, but has been reliable when called upon. So far, Leblanc’s diving save against a half volley from Chicago midfielder Julianne Sitch in week five has been her shining moment.

Sky Blue FC
With ten points after five games, Sky Blue FC are in a good position, however inconsistency may prove to be their biggest problem. They have shown they are capable of competing against good teams like Western New York, however they looked flat and unable to create many chances in a midweek game with Chicago that ended in a tie. Sky Blue needs to concentrate on getting their forwards more involved, in order to be more dangerous in the final third.

Sophie Schmidt has been great for Sky Blue, and has shown she can provide much needed support to Sky Blue’s forward line from the midfield. Schmidt has three goals so far. Sky Blue’s other Canadian, Melanie Booth, made her NWSL debut in week five.

Boston Breakers
Despite being a game behind, Boston still shows up in third place in the standings with eight points after four games. A very fast forward line, including Sydney Leroux, as well as a midfield that had instant chemistry have produced eight goals so far.

Canadian Adriana Leon did not get many minutes in the team’s first three games, however Leon played the entire second half in their week five game. In addition, a tweet from the Boston Breakers revealed that Leon also played in the Breakers reserves game on Tuesday, in which she scored two goals.

Defender Rhian Wilkinson was great at providing crosses into the box in the team’s first two games, however a hamstring injury has kept her out of the team’s last two games. There has been no further word from the league or the Breakers on her condition.

Western New York Flash
After starting the season with two losses and a tie, the Flash have seemed to put a rocky start behind them, as they have won their last two games and looked strong while doing it. USWNT stars Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd are both back in the lineup, after Wambach missed one game due to a concussion and Lloyd missed the team’s first four games recovering from a broken shoulder.

The two young Canadians on the Flash have not played many minutes so far, but that was somewhat expected given the amount of players the Flash have back from their WPS and WPSL Elite title winning teams. Jodi-Ann Robinson has mostly been used as a second half sub, and Bryanna McCarthy made her NWSL debut last week when subbed in to help preserve a one goal lead over FC Kansas City.

FC Kansas City
A fifth place standing for Kansas City is slightly misleading, as the club is one of two teams that have only played four games in five weeks. Early on, Kansas City have shown that they are a very well rounded team.

Desiree Scott has been great in the midfield at winning balls and preventing a team like Portland from creating much against them in week one. In addition to her dominance in the middle of the park, last week she made a goal line save to keep her team within one goal of Western New York, in a 2-1 loss.

Lauren Sesselmann has also been very reliable for Kansas City at left back, and this bodes well for the CanWNT, as they rely on Sesselmann to get forward and help in the attack.

Washington Spirit
After five weeks, the Washington Spirit is one of three teams who are winless, however the Spirit look as though they are close to a breakthrough. They played a stretch of their best soccer last week in a 1-1 tie with Boston, however their main problem still lies in a lack of offensive production. Coach Mike Jorden may have to continue to tweak the starting line up to help get his forwards involved, and it is the responsibility of these forwards to look for goal, rather than a wasteful pass, more often.

Besides goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, who has made some incredible saves to keep her team in games, Diana Matheson has been the Spirit’s best player. Matheson has been very productive for the Spirit so far, and commentators from around the league have mentioned that she is “all over the field” on more than one occasion.

Robyn Gayle has played significant minutes for the Spirit at the back and has been reliable, however somewhat shaky at times when playing against teams who pressure high, like the Portland Thorns. Last week, Candace Chapman made her NWSL debut after recovering from a long injury, and looked strong in her 45 minutes against Boston.

Chicago Red Stars
Recent news that midfielders Leslie Osborne and Ella Masar were both injured in last week’s game against the Portland Thorns is very concerning for Chicago, who are already missing defensive midfielder Shannon Boxx due to a minor knee surgery, and defender Amy LePeilbet due to a more serious ACL injury. It is unclear how long Osborne and Masar are expected to be out, but Boxx should be back in a few weeks.

Help is also on the way in the form of two German players, Inka Grings and Sonja Fuss. Only time will tell if these two players can help a team that is struggling to look dangerous in front of goal.

On the other end, Erin McLeod and Carmelina Moscato have been plenty busy with defensive work. Moscato has been reliable at the back, however has been beaten in 1v1s with some of the league’s faster players, such as Sinclair, Morgan and Leroux. McLeod has also been solid, and despite some criticism that she let in a “soft” first goal against Portland in week five, the game video actually shows the ball being deflected before reaching McLeod.

Seattle Reign FC
At the bottom of the standings with only one point after five games, Seattle has just not been good enough. The Reign rarely produce dangerous possession in the final third, and it shows in that they have only scored two goals in five games. Reinforcements in USWNT stars Megan Rapinoe and Hope Solo are set to join the team in the near future, after Rapinoe’s time in France with Lyon and Solo’s recovery from wrist surgery, and an immediate impact from the two will be needed in order to salvage Seattle’s season.

Emily Zurrer and Kaylyn Kyle have both seen significant minutes for the Reign. Despite some dangerous defensive giveaways, Zurrer has been great at the back, particularly in 1v1s with players such as Sinclair and Morgan. Kyle has formed a great partnership with midfielder Jessica Fishlock, and the two will look to translate some of the balls that they win into chances on goal in upcoming weeks.

Tiffany Cameron has also seen significant minutes in recent weeks after joining the team late due to school commitments, however she hasn’t provided much to Seattle’s offense so far.

Attendance Watch:
Much has been made of early attendance figures across the league, with many proposing that the numbers are disappointing and too low. However, as with any new entity, it is going to take time for each team to gain a steady fan base who are willing to support their hometown team weekly (besides Portland, who is an outlier in terms of attendance given their MLS connection). In addition, the fact that school for youth soccer players (a huge market in women’s soccer) is still in session, it is reasonable to believe that as the season continues and teams gain more attention in their respective cities, attendance numbers will rise.

Here are the average attendances across the league (taken from match recaps on NWSLsoccer.com) so far after five weeks of action:

Team	# of Home Games	Average Attendance
Portland Thorns FC	1	16, 479
FC Kansas City	2	5,424
Washington Spirit	4	4,177
WNY Flash	3	2,977
Boston Breakers	2	2,874
Seattle Reign FC	1	2,618
Chicago Red Stars	3	1,813
Sky Blue FC	3	1,586

Goal of the first five weeks:
Last Saturday’s 1-1 draw between the Washington Spirit and Boston Breakers featured quite possibly the most impressive goal of the young NWSL season. Washington’s Lori Lindsey took a pass from Diana Matheson, and rocketed a shot from just inside the box into the upper left corner. Watch it here:

Week 6 Games

Thursday May 16th

Washington Spirit @ Seattle Reign FC 10pm ET

Sky Blue FC @ Portland Thorns FC 10:30pm ET

Saturday May 18th

Boston Breakers @ FC Kansas City 8:35pm ET

Sunday May 19th

Washington @ Portland Thorns FC 5pm ET

Sky Blue FC @ Seattle Reign FC 9pm ET

All games will be live streamed, as per usual. Check the NWSL Youtube channel for direct links to the streams.

Countdown: TFC v Columbus Crew

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:46:00 EDT

A week and a half break, a few new players in on loan, and Toronto FC are rested, reinforced and ready to take on Eastern Conference rivals the Columbus Crew, Saturday afternoon at BMO Field. It has been a rough month for TFC, who have desperately needed a repreive in the schedule to regroup, focus and prepare to avoid conceding late goals, something that has happened against the Crew more than once.

