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Miller says Gold Cup job still up in the air: FCE players may get added to Canada roster

Steven Sandor — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:50:40 +0000

Colin Miller

When it comes to the 2013 Gold Cup, no one at the Canadian Soccer Association has yet approached Colin Miller to see if he’d be interested in the job.

Miller, the interim coach of the men’s national team, will steer FC Edmonton for this Sunday’s key NASL match against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, then lead Canada in next Tuesday’s friendly against Costa Rica at Commonwealth Stadium. On Thursday, the Canadian roster, selected by CSA technical director Tony Fonseca, was released.

But, with each week that goes by, the Gold Cup gets closer. It kicks off July 7 and wraps up on the 28th. Conveniently, the NASL takes almost all of July off — and Miller could have the time on his hands.

Miller was emphatic that no one has brought up the Gold Cup to him yet — saying “we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” But he did state that it is his ambition to one day coach the national team full-time.

The first group of players — maybe eight in total, will begin training Friday. The last player to come in to camp will be Edmonton’s own Tosaint Ricketts, who isn’t expected to complete his journey from Norway until a day before the game.

And that group could still be joined by Eddies. While there were no Rabbits on the initial roster, Miller said “that it may still be the case” that some of his club players will play for the country. He said one or two FCE players could draw in based on injuries.

If you’re a betting man, you’d assume that those FCE players up for nomination would be midfielder Shaun Saiko, fullback Edson Edward or striker Michael Cox. All have been regular starters for the Eddies this season. But Miller wouldn’t confirm which players he was thinking about. Obviously, being coach of both club and country, it isn’t an easy political situation for the gaffer.

Ricketts and Eintracht Braunschweig striker Randy Edwini-Bonsu will both have the chance to play in front of their hometown crowd.

“I think it’s exciting that a player can go back home and get to play with the national team,” Miller said of the Edmontonians. “It’s real thrill and honour.”

Four Toronto FC players, including Jonathan Osorio — in line for his first cap — were named to the roster. But, after that, MLS participation is thin. Vancouver Whitecaps’ third keeper Simon Thomas was made available, as was San Jose defender Nana Attakora.

With midweek U.S. Open Cup games, and the second leg of the Amway Canadian Championship final between Vancouver and Montreal set for May 29, most of the MLS clubs said no to Canada. D.C. United didn’t release Dejan Jakovic, Kyle Porter or Dwayne De Rosario. Portland said no to releasing Will Johnson.

In the conference, Miller said he wanted Porter on the team, a far cry from the last time he spoke about the attacking midfielder, when he suggested that the player’s attitude needed an improvement. Miller praised Porter’s hard work for getting him into an MLS side.

But Miller said the CSA didn’t want to push the MLS teams.

“We want to build a bit of a relationship with the clubs, rather than ticking them off.”

Dos Santos returns to NASL: Named new Ottawa Fury FC coach

Steven Sandor — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:36:24 +0000

Marc Dos Santos

Ex-Montreal Impact boss Marc Dos Santos is ending his two year-stint in Brazil and will return to the NASL.

On Thursday, Ottawa Fury FC President John Pugh announced that Dos Santos would be returning home to become the team’s head coach for its inaugural season in NASL.

Dos Santos coached the Impact youth side, was the senior team’s assistant coach when it reached the quarters of the CONCACAF Champions League, then coached the team to a Division-2 title. But, in the Impact’s final NASL season (2011), he cough, cough resigned when the team got off to a poor start and, eventually, missed the playoffs.

But, as a youth coach in Brazil, he made his way to the famed Palmeiras club — and earned a lot of respect.

Yet, there was a strain on his family. His wife is from Montreal. And the challenge of taking on an NASL expansion team — in Canada — was too much to resist. And, after meeting with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group owners, he knew what his answer would be. With a PDL program already in place, he felt there was a commitment to win.

“I need tough challenges in my life,” Dos Santos said from Sao Paulo in a teleconference. “My family is used to it. When I first spoke with John it was clear that this was a big challenge.”

With just seven international slots, he knows that Canadians and Americans will make up the bulk of the Fury’s roster. But he said he won’t accept mediocrity.

“I’m extremely competitive, I’m extremely ambitious,” “In my head, I know in an expansion year there’s not a lot of pressure to be super-good. But I put that pressure on myself.

