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Nakajima-Farran, Piette the only real surprises on Canada roster

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/17/2012

Issey Nakajima-Farran, with Canada back in 2010, PHOTO: CANADA SOCCER

Canadian men’s national team coach Stephen Hart had been stating over and over not to expect too many surprises when he unveiled the roster for a June 3 friendly against the United States and two World Cup qualifiers to follow.

So, we shouldn’t be surprised that we weren’t surprised. For the most part, it’s a squad very similar to what we saw through the first phase of World Cup qualifying, which saw Canada eliminate St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis and Puerto Rico.

Of the 22 men named to the roster, only two — teenager Samuel Piette and veteran Issey Nakajima-Farran, who plays in Australia — would be considered eyebrow-raisers.

Piette, at 17, was a major part of Canada’s team at last year’s U-17 World Cup and the recent U-23 squad that came within one game of securing a berth at the London Olympics. He is reportedly close to a deal with Fortuna Dusseldorf, who earlier this week secured its return to the Bundesliga.
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Canadian women work on mixing up their attack as Vancouver camp continues

By
Martin MacMahon
– 05/15/2012

Coach John Herdman, left, passes on instruction to Melissa Tancredi, middle, and Christina Julien in Foxboro, Mass. ahead of a friendly against Brazil, last March. PHOTO: CANADA SOCCER

Two months to go until London 2012.

It’s the big tournament the Canadian Women’s National Team has been waiting for since the disappointment of last year’s World Cup, in which Big Red crashed out in the group stage with three straight losses to Germany, France and Nigeria.

The team is in the midst of a residency camp being held throughout Metro Vancouver, as head coach John Herdman prepares his charges for the biggest tournament under his tenure since taking over from Carolina Morace in September, 2011.

“It’s huge,” captain Christine Sinclair told The 11 after a training session at North Vancouver’s Kinsmen Stadium Monday evening. “It’s our camp preparing for the Olympics. It’s a unique opportunity for us to be in Vancouver together for two or three months. We’ve got a lot to work on and that’s giving us that chance.”
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Canada loses women’s CONCACAF U-17 final to the USA

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/13/2012

Canada surrendered only its second goal of the CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship, but it was enough to cost it the gold medal.

The United States got a goal from Amber Munerlyn in the first half and had very few scares as it beat Canada 1-0 in the CONCACAF final Saturday night in Guatemala.

Munerlyn chipped Canadian keeper Kallen Sheridan from inside the box after she made a run through the defensive line. It was the 26th goal the Americans had scored in the tournament (five games). For Canada, it was only the second time it had been scored on in the tournament.
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Canada books spot at the women’s U-17 World Cup

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/11/2012

Valerie Sanderson PHOTO: CANADA SOCCER

Canada will be represented at the U-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan.

The Canadian teams wrapped up the berth Thursday, as a goal from Valerie Sanderson was all that was needed to beat Mexico 1-0 in a semifinal of the CONCACAF of the U-17 Women’s Chamionship.

CONCACAF sends three teams to the World Cup; both finalists and the winner of the regional consolation game. So, that format made the semifinals de facto one-game World Cup qualifiers

Sanderson, who scored three goals against Guatemala in Canada’s final group stage game, pounced on a rebound off a shot from Summer Clarke early in the first half. That marker proved to be enough.
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Hart already dealing with injured players ahead of June WC qualifiers

By
Aman Dhanoa
– 05/10/2012

Simeon Jackson models the special-edition Canada jersey the team will wear for its June 3 centennial friendly against the U.S. So, Canada in blue, and the U.S. in red and white?

With the media room all neatly decorated at BMO Field the obvious focuses of Canadian Soccer Association’s Thursday press conference were its centennial celebrations and the unveiling of its limited-edition heritage kit.

But it didn’t take long for the media to dress down the event and ask the important questions about the men’s national team and its preparation for the World Cup qualifying campaign, which resumes in June.