Columbus are a side hovering around the middle of the table, but have benefitted from facing some of the weaker teams in MLS so far, while TFC have faced off against more of the top clubs in the league. The Reds have come down to earth after their encouraging start to the season and this match-up is well-timed to determine where exactly they sit in terms of quality. Columbus are far from the stronger sides in the league and if Ryan Nelsen has prepared his players well, and they are able to eliminate the goal that come like clockwork over the last six weeks, TFC have a good chance at earning their second win of the season.

Keep thinking
Toronto come into this match through a ten-day break, that after their 2-1 loss in San Jose, was desperately needed. Another late goal sealed their fate and has become the team's embarrassing calling card of being unable to lock down results in the critical final 10-15 minutes. While these games have delivered mixed performances, for the most part the team has had their chances to score, been competitive but appear to lack the mental fortitude to avoid last minute mistakes.

The manner in which TFC mailed it in during the second half against San Jose lead to an interesting week where Kevin Payne was candid about the recent run and answered questions regarding another group of players coming in on loan. While Tal Ben Haim does not look like a fit anymore, Jeremy Brockie fills a needed addition to the wing/attack, Steven Caldwell could prove to be a useful veteran for the backline, and as of Thursday left-sided midfielder Bobby Convey has come on board via a trade with Sporting Kansas City.

Columbus come into BMO Field five points ahead of Toronto FC and surprisingly have been a better team on the road then at home. A record of 2W-1D-2L and seven goals for, five against, at first glance might be cause for concern. However, the Crew's best results have been against Chivas USA in the opening game of the season and two fixtures against the woeful DC United. The only top half opponents they've faced have been San Jose and New York, both at home resulting in a 1-1 draw and 1-0 loss. Columbus have only beaten one team since the season opener, and again, that was victories against the worst team in the league, DC United.

Toronto's newest additions will be important for the side trying to stem what have been two glaring deficiencies over the last month and a half. Since Richard Eckersly has gone down, there has been a noticable lack of defensive bite and grit for ninety minutes, and aside from Robert Earnshaw, the support up top has been lacking with too many passengers. In comes Steven Caldwell for required experience in defence, and to hopefully help out Ryan Richter, and with Hogan Ephraim, John Bostock and Reggie Lambe consistently inconsistent, Jeremy Brockie, coming from an impressive A-League season, could be the answer to link with Luis Silva and Earnshaw up top, while Convey, if he can recapture his form from 2010, could be a huge boost.

While Columbus have a relitively stable core, with Andy Gruenenbaum in goal, Chad Marshall in the back and Eddie Gavin in the midfield, they are a team whose quality has dropped off significantly since their 2008 Cup win and years after where they were a top Eastern Conference team. Their biggest strength and area of concern for TFC is an attack lead by Fernando Higuain who might not have the numbers of his brother, but at the MLS level brings an abundance of talent. Grouped with Costa Rican Jairo Arietta and the pacey veteran Dominic Oduro, this is where Toronto will need to be most attentive as they will be dangerous throughout the ninety minutes, plus injury time.

It has been outlined for several games now, that there are really two areas Toronto FC could sort out and begin earning results instead of dropping them. Most obviously it comes down to late defensive mistakes, and recent additions should help fortify what has become a corps that simply has not been able to avoid collapsing. Matias Laba settling in will be a big boost for the defence, and Caldwell's addition and experience should also be important especially on set pieces.

Of course the other end of the pitch has not been much better as Robert Earnshaw has cooled off significantly and been unable to finish his clear cut chances delivered for the last few games. No one has stepped up to be that important secondary, or co-leading scorer for TFC and until somone of Danny Koeverman's ilk returns to the line-up, a lack of finishing is a major concern. Jeremy Brockie's form for Wellington is impressive with 16 goals in 24 games for the A-League side, and the question is what exactly is the quality gap between the two leagues and can he be as effective in MLS?

The recipe at this point is so basic, remain mentally strong defending and finish chances in the attack. Steven Caldwell should bring a good partnership with Darren O'Dea who would have played with his brother at Celtic, while Jeremy Brockie has the finishing abililty to contribute. As seen earlier in the season, new players are eager to impress off the start and both should be a factor if they get in on Saturday. Aside from them, it comes down to the usual suspects of Earnshaw and Silva finding a way to finish and the fullbacks being able to elevate their game. If Toronto can solve any of their glaring issues of late, three points should be theirs.

In the end
A hated rival in Columbus arrives at BMO just at the right time to test exactly where TFC sit near the one-third part of the season. Having suffered through a bleak month of April and most of May where mistakes and dropped points have ruled the day, this is the perfect opponent to get motivated for and make amends. The Crew have dangerous players to be mindful of and a good group of defenders, however, the Reds are at home and match up across the pitch. The new faces should make a difference to a team who've really been a mistake away from wins and draws and with this injection of potential talent, will be enough to turn the teams fortunes - at least for an afternoon.

Prediction
Toronto FC 2 – 1 Columbus

Bobby Convey: Toronto FC�s Missing Piece?

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:04:00 EDT

Kevin Payne’s promised that changes would be coming to Toronto FC, and with the trade of Bobby Convey, Payne is certainly keeping his word.

Toronto FC acquired Convey in a trade deal with Sporting Kansas City, sending their 2014 natural 3rd Round Draft Pick in exchange for the winger. Convey, 29, is an established MLS veteran who started his career with D.C. United in 2000. He played alongside Ryan Nelsen, actually lived with Payne, and moved to Reading F.C. in England in 2005. Convey returned to MLS with the San Jose Earthquakes and in 2012, he was traded to Kansas.

At 16 years old, he was the youngest player in MLS history when he made his debut. He now joins Toronto FC, reunited with two people he knows very well.

While his salary may be a talking point – Convey makes $215,000 a year and is one of the pricier players in the team – it is his qualities that make him worthy of note. Convey is a natural left winger with a left foot and a crossing ability that made him a valuable asset to both his clubs and for his country – he has amassed 46 caps for the United States national team from 2000 to 2008, when he made his last appearance.

Convey has struggled with a series of injuries as of late, but after a tough 2012 riddled with hamstring issues, Convey returned to action for Kansas in the offseason. However, he has found playing time hard to come by, with CJ Sapong, Jacob Peterson and Soony Saad the preferred options for head coach Peter Vermes. The return of Kei Kamara certainly didn’t help his case, and in a move that smells an awful lot like a salary dump for Kansas, Toronto FC pick up a player who can immediately make a difference.

The one area Sporting Kansas City excels in is at the wings. It is, coincidentally, the one area Toronto FC has been historically weak in. While Kansas has an abundance of talent out wide, Toronto has had to rely on Hogan Ephraim, John Bostock and Reggie Lambe, as well as Luis Silva, to perform on the wings.

Bostock has mentioned that he is a central midfielder by trade, Ephraim has been ineffective, and Lambe has shown flashes of brilliance but has also lived up to Paul Mariner’s assessment that he is a one-in-six player, inconsistent. As for Luis Silva, he is hardly a winger and performs better up top or right behind a forward.

Convey, however, is a winger through and through. Part of the reason Convey left San Jose is due to head coach Frank Yallop’s decision to play him as a left fullback. Though he was effective in the role, Convey is an offensive-minded player and the decision to use him in the backline may have contributed to the two’s fractured relationship and could be part of the reason why he was traded to Sporting Kansas City.

Still, it is a positive trait to possess, especially with a Toronto FC side that finds defending in the final moments a bit of a problem. With an offensive player capable of helping out in the backline, Convey would add an extra dimension and could help see out games. He can also help Logan Emory or Ashtone Morgan out wide late in a game.