“At the Impact, I learned that yesterday doesn’t count, tomorrow doesn’t count, only the next game matters.”

Pugh said that it was clear that Dos Santos — who speaks Spanish, Portuguese, French and English — was the best man for the job.

“We are delighted to have a coach with a winning culture who has already had success in NASL,” he said.

And, if one day the Fury would meet the Impact in the Amway Canadian Championship, a tasty subplot is just waiting to be written.

Quon’s stunning switch highlights Canada roster for June 2 BMO friendly

Steven Sandor — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:38:29 +0000

Rachel Quon

For months, Canadian national team coach John Herdman has been lamenting the women’s national team’s lack of wing players, and how he needs to find young players who can bring width to the side.

Enter Rachel Quon. In what has to be described as a surprising, maybe even a shocking switch, the former U.S. national team prospect is changing shirts. Quon, ironically, could be set to make her Canada debut in June 2‘s friendly against the U.S. at BMO Field — pending FIFA approval. On Wednesday, she was named to the roster for that June 2 game.

Quon, a fullback, was a standout with Stanford University, a regular for the Chicago Red Stars, played for the Americans at the U-20 World Cup in 2010, and started every game for the U.S. that same year at the CONCACAF U-20 Championships. She has been part of the U.S. national-team program since she was 14. She was born in Illinois. On the surface, you’d find nothing that links her to Canada.

“I am hoping that she can give us that little something different in the fullback position,” said Herdman in a conference call.

The Canadian Soccer Association is now working with FIFA to ensure that Quon is eligible to play. Herdman said that a national coach needs to invite a player to camp before the FIFA process can begin.

“We’re expecting a favourable outcome, we’ll have our fingers crossed,” said Herdman.

The process began last year, when Quon was still at Stanford. U20 national coach Andrew Olivieri had been scouting American prospects who might be available for Canada, and Quon does have a family connection to this country. She was approached, but injuries delayed a decision. She has started every one of the Chicago Red Stars’ games so far this season.

So, for Quon to put on a Canada shirt represents a major change.

If Quon does impress Herdman to the point where he decides to make her part of the national-team set-up, a discussion on whether or not the Canadian Soccer Association would have make her part of the 16 NWSL players whose salaries are paid by it wouldn’t come till the end of the seasoon.

Herdman said that it is “really a bit of a trial for Rachel,” and that the next couple of months will determine whether or not she becomes a regular part of the Canadian team.

And, just like Canada plucked defender Lauren Sesselmann from the American talent pool, Quon is definitely a case of cherry-picking talent. And, it makes it a lot harder for Canadian fans to hold a moral high ground if they choose to boo Sydney Leroux, who switched from Canada to the United States.

Herdman said he hopes that Canada won’t have to resort to plucking talent from other countries in the future; that the talent base within this country’s borders will supply the national program with all it needs.

“Our talent pool, our population base, is bigger than most of the countries we’re playing.”

As well, to shore up the fullback position, Finnish-Canadian dual citizen Kylla Sjoman, who played for the Ottawa Fury six years ago, has been named to the squad. If she plays at left back, it will mark only her second cap for Canada.

As well, forward Melissa Tancredi returns to the squad after taking off the better part of the year to focus on her education. Tancredi is a physical presence who will create space for all-time leading scorer Christine Sinclair up top. And, well, to be blunt, Tancredi’s physical game drives the Americans nuts.

“Melissa will bring in that real tenacity and toughness; she really relishes these kind of games,” said Herdman.

Canadian striker Jonelle Filigno was called to the squad but had to drop out due to family reasons. Herdman may bring in a replacement player.

NYCFC announcement leaves more questions than answers — and that’s good for MLS

Steven Sandor — Wed, 22 May 2013 06:24:29 +0000

MLS showed some media mastery in announcing the new New York City FC franchise Tuesday. By leaving us with as more questions than could possibly be answered in a conference call, the league has ensured that columnists and bloggers — even ones that don’t regularly cover soccer — will write the kind of speculative articles that every league PR person publicly berates but secretly loves.

That’s because these sort of speculative articles keep the new franchise in the hearts and minds of New Yorkers — and that’s important, because the new team will start play in 2015 in a temporary venue, while it searches for a home.

