PLASTIC PITCH No. 11: Alphonso Davies’s Edmonton roots, NASL’s future, MDS, what next for TFC, should Scottish get a shot at Voyageurs Cup? 9 Jan 2017 But now that we have a verdict, the issue goes forward. Thanks for your patience! What can you find inside the issue, other than our look back at the USL/NASL soap opera?
Buchanan wins the MAC Hermann Trophy 6 Jan 2017 She was named the best young player at the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Now, Canadian defender Kadeisha Buchanan can add the MAC Hermann Trophy to her case.
Imagine there’s no divisions, it’s easy if you try… 4 Jan 2017 In a system without promotion and relegation, why is it important for us to have divisional distinctions for leagues? Really, why do we care so much what a series of suit-and-tie guys deem to be Divisions 1, 2 and 3 in North America?
Lawrence makes the move to PSG 3 Jan 2017 Canadian fullback/midfielder Ashley Lawrence has signed a deal with French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain.
Playing surfaces, competing Olympic bid: A joint World Cup bid has a lot of hurdles to clear 30 Dec 2016 Remember, though, FIFA has a rule about senior World Cups. All games must be played on the same surface. Either they’re all on grass, or all on artificial turf. Unless that rule changes, or the Mexicans and Americans agree to tear up a lot of grass, a joint bid would mean that Canadians would be left with the very pricy option of placing grass surfaces in stadiums.
Hutchinson still hasn’t made up his mind about his national-team future 16 Dec 2016 And, when it comes to Hutchinson’s unsure national-team future, speaking with him Friday gave we in the media no clearer indication of where he stands.
Sinclair wins POTY award for the 13th time 15 Dec 2016 Sinclair, to no one’s surprise, was announced as Canada’s top player on Thursday. And she accepted the award with the grace of the average Canadian, by wanting to talk about her team more than she wanted to talk about herself.
Fury-Impact deal: Ottawa eligible to play in the Cup 9 Dec 2016 The Fury’s front office says that the eligibility of each Montreal player will be set out in their contracts. There is no blanket policy that covers all loanees. So, if Ottawa and Montreal were to meet in a meaningful game, the status of the Impact loanees would be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Canada has itself to blame for FIFA’s Sinclair and Herdman omissions 2 Dec 2016 Why was Canada’s women’s national team coach so angry? Because Christine Sinclair, who moved into the No. 2 spot on the all-time women’s international scoring list in 2016, wasn’t on the shortlist for The Best FIFA Women’s Player Award. (Herdman was also skipped over in the coach-of-the-year selections).
We were underwhelmed, if that’s a word: Canada Soccer/MLS strike a domestic-player deal 30 Nov 2016 Going forward, there will be ways for Canadians to become domestics league-wide in MLS, but it might be almost as difficult as it is to satisfy all the parameters to becoming a free agent in MLS.