However, Convey is not a left fullback – he is a left-winger, and will be used as such under Ryan Nelsen. Such is his skill and talent that to use him anywhere else would be a detriment to his abilities. His crosses often found the head of Chris Wondolowski in San Jose and his ability to get past an opposition fullback makes him a dangerous player in Toronto’s midfield.

Convey is not the absolute fastest player in the league but on the flip side of the coin, he isn’t slow, either. His pace is accentuated by his vision and footwork, which gives Toronto FC a proper option out wide. His best asset is his stamina. Convey is a 90-minute player, and, when healthy, he can see out a game from start to finish, something Toronto not only needs desperately but a trait that he can help other players develop, too.

The only detriment to his game, besides a few nagging injuries, is that he hasn’t had much playing time as of late. He has been riding the bench at Kansas City and may not be as sharp as Toronto FC would like him to be. Certainly, it will take a few games for Convey to adjust back into a starting role but if he can rediscover his form during his days at San Jose, Convey can be a very strong player for Toronto FC.

If Toronto continues to use a similar formation as the club has been using as of late, then Convey will fit in well on the left wing. In a 4-4-2, Convey has support behind him as well as in the midfield, with both Jeremy Hall and Matías Laba playing centrally. He can also connect with Luis Silva in a 4-4-1-1. Convey could also play in a 4-3-3, should Toronto choose to go in that direction again.

Still, Toronto’s midfield is not quite complete. Payne mentioned that he is in the hunt for a Designated Player in an attacking midfield role, and the right wing still leaves something to be desired. Much of Convey’s success at Toronto FC will come down to how well he can adjust to being an important figure again. He’ll be turning 30 this year, which is still a decent age for an MLS player, and he gives Toronto experience in the roster.

Is he Toronto FC’s missing piece? Maybe, maybe not: what Convey does bring to the club is a proper option on the wing, a la Justin Mapp for Montreal, and he also gives the club another leader to help improve the roster. He’s not going to be the saviour of the team, but then again, good teams don’t rely on one single player.

In that regard, Bobby Convey could very well be an important piece of the puzzle for Toronto FC, but he’ll be just that – one important piece of a puzzle, not the final one.

MLS Week 12 Marquee Match-Up: Galaxy vs Red Bulls

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:47:00 EDT

Although there are quite a few interesting fixtures this week, including a Cascadian rivalry between Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers (which will be covered on Red Nation Online) and Seattle Sounders vs. FC Dallas, one match stands out amongst the rest. This week we’ll be breaking down the battle between the two biggest markets in MLS, as the Los Angeles Galaxy in their second match of the week travel to Red Bull Arena to take on the New York Red Bulls.

Los Angeles Galaxy @ New York Red Bulls

The Galaxy comes into this match off the back of a convincing 4-1 victory over Philadelphia Union at PPL Park, marking not only a possible turning point for the club but also the return of its “DP” partnership in Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan to top form (combining for 2 goals and 3 assists), with the former returning from a multitude of injuries while the latter had failed to break out since returning from sabbatical.

Coach Bruce Arena has built this squad with a good mix of experienced players that have championship pedigree but has also infused some youth in the likes of “Home Grown Players” Jose Villarreal, Jack McBean and Gyasi Zardes, as well as rookie Charlie Rugg, and has picked his spots quite well with respect to when to play them.

The Red Bulls look to finally be settling in under new coach Mike Petke after early season struggles. The club has played more games than any other team in the league but has managed to go unbeaten in its last 5 matches. The caveat to this is, aside from the victory over Montreal Impact, these were games that could be considered “winnable” (New England Revolution twice, Toronto FC and Columbus Crew). This match will be a real test for a defensive unit that although it is playing much better of late still can be considered shaky and that will have its hands full marking Keane and Donovan, whom make up arguably the best attacking duo in the league.

This being a marquee match of the highest order and being televised on ESPN it’s natural and expected that the star power would be at the forefront of everyone’s mind, however those that have been reading this weekly column know that’s not my style and I rather delve deeper and look at the tactical battles that won’t hit the headlines.

From a New York perspective it will be all about how wide can they stretch the Galaxy whom operate more comfortably through the middle. The two key figures to watch in this regard are fullback Roy Miller and midfielder Lloyd Sam. The Costa Rican defender Miller has developed a strong partnership with Thierry Henry down the left side and it has caused defenders to over commit. His ability to overlap, provide service or be a decoy runner will be done in an attempt to overpower the right fullback whether that be Sean Franklin or A. J. DeLaGarza and force central defender Omar Gonzalez to cover the vacant space which in turn creates gaps in defense. As for Lloyd Sam, the loss of Dax McCarty and inconstant play of Juninho Pernambucano has forced a reshuffle in midfield and has allowed the Englishmen to get consistent playing time out wide. His speed on the ball, ability to make intelligent runs and high energy when pressing up field will be a handful for Todd Dunivant, especially considering he’s just coming back from an injury and at times in the match against the Union was reluctant to push forward.

In the case of LA it’s all about ball control in the midfield. The Brazilian duo of Marcelo Sarvas and Juninho isn’t the flashiest pairing in the league but they’ve developed a solid understanding of when to sit back and when to go forward. These two players have grown quite a bit since joining MLS and in the grand scheme of things are vital to Bruce Arena’s system. However it’s a mixed bag when comparing this duo to the last two championship teams when it was Juninho paired with David Beckham. On the one hand, playing Juninho and Marcelo Sarvas together has solidified the overall defensive structure and has made the lives of Omar Gonzalez, A. J. DeLaGarza and the other defenders much easier than when they had to compensate for Beckham’s defensive deficiencies. That said, with the departure of Beckham has also gone the creative element out of midfield forcing Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan and the two wingers in the 4-4-2 formation to drop deeper to collect the ball and in general it has also taken away the fast breaking counter attack option.

The build up towards kickoff will go a long way to over hyping this game and how it might actually play out. Nevertheless, all the elements are there for a really good match.

Here’s how I see both sides lining up:

New York Red Bulls:

Los Angeles Galaxy:

Prediction:
New York Red Bulls 2-3 Los Angeles Galaxy

Miller appointed Interim Head Coach for Costa Rica friendly

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:41:00 EDT

Colin Miller has been appointed as the Interim Head Coach for Canada’s upcoming Men’s International Friendly against Costa Rica at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on May 28th.

Miller has previously acted as Interim Head Coach for the Canadian Men’s National Team during a spell in 2003 and 2004 and recently took charge of the team during its January 2013 camp in the United States. Canada rebounded from an opening loss to Denmark during the January camp to earn a 0-0 draw away to the United States in Houston, Texas.

“I’m the proudest man in Canada, once again,” said Miller. “We will be hoping to build on the positive way we finished our last camp together with a result away to USA, and also looking to build on the good work that Tony Fonseca did with the team during the recent camp in Qatar.”

Miller is also looking forward to leading Canada out in Edmonton, his new hometown.

“It’s an exciting game for me as it’s in my home city,” said Miller. “During my playing years fans in Edmonton offered tremendous support to the Canada team and we hope they will be out in full force to turn it into ‘Fortress Commonwealth’ on match day.”

The Canada v Costa Rica match will be televised nationally on all four Sportsnet regional networks ( May 28, 20.00 ET / 17.00 PT).

The camp in Edmonton is part of Canada’s continued preparations for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup to take place in United States in July.

ESSU: TFC...anything and everything

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:11:00 EDT

This episode was always on the docket. A 10-day break offered a good opportunity to try and knock out what has never really materialized in a monthly recap episode. A huge window in the schedule though couldn't be passed up and with all the drama surrounding the Maple Leafs exit from the playoffs as well as another round of loaned in players, and great quotes from Kevin Payne - well the pod pretty much took care of itself.