So many questions:

What will NYCFC mean for the Red Bulls? Commissioner Don Garber said he hoped it would stoke a fierce rivalry in a city of 19 million. But it’s not like NYCFC is coming in as an upstart, looking to knock off a team with lots of history and trophies. What NYCFC is competing with is a team that doesn’t sell out its soccer palace that you’ll find out on the train to Newark Airport, a team that’s name is a brand, a team that’s devoid of championships.

We could argue that the time is ripe for Red Bull to divorce itself from its stubborn marketing plan, putting its name on racing teams, sports teams, flying competitions and men parachuting to Earth from over 100,000 feet off the ground. Maybe the Red Bulls need to stop being Team Corporate and find something they never had as RBNY or the MetroStars — an identity. A logo. A look. A purpose. Right now, there’s only one pro team in New York that can use history to its advantage — and that team is the NASL’s Cosmos.

The Yankees and Manchester City are partnering to make NYCFC a reality. Can Man City owner Sheikh Mansour and the Yankees brain trust exist in a league where restraint is preached and central control of contracts is vital to the business strategy? Yes, even with a rumoured $100 million expansion fee and no stadium in place, MLS is a relatively safe investment, because of the low, fixed labour costs. But, the Sheikh and the Yankees have never been ones to care too much about fiscal restraint.

What colours will NYCFC wear? The landing page for the NYCFC site is sky blue. Manchester City wears sky blue. Enough with the pinstripes talk.

What of the stadium plan? The reaction to the NYCFC deal was swift — from the Fairness Coalition of Queens, that is. The Coalition is a group of residents who don’t want New York to give away parkland for a stadium. And, with Man City’s involvement, things got a little nastier on the side of the residents who oppose a stadium plan for Queens-Corona Park.

“We welcome Major League Soccer to New York City. We are pleased with their new willingness to consider other sites in New York,” read a statement from the Fairness Coalition’s Javier Valdes. “The proposal for a stadium inside the heart of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is deeply flawed and would irrevocably damage a vital community resource.

“We look forward to finding a more appropriate home for the team that does not sacrifice public parkland and that does not giveaway parkland to a documented human-rights abuser. Lets make this a development that all New Yorkers can be excited about.”

That’s right, the coalition went there — discussing the Sheikh’s controversial ties to the United Arab Emirates’ regime, and its hardline policies on gays and lesbians and allegations that dissidents are tortured or are “disappeared.” The charges from certain members of the public against the Sheikh aren’t new, and they didn’t hurt him at all in England, a league which, frankly, needs all the capital it can get. But, the human-rights angle being used by the public in relation to a New York expansion team, and a partnership with the Yankees, is new. And we’ll see if the Fairness Coalition succeeds in making that part of the dialogue.

But it needs to be said that Yankees president Randy Levine used to be deputy mayor and was later a key man in negotiating the deal for a new Yankee Stadium. The cynic will say that MLS couldn’t get the stadium done, so has now turned the dirty work over to the Yankees. But, truth is, the Yankees are far better equipped than MLS to negotiate terms for a new soccer stadium, anyway.

For now, the focus is on a temporary stadium, Yankee Stadium or the Mets’ Citi Field being floated as options. Wait till the baseball-loving soccer haters get a hold of that.

Wonderful. It’ll keep MLS in the news in New York – which, frankly, the Red Bulls weren’t doing.

U.S. Open Cup results work out perfectly for FC Edmonton

Steven Sandor — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:13:16 +0000

Coach Colin Miller and his FC Edmonton players lamented the number of breaks that went against them in the early portion of the NASL spring campaign. There were the phantom penalty calls. There were the goalposts and crossbars that were magnets for balls off the heads, thighs and feet of the Eddies’ players.

But Lady Luck has a way of evening things out. And, while the Eddies have been on a bye, pretty well each and every result they wanted to go their way has, well, gone their way.

Going into the weekend, the Eddies were three points out of first place in the NASL spring season table, but each of the other six teams in the league had a game in hand on FCE. When the weekend’s action was done, the Eddies found themselves still just three points off the top of the table — yet the rest of the league had burned their games in hand.