The first challenge for national team coach Stephen Hart will be to select a provisional roster for a training camp to be held in Florida beginning on May 21. He has been impressed with a number of players, most notably Bundesliga 2. Star Olivier Occean, but he first has to rule out who is unavailable – either by choice or injury.

“There are some injury issues, unfortunately, and we will have a couple of players that cannot be part of the campaign,” said Hart. “Marcel de Jong is out and Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault is out and we’re waiting on some medical reports on two other players.”
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New CSA president Montagliani strikes conciliatory tones

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/08/2012

Victor Montagliani

Victor Montagliani sounded a lot like a man who had just won a political-party nomination.

In his first telephone media conference after being elected president of the Canadian Soccer Association, he spoke about building relationships, about working with the people who had voted against him. Really, it was no different than hearing a new leader reach out to the camps of the other candidates in an effort to bring a political party together after a divisive campaign.

And, of course, there was unbridled optimism: Talk of being able to double the CSA’s operating budget in eight years, about working with the pro clubs, that the reform process is moving along, a promise to do what it takes to make the national teams better.

For those hoping that Montagliani would kick off his presidency with angry ultimatums to the MLS over Canadian-import quotas or some angry words for remnants of the old guard who remain in the CSA, well, that was never going to happen.
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Canada finishes atop Group A at U-17 championship

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/07/2012

Canada has won Group A of the CONCACAF Women’s U-17 championship in emphatic fashion.

Canada got three goals from Valerie Sanderson and two from Summer Clarke as it beat the host Guatemalans 6-1 Sunday in their final group-stage match of the championships. For Clarke, it was her fifth and sixth goals of the tournament.

Canada finished the group stage with a 3-0-0 record and a +15 goal difference. Guatemala’s goal, a free-kick effort from Vivian Herera, was the only marker surrendered by the Canadians in three group-stage games.
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Montagliani elected as CSA’s new president, but process needs to change

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/05/2012

Victor Montagliani

Victor Montagliani, the odds-on favourite going into this weekend’s Canadian Soccer Association elections, got the support he needed at the Annual General Meeting in Ottawa and is the new president.

Montagliani, who got a public show of support from Canada’s alumni players, defeated incumbent Dominique Maestracci and Rob Newman, a reformer who had the support of Canada’s four major pro clubs.

“Governance is not simply about management. It requires leadership, passion and a burning desire to deliver excellent outcomes for the Canadian Soccer Association. Leadership is about service and I am ready to serve the Canadian soccer community,” said Montagliani in a vision statement that was released by the CSA.
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Canada’s U-17 women rout Jamaica in Group A action

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/04/2012

Canada’s dominance at the CONCACAF U-17 women’s championships continued on Friday.

Two days after the Canadian teens throttled Panama by a 6-0 count, they made easy work of Jamaica, winning 4-0 in Guatemala.

Valerie Sanderson and Elissa Neff, who volleyed her effort home, put Canada ahead 2-0 before the 25-minute mark.

In the second half, it was Summer Clarke’s turn to shine once again. The offensive star of the Canadian side, who scored three and set up two more against Panama, got on the scoresheet in the 56th.
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Women’s World Cup host-cities announcement is anticlimactic

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/04/2012

As press conferences go, the announcement of Canada’s 2015 Women’s World Cup host cities was about as anticlimactic as they get.

Edmonton, Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Winnipeg were named the host cities for the tournament. What cities will actually get big games (semifinals and final, as well as the Canada matches) will be determined later. Each of the cities will also host games at the 2014 U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Halifax dropped out and Toronto was never interested (that is, city government, not the fans in Canada’s largest city) because it has the Pan Am Games in 2015.

So the six host cities was a done deal. In fact, it was such an obligatory presser that the first question that FIFA president Sepp Blatter fielded from the press gallery was about Brazil 2014. In fact, the press conference handlers had to ask the media to keep the questions to the 2015 WWC.
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