All to play for in Vancouver after a 0-0 draw at Saputo Stadium

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:09:00 EDT

Montreal Impact 0 – 0 Vancouver Whitecaps

Leg one of the ACC leaves both sides with an even shot at the title
The first leg of the Amway Canadian Championship final kicked off on Wednesday night at Saputo Stadium. The Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps played out to a scoreless draw in a defensive affair.

The Montreal Impact arrived in this match after defeating Toronto FC 6-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals. The club won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2008, but hasn't even finished runners-up in the four next tournaments. Winning the ACC this year is a priority for the Quebec side.

The Vancouver Whitecaps find themselves once again a hair away from winning the competition. In the last four editions of the tournament, the team has finished second place to Toronto FC. This year, the Whitecaps defeated FC Edmonton 5-2 on aggregate to progress to yet another final.

In league play, both sides are coming off wins on the weekend. Montreal defeated Real Salt Lake 3-2 with a goal in injury time, while Vancouver beat the defending MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy 3-1 at home.

The Opening 45
Both sides played a fairly cautious match, with neither wanting to concede a goal. In fact, Montreal and Vancouver only combined for five shots in leg one.

The match's first highlight comes in the 19th minute. Out of the Impact defensive third, Hassoun Camara hit Marco Di Vaio with a 45-yard through ball. Di Vaio cut to the center of the pitch and fired a curling shot towards goal. Whitecaps goalkeeper Brad Knighton made the stop.

Patrice Bernier had a similar opportunity two minutes later. From the top of the box, the Canadian international fired a low shot barely past the post.

In the 32nd minute, Vancouver had their first chance. Quebec born Alain Rochat won a ball near the top of the Impact penalty area and unleashed a bullet on target. Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush was up for the task and deflected it away for a corner.

On the ensuing corner, the visitors had their best chance to grab the important away goal. The whipped-in ball bounced around and created tons of problems in the Impact penalty area. The ball was hit on goal twice, both being stopped by Justin Mapp on the line. Montreal finally cleared the danger.

There were no more chances after that. Although the half ended scoreless, Montreal picked up three yellows cards, as Camara, Collen Warner and Di Vaio all went into the book.


	‪So you think only hockey players are tough? @JebBrovsky broke his nose & was a bloody mess but got back in because #imfc were out of subs - ‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‪‎‏@BWildeCTV

The Second Half
The remaining 45 minutes was much of the same.

The Whitecaps had the first chance in the 64th minute when midfielder Russell Teibert cut in from the right side and laced a left-footed effort just over the bar.

Ten minutes later, the Impact replied. Jeb Brovsky controlled a long ball on the right side, feinted around Jordan Harvey and squared a ball across the goal. It went to Di Vaio alone at the penalty spot. The Italian's shot was blocked by Andy O'Brien.

The final minutes of the encounter saw Montreal eagerly pressing for the winning goal. The Impact had two penalty shouts which were rightly waived off by referee Silviu Petrescu.

Brovsky was also on the wrong end of an elbow with left him with a broken nose and possibly a fractured cheekbone. The former Whitecaps man impressively still got back on the pitch for the final seconds.

Post-Match Reaction
"In a 0-0 draw, the positive is that we did not concede a goal and this was important for our moral," said Impact coach Marco Schällibaum. "Our team gave it all. We saw during the game that it was going to be hard to find space. There was one team that played and played, while the other did not. They were very good defensively [...] but in spite of everything we did not score."

"It was a tight game tonight," said Whitecaps coach Martin Rennie. "Tonight I think we did a good job of shutting them down. We had a couple half chances ourselves; would have been nice to have stolen one of those. I think overall, we've given ourselves a good chance going in the second leg."

"It's really going to be a one game final," said Impact midfielder Patrice Bernier. "There has to be a winner and the only factor for us is we know away goals will count now that it is 0-0. They came to get this result. We can see that they put six defenders on the pitch playing in different positions. No, I don't think they have the edge."

"We defended well and stayed very low. We were never really in danger of conceding," said Impact defender Hassoun Camara. "We need to recreate this on the road. They'll be scared to concede a goal because if we go over there and score, it'll be a delicate situation for them."

"Our home form has been very good and if it continues, hopefully we'll win the competition," said Whitecaps defender Andy O'Brien. "There's a lot of work to be done. I think maybe in the second leg, we need to open up a little bit more, but we have plenty of time to prepare for that."

"I think that as a first match in a final, both sides didn't want to give much away," said Whitecaps midfielder Alain Rochat. "There's a certain nervousness and the rhythm doesn't want to build up. There's still one match and I think it will be much different in Vancouver."

The Final Word: Both sides refused to give anything away defensively
The Whitecaps came into this match trying to do everything not to let Montreal win the match and they did. A draw or even an away victory would have given them a realistic chance at winning the tournament. In this case, it was a nil-nil draw which now makes things interesting.

It's impossible to say which was the better side in this one. Vancouver gladly let Montreal have all the possession, but it was they who had the more dangerous chances.

Vancouver sat back for the entire 90 minutes, often dropping 10 players behind the ball. They kept the middle extremely compressed and closed any lanes or passing options in that direction. This forced the Impact to try and play wide.

This wide game left the Impact with either a chance to cross or cut in and shoot from the top of the box. The Whitecaps were more than happy with either way as they had twice as many bodies in the box to defend the cross or block the shot. This is basically what happened every time Montreal tried to score.

The Whitecaps would look for counter-attacking opportunities, but it was way too slow of a transition up the pitch. Their best sequence was when Rochat forced a corner out of Bush and then the ensuing corner was cleared twice off the line. These were the best chances of the game for either side.

On Montreal's part, they too did not want to concede that important away goal. They were really only under pressure once and managed to deal with the situation.

Defensively, the Impact were just as strong and organized as the Whitecaps. The visitors were only able to get by on few occasions. Patrice Bernier and Collen Warner formed a good partnership in the center of midfield to win back possession. Matteo Ferrari and Camara were walls at the back.

Offensively, the Impact struggled as they had limited options. Vancouver's zonal bloc was near perfect, which left Montreal scrambling on the wings to make something happen. Outnumbered almost two to one in the box, it was always going to be hard to win the match that way. Shooting from the outside was an option, but the Whitecaps were quick to react and blocked most of these shots.

The referee was up and down all match with some questionable calls, but no way affected the result. Both sides deserved the 0-0 draw for just sitting back until the 90 minutes expired.

With the scoreless draw, the Montreal Impact have the slight advantage knowing a win or a draw with goals will see them hoist the championship. Vancouver on the other hand has hometown support at BC Place and just need a win to become Canadian champions. Another 0-0 draw will force extra time and potentially penalty kicks.

Montreal Impact lineup
30 Bush                            
17 Iapichino                                                
6 Camara 
13 Ferrari                        
5 Brovsky  
15 Romero                                    
18 Warner                                                      
8 Bernier
21 Mapp                              
9 Di Vaio 
33 Wenger

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Lineup
18 Knighton  
2 Harvey  
16 Leveron  
40 O'Brien  
13 Reo-Coker 
3 Rusin 
4 Rochat
8 Watson 
28 Koffie  
31 Teibert 
11 Mattocks

Substitutions: (62) Felipe in for Warner; (65) Hertzog in for Mattocks; (72) Smith in for Romero; (79) Hurtado in for Rochat; (81) Ubiparipovic in for Wenger

The Case for Toronto: National Women�s Soccer League Expansion

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:12:00 EDT

Rumors from the twitter account of Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl have recently sparked conversations about possible NWSL expansion markets for the 2014 season. Wahl mentioned two specific markets in a tweet on April 14th that may be of interest to Canadian soccer fans: Vancouver and Toronto.