Now, the Eddies go into the final six games of the spring campaign just three points down — and with four of the team’s final six on Clarke Stadium turf, where the team is 2-0-0 and has yet to surrender a goal so far.

But things got even better for the Eddies after Tuesday’s US Open Cup action wrapped up. Fort Lauderdale, which plays in Edmonton Sunday, won its game. That means the Strikers will play at home to FC Dallas next Tuesday. So, the Strikers will have to fly to Edmonton and play just five days after their U.S. Open Cup win, then will have to fly all the way back to Florida to play an MLS side just 48 hours later. This means Strikers’ coach Daryl Shore will have to wrestle with the notion of trying to make guys play three games in a week with an insane travel schedule, or resting guys for the Edmonton game — and possibly not even putting some key players on the plane.

Also good news for the Eddies is that the Tampa Bay Rowdies overcame their cross city USL rivals, VSI Tampa Bay, on Tuesday. That means that next Wednesday, the Rowdies will face the Seattle Sounders, then have to face FCE at Clarke just four days later. So, once again, fixture congestion could work in Edmonton’s favour.

Eddies fans are cheering for NASL teams in the U.S. Open Cup not just because of pride in the league, but because it’s pragmatic. Playing weakened or tired sides over the next couple of weeks could help the Eddies secure six badly needed points.

The winner of the spring season, which concludes the first weekend of July — hosts the Soccer Bowl. A home game for Edmonton in November would constitute the biggest home advantage any of the NASL teams would enjoy. Playing a game in near or sub-zero temperatures, or with snow on the ground, would be a major obstacle for a field of possible opponents which are dominated by clubs from the southeast U.S.

No contest: Johnson is MLS Player of the Week

Steven Sandor — Tue, 21 May 2013 06:35:23 +0000

Eddie Johnson

Sometimes, you are so sure of the Player of the Week outcome, you almost forget to fill in your ballot and have it to the head office in time.

Sorta like an Alberta election: Voter turnout suffers because it’s assumed that the election is a done deal before the writ is signed by the lieutenant-governor.

This was one of those weeks. With two goals and an assist against FC Dallas, the team with the league’s best record, Seattle Sounders forward Eddie Johnson ticked off all the boxes when it comes to Player of the Week-worthiness. So, it wasn’t a surprise that he got the most checkmarks on the ballots from the members of the North American Soccer Reporters.

Johnson scored twice against Dallas, including the game winner. And, after a brutal start to the season, Seattle is now undefeated in six, and now has 15 points from 10 matches. That’s good enough for sixth place in the West, but Colorado is just one point ahead, and has played two games more.

Maybe this will be what Seattle needs. We’re used to seeing the Sounders get off to hot, hot starts to the season, then crash when the games matter most. Maybe getting some adversity early in the campaign will help them in the fall.

How The 11 voted: Johnson. Just got the vote in under the deadline. Even if you’re pretty sure you know who is going to win, you need to get out and vote, anyways. I think there’s a lesson there about democracy as a whole.

Haber scores again for Maccabi Haifa

Steven Sandor — Sun, 19 May 2013 16:03:26 +0000

Daniel Haber

Daniel Haber’s strike rate is an amazing goal-per-40.5 minutes.

The Toronto native scored his second goal of the season for Maccabi Haifa. After coming in as a sub, he scored the 85th-minute winner in a 3-2 win over Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Haber’s appearances in Israel’s Ligat Ha’al have been infrequent since he decided to forego his final year of eligibility at Cornell University and turned pro in January. The sub appearance in this weekend’s win was just his third showing in a league match this season — all of them seeing him coming in off the subs’ bench. But, with this weekend’s tally, Haber has now scored twice in just 81 minutes of total time on the pitch.

But, Haber has run out of time to make any more statements to his club, as the season is now done. And, it has to be noted that Haber’s appearances didn’t come until Haifa was mathematically eliminated from the title race. Did Haber do enough to see the team pick up the option on his contract? Could he be loaned out? Or has his ability to find the net in very limited minutes be enough to make him a bigger part of Haifa’s plans in 2013-14?

On last day of season, Hainault scores his first for Ross County

Steven Sandor — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:41:38 +0000

Andrew Hainault

On the last day of the Scottish Premier League season, Canadian defender Andrew Hainault scored his first goal for Ross County.