Hearing Vancouver and Toronto are 2 MLS ownership groups interested in owning NWSL teams next year.
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) April 14, 2013

At first glance, Vancouver seems like the more likely market, given the history of Whitecaps W-League success. However, upon further inspection, it seems as though Toronto’s reasons to get involved in the NWSL far outnumber the reasons to not. Here’s why:

Affiliation with MLS’ TFC and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment

Wahl’s tweet gives outstanding evidence that if Toronto were to get involved in the NWSL, it would be through a partnership with MLS ownership, which in Toronto’s case, is Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment Ltd. MLSE is one of the most successful sports ownership companies in the world, boasting the Toronto Maple Leafs, NHL’s most valuable team, Toronto FC, valued in 2008 as MLS’ second most valuable team, NBA’s Toronto Raptors, and the AHL Toronto Marlies. The resources for a potential women’s team are present, and it seems as though pursuing a women’s program could be a natural progression for MLSE.

Sure, TFC has not been the beacon of success Toronto fans have yearned for since their 2007 MLS debut, and recent late game mishaps and overall poor performances have left TFC supporters with no option but to bang their heads against the wall. But, the reality is, Toronto soccer fans are still in abundance.

The only partnership that currently exists between the NWSL and MLS is the Portland Thorns and Portland Timbers, who are both owned by Merritt Paulson and play out of Jeld-Wen Field. An attendance figure of 16,479 at Portland’s first home game, including a reported 7000 season ticket holders, and the best live internet stream production of the league’s eight teams shows how important this partnership can be.

If NWSL teams are going to fail, it will be because attendances are too low for sustainability. An already in place and accessible MLS fan base, as well as increased marketing dollars and effort, can prevent this attendance failure from happening.

Riding on the CanWNT’s Popularity

The recent attention post Olympic bronze medal for the Canadian Women’s National Team would undoubtedly help a Canadian NWSL team succeed. Many people would not only pay to support a Toronto team weekly, but also to see the many Canadian stars travel to town to compete against the hometown team.

Looking more locally, you will find that there are currently eight Canadians playing in the NWSL that have hometowns in the Greater Toronto Area, arguably the strongest area for youth soccer in Canada. If the former youth clubs of these GTA players are engaged and specifically marketed to, this could bring a significant increase in attendance to a potential Toronto NWSL team.

If a Toronto team were able to attract a fraction of the more than twenty thousand fans expected for the international “rematch” against the United States in Toronto in early June, a pro team could thrive on a weekly basis.

Stadium Options

Depending on targeted attendance figures, there are a few stadiums in Toronto that would be suitable for a women’s team. Following in Portland’s footsteps, a women’s team could play right where their MLS counterpart plays, at BMO field. BMO field is one of the best soccer specific venues in North America, and would be perfect for targeted attendances of 10,000 and upward. Additionally, playing on a natural grass surface like the one at BMO Field is proving to be a decisive factor in attracting players, something an expansion team would need to put significant effort into doing. In fact, USWNT defender Kelley O’Hara mentioned in an interview in April that when deciding which teams to rank the highest on her allocation selection list, she chose New Jersey’s Sky Blue FC specifically because it is one of three current NWSL stadiums with a natural grass surface.

However, if owners think BMO stadium would be too expensive to operate, or the atmosphere would lack due to emptiness, University of Toronto’s Varsity Stadium could prove to be a suitable alternative for a maximum crowd of 5000. Varsity Stadium’s artificial turf is FIFA 2 star certified, and if supporters (and players) could get over the football lines and quicker paced play due to the turf, this venue could provide a more intimate setting, especially if capacity crowds are reached.

Regardless of which of these two stadiums would be chosen, both are very readily accessible to the Greater Toronto Area, something that cannot be said about certain NWSL venues already being used. Chicago’s stadium at Benedictine University, for example, is actually an hour away from parts of the Chicago metropolitan area, and with no reliable public transportation to and from these areas, the Chicago Red Stars have recorded among the lowest attendance figures so far in the league.

North Americans Playing in Europe will return to the NWSL

Concerns that adding additional teams may dilute the level of play for future NWSL seasons have arisen, however the likelihood that many European based players will to return to play in North America in 2014 means a performance drop is very unlikely to occur. Currently, Canadians Stephanie Labbé, Christina Julien, and Marie-Eve Nault play overseas, and it is likely they would want to play in the NWSL if the opportunity arose.

In addition, there are many American women playing abroad, including USWNT striker Christen Press, midfielder Yael Averbuch and defenders Whitney Engen and Meghan Klingenberg. All four Americans have been regulars in the USWNT player pool in recent years, and if they choose to come home to play, their salaries would likely be paid by US Soccer. In a tweet last December, Averbuch mentioned her desire to return to the NWSL when her 2013 contract at Sweden’s Göteborg FC ends:

Personally, my contract in Sweden is through the 2013 season. I would love to come back and play in the U.S. after that #WSoccerChat
— Yael Averbuch (@Yael_Averbuch) December 12, 2012

If Toronto were to join the NWSL, they would likely receive some of these players, which would be a solid foundation on which to build a team of additional free agents and college draft picks.

Proximity to the Western New York Flash

The proximity of Toronto to Rochester’s WNY Flash alone is enough to create a new and exciting rivalry in the league. Just two and a half hours from Toronto to Rochester, these teams would geographically be the two closest NWSL teams, even closer than the pre-existing Cascadian duo of Portland and Seattle. Rivalries create excitement and supporter loyalty: all positives when considering a new sports market.

Tattica: Matias Laba and the role of the modern holding midfielder

Wed, 15 May 2013 08:29:00 EDT

Toronto FC have now signed their first Young Designated Player in Argentine defensive midfielder Matias Laba. A classic holding midfielder is required to be a good ball winner, a tackler, strong in the middle of the pitch and someone who does not get too far forward to help attack. At least, that is the traditional description of the position on paper. However, what are the modern requirements for a central holding midfielder like Matias Laba in 2013?

RedNation Roundtable: Canadian Championship final predictions

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:34:00 EDT

The Voyageurs Cup final kicks off on Wednesday night with the first leg in Montreal with the Whitecaps and the Impact facing off to earn the title of Canadian Champions and the right to represent Canada in the 2013-2014 CONCACAF Champions League.

In this RNO roundtable the discussion, RedNation contributors from across Canada provide their thoughts on predictions for the final round of the competition.

Ian Clarke:

The good news for this match-up is the Vancouver Whitecaps, or should I say Russell Teibert, have now made it interesting after the 3-1 victory over the LA Galaxy on Saturday. Before this weekend, I would have probably been heavily leaning towards Montreal, based mostly on their consistency this year, but also given that they've looked more balanced from back to front in their line-up.

My only question is how serious Rennie and Schallibaum (or Saputo) will be taking these two legs and if we'll see squad rotation exercised or will the best players available be fielded? Vancouver, to me, are still a good-looking team on paper, and right now I'd say the midfield is an even battle with Teibert, Reo-Coker, Kobayashi and Koffie the names I like for the 'Caps, while Bernier, Felipe, Arnaud and Mapp have all been good as well. Both sets of defenders have their highs and lows, while between the posts are two experienced keepers who I think are pretty equal.

Really what the difference in the two teams for me is up top, and if Schallibaum wants to go for it and plays Di Vaio, I think that will be the difference. Vancouver's main problem for me this year is that they did not adequately upgrade their scoring options, and even though Montreal's are essentially the same, an in-form Di Vaio is the best option for both teams and a player who I could see making the difference in Montreal going through to the Champions League. The only reservation about this pick is that I don't think Montreal will put their best foot forward in the tournament, as with their most high profile players in their mid-30s, I question how interested they are in an additional 6+ mid-week games this season.

Prediction: Montreal

Jake Vendramin:

This is a hard matchup to predict because the Whitecaps and Impact have only met once in MLS play. That match was back in 2012 on MLS Firstkick when the Caps came out 2-0 winners over the league's brand new Montreal side. This past weekend we saw a much different Vancouver side which surprisingly beat the reigning MLS champions LA Galaxy 3-1. Before that performance I probably would have written the Caps off for this final, but now I have a renewed confidence in the side. I suspect this two-legged final will be extremely tight and could be decided by slim margins of one or two goals. The Whitecaps will likely have some troubles in the away leg at Stade Saputo but the second leg at BC Place will be much easier with the immense support of the fans.

Prediction: Vancouver Whitecaps

Kamal Hylton:

Initially when the Canadian Championship began my thought process led me to the Vancouver Whitecaps being favorites to lift the Voyageurs Cup but watching both teams throughout in the semifinals and during league play it has now become clear to me that it's Montreal Impact's tournament to lose.

Coach Marco Schällibaum has his charges playing well even through key injuries to Alessandro Nesta, Daniele Papoli and Andrea Pisanu and has got his squad rotation policy down pat.

Unlike the Whitecaps who are struggling for form and who lack a settled core group due to coach Martin Rennie's constant chopping and changing. While Vancouver have seen players like Daigo Kobayashi, Darren Mattocks, Lee Young-Pyo and Alain Rochat seriously underperform, the same can't be said of the Impact.

Even with a good amount of squad rotation, the switch to a 4-4-2 formation from the 4-1-4-1 formation that began the season has been fairly seamless and has seen two players excel by leaps and bounds. Both Justin Mapp and Andres Romero have improved immensely over the last few games and their creativity, pace and movement will be key to providing the likes of Marco Di Vaio and Andrew Wenger quality service.

Prediction: Montreal Impact

Steve Bottjer:

The Canadian Championship has always been a somewhat unpredictable competition. Based on recent form, Montreal are heavy favorites heading into the final. Vancouver looked great in defeating the Galaxy on the weekend, but the Impact have simply been more consistent, cohesive and defensively solid over a much larger sample size. Recent performances by Justin Mapp, Andres Romero and Andrew Wenger give Montreal plenty of scoring options in addition to a cold blooded killer striker like Marco Di Vaio. All of that said, given the past nature of this tournament, I’m going against the grain by predicting a Whitecaps win with Nigel Reo-Coker and Russell Teibert leading the way over the two legs.

Prediction: Vancouver Whitecaps

TFC aiming to set up affiliate team in USL Pro

Mon, 13 May 2013 20:14:00 EDT

With a number of Toronto’s talented young players struggling to find consistent playing time under Head Coach Ryan Nelsen, it appears that TFC is actively looking for a solution to the issue of more quality playing opportunities for the team's not quite ready for prime time blue chip prospects.

TFC President & General Manager Kevin Payne met with members of the media on Monday and one of the items that was discussed centered on whether Toronto might follow Vancouver’s lead in loaning out some of the team’s younger players to a lower level club.

“We’re going to try that. Right now it may be a challenge for us to do that,” Payne said. “I actually was the biggest proponent in the league of these relationships with teams from the USL. It hasn’t been structured exactly the way I thought it would. We’re going to be looking at creating a full time relationship with a club for next year. I think next year we will probably opt out of the league reserve league and instead try to get games for our younger players that way.”

Back in January, the MLS and USL announced that the MLS Reserve League would begin integration into the USL Pro schedule this year as part of a still developing relationship between the two entities, with clubs having various options with respect to their participation in the program and various degrees with regard to how closely two could sides could integrate with each other.

Payne admitted today that he not only sees Toronto exiting from participation in the MLS Reserve League, but also moving towards a model closer to that which professional baseball and hockey teams have with minor league teams.

“In the future we will probably have the option of playing in the reserve league or having a relationship with a minor league team. It would be a little bit more like what the Leafs do with Marlies or a minor league baseball relationship, like a farm team where the players get better games. They are under the lights, the games mean something and there are fans in the stands. The reserve league games are a good exercise but they are a little bit artificial,” Payne said. “The team would play in the USL1. There is already a relationship in place that has been announced between the league and USL1. We are playing a game this year against a USL1 team. But I think in the future we are probably going to look to have a deeper relationship with somebody in that league.”

“We would have an affiliation with a team in another city and we would send players there. Some would be sent for the whole season and some would be sent with the ability to be recalled, almost like a two-way contract in hockey. We would look to take those players up when necessary, but we really want those guys to get consistent 90 minute games,” Payne added.

According to Payne, the new model is still at the planning stages, as he and his team work to develop a relationship that is fundamentally focused on serving the needs of the young players on Toronto’s roster.

“It takes some time to set that up and to make it worthwhile, because you really want the technical staff at the team to be playing the same way that your team plays. And you want them playing your players in the right positions and want them playing your players even if they might have an older guy that gives them a better opportunity to win on the weekend,” Payne added. “They have to accept that the purpose of it is to get your players to be better. It takes a little bit of time to set that up and we are probably going to have to make some type of capital commitment to that team in order for that to happen.”

Mother's Day at East Side Stand Up!

Sun, 12 May 2013 23:44:00 EDT

Mother's Day at East Side Stand Up! By Paul Marhue.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 LA Galaxy

Sun, 12 May 2013 22:54:00 EDT

The Whitecaps finally won an MLS match after what was a two month and two day long winless streak in league play. Their third victory of the season surprisingly came over the two time reigning MLS champions LA Galaxy. The final scoreline was 3-1 for the Caps thanks to a brace from Russell Teibert and also a long awaited goal from Darren Mattocks.

The Good
Improvement of major issues and persistence.

As many know, the Whitecaps have had some trouble both defensively and offensively this 2013 season. On the defensive side of things, the Caps have had the most trouble with crosses and set pieces coming into the box. This time against the Galaxy, Vancouver defended much better than in previous matches. It is quite the task to hold LA to only one goal with all the talent they have in their side. On the attacking side of the Whitecaps game, there was an even bigger improvement with three goals against a team that they have only ever scored 3 times against in the past. Russell Teibert showed what he is capable of by making numerous cuts into the LA box to take shots. Credit should also be given to Darren Mattocks who finally snapped his goal drought with Vancouver's third goal of the game.

The Caps showed extreme persistence in this game and never backed down despite the fact they were playing stiff competition in the Galaxy. As soon as Teibert netted the first goal, that sparked the Whitecaps to keep pushing for another. When LA pulled one back, many became nervous of what seemed to be an almost inevitable impending comeback from the 2012 MLS champions. The Whitecaps continued to push and finally Mattocks scored his second goal of the season which ended up being the tonic the Whitecaps needed.

The Bad
Slow start.

The Whitecaps had another slow start to this game but luckily they pulled through in the second 45. The Caps must start to score in the first half because solely depending on scoring in the second is not a reliable option. The last time Vancouver scored in the opening half of an MLS match was way back in their match against the Dynamo a month and a half ago, coincidently the last time Mattocks scored before this match against LA. The Whitecaps must learn to perform for the full 90, meaning they have to start the game strong, and finish it strong too.

The Ugly
Moments of lost focus.

Something the Whitecaps must try to avoid in situations where they have a narrow lead is losing focus and getting cocky, especially against teams like the Galaxy. When they gained the 2-0 advantage, it seemed to spark LA and they eventually pulled themselves back into the game via the head of Gyasi Zardes. Branching off of the persistence point, the Caps must not lose focus and allow teams to get back into the game. Like they say, a 2-0 lead is the worst lead to have, and the Whitecaps should not have conceded that goal.