Just before the end of the first half, Hainault came up to join the attack on a corner, and the ex-Houston Dynamo centre back/right back rocketed a volley into the goal after the ball fell to him at the far post. The goal gave Ross County a 1-0 win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

After Hainault came to Ross County in January, he struggled to get into the lineup. Up to April 6, he had made just three substitute appearances for his side — a total of just 10 minutes on the pitch with the first team.

But Hainault has started the past five matches for Ross County, and his goal on Sunday did carry some meaning. The loss ensured that Caley Thistle would fail in its quest to go to the Europa League.

Ref takes centre stage in Portland-Vancouver clash

Martin MacMahon — Sun, 19 May 2013 06:21:38 +0000

Camilo

The Vancouver Whitecaps conceded late to Jose Valencia in controversial circumstances on Saturday, as they drew 2-2 with the 10-man Portland Timbers in front of 19,823 at BC Place.

On the game-tying play, in the 84th minute, the substitute appeared to bring a long ball from Will Johnson down with his hands – match officials were asked by a pool reporter what they saw on the play, and responded that from their view Valencia brought the ball down with his chest.

Replays proved otherwise, but Whitecaps head coach Martin Rennie seemed dissatisfied with the officiating both ways.

“I thought it was a hand ball,” Rennie remarked when asked about Valencia’s equalizing goal, before later addressing Portland’s red card, in which Futty Danso collided with Camilo as last man back. “Whether it was a red card or not – I don’t necessarily think it was – both players were running together so that was a little harsh.

“Sometimes when a team goes down a man, it doesn’t necessarily help you.”

Rennie also wasn’t thrilled with the decision by referee Matthew Foerster to award a penalty which Will Johnson scored from in the 52nd minute after Andy O’Brien handled in the area.

“In the second half, I was disappointed with the decision for a penalty,” Rennie said. “Because Andy’s hand is by his side and there’s not a lot he can do. The same thing happened in the first half on Futty Danso, and no foul or infringement was given, so I thought that was a bit harsh.”

The Whitecaps were leading 2-1 after the red card through a first-half free kick goal from Camilo and an excellent strike from Gershon Koffie in the 54th minute, as just three minutes after Danso’s dismissal Will Johnson hit a ball in Valencia’s direction, which the substitute brought down well before beating O’Brien and slotting home.

After the match, Brad Rusin, who last his aerial duel with Valencia on the play, held up his hand as the man at fault, hand ball or not.

“I take full responsibility for the second goal,” Rusin told reporters. “At the end of the day, I have to be better and we can’t blame the referees.”

This result means the Whitecaps remain winless against Cascadia rivals Portland Timbers and the Seattle Sounders in the Major League Soccer era.

“We feel that’s two points lost for us,” keeper Brad Knighton said. “We need to win that game – we’re a man up and one long ball right down the middle of the field beats us. We can’t let the referee make a decision for us.

“We need to take care of business – it’s unfortunate – I thought we played really well today.”

Rennie tinkered with his lineup for this match in a number of ways. Knighton made his first league start of the season, with regular starting ‘keeper Joe Cannon dropped, and Camilo played centre forward for the first time this season after primarily playing as a wide attacker.

The Scottish tactician refused to indicate whether his move to Knighton would be a permanent switch, and said the ‘keeper’s kicking ability was the reason for the change.

After a congested schedule, the ‘Caps, now 3-4-4, get a bit of a reprieve with a 10-day break before their next match, which happens to be the second leg of the Canadian Championship final against the Montreal Impact on May 29. The sides are level at 0-0 on aggregate after the first leg in Montreal.

“It’ll help us,” Rennie said of the break. “We haven’t been able to train a lot for the last number of weeks. It’s just been one game after another… being at home is an important factor, and also the fact we don’t play the Saturday before that game.

“Montreal will have to play and then travel – it’s a long way, and it’s hard – and that’s the one thing I felt disappointed about tonight. The players really deserved a win out of that. They put in a fantastic effort this week. It’s been incredible to see and I think they deserved a little bit more.”