Impact steal all three points with late Ferrari goal

Sun, 12 May 2013 11:11:00 EDT

Montreal Impact 3 – 2 Real Salt Lake

The Prelude to Battle
The Montreal Impact returned home to host Real Salt Lake on Saturday afternoon at Saputo Stadium. The Impact got one point from six on their recent two match road trip and were looking to get back to winning ways.

Montreal came into this match with a midweek loss to New York at Red Bull Arena and a 2-2 draw last Saturday against San Jose. Almost near the end of a jammed schedule, head coach Marco Schällibaum made two changes to his lineup. Marco Di Vaio and Maxim Tissot were brought in to lineup, replacing Sanna Nyassi and Dennis Iapichino.

Real Salt Lake arrived in Montreal on a two match winning streak after defeating the New England Revolution 2-1 on the road on Wednesday. Head coach Jason Kreis made four changes to his lineup, keeping his 4-1-2-1-2 formation intact.

The Opening 45
The visitors grabbed an early lead following a fortunate turn of events. In the seventh minute, Lovel Palmer's centering ball from 30 yards out took a huge deflection off Matteo Ferrari and floated over Impact keeper Troy Perkins.

In the 15th minute, the visitors should have gone two-nil up. A cross from the flank rolled across the face of goal to a wide open Olmes García. His side-footed effort was stopped by a good reaction save from Perkins.

The Impact had a similar chance in the 31st minute when Andrew Wenger sent a low cross inside the box. The ball rolled past everyone at the near post and found Di Vaio near penalty spot. The Italian could not guide the ball in, instead missing well over the bar.

Seven minutes later, the match was levelled. Jeb Brovsky dribbled untouched through the middle of the pitch and hit Justin Mapp on the right with a good through ball. Mapp delivered a low ball that was met by a sliding Felipe to even the score.

The lively first half ended tied, 1-1, going into halftime.


	Disappointed in Montreal media how coverage of #Habs cleaning out their lockeroom is more important than a #IMFC 3-2 come from behind win. - ‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‪‎‏@@514_FC

The Second Half
The fast paced play continued after the restart. Real Salt Lake stepped on the gas and had two decent opportunities inside the first five minutes.

The Impact had a chance of their own in the 50th minute. A quick break forward left Wenger with space down the right side. However, he cut in and rolled a shot right at RSL keeper Nick Rimando.

Both sides continued to go back and forth. The Impact looked a little more threatening when going forward, but couldn't muster any good chance.

In the 77th minute, the deadlock was broken. Off a Salt Lake corner kick, García flicked on the ball from the near post. It landed in the middle of the box, unable to be cleared, when Kyle Beckerman got a hold of it and fired into the corner of the goal.

Three minutes later, the Impact equalized for a second time. Tissot cut in from the left flank and sent a strong pass to Wenger. With his back towards goal, Wenger flicked a ball through two defenders to Di Vaio. With a little help from the assistant referee, the flagged stayed down and Di Vaio tucked home the ball off the post and in.

In the 85th minute, the visitors could have taken the lead once again. Seconds after coming on as a substitute, Javier Morales sent former TFC man Joao Plata in alone on goal. Plata fired his shot straight at Perkins who charged out perfectly to make the massive stop.

The miss proved to be costly. Three minutes into stoppage time, Salt Lake failed to clear a Montreal corner to the near post. The ball bounced right to Ferrari alone atop the six-yard-box. Ferrari made up for his earlier own goal by sending the ball right past Rimando and into the goal. There was no time to reply. The stoppage time goal was enough for Montreal to secure the win.

Post-Match Reaction
"I like my team because they never give up," said head coach Marco Schällibaum. "Today we played against a very good team. This willingness shows they [Montreal's players] can play good football. They also have a lot of character and it showed today again. Of course, it's a little bit lucky when you score in the last minute."

"We showed a lot of determination and character coming back from behind twice," said Patrice Bernier.

"I feel more comfortable, but don't feel comfortable at 100 percent like when I was with the Academy," said Maxim Tissot. "But, it will all come with experience."

"It was not an easy week for me," said Matteo Ferrari. "After the bicycle kick from Henry and the own goal, it wasn't easy. But, I had a good answer at the end. We had character today because they scored twice, but we came back and the win was very important for us."

"We have to give a lot of credit to Troy [Perkins]," said Jeb Brovsky. "Troy saved our butts at the end of the game. That's what you need in a great goalkeeper. He kept us in it and obviously we got three points because of him."

"They play centrally and were strong down the middle," said Felipe. "It was very important to be just as strong and beat their center midfielders. We were able to do this and we got the win."

"I am very happy for him [Matteo Ferrari]," Felipe said jokingly. "After three years, he finally scored a goal. His last one was with Roma."

Final Word: The Impact were resilient, strong defensively and made the most of their chances.
This match was a back and forth affair from the first whistle until the last. Real Salt Lake came out strong in the early moments of the contest and managed to find themselves up a goal after the seventh minute.

Despite conceding early, the Impact still seemed to be one pace behind their opponents. Salt Lake didn't sit back on their lead, even if they were on the road. Instead, they almost and should have scored again in the 15th minute.

Had they scored, this would have been a much different match. Up until that point, the Impact seemed tired and were playing at a slow pace. Transition from the back to the front, and vice-versa, was way too sluggish. Real Salt Lake capitalized on this by counter attacking through the wings.

As the match progressed, Montreal got back into to it. The back line sharpened up and was tough to beat for the remainder of the match. The midfield that tightened up is got Montreal back into the game.

Patrice Bernier did a fantastic job breaking up plays and quickly playing the ball forward. Felipe was great on the ball and made good decisions. Montreal had initial troubles on the flanks. Andrés Romero and Mapp took a while get going. Besides his assist that resulted in Felipe's goal, Mapp gave the ball away too many times. Romero also had a tough time in this one.

This was by far the best match for the Di Vaio and Wenger partnership. These two usually cannot connect well when it comes to reading each other's actions. However in this match, both did a good job. Wenger found Di Vaio when he had to and Di Vaio did the same. Wenger is getting more and more confident and it's easy to see based on his latest performances.

Besides the two slip ups that led to both Salt Lake goals, Montreal's back line was particularly strong. All four members were extremely solid and did well under pressure. Perkins was the game saver, denying what should have been clear goals for Salt Lake.

The word character kept coming up in Schällibaum and the rest of the squad's post-match comments. The Impact definitely showed its strong character in this one. Coming back from behind to win is tough, but to do it twice deserves something even more.

Montreal Impact Line-up
1 Perkins
51 Tissot
13 Ferrari
6 Camara
5 Brovsky
15 Romero
7 Felipe
8 Bernier
21 Mapp
9 Di Vaio
33 Wenger

Substitutions: (73) Smith in for Romero; (86) Nyassi in for Mapp; (88) Warner in for Felipe

Countdown: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Los Angeles Galaxy

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:38:00 EDT

First Thoughts
The Whitecaps have not had the best form of late and they will look to turn that all around this weekend against the LA Galaxy.

These two sides have met a total of 6 times in MLS regular season and playoff matches. History does not bode well for the Caps in this matchup though, as they are yet to defeat the Galaxy since they joined the league in 2011. Throughout those 6 matches, Vancouver have surrendered a massive 14 goals against while only scoring 3.

The last time the Whitecaps encountered the Galaxy was in the first round of the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs at the Home Depot Center. Los Angeles won that tie 2-1 despite the Caps taking the early lead courtesy of Darren Mattocks.

Keep Thinking
In the Whitecaps' last match, they took on Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium and, to say the least, it did not go to plan. Vancouver fell 2-0 to RSL in a game that saw one of the most disappointing performances so far this season. The Galaxy are also coming off a defeat as they fell 1-0 to the Houston Dynamo in what was a rematch of the 2011 and 2012 MLS Cup final.

Vancouver must be well aware of the attacking talents in the Galaxy squad come Saturday. With the likes of Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan and Mike Magee, the Caps' backline must be at its very best. The Whitecaps have an extremely poor defensive record against Los Angeles with the amount of goals they have conceded in past years. With the poor form they have been showing recently, this is sure to be one of the most challenging matches of the season thus far.

The Galaxy have a few things to watch out for as well, despite how poorly the Caps have been playing of late. Vancouver have some incredibly speedy players in their side, such Darren Mattocks, Camilo and Kekuta Manneh. LA must be ready to handle their pace at any given moment. Another thing they should be prepared for is the physicality of Nigel Reo-Coker in the centre of the park. Reo-Coker is definitely not afraid to get stuck in and take a few guys out if necessary, as we have seen numerous times in past games.

In The End
The Whitecaps are back at home this time around but unfortunately that alone will not be enough to give them the victory over a team like the Galaxy. Taking into account their poor record against LA and the amount of goals they have let in since 2011, expect the Galaxy to get the victory on this day.

Prediction
Vancouver Whitecaps 0 – Los Angeles Galaxy 3

XI out of 10: Toronto FC vs San Jose Earthquakes

Fri, 10 May 2013 09:47:00 EDT

Toronto FC 1 – 2 San Jose Earthquakes

It should not come as a surprise anymore, but the growing pains of another transition at Toronto FC has reared it's ugly head as the team settles into it's rightful place, and that is near the bottom of the league. Another late goal lead to a 2-1 road loss in San Jose, and while it might be easy to dismiss the result as when the goals were scored, it does not tell the entire story or point to where or how to remedy these issues.

Most glaringly in this game, was a team who may have physically left the dressing room at the half, but mentally was nowhere to be seen. After leading 1-0 after forty-five minutes, and actually looking competitive for most of that time, TFC's opponents came out in the second half, were offered almost no resistance and the Reds had no ideas how to deliver anything worthwhile moving forward.

Fingers can be pointed at many players who had a good first half of the match, and dropped off in the second. Robert Earnshaw, Justin Braun, Matias Laba, and Luis Silva, all looked disorganized and lost for the remainder of the game. Even Doneil Henry who was constantly praised by the telecast, showed he might be a physical specimen but his decision-making leaves much to be desired.

Henry specifically is an interesting case as he has all the tools to be a good defender in the league. The main issue is he desperately needs experience, and right now that will only come at TFC, and likely through him struggling to do well against much better opposition. Ryan Nelsen has a difficult choice to make, and Toronto would be wise to partner with a USL/NASL side sooner rather than later, as a potentially talented player might slip through the cracks. The team might not have the patience to go through a season remaining firmly at the bottom of the table, and push aside mid-to-long term development for short term results.

The team now has ten days to reorganize and get refocused and we already know three new players have come in on loan to join recent signing Matias Laba. The revolving door supporters saw in 2011 has returned as Nelsen et al will likely spend most of the year retooling the roster. However, alot must be said for stability and until the team settles in on a direction player-wise, will likely continue to drop points as the transition continues.

The key to the ratings, as seems to be the logic on a scale of 1-10, is not to view it as a “grade”, as in a 6 would be a 60 or a C. The formula is that each player begins the game with a 5 and is the equilibrium from which their performance either improves or degrades moving in increments of .5.

Here is the breakdown of the starting XI:

Joe Bendik 4.5
It was a tough night for Bendik, who started the game brightly with a great save off of Wondolowski's headed ball back post, however as the game wore on, his performance was marred by very poor distribution and an unreliable group of defenders in front of him. It has been noted for a few games now, but the keeper's passing could have helped with his team who were desperate for possession, and countless balls were wasted, and turnovers created, all through the game.

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Logan Emory 4.5
The match-up with Chavez was always going to be tough for Emory, and for the most part he was able to get stuck in and battle, but the Honduran probably had the edge on him this night. While Emory continues to bring a great work ethic and fight, his technique defending still needs work, as even though he was covering distance to help out, he was completely undone on Adam Jahn's opening goal.

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Darren O'Dea 6
Perhaps the only player who put in a consistent 90 minutes. It wasn't flashy from O'Dea but he was able to get most everything that came his way well out of the 18-yard box, and now in two consecutive games has done well off a free kick, delivering a nicely weighted ball onto Henry's head that lead to the opening goal.

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Doneil Henry 5
While he had his moments, the reviews of Henry throughout the telecast were unbalanced and often overlooked some glaring issues the defender brought to the match. While he did have positives on the night, most notably battling to win the header that lead to Braun's goal, the young centreback continues to struggle defensively. Yes, he closed down on Wondolowski's open shot from the top of the 18-yard box, however, it was Henry who kicked the ball directly to a San Jose player who in turn slotted it right onto the striker's feet. The goal from Jahn as well was immediately after Henry's errant ball/pass was sent out for touch, and instead of sending it downfield to clear the zone and reset, put it right out on the side and a quick throw in had him far out of position to mark who would have been his man. All the physical tools and advantages are there to see - he's strong, athletic, great aerial ability, he just needs experience and more games under his belt to improve his positioning and decision making.

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Ryan Richter 5
Perhaps it was because there were a few more glaring episodes on the back line, or a second half where really no one stood out in a positive way, but Richter at least was not on hand for any 1v1 lost battles and was a bit better on the overlap and sending in balls to Earnshaw.

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Matias Laba 5
A tale of two halves for Laba, who picked up where he left off in his inaugural game for TFC looking solid in front of the defence winning balls back, anticipating passing lanes and physically going at the opposition. However in the second half his performance dropped of noticeably, and perhaps it is a period of adjustment needed, but it was not a very good final forty-five for the Argentine who looked a bit lost at both ends of the field.

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Jeremy Hall 5.5
Much like the Colorado game, it wasn't as influential outing as we've seen from Hall, notably against Houston and New York, but still another steady display in the midfield. A few errant passes here and there, but also some nice ones upfield to keep his completion rate looking good, Hall was one of the few who did not completely disappear in this game.

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Reggie Lambe 5
He had a few flashes of possession and what we know he can deliver, but once again, especially in a second half where the attack was virtually invisible, Lambe just didn't deliver anything of note.

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Luis Silva 5.5
Pushed out wide, where many would probably prefer not to see the sophomore attacking midfielder, Silva did well through the opening half and looked for form a decent partner ship with Laba as both players were strong at reading passes and dispossessing the San Jose midfield. However, as is the case throughout the team in the second half, did not follow it up in the final forty-five with anything meaningful.

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Justin Braun 6
Really the only option up top when TFC regresses to the one-dimensional approach of sending long balls downfield as he's willing to fight for everything and do quite well holding up the ball. His goal was a testament to his work ethic and determination, which is clearly his biggest asset, because as seen through the second half there are other areas of his game such as maintaining possession and passing that still need some work.

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Robert Earnshaw 5
As Earnshaw struggles, so does Toronto FC. There is no question a definite link between the early season results, his ability to finish and him now going cold when in good scoring positions. They've all gone hand in hand and with truly only one goal that was set up from open play (against Philadelphia) one is beginning to wonder what it will take to get Earnshaw back on track. The long ball is not helping the situation and with few chances happening along the ground it is a huge question mark what will need to happen to get him scoring again.

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