TFC: New players, same results in loss to the Crew

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 19 May 2013 05:55:45 +0000

Dominic Oduro

Toronto FC’s new additions couldn’t prevent an old result. Steven Caldwell, Jeremy Brockie and Bobby Convey were hardly the culprits behind TFC’s 1-0 loss to the Columbus Crew on Saturday (Brockie and Convey were second-half substitutes) and yet the result seemed almost like a foregone conclusion given the Reds’ history of in-season roster shakeups and sacrificing valuable points in the name of giving a new lineup time to gel.

With just one win and seven overall points from their first 11 matches, the hope is that this latest amalgamation of talent can finally get the team on track in the short term, and more changes are still to come.

“We knew the level of the job we had ahead of us.. The quality sides in this league are constructed over a period of time. We’re still at the early stages,” said TFC assistant head coach Fran O’Leary, addressing the media since head coach Ryan Nelsen had lost his voice. “I know there’s no panic in our dressing room, in our group. We’re going to construct this team over a period of time, over several [transfer] windows.”

With the three newcomers arriving within the last 11 days, Toronto’s lineup had just one change from their previous match on May 8. Caldwell stepped in at centre back though his partner in the middle was Doneil Henry rather than Darren O’Dea. The team captain moved from his regular CB spot to left back to help cover TFC’s injury problems on the flank.

“It’s quite obvious the team needs improving,” O’Dea said about the position switch. “If you’re winning games week in and week out then you can complain. If you’re losing games, you can’t do anything about it.”

It could’ve been one move too much for TFC, as Crew midfielder Dominic Oduro took a pass from Federico Higuain in the 42nd minute and got between Caldwell and Henry while streaking down the field. Oduro fired the ball past Joe Bendik to account for the match’s only goal.

It was a well-deserved assist for Higuain, who was twice unlucky in the first half after blasting shots off the crossbar and the right post.

The Reds, led by striker Robert Earnshaw, weren’t without their own chances. Earnshaw did his best at turning some shaky service into legitimate opportunities, particularly a 22nd minute attempt that saw Earnshaw evade three Crew defenders and nearly sneak the ball inside the left post.

Earnshaw was also the point man for the Reds’ best chance of the game. He sent a cross from the left side to fellow striker Luis Silva, who drew two defenders and headed the ball right to a wide-open Justin Braun in front of the net. Braun touched the ball when he should’ve shot it, however, and his tapped attempt went wide.

“In the first half they could’ve been 3-0 up or we could’ve been 3-0 up,” O’Dea said. “They finished one of their chances and that just changes the game. It’s just about being clinical in both ends.”

Finishing the job, in general, was a theme of O’Dea’s post-game comments. Despite TFC’s record, the captain believes his side is “a match for any team in the league” but its efforts in staying close in games aren’t enough.

“We need to get together and believe in ourselves. We’re competing every week, which is the bare minimum you can ask for any football team, now it’s time to step up because we’re obviously not getting any results,” O’Dea said.

Caldwell was pleased to get a full 90 minutes under his belt. His last game action came on March 16 as a member of Birmingham City FC and the defender hadn’t played a full match since Feb. 23. Aside from a drier pitch than he’s used to in England, Caldwell said he had little trouble acclimating himself to Major League Soccer.

“The pace is just the exact same. There’s no real breaks in the play or in the tempo of the match which is different from back home,” Caldwell said. “But it’s just a bit of adjusting and I’m pleased I’ve gotten through my first week and played my first game. I’m bitterly disappointed in the result but glad to have felt what it’s like. I’m sure I can improve next week.”

Braun was substituted out for Convey at halftime as O’Leary said that Braun had re-aggravated an existing injury. Brockie came on for Reggie Lambe in the 64th minute so, for about a half-hour, TFC got to look at all three new arrivals at the same time.

It’s hard to say exactly what the Reds’ Starting XI will look like in even a few weeks time, given the uncertainty surrounding Tal Ben Haim’s loan deal and the return of regulars Richard Eckersley and Danny Koevermans from injury. O’Leary said that Koevermans was probably two or three weeks away from returning to action, and the striker played 45 minutes in a reserve league match on Saturday.

The loss drops TFC’s all-time record against Columbus to 1-9-7 in the laughably one-sided Trillium Cup derby. The Crew return to BMO Field on July 27, giving the Reds another chance to finally pick up their first victory on their home pitch over their Ohio rivals.